Austin. Mom. Blog. » Holidays

Fall Fun Festival at Old Settlers Park

Dianna — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:39:30 +0000

October is filled with fun events. I love this time of year. It’s the beginning of all the holidays and nice cool weather. The one event I will definitely take my four year old to is the Fall Fun Festival in Old Settlers Park located in Round Rock, Texas. It’s on Thursday, October 28th from 9 a.m. to 11:30. We have attended this event for three years in a row. My six year old has outgrown the event since it’s geared toward preschoolers and toddlers. Fortunately Andrew (my six year old) will be in school and won’t realize he’s missing out. It’s a free event that includes treat bags, games, a hay ride, a chance to see a fire truck up close, and refreshments. They encourage the children to come in costume. It’s also encouraged to bring a canned item to donate to the Round Rock Serving Center. I’m a little sad that this will be my last year of getting to participate in the event. My little boy is growing up. I will just have to treasure it.

Mother’s Day

Dianna — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:12:47 +0000

I’m hoping every mom had a great Mother’s Day. I certainly did. My two sons covered me with cards, hugs, and kisses throughout the whole day. With the boys getting older they have a better understanding of what holidays are about and it is truly special to see it through their eyes. We relaxed for the first part of the day, but from 2 to 4 my oldest son (Andrew) and I got to enjoy a Mother’s Day Workshop at Young Chef’s Academy in Round Rock. My youngest son Collin is very active and I didn’t foresee him sitting through a two hour class. Once the workshop was over my predictions were absolutely true. Fortunately Collin had a great time with his uncle and aunt while Andrew and I cooked sweet potato bread, truffles, and strawberries dipped in white chocolate. Young Chef’s Academy went out of their way to make us moms feel special. When we first arrived they made each mom a large construction paper hat with a flower to attach. Afterwards we went into their cooking class rooms and made delicious sweets. Not only was it fun, but we got to eat everything we made. To my surprise the academy had a small plant pot to decorate for our dipped strawberries. It was a unique keepsake. I’m hoping to do the workshop again next year with the whole family. After the workshop we celebrated with my mom’s family and we always have a great time with them, so the day ended in pure bliss. I’m truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and treasure being a mom.

Galveston Trip

Dianna — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:49:05 +0000

We went to Galveston on the 20th and 21st. We stayed at the Moody Gardens hotel and loved it. We have stayed at the hotel before so we weren’t surprised on how kid friendly the hotel was. The hotel had a room set up as “Santa’s Workshop” where the kids could do multiple Christmas crafts. We got to enjoy writing a letter to Santa, making gingerbread necklaces, Christmas door hangers, cookie decorating, and playing several board games. The hotel also had a heated pool. We enjoyed the buffet breakfast in the Terrace Restaurant (which did cost) in the morning. It was a little pricey, but for a kid friendly hotel and the walking distance from the hotel to the Moody Gardens resort, it was worth it. We paid approximately $150, which included taxes. We stayed at the hotel because we were aware of the activities it offered for kids. We knew we wanted to enjoy the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. The lights were really nice and we had plenty walking room through the trail. We weren’t inching our way through like we were at “The Trail of Lights” in Austin last year. Last year it was too crowded for us and instead of looking at lights we were just fighting our way to get through. At the Festival of Lights there is a fee of $5.95 a person, but I believe it was worth it. They had an ice skating rink you could have paid to use, but our boys are too little for that. Also, there was plenty of concession stands you could buy hot dogs, nachos, hot chocolate, kettle corn, drinks, and even smores. We got each of our boys a smore kit and they had sticks where you could roast the marshmallows over a large fire pit. The boys really enjoyed it. The cost was $2 per kit. After the lights we had the option to enjoy the aquarium($5 a person), enjoy the 4D theatre Polar Express film ($5 a person), or go sit on Santa’s lap, but we decided to call it a night. We used to have Moody Gardens season passes a few years ago and enjoyed it back then. I would recommend Moody Gardens to any family looking for a small vacation. The weather was so nice over the weekend that we also got to enjoy the beach both days. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect small mini-vacation.

