Grandma Cindy Comes to Texas!

We were all so excited that Grandma Cindy got to come visit us right after spring break because seeing family in between our Utah visits is the absolute best! The kids had withdrawals after spending eight days with her while we were in Mexico, so they were more than ready to see her!

She got here on a Tuesday and after we caught up and had dinner, we dyed Easter eggs. We celebrated Easter all week and this was Tuesday's activity.

  Luckily Brian loves to dye eggs and my mom likes to do anything that the kids love to do, so I let them sit with my cute little chicks and dye away! Brian is the creative one in the family, that is for sure.

Everyone did such a good job and Grandma kept Eve under control so it was an all around good time!

The boys know that Grandma Cindy loves a good game of Crazy 8s so they got right to it the first night and I'm pretty sure they played each day following while she was here. 

And Miss Eve can't stand idly by, so she got in on that action!

"What, mom? Standing on top of the table is way safe."

On Wednesday Eve had her 18 month check up so we headed to the doctor's office and Grandma and Wes went to the school to have lunch with Mr. Thad. Having visitors for lunch is one of Thad's favorite things ever! It's worth it to go just for the smile on his face when you show up. :) Luckily Grandma Cindy loves a good lunch visit to the elementary so it worked out perfect! 

We headed to Hopdoddy for an early dinner and it was totally worth it with no lines and quick service. Having a Hopdoddy in Round Rock is dangerous, but way more awesome.

Thursday was our biggest day because it was Grandma Cindy's BIRTHDAY! We were lucky enough to have her in Texas on her big day, so we showed her how we do birthdays down south.

If you know my mom you know she likes to get her hair did, she loves a good style from someone that is not herself! I had heard about this blow dry bar so I saved my coupons from the mail and we headed to Waco to start our day off right! 

It was so fun to get our hair done and we felt like a million bucks when we walked out the door.

Next we headed to Lula Jane's for lunch, a fun little farm to table restaurant that Kristen recommended we check out while we were dropping Eve off for her to watch for a couple hours until Brian could pick her up after getting Wes from preschool. I'm so happy I have awesome people in my life so I can do awesome things!

 Anyways, back to this lunch...It was pretty bomb! There was one menu option and it was tomato basil soup, ciabatta bread and pimento cheese...we were in heaven!

This is a pretty good display of how happy we were after finishing that awesome lunch. I love that mama of mine!

Next stop, the main event: Magnolia Market 

My mom told Brian and I about Chip and Joanna since we moved to Texas and about how much she loves them and their show. She kinda loved them before they were cool so she was over the moon about visiting this place!

  We shopped around and enjoyed seeing all the pretty things this darling store had displayed. My mom got some vases and a darling t-shirt and I just enjoyed watching how much she enjoyed it!

After shopping we devoured some delicious crepes from the food trucks and then headed on back to Round Rock with a couple stops along the way.

Buccee's!!! 

Somehow Haley and I never told mom how awesome this place is and luckily there is one on the way, so we made a pit stop. This gas station is so much stinkin' fun and I love taking people here for the first time. Yay for funny Texas hot spots! 

We also stopped at Target for some childless shopping and I bought myself so gifts for my mom's birthday. Wait... ;)

It was no question about what we would do for dessert...Go big or go home! 

 These kiddos sure love their Grammy and we are all glad we got to celebrate her! 

 Happy 61st, Grandma Cindy!

Thad had Friday off of school so we got to all be together and it was great. We enjoyed relaxing at home, going to the park, playing Crazy 8s, chatting our hearts out and eating yummy food...doesn't get much better than that! 

As you can see we enjoyed perfect weather while she was here. Any time a jacket can be worn during the day is a good day to me!

While Thad was showing off his basketball skills to Grandma Cindy, Wes was playing tag with 12 year old girls...seriously! That boy has a way with EVERYONE and they let him join right in, listened to what he said and were the nicest. I love that boy and his charm!

  

 Wes was so happy he could climb this tree because he still can't quite get up into the ones at our house.

After the park we headed to Alamo Drafthouse on Friday night to see the last movie in the Divergent series. A night to dinner and a movie there is one of our very favorite things!

And for our last meal before we sent Grandma off we headed to Torchy's Tacos, another one of our very favorites! 

