GMRT: Santa Fe

Our next stop was Santa Fe. My great aunt and uncle have a vacation home in Santa Fe, and they were generous enough to let us stay with them in their gorgeous house, just minutes from historic downtown.

After spending a relaxing evening and night (sleeping with the windows open in late August!), we headed out early to explore.


Our first stop was St. Francis Cathedral, a beautiful 400 year old Catholic church in downtown Santa Fe.

We admired the statues in the courtyard outside, the kids walked the labyrinth, and then we went inside to see the cathedral.

From the church, we wandered towards the town square, admiring the adobe architecture and outdoor art we passed.


We did some shopping for Native American wares at the Palace of the Governors, ate some lunch at The Shed, and wandered through countless cute little artsy shops.


The last stop on our Santa Fe tour was the New Mexico state capitol buiding.


As everything else in Santa Fe, it was decorated with really neat, unique art work. Our favorite was a buffalo head, made from found objects.

GMRT: Bandelier National Monument

We drove straight through Texas and arrived in Clovis, NM the first evening. We swam a bit at our hotel pool, then went to bed early so we'd be ready to get started first thing in the morning. We left Clovis early, and arrived at Bandelier National Monument at around lunchtime. We spent the afternoon exploring the cave dwellings and enjoying the beautiful weather.

The Great Mountain Road Trip

Thankfully, losing beloved pets isn't the only thing we've done in the past month or so. We also went on a fabulous road trip to New Mexico and Colorado! We took two weeks to explore the two states and enjoy the gorgeous weather. The kids were wonderful travelers, as always, even for the 17-hour-straight drive back home. I'm so glad they inherited our love of travel!

Remembering sweet Jasper (December 2003-September 2010)

A few weeks ago, we noticed that Jasper was feeling a little under the weather. He had been throwing up a couple of times a week and seemed to be slowing down a bit. Over the weekend, he got markedly more lethargic, so we took him to the vet first thing Monday. The vet wasn't sure what was wrong with him, so she decided to treat the symptoms and give him some antibiotics, in hopes that it was just a little bug that we could knock out. By Tuesday night, it was clear that he was feeling worse and was having trouble keeping down the chicken and rice that we were making for him . We headed back to the vet first thing Wednesday morning. Our vet took one look and him and decided he needed some more diagnostics and that we should go to a clinic that could do an ultrasound and bloodwork on site. They referred us to Oak Springs Veterinary Diagnostic Clinic in Oak Hill, and we made an appointment for a few hours later.

By the time we got to our appointment, Jasper had gone downhill. He was barely able to get up, and I had to help him walk into the clinic. We got in to see Dr. Donup right away, and he started the diagnostics. After an x-ray, bloodwork, and an ultrasound, it was determined that he had pancreatitis and was in kidney failure. Dr. Donup wasn't sure which problem came first (the kidneys or the pancreas). He was concerned about Jasper's kidneys possibly being a congenital problem, since they appeared shrunken and thick, but there wasn't any way to know since he'd never had any previous blood work. Dr. Donup recommended treatment of fluid therapy and strong antibiotics. He sent off more tests, hoping that we could pinpoint the exact cause.

Jasper spent Wednesday night at the animal hospital, and the kids and I went to see him on Thursday. We were so sad when we saw him. He wasn't improved at all and his only acknowledgement that we were there was when he inched his head over to rest it on my hand. He only lifted his head when he realized we were leaving. The vet assured us that it was too early to know whether or not the treatment would be unsuccessful, but I just knew that he wasn't going to improve. I called Bill at work and told him he should go visit Jasper. He did, and he had the same impression I had. We were bracing ourselves for the worst.

On Friday morning, I called to check on Jasper. The vet told me that Jasper was no better clinically, and in fact he'd started vomiting again. His bloodwork showed miniscule improvement, but his kidney levels were still off the charts. He was still just as lethargic and felt miserable. It was clear to us that he wasn't going to improve and we were just prolonging the inevitable while making him suffer. We talked as a family and decided the best thing for Jasper would be to let him go.

We were all heartbroken at the loss of Jasper. He was the most patient and loving dog anyone could have wished for. We miss him every day.

In memory of Simone (August 1994 - August 28, 2010)

Eight!

No matter what kinds of bribes I offer, these kids keep getting older!


This weekend, Rhys had a slumber party to celebrate his 8th birthday. He had six friends over, and I will admit that Bill and I were a bit nervous about how we'd keep seven 7-10 year old boys entertained in our small house in 100 degree weather. But Griffin and Avery were invited to sleep over at different places, so we were able to focus only on the boys. Between the many games we planned, sports they played, the Slip-n-Slide, and the 200 water balloons we filled, we had no trouble keeping them busy! All in all, it was a huge success, and I think Bill and I ended up having as much fun as the kids!

