Old Friends

This past weekend we headed out to the suburbs to spend a wonderful time reminiscing with old friends. One of Kevin's buddies from the Corps of Cadets moved back to our area a couple of years ago, and despite frequently proclaiming our need to get together over the years, we weren't able to make it happen until now. And we are so glad we did! Their sweet girls were more than thrilled to entertain our smitten little monster, while us parents had an absolutely wonderful time grilling, and hanging out in the backyard well past everyone's bed time. I know one thing for sure, we're not going to let two more years go by before we get this group together again.

"ta da!"

(too much bubble fun)

Weekend (SXSW wrap)

This past weekend we spent a lot of time playing catch up with errands and other tasks around the house, though we did all find a little time to fit one last SXSW event into our schedules. On Saturday, a friend and I ventured over to the convention center to take a look at the offerings taking place at Flatstock. Essentially it's a big poster show that features print work (posters, tshirts, postcards, and buttons) from artists around their county. My original goal was to just go for some artistic inspiration, but of course I came home with three posters. And yes, their basically for August. 

The alphabet poster jumped out at me for it's colors and simple graphics. August loves to point out letters in every word that he can find, so naturally I felt we needed another alphabet poster for our collection. I also liked that this one features only the "baby", lowercase letters as well.

I know that the owl is super cliche' right now. But if you heard how excitedly August points out "ows", and follows up with a quick "whoo, whoo, whoo", then it would have taken all of the power that you had not to snatch up every single owl poster you passed by either. Yes there were so many showcased that I could have probably wrapped my house in them twice without repeating, but from the second this one made eye contact with me, I knew it was coming home.

 Finally, I just really loved this guy. I happened upon him twice, and both times I proclaimed how much I really loved it. So I snagged it. No further explanation necessary.

Later Saturday evening, August and Kevin loaded up on the bike for a stroll over to Auditorium Shores for one last free concert. Seeing as it was the Cult, I opted to take one for the team and go grocery shopping instead. But it must have made for a great show as they came home as two happy, tired boys. All in all I'd say this past week was another successful sampling of SXSW for the Gupton family, and we look forward to what the scene has to offer next year!

SXSW, take three.

 On Friday, we figured it was time to finally hit our favorite free shows along South Congress. The Hotel San Jose always has a day-long party, South by San Jose, with a bit of music that everyone can enjoy. And just across the street, Homeslice Pizza hosts 'Music by the Slice', which tends to play more of the music we listen to on a daily basis, as well as introduces us to new little gems. Of course all of the shops and restaurants along that strip tend to be hosting some sort of free showcase, so there's definitely enough  entertainment to go around. Though this year, an out of whack nap schedule combined with some inflamed two year molars, significantly decreased our time in the action. But we're still glad we made the outing and look forward to doing it again next year!

after a failed attempt to break into the playground, the party was over.

SXSW day two

We spent the day on Thursday working and generally attempting to be productive around the house. So by the time the free shows at Auditorium Shores got started, we were ready to get in on the action. Of course August decided not to nap until super late in the day, so we got a bit of a delayed start than we intended. We walked down just in time to hear M. Ward's show wrap up. So we strolled around the grounds and found a pleasant spot towards the back where we could lay down our blanket and get settled for the Shins' show past dusk. Of course our hurried two year old wasn't very interested in picnicking, so he and Kevin made several loops throughout the crowd, greeting and entertaining everyone with an enthusiastic 'hi', as he walked by. Yet again it was a pleasant evening of free music and enjoyable crowds all within walking distance of our house. Hard to top that!

Augie's new buddy Jonah let him check out his lightsaber

while their dad's chatted.

SXSW

This past week saw us welcome the music portion of SXSW to our beloved city. It's one of our favorite times of year to live in Austin, despite the millions of visitors who travel here to join in on the fun. Being August's third year to attend, we know what type of  family friendly, easily accessible shows to seek out, and what places to completely avoid all together.

                          2010 (6 weeks)                                                 2011 (13 months)    

In planning our outings for the week, I was pretty excited to see that the eyewear company Warby Parker was hosting a showcase. Ever since we first heard about the brand last year thanks to here, and here, we've been anxious to check out their product first hand. Kevin wore glasses throughout high school, and a little bit through college, eventually packing away the passe' spectacles and committing to a life of squinting. But the past couple of years have found him struggling with his sight more and more, so we know a fresh prescription for glasses are in the cards. 

