San Antonio Zoo

We had a low key 4th of July weekend and stayed mostly local, but we decided to make a little excursion down to San Antonio to visit their zoo. Nicholas loves anything animal these days (with accompanying sound effects), and since Austin's "zoo" leaves much to be desired, we thought this might be the perfect little day trip. We hit the road early and made it to the zoo by about 9:30am to meet up with some friends in the area.   

Many of the larger animals were snoozing in the summer heat, but the bear was up and cruising around his caged area. Nicholas was a big fan.

Look at that face! He's saying "Ooooooh!"

He also loved the colorful flamingos, the ducks, and the fish. (Not coincidentally, bird, duck, and fish noises/gestures are some of his favorites.)

And, for this relatively new walker, one of the highlights was that we let him (mostly) just run around. It was nice that the zoo wasn't too crowded, so we felt comfortable letting him wander a few feet away from us to check out a bird (or flower, or rock) that struck his fancy.

The zoo was the perfect size for a not-quite-year-and-a-half-year old-- big enough to see all his favorite animals in about two hours. Once the heat started getting to us, we headed off to fill our bellies with a delicious Mexican lunch at Paloma Blanca. And then a long nap during the car ride home, of course. Definitely a fun day for all of us.

Seventeen Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are seventeen months... which, as I'm posting this a few weeks late, means you are amazingly close to a year and a half. You are a full fledged toddler now, and despite wearing me out everyday, I just love this stage.

Your 17th month began just before Memorial Day and lasted through most of June. Although it was a quiet month for us at home, you were a busy boy-- growing, changing, and learning. The day you turned 17 months you figured out how to climb up on the ottoman in your room for the first time. It took you a few tries, struggling with all your might to get your leg up over the edge and then hoisting yourself up. But once you did it, you were so proud. And then you did it over, and over, and over again. I can tell there's no stopping you once you set your mind to something. (And, as a result, I'm a little nervous about entering this new stage of climbing!)

One funny thing about this story is that you made your first few attempts while Daddy was in the room with you. Then, when you heard me walking down the hallway, you abruptly stopped and jumped into his lap, as if you didn't want me to know about your new skill. Once you figured out that I wasn't going to scold you, you went right back to work trying to climb up on top of the ottoman. Apparently you can already tell that I am destined to be the disciplinarian around here. You may look innocent, but you definitely have a mischievous streak!

During your 17th month, you also started giving and requesting "igh-pie" (high five.) I had given you high fives a few months ago and then one day you grabbed my hand and said "igh-pie! igh-pie!" It took me a minute to figure out what you wanted, but once I did you were thrilled to slap my hand over and over. Now you give them on demand (including to your teacher at school) and it's pretty darn cute.

You continue to wow us with new words. On Memorial Day, we woke up to find our street lined with flags in the neighbors' yards. You were so excited look out the window and point out all the "fyyygs." Daddy and I were shocked that you knew the word "flag." A few weeks later, on Flag Day, you had another occasion to point out all the neighborhood "fyyygs," and you continue to point them out whenever you see a Texas or US flag. You are extremely observant and point out every "fowa" (flower), "fyg" (flag), and "wot" (rock) you notice from the car, on our walks, or in the yard.

You are becoming more and more of a big boy every day-- so much so that you've outgrown "mama" and "dada." We're now officially Daddy ("Da-ee") and Mommy ("Mon-ee"). OK, so maybe "Mommy" needs a little work, but you're getting close! Pretty impressive for not quite even a year and a half!

Over the past two months, we've started eating dinner together as a family more and more frequently, and I think this is really helping to broaden your palette and alleviate some of your pickiness. You still have your moments, but increasingly you'll try new fruits and vegetables (strawberries and green beans are favorites) when you see Mommy and Daddy eating them, and we've discovered other hits like shrimp and guacamole ("mo-nee.") Your consistent favorites include "wo-guh" (yogurt), "pata" (pasta), "pita" (pizza), apples, cheese, and "ah-sauce" (applesauce). I'm looking forward to introducing you to more and more foods, and hopefully cooking with you one of these days.

This past month, your lower incisors finally broke through. I think it was a long, painful ordeal for you. As usual, you handled it pretty well, but I'm sure it contributed to some fussy moments. You continue to chew on your fingers, so I think you are working on at least two more molars. I'm pretty sure we'll both be glad when the teething phase is over.

