Seattle Trip

We are back in Austin now.  We had a great time on our trip to Seattle and Dallas.  We just got back today and are pretty exhausted.  Here are pictures from our trip.  We got to go camping in Orcas Island, stayed with Michael, Jen, and Maya, and go to baseball games.

Seattle 2013 Pictures

A Day with Noah

Evan was gone most of the day.  He had baseball camp and then went over to Miles' house after that.

While he was gone Noah and I went to a coffee shop (his choice).  Noah had tea and a blueberry muffin.  Then we got gas and went to the bank.

At home, Noah helped me clean the car.  He was really into it.  He liked helping me out.

I picked Evan up around 3:45pm.  He had a good time both at his friend's house and at baseball camp.

For dinner we had pizza.

The boys helped me give Lizzy a shower and then they had a shower.

Now we will put them to bed.

Baseball and Errands

Evan had camp again this morning and had a good time.  While Evan was at camp Noah and I played baseball outside and then he came with me to my massage appointment.

This afternoon we hung out at home.  I gave Lizzy a trim.

For dinner we had a frozen Asian meal.

After dinner we went to Barnes and Noble and Petco.

We just got the boys ready for bed.

Making T-shirts

This morning Evan went to baseball camp and today Evan and Miles gave it a 9 out of 10.  They had more fun today. 

While Evan was at baseball camp Noah and I played some baseball in the front yard together.

When Evan got home he told me he wanted to make a t-shirt to wear at baseball camp.  Both Noah and Evan (with my help) decorate baseball looking shirts.

For dinner Morry and I had turkey/veggie burgers and the boys had pasta.  We finished the t-shirts after dinner and they are drying now.

Morry is reading to the boys now.

More Baseball Camp

This morning I had an early appointment with my rheumatologist.   While I was gone Morry and Noah too Evan to another baseball camp at the high school near us.  You have to be going into 1st grade or higher, so Noah wasn't able to participate. He was ok about it.   A lot of Evan's friends from his baseball team were there along with some other kids he knows.

Miles' mom dropped Evan off at our house after baseball.  Evan said he had a good time.

Before dinner we made a run to HEB.

For dinner we had leftovers from last night and made the kids pasta.

After dinner we played some baseball in front yard.

Now, we'll put the boys to bed.

Father's Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

There was no visit from a boy this morning asking me sports questions while I was asleep.  I was able to sleep in though I did hear at one point an argument between the boys.

We took it easy in the morning and stayed home.  We planned to go see E.T. at the movie theater at 2pm.  It was part of the Steven Spielberg series the theater was doing.  Before we left, the boys and Rachel gave me the present they got.  They got me a Fitbit Flex to keep track of my exercise and activity during the day.  It's pretty cool.

Rachel came with us to the movies.  The boys were good there.  They both really enjoyed it.

We came home for a bit, watched the end of the Pirates game (which was on nationally for the second time this week) and then left to go to Tokyo Steakhouse which is one of that Japanese restaurants where they cook in front of you.

The food was good and the boys enjoyed the "show".

On the way home, we stopped at Sweet Caroline's for dessert.

Until next time...

Brunch

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning the boys were very good and let us sleep in, although at one point, I was dead asleep and I heard, in a whisper, "Daddy, Daddy".  I looked up and it was Noah.  He said "Who is the Pirates' DH?"  I said "I don't know" and went back to sleep.

We never went to Mother's Day brunch since Rachel went to San Antonio so we did a somewhat Mother's Day/Father's Day brunch this morning.  We went up to a place in North Austin called Cafe Java.  It was good and the boys were good as well.

From there we went to Dick's Sporting Goods.  I wanted to get the boys new bat bags that are backpacks so they could carry their own backpacks.  We spent quite a while in the store and got new shoes for the boys as well as some shirts for me and a jacket for Rachel.  Rachel had printed out a bunch of coupons and we were going through trying to figure out which we could use in conjunction with each other and what was the best deal.  The cashier asked the manager and they just ended up giving us 30% off the purchase.

When we got home, the boys and I played Wii for a bit and then we went out to play baseball in the front yard.  I can definitely notice a difference, particularly in Noah, after their week of baseball camp.   Rachel trimmed some of the plants in the front bed while we played.

We had leftovers for dinner.

Then we went to go to Sweet Caroline's for shaved ice for dessert but they had just closed.  We went to TCBY instead.

We gave the baths to the boys when we got home and they are now in bed.

Until next time...

Smoothies and Errands

Today we had nowhere to be.  It was nice.

Our trainer came 11:30 and after that we all ran some errands together.  We went to Target, the bank, and Smoothie King.

