Fall American Boy

Here's an iconic photo of fall in New England with Ty: leaves on the ground, blue skies, and an American Flag flying in front of a home. Now if he can just grow into that shirt a bit...

Westport

All bundled up and waiting for the train to NYC.

Holiday Meal

Ty's school recently invited the parents in for lunch during this holiday time. It was a real blast from the past going through the lunch line again and sitting at the small (for Dad) cafeteria tables. Ty was all smiles though as he enjoyed his mashed potatoes and turkey.

Trading Silly Bandz

Ty and Swann are captured here in an exchange of Silly Bandz during our visit to CT for Thanksgiving. They both seem happy with the trades, but Ty apparently wants to get some more when Swann is content with her exchange. The ending is just awesome.

Ice Cream Fixes Everything

What makes Austin the coolest city in the whole US of A? Well how about a city sponsored event with all the best food trailers in one park? Yes, we attended the sure to be annual event, "Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival".


Among the treats we had included some ice cream sandwiches from Cool Haus. Yummy vanilla ice cream packed between two just baked chocolate chip cookies.


Overall it was a fun day and luckily we got there early because the lines got super long quickly. Below is another shot of Ty at the entrance to the park with one of our newer skyscrapers in the distance.

Longhorns football calls up Mario for their next QB

Well let's be honest Longhorns fans, we will take anything at this point right? 

Ty came across his Halloween doppelganger at a recent Texas tailgate party. It seems we cannot get enough of this Italian plumber.

The Karate Kid

Nope this is not another Halloween costume. Ty has started taking Karate and he is loving it. Here he demonstrates his big front kick for the camera.

Super Mario Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Mario Brothers!

Luigi as seen with the real Mario... unlike the impostors we came across in the neighborhood.

Farewell Tooth Number Eight

He was wiggling it during the baseball game. He was wiggling it during dinner. He was convinced it would come out tonight. Dad was across the house when he heard the shout, "My tooth just came out!"


Now the hole on his left side of his mouth is even bigger. Another treasured baby tooth, which has traveled many miles with Ty, is now waiting for the tooth fairy to magically convert it into some $$. And on that topic something very interesting was said by this amazing seven year old. 

He said, "Dad. I want to give the quarters that the tooth fairy leaves me tonight to the Coins for Coats program at school. Because if a kid in Alaska didn't have a coat he could die." Yes Ty, that could be true and a wonderfully unselfish gesture as well. The coins are actually being used for coats locally in Round Rock, but nonetheless he is choosing to use his own money for something like this. Awesome.

The Post Season

Time flies when you are having fun and winning games.

The regular season has ended for Ty's Express team with a double header in which Ty made several hits, RBIs, and scored runs himself. This weekend is the final season tournament for the boys. Best of luck to them.

Hit and Run

A short video of Ty in action this past weekend on the baseball diamond. (Watch in higher resolution if you can for sharper picture)

Mister October

Ty's at it again this fall. Playing baseball in Round Rock on the 8U Express. The big difference now is that the T is gone and the balls are thrown to the batter's by a coach. It's an adjustment, but Ty is playing well and having fun. Much more to come on this.

Seven into Five Hundred

Today marks a major milestone in both Ty's life and the life of this blog: Today is Ty's seventh birthday and this is the 500th post to "Growing up with Ty". Fitting that we have a cake to celebrate the occasion.

We hope you have enjoyed the ride so far, because it has been full of adventure. As an eyewitness, and an extremely proud Dad, the first seven have gone by quickly, but have been a gift that keeps on giving. Here's to hoping there's a 100 more birthdays for you Ty and all your wishes and dreams come true.

Leaving Tahoe

Last post from the Tahoe trip of 2010. We spent our last day doing some time hiking on the trails and enjoying nature and just listening to the wind rustle the tall grasses. 

Serenity now!

Beach Front Property

When you need a break from the hot sun why not relax in your own private beach house? Ty has the secret here as he catches a snooze after we played catch in the water for awhile.

Nine Thousand Feet

We stay at the base of Heavenly Ski Resort and every day, just like last year, Ty asks, "When can we take the gondola to the top?"


Today was that day as once again we had a perfect cloudless sky and almost infinite view of the surrounding mountains and the lake from the viewing platform at 9000 feet above sea level. Ty enjoyed the quiet ride first as we climbed from the lake up the steep slope watching the gondola cars glide by going the opposite direction. He passed the time by reading aloud the numbers on each car as Dad snapped lots of photos.


