Shamu's Got Game!

We decided to take advantage of living relatively close to Sea World so we decided to get season passes to it. The boys absolutely love the place. They ran and played and saw lots of cool things. They even experienced a 4-D Polar Express show (the 4th D was the fake snow at the end!). With gas at under $150 a gallon, we might be back again before we know it!

Just look at their faces as they watched the Shamu show...awe and amazement...

Musically Inclined

Mackay and Beckett were having a great time playing their ukulele (that we got them in Hawaii) and singing in their microphone. Oh, and they added some sweet dance moves to finish out their number. I guess you could say that we've been watching too much Dancing With the Stars around here!

Too bad we didn't have audio for this video...

Peter Pan & Captain Hook

Andrea did a sweet job making Mackay and Beckett's Halloween costumes. Beckett wavered between wanting to be Peter Pan like Mackay or being Captain Hook. With a little prodding from Andrea, I think he finally settled on being the crazy pirate.

You will note that this is the best they looked the rest of the night. Beckett wanted his hat off and neither one kept his shoe covering on. If you look closely, you will see that Andrea painted in chest hair for Beckett and gave him a "Dad" tattoo. It was pretty sweet! For more details, check out Andrea's new blog!

Books Make Me Fall Asleep Too!

Beckett is such a cute little guy. Sometimes he likes to take a book to bed with him before he naps (yes, he still naps!). I love that he fell asleep with the book still standing up in the air. At least it wasn't upside down, like it was last time!

Wedding in the Family

We enjoyed a nice (short) weekend in Utah for Andrea's sister's wedding. For more details, go to Andrea's entry or see her sister's blog. Here's a picture of Andrea and a few of her siblings (her younger sister is on a mission in Argentina).

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!).