So on Wednesday, we happily took a break from our hellacious workload, and delayed Augie's nap, so that we could all head out to the French Legation and check out the Warby Parker Citizen's Circus. As anticipated, it was anything but a disappointment. As a matter of fact, it's definitely the coolest event we've attended as a family.
There really was quite a bit for each of us to enjoy. First of all, it was held on the historic grounds of the French Legation, which meant that August had plenty of room to run amok throughout the fenced property with all of the other munchkins. He spent a good portion of the time trying to perfect his tree climbing technique, as well as scaling the steps to get a view from the best seat in the house. I personally was more than thrilled to have a perfect environment to hear the only band I was really hoping to see this year, the Love Language. I also happened to score an unused pair of the exact Minnetonka moccasins I've been seeking from the mobile trailer of the Nashville boutique, High Class Hillbilly, for quite a steal!  And Kevin was able to try on multiple pairs of frames, get some great helpful advice, and make a fabulous final selection in the Warby Parker yurt.
Spread out among the main attractions on the gorgeously overcast, breezy day was great food, affordable drink, free kettle corn, stilt walkers, and a super friendly crowd. Had this not been the last day of the event, we definitely would have made this our permanent base camp for the rest of the week. We did our part to convince the Warby Parker management that this needed to happen again next year, we can't wait to find out what they come up with!

Weekend

Kevin's been attending the sxsw interactive festival this weekend, so it's life as usual for August and me. Though we did make a trip to the mall today to pick up some pieces for Augie's Easter outfit. We rarely make it to the mall, so it made for a fun little treat. I bought him his first mall cookie. He didn't even ask for it and I still looked into those big blue eyes and felt compelled to get him one. I've lost all control. 

In other news, it's raining cats and dogs here, and it's glorious. I'm pretty sure that we haven't seen this much rain in August's lifetime. Far be it for me to stop him from enjoying it!

friday.

I really do love a cold, dark, rainy day. 

Despite walking around on fumes thanks to a night of treating a swollen snout, an early morning vet visit, some very irritable two year old molars, and a work load that isn't going anywhere fast, today has been my favorite day of the week. I think this cold front is just what I needed to jumpstart spring break week.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

The Journey to Colorado

Sorry for the delay on the trip recap, it has been a painfully overloaded work week with no end in sight! Thankfully I have a million trip photos to refer to as a reminder of easier times. Of course it would be selfish of me to keep them all to myself, so prepare yourself for a mega photo dump of ridiculous proportions. But in all fairness, when you're traveling with six adults who have a combined technological load of 5 digital slr's, 4 laptops, 4 ipads, and 6 smartphones... the documentation is destined to get out of hand.

The trip started for us on Thursday night, when Kevin packed up the dogs and headed the two hours south to Floresville. His parents were nice enough to give our girls an oh-so-comfortable, albeit spoiled, place to lay their paws while we were gone. He woke up Friday morning, drove back up to Austin, picked up August, me, and all of our winter gear for the 3 hour trip north to my parents.

Saturday morning we loaded up my parents car, grabbed some donut holes, and set off for the 12 hour trip to Trinidad, CO. Kevin and I were a bit apprehensive of the potential torture our restless two year old was going to bestow on all of us given his love for the car rides. So we were sure to have a bag of toys, snacks, and all sorts of magic tricks within arms reach. We also made a point to stop at whatever play area we could find every few hours so that we could all stretch our legs and get some energy out along the way. But I must say, we had nothing to worry about. August was a champ the entire way, with nary a meltdown to be heard. And by the time we rolled into Trinidad, we were all pretty happy to jump into the indoor pool for a fun little work out.

my dad the road warrior

 drives the whole way

ALWAYS.

Sunday morning we woke up somewhat revived, but ready to reach our destination. After aimlessly searching for an open coffee shop, we settled for Starbucks and continued on with our easy 5 hour jaunt to Copper Mountain. We opted for the scenic route as it would direct us through the town of my mom's childhood, Buena Vista. The scenery was breathtaking and is always so fun to gradually work your way into the higher elevations of the Rockies. 

Welcome to Colorado!