Spring Break Trip

David was given last Monday and Tuesday off from his residency to make a four day weekend so we decided to head out to the Texas Hill Country for a few days. For you non-Texans out there, the Hill Country is the area West of San Antonio and Austin that features rolling hills, ranches and beautiful country side covered in Live Oaks and cactus.

On Saturday we left for Johnson City, a little over an hours drive due north of San Antonio. We stopped for lunch at the Pecan Street Brewery. This little place reminds me of a great brewpub you would find in a major city. The beer was top notch as was the delicious food.

President Johnson was raised in Johnson City and the town is named for his first cousin once removed. We toured his boyhood home after lunch and then left for the LBJ ranch.

The ranch is still a working ranch where LBJ spent much of his presidency to get away from the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill. But this was no vacation, he would often spend 18 hours a day on the phone during his presidency. They also have a working farm with farm houses that were originally on the property from the 19th century. Laura enjoyed running around and seeing all the animals including a brand new calf. She was a bit scared of the huge hogs and said "I want to go now" when the pig oinked at her.

We stayed with my mom's sister Jan in Dripping Springs and her husband. They love dotting on and spoiling the babies of course.















Sunday we enjoyed a massive breakfast courtesy of my Aunt and Uncle and drove another hour west to Fredericksburg. When German settlers came to Fredericksburg in 1846  they found themselves in dangerous Comanche territory.  In 1847 a treaty was signed between the German settlers and the Indians fostering peace and trade between the groups.

I wanted two things in Fredericksburg- beer and German food. We ate dinner at the Fredericksburg Brewing company but I will say I've had better beer and better German food elsewhere.

Monday morning drove north to Enchanted Rock State Park. The rock is a huge exfoliation dome composed of granite. Laura walked the better part of the hike but took frequent "rest" breaks. People kept commenting on how brave we were to hike with our kids. I wore Daniel on my back in the Ergo and he pretty much slept away the day.

Trying to rest on the rock

Our little family of four

Tuckered out little hiker

Daniel's Nursery

First child- nursery done a month before your due date.

Second child- sleeps in mom's room for the first three months, then moves into a half way decorated nursery at four months. By five months his mom finishes said nursery. 

Little man at five months

I'm so happy at long last I have finished Daniel's room. For months there were floating bookshelves laying on the floor waiting to be hung, a blank wall where I had every intention of painting letters to hang and a sweet little handmade mobile from a friend tucked into the closet.  Now that I feel like we have a "new normal" around here and I have my head wrapped around this whole two kids things I was able to finish his room.

We kicked Laura out of her crib around her birthday and hyped up moving to a big girl bed which was the full sized guest bed with a bed rail on each side. The first night she came out and I just stuck her back in her crib but the next nap she slept in her new bed and we haven't looked back since. I love being able to lay down with her at bedtime to read and pray. 

The majority of Daniel's nursery is from when Laura was a baby but I feel like I've made it work for a baby boy now. The moving company broke part of my wooden rocker so I was compensated enough to purchase a new glider. David was able to fix my rocking chair so now we have a chair in each child's room. I also purchase new green curtains with a black out lining from Pottery Barn Kids. The moving company was kind enough to break several non replaceable items during our last move so I had a bit of extra money I was able to spend on Daniel's room that I probably wouldn't not have spent otherwise. 

The little bookshelves were a Pinterest idea I had seen probably a year ago. I bought the shelves and  painted them while I was still pregnant yet they just laid on the floor of his room until a few weeks ago. I stuck a little chair in the corner as a reading nook although I'm pretty sure it's meant to be a doll chair. I'm a bit worried Laura's going to break that poor little chair soon but it will have to do until I find something a bit sturdier. I'd love one of the Pottery Barn Anywhere chairs but I can't fathom spending $100 on one. Maybe the next time we move something I don't care about will break and I can use our replacement money to buy a cute little chair!  

My friend Shannon from Colorado sent me this handmade mobile with a quote from the Jesus Story Book Bible that reads - 

God loves His children with a never stopping,

 Never giving up, 

Unbreaking,

Always and forever love.

Lastly, I put up a little shelf with a framed cross stitch that was David's along and a silver baby plate that also belonged to David. My mom had saved a beautiful, intricate alphabet cross stitch that was given to either my brother or me when we were babies and I hung that up as well.