Things to Do

In the movie, Big Fish, there is a scene in which Ewan McGregor's character says, "They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. And that's true. What they don't tell you is that once time starts again it moves extra fast to catch up."

That's where we are now. It is a wonderful time in our lives, but its going by so fast.

Andre is really great about making the most of every day and I think we probably stay busier than most people. Certainly most people with twin toddlers. Some people may even argue that we should stay home more and get chores done. But this blog entry isn't about what my sister would say, its about all the fun things to do with kids right here in Austin.

Here are just a few suggestions for places to eat and places to go.

There two great places to take kids for burgers. The first is Freddy's Place. They have a nice playground with tables close enough to catch your child if they fall off the slide. Plus, they usually have some pretty good live music.

The other is Phil's Icehouse. They have great burgers, including mini sliders, plus Amy's Ice cream is right next door. Both places open out onto an awesome playground. We took these pictures there.


If you can't agree on what to eat, try south park meadows. Everyone can order something different from one of the several restaurants then enjoy a massive playground. The downside to this is that its so big and there are so many people, you've gotta keep a close eye on the kids (unless they're older).

Or if you want to eat out of the grocery store, you could always try Central Market North. Their playground is well shaded and relaxing for adults.

Parkwise, there are loads of great parks here. Some good spots to take the kiddo's: the fountains at the Liz Carpenter Fountain in Butler Park (by the Long Center). There are flat dancing fountains designed for kids to play on.

Andre loves Barton Springs, which has both a park and playground and snow cones and a train. You can rent canoes too, or just sit and watch the ducks.

I would also recommend our local zoo. Its a small zoo and is actually an animal sanctuary. Next to the enclosures are signs with the animal's story and how they came to the zoo. They have a lion that was confiscated from a drug dealer, another that was a junk yard guard, parrots that have outlived their owners, and even a very large tortoise found on the side of the road.

They currently have the most amazing white, black and red, vulture that is a must see. The girls love the petting zoo and feeding the goats.

My Aunt Robin said, you should try to make memories with your kids, not just spend time with them. Hopefully we're doing a good job.

4th Annual Fishing Trip

I've had a difficult time updating this blog lately. I've been busy sure. But if I'm really honest with myself, the real reason is I've just been sad. It seems like I miss my dad a little more every day.

Even as I write this I can hear him saying, "Life is for the living." The thing about people who repeat themselves is that when they're gone you still remember what they said.

Needless to say, much has happened over the past few weeks. The girls experienced their first beach. Complete with waves, sand, seashells, and...saltwater? No, no saltwater. We took them to Wisconsin on the great lakes, which are so "great" that they have waves and sandy beaches just like the ocean. You almost forget its not the ocean until a duck waddles by.

The girls were initially frightened of the waves. They timidly dipped in a toe, then another one. Legs, then arms, then splashing in the water. Then they decided they should just take off all their clothes and jump in.

They giggled so much, as if the beach and the water and the waves were made just for them. And although I didn't really want them to get completely soaked like that, it didn't seem right to interfere with this first experience that was so joyful. So I let them romp around until they were ready to go and we changed them into dry clothes and shook the sand out of their shoes.

We spent our trip on the peninsula of Wisconsin, in Bailey's Harbor. It is a lush green, vacation spot with cafes, shops, and tourists. It's like a fishing village designed by Pottery Barn. Every storefront is picturesque, sailboats line the harbors, and all the people are in vacation-mode...or at least we were. Even the farms are beautiful, with big red barns, and large white farmhouses.



This was our 4th annual fishing trip with our very good friends. The fishing group had a new member this year, Baby Jocelyn, who is just 6 month old. She is such a great baby and so beautiful. I just wanted to hold her all the time, but anytime I picked the little cutie up the girls started crying. They were so jealous. I guess its no more kids for Andre and I. But give it another year or two and Jocelyn with be their partner in crime, I'm sure.

Of course a fishing trip is not complete without fishing. So we chartered a fishing boat one day. The kids spent the afternoon with Rachel's mom and aunt who drove in to watch them while we were gone. I had never chartered a fishing boat before, so I didn't know what to expect.

One guy drove the boat to the best fishing location, then the other guy put lures on the fishing lines, lowered them into the water with weights--about 12 fishing poles at once. They would watch the lines and when one jerked they'd yell, "FISH ON!" then the next in line would reel the fish in. The guy would unhook it, weigh it, and throw it in a freezer. At the end of the trip he even filleted them. It was more like "reeling," than it was "fishing," which is great in my book. Everyone caught a fish (mostly king salmon), which we brought home with us. We will be eating salmon for the next month.

The girls really enjoyed the trip. We drove there, which truthfully worried me since its a 2 1/2 day trip, but it turned out great. We took long breaks driving on the way, stopping at parks, playscapes, and even an indoor jump castle place. Our new minivan's dvd player was also great. Once there, the girls had tons of toys with them, their big stroller, etc., and we had room to bring back all that salmon we caught. Coming home we spent the 4th of July at my Aunt Ann's house, with my other aunt and uncle, cousins, mom, and grandmother. So it was a good trip all around.