Preschool Graduate

I can't believe it, she is Kindergarten bound.  This little girl graduated from preschool a few weeks ago.   The graduation program was filled with your typical entertainment...several boys digging in their noses (a classic), dresses swinging up and down, and all the kids waving to their fans in the crowd...never dull, always exciting. Daddy surprised her with flowers and she loved it. Since we moved right in the middle of the school year she had two preschools:  Westover in Arlington VA and The Fellowship in Austin. Both preschools were great and she had such a good year.  Abby dealt with the change well and dove right into the new adventure, and boy was it an adventure. 

She's all grown up.  

Here's her class modeling their Texas hats.  Her teacher definitely takes the cake.

Story time with her class at the library.  Kate and I joined in on the fun.

This is a self portrait she painted. ;) 

Brave Grandparents

My in laws were really kind to take on our two girls while I flew for the weekend to my friends wedding and Brett worked.  They were brave to take on the girls. ;) 

Thanks so much for watching them, they had such a fun time.  I just wish I would have taken more pictures of you with the kids.

Shano's Wedding

Shannon has been my friend ever since I was 6 yrs old.  We lived just a few houses down from each other and many Summer days we would run barefoot back and forth from each others homes.  He had many 'lemonade stands' and built pretty cool forts from old scrap-wood. We might have even hid in the window sills of her house from their insane pet bunny. There are many stories to tell but to sum it up, she is basically a sister to me. So, when she told me she was getting married, there was no question that I was flying out for the occasion. I must say it was a bit strange to fly all by myself on a plane. I finished two books and even took a nap, it was awesome. Flying is a completely different experience without little ones, though I did miss them while I was gone.  It was a very quick trip to Utah and back but very worth it.  The wedding was beautiful and fit her personality perfectly.  Mike, her husband is an awesome guy and we are really happy for them.  It was really nice to see family as well during my visit and made for a fun weekend.

(I am sooo sad I didn't have my camera to use during this whole trip, but the phone pulled through for me.)

I loved her cake.

Wedding luncheon

I went downtown literally every day because I love it.  It was fun to meet my mom for lunch at Kneaders and walk around the streets covered in Spring blossoms.  Crazy enough, I got to experience Spring twice this year. ;)

We always love our family walks along Bountiful Blvd.  We ran into my cousin Mike while were walking and it was great to see him before he leaves for his mission in July, he's such a good guy and will be an awesome missionary. 

I got to see my grandparents while I was there.  They have both had a rough couple of months health wise so I'm glad they are doing better. Grandpa was feeling back to normal and cracking his jokes as usual.

The next visit will be in July for a few weeks with Brett and the girls.  Here's hoping we survive the drive. 

April Visits

 This next few posts are a bit delayed but I definitely wanted to document all that happened the last couple months.  We had a chance to do some fun things while my parents were here to help us move.  Of course we had to introduce them to Salt Lick and Hopdoddy's, which both have yummy food.  The trip also wouldn't have been complete without seeing the famous 'bats' downtown.  I have never seen so many bats fly in my life.  The visit ended with my favorite outing, Zilker Park.  The girls loved riding the train and Barton Springs was green and beautiful.  It was our first time visiting this area and it won't be our last, we LOVED it, or at least I did. The girls better have liked it because we will be returning soon. ;)  It's always great to have visits from family and we are very grateful such such an awesome family. 

Before we moved here we were told Texas is just cactus and desert with a few trees... I beg to differ. Austin has much more than just cactus. 

This picture is classic because both are sticking out their tongue to compete in who can swing the highest.

Pops teaching the girls how to skip rocks.

Hopdoddy's shakes are the best.

Getting ready for the bats.

Safe in Nani's arms.

Checking out the trail behind our house.

Pants

I married a good man that is always willing to help out.  One particular Saturday morning, Brett took on the girls and got them dressed while I was on a run with friends.  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Kate come running to the door in these pants when I returned.  

She could start a new trend, right?!

The best part is he really thought this was the way the pants were suppose to be worn.  Women's clothes  design can confusing. ;)

I love Brett, he gives his all to make me happy.

Neighbors

We sure got lucky in the neighbor department.  Both sets of neighbors have kids Abby and Kate's age, and they are really nice.  The other day I caught Abby and Kate sending the little neighbor boys notes through the fence. You could hear lots of giggling as they slipped the papers back and forth through the wooded slats.  Hudson has also placed several notes on the doorstep for Abby.  I love watching them interact, it brings back childhood memories when I would run barefoot up the street to hang out with my best friend, Shannon.  Good neighbors make all the difference.

Here is the first time they met the neighbors.

80's Bike

Brett's parents recently sent us the bike from his childhood so the girls could enjoy it. They had a great time riding it up and down the neighborhood.  It was pretty entertaining watching Kate wave from the back seat while Abby was driving like a maniac. Kate had no fear of the wild ride and happily exclaimed 'Whee!' the whole way.  I was going to get some pictures of the girls on it, but sadly Abby's driving skills have caused the front wheel to fall off. (Brett will definitely be teaching her to drive a car someday.)