Lost Maples Backpacking Trip

Our first family backpacking camping trip to enjoy the fall leaves of Lost Maples State park. The girls get a week off of school for Thanksgiving so we got them an hour early on Friday and made the drive out. It turned cold this weekend but as we had reservations since March (when none were left in the regular campground) we kept them and hurried to get to our site before sun down. 

Aptly named Monkey rock.

It has been a warm fall and then there was a big storm so it was the least colorful Thanksgiving in a long time but the fall foliage report said you could still see some and that the fall leaves swirling at your feet were beautiful. 

We camped Friday night and then Saturday morning hiked back to our car to check in and have lunch at a table. 

Then we did half the loop including by the lake.

And up a super rough steep hill to the overlook (they mean it when they say rough, I should have had thicker soled shoes)

By our campsite was a nice field and the blondies looked like lions playing in it.

Mornings were cold but we layered up and drank hot drinks. 

Next morning we hiked back to our car and then did the other loop. Over the weekend we totaled 18 miles!

A spring.

Trail map.

Our dinner rock, both nights we took our meal to this great area over the creek. 

Last breakfast before breaking down the camp and hiking back out through the lovely fall leaves to our car and home. Our camp had a compost bathroom and was only a little over a mile in; twice Caleb made two trips and once I went out to get more water, so it was a great intro to primitive camping and backpacking. 

Hogwarts in our home!

Our family is enjoying entering the world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. Lydia has read three, Gloria the first two and we've seen the first two movies. My mother who was Pinterest before it was a thing wanted to host a Harry Potter party and this the amazing result.

The whole house was amazing decorated with potions and pictures and more.

We invited a small group of friends who we know appreciate the world of Hogwarts enough to enjoy the activities. Including question games, making owls fly with their wands, magic drinks, Berties' Every Flavor Bean (yummy and yucky and I was afraid we were going to have some real vomit on our hands)

Potions class with Snape's female cousin.

Creative snacks-pretzel wands, pizza wands, pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, chocolate frogs and a flying snitch!

They ended by playing Quidditch. It was such a lovely day with friends.

SpiritFest 2016

Just down the road at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack, our local Christian radio station hosted SpiritFest. We had never been (previously it has been in Round Rock) but this year TPWD has a booth with Faith Anglers so after church we headed to the festival, parked, walked and the girls really wanted to bungee jump!

The day was beautiful and there were lots of fun things to do including a petting zoo, which we went to 3 times!

Then we met a friend, Valerie and she had gotten fourth row seats for Hawk Nelson. It was so fun to be that close. We knew several of their songs from the radio-Diamonds, Drops in the Ocean, Words, and then they sang one I hadn't heard before (Lydia said she had but their live version was so fun and meaningful at the same time). It is my current favorite song. Listen here

The girls really got into clapping, dancing and singing along.

Mandatory festival food!!

Gloria stayed at Caleb's booth while Lydia and I saw Jordan Feliz at the main bigger stage, not quite as close this time. Lydia's first favorite song was his, the River, so it was cool to see him perform.

All of us then watched For King & Country, we know most of their songs from the radio and they are such amazing performers. A great band and two brothers running and singing with lights, coming through the crowds, climbing around, banging on drums and Australian accents. During one of the times they were talking about how we are priceless and should remember God made us that way, one handed a necklace (that you could buy at their booth) to someone in the crowd  and Lydia really liked that. They also talked about the importance of racial reconciliation and I liked that.

They also had us use our phones as flashlights as we sang Amazing Grace. The songs and words were all glorifying to Jesus. And I can't remember the last time I'd seen so many Christian T-shirts in one place.

Me and Valerie.  It was so great to finally make it out to COTA and enjoy a great festival and concerts. I told the girls they needed to remember these bands because when they will older they will be asked what their first concert was :)

September

We got some great Texas swimming holes in the beginning of September, including McKinney Falls on Caleb's lunch break. 

Krausie Springs on Labor day, such a pretty place and our first time to go.

The first day of school finally came! Austin Discovery School was renovating old buildings all last year to be our new school buildings on the property behind the current school as KIPP was taking over that. It was scheduled to be finished in July, then plumbing problem, added to a super wet August and it wasn't schedule to be finished by the Aug 22 first day of school, we pushed it back to kick it old school starting the Tuesday after Labor day, but oops the buildings still weren't ready, but the kids and teachers were so they scheduled two weeks of field trips. Above is their first day of one of those. Then one more week off and then two weeks at another charter school's campus and we were finally in our new buildings!

Caleb and I continued our 3rd annual Take the first day of school off and go on a date day.

I went on a field trip with both girls, this day they both were at Inner Space Caverns, a place I had also been on a field trip too as a child. 

Caleb had a bike race in Corpus so we went as a family to enjoy the beach and cheer him on at the finish line.

In case, I am looking back at this online scrapbook, it would be horrible to forget what we were talking about constantly-Election 2016. It kept getting crazier, but here I am standing in Warren's place to represent smart strong women.

Nana and Grandpa came to celebrate Gloria's birthday.

A group of friends went to Hamilton pool on our last week off of school.

Friends at Gloria's bday slumber party!

The drive to NYOS school campus was long but there was a nice pond behind their school.

ADS ice cream fundraiser and our international UT friend Laura from France came with us.