After the viewing platform we continued up to adventure peak where we spent over an hour exploring the trails and Ty climbed around in a giant inflatable spider web obstacle course. Even though this was our second time up to the top, it was still tons of fun and something we will likely repeat each year.

Mountain Biker

Ty was all smiles as we began a scenic bike ride along the Western shore of the lake. However he struggled a bit with a bike he wasn't used to, and got a bit frustrated having to stay in a narrow bike lane. Needless to say, this activity will probably be tried again next year when his confidence grows.


A photo of Dad's bike is not included, but picture a 1950's era bike with a front basket to hold our water and my camera, and you will enjoy a good laugh at my expense.

The Pied Piper of Tahoe

Some of our Austin readers might think this was a shot from our annual Eeyore's Birthday Party. But alas, this is Ty playing his own songs on a recorder recently won from a video arcade somewhere high in the mountains above Tahoe.


For some reason he was asking me to get him a flute, but when the opportunity to snag this plastic beauty came up the day before as a prize, his eyes lit up. I told him he couldn't play in the car (parent's you can understand why) so when we stopped here for another scenic view he broke out his recorder and proceeded to become one with nature.

Scenic Viewpoint

Just past the official stop on the hill over looking Emerald Bay, there is a stretch of very curvy road with just enough room to pull over to the side and get the really good views. It appears Ty's choice of shirt this day works perfectly as it adds to the various hues of blue from the lake and sky in the background.


So have Ty's fans decided yet that if they haven't ever visited Lake Tahoe in the summer it needs to be on their bucket list?

Home On the Range

Cue the music... bumba deeda, bumba deeda, bumba deeda ... Happy Trails to You...


We rose early one morning and drove out to the Camp Richardson stables for a trail ride up one of the hills in some beautiful back country along Lake Tahoe. Ty was a bit nervous as he had only ridden ponies led along by grownups at birthday parties. This involved him being in control of his own horse, Marvin (short for Starvin' Marvin because he always stops to eat along the trail). We had a blast and Ty was quickly a master (guess that's the Texas in his blood). At the end of the hour he climbed down and immediately asked if the next time we do this we go on a longer ride. Guess we should book that already for next year.


The top shot features Ty taken from Dad's horse following behind him. The bottom picture is Ty with our guide who was extremely friendly and chatted it up with Ty almost the whole hour.

Back to Tahoe

Let's think about this for a moment... Ty would you rather spend a week of record setting high temps above 100 degrees in Austin before school starts, or head to the cool Sierra Nevada mountains where the high temp is about 85 and drops to the 50's at night?


It appears that Ty chose wisely as he smiles big here on the shores of Lake Tahoe last week. And yes if you look carefully, that white stuff in the distance is some snow left around the summit of Mount Tallac.

The Statue of Liber-TY

Ty attempted to do his best impressions of Lady Liberty from several spots around the statue. This one was achieved by having Dad almost laying down on the ground looking straight up. It came out a little better than Ty's attempt to look like he was tickling her armpit.

Skyline

Our last full day in Manhattan we had scheduled a ferry ride out to Liberty Island. We really lucked out with the weather and Ty enjoyed looking back at the iconic skyline and trying to identify all the landmarks.

The Big Piano, Take Two

This was Ty's second visit to FAO Schwarz and he remembered exactly where the piano was located. He jumped around making music and would have done that all day had they not told him there were other kids waiting.

Once Around the Park, James

I don't remember if this guy's name was really James, but he was super nice and very strong. Ty and I were exhausted from walking around Central Park in the heat and we looked for more than 15 minutes before we saw this pedicab driver coming down the road. We hopped in, relaxed, and watched as he passed all the other pedicabs even when we were going uphill!

Go Ask Alice

Central park is filled with so many amazing hidden treasures. One of them is this sculpture of Alice with some of the fantastic creatures she encounters in Wonderland. Ty enjoyed climbing both over and under the toadstools and discovering the details hidden in the base.

Welcome to the House of Fun

"A Ferris wheel inside of a store Dad? No way, I do not believe you."


This was Ty's impression prior to arriving at the flagship Toys R Us location in Times Square. Once we entered the store and he saw it with his own eyes, he started to believe some of the over-the-top things New York City is famous for. After browsing the five levels of the store, we wet to the bottom and got on the Ferris wheel. We probably went around a dozen times or so and he had so much fun. 

