One FAB Father's Day

 This father's day was extra special because Jackson's not the only one who got to spend it with his dada...

I got to spend it with MY dad as well! And in our pj's no less! Actually, this was the only picture we took of the both of us all weekend so it'll do!

We had a great weekend full of food, wine and lotssss of playtime. As I said before, Jackson is OBSESSED with 'abuelo' so my dad and the cub were in joint heaven.

At brunch this morning, we toasted the dads at the table with a lovely 'salud' (Jackson's favorite table game) and ate some pretty amazing east/west coast oysters. 

After the meal Jackson insisted on showing off his city so we walked up and down South Congress...

And he remembered there were puppies on the other side of the street. He ran over to them and rattled their cages...

...he also remembered one of momma's favorite places Bootleg. It's a mobile shoe store with some beautiful inventory. But alas, it was Father's day so no shoe shopping for me :(

We then had dessert at The Driskill (check it out we're still on the website!). If y'all recall this is where Jack and I got married almost 6 years ago! I thought it was very touching for Jackson to visit for the first time on Father's day. He got to see where it all began for his dad and I.

Needless to say, he loved it. Running around an empty, haunted hotel, --this cub's dream come true...    

 

The day ended with a yummy chocolate cake, some pretty happy dads and one TIRED little lion cub. 

Lost Again...

Jack was recently asked to attend a conference in Bastrop, TX at Hyatt Lost Pines. I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE conferences. When we were little, my dad used to go to them all the time and it's how we got to travel the world. Now, Jack gets to go them pretty often and it's how we get to tag along on some pretty neat adventures. 

Jackson was ready to go as soon as we said 'vamos' and when we got there he was so excited to take in all the sights. Last year he really enjoyed his time there but this time it was a whole new ball game. He reveled in the Colorado River (which lines the property) and it took everything for him not to jump into the pool as soon as he saw it. Since we got there so late he couldn't swim but guess who was ready-to-go at breakfast?! 

This cub was ENAMORED with the pool. So much so that the first day out we were there from 9:30am-5:30pm with only an hour nap in between. Oh, and he stopped 10 mins for lunch...

                    

After swimming ALL DAY you'd think he'd be tired but he decided to take a stroll in the butterfly garden...

 And then attend a luau with his dad and I. The older kids LOVED him and he LOVED those 'niños' as he calls them now...

      

The second day out dada got to join us for a bit in the pool and he thought it'd be fun to take the cub down the slide. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

 Jack did a great job of not scaring him by not dunking him. I was not that safe. He was dunked with me, but he didn't mind it. I'd like to tell y'all that he really enjoyed the slide, but the truth is he didn't hate it but he didn't love it either.

 We decided the lazy river was much more up his ally...

His preferred water feature however, was the splash pad...

Where he thoroughly enjoyed lounging on the chairs in between runs...

 Cool kids in our shades.

 Jackson's favorite part about this trip however were the 'burros' on the property. We discovered them on our second day and thank GOD we didn't discover them sooner. He was INFATUATED with them.

 He got to feed them, pet them and love on them. He only asked about them about 80,000 times and every time he'd run over to our bedroom door and want to see them again. And Again. And Again....

We had so much fun on this trip. This place is so great for kids and adults. Jackson enjoyed it more this year than last. We will definitely be coming back year after year and who knows what newest obsession Jackson will find next year! 

Europe

As previously posted, Europe was amazing. Our adventures began in Paris where we stayed for 5 days and met up with our very dear friends, Hillary and Jon who live in Dubai. While there, we rented a flat in the 6th arrondissement in the middle of the city. We saw all the beautiful museums, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, etc. etc. The food was delicious, the sights were beautiful and the company was too much fun.

 
 

 From there, Jack and I left for Amsterdam and Hillary and Jon went home. In Amsterdam we stayed in a lovely hotel and walked/took a boat tour to see the Van Gough museum, Rijks museum and the outside of  Anne Frank's house.

From Amsterdam we left for Brussels. Whilst in Brussels we pretty much just walked off the waffles we ate EVERYDAY. They were pretty amazing. One place in particular was to-die-for. The waffles were moist on the inside, crispy on the outside and had crunchy sugar in the grooves (think the top of creme brulee). 

Once we saw just about everything there was to be seen, Jack and I returned to Paris, saw a few more museums and then anxiously waited our flight home to be reunited with our Gordies. We missed him madly and decided that never again will we leave him for more than a few days (definitely NOT 10). Just look at how much cooler he got while we were gone ;)