Dave and Cindy's Austin trip

It was one of those weekends where we couldn't have fit in more fun things if we tried. Dave and Cindy came down for a three night sleepover, starting on Thursday night, that featured plenty of sports watching and cuddling with their only granddaughter.

Nico had playoff tball games on both Thursday and Friday, so they got to see him get plenty of hits and make a few plays in the field too.

 

After Thursday's game, we came back to the house to get sister to bed, and the guys went to pick up Pieous.

 

 

 

Friday morning started with Nico's usual coffee making followed by a walk. He is very serious about his morning routine with his papa and grandma.

 

 

 

We hung around the house all morning and had the intent of getting out to enjoy the nice day, but Natalie slept for 3 - 3.5 hours! It may have been her record nap thus far. We only had an hour window to grab some BBQ, a couple beers, and fresh air at Graceland Grocery down the street before Nico's 6 pm game.

 
The backseat crowd was getting goofy on the way to the game.

 
Saturday's weather was amazing again, so we tried our best to get Natalie to nap in the morning, so we could venture out for the day! We started our afternoon with a quick stop at Deep Eddy Distillery just a few miles down the street. It was a really nice place to have a drink and even better for people watching.

Nico is into selfies now.

 

 

We had a beautiful view at Lucy's on the Lake for dinner and enjoyed some really good food!

 

 
Sunday's highlight was going to Nico's hockey clinic. Today was the 2nd of 6 sessions that he has on Sunday mornings. He's becoming a better skater, has a blast, and is the cutest one out there.

Such a fun weekend.

Hot Rods tball!

We are approaching the final weeks of Nico's first tball season with the Dripping Springs YSA, and it's been such a great experience! David took the plunge and signed up to be a coach! We knew it wouldn't take long. This league is a step up from the 6 game instructional season with the YMCA that we just came from. There was actually a tryout and a draft for the coaches to select players. (That's so funny to me.) Practices are Tuesday nights along with 14 games spread out on various Thursdays and Saturdays, and 4 additional playoff games. It seems like a pretty heavy commitment for a 5 year old, but Nico is ALL in!

 

For fall ball, the teams select names of Minor League teams. David settled on the Hot Rods, after he originally wanted to be the Knights (after his former player Austin's school, Central Florida), but I guess they didn't have the logo to make a jersey for that one. Nico was handed #2 and tells everyone it's Derek Jeter's number too, even though he doesn't even know of Jeter.

 

 

 

I'm just so proud to be Nico's mom, and it's a joy to watch him on the field and hear his excitement around the house on game days. I hope he never loses that energy and excitement and can carry it through to other things in life too. He often will get in full uniform at 9 am for a 2 pm game.

 

Despite being one of the youngest in the league, he is one of the better players. (We wouldn't expect any less, right?!) He's continued to really develop this season too and has started to have a sense for the flow of the game and rules. He's definitely not one of the ones out there picking his nose, but rather the one who is in ready position with his eye black on. He has been consistently hitting the ball through the infield and has even made a handful of outs on defense! A few of the highlights that come to mind include throwing a runner out at first from CF just behind 2nd base, catching a few balls as first baseman, and throwing a handful of runners out from pitcher to 1B. He actually made all 3 outs in an inning last week at pitcher! 

 

 

There are only a handful of players that we've seen who can hit the ball with any level of authority and somewhat catch and throw. Most teams only make a few outs each game, if that. David happens to have a 3 of the top players, hence he is undefeated going into the last regular season game this week! He really isn't even trying to win though, as he is consistently rotating players around and making sure that they all have fun. He's said that it's his goal to make sure that all 12 players sign up to play in the spring. I love that he keeps this all in perspective. He has such a gift. The other coaches have actually expressed annoyance over David's success and over specific plays, i.e. when David worked on backing up bases one week, and his RF backed up first base, caught the ball, and stepped on first for the out. Ha. Gotta love it.

 

Here's a pretty typical hit for him these days.

 

 

And here's one of his outs at pitcher that I happened to be filming.

 

 

Sister hasn't missed a game yet. She's usually in sports attire.

 

 

The return of Stats Man.

 

 

It's fun to brag about Nico on here, but I ultimately hope he continues to have FUN and be proud of himself! He's really something special.

