Rachel Loves Reading

What to do when you take 15 pictures of pretty much the same thing? Make a movie! Here is Rachel enjoying a book with Wes. As you can see, she is engrossed and happy to at least look at the pictures.

Rachel Laughs

I could not resist uploading this video. I hope you enjoy it!

Fun Times in Fredericksburg

Wes and I celebrated our fourth anniversary this week and decided to take a trip to Fredericksburg for the occasion. We all had a lot of fun.

We headed out that direction on Thursday. Rachel enjoyed the ride in the car as usual. We stopped in Luckenbach on the way. Unfortunately, we did not run into Willie, Waylon or the boys (if that means nothing to you - click here).




On Thursday night, we went to Altdorf and had schnitzel and sausage for dinner.

Rachel got her first ride on a swing at the hotel. She really enjoyed it, as you can see in the video.

After dinner, we went to the Old Tunnel bat colony to see the bats. They estimate that there are about 2 million right now because the pups have started flying. Rachel was not that fascinated by the activity, but Wes and I thought it was pretty neat. We even got to watch a hawk swooping into the bats to get some dinner.


On Friday, we got up early and went to Enchanted Rock. We hiked up to the peak and then down on the loop trail. The weather was relatively pleasant in the morning. It was just starting to get hot when we headed back to the car around 11:30.





The rest of the day Friday we spent on Main Street. We tried some beer at Fredericksburg Brewery and some wine at Fredericksburg winery. We also did some shopping.

After dinner at the brewery, we took Rachel for her first swim in the hotel pool. She was not quite sure what to make of it, but she seemed to enjoy it.

On Saturday, we spent some more time in the morning around Main Street and then headed back to Houston. We stopped at two wineries on the way home.



Check out our travel blog for even more pictures of Enchanted Rock and Fredericksburg!

Three Months Old

It is hard to believe that Rachel is already three months old. She weighs about 13 lbs 7 oz these days. Here are some pictures of Rachel from the last few days. We got a new camera lens so we took even more than usual. We even included one of Maya so she would not feel left out.



We were able to get smiles out of Rachel for the pictures - just not directed at the camera.










Sometimes Wes entertains Rachel by "letting" her watch him play football on the Xbox.

White Linen Night

We certainly had a big day today! After spending time at the race track with our friends, we headed back home for about 20 minutes before venturing out again to check out White Linen Night in the Heights. For this event, lots of businesses participate and do something special for the evening. You can walk around, drive or take the free shuttle service. We started at Buchanan's - our favorite local plant shop - where they had a sale on mulch, snacks, and free Saint Arnold's beer.

Next, we walked to a henna shop where they were serving some Indian snacks. The traditional designs that they do there are very impressive. I thought about getting one done, but it was so hot and humid outside that there was no chance of keeping it dry for 2 hours as instructed. Maybe another time!

After that, we walked up Height Blvd and saw some galleries and other art work.

After that, we drove up to 19th Street and went to the art market. There was music there as well as at many other places on 19th Street - it was a popular place to be.

Several people brought out their art cars and parked on 19th Street for people to see. The Houston art car museum is in the Heights, although we have not actually been to see it yet. We went to the parade last year so we figure we have seen most of what they have to offer.

Rachel Plays the Ponies

For his birthday this year, Don wanted to go to the race track and then watch the Counting Crows concert (at the race track). We did not think Rachel would be up for a concert just yet, so we just went there for the quarterhorse racing in the afternoon. We had a good time with Don, Karen, Steve, Chad, Jennifer and Brady (2 yrs old).

Rachel was happy most of the time we were there - she just decided to make a face for this picture. She took a nap and did not even wake up when everyone started yelling during the races. For those of you who have never been, quarterhorse races are very short (like 30 seconds) and they were spaced 20 to 30 minutes apart. As such, most of the time at the races is spent chatting, eating and reading the racing program to pick horses for the next race.

The race track viewing area is air conditioned and non-smoking - not a bad way to spend the hot Texas summer afternoon.

Here are Don and Steve with Rachel:

ADDED BONUS: Just for fun, here is a picture of Don, Steve and me taken at the race track, watching quarterhorse racing before a Roger Creager concert in August 2003.