Enchanted Rock

Our day at Enchanted Rock was indeed enchanting. Not a cloud in the sky, nice cooler temps and just a good vibe all around. It was also super windy at the top! Can't believe Dave and I had never been. After all the hiking we did in Utah, the climb was a piece of cake (relatively speaking...).

We thought Enchanted Rock would be a lot bigger than this?!? 

Enchanted Rock or the moon?

Looking at tadpoles. How'd they get up there?

Our handsome 5-yr-old explorer

Testing the built-in whistle on his new backpack

We had a picnic before heading back to Austin. It was a perfect way to celebrate Spencer's birthday. We want to go back this winter - maybe do some stargazing.

Last Day of 4

Wow! Today is Spencer's last day as a 4-year-old. So hard to believe that we will have ourselves a FIVE-YEAR-OLD tomorrow. As I've said before, his birth feels simultaneously like yesterday and a zillion years ago - such an odd sensation.

We spent the morning at Blunn Preserve doing a Little Helping Hands volunteer project. We were tasked with spreading mulch along a big stretch of walking trail. I was proud of Spencer - he worked so hard for the full hour. He told us later that someone said, "You sure have worked hard today," and he replied, "When something's hard I stick with it." Glad to know that message it seeping in... He earned a t-shirt and a free Amy's Ice Creams coupon today for completing his third volunteer project.

After resting at the house for a little while, Spencer and Daddy went to a real golf course for a couple of hours. Big moment for the boys! I did a little birthday shopping and went to the new Trader Joe's for the first time (big moment for me!).

When they got home, we played some Uno before dinner (can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but Spencer is totally into Uno now and it's super fun!). Then Daddy headed out to do some final birthday shopping while Spencer and I did bath and bedtime. I need to find a pic of him wrapped in this monkey towel to compare. Look at those long legs - the towel barely covers his bum now!

 

I think I'll end this entry with a few things I want to remember that I appreciate and delight in about Spencer at 364 days old...

• His fun sense of humor
• His competitive streak (not always fun to witness, but he comes by it honestly!)
• His kind heart and empathetic nature
• His love of mushroom
• His newly discovered reading ability (we pretty much have a full-on reader now) and love of books
• His ability to have conversations - it's such a joy to talk with him!
• His concentration when working on a LEGO project
• His love of hearing stories - real stories about him, Daddy's or Mommy's life, or crazy made-up tales that Daddy tells after dinner
• The enthusiastic way he collaborated with Daddy on an "iPad Success Plan" last week after we had an issue with unauthorized usage (with the babysitter)
• His love of playing and listening to music
• The deep, deep belly laugh that no one brings out in him quite like Daddy
• They way he's always ready for an adventure 

Happy birthday (almost), my beautiful boy!

First Sushi

We went to Ichiban Friday night to celebrate Mommy's birthday. Spencer was an adventurous eater - he tried miso soup and sushi. Yep, he bit into two pieces of raw tuna and said he liked it, but those two little tastes were enough. He ate part of his own piece of sushi (tamago/sweet egg) and thought it was neat. Mommy and Daddy chowed down on a big boat of sushi while Spencer enjoyed teriyaki chicken. We also got to feed the koi in the pond after dinner. It was a fun night with my boys!