vroom, vroom

 In my opinion, his coolest gift was this stroller that will morph into a real tricycle.

He's SUCH a shutter-bug~he hears the click and he whips around to find the camera.

 "Sheesh, what's with all this safety belt nonsense?  I am a big 1-year-old now."

 

Zooming around the lake.

Quick pose with Mama.

After all that fresh air & exercise, it's time to watch baby's first movie~starring Pooh and Tigger and Kanga and Roo and Piglet and Owl and Donkey and of course, Christopher Robin. (Saw a darling party idea serving those vile cheese puffs and calling them 'Tigger Tails').

About as impressed with TV as with the frosting.

la fête de l'anniversaire de

 The very careful drive back from the baker's with the hunny pot!

Efficiency at it's best~he could empty his toy bucket in one fell swoop.

The pet~caught white-handed trying to help with the balloons.

 Birthday boy and Mama getting things prepped for the party.

Have always been amused how children love the empty boxes, bubble wrap and the trappings from their gifts.

Really not sure about this refined sugar thing.  Nor a room full of large people singing a strange song at him.

Cupcake was a little more doable.

 Shriek of laughter over the finger o' frosting reaction.

 It's not a party until someone's wearing some food.

 My gift to remind him of his Fatherland ~Daddy is a Texan.

Apres-frosting/bathing, tasting the new puzzle piece.

Wish that I would be around when he's 91 to see if he still has wild hairs.

catch up

Forgive the number of car seat photos that will ensue, but it is pretty much the only time I can catch a clear shot of this miniature bundle of energy.  Check out his shiny new teeth.

Think that he's been following the news because this royal gesture appeared frequently!

Our first outing was to Trader's~he's not sharing my enthusiasm for this exquisite shopping experience.

It will be so fun when he begins to talk as he has the most expressive faces goin' on right now.  He is completely aware of the situation and has uncanny comedic timing.

Nirvana~cannot wait until it comes to Austin.  Rumors are that finally this winter, one will open. Until then, I will continue to stuff my suitcase with non-perishables.

Blue-eyed beauty.

hiatus

Unplugging from the blog for a few days while I head eastwards to celebrate this darling monkey's birthday. 

And to kick off the holiday, I was handed a coupon for a free 'hand-crafted' soda.  Snicker a bit at that marketing line because the only thing hand-crafted about this was the hand that scooped the ice into the cup and squirted the syrup over it.  Ah well, we're not to look a gift horse in the mouth.  And other wisdom says to not examine the other end very closely either. 

fhgeddabout June

It's August that is bustin' out all over.  These are the blooms that I saw in a twenty minute walk through my 'hood this morning.  Bring on the heat and sunshine!

Wish you could smell sun-warmed rosemary~makes me want some olive oil and delicious sourdough bread.

charmed

Had a delightful (albeit warm~from now on, I will not be assuming that all Austin restaurants come with a/c~I will be checking ahead of time during summer months) brunch at Casa de Luz this morning.  And the best bit is~aside from the healthy menu~is that it is within walking distance of the Zach Theatre.  How very handy for my life!

art & craft

Franck wisdom for the day: 'To teach an art with fruitful results, we must first understand our craft, then the art, and finally the pupil who we have undertaken to initiate.'

That was the quote which I found in my grad school pedagogy notes while I was looking up something this morning.  I thought it was inspirational, so used it as my fb status.  A friend read through it quickly and thought the final word was 'irritate'.  !! 

Assured her that I could both within the same hour.

the cheer of the post

Is there anything more charming than receiving a child's first letter?  This is from my princess/warrior niecelet.  Who now needs a visit!

the daze of August

 Free admission Thursday to the UT's Blanton Art Gallery was the perfect way to kick off this month.  And better yet?  They're still running their children's summer camp, so I got to TOUCH the pennies this time!  Spent several happy minutes running pennies through my hand and discovered that this entire room is 2005 pennies, minted in Denver.  I'm now so very tempted to slip in a shiny penny from another year on my next visit.

A beautiful sheet of paper.  But the best part of this visit was catching up with an alum who just moved to town to establish her residency to go to grad school.  Any teacher's delight is seeing a former student flourishing.  I think the last time I saw her is when our choir returned from our Mozart tour.

 Very tempting fountain.

My two favorite buildings; had not seen them from this angle.