Playdate with school friends at Amy's Icecream and Phil's Icehouse (Caroline, Ceci, Nik, and Austin)
Here she's doing her evil smile- this is an improvement because she usually hides from the camera(Caroline, Ceci, Austin, Nik, Miles)
Today is our first day back at school after a great week off! We drove up to Athens the first weekend of the break. The girls are amazing travelers. Caroline talked the WHOLE time, but she didn't whine or need any other entertainment. Amelia slept a lot or just listened to her sister in awe of her endless chatter. Saturday, we went to the fish hatchery. We fed the fgiant catfish, visited the alligators and attempted to catch a fish. After that, we had lunch at the marina. It has a big porch and grassy lawn that's next to the lake that's perfect for kids. After nap, we took a couple cane poles and blanket down to the pond behind Nana and Pa's house. We still didn't catch anything, but it was fun. Alex and I went on a date that night to the neighborhood Mexican restaurant. We ate at the bar- something we used to do back in the day. The rest of the weekend we played and relaxed and let Caroline get her dog fix. Nana and Pa have FIVE dogs and the girls love them.
We drove back to Austin Monday, just in time for pizza and a movie. Daddy went back to work Tuesday and the girls and I met Ceci and Nicole at Zilker park for a playdate. The girls played on the playground and we rode the train. Ceci and Caroline sat by themselves and we sat behind them. They are growing up! Grandaddy drove down for a visit that afternoon. We love it when he comes to visit because he insists on ordering takeout and giving me a break! Wednesday, Grandaddy joined the girls and I on another playdate. We met several of Caroline's friends at Phil's Icehouse/Amy's Icecream. Another amazing place in Austin that has great food AND a playground. Thursday, we said goodbye to Grandaddy and we met Ceci and Nicole at The Austin Children's Museum. The girls had fun "building" things and then we met the Daddy's for lunch. It's so great that Caroline's bestfriend's Daddy works with Alex and her mommy and I work together too. This provides lots of opportunities for us to get them together. Friday, we took the day off of playdates and went to one of our favorite places, The Natural Gardener. Caroline loves to visit the donkeys, chickens, goats, play in the teepee, and pick out plants. I try to take her every couple weeks to pick out three plants to add to the yard/pots and I have to say that she's got a great eye!
Saturday, the famous Uncle Paul flew into town. We took him to lunch at the County Line- great view and great BBQ- Amelia's favorite. We had aspirations of going out to see some live music, but the crowds were huge so we grilled burgers and watched Sleeping Beauty. He got a full taste of a Mathes Saturday night! Sunday, Paul came with Caroline and I to Powell's, our neighbor's, birthday party. He's headed to San Antonio today for work and will be back Thursday for more family fun =)
It was a great Spring Break in Austin!!
It is officially summer and I could not be happier. It has been a LONG, TOUGH year, but now it's time to celebrate. Not that we haven't been celebrating the entire month of May. Caroline turned three May 1st and Amelia turned one May 26th!! We celebrated Caroline's birthday at The Little Gym. They took care of everything and all we had to do was show up with cupcakes. Love that! Amelia had her party at school and we celebrated as a family at the pool. 
In addition to birthdays, Caroline is a swimming fool thanks to swimming lessons. There were tears and she still asks if Ms. Pam is going to be at the pool, but it was worth it. Caroline's not the only one that's proud of herself because Miss Amelia is walking! She started taking about 10 steps the week of her birthday and now, a week and half later, she does nothing BUT walk. It will definitely be a different summer now that we've moved out of the baby stage. Speaking of moving out of the baby stage....Caroline graduated and she is now a Cougar Cub!! I'm so excited that she will be a part of the Pre-K program at Casis. She will have amazing teachers and she'll even eat in the cafeteria. Amelia took her last nap in the crib at school and she will move next door and onto a mat. Crazy how time flies. We also took a couple trips last month. We met Daddy down at Canyon Lake with the Martins and the Walkers. The next weekend we joined the Martins again for a weekend at Lake Limestone. Both weekends were a lot of fun and we can't wait to hit the road again. We are headed to Georgia a week from Monday for some time in the mountains and a week at the beach. It's great to be full time Mommy for the summer!!!
