Travelin': San Antonio and New York City

This past month we had two back-to-back trips. The first was a family trip to San Antonio (which was supposed to be a family trip down to the beach in Port Aransas, but sadly Hurricane Harvey nixed those plans) and the second, an adult-only trip to New York City!

Here are the highlights in photo form.

We took the girls to a time share Hyatt resort in San Antonio, where we scored a two bedroom condo (with kitchen). The grounds were a kids' wonderland, with multiple pools, a lazy river with a beach, playgrounds, and even a putting green!

Love this series of Eloise on the slide- that girl goes ALL IN!

There was a neighboring Hyatt resort we also got access to, where we made good on their popsicles and nightly s'mores:

Iyla and I took a field trip to the San Antonio Zoo, where we saw all the animals (her favorites were the lions and big cats) and rode both the carousel AND train:

We returned to Austin after 4 fun filled nights, where I went right to work getting a new listing on the market (and quickly under contract!) and started packing for NYC.

A few days later my mother-in-law arrived to take over with the girls. We are SO grateful to her for taking the time to fly down from Kansas to love on her granddaughters! It would mark my first major trip away from Eloise (4 nights) and happily I felt completely at ease about it.

 Grandma's here!

And then we were off to one of our very favorite cities in the world, with NO CHILDREN! We stayed at the Soho Grand, where we treated ourselves to an afternoon snack and cocktail upon our arrival:

My aunt and uncle from Austin also happened to be in NYC at the same time (!) and we were oh so fortunate to get to spend an evening with them having a lovely dinner and seeing Hamilton on Broadway. This was a MAJOR highlight of the trip for me. The hype is real and this quickly has moved up to one of my all time favorite musicals. I was BAWLING uncontrollably at the end, it moved me that deeply.

 Sheri and Vince in NYC!

The rest of our time was spent touring the World Trade Center Memorial, walking the city, and having fabulous dinners & cocktails out on the town. During the trip I constantly looked at this picture of the girls that my MIL had taken- I missed them but knew they were in great hands:

I returned home ahead of BC, who had to stay on for another 4 days for a conference. The girls had a wonderful time with their Grandma, and both were so happy and affectionate upon my return.

Feeling so much gratitude for the ability to travel, and looking forward to many more trips (both with and without the girls) in the upcoming months and years ahead!

14 Months Old!

Sweet Eloise Jane, yesterday you turned 14 months old!

This past month brought many new explorations on your part. Your endless curiosity + razor sharp intelligence + tenacity are definitely giving us a run for our money. You love to investigate all things and are quick to observe and learn new tricks, such as opening garbage cans (to throw your toys into) and dismantling our baby proof devices.

You have such incredible sweetness, as evidenced by your snuggles for your sister and your endless kisses to your dollies and loved ones. You also have equal amounts of fire in your belly, as evidenced by your LOUD expressions and vehement resistance to things that don't go your way.

Here are your official 14 month updates!

How old? 14 months yesterday.

How big? BIG! In the past month I put corner protectors on my desk- and placed them on the underside of the corners, as your little head didn't yet surpass the desk. However- just the other day I observed that you have shot up taller than my desk by a long shot! You are SO tall, and your Papa and I are curious to see where that lands you height-wise as an adult. Your Papa is 6'4 after all, so it appears you got a big shake of his genetics.

You wear a size 4 shoe, size 5 diaper, and most comfortably fit into 18-24 month clothes.

Teeth? 8 now! We had two more lower teeth come through this month with a lot of fanfare (read: extreme clinginess, fussing, & overall discomfort for all parties involved).

Sleep? Great! You are still taking two naps a day (usually 10-11:30 and again 2:30-4) and sleep through the night from around 7:30pm-7am.

One new thing that has happened TWICE in the past month is you getting yourself stuck in your crib rails! The first incident involved your knee while standing, the 2nd your foot while laying down. I had to dislodge you manually both times.

Food? We've discovered you like sour things, like limes! Your expressions as you eat them are hilarious.

Sour face!

New skills?

*"Asking" for what you want. You will often take my hand and lead me places- like to your stroller- then throw a FIT if I don't follow through with what you desire (like a walk).

*Climbing. It started with you continually climbing into the playroom chair to sit and read a book or play with a toy, which is just about the cutest thing ever! From there it has evolved into climbing on TOP of the chair, into the fridge, and up the stairs.

This video shows precisely why your climbing gives me a constant heart attack!

*Not really a skill, but cute and hilarious: you love to hold clothes up to yourself like you are modeling them. You'll pick up Iyla's shirt or your pants and hold them up to your chest as you march around.

*Signing "potty" while it is happening. This is a big step toward independence in this arena, as when you get to the point of being able to sign BEFORE it happens, hallelujah! There was a day this month where I believe you were doing just that. You were in your high chair and signed potty, and knowing you'd already gone #2 earlier that day I didn't think much of it. Then when I got you down you walked immediately to your potty and I STILL didn't connect the dots until lo and behold you had a full diaper. Whoops!

*Dismantling our baby proofing efforts. You are now a bona fide expert in removing every.single corner protector I try to install.

Holding a freshly removed corner protector

Favorite things?

*Shoes! You are partial to your saltwater sandals right now and typically choose those when we go to put a pair on. You also tend to choose more than one pair to hold up to your feet, and get VERY ANGRY that we can't put on ALL THE SHOES AT THE SAME TIME.

*Sliding & swinging: you love motion!

*Going for walks/eating dirt and rocks

*Dogs: you get SO excited when you see a dog and will start panting:

*Playing in water

Not so favorite things?

*Diaper changes or clothes changes (basically anything where you can't be moving freely)

*Hair clips or hairbands. You immediately pull ANYTHING out of your hair we try to put in. Sometimes I can be sneaky and get a barrette in without you noticing but inevitably you'll locate it and pull it out, then try to eat it. You do still love to put sunglasses or things like tiaras on your head, but sadly no cute hair accessories! You are also still quite bald in front, but the back hair is growing- so it always looks like you have a bit of a comb over. ; )

*Strawberries and broccoli. Still the only two foods you immediately drop to the floor!


Here are a few more photos from your past month:

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 14 months to you.