Playdough

Playdough is fun!

Driveway Tailgate

On Sunday we hosted the first driveway tailgate of the season for the Texans game.  The tent was up, the jerseys were on, the tunes and mimosas were flowing and the breakfast tacos were delicious (if I do say so myself).  Good times had by all.  Such good times in fact that I took next to no pictures...Here are a few of the kids all in their jerseys having a good time.  

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

We love you very much.

The post is belated though the celebration was not.

We bought Daddy a big present for his birthday too...a new tv!  Really this is a present for us all because it means that the "old" (not really old at all) tv will be moving upstairs to a new home in the playroom.  

Big Boy cup

Kind of by accident Cameron tried drinking from a big boy cup the other day and he liked it!  We'll definitely start working on this more regularly.  Like only at the table and only with clear liquids and only when we're not in a hurry to get somewhere.  

Reston zoo

While I was in Spain my parents took Cameron to the Reston Zoo.  He had a wonderful time petting and feeding the animals and seeing the monkeys.  Here are some pics my mom snapped.

Pony Ride

After returning from Madrid Cameron and I still had two weeks without Daddy.  Last weekend the Hertels took pity on us and invited us out for the day.  (we are so grateful for our "Texas family" who take care of us when our real family is far).  We went to the Sterling Ridge village association festival? party? bbq??(not sure what to call it) and had lots of fun.  The pony ride was a particular highlight as well as the firetruck.  Thanks Ms. Andrea for the pics!

First Day of "School"

Cameron has started going to Mother's Day Out.  Its a nice program where I can select which days to send him and pay for just those days which is good for us this year.  Because he won't go to kindergarten until he is 6 (the school cutoff in TX is Sept. 1st), I was hesitant to enroll him in preschool already.  On Tuesday he did a great job and was very excited to play with the trains.  I told him I would be back to get him later and kissed him goodbye but I'm not sure he really understood that I was leaving.  According to the teacher about 15 mins later he realized I was gone and started to get upset but they redirected him and he played nicely most of the day.  

UPDATE:  Thursday was off to a good start.  I had mentioned school Wednesday night and Cameron seemed enthusiastic.  Thursday morning he was still psyched and even wanted to rush through breakfast so "mommy drive car" and we could go to school.  He was going to "play trains" and "see Kate".  Even upon arrival in the parking lot the mood was good!  And then we got to the door.  And it was like I had promised him Disney World and taken him to Hell instead.  We're talking hysterics here people.  The teachers encouraged me to go and took over so I did.  At pickup they said he would play and then remember he was supposed to be upset and start crying again.  We'll see how the next drop off goes.  From what I can gather from friends' experiences this seems par for the course and truthfully I'm not that fussed about it.  He'll learn to calm down and that I will come back.  I'm expecting another week or two of this and then hopefully we'll settle in.  I don't plan to send him twice a week every week, but for now we'll try to stay consistent.  

Madrid - the last days

We spent most of the rest of my trip eating, seeing a movie and relaxing in the park.  We even managed to catch the Sunday afternoon football game (at 10 pm in an Irish pub).  It was a wonderful trip and we are both super glad that I was able to go and see the city and that we got to spend some time together.

Madrid Day 3

We spent our 3rd day in the town of Toledo.  We took the high speed train for a quick 30 min ride and arrived in the ecclesiastical heart of Spain. The historical part of town is at the top of a big hill and the city is full of winding streets and churches.  Our map was less than reliable, but we wound our way through the city and particularly enjoyed the cathedral as well as the views.  

 The train station in Toledo

 I was a little bit obsessed with all the cool balconies in Spain

 The cathedral

 This little boy reminded us of Cameron

 Inside the cathedral

 The plates below are examples of an art form that is prominent in Toledo.  Gold and silver are inlaid into darker metal.  They were very beautiful.

 The views

 Our faulty map.  

 Sweaty and tired but having fun on the train ride back to Madrid