daddy's girl

When I was pregnant with Catcher I was sure I was having a boy, and I wasn't completely surprised when the nurse turned to Alex and said, "What is it Dad?" His fist raised to the air answered that question.

When I was pregnant with Scout I was positive I was having another boy. The ultrasound brought the surprise of a lifetime. I freaked out: my mind jumped to the teenage years and cropped tops and sneaking out of the house and future wedding expenses. Girls are trouble.

Twenty one months (and two girls!) later I still believe they are trouble, but they also make you laugh and surprise you. Scout tackles you from behind but gives unsolicited giant bear hugs. She plays with trucks but insists on picking out her outfits every morning. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment, though, is turning Alex into one of those dads who is so cute with his daughters. This is the guy who lives and breathes sports and slept with a football when I met him, but he's also the one brushing Scout's hair after the bath and dancing with her to Adele's Rumor Has It in the kitchen. I know the next 18-20 years are going to be tough, but it's worth it.

look of the week

Catcher: I dropped my peppermint on the floor, and it's the end of the world! I can't stop crying.

Scout: Dude. Seriously?

the hunt

Tasting margaritas wasn't the only way I spent the past Easter weekend (although it was the tastiest). On Saturday Catcher's school hosted an Easter egg hunt on the Capitol grounds. It may not have been quite as fabulous as the Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn, but I bet it was close. Here's a recap of the afternoon:

Picnic lunch

"When do we get to look for the eggs" interrogation

Waiting patiently for the horn to sound

Trading eggs [*more importantly, check out the pose by sassy girl in the white dress in the background]

Discovering chocolate

Trading more eggs

Opening eggs while not posing for a picture with the Capitol in the background as I had requested

in other shocking news

Remember this house? In case anyone is keeping track, our show about selling it did not air on HGTV last week. What is they say? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Well...shame on me because for the second time I launched a social media blitz alerting all our fans (haha!) out there of an air date that wasn't. Coupled with the fact that the show isn't even good, this is the last time I will write about our brush with reality television. Or, more specifically, this is the last time I'll write about this particular brush with reality television. You never know if Alex and I will try out for The Amazing Race some day.

mmmmargaritas!

Being pregnant the first seven months that I lived in Austin left me with a lot of catching up to do on the margarita front. The first I tasted was documented here, and this past weekend turned out to be an excellent opportunity to continue my quest for the perfect margarita. My parents were in town for the long Easter weekend, and while others were attending services and filling baskets with imitation grass and jellybeans, I took advantage of sunny skies and my role as tour guide to throw back a few. Following are the tasty libations I sampled:

El Pepino, Contigo Austin: tequila, cucumber water, mint, lime

If I thought a margarita was refreshing before, I had no idea what a refreshing margarita could be. Part margarita, part mojito, part revitalizing drink offered at your typical spa, this is quite possibly the perfect summer drink. The only problem with it--if you could call it that--is that El Pepino might be a little too easy going down leaving you with el serious hangover in the morning.

Jalapeno Rita, RED'S Porch: Toro de Lidia Anejo, Paula's Texas Orange, 

Jalapeno agave nectar, fresh lime and Cassis

Like my brother says, you have to mix the sweet with the heat, and this little drink does that perfectly. Spice from the jalapeno cuts the sweetness of the Cassis and offers a nice little kick. I would honestly drink this when it's 110 degrees outside because sometimes the only way to deal with the heat is with more heat.

SoCo Rita, Guero's Taco Bar: Cazadores Reponsada, Cointreau and fresh squeezed lime juice

This concoction may be #1 in Mexico, but Guero's missed the mark. Feeling a little nostalgic for the days that Alex used to shake up this very recipe at our apartment in New York City, I ended up with an over-salted, slightly watery, mediocre drink. At least it was my first of the weekend, so things could only go up from there.

baby faces

As a mom, you can't help but smile when your baby looks at you like this:

But you also have to laugh a little when she looks at you like this:

First smiles and coos are part of the joy of parenting, but so are crossed eyes and quivering bottom lips. Those are the images that stay with me and remind me not to take myself--or life--too seriously.

pool party

It's April in Austin, so that can only mean one thing: time to hit the pool. This afternoon was our first foray into the overly chlorinated community pool. Get out the sunscreen...it's going to be a long summer.