Wilson's Photo Shoot

Wilson was looking so comfortable in the family room today I just had to take some pictures.

Scroll down to 4th and last photo to see his response when I asked him to "smile for the camera!"
































DOH!

Austin Critters - Part 3

It's been a while since I've posted one of these. Ryan spotted this one out in front of our neighbors home. I have no idea what kind of snake it is. I'm guessing some kind of Garter Snake. Watch the video to see how nasty this thing is.



(Click on each image to enlarge)

Day at Barton Creek (2008 Edition)

The kids have been constantly asking me to take them back hiking we went last year with Auntie Jen. Olivia Russell visited us from Washington and we also took Ryans friend, Eric, with us as well.
Needless to say, we had a great time. Some highlights captured below!

(Click on images to enlarge)

July 4th Fireworks - City of Lakeway

I was experimenting with my Nikon Coolpix S7C camera last night at the City of Lakeway's July 4th Fireworks show. It turns out this camera has a "Fireworks" setting and works amazingly well!

It was a perfect night for a fireworks show as there wasn't a cloud in the sky and nearly pitch black with just a slight crescent of a moon that eventually settled over the horizon in time for the show.

Here are some of the images taken. They are very cool! Enjoy!

(click each image to enlarge)

Our Home

To keep myself busy, I've been working alot out in the yard.

I've added a new flower bed, put in a bench and added some nice color petunia's to the front of our yard. I've also FINALLY figured out how to keep my bougenvellas in bloom. Needs lots of sun & water! Also, I've learned how to better care for Bermuda Grass which has helped to make it nice, thick & green. The key: Mow with deck height at 1.5".

Neighbors say my work has greatly enhanced the homes curb appeal.

What do you think?

Erika's LTMS 6th Grade Talent Show Performance

Kenny's First Communion

Kenny celebrated his First Communion 2 weeks ago. Below are some pictures before & after.

Erika as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Erika played Dorothy #1 in the the Kids Acting performance of The Wizard of Oz. This is her singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Typical Spring Storm here in Texas

Ryan took this video night before last. We had an even worse one this morning that had the entire family up at 6:30AM! The hail was AMAZING and turned our yard into a big mess.

As you can see, the lightning is NON-STOP. This is very typical of spring/summer time storms that role through Austin.

Wilson at 1 Year

Took some great photo's of Wilson. Here he is at 1 year old (4/18/08).

Our latest critter!

Spotted the little creature hanging out underneath the soffit of our house. At first I thought it was a super large beetle but then I noticed two legs and ears pointing down. It's a BAT!

Not sure yet if it's a good idea to have this thing hanging around. Concerned about rabies. But...a neighbor said they're good for eating mosquitoes. If it's still there in a couple of days, I'll call animal control for their opinion.

TALK ABOUT CREEPY CRAWLIES!! ICKY!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan Pole Vaulting!

Ryan had a regional track meet at his school today. His event was Pole Vaulting. See him catch some ar in this photo! It's a total mystery to me how they do this....

Erika as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz!

Erika starred as Dorothy in the Kids Acting production of Wizard of Oz this weekend. We are so proud of her. She did an amazing job. Parent or not, we believe she was THE BEST out of the four Dorothy's that were in the series of shows.

Her singing was spot on...she remembered all of her lines...and her acting was awesome. There were alot of really nice comments overheard from audience members of Erika.

We couldn't take pics during the show, but snapped a couple after. ENJOY!




Dorothy 1 & 2 (out of 4)


Dorothy & the Wiz!


Dorothy & Scarecrow


Dorothy & the Lion

Puerto Vallarta 2008!

We just returned from Puerto Vallarta this past Monday. As usual, we had an awesome...RELAXING...time. We mostly hung out around the pool and the beach but did spend one day in downtown PV. Attached are some pictures from our little vacation.

I will add some narration to a few of the slides.

We were for the first time on the top floor! Room 1811 in the 1st tower. Despite us being told the view wasn't very good (Marina side .vs. Marina View), we had an awesome view of both the marina and Bay of Banderas!







Here, Erika is getting kissed by the resident Sea Lion, "Monico".


At the orientation show, they changed the performances. It was cool to watch.



Kenny LOVES turtles. At the orientation party, they mentioned a turtle walk that we couldn't miss. The following morning, we woke up early to find baby turtles making their initial dart towards the water. The guide, "Jenny", suggested we pick up the baby turles and bring them to the nursery so they don't get "plucked" by the birds. There is a small volunteer crew that monitors the beach as turtles hatch and catch then release in early AM to increase their chances of survival.



Maybe not so strangely, we recognized quite a few folks from prior years. Here is Rachael whom Erika had become good friends with last year.


I enjoy the sunsets. Here are a few pics with me monkeying around with my camera.




Here we are gathered for dinner at Mayapan. Ryan had met his own friends and prefered to spend time with them. Good for him...but he had to eat McDonalds!


Here are some images from our day in downtown PV.








Pearl's GLAMOUR shot. Who is she trying to impress, I wonder?


The kids playing in the main pool.