Personal Bests!

Swimming is sadly over.  A season I had to almost beg them to sign up for and one they cannot wait to do again next summer.  A recap of how far they really came in 9 weeks of practices and only 5 meets:

100 yard Free Relay (on the same team) 

 first meet 2:22.00 - personal best 1:48.91 (4th place)

25 yard Free

Alex:  first meet 32.75 - personal best 22.62 (3rd place)

Will:  first meet 33.70 - personal best 22.25 (5th place)

25 yard Back

Alex: first meet 38.09 - personal best 24.59 (1st place)

Will: first meet 38.45 - personal best 24.42 (1st place)

Watch out Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte...these boys are little but determined!



 

Hamilton Pool

As Texas finally enters the "dog days of summer," an afternoon of swimming in the cool waters of Hamilton Pool is your only escape.  A picnic lunch, hike around the preserve, and 4 hours of swimming made the day definitely go by fast!

Austin Assault Ride ~ 2012

Another Sunday, finally another race!  We rode the Urban Assault Ride 2 years ago and have been waiting to have the time to ride it again.  We were even lucky enough to talk some friend into joining us.  15 1/2 miles throughout the city, check in and complete 9 obstacles, collect 9 different beads at each obstacle and race back to the finish line.  Somewhere around the 2 hour mark, we were done only to wait another 90 minutes for the beer tent to open...silly Texas laws! 

All Around Austin!

There is no down time at my house.  With our favorite cousin in town, we have not stopped!  Here is what has kept us busy the past 24 hours...

1.  Climbed Mount Bonnell for the best view of Austin.

2.  Watched Alex win his first heat ribbon of the season.

3.  Took a cooking class at The Natural Epicurean.

4.  Visited Boggy Creek Farm and bought some amazing produce

5.  Learned a new trick at Trapeze Austin.

6.  Enjoyed a sunset picnic at the Pennybacker Bridge overlook.  

Wimberley, TX

Today's outing, Wimberley, TX.  A quick lesson on glass making at Wimberley Glassworks.  

Then off to the Blue Hole for a picnic and hours of swimming and swinging!

"Keeping Austin Weird" with our cousins!

With only a day to show our cousins the best of Austin, we hit up our favorite that you cannot find any where else!  First stop was the trailer park in SoCo for some sweet treats.

Then across the street for a tad more sugar at our favorite candy shop!

Finally, our last stop was a man's back yard where he collects sculpts junk...The Cathedral of Junk!  It was hilarious to ask my daughter to call our phone number on a rotary phone...a new gadget to her.  She had no clue how it worked.  

Happy Father's Day ~2012

What a perfect Father's Day outing...summer weather, baseball, sweet boys (or boys filled with sweets), and a winning game!

And no complaints on my end either.  I have the house to myself for 2 days :)

Free Range - Beach Style

Our favorite beach in Austin is on the shallow shores of Lake Travis.  Volente Beach can keep us occupied for over 6 hours and make bedtime easy.  Even though last year was "hands off," this year I was able to be that mom that lounged in her chair.  After a few hours of riding the rides, I sat back and enjoyed the afternoon.  I think I even dozed off for a few minutes!  3 water slides and a lagoon pool are the best summer babysitters ever, and pretty cheap too.

Summer Saturdays

Summer should be about sleeping in, hanging out, and relaxing around the pool.  This year both boys joined our neighborhood swim team.  That means practice 4 mornings a week and a  meet every Saturday morning.  And all of this begins way before the time that school ever started.  

I can't complain though, these boys have gotten good.  Each week they shave seconds off their personal best and their strokes look amazing...not to mention it makes bedtime easier each evening!  Now I need to find a creative way to display their handfuls of ribbons they earn each week.  

Longhorn Caverns

On our way home from Burnet, TX from picking up these (more on that later), we stopped off at Longhorn Caverns for a little bit of adventure fun!

After a 90 minute tour and only 1 1/2 miles of walking, the kids were ready to leave.  I guess Carlsbad is not in our immediate future.  At least the adventure put 2 to sleep!