The next wheel we want to conquer one day is the London Eye.

Subway Rider

It's a simple fact that all real New Yorkers know: the best way to get around the city is under it. Ty and I crisscrossed the island of Manhattan a few times during our stay and we had a few opportunities to ride the rails.


Ty was always quick to find a good seat and was eager to count how many stops until we got off again. One time we ran into an issue finding an open station downtown in the financial district, but other than that it was smooth and fun.

Kids Night In

One of the reasons we went to NYC during the week we did was because Uncle Casey had a big birthday (40!) Well the party was just for the grownups which was just fine with Ty. He got to spend the evening with his cousin Swann who he doesn't get to see that often.


Here they are in Swann's room when I dropped him off for the evening. She was sporting the missing tooth look which Ty was just recently as well. The two of them were in serious giggle mode and had a great time together playing and reading stories. See you again at Thanksgiving Swann!

There's No Place Like Home

Not exactly room for a couch or a big screen TV inside here. Ty worked with some other kids and created this cool little fort also at the museum for children.


It managed to stay up for a few minutes and then was destroyed to make way for something new, much like the current building strategies in this country. Ah, how art imitates life.

Skeleton Rider

We made an encore trip to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk during our first few days in CT with Gram and G-pop. Ty spotted this interesting display that featured a skeleton who pedaled along with you as you rode the bike. Kind of like those futuristic x-ray scanners we've scene in old sci-fi movies.

Ray Ray What Do You Say?

Miss us? Sorry for the extended time between posts but in the real world Ty and Dad went off on another trip this past week so we have not been able to finish up the posts from SC.


So here sits Ty in the shadow of a giant ray while trying to keep cool in the heat of Myrtle Beach. This is outside the Ripley's Aquarium at the very popular Broadway at the Beach. Ty enjoyed wandering in and out of the stores and was especially happy when we found a whole setup of inflatables that he could jump around in.


Our summer adventures continue with the next posts featuring our trip to the Big Apple.

Slip Sliding Away

One of Ty's favorite features of the resort we stayed at was this two story water slide. Often the line was backed up with about 20 kids, but a few times he actually had the slide to himself. Dad wasn't able to get a good action shot because I was always in the pool at the bottom catching Ty as he came shooting out.

Everybody's All American

Here's a flashback photo to celebrate the 4th of July today. What's more American than a cute baby in a flag shirt holding a great symbol of innovation (the TV remote) with a great game in the background (pinball) which also depicts one of the greatest animated families of all time (The Simpsons).

You may have differing opinions on the remote, pinball and cartoon, but you hopefully find no disagreement with our blog's star. Happy and safe 4th of July everyone.

That Be Pirate Mini Golf

For this post, Dad actually did some research before making this claim: Myrtle Beach is the mini golf capitol of the world! There are over 45 courses within a 20 mile radius. (See info here).


Ty fancies himself quite the expert at mini golf and we have showcased some of his past outings here. So it was fitting that we explored several courses during our trip including this Treasure Island themed course that included some water hazards even. He managed to score a few birdies and even a hole-in-one along the way.

Captain Ty

We took a day trip down to Charleston on Father's Day to visit with Ty's grandfather who just happened to be working there now. During our visit we went to the aquarium and took a sailboat out into the harbor for a cruise.


After helping raise the sails, our veteran of the high seas took the wheel to steer the schooner. In this photo however he is facing towards the stern of the boat. The helpful crew provided him with a saddle to sit up and see over the deck to steer the correct way. Ty did a great job keeping us away from a looming thunderstorm.

Beach Boy

We are staying at a resort right along the Atlantic Ocean in Myrtle Beach. Ty couldn't wait to get his toes in the sand and head into the surf. He giggled as the waves crashed around him, but wasn't ready to go in the deeper water. He was content to sit along the beach and build sand castles with Dad though.

Carolina on My Mind

Headed out of AUS bound for MYR to begin our first trip of the summer. Ty stands here by our gate wearing a junior TSA badge that one of the security guards gave to him. 

And a happy Father's Day out there to all the Dad readers of our blog. Hope you had a special one like we did.

Summer is Here - Water Fight!

Ty might be at a slight disadvantage here. However he didn't mind getting wet.


He gathered down the street with some boys from the neighborhood and found a clever way to stay cool as the Texas summer has begun with triple digit temperatures already.