She flew home around 6am on Easter Sunday morning so we said goodbye the night before and were sad she couldn't stick around for our Easter shenanigans. We didn't realize it was Easter when we booked the flight, but it ended up working out ok and she had a direct flight so was home in time to attend her church meetings.

We are just so happy for the five days this lovely lady gave us to spend with her. We love her to the moon and can't wait until she comes again. Thank you, Grandma Cindy, we love you!

Spring Break

Spring break was a fun one this year! We stayed close but any time there is no school and more dad around it's always a good time!

Water Fun!

The first day of spring break was beautiful and I'm pretty sure we hadn't washed the van since returning from Utah, so that chore was at the top of our list. I was also trying to get all the chores crossed off our list so we could just do all the fun things! The kids were awesome helpers, but were pumped when we finally put that sprinkler on the hose!

Swimsuits and sun in March make a great combination!

That evening we headed to the pool and had our first official family swim of 2016!

"Hiking"

Hiking is in quotation marks because it's not really hiking in Texas, it's more like trail walking. It doesn't matter though because it's always super fun! The Dukes joined us and our families had a great time "hiking!" 

SXSW

South by Southwest

We have been wanting to check out SXSW since we moved here. It is a big technology, movie and music conference that brings people to Austin from all over the world. Our friends Audrey and Chris are big movie and SXSW buffs so we asked them to let us tag along whenever we could and tag a long we did!

Audrey called at 3:30 on Tuesday night and said, "We're heading to a movie if you want to come." I was in gym clothes and at the grocery store but I kicked it into high gear, got her daughter to sit for us and we met them downtown at 6! We saw a documentary called "Seven Songs for a Long Life" and loved it! Audrey and Chris were nervous that our expectations hadn't been met because it was a little sad, but interacting with the director and cast on stage was such a unique experience that we really loved it! After the show we waded through the crowds of rowdy people and ended up having dessert at a fun little cafe they frequent and chatted until late. We were so happy they called us! 

The next morning we met them at the Convention Center for the Trade Show they have gone to the last few years. All sorts of companies and countries and organizations are there passing out swag and interacting with the public...well, this year they didn't open it to the public on the last day. :( We all almost cried, but had a fun day anyways! 

 The kids played with Legos while we decided what to do...

And we ended up heading to South Congress and attending a children's event at Tom's House. It was totally hippie with a drum circle going the whole time and disgusting fruit and veggie drinks served, but the kids were over the moon about it!

We ended the day with lunch at Gueros and it was totally amazing! No picture, but great company and a lot of fun despite our botched plans.

St. Patty's Day

This fun holiday always falls smack dab in the middle of spring break down in Texas so there isn't always somewhere fun to wear our green, but we still sport it anyways!

The kids were extra excited about their Leprechaun trap they designed with dad this year and were eager to see if it worked when they got up in the morning!

The leprechauns escaped by the hair of their chinny chin chins, but the boys didn't seem too disappointed after seeing the loot they left!

We did have a green brunch at Hilary's house and that was a lot of fun for these little leprechauns of mine...I love them so much!

We also discovered face swapping this day and went to town with it! I laugh a lot when I look at these!

Hahahahaha!!!!

Block Party

We ended the week with an awesome block party that Abby mostly planned. We had a great turn out and although the rain sent us in earlier than we wanted, it was still wonderful!

Eve is our one and only Texan baby and she sure showed off her skills! 

We could not get enough of her that night! She is pretty much the best.

We have the best friends and neighbors and are so grateful for a fun night we got to spend with them!

18 Month Eve

Our Eve hit this milestone during spring break and we seriously cannot get enough of her awesome. She is a chatter bug, has THE BEST facials and quirky, sassy attitude!

We have upped her roller game and she is getting some smokin' curls!

She also loves the song "Let It Go" a lot. Like a lot. Its kinda creepy how quick and how much she loves it!

One morning of spring break I ran to the restroom and Wes had left his bowl on the table...She grabbed the box and perfectly poured the last of the cereal in his bowl and was munchin' in down. Crazy! I asked the boys 100 times if they poured it and they insisted it was her. She is too smart! 

Her spring break Sunday attire was also right on cue! She finally got to sport this beauty that Aunt Jenny got her last year-

 Cute dresses and cute girls are just perfect!

Relaxin'!

And in between all the fun and cute there was plenty of this-

Spring break 2016 was a good one!