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration

Dianna — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:30:11 +0000

We went to Sea World in San Antonio on Friday and had a blast. I’m already in the Christmas spirit and going to Sea World enforced it more. We first went to see the dolphins and fortunately it was feeding time. We paid $5 for four fish. It was worth it. When feeding the dolphins you are able to pet them in the process. The boys’ expressions were priceless. Next we went to the show of “A Sesame Street Christmas.” When the sesame street characters came onstage I got teary eyed. I was overwhelmed on how much our little family was enjoying this. The boys didn’t move once. They were mesmerized. Near the end, my oldest (he’s 5) finally said he was too old for this, but he hung in there. We then headed to a huge play area with sand and rope climbing. My oldest did the rope climbing and my youngest played in the sand. Fortunately both my husband and I were present so we could split up for this. When going to theme parks, I never venture out alone. Next we went by alligator alley where we saw several alligators surrounding a pond. They had a .25 cent machine to feed the fish which we took part in. The boys were aiming for the alligators so they would move, but they had no luck. We then went to the show “Deck the Halls with Clyde & Seamore.” This was a show full of sea lions acting out a skit for Christmas. Once again the boys were mesmerized and didn’t move once. This time my oldest didn’t ask to leave. Sea World had a 4D showing of Polar Express, but unfortunately we didn’t make it in time. We stood in line, but the theater got full before it was our turn. We got to see a 4D showing of Polar Express when we went to Moody Gardens in Galveston and from what I remember it was awesome. On our way out we saw the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and the boys got to pet one. We really had a lot of fun. There was still so much we didn’t get to see because we were short on time so I’m hoping we will make another trip back. If you have a chance to go to Sea World for the Christmas Celebration, I totally recommend it.

Found the Almost Perfect Christmas Tree

Dianna — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:24:02 +0000

I searched and searched for the perfect Christmas tree. I found one, but it wasn’t perfect. We looked at Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, H-E-B, Garden Ridge, Lowe’s, and finally Home Depot. Our choice ended up being at Home Depot. The price ended up being our final factor. There were other trees that were just as nice at Lowe’s and Hobby Lobby. I put up the tree yesterday and with the new technology in trees, I thought it would be easier this year. That wasn’t the case. It’s pre-lit and only has three pieces to hook together. Well, the time consuming part was spreading all the branches. It took me over two hours. Our old tree took just as long. It was the old fashioned kind where you put each branch on at a time. On the old one, I would spread the branch before I put it on the tree. So, I was looking for an easier and less time consuming set up of a tree, but the easy part just ended up not having to put the lights on it. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a beautiful tree and I’m happy we got a new one, but my expectations weren’t met on the time. Maybe we will get a fresh live tree next year. Then again, I wonder what my husband will say on that.

Christmas is Approaching

Dianna — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:52:29 +0000

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I am already in the holiday spirit. I already forced my husband to bring the decorations down from the attic. I am searching for a new tree. We have one that you need to put branch by branch on. I need a more simple one. I’m looking for a pre-lit seven foot tree that’s not going to cost me $300. I have looked at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Nothing caught my eye. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Some people are already calling me crazy for putting up my Christmas decorations, but at least it’s later this year than last year. I put up my tree and decorations the day after Halloween last year. I really want the boys to enjoy it longer. Their faces light up with all the little musical globes, the lights being lit up, and the over-all presence of Christmas. We have already got out their Christmas trees. They each have a 3 foot tall tree in their room. We have put on ornaments and they are using them as night lights. We won’t put out the outside decorations until after Thanksgiving. I don’t want everyone to know how crazy we are. We will limit the craziness inside for now.

Halloween Night

Dianna — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:04:57 +0000

It’s the day after Halloween and I’m exhausted from last night’s activities. My boys still seem as energetic as ever. From a time change to the “going door to door” routine I must admit, I am tired. My two boys still woke up this morning at seven-thirty and it didn’t phase them we went to bed at 10:30 the night before. Their usual bedtime is 8:00. The energy of a child is priceless. Last night was fun. My oldest son dressed up as Jango Fett from Star Wars and my youngest son dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine. We met up with a close friend of mine and did the “trick or treating” with them. She has older kids so they lasted longer than mine. My Jango Fett kept up with them, but my Thomas only lasted a few houses. Their bags were filled to the max with candy. Honestly, I had hoped they wouldn’t get so much candy. I will just end up giving it away once they forget about it. I’m the kind of mom that likes the pretzels, erasers, and pencils instead. I know that sounds pretty lame, but keep in mind they are still 3 and 5. Fortunately, they stuck to my rule of only one candy last night and to my surprise my Jango Fett actually chose the pretzels over candy. That was a shocker. So, overall the kids had fun, we were in good company, and nobody got hurt. It was a successful night. Anybody as tired as I am?