Austin Science + Nature Center

I always try and squeeze in a trip to the science + nature center and the thinkery  when we are in Austin visiting family. sadly, I didn't take any photos with my camera when we were at the thinkery, but it's an awesome children's museum ~ you can easily spend all day there!

Austin's Science + Nature Center is tucked under a bridge near zilker park, has beautiful walking trails, a small zoo of rescued animals ~ the baby fox was so cute, a dino pit, where the littles can 'dig' for dinosaur fossils, and tons of educational exhibits that they can explore. my personal favorite is watching the honey bee colony. it's so fascinating watching the little worker bees' make honey.

sparrow loves it + if you ever find yourself in my home city, I highly recommend taking your littles there. and to the thinkery!

grapevine botanical gardens

the weather has been so nice lately + the fall in Texas this year, has actually been stunning!! we have been taking advantage of it, and heading out doors as much as possible. the other day we met up with some dear friends at the botanical gardens in grapevine. I had never been before, and it is seriously a hidden gem. it's very small compared to the one in ft.worth, but we loved it! and it honestly made it easier to keep up with the littles ~ lots of enclosed areas that they could explore, without me being worried that they could run off and get lost. I can't wait to come check it out in the spring!

^^I am working on a  friendship photo-book for sparrow's Christmas gift, so whenever we are out with friends I am trying to remember to snap pictures - and these of phoenix + sparrow are just too much for me. they love each other so much!^^

                   ^^my sweet friend Brandi + her beautiful little ones, Wren + Phoenix^^

                                                   ^^these two! my heart is so full!^^

    ^^and here are a couple of little Wren, she is the sweetest little girl. and she tries so hard to keep up with phoenix + sparrow, it's so precious to watch!^^

no paintbrushes allowed

a favorite fall craft in our household, is painting with leaves! so when I saw that our local library was hosting a series called 'no paintbrushes allowed' and this months activity was painting with leaves, I made sure to mark it on our calendar!

it's a really simple craft, all you need is paint, leaves, + paper.

first, collect some fall leaves that have already fallen off of the trees, and try to gather different textures + sizes. make sure to get your littles involved in this part, we like to take mason jars, or even a lightweight basket on our walks, and sparrow has fun filling them up with keepsakes along the way.

second, if you don't already have paint - make sure you pick up washable paint. any brand will do, but this is my favorite kind. and third, gather paper. you can use construction paper, computer paper, or my personal favorite watercolor paper. I like to have different sizes on hand - depending on the art project sparrow wants to do. and you can pick it up at any of your local craft stores.

now, to prevent messes, or rather to create an easy clean-up for you (because, kids + paint, everyone knows it gets a little wild!) make sure you put some kind of paper over your table (butcher, newspaper, ect..) - unless you have a designated craft table and you don't mind. but, in our home, most of our art projects just happen on our kitchen dining room table.

so once you have your table protected, let your little one choose 3-4 colors of paint, and give them a little dollop of each on a paper plate - set up your pile of leaves - and a fresh sheet of paper, and watch the creativity flow!

the only rule : no paintbrushes allowed! they must use the leaves to create their painting!

Austin, according to my iPhone

we took a quick trip to my old stomping grounds last weekend ~ even though it was quick it was so full of friends + family + good food as always. we left sunday afternoon and I may have teared up a bit on the drive home. I get so homesick sometimes, even though I am grown lady. especially now that I have littles of my own, I just find myself wanting to be near family and this urge to take them to all the wonderful places I grew up going to. so everytime we go, we just try to fit it all in!

^carnival food! we met up with some friends at a kids festival^

^cousins ~ enjoying snow-cones together!^

^we went to this really neat place that just opened, it's called mt.playmore - it's a restuarnt with a big indoor playground! we loved it so much ~ and I had so much fun just playing with sparrow^

^my mama has the touch when it comes to putting juniper to sleep^

^even though it's blurry ~ I love this photo. she squeezed me tight + said I was her best friend. my mama heart just melted. me too, sparrow. and I hope we always are.^

^rock climbing at church. my old youth pastor, started his own church + we surprised them and just showed up on sunday. it was wonderful to see some of my old church family.^

^Chris's kind of restaurant! downtown Austin^

^a short visit to hounds-tooth coffee. seriously so good.^

^I always have to stop in this store. tried on jackets for sparrow + juniper ~ for winter! they had the cutest little hats too! and somehow we always leave with new socks + complimentary tattoos!^

^see what I mean!? juniper slept like that the whole time!^

^brunch! they have great mimosas!^

^my sweet little juniper. i love this little one so much.^

^these two. i love watching their relationship blossom over the years. sparrow has the best daddy!^

^walking around, with my houndstooth pour over (to go!). three generations here! I love this photo, it's only missing sparrow! but, she was busy chasing bees!^

sparrow turns 3!

^the birthday girl wanted donuts + chocolate milk for breakfast^

       ^we celebrated at a nearby park + had a 'hippie hotdog' station, dips + chips + cupcakes too!^

^my attempt at a purple ombre cake with sprinkles ~ the heat kind of got the best of it^

^taking a peek at her presents^

 ^my mama holding sweet juniper, she couldn't put her down the entire weekend^

 

after her party, sparrow fell asleep in my arms. and I just held her for almost two hours. and cried. I can't even remember the last time I got to rock her to sleep or hold her like that, and I just soaked every minute of it up. this little girl, because even though she will always be my baby, she is becoming a little girl, and is the very sweetest one I know. her kindness towards others blows me away sometimes, and I just have to step back and watch as the Lord is molding her, and I get to be a part of the journey. the blessing of being a mommy isn't lost on me. I am so thankful everyday for both of my babies. and august 23, 2011 (it was a Tuesday at 10:03 am) will forever be stamped on my heart. the moment I held sparrow for the first time. and her big blue eyes just looked at me, with a depth of knowing. today she tells me that I am her best friend. and I hope that never changes.



twu gardens

this afternoon when chris got home, we loaded up the littles and headed to one of our favorite spots in denton - twu gardens. I love this place. I love to come by myself to pray or think, and I love bringing my girls here to play and explore. and during the texas heat, all the trees make for some real nice picnic spots.

sometimes me and chris joke that parenting is a lot like ground hog day, filled with sameness and routine. wake up, rush off to work (at least for dad), feed babies, nap, play-dates, baths, dinner, homeschool, nurse, nurse, nurse. you feel me mama's? but it is so good for my spirit to break out of our routine and fill our days with adventure, even if its a small one like getting frozen yogurt and letting sparrow pick wild flowers or like today - walking amidst a beautiful and lush garden, letting sparrow roam free without restriction, connecting with my husband without distractions, and watching my little girls bond.

this life really is so beautiful, and I just need a little reminder to slow down, so I don't miss all of the wonderful moments, like the sound of sparrow's laugh, and juniper's little dimples when she smiles, and the way it feels to hold my husband's hand, and to feel the cool breeze on my face. and for me, this comes easy when I am outside - away from technology, away from my to do list, and away from my messy house. after-all, like my mama always says ' it goes fast + there will always be dishes, but there won't always be a precious little one that wants to hold your hand'.