At 17 months, you love reading books-- particularly "Bah Day" (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), "Al-bet" (your alphabet book), and "Truts!" (the cars and trucks, work trucks, and fire trucks pages of your Richard Scarry word book.) You also love spending time outdoors, particularly splashing in the pool and kicking your ball (really any ball, although the soccer ball is your favorite.) You are actually getting pretty skilled at kicking the ball and will dribble it around the house and in the yard. Although we don't really let you watch any TV, occasionally Daddy will let you hang out with him while he's watching soccer on TV. It's really the only TV programming that holds your attention-- you will sit down for several minutes at a time (an eternity in your world), watch with rapt attention, and excitedly point out the ball every time you see it. "Ba! ba! ba!" I'm not biased or anything, but we may have a little soccer stud on our hands. Just sayin'.

I'm not sure how it's possible, but somehow I love you more with every month that passes. You are simply the best part of my day, each and every day.

Love always,
Mommy

Five on Friday

TGIF... Can I get an Amen? I'm linking up again with the ladies for Five on Friday. Here's what's going on with us:

1.) Blues on Green: We felt like hip, urban parents this week when we took the little man out to meet up with friends at Blues on the Green. I like to think of myself as hip and urban, but the reality is that I live deep in the 'burbs, and these days I usually go out of my away to avoid anything that involves a 30 minute walk from our parking spot, while schlepping my toddler (out past his bedtime), along with a cooler, blanket, and diaper bag, through massive crowds, in 102 degree heat. However, we all had a great time. Despite staying out waaaay past his bedtime Wednesday night (which we're still paying for today), Nicholas had a blast running through Zilker Park, eating all of our friend's blackberries and corn chips, and people watching galore. And we enjoyed hearing Bob Schneider, cooling off with some chilled wine, and catching up with friends. Win win.

We had the Bob packed to the gills... Nicholas had to ride with his feet on the cooler!

2.) Kale Salad: I'm late to the kale band wagon. Despite being both a fairly healthy and adventurous eater, I haven't eaten much kale-- let alone tried preparing it. Last weekend, however, we attended a fun 4th of July BBQ (thanks Amelia!) and one of the pot luck dishes was an amazing kale salad. I'm talking warm bacon vinaigrette, capers, shallots... delicious. I am now on a mission to recreate this salad or find another equally delicious kale salad recipe. (If you have any good recipes, feel free to send 'em my way.)

3.) Revenge: Continuing with my summer theme of a near-weekly new TV series, I recently started Revenge. Intellectually stimulating? Nope. Trashy? Kinda. Totally entertaining? Bingo. Jason's sitting this one out, however. We wrapped up season 1 of House of Cards last week (anyone know when season 2 comes out?), so this will fill the void until I find something else that we can both enjoy. Jason's pushing for The Sopranos (he owns the DVDs for all 6 seasons), but I'm just not feeling it. I know it's supposed to be one of the best shows ever made, and it's not the violence or crime that deters me (ahem, I am counting down the days until Breaking Bad returns), but I'm just not that into mafia stories. Thoughts?

4.) Sales and Stripes: I'm loving all the summer clearance sales going on now. Considering we've still got 2+ months of 100 degree temps ahead of us, I can't pass up a few summer items on the cheap. I recently picked up this cute striped dress from GAP

 ... and this striped tank from Banana Republic

... both on clearance. Can't pass up a steal.

5.) Vaca! We're heading back to Seattle and Portland for 10 days in less than two weeks. It can't come soon enough! I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends, and enjoying our first getaway sans baby for two nights on Orcas Island to attend a friend's wedding.

What's new with you?

Weekend Fun

We had a nice little weekend 'round these parts. Saturday was a scorcher (high of about 108), so we took Nicholas out into the yard bright and early for a little outdoor time before it got too hot. Jason was doing some watering and of course Nicholas had to help, so we just let him strip down and play in the hose water.

He was a fan.

Later in the morning, I hit up the free Barre3 class I mentioned on Friday (still sore this morning...), while Jason and Nicholas strolled around the 4th of July festival at Hill Country Galleria. After my class, we checked out the petting zoo, and of course I took no pictures. Nicholas was very curious about all the animals, but a little nervous when they got too close. However, we didn't stay too long because it was already well above 100 degrees. On the way home, we stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch (which I'm sure is exactly what Barre3 recommends to help maximize your fitness routine.) Afterward, we came home for afternoon naps and then grilled burgers for dinner.

Sunday, I woke up to this:

After a difficult week, Jason surprised me with flowers and a breakfast of creme brulee french toast, topped with powdered sugar and blueberries, and bacon. Yum. Afterward, we made a quick trip to Home Depot for some new flowers and herbs to spruce up our patio, along with a real sprinkler for Nicholas to run through. 

Fortunately, it was a lot cooler (mid-90s) on Sunday afternoon, so I potted my plants while Nicholas ran around in the sprinkler (this time properly attired in a swimsuit.)

Two of my new pots - German thyme and pink vinka.