We took it easy this afternoon.

For dinner we had pasta.

Now, we are going to put the boys to bed.

Baseball and Baseball

This morning Noah gave Morry a hard time and didn't want to go to baseball.  It was a fight this morning, but he did end up going and having fun.  Today was their last day of camp for this week.  We might do it again in a few weeks.

The boys came with me to tutoring and played baseball outside with the girls for the majority of the time.  The kids all had fun together.

Today it was Evan's turn to pick where we went for a snack.  He chose TCBY.  Below is a picture.

For dinner we had leftover chicken and asparagus from last night.

In a little bit we'll get the boys ready for bed.

Lots of time outside

The boys had baseball camp this morning and were happy and sweaty when they got home. 

I made them lunch and a little while later Gabby came over.  I left to tutor.

Evan and Gabby played outside for a while.

For dinner we had Sprite chicken, asparagus, and fruit.

The boys were pretty wild tonight.  We couldn't believe they still had energy left after a long day.

Morry is reading to them now and then we'll get them to bed.

Sweaty Kids

The boys went to baseball camp this morning.  Morry said the boys were really hyper and excited about going again.  When we picked them up they were both very sweaty, but having a good time.

I tutored and the boys stayed home with Morry.

When I got home we had Cole come over. Noah was in a cranky mood.  Cole and Evan had fun playing together though.

We made pizza for dinner.

The boys and Morry are watching the Pirates game on TV.  Soon, we'll put Evan and Noah to bed.

Lizzy's Birthday

Today is Lizzy's 10th birthday.  She still acts like a puppy sometimes.

This morning the boys went to baseball camp. They both had a good time. They said Noah was fearless and really tough.

We worked out with our trainer.

Blanca came over and then I left to tutor.

Tonight we ran some errands.  We got Lizzy a birthday toy at Petco. We went to Academy to get bigger water bottles for the boys.  For dinner picked up Chipotle.

We made dinner for the boys at home and all ate together.

We just did reading/writing/math with the boys.

Now they are getting ready for bed.

Indiana Jones

This morning we took it easy at home.

This afternoon Morry and the boys went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark at the movie theater.  The boys were very excited about going and Noah wore his Indiana Jones hat.  It was a good thing Morry bought tickets ahead of time.  He said it was pretty crowded there.  They all had a good time.

This afternoon I played baseball with the boys outside for a little bit.

While we made dinner the boys cleaned up.

Evan and Noah are playing Wii now and soon we'll get them ready for bed.

Ranch

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today we had no where to be in the morning.  We had nothing that needed our attention and cause us to have to wake up early.  It was a nice feeling.  I think Evan got up after 7 and went downstairs to play MLB Power Pros on the Wii.  Noah got up sometime after.

We both woke up around 9.

I played Wii with the boys while Rachel continued to make cookies.  We had a potluck party to go to today and we were bringing cookies.  We made sugar cookies the other night.  Rachel baked chocolate chip and meringue cookies this morning.

We had a late lunch after Rachel had finished baking everything and we cleaned up.

Around 3pm we started to get ready to go.  The potluck party was hosted by our friends Will and Bradford.  They recently bought 200 acres in Driftwood, TX which is where the Salt Lick is.  It's past the Salt Lick from our house.

The property was really nice.  It butts up to a small river or large creek.  They had hired life guards and rented an inflatable water slide.  They also build a three story tree house on one very large tree as well as installed a zipline from that tree.  Evan had a blast on the water slide at first while Noah liked climbing in the tree house. Evan also really enjoyed the zipline.  Will is a fire fighter so I really could tell that everything was especially safe.  We never actually swam in the river/creek but nevertheless it was a nice late afternoon/early evening.

We came home and gave the boys showers.

Until next time...

Free Day

Today was our first free day in a long time.  We had no where to be.  It was nice taking it easy.  The boys and I hung out at home until 3:30 and then we went to the pool.  We had to wait until then because that was when the pool opens.  Next week, they'll have better hours.

Evan and Noah ate dinner at home and then we dropped them off at the Little Gym for Parent's Survival Night.  Morry and I went out to dinner at Z Tejas downtown.  We walked around after dinner and then got dessert at Whole Foods.

The boys had fun tonight.  Noah's friend Cole was there with his sister.

We just got home and the boys are happy, but worn out.

Noah's Last Little Gym

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

I didn't have to get up early this morning to take Evan to school.  It was very nice.  After I got ready, I started to come downstairs.  I suspected Evan was up because his light was on his room, though his door was closed.  As I walked down the stairs, Evan came out looking for me.  I guess he heard me walking.

