Thanksgiving 2010

This year Thanksgiving was at the farm in Louisiana. Unfortunately, everyone but Mimi & I had to work until Wednesday evening. So Gaby and I decided to head out early picking up Mia and Mimi on our way, to enjoy a few extra days at the farm together. Thanksgiving at the farm is summed up in just a few words: way too much food, an abundance of family, and lots of outdoor fun! I only took out my camera a couple of times in between stuffing my face but I did manage to get the Third Annual Cousin Photo Shoot accomplished. For your viewing pleasure... After that it was time play with the cows... This according to Mia was Sadie... When the Tan-Man arrived on Thanksgiving Day I had to get some shots of that cuteness... There was very little sitting still so this was the best I could get with MawMaw...

All in all we had a great holiday, as usual :)

Will's Baptism

Our good friends who we met in St. Louis, John & Pauline Dallas, moved to Austin this summer! In St. Louis, we were like family and we have had so much fun hanging out with them again and getting to know their adorable little boy, Will. Yesterday was his baptism and we were so honored to be invited to be a part of his special day. Gaby just loooves Baby Will!!!

SeaWorld 2010

Michelle is an avid scuba diver and ocean lover. So during her visit to Austin, she really wanted to make a trip to SeaWorld to visit Shamu and friends. We were more than happy to oblige since we hadn't made it to SeaWorld yet this year. The kids were super excited to go too, since they hadn't been in many, many years. So after a breakfast taco run (Torchy's Tacos-yummmy!!!) , we headed to San Antonio and enjoyed SeaWorld in the fall where the crowds are minimal and the weather is fantastic!

We got to feed the dolphins this time!!!

So Suzy (in the turquoise t-shirt) thought it would be a cool idea to stand front and center in the "Splash Zone" to see if she would get wet. She learned very quickly that it should be renamed the "Drenched Zone"- hahahaha!!!! That was too hilarious!!! Pretty cool shot, huh? Just a little dark though.... We all had alot of fun!! Thanks for the great idea, Michelle :)

"Aunt" Michelle & HBBC

Gaby's "Aunt" Michelle and husband, Craig, came to visit from St. Louis this past weekend. We haven't seen them since their wedding last April so we were very excited to have them come to Austin. In order to be able to run around without worrying about Gaby all weekend we enlisted the help of "Houston's Best Babysitting Crew"- AKA Lulu, Carlos and Suzy :)
We got to go out Friday night with some friends, hung around and watched football Saturday night and had a great weekend eating out and enjoying the wonderful weather we are having right now.

Byron & Gaby's Orange Tree

Most of ya'll probably don't know this, but Byron likes gardening. He has a pretty good green thumb and enjoys taking care of his plants. He has had a couple of lime trees that do very well on our little deck and last spring he decided to try out an orange tree. So he planted it and he and Gaby have cared for it all spring and summer as we have watched 5 oranges grow from the tiniest little buds. Gaby has helped her dad all along with the watering of the little tree and has always been anticipating the day they would get to pick the oranges. Well.....this week the time finally came. The oranges were ripe!!! There was much excitement as they harvested the crop :) My proud little farmers ;-)

BTW, the oranges are super tasty!!

Halloween 2010

We had such fun Halloween! Byron was on call so Gaby and I were on our own during the day. We headed to Howl-oween at Central Market. It was a fun outdoor festival where we got to have a nice lunch and enjoy the amazing weather we had. Being dog friendly we decided to take our sweet little Rosko for an adventure. Isn't he the cutest little bee?? Gaby had a blast in the bounce house... And did some cool crafts... Later in the day the three of us went to Gaby's ballet friend's, Hampton's, house for a pre-party before trick or treating. They were both Snow White... Gaby and pals- Reese, Elle and Ellington. Ready to get some candy... Trick-or-Treat!!! Eeeeek!!! A scary spider!!!! Gaby had a great time this year and really got the hang of trick or treating. Good times! :)

A Halloween Masterpiece

Sammy's House Costume Ball

For the past several months I have been involved with the fundraising committee for a local non-profit called, Sammy's House. Sammy's House is a day care for developmentally challenged and/or medically fragile children. A place like this is very hard to find for families that need extra special care for their little ones and who absolutely need to be able to work to pay off mountains of medical bills.

When I heard back in January that they needed a good team to put together a successful fundraiser I jumped in whole-heartedly not really knowing what I was getting myself into. Turns out putting together a charity ball with a silent and live auction (which is what I was in charge of) is a whole bunch of work! Pediatric Cardiology of Austin (Byron and his partners) became the presenting sponsors for this event and Byron and I invited our closest friends to join us for a fun night and a good cause. The party was such a success and we raised more than double the amount of money that they usually raise! There were definite learning pains, but I am so happy we did well and am super confident the following years will be better and better.

Byron was Ricky Bobby from Talledega Nights and I was The Tooth Fairy (Dorky? Yes. But it's the best I could come up with!)

Thanks to our awesome friends who helped us have a great night!!!

The Sanchez', The Rileys', The Rodriguez', The Dallas' and The Marascios' (not pictured)