Austin Getaway

It has been a long couple months and we were feeling the itch to just getaway and enjoy summer!  So we took a 3 day weekend trip to Austin!

Our hotel was right next to the University of Texas home of the Longhorns, so we walked around there for a bit. 

You could also see the state capital just down the street.  We toured the capital on our last trip to Austin so we just enjoyed the view this time.

 One thing we did want to do again however was to see the bats!  We had so much fun last time and the boys made sure to bring their masks!

 We arrived a little too early however and waited 2 hours till sunset.  So we tried hard to keep ourselves entertained.  Tanner was really cute with Logan and played peek-a-boo with him in this old tree stump.

 It was a big let down this time though, the bats came out one at a time and not in the big cloud like last time.  And after waiting 2 hours, 2 of the 3 boys were getting super tired and grouchy.

We ate some really yummy places.  Brad loves going to the local places.  Austin apparently has the best BBQ in the US at a place called Franklins and we really wanted to try it, but when we arrived the line was FOREVER long.  Then while reading the reviews we learned that people arrive at 6:30 in the morning with lawn chairs and coolers and camp out until they open at 11 for lunch and they are open until they run out of food, which is always before 3.  So we went elsewhere.

I love pictures where Logan looks like he's just one of the boys!

This burger joint we went to was very Austin esque.  Out door eating area, with lights strung in the trees, and a band playing.  It was a lot of fun!

We finally made it to the pool for the first time this year!  A little late in the summer, but with both Tanner and mines surgeries we weren't allowed to swim yet, but they had fun swimming at the hotel.  Logan especially LOVED it (it was his first time ever!) and it was really cute watching him.  I'm excited for more pool days.  That is if it will ever stop raining!

 One of the main things we really wanted to do was to go to the natural springs Hamilton Pools:  Isn't it gorgeous?

Unfortanately they were closed due to flooding so we went to another natural springs called Barton Springs.  Its in downtown Austin and they've turned this spring into a swimming hole.  Since its a natural spring the water remains at a constant 68 degrees!  It was freezing, even on a hot day.

Carson loved it and Tanner just stayed by the steps and played with his squirt gun.  Maybe someday we'll be able to go to Hamilton Pools, but this was definitely a fun back up!