Thirty, Flirty, and We Still Got It...

This past weekend I was able to escape with two of my best friends Amy and Suzie to Austin. We all turned 30 this year and decided we were going to have a weekend to ourselves with no kids, husbands, and complete freedom. We had an awesome time!

We shopped the outlets on the way to Austin on Friday night and had a late dinner at a local favorite called The Magnolia Cafe. The food was good and it was a fun "Austin-y" place to eat. The next day we took our time getting out the door and we headed for IKEA. We did some more shopping and then headed back to the hotel to hang out for awhile and get cleaned up. That night we walked around downtown Austin until we found just the right spot to eat. We ended up at this super swanky steakhouse and the food was awesome!

Now being thirty, we just wanted to feel like we still had it. We walked down the famous 6th Street and were pleased that we kept being invited into bars.

To end the night we took a rickshaw ride back to the hotel. The driver (pedaler) had helped us find a place to eat and it was a fun time. We relaxed a bit in the hot tub and of course chatted.

It was a great time. Thanks girls!

Suzie, Me, and Amy in front of the capitol.

Trying to take our own picture of the three of us in the rickshaw.

A much better picture of the three of us, courtesy our rickshaw driver.

"Princess Stories"

Brooklyn and I were sitting at the table tonight and she asked me to tell her a story, not one from a book just one I made up. So I started the story with a beautiful princess with red hair named Brooklyn. Then she stopped me (kind of like in the princess bride) and she told me I was telling the story wrong. I explained to her that it was one I was making up so I couldn't be telling it wrong. She disagreed and said she would tell me a bedtime story instead so she could show me how to do it. This was her story:

Once up a time in a far away land there lived a beautiful princess named Ariel and she loved to sing and dance and play. She was everyone's friend. Then, Belle appeared, and she told everyone that she wanted everyone to come to her birthday and she wanted everyone to do what she did. And then, Cinderella appeared and she didn't know what to wear for the party. (She asked for my help here.) And I said she should wear the blue dress. She said no, no, no, no her dress was bluish greenish pinkish. Then Cinderella went to the party and danced and danced and then snuggled up in her nice warm bed and went to sleep. Then Jasmine appeared, she was going on a magic carpet ride. She didn't know what to wear either and then suddenly she just found something and it was purplish pinkish bluish greenish. And they all lived happliy every after!

So in case you were wondering that is exactly how you tell your own made up "Princess Stories".

Visit to the Dentist

Brooklyn had her first visit to the dentist on the 4th of August and she did great. They all said she looked like Princess Giselle and she was super thrilled they thought she was a princess. It was a super fun office. She wore princess sunglasses, got a new toothbrush, lots of stickers and rode on a toy horse. The dentist and hygienist wore flavored gloves and she got to pick her favorite flavor of everything. I love that her first experience to the dentist was a good one and I wish it were that fun for me to go to the dentist.

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy

We have season passes to Six Flags this year and they have a summer concert series. On Thursday the 6th, none other than the Wiggles came to town. This wasn't a must see for Brooklyn, but I figured why not it was free.

We picked up her friend Meg on the way and headed to the park. At the entrance some very nice people asked me if we were going to the Wiggles show and I said that we were if there were still tickets left. They handed me four. I thanked them and was happy I didn't have to wait in line to get some, plus they said bleacher. It was over 100 degrees that day and I had no desire to sit on the hot shadeless lawn. We headed off and got to ride a few rides before the show in none other than (drum roll please...) the Wiggles World.

When we got to the show we realized we had special tickets. They were not any ordinary ticket, they were won on the radio and they entitled us to front row seats. Meg is 6 and was not too thrilled to see the Wiggles, but the front row seats made all the difference. They enjoyed the show, but looked like zombies the whole time because it was so stinking hot.

D-D-Dora the Explorer

After our trip to Tampa, I had to go to camp for a week. Needless to say, Brooklyn was feeling a little lost. She is usually never away from us and it was a long week for you. Luckily, we had tickets to "Dora Live: City of the Lost Toys" that weekend and we promised her a "special day" for Brooklyn.

We started at BJ's for pizza. It is her favorite, then we headed downtown to the show. It was better than I expected and Brooklyn loved it. Afterwards, we grabbed some ice cream on the riverwalk and headed home. It was a great day and we are so glad we had such a sweet little girl to have a special day for.

Thank You Grandma & Grandpa

My mom and Malcolm were kind enough to drive out to San Antonio from Las Vegas during July to stay the weekend with Brooklyn so Brad and I could head to Tampa. It was a quick trip, but so nice to have time alone together. We have only spent one night away from Brooklyn since she was born and that was our 10th wedding anniversary earlier this year. We really enjoyed the time together and had a great time seeing Tampa. We especially loved the beach. It was white sugar sand and the water was clear and warm.

Thanks again guys! It was awesome and we super appreciate it.

Our super yummy seafood dinner.

Fabulous Fourth!

This is our trip continued, but the last post. Brooklyn and I got the chance to spend the 4th of July in Las Vegas with part of my family. We missed Brad dearly, but it was a fun time.

One of my favorite memories as a child was going to Nellis Air Force base with my cousins, grandma, and family to watch 4th of July fireworks. This year we were able to go again. They always play patriotic music (duh, its the base) and I love being surrounded by all the men and women that serve our country and this fabulous holiday. The fireworks are always pretty great too. This year was definitely no exception.

We had a picnic and hung out on the grass listening to live music while we waited for fireworks; the kids played and we all had a great time.

p.s. I also finally purchased the patriotic dress I had been coveting at Children's Place. It finally went on sale. I was so proud of myself for waiting.

Grandma getting loves from Grandma, this is where she spent most of her time. It was always about grandma!

Rhett enjoying a little ice cream.

Malcolm enjoying his sandwich. Your welcome, you know everybody loves pictures of themselves eating.

Mike just chillin'.

Sarah my sister-in-law making faces like always.

Rhett enjoying his dinner. Doesn't he look comfy?

I didn't get much of Brooklyn's time that night. She spent most of it with Grandma, but I did get a few snugs.

Brooklyn in her new dress (cute, huh?) sporting the princess pose she learned at Disneyland.

Gage, just chilling and waiting for the fireworks to start.