Texas Forever

In October we got to make another trip to Austin for the big nuptials- Tyler and Michelle. They just so happened to pick the weekend my kids were on fall break from school so the girls and I flew down 4 days before Daniel. 

Camille was restless and hard on the plane, while the older girls were great. They are used to flying. 

I had planned on putting the girls straight to bed when we arrived, but they were so excited to see everyone and play with Mimi and Paco's toys that I let them stay up until 11 PM. Very unlike me. 

On Wednesday we went to Torchy's with Coco and Mimi for an early lunch. 

Mmm...the fried avocado tacos are just so, so good. Then we headed downtown to run around in the splash pad. 

We had it mostly to ourselves. A few other people wandered in and out while we were there. I guess the Texans are sick of swimming weather by mid-October. 

Millie loved it. So much that she started to lick the water from the ground.

Another thing Camille loved? Ruby the dog. She was not a bit afraid of her, even when she nipped at her face a few times. She called her "buhby" and followed her around as much as she could. She  learned exactly where the dog treats were located in the pantry and she and Ruby would sneak off together so she could feed Ruby treats. The older girls were more timid- especially after they saw Ruby nip at Camille's face.

 Wednesday night was spent out on the golf course behind Mimi and Paco's house. She and Paco explored and then she ran to give Mimi a hug.

 I am in love with this picture of Camille with her grandparents. I feel like I have lots of individual pictures of Sadie with family members, but not as much with the other two girls.

 Once the older girls realized we were outside they joined us to roll down hills.

Thursday morning we visited the Deep Eddy pool in Austin. 

There aren't a lot of outdoor pools open in October, even though the weather is still hot, mainly because kids are back in school. The water is sourced from springs nearby so it's a little cold. Sadie was shivering most of the time.  

 I spent a lot of time chasing the Millsters.

 During our break for lunch Elise struck an amazing pose.

On the way home Elise was out very quickly. We stopped for some cool refreshing beverages and of course she woke up right after we received our drinks. So we placed order #2.

Thursday night was much anticipated, almost as much as walking down the aisle at the wedding. A sleepover at Coco and James' house for the older girls. They ate pizza, did makeovers (aka put on some makeup), had a popcorn bar, watched Hotel Transylvania and got to sleep in a tent inside.

The girls are still talking about this tent with lights that James set up. 

 A big plus of being the only Nielson grandchildren is that they get very spoiled by their aunts and uncles. My girls feel so special and loved around them.

Back at Mimi and Paco's house, I put Millie down for bed early and Carolyn and I had a delectable meal at Chuy's. We tried not ordering the Diet Coke with lime, but Chuy's is not the same with water, so we gave in after receiving our food.

Friday was a quieter day. Carolyn and I took Millie on a walk down on the Brushy Creek trail in the morning.

After a visit to the park and a stop for Round Rock donuts, Coco and Whit brought the girls back over.

 Sadie and Paco set out to sort and count all of the golf balls out on the deck. This kind of thing is right up Sadie's alley. That girl is type A to the max, but she does enjoy some pampering too. The adult women and Sadie went to a salon in the afternoon for wedding nails. Sadie's toe nails actually looked great for almost a month. She even got an ice cream cone with her pedicure.

 That night we all headed out to dinner at La Margarita. Millie did her first shoulder shimmies while eating a quesadilla, so I think it started out as a yummy food dance. It made us all laugh so she kept doing it. Daniel and Tyler flew in late that night.

 On Saturday morning the womenfolk attended a brunch for Michelle where we got to eat amazing food prepared by Michelle's professional chef brother-in-law.  The rest of the day was spent getting ready for a pre-wedding dinner hosted by the Nielsons. Of course we all had to convince Carolyn there would be enough food, but I can't really talk because I always stress about food amounts when I am hosting.

 Some of us went over early to set up the decor and food. As always, we forgot a few things, but we made do and it looked wonderful. I wish I had gotten a shot of all the tables set up.

And in true Michelle fashion, she spent time playing with the girls on the playground during the dinner for her. She is so kind and patient with them.

 Millie spent much of the party on this slide. It was her first big slide all by herself. She face planted at the bottom a few times, but just climbed right back up.

Sunday was the main event.

 We relaxed most of the morning and then took baths/showers and got ready after lunch. The girls were very good and let me do their hair with no fights.

You may remember that Lou was absolutely terrible at Courtney's wedding last year, which started with tantrums about me curling her hair and ended with Daniel not even hearing the wedding ceremony because he was pacing with her. She did a complete 180 this year and enjoyed the whole process. She did amazing poses in every picture. Below are 3 samples.

Even Millie was pretty good during the pre-wedding picture taking.

 We took lots of pictures while people shifted in and out of photos with Tyler and Michelle. We had no tears from anyone!!


I was really hoping for a nice family picture. We failed. This is the best one and I ruined it.

Before the ceremony Millie and Sadie gave Tyler some of the sweetest hugs.

Then, as the sun set the wedding party made their way down the aisle.

 The ceremony location was gorgeous. Before it started I tried to distract Camille by taking pictures of her with James. It worked for about 30 seconds and then she wanted to be up on the stage. She and I spent the rest of the ceremony pacing behind, trying to stay close enough to hear the vows, but far enough Millie wouldn't disturb everyone.

As always, Sadie was captivated by the bride. She watched their first dance very carefully.

Basically from the moment the girls were done eating they were either bothering Michelle (see Elise on her lap above) or dancing, or both. They cut in during the mother-son dance, but they were invited so it was alright. At least I tell myself that so I can pretend my kids aren't annoying. They wanted to hold Michelle's hands to dance and I know that definitely got annoying.

 Daniel gave a great spur-of-the-moment best man speech and Sadie caught the bouquet, so all of our wildest dreams came true. At one point Millie got in the middle of the dance floor and did a few moves. Then she laid down. It was the perfect mic drop.

 We danced until we dropped. Sadie did not sit for a single song. When we got home she did not wake up when we stopped, unloaded the car, or unbuckled her seat belt.

On Monday morning Carolyn flew out to Utah to be with her mother, which I posted about previously. The rest of us had a recovery day. Daniel went to lunch with a high school friend and I took the girls to lunch at Chuy's with Courtney and Whitney.
But don't worry, everyone still took the time to tease Paco on the couch.

Trips to Texas are the best. Texas forever.