Spring is Here!

     We've sure been busy here and I've been behind on blogging.

     Spring is here and I'm so happy it is! I really don't like the winter. Well, we were told this was actually a very warm winter in Austin, so it wasn't too bad, but still! I hope this doesn't mean the summer is too hot. But we'll see I guess.

    With spring comes all of the beautiful wildflowers. It seemed to be the trend here in the area to do photo shoots with our little ones in the flowers. So, I decided to jump on board and get some pictures of my little dude.

     He kept running around saying "flowers!" and really had a good time. The weather was really great, too. Love him!

     This spring was also great as my family came to visit! My mom and dad, as well as my brother Quinn and my family's exchange student, Gabriela, from Moldova. It was so nice to have family here! I can't believe it's been almost 10 months since we've moved here! Crazy, huh? The last time they saw little Alex was on his first birthday, and now his second is just around the corner.

     I took them mostly around Austin, and not too much Round Rock. Next time for sure. ;)

Visiting the state capitol. Alex with daddy and papa. 

Alex with Papa (his favorite) at Tortuga Flats 

After a nice BBQ meal at County Line on Lake Travis

All of us at the state capitol

Dyeing Easter eggs with Nana

Me and my mommy on the top of Mt. Bonnell

     Now I just need to convince everyone to move here with us ;).

     As for everything else, we're doing great. About 5 weeks to go before little brother arrives, which we're looking forward to! Everything is great and healthy with this little dude too.

   A small update, but that's about it for now!

Mom Life in Texas

     One of the many great advantages of moving to Round Rock is the wonderful family atmosphere. It is SO family friendly here and I love it. There are kid places everywhere, playgrounds, parks, zoos, nature and animal centers, and many places to explore. Alex has play dates at least twice each week with other kids too.

     We were at Mt. Playmore (indoor playground) a couple of weeks ago, when another mom approached me and started chatting. She invited me to be a part of a network of moms in the Austin area. Well, of course! Mom friends are always great! I realized there are a few thousand moms involved in this, and it's divided into regions (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Austin, North Austin, South Austin, Georgetown, etc). Since joining, Alex and I have gone to so many events, and last night I was able to go my first mom's night out event! It was great going out to dinner with other ladies. They do these nights out often, so I'm excited.  Alex and I always have things to do, and it's nice for me to get out! They even do childcare swaps, so I think it will be helpful when little brother comes along this spring. Always need that extra support when family isn't close!  I also love how active our Relief Society is too, so I'm always able to get free sitters when I have doctors appointments and such.

     Anyway, here are some pictures of our adventures! 

Just had to throw this in there. Wily just loves Alex!

Town Lake Boardwalk on Lake Austin- one of our favorite walking places!

Ball pit at Little Land Play Gym

Austin Duck Adventures! It was actually really fun. We did a tour on a bus around downtown- and then the bus drove straight into Lake Austin, where we had a boat tour! It was COLD though, and I really wish I had  put his coat on. It's definitely colder here than California, as we have lots of wind chill from the north.

Climbing at Little Land

My little climber at Mt. Bonnell

Outdoor fun at Red Bud Isle dog park

Having his first pony ride at Kiddie Acres

One of the absolute coolest indoor playground we've been to. It's called Catch Air. It's an underwater themed toddler playground. You know how many indoor play areas have a closed off area for toddlers? Well, this ENTIRE indoor playscape is just for toddlers. This picture is only a small portion of it. It's seriously amazing, and he could spend all day in there!

     Everything else is going great too! Gary's loving the new job, I'm pushing through school (I've written 4 papers just this week- insanity!), and the puppy is still being a puppy, LOL. Luckily the potty training thing is down for the most part though, and Alex has warmed up to her. She just has a lot of energy, but I make sure we play outside regularly and go to dog parks to socialize her. Her training is going great though. She's very smart- just has a short attention span. But I love her! She's very loyal and sweet.

    Little brother is doing great too! This trimester is definitely a lot more fun with the wiggles, kicks, and movements. He's sure busy in there! I've noticed more aches and pains with this one than with Alex, but I guess that's pretty normal. Thankfully Gary's been really good with back and hip massages to help :).

   That's the update! 

A Puppy!

   First, I want to mention we lost a very special family member last week.

