I heart Waterloo Ice House

and so does Ella.  We always have a blast especially when her cousin Annabelle meets us there.  Ella is now at the age where she can master the slide all by herself (even though it gives Mommy heart palpitations).   Her cousin is now 5 years old and is self-sufficient.  She can play the entire time we're there unsupervised - baking dirt pies, meeting new friends and running around without her parents constantly having to intervene.  It's difficult to fathom that we will be there one day.  That we'll be able to enjoy a meal and a beer without constant interruption and anxiety attacks.

Sand Beach

Of course the happiest times of the trip were spent at Sand Beach in Acadia.  Ella was soo happy there.  Running, playing in the sand, splashing around in the water.  It was such a delight to watch her. Just look at that face!

Jordan Pond

Jordan Pond is in Acadia National Park and is a wonderful place for the family.  We usually hike the trails here but this trip proved to be a bit of challenge with Miss Ella.  She preferred to walk instead of being carried in the backpack carrier.  This came as a bit of a surprise to us as she loves hiking in it at home.  So, we opted to stay off the longer trails and to piddle around on the grounds of the restaurant.  They're famous for their popovers and jam.  Many hikers and visitors hang out on the lawn and enjoy the beautiful views.

Atlantic Brewing Company

I love microbreweries especially ones that are family friendly.  Atlantic Brewing Company is doing it right in Bar Harbor.  In addition to amazing beers, they also have blueberry soda and root beer which Ella got to sample in their tasting room.  And, this amazing place has a PLAYGROUND on-site for the kiddos and a barbecue joint, Mainely Meat, next door.  It was so nice to have a place to go that we could enjoy as a family.

Busy Saturday

Day 12 of the challenge was a maxi skirt, white tee and metallic sandals.  It was a hot day here so I opted out of the challenge again (maxi skirt) as we planned a very active day at the pool, the playground and a picnic.  Seth and I swam laps at the Southwest YMCA pool.  They have such an amazing outdoor area - lap pool and a kiddie pool with a tiny tike slide, rain shower, and splash pad.  It's perfect for families.  After an hour there, we grabbed crepes for our picnic from Crepe Crazy and headed to a local park.  The crepes were amazing - ham/cheese/spinach and strawberry/sweet cheese.  After a long day in the sun, we chose to head on home where I made the most amazing white sangria which I made with a bottle of white wine, frozen lemon concentrate, orange juice, orange pelligrino, and frozen mangos and strawberries.  It was amazing.  My favorite part is sipping on sangria, while my husband tends to the grill (perch, veggie kabobs, and jalapeno poppers), and I play with Ella in our backyard.  She loves to play in her sandbox and to help me water the plants and garden.
to a playground for a picnic

Wahoo Friday!

Day 11 - Friday's outfit was red stripe shirt and white pants. I had a hearing so I wore a suit no challenge at work but changed into the red stripe t and denim shorts after work. Then, me and the little headed to Wahoo's to join friends and their littles for dinner and playtime.  Wahoo's is a family friendly restaurant/bar with a playground.  Ella had a great time and I almost made it through the meal without chasing her through the restaurant.  Poor girl just can't sit still when there's so much fun waiting for her outside.

BBQ and Bocce

We entertainment my husband's parents on Friday by treating them to lunch at the Salt Lick. I love the vibe of this place especially now with all the renovations and the addition of the bocce courts, winery and the Kids Ranch. We feasted on turkey, ribs, brisket, sausage and all the fixings and then headed over to the Kids Ranch so that Ella could swing and play to her heart's delight (and to her grandparents too). Then, we headed over to the winery for a nice glass of Salt Lick's BBQ White Wine. It was surprisingly really good. I loved the area surrounding the tasting room. Beautiful flowers, a pergola, a gorgeous fountain, and of course, the Bocce court.

A perfect Monday afternoon

My husband's parents are in town so we spent the day hanging out around Dripping Springs.  We headed over to Bell Springs Winery to enjoy a tasting and a glass on their grounds.  Ella ran and ran while we sipped and lounged. It's such a relaxing vibe there - a small winery tucked away.  No highway sounds.  Just the music of our laughter watching Ella run with her arms swinging.  I love days like these especially when I reflect on other visits when Ella was just learning to crawl, just learning to walk and now running.  The days are flying by and I can't help but hug her tighter every chance I get to savor every moment of her sweetness.  Moments when she looks at me with her big blue eyes and giggles and runs to me for a hug.

