Tuesday, June 6, 2017

April Showers bring May Flowers!

We ended April with a bang!  First a stop by the cutest 3 year old's birthday party!  
I love what this church has done to make this room so cute for birthday parties with a huge jungle gym inside.  What a cool way to extend their ministry to everyone!
And later followed by a impromptu hotel stay in Little Rock.  The girls were begging to stay somewhere with an indoor pool and i just so happened to land us a steal on a room so we invited the Hill's over for some swim time that afternoon after the party.

later that night we met up for dinner and a movie with the cousins.  Mas was a good sport and even went to Beauty and the Beast with us.  I think whether he will admit it or not he actually really liked it too!
And then the girls headed back so that mom and dad could go see Tom Petty the next night.  Allison and I had a little too much fun at the photo op!  It was a great concert...that man can still sing his heart out!
And then back to the grind the next week and in full softball mode with both girls.  AB is making her first year in the girl's pitch league which has been a big adjustment from the pitching machine last year.  She is doing great though and I am so proud of her!
Her biggest fan, Pop Powell.
And as soon as the game was over we headed up to Hot Springs for the weekend.  Payton joined us and we met up with Becky and Katie Ella for afternoon activities on Saturday at Mid America Museum.  It was a rainy day so perfect for some indoor exploring!


And then back at the fields the next week this time for B's team.  She has taken a bit to warm up to tball this season but that girl is on fire now.  She is doing so well out in the field and playing 1st base.  She begs for more games and comes home to put on her uniform in anticipation of games later that night.  I am so excited to see her really enjoying herself and it all finally clicking for her on the field.

A rare moment to find these two actually getting along!  Charlie has definitely given Zoe a run for her money around the house.  But don't let Zoe fool you..even in her old age she is still queen bee!
AB back in action at the Springhill fields...bringing in a run.
And the little sibs seem to always manage to have some fun while they wait.  I think they enjoy the game times as much as their older siblings.  B and I have missed some of AB's games due to our ball schedule and since I was helping coach her team we were excited to be able to watch big sis play that night.

Then as soon as her game was over we headed back to town so that I could coach B's team...and we came away with a big "W" that night as well!
These are about the only pictures I have of B on the field thanks to Nicki because since I am trying to help keep the book and such I never get a chance to take pics.
That weekend while dad was out of town the girls and I got fixed up to go to a concert.  We even got to sit in on the interview with Trace Adkins.  It was pretty cool to hear him talk about his career and even his failures over the years.

Unfortunately, this was the best of the pictures we got that night.  But proof to dad that the girls can have fun too when he is out of town!
And the next day the girls and I particpated in a mommy and me painting class.  It was abstract painting at it's best...a free for all of sorts.


And as you can tell by our finished products we all took a little different route on our masterpieces.
My bathing beauties!
Just one of the many fun things I get to do each day...accept money from generous donors.  This was a donation to benefit the foundation given from an event on campus.  Just one small way that these businesses give back to our students.
And then we were off...Mitch and I had planned to celebrate my 40th birthday in Napa but do to some scheduling conflicts that didn't work out (for now!)  He is not off the hook but this was a much needed get away for us both.  We headed out on Wednesday not sure which way we were even going. Well we ended up in Austin.  I found a hotel I wanted to stay at and we dropped off our bags and headed to dinner.  I have family that lives in Austin so we took their recommendations all weekend and they did not disappoint.  The first night we dined at Perla on South Congress.  It was wonderful and the atmosphere of the outdoor dining was a nice change from all the crazy weather of Arkansas lately.
The next morning we decided to take a drive through Texas hill country.  We stopped in Fredricksburg where my cousin Dickie has  a second home and got a great visit in with him. He was our personal tour guide of Fredricksburg while we were there.  He even took us out to his ranch outside of town which was just beautiful.
On the way back Mitch and I couldn't resist a detour through Luchenbach, Tx....population 3 made famous by the song of course.  It has some pretty cool history on those walls!
And we even saw a piece we recognized.,..Miller was their with us.  I knew Buddy and Peg had just been there and the proof was on the wall!

And then we headed out on a little wine tour of Texas Hill Country...not quite Napa but pretty impressive if I do say so.  They have some beautiful wineries in the area and we took our time exploring several that afternoon.



I couldn't resist making Mitch pose for this one.  We had to stop just for the picture if nothing else.
The bathrooms...

And then again at the Becker family estate.


And Mitch met the only female whiskey distiller in the state of Texas.  He felt the need to get a picture with her...that is famous in his eyes!

And then we made it back to Austin and this time to a different hotel...i picked a different hotel each night so we experienced different parts of the city.  And since we were living out of a bag it was no trouble.  That night we went to Rainey Street for dinner and had the most delicous meal.
But the entire street is full of the cutest homes that have been transformed into eateries.
The menu for the evening was delish!
I chose carrots, dill and arugula for my starter..it may sound crazy but it was amazing!
We would highly recommend this spot to anyone..and apparently we aren't the only ones because i saw where it was just voted best new restaurant in Austin.  give it a try if you are ever in town.
The next morning we went for an early morning jog around the lake.  It is so nice to have so many trails to run on in this active city.  I wish we had more opportunities like this in our area.
Pretty amazing scenery in every direction.
Then we refueled at one of my favorite spots..as you know I like atmosphere as much as the food...Mitch not so much!  The Hula Hut was a place that we used to come every visit with our friends David and Ashley when they lived there.  We miss David dearly but cherish those memories. This was our first time back to Austin since he passed away so it was good to remember some of the fun times we all had together there over the years.
We went shopping for a bit that afternoon and then laid by the pool and finished the evening with the most gorgeous view of Texas Hill Country from our table.
The pictures just do do it justice!
But in case you were wondering about the kids...don't be they were living it up in the big city of Little Rock with friends for their birthday.  They kept sending pictures and it didn't look like mom and dad's getaway bothered them one bit!
The next morning we were up early headed back for a night in Dallas but I wanted to stop through Waco to see Chip and JO's place.  Just like everyone else apparently hoping to beat the crowd was not possible.  It was packed and Mitch gave me 30 minutes to enjoy...so I came I saw and I got the tshirt!
It was really an amazing place though and would like to go back sometime when it I could venture around a bit more...ladies, just don't bring the husbands.



My watermelon smoothie with a straw!
And some of the best juice I have ever had in my life!

But there were no cupcakes for this girl...the line was wrapped around the block..so that will give me something to come back for next time!
And more silly pics of these monkeys!

Which they later followed with Nana picking them up in Little Rock and spending the day with cousins on their neighborhood lake paddle boating.

And a sleepover!
The next day was Mother's day and as we made our way home i was glad to see the girls and Uncle B spoiled these two amazing women!
The girls even got to go to church and watch Lila perform.


Then we came back home for an end of year splash party at church.
Waiting for the ball to drop...




Good times were had by all  and now here we are in May and ready for summer already...how can that be?   Up next my little graduate!!!  (as I cry just thinking about it!)

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