     A few months back, Gary and I learned Lila had mammary cancer. Because she had been spayed in the past, this was a much more aggressive form than if she hadn't been (lack of proper hormones can make it worse). We knew she didn't have much time left in her sweet little life, so we did the best we could to make her last weeks with us special.

     Last week, we noticed she wasn't eating anymore, and spent most of her time on the bed sleeping or resting. She had been starting to lose weight and wasn't as active and playful anymore. Not wanting her to starve or drag on, we took her to the vet. The young veterinarian examined her and told us there wasn't much else to do. Cats not eating is way more worrisome than dogs not eating. Plus, it had spread to her lungs and her breathing wasn't as great anymore. We knew what this meant. So, that afternoon, we said our goodbyes to our sweet girl and set her free.

     Lila was our first pet, and had been with us the longest. Her health was never fantastic, as she had been a stray before we rescued her years ago. However, she was the sweetest, most cuddly cat. She never clawed, bit, or showed aggression. We could pick her up, hug her, and set her in our laps, and she'd be content. She slept between us on the bed every night, going back and forth bumping her head into our arms until one of us gave in and pet her, no matter the hour. Then she'd purr her little heart out. We will miss our little girl, but we are happy she is no longer suffering. Plus, she and Dexter are now reunited and are probably playing right now as we speak.

   The drive home was a little sad, though we knew it was going to happen. We had been prepared, compared to Dexter who had died suddenly due to heart failure. We knew she was older and sick, but we still couldn't help feeling heartbroken when we let her go.

  While in the car, I suddenly felt overwhelmed and inspired to go to the nearest animal shelter. Normally we wouldn't jump to getting a new pet, and had even discussed waiting. However, I couldn't ignore this prompting and brought it up to Gary, who agreed we should take a look. So, we drove to Georgetown and stopped at their shelter. We browsed the dogs, and when an employee asked us how we were doing, we explained we were just looking, and mentioned our situation. She then said, "I know what you need. Come with me." She led us into the "small dog" area, which I realized was not just small dogs, but puppies. You can't not look at puppies and feel your heart swell and melt. She reached in a kennel and pulled out a small, 2 month old brown and black puppy, with the cutest floppy ears. She wagged her little tail as Gary held her. It only took a matter of minutes before we looked at each other and knew.

     An hour later, she was with us on our drive home.

    So, this is Kara. She was listed as a doberman/catahoula mix, meaning she is going to be BIG. I had never heard of a catahoula before, so I had to do a little research. They are American bred and very popular in the south, as they are the state dog of Louisiana. They are herding dogs, and were bred to hunt wild hog. However, they are known as wonderful family dogs and great with children. 

My little study buddy

     We are in the process of potty training, which means she mostly stays in her playpen, but we love having her around. A puppy is exhausting stuff for sure! She just LOVES Alex and constantly wants to play with him, but sadly he is afraid of her. For now anyway. I foresee them to be best friends in the future.

Little Baby and Other Updates

Maybe I'm just too tired, but I never started a pregnancy blog like I did with Alex! So, I'll do a few updates here, then probably get that started. I want some memories with this one too!

 You know how I was feeling pretty good for awhile? Turns out I was just getting a break. While I'm not even close to being as sick as I was, I still get nauseous, and it was a little less than a week ago I was throwing up my dinner. You'd think at 15 weeks it would be done, right? While the morning sickness still lingers, I have my energy back for the most part and the nausea is now a mild, only triggered by certain smells type of nausea- whereas before, just being awake was enough to get me living over the toilet. But for the most part I am feeling MUCH better and I'm not nearly as fatigued. I am getting regular headaches though, like I did with Alex. It's like I'm always upside down and feel like the blood is always rushing to my head. I'm also feeling movements way earlier too! I can actually feel kicks and movements, whereas I didn't feel Alex until 20 something weeks. Pretty neat! Also, the recent ultrasound showed the baby is 5 days ahead in growth (same due date though). So far so good!

Also, school is going well. As mentioned, I went back to school full time this fall. This semester I have college-level math (alegebra-geometry), English composition, foundational perspectives of education, and US Government and the constitution. Luckily I was able to transfer over a good chunk of credits from my college days in Bakersfield, so that will help later. I probably spend a good 3-4 hours per day studying, which typically happens during Alex's naps and after he goes to sleep.

