Fun day on the links

While yesterday was Bryce's actual birthday...today was the official birthday party for both Bryce and Ivy. This year we celebrated with a golf party at LochNewman...or St. Brivy's Golf Links...or Newmanshire...well you get the idea. We're not Scottish but I think our backyard links could hang with the best of them. A nine hole masterpiece designed to test your mettle with sharp doglegs, treacherous greens, unconventional obstacles, and sweltering heat. No one broke the course record today (which is unofficially 37...set the night before the party), but everyone had a good time. The kids each got to take home a driver and a putter to practice with and most everyone made a very stylish visor to keep the sun out of their eyes.

Most importantly Bryce and Ivy had a great time (as measured in the amount of tea consumed, cake eaten, and snacks pocketed)!!! We can't thank all our friends enough for coming to celebrate with us.

Although Bryce informed me that when he's 5 he'd like a riding mower to cut the grass (which I'm all for)...I think perhaps I'll get him a trowel and a jar of spackle so he can do the repairs after next year's party (I'm not sure shopping carts are meant to go down stairs...at least the wall broke its fall).

Happy birthday kids...love Mom and Dad.

Bryce's Birthday at the Botanical Garden

There was a playhouse exhibit at the San Antonio Botanical Garden so that's what we did on Bryce's birthday. The kids had fun walking around the gardens and climbing in and out of the playhouses.

Some new landscaping

We spend a lot of time in our backyard playing. I think that's why we've spent the most time back there working on our landscape. The trees provide good shade and we've got plenty of little areas for the kids to get muddy, sandy, sweaty, wet, poopy (we do have a dog that plays too), and grassy. But since we moved in 3 years ago, we pretty much Popeil'd the front - set it and forgot it. So...it was time to give the house a little more curb appeal. The process went quite smoothly start to finish...and as far as the kids were concerned, having a giant hole (for our new tree) in the front yard was better than all the new dolls and trains they could have. Did I mention the hole? Right...we spent about an hour climbing in and out. I'm thinking of digging a well in the backyard...those are safe for kids...right?

Before:

After:

The Hole!

Back to reality...

After a fun holiday weekend, it's always hard to snap back to reality.  Here are a couple of pictures to just keep the feeling going a little bit longer.