Kids Day at the Ballpark

Ty and Dad took in a day game at the Dell Diamond last weekend to see the Round Rock Express. For the day games, they set up all sorts of activities outside in the parking lot for kids and Ty had a blast. 


We had great seats behind the dugout on the third base side. Ty had his glove ready in the hopes of catching a foul ball. No such luck on that, but Dad caught a t-shirt that was fired into the stands.

Here Ty, Have a Trophy or Two

What an amazing baseball season for our little rookie, Ty. His 6U team went completely undefeated throughout the entire regular season, and both tournaments. These photos represent trophies #2 and #3 for just this season. The one on the left is for winning the regular season title. The one on the right is from the end of season tournament.


Many of his teammates will play on this summer as all-stars and with any luck, Ty will join them again in the fall for what may become a dynasty in the making for Round Rock youth baseball.


More photos from the season and the tournaments are on my flickr page here.

Future Hall of Famers Ball?

Ty holds up a ball signed by members of the Stony Point High School baseball team. To celebrate the end of the season and the kids who were part of the Tiger Cubs, the team held a thank you pizza party at the baseball stadium. 

Ty got a chance to hang out with his assigned player, Matt, and also played some catch with him. It was a fun evening and very generous of the players to be so friendly to the kids.

We put the ball in a special holder because who knows, it may one day contain the autograph of a future HOF player.

Tony Chestnut

Yesterday was the final awards assembly for Ty's kindergarten class. Prior to the kids receiving their individual recognition, they performed several songs for the parents. Somehow Ty secured a spot front and center, and Dad having put him in a bright yellow shirt, it wasn't hard to miss him. Of all the songs, this one above was the most fun to watch. Ty had been practicing it at home and it cracked me up even then.


Enjoy the clip (especially since it took 2 hours to upload it, but it only runs for three minutes or so).

Purple People Eater

Because we all enjoyed the fun of turning our tongue different colors when eating frozen treats.

Two Wheel Superstar

And here it is for your viewing enjoyment... the first true evidence of our young Ty conquering the two wheel universe. Try not to get dizzy watching it, and sorry for some of the wind noise.


Bravo Ty!

Failed Bike Intro

While filming Ty riding his bike today, he wanted to do a professional introduction. He set himself up all formal and then was at a total loss of words once I started rolling. Quite funny. The bike riding video will follow in the next post.

Tball Champions

Ty, originally uploaded by TexKap.

What an amazing weekend. The kids played four games during Saturday and Sunday. Ty's team, The Astros won them all and finished the undefeated champions of the mid-season tournament.

Ty's own contribution to the final game included his first ever home run of the season. It was a beautiful site to see. By clicking through on this image, you will be able to see more photos taken during the weekend of Ty and his teammates.

Another Milestone for Ty

No photo or video yet, so you will just have to take Dad's word on this one (wasn't expecting this would happen). But today Ty rode a bicycle all by himself for the very first time. This was perhaps the fourth time we went out to a nearby cul-de-sac to practice.

When I removed Ty's training wheels off his bike about two weeks ago, he looked very nervous. So we began with just coasting to learn balance. Little by little he started to get the hang of it until today he could get most of the way across with his feet resting on the pedals. Then it was time for the classic move... I held the bike while he started to pedal and then I let go... he kept going. Once he figured out how to build momentum, he was soon doing circles around the cul-de-sac. He fell once as we started to learn to brake, but can't get all the major skills down in one day (much to Ty's frustration). 


So we promise to provide video evidence shortly, but it was definitely a great day for Ty.

Dugout Cool

We are well into the T-Ball season now and Ty is enjoying his time with his fellow teammates. The late afternoon sun provided a cool shot of our star in the dugout.


(Ed note: We are trying out the new Facebook feature of a "like" button on every post now. Click it to share these posts with your friends and family. Thanks. )

Sunset Painting

Farewell from the picturesque mountains of Scottsdale. Another great Spring Break with Gram and G-Pop. Let's do it again next year.

As High As The Sky

In our triple activity day here at Cracker Jax (mini-golf and go karts preceded this) our final stop was the bungee jump. Dad was pretty convinced that Ty wouldn't go for it, but he insisted and away we went.

Strapped into the harness, Ty bounced way into the air off a trampoline below. He didn't want to do any acrobatic somersaults this time around, but he had tons of fun getting some good hang-time.