3 Months!

I feel like being a mom of two has gotten easier this past month since Haven sleeps longer at night and we are getting into more of a rhythym during the day. Of course, there are days like today when she won't sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time and wants to be held if her eyes are open. I have self-diagnosed her with a dairy sensitivity based on the color and consistency of her poo and since cutting out milk (poor mommy), things are looking better. She is still in the pack-n-play because I don't have the guts to put her in the same room with Anna yet. I'll have to bite the bullet one of these days! She has added squealing and squawking to her baby talk and it cracks us up. Here she is in all her chubby cuteness:

This could be my favorite picture of Haven so far. She is pushing up on her arms during tummy time, making for such a cute pose.
Tummy time isn't her favorite, but seeing her cute self in the mirror makes her a little happier.She loves to stand and "talk" to us. I can't help but say this all the time - look at all those rolls! I once counted 8 on each leg and 7 on each arm.
She remains a patient, sometimes unwitting playmate of her sister's. Don't worry, I let Anna put the stickers on me first and they did not hurt to take off.
She is starting to grasp and hold things and what is more fun for a baby to hold than than a pair of maracas.
She loves to be held and likes to face outward. I love how most of the time when she is fussing, she instantly stops when Brad or I pick her up.

My New Favorite Summer Spot

Four years ago, when we were considering moving to Dallas, I was researching the area and googled "Dallas swimming holes" because I loved going to the ones in Austin. Burger's Lake was one of the top results and it has been on my list of places to go. We finally got a chance to go and LOVED it! It is a laid back, retro water park that is a throw back to the fifties when life was simpler and slower paced. For example, they have a lifeguard that circles the diving area on a surf board. Instead of whistling at kids to be careful, the lifeguard by the trapeeze was giving people tips on how to do better tricks!
Playing on the sandy shore was the closest we will come to being at a beach this year.
Then the whole fam went swimming in the shallow area.
Love this pic of me and my girls in the water.
After that, Brad and I took turns going on the trapeze and the diving boards. After watching all the tweens do fancy tricks, I was inspired to do a front flip. On my 32nd (gasp!) birthday, I felt like a kid again!
Brad tried to give me a heart attack and did a back flip off the high dive.

After watching us, Anna got brave and wanted to go off the small diving board...without her floatie!
I'm looking forward to spending many summer days here and creating some great memories with Anna and Haven.
Snow cones were the perfect way to end our time there! It was so refreshing to go to a place that just wants to create a fun place for families and was affordable too.

Horns Up!

The brainwashing has already begun and we made sure that one of the first songs Anna learned was UT's alma mater, The Eyes of Texas. Afterall, football season begins in only 21 days!!! She was wandering around the house singing it so I quickly dressed her and Haven in UT gear and caught her on tape. (On a side note, while I was filming I totally felt like one of those moms on Toddler and Tiaras because I was doing the Longhorns sign and mouthing all the words as she sang. Ha!)

The Eyes of Texas from kelli bruce on Vimeo.

Winnie the Pooh and Anna too!

Sorry for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist. :) Anna had another big first recently...her first movie! She had never even watched a movie on a TV screen. I wasn't sure how she would do but had a feeling she would be mesmerized by the big screen. She LOVED every second of it! Even during the previews, she would exclaim "another one!". Winnie the Pooh was such a sweet kids movie with a great message on friendship, but wasn't as entertaining for adults since there weren't any inside jokes.

All day we told her that after her nap we were going to take her somewhere for a surprise. In the car on the way there, we gave her a Winnie the Pooh book to read, told her where we were going and explained some movie etiquette.

Of course, she got to hold the tickets.

I couldn't stop laughing at her serious face that she had most of the movie. She was so intent on not missing anything.

She looks sad in the picture because we are leaving and she didn't want to. We had to sit through almost all the credits and were the last ones in the theatre.

Haven came too and slept and nursed through the whole movie without making a sound. Don't worry, she isn't always this perfect. At church on Sunday, she screamed during a moment of complete silence because the pastor said to meditate on how much God loves us. As I was scrambling to get out, he jokingly said "God loves that baby too".

Anna also had another first that day. I put her hair in a full ponytail for the first time and thought her face looked so cute. She really is a little girl now.

Keepin' it Weird

On our way to and from San Antonio we stopped and hung
out in Austin for a bit. I can't drive through Austin and not at least stop to eat. When I lived in Austin, I don't think I ever contributed to the weirdness because let's be honest, I'm pretty normal and boring. :) BUT, I always appreciated the uniqueness and creativity of the people and culture there.

When I saw this kid's shirt on sale at Amy's, our favorite ice cream place, I had to get one for Anna. Amy's is one of those places that helps to keep Austin weird. For example, their application is a white paper bag that applicants have to do something creative with, and the only requirement is that their contact info be written somewhere on the bag. Some employees also do tricks like throwing the ice cream scoop in the air and catching it in the cup. When is the last time you saw something like that at Cold Stone?

We also took Haven for her first "swim" in Barton Springs just like we did with Anna when she was about 3 months old.

This time, Anna cried when we got in because the water is 68 degrees.

I think it was also because Brad and I kept talking to each other about how cold it was going to be and she picked up on that. Within a couple minutes she was loving it.

The best part of visiting Austin was seeing old friends. We got to have dinner with Brian and Jean and they met Haven for the first time. I was also so excited to see my old roommate, Rachel, who FINALLY moved back to Texas with her husband, Lee, after living in New York City for the last several years. I'm still trying to get my other old roommate, Cara, to leave New York for Texas but am not having much luck. :( I can't wait to go back to Austin so we can all go to a football game together!