We have had a garden full of mint in our backyard for several years. Starting with nothing, it took over everything until all we had was a very fresh garden.
…then she’d return the favor. Or should I say flavor?
Having grown tired of our giant mint garden and wanting more diversity, Going Mom decided having so much of this herb just wasn’t mint to be. With a hoe in both hands and determination annihilate our herbal haven, off she went. But she had to stop for a mo-mint when two big frogs appeared from deep within the bug-rich soil.
At the announcement of her amphibious discovery, Avery appeared as if out of nowhere to see. She loves finding and catching frogs, lizards, and, much to Mommy’s dismay, snakes. Yes, Daddy loves reptiles and it seems I passed the love down to our daughter. Snakes might be off limits, but Going Mom gets along with frogs, so she caught one for Avery to pet.
We need to remind her not to pet the eye, but besides that Avery is fairly gentle.
The frogs felt otherwise, and struggled to escape. Kelley could only hold on for so long, but Avery was adamant about catching them herself.
She tried, tried some more, and tried again after that, but these big jumpers did not want to play on Labor Day. We tried to explain that the frogs don’t like to be picked up and just want to be left alone, but Avery was like….
It’s understandable, playing with new creatures is fun and is a wonderful experience, but we must respect them too. My wife worked around the frogs that refused to leave the garden and removed all of the mint just as she said she would. We still have basil in one spot, but for now, no more mint for Avery and I to snack on.
We can get over the lack of mint, but I was concerned the frogs only liked their fresh abode because of the fragrant herb. But, after a short break, we returned to check on the guys and found a new sign posted.
Guess they still like the spot. Bad news for them since we’ll plant new produce soon. Not sure what, but hopefully it grows as well as their minty predecessor.
Labor Day was fairly low key besides the garden and lots of backyard play. Just how we like it. Now it’s time to find something to plant for the Fall. Any good ideas?
When the local Altitude Trampoline Park offers a discount for toddlers, you jump on it! Last week, our friends/neighbors asked several of us parents if we’d like to get the kids together for a little jumping action (aka increased naptime success), and there was no way I would say no to this cutie.
It’s not a major concern to Going Mom and me right now, but sometimes we wonder if Avery gets enough social interaction with peers. With me staying at home, we obviously avoid daycare and/or nannies. We love our situation and wouldn’t change it for the world, but know she needs her time with others. Luckily, she has plenty of peers in our neighborhood and they all get along pretty well.
When together, they seem to keep to themselves and interact every now and then. I expect this is normal for 2 and 3 year olds and will change as they get older. At the trampoline park, they showed more interaction than I’ve seen with Avery in a while and I loved watching them play.
These balls of energy scoured the whole facility but kept gravitating to this trampoline ramp (tramp ramp? No?) to use as a slide. Belly sliding was the thing that day.
Once down, they would scamper right back up to go down again. Yes, that’s it, use that energy!
I always try to interact with these kids when we see them in the neighborhood, but they usually just hide behind a parent while shooting unwelcoming facial expressions my way. Natalie, who just had a birthday at Altitude Trampoline Park, simply dropped to the ground and curled into a ball as I smiled at her. I got the hint.
The other girl, Emma, started off shy but we ended up playing a lot after she warmed up. By play, I mean she pushed me off the edge of things and jumped on my back to attack me. It was fun though. One of the boys, Tanner, was constantly running laps around the area, but he gave some great high fives. Something about the boys at this age, most of them just are not as shy.
Without a doubt, the best playmate is and always will be my precious little girl.
She played a lot with the other kids, but made sure to save a little playtime with Daddy too. I appreciate the time with her and know this time won’t last long, so making the most of it is vital. I think she enjoys our time too, at least that smile says so.
Once she finds out what dating is, her feeling might change. But lets not talk about that now…..or for a loooongggg time.
Heading to Altitude Trampoline Park is fun whether it’s just us or with friends, but hopefully we’ll get a group together again soon!
The trip to the Travaasa Resort in Austin, TX with my lovely wife sans kid was a much needed break from parenting to better focus on just us. We love Avery more than life itself, but couples need that time alone to hold a real conversation and enjoy each other’s presence.
We had plenty of wonderful, unbroken conversations on the way down and all weekend. But that’s not all, we also indulged in quality drinks, for starters.
Going Mom and I rarely have alcohol these days, but champagne is her favorite. As for Going Dad, I prefer sipping on scotch or vodka. I just happened to bring along a nice 18 Year Macallan for our 9 year anniversary celebration weekend so I didn’t take any of the precious bubbly. Happy wife is top priority!
