May 2009 So Much Stuff to Cover...

So apparently, we did a LOT of stuff in May. Disney World, Blizzard Beach, and Animal Kingdom with our Cooper cousins. Mother's Day up in Arkansas with my mom, Linda French. Mackenzie had her first piano recital. Then she lost her very first tooth on May 21st. May 22nd was my birthday and I got to go out and celebrate with Dave, and Brady and Natalie Anderton at the Melting Pot in downtown Austin. And last but not least, Mackenzie had a graduation ceremony for her kindergarten year with Ms. May. I can't believe she's already done with kindergarten! What a month!!!

Mackenzie's first lost tooth! Mackenzie's first piano recital. She played Ode to Joy. Mother's Day in Camden, Arkansas All the Coopers at Animal Kingdom Fun times at Disney World. The weather in early May was fantastic. Great time to go!

Wildseed Farms

 

April 24th, 2009 I let Mackenzie play hookey from school and met Natalie, Jen, and their kids in Dripping Springs, then we all drove to Wildseed Farms (almost to Fredricksburg). It was a gorgeous place and the flowers were all in bloom. These first pics are from the butterfly house there. Both girls were completely entertained with caterpillars, cocoons, and butterflies everywhere.

 

This is the whole, fun crew. Lots of little ones!

 

These pics are in front of their huge poppy fields. Gorgeous!

 

Ice cream afterwards, of course!

Mackenzie's First Field Trip

 

April 23, 2009 Mackenzie's kindergarten class got to go on a field trip to the Texas Memorial Museum and I got to help chaparone her class. I was so glad to go. Not only because I was glad to see her and her classmates have such a great adventure, but because I've been patiently waiting for my kids to get older so I could learn more about what there was to see in Texas! Only through field trips to you get to be a 'tourist at home'. This pic is of Kenzie and Meredith just outside the museum. Backyard and best friends.

 

The whole class with Ms. May.

 

Afterward, we all got to go to Zilker Park and have a picnic and then the kids got to play. Say CHEESE!

 

Tired, hot, and happy, Ms. May's 2009 kindergarten class. In the graduation ceremony, Ms. May had a picture of Mackenzie and Meredith asleep on the bus on the way back, and holding hands across the aisle.

Easter Weekend

 

Easter Weekend, April 11-12, 2009 The Andertons came over for dinner and Kenz and Ava colored eggs while Brady lovingly kept the little ones busy watching a show. Such a selfless guy (no, actually he really is). We love the Andertons.

 

The Easter bunny came and left some goodies...

 

Kenz's stuff.

 

And Madi's goods.

Ezra Stays With Us

 

April 28th-May 5th, 2009 So FUN. We got to watch baby Ezra for a week while Jessica and Chris celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary. We had lots of fun and loved having a baby boy in the house.

 

It was warm enough to be outside but the water was NOT. Ezra did not care for the sub-zero water but loved being outside. As you can tell, the girls didn't care what temp the water was - they were going swimming.

Cancun 2009

 

March 19-24th Dave and I escaped to Cancun and stayed at The Royal resort (just like 2 years ago). It was a wonderful escape. The food is amazing, the beach and pools are gorgeous, and the people are friendly.

 

We met our friends the Schauers at the Royal two years ago and met up with them again (on purpose) this trip. This is the 4 of us at the pirate dinner cruise show. It was very entertaining.

 

This is the main pirate. He was fantastic at keeping everyone entertained, fed, and laughing.

 

Here's me and mom after Dave and I got back. Thank you mom for watching the girls!!! And thank you, Natalie and Brady for taking the first 3 days of kid duty. We love you guys!!!

The Austin Fair and Rodeo

 

March 16th, 2009 Well, we didnt' go to the rodeo, but we did make the fair part of it all. The girls loved the rides and feeding the animals is always a favorite. One of my favorite commercials of all time goes like this: Man's voice in Los Angeles: "Yes, it was amazing. I had this maize-encrusted, Louisiana sausage sort of thing that was to die for" Cue announcer: "It's a corndog, buddy. You obviously need to GET TO THE FAIR!"

 

These 2 pictures were taken on the HUGE ferris wheel. Can't beat the sunset view of downtown Austin from the top.