Hard at work

Lately, Nico has wanted to be in the office to work while I am working. It's super cute, so I can't say no. He tries to take it seriously like he is really working.

 

And here's what then happens.. After about 5-10 min, I realize that I am getting nothing done. It then turns into an argument for him to get out of the room, which ultimately becomes ugly. David gets involved to drag him and his stuff out. He's angry. I feel guilty. Good times being a work-from-the-house-some mother!!

 

The mornings usually go better. Every morning if the weather is nice, he comes out to give me high five, knuckles, and a kiss. It's a sweet way to start my day. Gotta love his work briefcase in hand here.

4th of July festivities

Nico went crazy over sparklers this year! He wanted to do them every night!

For the 4th of July, my mom and I took Nico to the Dripping Springs Fourth of July Festival! It was really fun (a lot better than expected) with plenty of activities for kids! Nico had a blast and we had a blast watching him do so. There was a petting zoo, horse ride, train ride, bounce houses, laser tag, food trailers, etc. My dad and David were at a concert that night and missed the excitement.

He sure looooves animals.

He may have gone through this bounce house 37 times. We eventually had to force him to move on!

Here he is jokingly pretending to eat the way the hot dog eating contest people eat, since we let him watch that earlier today! Funny kid.

I think Nico's highlight was his first ever game of laser tag. He was obsessed. After showing up how to do it and the importance of hiding to avoid getting hit, he was a pro!! My mom and I were cracking up at him sneaking up on people and acting like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Pumped about his snowcone. Half wedding cake and half margarita. He likely only picked that kind so he could feel cool saying he was drinking a margarita.

Campin out for fireworks tonight over hill country.

 

It was a great fireworks show! Nico did have me keep his ears covered most of the time. He STILL is traumatized from the loudness of the neighborhood ones that we did a few years ago! Oh well! Awesome night.

Top Golfin'

Can't think of many better ways to kick off a long holiday weekend than Top Golf! Nico may actually have had more fun than us here. Out of the 600 balls we hit today, he easily hit over half of them! It's so fun to watch him play. Today, his main objective was to hit the golf cart that occasionally drove by to collect balls. He came pretty close!

 

After a few hours of wearing him out, we stopped by a doggie bakery to get Miley a treat for her 7th birthday.

Disclaimer. This will be the last time we try to put in this extra effort, as she ended up puking it all up later that night!! I knew we didn't get the dogs birthday treats for a reason!!

 

Papa and Grandma's summertime Austin trip

We always have a fun filled weekend when Dave and Cindy come down! We try to show them new places, and we were successful with 3 new ones on this trip!

Our Friday night hangout spot for dinner was at Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza. There was another lively environment tonight with plenty of people and music. Nico enjoyed digging in the sand most of the time, while we watched him and enjoyed pizza and beer.

We took a dip in the pool on Saturday before it got too hot out. Nico was obsessed with jumping on and off of his boogie board.

 

He also challenged Papa to a couple races.

 

Nico had to show off his hitting skills with a little family game of baseball. He cracked up every time that he slid into Dave's feet to avoid a tag.

After naptime, we ventured up to the Oasis on Lake Travis. It was nice that the lake level was finally high enough to enjoy the view!

We enjoyed a few drinks and some appetizer nachos. (I always gotta make fun of Dave for his passion for nachos!)

We stopped by the Rusty Mule on the way back to relax, listen to some music, and let Nico run out some of his energy on the playground!

Both nights we came home and sat outside on our deck to end the night. We watched a little fireworks display one of the nights that was coming from just down the street. Very relaxing.

Another successful weekend in the books!

Freescale Showcase

I went with my parents to a really cool exhibit tonight that really blew me away. The Marriot downtown housed a Freescale Exhibit this week to showcase all of the products and real world applications that use their technology. We are all so proud of the hard work that my dad has put into the behind the scenes Freescale success, so it's cool to see what the company really does.

This truck drives around nationwide during the year to show off the products of the present as well as ideas for the future. One concept that stands out in my mind is being able to wirelessly monitor and adjust utilities in your home based on the feedback that it generates. There were a lot of different applications for this "smart" technology. They were as simple as turning off a light bulb from your phone, or as complex as supplying you with feedback for the hue of the light that you prefer when you arrive home from work. I joked that I could receive alerts on my phone when David leaves the closet light on or has the AC running too much in the house, so I could then harass him! (As if he needs any more of that.)

The products within the actual exhibit were just as cool. I almost felt like I wanted to pursue an engineering degree again. Another smart technology product was a bed that contained sensors to monitor your sleep habits. A lack of movement assumed an ideal sleeping environment. If the sensors picked up on movement, then various conditions (light, sound, mattress firmness, etc) were analyzed and then adjusted to achieve a fully rested state again.

By far, the coolest and most inspiring product out there was the Sam car. It is named after a former racecar driver that became quadriplegic after a car crash. Technology was created to allow him to drive again, and he actually took the car out earlier this morning at the F1 track here in Austin. I felt privileged to get to try out the simulator! The sensors were attached to the hat. Speed was controlled through exhaling and inhaling through a straw, and driving was controlled through subtle head rotation.

After our guided tour throughout the room, the remainder of the night was party time! Robert DeLong and Cake performed a private concert @ ACL Moody Theature for Freescale employees and guests of the weeklong event. It was really fun and both of them were better than expected!

 

Daddy's hockey game

I usually don't like to admit this, but David was a badass tonight. I hadn't been to a hockey game of his in a couple years, and I was pretty impressed. The highlight was when he totally schooled the goalie on a penalty shot. Nico really enjoyed watching the game too and loved when players got slammed into the boards or when the puck was shot up into the glass infront of us!

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day, my day was spent with the two of the greatest fathers that I know, my dad and David! After we picked up Nico, we had the intent on going to a nice breakfast, but Nico adamantly wanted to go to McDonalds. David really didn't mind and said sure, what the heck.

Nico and I went all out this year and got David a new Xbox video game console! He joked that I have outdone myself and am cleared from any responsibilities or gift giving for the next few Father's Days too! (The irony here is that, on occasion, I have complained about his Xbox playing and now am enabling him further. What?!) I also made the picture art on the right, with a movie quote from The Hangover that we often jokingly say about ourselves. It reads, "And we're the 3 best friends that anyone could have."

We hung around the house for the remainder of the day until it was time to meet up with my parents for dinner at Texas Land & Cattle. This was about the best picture we could get out of the 10+ other attempts.

I am so appreciative of everything that my dad has done for me and continues to do! He's simply the best, and I am glad that I am finally at a point in my life where I can understand and really embrace that. Thanks for the patience, the constant interest in my schooling and activities, long days at the softball field, fun vacations and activities, and being my #1 fan.

I'm not sure how David continues to stay sane with being a stay at home dad to a strong willed toddler. Nico has had just about the most fulfilling and fun childhood so far that I can imagine a kid having, and a big part of that is because of the opportunities and quality time that David gives him! He is so easygoing, patient, and always puts Nico first with new experiences and keeping him active. The house is clean, meals are on the table, and we have a happy home. Thanks for being an awesome dad (and husband too.)

And a Happy Father's Day, in particular to two other favs: Dave and my grandpa!