Noah got up around 9 this morning.  Rachel, Noah and Evan stayed at home and didn't do much in the morning.

At 11:45 was Noah's last Little Gym class.  The kids put on a "show" using what they had learned all year long.  We were able to go into the gym while they did various activities to watch them.  On the "floor exercises", Noah did great.  Mr. Jose, the instructor, didn't have to tell Noah what to do at all.  Noah just went through the routine quickly and very well.  I heard a few "wow" comments from the parents.  Noah seemed to enjoy it.  During each routine he did, he was very serious though.  But he seemed happy to have us all there watching him and being with Cole.

After the Little Gym, Rachel had to tutor.  She took the boys with her.  After tutoring, they stopped at Rita's for water ice.

In the late afternoon, the boys played Wii.  I played a bit with them.  Evan and I played some football in the front yard.

For dinner, we had leftover pizza.

After dinner, Rachel baked sugar cookies and we decorated the cookies.

The boys are cleaning up and then we'll put them to bed.

Until next time...

Evan's last day of first grade

Today was Evan's last day of first grade.  It sounds like they had a lot of fun at school today.  Evan's class had an ice cream party and a football player from UT came to read to his class.

Noah came with me to my massage appointment.  He was very good there.

Morry, Noah, and I all went to pick up Evan from school.

Gabby came over and I left to tutor.

When I came home we made leftovers for dinner.

While we cleaned up the boys played outside.

Both boys wrote in their journals today.  Evan wrote 26 sentences!

Now, Morry is reading to the boys.

One more day

This morning Noah and I went to HEB and then he went to Cole's house.

I picked him up and we went to get Evan at school.  Noah had a massive fit there that seemed to last forever.  It was very difficult.

While Evan did his homework Noah and I did reading and writing.

For dinner we had crab and roasted chicken.  Guess who had the roasted chicken.

Morry's getting the boys ready for the shower now and I hear lots of complaining coming from Noah.  I need to go downstairs and see what's going on.

Evan has one more day of school tomorrow and then it's his summer break too.

Noah's Cavity

This morning I took Noah to the dentist to get his cavity fixed.  He was very good there and all went well.  He never once complained. They had a choice of movies for him to watch and he chose Monsters Inc. He was so involved watching the movie, he didn't seem to notice what they were doing.

We came home and a little while later we had handymen come by.  They fixed a few things around the house and outside for us.

Morry came home to work from home.

I picked up Evan from school.  Blanca came over and then I left to tutor.

When I got home we made pasta for dinner.

After dinner I did some reading and writing with Noah and then both boys wrote in their journals.  I got journals for the boys hoping to have them write in them each night during the summer.  They wanted to start today.  Below are pictures from their journals.  The boys are in bed now.

click the pictures to see them larger.

Home Depot

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We had a big thunderstorm early this morning.  It woke Evan up around 6am.  He got up and played in the game room, though he told us with one thunder clap, it caused him to run back into his room.  I don't know if he was being silly or whether he had actually been scared.

Rachel and I, ended up sleeping in, though.  It's been a very busy last few weeks and it felt nice to sleep in.

When we got up, we had brunch and then got ready to leave.

We went to Home Depot which turned into a big trip.  We wanted to look at a new back door since Lizzy has scratched up our current door.  We had to also get some stuff for a handyman who is coming tomorrow including a new door bell.  It seemed to take forever.  We paid to leave and then Rachel wanted to see if they had a lemon tree.  So I put all the stuff in the car and then came back and Rachel had found a lemon tree as well as a pomegranate tree.  Rachel wanted to put them in large pots initially so we got pots for them.  The boys were kind of wild so it was really good to go.

On the way home, we stopped and got smoothies at Smoothie King.

In the afternoon, I had some work to do and my friend Dmitriy stopped by as well.

For dinner we had left over pizza and had a movie night.  Rachel had never seen Despicable Me and the boys want her to come with us to see Despicable Me 2.  So we watched that movie while eating our dinner.

We put the boys to bed and now are about to get ready ourselves.

Until next time...

Reptiles

This morning Morry left to go to to a meeting in San Antonio.

I took the boys to a birthday party of a kid of Evan's class.  It was a reptile birthday party.  They had a guy there with all kinds of reptiles the kids got to touch and hold.  After that, many of the kids went to the pool, since the party was at the community center right next to the pool.

Evan and Noah had fun at the pool.

At home I made shaved ice.

Gabby came over tonight and Morry I went to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Now You See Me.

When we got home Evan was asleep, but Noah was still up.