Anyway, all is well here. We got a new family member, but she'll be in a different post all together. That's pretty much it for our family!

Hello, Fall. Family Updates Too!

  That Texas summer was something! Growing up in SOCal, I'm used to the heat. The difference is, this is heat plus humidity- and it doesn't get as cool and breezy in the evening as the dry heat in California. So, thankfully our temperatures are dropping and summer is officially leaving! Time for our first fall in Texas.

The rains have come back and will be here through next week. Though humidity usually rises a bit with the rain, the overall weather is cooler, and there's always a nice wind. Plus, these thunderstorms are neat. Didn't get big storms in California (regularly, that is). So, we're enjoying it all. I'd say the only downside to so much rain is all the bugs and critters it brings. We don't have the cute little brown crickets here. We have the large black crickets, beetles, bright spiders, and other friends who love to visit. Thankfully I've been able to (for the most part) keep them out of our home. Every now and then I'll see a cricket, and toss it outside (yes, I'm nice. Beetles die though. Every time). The problem with beetles is they infest. They lay their eggs in furniture, carpet, and other fabrics. However, by keeping the floors clean, the issue can be prevented. I've only found a few inside over the summer and I've been crazy-lady cleaning the floors since. Apparently Texas has a major cricket issue, and it's been very obvious! After rainfalls, the streets, shopping centers, and other areas are just flooded with those things.

Onto human matters. A couple of days ago I woke up for the first time in weeks without nausea! I didn't want to get too excited and get my hopes up, but around my normal "crash" hours (2-3pm), when I feel I can't go on, I had tons of energy. I made Gary take us out when we got home just because I could breathe! Then, the next morning, same deal. So, though I still get tired, it seems the worst of it has finally come to an end. Onto the second trimester! I was sick with Alex until about 14 weeks, but this one seemed to end around 12. However, though it was shorter, it was definitely worse. Now I can actually feel excited about growing another child, LOL.

Gary's job is going well. He really likes Golfsmith and gets along really well with his team. It's a huge IT department, and they all work together really well. He also loves how he can wear jeans everyday (last job was a suit), and he can hit the driving range during his lunch break. It's therapeutic for him to hit tons of golf balls during breaks. He's becoming a pretty good golfer!

Alex is being crazy, goofy Alex. I just love him. He's SO toddler and it's fun, even if he has his moments. That boy can SCREAM! Seriously. Neighbors probably wonder what the heck goes on in here. Diaper change? Ear-shattering scream! Time to come inside? SCREAM! Want something he can't have? Super scream! Bored and why the heck not? Scream! His screaming isn't always related to tantrums. Kid just likes his voice. I'm surprised my ears are still working. Apparently I liked my voice too when I was his age. Besides that, he can:

Count to three (loves stacking his blocks while counting)
Identify most of his toys when I ask him to grab something
Understands "play, outside, time to eat, fruit snacks, milk, juice", etc. He hears all!
Holds our finger everywhere we go. If we're walking down the street, walking through the mall, walking through the store, he walks with either me or Gary and just holds our finger the whole time without running off. Gary taught him that one!
        He says so many words! Besides the typical mama and dada, he says: hi, bye, kiss (shish), shoes (shoosh), Elmo (eh-mo), ducky, touch (ta-ch), nice touch (ni ta-ch), kitty, doggie (gaw-gee), boobie (yep, and grabs or smacks my boob), baby, play (pay), so much more, and mimics our yawns by sighing.
        Alex also can identify and say out loud objects in his books (moon, bee, nest, squirrel (skl), etc.). I can't believe how much this boy can talk! It's amazing to see him grow and develop like this. I'm pretty sure babies and toddlers learn much more quickly than adults. He also is a total bookworm and LOVES reading, even to himself.

Anyway, that's the long update for now! Pictures will come later!

We're Growing!

    So, a few weeks ago, we learned some big news:

     It started when I was feeling more tired than usual, followed by a few days of nausea. Suddenly pieces fell together, and I knew pretty quickly I was pregnant. I took a test that day, and it instantly popped up positive! Gary and I had been discussing trying for a sibling year or so from now, so this was definitely a surprise for this to happen so early. But we are excited to add a new family member to our bunch!

