Christmas Crafts

I made these wreaths out of poly deco mesh, pipe cleaners and wire wreath frames. I saw a few tutorials on You Tube and decided that this would make a great Christmas gift. I couldn't give up the pink and green one. It is currently hanging on my front door.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Safari

We saw a Daytripper episode about the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch and knew that the kids would love it. It is about 1.5 hours south of Austin, just outside of San Antonio. Right inside the gates they have a petting zoo with goats. We gave Audrey and Jackson a brush and they went from goat to goat brushing their fur. After thoroughly washing everyone's hands and doing our best to get the goat poop off of our shoes, we loaded up in the car and drove through the safari. There were some amazing animals along the way. Some of the animals that we saw (and could identify) were ostriches, wildebeasts, emus, donkeys, a camel, zebras, rhinos, macaws, lemurs, giraffes, chickens, and a peacock. It was a fun trip, but I am glad that we did not wait until the heat of the summer. Just so you know, our car still smells like goat poop.

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt '11

Last year we took the kids for their first Easter Egg hunt. The two kids wondered aimlessly through the field and right past all of the eggs. Mimi, Grandpa Rick, Chris and I were tasked with the job of scooping up the eggs and putting them in the kids' baskets. This year I wanted the kids to be excited about the egg hunt and have a vague idea of what was going on. I bought some eggs and put 1 M&M in each egg and hid them in the living room while the kids were napping. It definitely did the trick because the kids were shoveling the eggs in the basket. They both got quite the haul.

Fern Bluff Elementary Carnival

We took the kids to the local elementary carnival to support our future school. I read online that there was going to be a train ride, but when we got there I found out that they were not there this year. Luckily, there was a giant slide and a bounce house. Audrey does not understand the concept of "waiting your turn" or "taking your turn" so she had a major baby break down prior and after her trip on the slide and in the bounce house. It was not pretty. Jackson had his break down after he crawled out of the bounce house early and his spot was taken by another kid. He was not a happy camper. After that we realized that it was time to go home. I am not sure if we will brave the carnival again next year but we will see.

Metro Rail & Austin Children's Museum

We took my "Thomas The Train" obsessed little boy on the Austin Metro Rail. He was in absolute heaven. He got a kick out of the horn, the railroad crossings and the other trains that we passed on the way downtown. When we got downtown, we walked to the Austin Children's Museum. They had a train table by the front door and that is about as far as Jackson got. Audrey tried the golf ball launchers, the train exhibit, the veterinary exhibit, the lunch counter and the little store.

Arrowhead Ranch

For about a year now I have seen signs in our neighborhood advertising pony rides and a petting zoo. Either the kids were too young or we had plans that morning so we were never able to go. On Monday morning we finally made it out to The Arrowhead Ranch. I was a little leery about taking the kids to a petting zoo in someone's backyard, but it was an actual ranch with the entrance tucked in the back of a cul-de-sack. They had 2 ponies, a horse, 2 rabbits, 3 goats, 4 chickens and a donkey. Included in the cost of admission the kids were able to feed the chickens, feed the goats, pet the bunnies, and ride the pony around the circle 3 times. The kids really enjoyed it, so I think that we will be making our way back to The Arrowhead Ranch.

The Capital of Texas Zoo

We took the kids to the Capital of Texas Zoo last weekend. I was told that it was a ghetto zoo, but I did not believe the naysayers because of the big, beautiful sign on the highway. We turned off of the highway and headed towards the zoo. As we drove, we passed several double-wides, a couple of dump of the months and one prominently displayed stone Jesus. Chris thought that the "zoo people" were just trying to get us off the main road to rob us. When we finally got to the zoo, we turned off on a dirt road and parked in a dusty parking lot. It was definitely not the San Antonio Zoo. Nothing was paved and most of the animals were not identified. You know you are not in a "real" zoo when one of the major exhibits is the Guinnea Pig exhibit ("Hey Jackson and Audrey, Look It's Lenny from the Wonder Pets!"). The nice thing about the zoo is that it is not crowded and you can get closer to the animals then the regular zoo. The kids had a good time and the weather was nice, so overall it was a pretty nice afternoon.

The Cedar Rock Express!

Jackson really loves his Thomas the Train toy. He walks around the house with it, wackes his sister with it, and even sleeps with it sometimes. I was reading the Little Austinite blog and found out that we have a miniature train that is just around the corner from us. Luckily I found the blog post on Saturday since the train only operates on the weekend. When the kids woke up from their nap, we packed them up and headed to the park. They both ran over to the train and picked their seats. It was a chilly 15 minute ride that included views of the pond, the soccer fields, the softball fields, a tunnel and more than a few pollinating cedar trees. The kids had a blast!

Cleaning Up

Jackson loves to play with the vacuum. This would be great if he weren't the one making the biggest mess to clean up.