act one

This morning Scout went off to acting (improv) camp while the other two munchkins stayed home and went through her "props" from last year's Explore Arts Preschool. It was pretty scary. It would be even scarier if Scout saw these pictures and found out they were messing around with her precious works of art.

morning splash

It only took three years plus one hot summer morning away from the three kids (they're all in Vacation Bible School this week) to get me to Barton Springs Pool. I'm not a strong swimmer--I'm sure my shoulder and chest muscles will have their revenge tomorrow--by any stretch of the imagination. My strokes are goofy and ill-timed. I don't have any nifty gear like googles or flippers, but I have to admit that the spring-fed water is truly exhilarating. There were swimmers twice (or maybe three times?!) my age pushing through lap after lap in the chilly waters, and I felt guided by their endurance. Or else I just didn't want a bunch of old folks making me feel bad about myself [wink implied]. 

Alex crushes it alongside the senior citizens' brigade.

That's my man.

déjà vu

The last time our car died in front of our house, it literally died in front of our house. Today it was only a battery, but when the rascals and I hopped in this morning on our way to the Dino pit at the Nature and Science Center, it was déjà vu all over again as I turned the key and nothing happened. Nada. "Not again," Catcher groaned from the way back. My sentiments exactly.

the hottest week of the year

Happy August! Or, as I like to think of it, Happy Birthday Month to me! Here's a little trivia for you: according to my local NBC affiliate (KXAN) weather guy, the first week of August is historically the hottest week of the year in Austin. Today, however, we experienced a cold front and temperatures reached a mere 88 degrees versus the average high of 98 (who knew I was such a weather geek?). Yesterday was a different story with a high of 97 and heat index of 106, so we re-acclimatized ourselves to this Texas summer with an afternoon splash at Shipe Wading Pool. It was a win-win: I sat (fully clothed) in the shade while the littles goofed around and did kid things. I'll leave out the part where they all lost their minds on the way to the car, so I found myself driving home with three screaming children in a stifling hot car. Recounting that story would just ruin the picture of a beautiful, blessed, fun summer day that you had in your head.

this time last week...

Before we made it to the wine country desert last week, there was an obligatory stop by the Golden Gate Bridge so we could get pictures like these:

Even though we found ourselves on a clear day without the ubiquitous clouds clouding our view of the bridge, there were tourists--like I'm not one--creeping in to all my shots, so this was the best I could get. No complaints though, because...you know...I was there.

sisters in sonoma

So there it is: the end of the end of my summer vacation in Sonoma, CA. On Friday my sister and I biked fifteen miles on the hottest day of the year for Sonoma (102 degrees). We sweated, but we also tasted some wine so it was worth all the huffing--does this bike have a gear lower than zero?--up the hills to the wineries. Tired of wine (blame it on the heat) we had margaritas and fajitas for dinner (they have good Mexican food in California, too). The next day there were bottles of wine purchased and afternoon martinis (when we were feeling "wine-d out") topped off by an amazing dinner at Harvest Moon Cafe. There's more, but I don't remember it all (blame that on the wine). We're kind of dorky, so on Sunday we visited historical sites in Sonoma and nearby Petaluma with self-guided walking tours that my sister had so studiously printed out and packed with her in a trusty manilla folder.

There's not much you can do wrong when vacationing in wine country; however, watch out for a company called Sonoma on the Spot. I feel it is my duty as a wine lover to unmask the man named John and his VIP wine tasting scam. I won't bore you with the details; I'm simply sending out a warning so you won't fall for it like I did. I'm not the only one, though. After being scammed myself I checked reviews on Yelp, and several of the reviews mirrored our experience (maybe I should have checked reviews before signing on). We still had an amazing time though...even sweaty John and his winking friend Robert couldn't keep us down.

bubble gun

That's right--bubble gun, not bubble gum. Scout, who will be referred to as "Bubble Master" from here on out, terrorized her siblings this afternoon with a fancy pink bubble gun that she received for her birthday. It should be noted, however, that Bubble Master's "terrorized" subjects were willing participants and eagerly awaiting the onslaught of bubble bullets.