Halloween: Trick or Treating

Introducing... Batman and Tinkerbell!

Some of my favorite memories as a mom have been watching Nico's excitement on Halloween! This year was just as fun as past ones. We went over to some friends for a little get together around 6:00 for snacks and to corral the kids to go trick or treating together! Batman lasted a good hour and a half again this year and was wired every minute. He ran house to house for most of the night and ran into plenty of his buddies along the way.

Tinkerbell slept through most of the trick or treating and enjoyed being pushed around in the stroller. We actually took off the giant, uncomfortable costume after snapping a few pics and put her in Nico's first Halloween costume, Pooh!

Goofball boys.

She sat here so calmly, sucking her thumb, while about 10 kids were running and screaming all over the house during the early festivities!

Candy time!

 

He was so thrilled to see Derek!

 

He made out well again this year. What a great neighborhood we have! The streets were packed with kids, and plenty of adults were sitting outside passing out candy... and adult beverages too!

October recap

October is probably my favorite month of the year. The summer heat is coming to a close and the morning air is crisp. It's more enjoyable to be outside. Pumpkin flavored everything in stores. Playoff baseball. Football. ACL Festival. My birthday. Halloween. And the feeling of the holidays just around the corner. 

We kicked off our October with the arrival of my parents back to Texas! They fulfilled a long awaited dream of theirs to have a second home in northern Michigan, where they will spend the summer and early fall months every year. Cannot wait to visit next year! They weren't gone but a few months, but it felt like forever to these babysitter-less parents of two! We surprised them (literally, Nico jumped out of the bushes) with some decorations and pizza the moment they got back!



 

We've kept them busy this past month with a handful of babysitting opportunities, Nico's tball games, and other fun get togethers!

Just to keep things real here, this is what you initially get before threatening him to smile...

There's been plenty of football watching going on this month. "We're comin to your CIT-AY!!!" The Longhorns have entertained a couple upsets but have otherwise had a poor season this year. As for the Cowboys, we are going strong with Dak! (And so is my fantasy team by the way!...)

Natalie's got quite the wardrobe full of school spirit for all of our teams.

And of course, Nico has kept up with having full gear for every sporting event and team we watch.

He has been so into baseball and wanting to practice every day. Did I mention he gets into full uniform for all of this too?! Just like his dad when he was growing up. We often play a game in the playroom where he gets a running start and dives into a pile of pillows to catch the ball.



Uncle Scott made an unexpected stop down in Texas for a night and was able to have a nice steak dinner with us and watch the Vikings/Packers game! Nico loved seeing his big truck and face timing with his cousins, Hunter and Layla.

Nico and I had a special date night. We went out to BJ's to split a pizza and a pazookie, followed by a trip to the bookstore. It was such a genuinely enjoyable time to spend some extra one on one attention with my sweet little boy. He has grown up so much these past few months. It's like he's practically an adult. He was a gentleman and scooped my pizza onto my plate. Will have to do this more often!

We came home to the sweet sight of a sleeping baby in her daddy's arms. Awww.

Abel's is a regular favorite still, too.

We've become a little more social again and gotten together with friends lately! Outdoor patios like the Rusty Mule have been calling our name with this nice weather. Nico and Jake are in the same class together this year and even bigger best buds. They are so funny together. (Except when they are destroying the playroom.)

David's famous sauce made an appearance once so far this fall. That definitely makes the monthly highlight reel in this house. I'm really moving up in the world in that I have a few items from Waco's Magnolia Market, thanks to Cindy!

Ryan and Jessica made a visit this past weekend! They had a friend's wedding down here, and we were able to spend time with them for a few hours Friday night and the first half of Saturday! In efforts to mock my mom's mimosa bar from Christmas morning 2014, we made one too. They also were able to make it to Nico's tball game!

"Hellllooooo ladies, which way to the monkey bars?" Ryan always has Nico cracking up. He just adores Uncle E.

On Friday night, David had a night out with his BFF Scott and showed him around town. He tried out the Deep Eddy Distillery for the first time. Apparently the Ruby Red Mule is the way to go.

Nico's Pre-K had its Halloween Party/parade/trunk or treat on Friday too. It was a busy weekend for us all! Bring on the trick or treating in just a couple more days!