Halloween Fun

Erin decided to be an angel for Halloween this year. This is one of her favorite holidays along with Easter and Christmas (seems to cover most of the year). Last year, we decided to have a little get together for Erin and Sofia that they really enjoyed. We decided to do it again this year, so the girls could spend some time together and then go Trick or Treating.

Erin and I decorated and set the table the night before Halloween. She really enjoyed designing her pumpkin and carving it! The decorations and goody bags turned out super cute.

I picked up Erin's favorite pizza on my way home from work on Halloween. By the time I got home, she was already dressed in her adorable costume and ready for Sofia to come over. Sofia came by dressed as a vampire princess. They could not have looked more different if they had planned it!

They enjoyed their pizza party followed by pumpkin shaped cookies. Then , I was time for them to hit the streets with their goodies bags. They had such a great time!

Flu Shot Reward

I picked Erin up early so we could have a date afternoon. I love having girl time every once in a while! It's a great way to have some quality time.

We started our afternoon with a lunch date at McDonald's, where we both enjoyed a Happy Meal, followed by a fun session at the Play Place. Then, it was time to head to the doctor for our flu shots. Erin wanted me to go first so she could "see what it was like". She then seriously reconsidered the whole getting a flu shot thing. In the end, she was a brave girl and got her shot.

We went to Menshies, Erin's favorite frozen yogurt place, for her reward. She filled her cup with vanilla snow topped with mini M & Ms, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce.

1st Day of School

Both Erin and I had our first day of school yesterday. We met Erin's teacher on Friday at meet the teacher. Her new teacher's name is Mrs. Loewe. The teacher had her room decorated the Warner Elementary's 2012-13 school theme: Superstar/ Celebrity. She had a red carpet outside the room featuring all of her celebrity students, stars hanging from the ceiling, and a black and silver microphone.

The teacher seemed very friendly and I have heard a lot of things about how good she is. Erin has one friend from her class last year in her current class. She's looking forward to meeting new friends and having a great year!

Erin was met by one of the neighbors with fresh chocolate chip cookies when she got off the bus yesterday afternoon. I can hardly think of a better way to finish a 1st day of school! I can't believe how fast Erin has grown up... I have a big 1st grader now! I'm very proud of the wonderful young lady she is becoming. :)

Last Road Trip Before School

So, we decided to get on last road trip in before I have to go back to work. We left Cypress on Thursday and headed to Louisiana. We drove straight through to Covington, where Randy's Mom and sister live.

Erin was so excited to see her cousin Cameron and her Maw-Maw. She had extra special plans for them: she wanted to share her Daisy ( Girl Scout) binder and vest with them :) She's very proud of her accomplishments and all of the patches she has earned!

We enjoyed amazing food on our trip. There's an amazing Mediterranean restaurant around the corner from Randy's Mom's house. They make an amazing chicken shwarma salad with a Greek yogurt dressing. It was so yummy! We also enjoyed a fried shrimp po boy from Acme Seafood. There is no comparison to true Cajun food! For breakfast, we sampled some beignets and cafe au lait from the world famous Cafe du Monde.

We enjoyed some quality family time, great food and relaxation for the last couple of days of summer. It was a great way to end our summer days!

Classroom Ready!!

Erin and I went to Lieder to get my room ready for the school year earlier this week. She was an excellent helper! She helped me get everything into the shelves and even tried all of my stuff to make sure everything worked perfectly. Erin really enjoyed playing store with school money and plastic food! She also decked out my computer monitor with authentic Erin Post It art.

She was awesome! I'm so proud of my big angel for being a wonderful helper! Check out our efforts...

Winding Down Summer

So now that August is here, it seems like summer is already over. Erin has finished her last week of camp and I have already had 3 continuing education classes.

This weekend, we decided to get out and beat the crowds for back to school shopping. I already got all of Erin's school supplies a couple of weeks ago, so all we had left to shop for is some cute outfits. We went to the outlet mall and found some adorable navy and pink Bob's. We also found a couple of cute outfits and tops. She still needs a couple more things, but we are off to a great start!

This week, Erin and I will be decorating and setting my classroom. I have one more continuing Ed class and we are heading to Louisiana. We are looking forward to finishing off the summer with a couple more adventures!

Erin won a gigantic balloon at church today. We blew it up and play balloon volleyball. Takes me back to when I was a kid playing with my brother! I enjoying getting to do it all over again with Erin! :)

Family Road Trip to Austin

We decided to take a quick trip to Austin before Erin goes back to camp for the next two weeks.  Randy and I have lived in Texas for a long while and neither one of us has ever visited the State Capitol.  Austin is only 2 and half hours away, making it easy 2 day trip.

We booked an awesome hotel on the North side of Austin.  They actually have 2 royal swans, Butch and Sundance, that live in the lobby ponds.  Erin was in love with the swans.  She went down to the lobby many times to check on them.  She even got to feed them pieces of lettuce and spinach.

Erin with a Butterfly Sculpture

Our first stop in Austin was the Domain, a newly developed outdoor shopping area.  It really reflects Austin's eclectic style with metal sculptures lining the streets, large live oaks, beautiful water features and an assortment of stores. 

Erin and Randy talking at Starbucks

The next day, we drove down to the visit the Capitol Building.  It's set in a beautiful garden.  The visitor center houses a newly opened museum that explains a little about how Texas gained it's independence from Mexico.  They also had a great exhibit detailing the colonization of the state and how the settlers lived.  They had letters, tools and replicas of their clothing on display.

We went across the park to the main building.  The entrance is guarded by authentic cannons. The entire building was restored from 1992 -95 to the way it looked around the turn of the century.  The first room we visited was the Texas Treasury.  The original floor to ceiling bars were still in place with desks lining the windows on the other side.  It made you feel like you had walked onto a movie set.  Next, we stood under the beautiful cupola featuring a Texas star at its heart.  The building also houses the State Senate, Congress, the Supreme Court and the Appeals Court. This was a wonderful opportunity to share some of our state's history with Erin.  She really enjoyed discovering the buildings and artwork.

Texas State Congress

Our last stop was the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Erin has always loved nature, most especially flowers, making this stop a no brainer.  The center was set up by the former first Lady to highlight the beauty of nature as it was it was discovered in the Austin area.  Every spring, many people come to see the fields of Blue Bonnets and Indian Paint Brushes.  It was wonderful to see how many other beautiful native Texas flowers are in bloom at other times of the year.  Erin really enjoyed discovering the butterfly gardens and a special origami exhibit the Center was hosting.