Last weekend we were able to see Mike's cousin Stacie and her family. It was fun to have some time together and see how much their kids have grown. Mark is becoming quite the entertainer. He will say "hi" and then show off his jumping skills (sometimes he can get both feet off the ground).

Mark is becoming quite the conversationalist too. He is actively using three word phrases. I think Mike's favorite is when he walks in the door and Mark says "Daddy home yeah". Mark is really noticing things after I finish my drink, Mark says "Mommy juice all gone". He has also noticed when there is two of something, "two duck". It is so fun seeing his new skills develop.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Today we celebrated Mark's birthday.  Mark went to a friend's birthday party this afternoon and then celebrated his birthday with Mommy, Daddy, GeeGee, Nanny, and Papa this evening. When Mark was opening he gifts, we visited with Matt and Karin via webcam. We had Mark's favorite meal spaghetti and meatballs and a yummy cookie cake for dessert.  After everyone left, Mark insisted on pulling his wagon around the block.  I guess he has decided that he is too old to ride in it. 

On Saturday we went to Extreme Fun with Auntie Nicole and Grandma Mary. Mark had never been in an inflatable play park before. He cried at first and said "bye-bye". Eventually he warmed up to the situation and let Mike and I take him for rides on the slide and in the foam block pit. On Saturday afternoon we celebrated Kylie and Mark's birthdays.

Sunday morning we went to church. The nursery workers took the kids outside to play, so Mark was having a wonderful time sliding on the slide when we came to pick him up after the worship service. Sunday evening we went to the performance of The Rockslinger and His Greatest Hit which was presented by the children's choir. Kylie was the lead as David, and I was so glad that we made the trip to attend the performance. Mark was enthralled by the performance and clapped with the rest of the audience. We truly enjoyed this time with family.

We arrived in Austin on Thus. May 1st. On Friday we went to the Austin Nature and Science Center with Grandma Mary. It is a great place to take kids. Mark loved digging around in the Dino Pit. The Dino Pit is filled with sand and has dinosaur bones that kids can dig up. Mark enjoyed digging in the sand, looking at the animals and walking in the cave. After our visit to Austin Nature Center we went to Zilker Gardens and walked around the gardens. Mark liked watching a staff member feed the fish in one of the ponds.

We're home! We had a wonderful vacation in Austin. Mark spent time with Grandma Mary, Grandpa Homer, Auntie Nicole, and Cousin Kylie. Mark has been so good. He did very well on the long journey to Austin. Our portable DVD helped make the journey a bit more enjoyable for Mark. Our main reason for going to Austin was to see Kylie perform in her church choir musical. She played David and she did a wonderful job as the Biblical giant slayer. We also enjoyed having a birthday party for Kylie and Mark while we were in town. Their cake was made to look like a hamburger and fries as you can see in the photo.