As You Like It

Last weekend, a few families collaborated with ours to put on a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." Avery played the part of Celia, and Rhys had four different parts: Corin, Adam, LeBeau, and Duke Senior. Griffin even had a part as one of the Lords! The kids all did an amazing job memorizing -- and understanding -- Shakespeare's original language. In fact, I'm pretty sure they have a much better grasp of the play than I do!

The play was a comedy, but it was made exceptionally funny by Simon's hilarious take on his part as the wrestler.

And all the physical comedy was terrific.


Special kudos go to Maya, who had some "technical difficulties" removing a necklace (that had somehow gotten entangled in various parts of her costume). She kept her head and even improvised lines to cover her struggle.

I'm just so proud of these kids for working so hard and putting on such a fabulous production!

ACMC Finale

Yesterday was the final concert day for ACMC Summer Workshop and Festival. We made it through six hours of fantastic performances. I had my doubts that the boys would survive it, but they were champs!

Avery performed with her quartet, trio, and percussion ensemble. It was very impressive to see all that she's learned in such a short time!

Here she is performing with the "DEb CB Trio." (They picked that name because it's how the composer Shostakovich would write his name in musical form -- or something like that. I didn't really understand when she explained it.)



And here she is with her quartet (although the fourth violinist isn't pictured). They were called "The High Strung Quartet" because, if you can imagine, Avery was the most mellow of the group.


Her performance with the percussion group was really neat. They mostly did improv and call-and-answer.


The night was capped off with the festival finale: a Kelly Willis concert, with the camp kids playing backup. So fun!

ACMC Summer Workshop

Avery is wrapping up a 2 1/2 week stint at the Austin Chamber Music Summer Workshop. It has been such a wonderful experience! She's learned from fantastic teachers, rubbed elbows with amazing musicians, and made lots 0f new friends. The camp runs concurrently with the Austin Chamber Music Festival, so the campers benefit from all the musicians in town to perform. They have special concerts and classes with the performers every afternoon, and they also went to two special evening performances.

Avery's quartet, "The High Strung Quartet," was a part of a Masterclass yesterday in which the Escher String Quartet listened and critiqued them. It's not every day famous musicians come to listen to you!

Today her other ensemble group, a trio, performed at a retirement home. They ended up playing both pieces they've been working on, and they performed beautifully. They have three more performances planned for this weekend, including playing backup at the finale concert for Kelly Willis!


Tomorrow is Avery's last day of camp, and I know she's sad for it to end. I'm sorry that this fabulous experience is coming to a close, but the boys and I have missed her and will be thrilled for her to be back home with us!

Basketball Camp

Rhys spent four long days this week at Brandy Perryman's Shooting Camp. It was held on the same campus as Avery's camp, which sure made my life easier! He seemed to have a great time, even though 8:30-5 is a long day for him. He never complained, though, and is sorry it's over. His team, "Granger," won their age division in the camp tournament.


This was the first time that both big kids were gone for any long stretch of time, and Griffin and I weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves! But, we ended up having a good week, and I, for one, learned a lot. For instance:

I had my doubts, but we can all get up and dressed and get out of the house by 8 in the morning...
...but thank goodness it's just temporary. I'm tired!

It's amazing how quiet the house is with only one child...
...and it's also amazing how loud and wild it gets within seconds of the older kids getting in the car at the end of the day.

I can get a lot done when I only have one child at home...
...assuming I put on a movie to babysit said child.

Which brings me to my last and most important lesson:
Griffin has absolutely no idea how to entertain himself...
...but he's a whole lot of fun to spend time with!

Boys' Choice

Last week, Avery started camp at the Austin Chamber Music Center's summer workshop. Her camp lasts 12 days, and we miss her tons! But last Friday we decided to make the best of not having Big Sister around and made it a Boys' Choice day.

First stop: Zilker park. We got there bright and early and the boys had fun playing before it got too hot.


Next up: We wandered over to stick our toes in the cool water at Barton Springs.


And of course, no trip to Zilker is complete without riding the train!

We left the park before it got too hot and went to lunch at Dog Almighty, followed by a quick trip to the mall for our inaugural visit to the new Lego Store. And what would the guys choose to wrap up a Boys' Choice day? Wii, of course!

It's tough with Sister gone so much. The boys really look to her to lead the way. But I think it's good for them to spend some quality time together. At least there are a few moments like this:

between the wrestling matches!