greatest hits

so as you have probably noticed, there has been a little greatest hits hiatus.  it has been a shitty couple of weeks (not to worry, we are all healthy and will be fine in the end).  but amidst the crap, the kids keep on being cute and doing things that are worthy of picture-taking.  so here are a few of my favorites as of late.

1) at a play-date of epic proportions, i snapped a picture of this serious little boy smiling for me.  joe paradise is a sweetheart.

 ben told me recently that he didn't like any of the girls in his class because they are just cute.  he only loves beautiful girls like ellie grace and maggie.  thatta boy.

 2) did you know that gorillas collect acorns?

 even very, very fierce gorillas.

 3) mums make me happy.

 4) soccer season is upon us.  ben loves it, although he has no earthly idea where the ball is at any given time during his games.  it is, shall we say, entertaining.

 crosby is ready to play, obv.  and i have a feeling, when he does, he will probably know exactly where to find the ball on the field.  just sayin'.   

 {three generations of fans}

and while i am trying to look on the bright side of things, i should mention that my sweet friend jessica had a baby girl, layne thomas chobot!!! 

looking forward to sarah having her baby (finally!!!) and a weekend spent in ugg boots.

how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

love,

coco

acl awards 2012

it's that time of year again.

the austin city limits music festival came and went, proving once again to be one of my most favorite ways to soak in my friends and music.  

it nourishes my soul.

cheesy?  yes.  true?  absolutely.

last year i created my own acl festival awards featuring the highlights of the weekend.

and this year i will do the same.

i just know you are all on the edge of your seats.

best pre-festival grub: 

giant burgers at casino el camino.  it served as a good sponge for the dozen or so beers we were about to consume at the festival.

best mudfinder:

marcy.  every. time.  on friday, zilker park was dry as a bone except for maybe one spot where someone probably dumped a cooler.  and if anyone is going to accidentally step in a puddle of mud (causing her friends to pee from laughter), marcy will.

(this is a big one....drumroll, please)

best in show:

hands down, florence and the machine.  here's the deal, i liked her songs on the radio but never bought an album. well, let me tell you, she is an amazing preformer.  i have been doing this festival thing for a while now and i can easily say that i have never seen someone command an audience like florence.  we were putty in her hands.  and because of that, i am a fan for life.

  

best way to spend a rainy day:

with these guys.

we skipped the festival on saturday (i know, i know, spare me the lecture) due to some pop-up thunderstorms.  having some of your best friends drive into town to hang out with you makes it really difficult to leave them to go stand in a field of mud.  i would rather see them than jack white anyday.

best impression of a 21 year old:

these fools.  and i love them for it.

the hostess with the mostest award goes to: 

the blond beauty in the pink dress.  becky didn't go to the festival, however she stayed up and waited for us to get home, she cooked us breakfast (which included these), she provided us with unlimited coffee, snacks and stories about suzy.  she delivered these all with warmth and kindness.  this is her blog debut!  say hello to becky!

best hangover helper:

watermelon agua fresca.  i required a gallon of it. 

most creative outfit:

it is a 40-way tie. every year, the acl festival is an education in what "kids" are wearing these days.  and by "kids" i mean the twelve year olds they now accept into universities.  current trends: fanny packs, high-waisted cut-off jean shorts, shiny spandex bodysuits, and apparently capes.  hmph.   

{the people-watching is out-of-this-world}

my favorite show:

the avett brothers.  florence may have stolen my heart but the avett brothers had me at hello.  they are so much fun to see live.  they put on a foot-stomping, twirl-yourself-silly kind of show.  true love.

disappointments: missing the lumineers and the alabama shakes due to insane crowds.  boo.

other highlights:

trampled by turtles (i am currently obsessed with their latest album)

ben howard

gary clark, jr.  

the happiest cousins on earth

PREFACE:

my in-laws (being the incredibly generous, loving people that they are) decided to celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary by taking their ENTIRE family to disneyworld for the first time.

we are all spread out across the country, so for all of us to be in one place at the same time is a treat.

especially when we gather at the happiest place on earth.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

princess aly, the sensitive care-taker

princess caroline, the charming southern belle

princess ava, the spunky fire-ball

jack aka woody, the blond lover-boy

pirate ben, the passionate defender

crosby mouse, the laid-back observer

disneyworld is a magical place.

for example:

the pirates you meet on the street are friendly.

six children ages six and under somehow stay together.  they were a tribe of cousins.  magical, see?

costumes are encouraged, not just on halloween.

you discover new heroes.

you are allowed to spin yourself silly.

princesses are perched around every corner.

giant bunnies roam the streets.

enormous pooh bears give you their autograph.

families can hula-hoop while awaiting their dinner reservation.

everything glows.

cat naps can be taken anywhere, even atop your daddy's shoulders.

hotel staff provides free entertainment for the kids while you wrangle your luggage.  and they even sing like a princess.  genius.

grandparents have unlimited access to hug on their babies.  

(and isn't that the real reason we went?)

unforgettable memories are made.

out of the office

well, friends.  we are back from our disney trip and i had a whole post planned complete with a giant photo dump of all the magic that went down while we were there....but, i ran out of time.

you see, i am leaving in the morning for my annual pilgrammage to austin for the austin city limits music festival.

via

i. cannot. wait.

so, greatest hits will have to wait (but believe me, there were a lot of hits).  get prepared to be bombarded next week with pictures a plenty of mickey mouse and of me dancing in a field.

cheers!

greatest hits

tomorrow we leave for the happiest place on earth.

to say ben is excited, might be the understatement of the century.

we have been running around getting ready for this mini-vacay, but we managed to sneak in a trip, or two, to the great state fair of texas.  i promised some friends out-of-state that we would eat some flethcher's corny dogs in their honor.  it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

here's a peek:

1) many firsts: first fletcher's corny dog (ever, for this little boy),

 and the first of the year for this big guy.

 a first trip to the fair for addy baby.

 a first ride for biggie smalls.

 2) a walk around the neighborhood.  and by "around the neighborhood", i mean "half-way up the street" for 45 minutes.  we don't go far with this little acorn-loving, dirt-digging, trash-collecting nugget of love tagging behind.

 3) a neighborhood block-party for national night out.  our new neighborhood does not mess around...there was a petting zoo, bounce houses, a pony ride, and a dj.

 4) daddy got back into town and felt left out that we went to the fair for the first time of the year without him.  so we went back.  more corny dogs.  good lord.

 5) my grandmother entered a picture of crosby and he won a second place ribbon.  oh that boy.

i am looking forward to mugging on my neices and nephew at disneyworld.

how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

xoxo,

coco