Ty got this cool new remote control car for xmas. Yesterday it was super warm (in the 70's) and we took the car out to the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. We had lots of room to maneuver and test our driving skill. We were eventually joined by some neighbors who also had an RC car. Their 2 year old was fascinated by the whole thing and was trying to imitate Ty. It was all very cute.
I got Ty a little camera that he could take on trips. It has very low resolution and he can snap away whenever he likes. It also has a slow shutter speed which makes for interesting results. When I downloaded some of his recent photos onto the computer I came across this one he apparently took somewhere in our house.
Ty and I went the other night down to Zilker Park to see the famous trail of lights. This was the warmest night of the last few weeks and it seems we were not the only people who thought of taking advantage of that. No joke, there were probably 25,000 people in the park that night.
If a Montessori education teaches your child one thing, it is being precise and organized. I will often find Ty lining up a few action figures or creating some symmetrical LEGO design. This time he went all out.
Ty and his cousin Swann don't get to see much of each other. Maybe once or twice a year. The excitement built up when Thanksgiving day finally arrived and the two finally got to play.
Here's Ty standing on the deck behind my parents' house. We liked to watch the ducks swim along the river each day. I can't explain the finger gestures here though.
We were in the city on Friday to see the Calder show at The Whitney Museum. Any of you who will be in the NYC area while it's up should check it out. It features his famous wire sculptures of circus performers as well as other pieces made during the era. Ty and his cousin Swann really enjoyed it.
Just got back tonight from our annual trip to NYC and CT to visit Gram and G-Pop. While Dad sorts through the new pictures, here's another one from the past.
Playing Austin tourists again last weekend, we headed downtown. First we had lunch at Katz's Deli then it was off to play at the Zilker playground. A little chill in the air finally hitting us here and Ty showed off his new sweatshirt.
The Austin State Fair was in town recently and we went down to check it out. I got Ty the wristband that gave him unlimited rides and he certainly took advantage of that. About 4 times on the carousel seen here (one time he got off and told me he thought the ride was shorter than the other times and he was "gypped").
A beautiful weekend afternoon spent along Town Lake in Austin. In the distance is the familiar site for the skyline of downtown: cranes. When dad first moved here almost 12 years ago, the skyline looked a lot different. Luckily the things that make Austin beautiful, like this hike and bike trail, still remain intact and preserved.
Here's the results from the pumpkin we snagged at the patch as noted in the last post. Ty made some drawings on paper and dad did the carving. I showed him the magic of the illuminated pumpkin by holding a flashlight inside. It's not quite the special effects that Lucas can provide, but you should get the idea.
Ty visited his first pumpkin patch. Well not exactly the true farm where they are grown, but a local church had a few hundred scattered about in their yard. We sorted through them and selected two. One big one for carving and a smaller one that got some stickers applied to it. It is hard to get in the fall mood here though when this past weekend it shot back up into the 80's.
Ty and I tried our hand at a game of Frisbee. He managed to throw it quite well. The most fun was had when we tossed it up into the wind and it came flying back at us. This cracked him up to no end.
Two awesome victories yesterday in the world of sports. First up were the 5U Tigers led by our favorite blog star. Ty scored his first official goal of the season, and then followed that up shortly with another goal. Hooray! Much fist pumping and high fives followed.
A brand new REI opened up here in Round Rock. We went on opening weekend to check it out. Upstairs they had this kids area for climbing and testing out some equipment. Underneath a "mountain" bridge was a tunnel that had a sleeping bag and other stuff. Ty was a little hesitant to go in there because it was dark. Once I crawled in first and showed him the hand crank lantern, I couldn't get him to leave. Looks like we will need to schedule a camping trip soon.
Ty held his birthday party at Ceramic Lodge. His friends all got a chance to paint their own little piece of pottery. Each child was given a beautiful selection of colored glazes as you can see on Ty's plate. Within minutes though, Ty along with others, had altered a principle of science that all colors combined would equal white. In this case it became a muddy brown. So several layers of brown coated his race car and he was pleased nonetheless. Dad added a number five on its hood at the end which made Ty very happy.
If you have the opportunity to view your kids talking to other kids on the phone, it is priceless. Not bound by the long twisty cords like when I was a kid to a phone that might pull off the desk, Ty has the freedom to wander the room on Gram's cell phone.
Ty turned five on Friday. His party was on Saturday. Gram and Gpop have been here all weekend and Dad is now just getting around to posting. More details on his party and their visit will be posted next time.
Babushka (Russian: ба́бушка, Russian pronunciation: [ˈbabuÊ‚kÉ™] ) is a Russian word meaning "grandmother," or more generally (but quite informally) "old lady."
Dad, my huge muscles are starting to make this car seat feel puny. I think it is time to change to a boosta seat.
A hurricane rips through the Gulf today, but here in Central Texas it is still sunny and near 100 degrees. Still no relief in sight for what has been one of the hottest and driest summers here in recent memory. We enjoyed the late afternoon at a nearby park that has these awesome sprinklers to run through. The key to getting shots like these is keeping the camera dry.
Time to get that trim to be ready for school. There is a fun kids' haircut place near us called Snip-its and they take good care of Ty. His stylist was quite entertaining. She explained all the tattoos on her arm had been applied earlier in the day while she was bored waiting for her next appointment.
Get along little doggy. Ty and I went to the local rodeo in Georgetown recently with some friends from his school. Not the fan fare and rides that we expected from something like the big Star of Texas rodeo in Austin, but it was still fun. Ty went for multiple pony rides and that seemed to be his favorite part of the night.
This was taken in the morning on our last day of the trip. Ty was bummed we couldn't go to the pool, but I explained all our clothes were packed and I didn't want to travel with a wet bathing suit. Our compromise was a game of miniature golf.
In real time it is August, but in blog land we are wrapping up the last full day of theme parks from our trip in June. We spent the day at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. If you want to pick one of their two parks and only have one day, pick this one. It is the most child friendly and the superheroes and Dr. Seuss sections make it a big winner.