     This pregnancy has definitely been a challenge with this morning sickness, but I know it's completely worth it. I was pretty sick with Alex, but I seem to be doubly so with this one. I have lost almost 10 lbs. so far and some days it's almost impossible to get out of bed and move around. It's definitely hard to be a mommy and pregnant! I went in early to my doctor's appointment, only to discover I was further along than I thought. So, the due date was moved from mid May to early May. This means we will have 2 May babies! Almost 2 years apart exact. Anyway, the ultrasound came back perfect and I saw and heard that cute little heartbeat. As for the rest of me, besides having anemia, everything else came back great.

     So, that's the big news! Our family is growing! 

Our August

      The weather in Texas during August is really exciting stuff. I know, Southern California gets pretty hot too- just minus the humidity. We hit some nice triple digits for a couple of weeks. It seems to be cooling down this week though, and the rain is coming back a little. When we first moved in, we had storms nightly for about 2-3 weeks, then it calmed down to no rain, but now the sprinkles seem to be returning. If only we could send some of the rain over to California!

     Since it's been so hot, Alex and I haven't done much park hopping. We've basically been avoiding outside time all together. There's some indoor fun he enjoys though. There's a place called Mt. Playmore, and he's free. It only costs me $1.50 to get in, so I just grab some change and we head over there. He runs around like crazy in the toddler area and has a blast. I guess it used to be a Discovery Zone, or it's something like that. I remember Discovery Zone was the coolest place as a kid.

One of the bouncy toys at Mt. Playmore

     Speaking of discovery, we're still enjoying exploring everything around us. Gary and I had a date night at Top Golf, a high tech golfing venue. It was SO much fun! We had dinner there, then played some rounds. The goal was to hit the ball off of this rooftop area into colored nets spread out on the field. Depending on where you hit it will depend on your points. It's really a perfect date night and group date night area.

      We also took Alex to play so miniature golf on Lake Travis. He had a blast running around with his little club and having daddy help him hit the ball. It was a kid-friendly place, so we weren't worried about taking him. He did great. And the views weren't too bad either.

Having a blast, as you can see

      My new job teaching piano has been going pretty well too. During July, I taught a few hours each day at the summer camps, but during the school year it will only be about 90 minutes in the afternoon- which is perfect because I still get lots of Alex time. I also am doing a couple of private lessons in the evenings.

      Well, speaking of teaching, I am officially going back to school full time this fall at a Texas University (Western Governors University, Texas). I spent most of July taking all of the necessary steps to get started. Not everyone gets accepted, so I was happy when I was accepted into the Teacher's College to earn my degree in interdisciplinary studies. Not only will I earn my degree, but the program includes the student teaching and all of the steps to become a teacher. I was also happy to discover that many of the units I took at Bakersfield College were able to get transferred over, so it cut down some of the time to finish. Alex will be in school when I finish anyway, but I'm excited to do this.

     I never really knew what I wanted to do educationally- all I really knew I wanted was to be a mom. I think it's what prevented me from really pursuing an education. I never imagined it would take so long to get pregnant, but I still believe everything happened for a reason and it was all in God's planning. I thought I wanted to go into healthcare, but it just never seemed right. Teaching was always on the back of my mind, but since I was already working the schools, I just never really got around to moving it any further. I've been working in education for about 10 years, so I kept thinking about whether I wanted to teach or not. It wasn't until after Alex was born everything seemed to fall into place and it seemed like the right move.

    Growing up, my mom worked at the elementary school we went to- and it was wonderful. We saw her everyday, and she was always home when we were. She had summers off, winter break off, spring break- you know, the typically school holidays off, and it was really nice. Especially since my dad worked for the county in law enforcement, and his hours sometimes got crazy.

     Then, of course, my older brother is a 5th grade teacher, so I think the education gene just runs in our line ;). Honestly, I don't know if I would've started working for the schools if it weren't for my mom. She urged me to apply when I was 18 for an after school job, and when I did so, I was hired. There were so many other young applicants, but the vice principal saw my last name and said, "Yes! I love Holsonbakes!" So, that began. Thanks, Mom ;).

     Okay, long post. Till next time!