Joys of Home Ownership

We are really enjoying life in a real house (as opposed to a condo or apartment!). We're also enjoying transforming our yard (which the previous owner left as little more than weeds!) and adding a few features.

Many thanks to my parents for all of their help building the deck. We couldn't have done it without you! Now if we could only convince them to move down here...

A Book and a Lizard

Falling asleep with a book and a lizard! I thought these two pictures were great!

Beckett and Mackay often like to take a book or two to bed. I love how the book is upside down...as if Beckett were reading it upside down and then fell asleep half way through.


This second picture is of Beckett snuggling up with his favorite lizard!



Ahh, life's little joys...

Beckett's Two!!!

I can't believe Beckett's already the big O-2...yep, two-years old!

We didn't have much of a celebration for his birthday last year--the move didn't help--so this year we decide to throw a shindig at our apartment pool (one of the few benefits to apartment living...a sweet pool!). We had a bunch of Beckett friends over. It was a good time. He even got some cupcakes! And Mackay was a big help when it came time to open presents!

Celebrating Freedom with Family

My sister, Amy, and her family came down from Dallas over the 4th of July holiday. We did our best to show them the many virtues of Austin in hopes that they'll some day move here! We enjoyed time canoeing on Town Lake, playing in the water at Barton Springs, climbing Mount Bonnell to get a great view of the city, and even catching a glimpse of the city's fireworks. It's great to be able to see family more often...one of the many virtues of living here!

Our Fish Mackay

Three days ago, Mackay started swimming underwater using his goggles. And now he LOVES it! It's like he can't get enough of it. Today I took him and Beckett to our pool and got to teach him lots of fun swimming tricks. It won't be long before he's diving into the pool. He's still a bit timid in deeper waters, however. He likes to be able to stand up whenever he wants. Nonetheless, we're very proud of our new little fish.





















Beckett loves the pool tool. Something tells me it won't be long before he's swimming too (especially given his lack of fear!).

Bikes and Family Night

When I was getting ready for work this morning, I told Mackay to think about what he wanted to to after I got home from work and that we'd do whatever he wanted. After thinking about it for a moment, he said, "I'm going to whisper it in your ear" (Andrea and Beckett were in the room). He leaned up to my ear and said, "Ride bikes and do family night." He has a big wheel and a small bike with training wheels that he likes to ride in front of our house and of course he loves family night--especially the singing (which accounts for most of the time in our family nights, followed by a 1-minute lesson). So in case you're wondering what we're doing tonight, it's going to be riding bikes and doing family night. Life's little moments...ah, the good stuff.

Celebrating 4 @ Gulfport

Although the beach at Gulfport was nothing like those we found in Maui, the kids didn't seem to notice. They had a great time playing in the sand, jumping in the pool, and playing at a near by kids museum. After all, everything is better when you can play with your cool cousins!

And although his birthday was not for a few more days, we celebrated Mackay's 4th birthday in style with his many cousins and a pinata before we headed home! These are the days we'll remember...

A Full Life

After going to Maui, we all headed down to Gulfport, Mississippi for a little shindig with my family to celebrate my parents 60th birthdays (they were born a day apart!). My sisters created an amazing book commemorating their entire lives. Check out Amy's blog for all the details. My contribution was this video of their lives...it's 35+ minutes of good times...called A Full Life!

A Full Life from Be Strong on Vimeo.

Maui is SWEET!

Andrea and I took a much deserved vacation to Maui without the kids (many thanks to Andrea's parents for watching them; one of the many benefits of living close to family)! It was a relaxing and short five days hanging out at the beach, snorkeling, hiking, and sleeping in. We still have more things we want to do there, so I guess we'll have to make a point of getting back there sooner rather than later.

Mackay the Musician

Mackay loves to play his ukulele and sing fun songs. Here's an example of his sweet skills!