We had dinner reservations for both nights we stayed at Travaasa and that first night found us eagerly awaiting for a good meal. Being ones who go out to eat maybe once every two months, the first obstacle would be inspecting the menu for food worthy of our bodies and playing 20 question with the server on how everything is prepared.
This is usually a difficult task (for me, Going Mom isn’t as bad), but they had taken notes prior to our arrival and expected our special requests. Turns out Travaasa sources most of their produce right from their own organic gardens on the premises and obtains meat/fish from local, sustainably raised farms/practices. I was in foodie heaven!
The fresh produce was my favorite part of the dining experience at the Experiential Resort, their okra, in particular, was wonderful! Crisp, fresh, and delicious; I couldn’t get enough. And for breakfast, I just asked for a giant plate of mixed veggies which is exactly what they provided.
I can’t say eating just veggies can get you very far, but I made up for it with a healthy dose of protein from avocado (thanks to Kelley for having me bring it along), wild-caught anchovies, and some Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Crackers.
With food and drink obstacles out of the way, we had a few physical obstacles to tackle during our stay. Hey, get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking about Travaasa’s Prickly Pear Challenge Obstacle Course.
From the site:
At 35 feet in the air, you’ll discover your inner strength as you walk across the cables and telephone poles of our high ropes course. Begin at the Cob Web, then progress over Raider Bridge and through the Flying V to navigate Double Trouble. The linear progression of the course culminates with a fantastic reward: a 250-foot zipline flight soaring over the tree tops of Texas Hill Country.
I’m no super adventurer mountain man, but I enjoy these things and really don’t let heights get to me too much. My wife, on the other hand, she’s not a fan of testing gravity, and although she was adamant about completing the course, she didn’t try to bottle up her fear.
But my fearless bride made her way through all of the obstacles and we met at the end to zipline down together. We met another couple enjoying time away from their little one who took a few pics for us.
And then down we went.
After the shaking wore off….a little…..I wasn’t sure if she’d be up for the other Experience we signed up for, The Giant Swing, but just like Tom Petty, she too, Won’t Back Down. They weren’t kidding about it being a Giant Swing!
We could choose how high to go (all the way, duh!) and pulling the string had to be done by one of the swingers (ha ha). Without hesitation, Kelley let me know I would do the pulling which was fine with me.
We were up and down in about three minutes, including the back and forth swinging, but it felt longer. I’m sure my wife would agree. But she still wore that pretty smile on her face, so all was good in the world.
There are several experiences always going on at Travaasa, but we had done the ones on the top of our list and rainy weather put a damper on the others. I was eager to satisfy my need to move for the day, but that rain killed my plans for the bike pump course I was considering.
Just as I was ready to accept keeping the activity level low, we ran into the couple that took our picture earlier. They were both drenched in sweat so I had to ask for the details. Apparently, there’s a Travaasa Challenge where you run six times around the paved road of the resort which equates to a 10k or 6.2 miles. Once complete, you get a shirt.
I haven’t run in a long time due to a lingering stress fracture, but when it comes to free shirts, I must do it! Going Mom agreed to walk one loop as I ran and then she cheered me on as I passed each time. I needed to see her with each completion of the loop, the hills in Hill Country are no joke. A steep grade down to 730 ft and a steep grade up to 980 ft all within half a mile. Quadzilla!
Rain came down as I completed my last lap and entered the lobby, dripping sweat on their floor, requesting my FREE shirt. They handed it to me with a smile.
That night we dined on more fresh produce and delicious fish and meat while enjoying another beautiful view outside. Thankfully the rain stopped to allow us the opportunity.
More rain poured over night into the morning on the day we were to return home. But we held on until the last minute for checkout. You can even stay longer for more experiences, but we did have to drive back and see our little girl. With no planned events for the day, I finally talked Kelley into doing the Travaasa challenge with me. “Just walking” I agreed.
Walking turned into a few strides here and there and eventually into finishing with all running. It took us a while, but the view was spectacular and the company couldn’t get any better.
There was just enough time to collect our prize shirts (I got another for Avery), clean off, and pack up to head home.
Go Team!
The time at Travaasa with my wife of 9 years was more than needed. We were able to reconnect in so many ways and both agree our relationship has grown even stronger. We will definitely return to this adult only resort whether for a celebration or just a quick getaway. Everyone has daily obstacles, some big, some small, but when you have a wonderful partner, it’s easy to overcome them all.
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
That night we dined on more fresh produce and delicious fish and meat while enjoying another beautiful view outside. Thankfully the rain stopped to allow us the opportunity.
More rain poured over night into the morning on the day we were to return home. But we held on until the last minute for checkout. You can even stay longer for more experiences, but we did have to drive back and see our little girl. With no planned events for the day, I finally talked Kelley into doing the Travaasa challenge with me. “Just walking” I agreed.