We wound down on Sunday evening with a dinner of grilled Copper River salmon, asparagus, and roasted potatoes. I can't say I was totally ready for Monday, but the upcoming holiday definitely makes it easier to face the week!

Five on Friday

What's up in my world?

1.) Our crepe myrtles are going nuts. They started blooming a couple weeks ago and reached their peak this week. I still feel like most of the vegetation in Texas is foreign to me and miss a lot of the plants I associate with the Northwest, but I am loving these vibrant pops of color in our yard and throughout the neighborhood.

2.) It's going to be 106 today. And tomorrow. Hey, there summer! Can't say I've missed you. But, the weather gods are throwing us a bone next week... highs in the low to mid-90s through 4th of July weekend. Should be perfect weather to come out of A/C hibernation and enjoy the pool.

3.) Nicholas' daycare does a "Parents Night Out" about once a quarter or so. It's a nice little perk. They have pizza and a movie for the older kids, and the little kids usually just play for a bit and then hit the sack on their nap time cots. It's scheduled for tonight, so we'll dropping the little guy off around 7pm, and then Jason and I are headed out to a grown-up dinner downtown. We're thinking of trying out Seersucker.

4.) I've been taking Barre3 classes off and on for the past few months and I love them. (Barre3 is another iteration of Pure Barre / Barre Method / etc.) I feel like Barre3 classes really do help sculpt my core and tone my arms and legs. I'd love to do it regularly, but the cost is a little outrageous. Happily, one of the locations near me is offering a full day of free classes tomorrow in celebration of the 4th of July, so I've already made my reservation for an 11am class. Looking forward to it!

5.) We've gotten hooked on House of Cards on Netflix. Kevin Spacey is such a great actor. It's amazing how all the TV shows end for summer and somehow I manage watching more TV on Netflix or Amazon Prime than during the rest of the year. I'd feel a little guilty if it wasn't so ridiculously hot outside. #sorryimnotsorry

What's new with you?

Easter Weekend Rewind

In the spirit of catching up on my blog, I'm posting some photos from earlier this spring. Easter weekend, we took Nicholas to his first neighborhood egg hunt. He didn't really grasp the concept of putting the eggs in his basket, but he loved just wandering around and picking up, inspecting, and then dropping the colorful eggs. Fortunately, the egg hunt was organized by age group, so there were a bunch of other equally clueless toddlers wandering around in the grass with Nicholas.

They also had a petting zoo set up. Nicholas was fascinated by the baby goats, chickens, and ducks.

The next morning we went to Easter service at our church, and managed to get a least one shot of us all looking relatively put together (a rare occasion these days), although Nicholas was not a huge fan of having his picture taken.

Later that afternoon, we headed out to try to capture some blue bonnet photos. The blue bonnets weren't quite out in full force this year, but we found a nice patch near our neighborhood. Unfortunately, Nicholas was not having it. These are the best of the photos we captured, which either entail him trying to run away or one of us gesturing excitedly, trying to get him to look at the camera. We did succeed in capturing the essence of a 14 month old, however. Oh well. There's always next year!

Five on Friday

I'm linking up for Five on Friday again this week. In no particular order, here are a few things making me smile...

1.) Peonies: One of the things I miss most about the Northwest this time of year (aside from the beautiful, non-appallingly hot weather) are all of the gorgeous blooms-- and in particular, hydrangeas and peonies. They just don't grow in Texas. But, this week HEB had a special on bouquets of peonies-- $6.99 for 5 stems, which is a fantastic deal for this usually spendy flower. I've already enjoyed one gorgeous bouquet this week and may need to pick up another one this weekend!

2.) Free gift time: I dropped by the mall earlier this week to pick up some eye cream and my Nordstrom was having Clinique free gift week. I had no idea, but it was a nice little surprise. I love a good free sample just for the fun of it, but this particular gift set had some great products including an eye shadow color I really like and a great, long-wearing eye-liner. Sometimes it's just the little things...

3.) Date Night: Jason and I haven't been out together in alone in several months, so we lined up a sitter for tomorrow night. We're going to hit up Hill Country Galleria for dinner at All Star Burger, followed by a showing of Mud. It should be a nice, low-key night.

4.) This guy: Eating nectarines and broccoli for dinner. My picky eater is branching out! He looks a little thug-ish in this picture, but rest assured, he couldn't shovel the "neh-neh" in his mouth fast enough. Bring on the summer fruit!

5.) Predictable nap times: Our once poor napper now regularly sleeps from 12:30 or 1pm until around 3pm everyday. This means we actually get a chance to catch up on chores around the house during the weekend, or-- as I already plan to tomorrow-- take a nap ourselves. I love spending time with my little guy, but mama needs a little break on the weekend too!