Port Aransas

This past weekend we headed down to the Texas coast and stayed in a condo right on Mustang Island Beach.  The weather was perfect - sunny, windy, and in the high 70s.  This was Ella's first beach trip and our first time to the Port Aransas area.  It was such a delight watching her running down the beach chasing the waves and the birds. I couldn't help but reflect on my pre-baby beach days when I sunned on the beach, read a book and enjoyed a frosty beverage for hours and hours.  My how times have changed.  Our days on the beach were spent chasing the little one.  She could just run and run and run.  There was no "sunning" nor was there any reading.  My brother and his family also joined us.  Such a wonderful thing for Ella to experience playing on the beach and watching Frozen with her older cousin who knows all the words to Let it Go.  Ella has been singing "Go" and turning around in a circle like her cousin.  So sweet. Our vacation was short but filled with memories.  We can't wait to go back.

Sweet Berry Farm

Alas, we now have another spring family tradition in addition to bluebonnets.... picking berries at Sweet Berry Farm just outside of Marble Falls.  We had such a delightful time at the farm today with Ella.  She ran up and down the rows of berries, picking them, eating them, and then petting the goats.  She was absolutely mesmerized by the goats.  We picked so many berries that our freezer is now full of them.  I see alot of smoothies in our future!  I loved seeing all the families there.  A sweet elderly lady was there (see pic) picking berries with the best of them.  Love that! We stayed a couple of hours until it began steadily raining. Perfect day.  If you go, you must try their strawberry lemonade and smoothies.  Wonderful!

New Hot Spots in Wimberley

I found two new places in Wimberley that I will have to visit when I go through Wimberley - the Sugar Shack and Wimberley Stitch Studio.

The Sugar Shack is on RR12 between Dripping Springs and Wimberley.  My husband and I stopped there on our way to San Marcos for breakfast to go.  We were blown away by the variety of delicious pastries and finally settled on croissants, cinnamon rolls, and coffee.  I had the raspberry filled croissant and my husband had the jalapeño, bacon and cheese croissant.  They were AMAZING.  Warm and light.  Delicious.  This will be a new must stop every time I go to Court which is quite a bit!

 The Wimberley Stitch Studio is a relatively new quilt shop that opened in 2013 and is across the street from the Market Days.  It is very small but adorable.  I love the fabrics they offer and it was a pleasure meeting Linda who was working away on a quilt on the Long Arm machine that resides there.  Truly a studio.  I of course couldn't leave without purchasing some fabric and a couple of patterns.  They also offer classes and a block of the month program is starting soon.

Pedernales Fall State Park

Pedernales Falls State Park is a beautiful place! The three of us hiked down to the Falls and spent the morning exploring the pebble beaches and rocks.  Ella loved it  - the rushing water, the pebbles, the sand, and watching other kids running around.  After the falls, we hiked the Nature Trail down to Twin Falls which was a nice little peaceful spot especially since we had the trail to ourselves.  After hiking, we drove over to Johnson City for lunch at Pecan Street Brewery & Restaurant.  I had the Pecan Street Chicken, Seth had fish & chips, and we of course we couldn't resist a "sampler" of all their beers.  I highly recommend the Chicken and the Ten Penny Nail Ale.  A nice amber.  We'll definitely have to come  back to the park and to Pecan Street.

Sunshine in January

It was a beautiful Saturday here in the Hill Country.  We grabbed our "pack" and hit the trails in our backyard.  Afterwards, we went to Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza for a late lunch - Caprese Salad, Beatrice Pizza and Lil Heifer with Pepperoni pizza.  Of course, we had to hit Jester King for the beers on tap - Wychtmaker, Mad Meg, and Atrial Rubicite. We spent close to the 3 hours there and Ella had a great time running around with a lot of kids there.  It's such a great thing to have such a wonderful family friendly place a stone's throw from our house.