The Little Treehouse

Hey! Is that kid in the background in the green shirt drinking coffee? Oh wait - that's Jin.

Little stinkers. Tyler is in the background here in the red shirt in both these pictures, but you can't see his cute little face.

So we didn't take it slow after the big trip. The very next day we met Jin and our beautiful little Jacey at a playhouse in Chesnut Hill. Maria and her two gorgeous sons Ryan and baby Tyler came too. Evan and I woke up that morning tired and lazy, but we both really needed it. Evan hadn't seen any friends in a week. And I needed some friend time as well. The three adults drank coffee and chatted while the kids played. I ordered all this food there for Evan and I ended up eating all of it. You're not allowed to bring outside food, but on the upside they had soy milk for my coffee - yay!

Here's Jacey making Jacey soup. Behind her is Ryan and Tyler.

The last day in Texas

Our flight was at 6pm so we Cronins squeezed in every last thing into our remaining few hours in San Antonio. We played in a playground in Hemisphere Park, looked through the Mexican Cultural Museum which was really cool, went up the Tower of the Americas, then ate lunch at Rosario's in South Town. Then left to put Evan down for a nap before we took a taxi to our flight (Evan loves taxis). Evan didn't sleep on the returning flight even after we put on his pjs and brushed his teeth. So Mike and I read while Evan entertained himself with trucks. We were home by 11pm with one tired monkey.

The playground.


This is in the tower. Evan said "You have money, Mommy? Have money?" He's not satisfied to just sit on the thing.


He tried to ride a horse in the gift shop, poor baby. I think both his grandparents in NJ and VA have plenty of room for a pony.

Notice the bare right foot in the photo above? Evan kept kicking off his right "slip-sop" the entire trip. Everyday. At least 5x a day. It got to the point where I'd just hang his flip-flop on the stroller handle and ignore the fact that he's running around with one shoe on. Everyone we passed would say, "Honey, I think he lost a shoe."

Evan had gotten a time-out the first day we were in San Antonio along the river by our hotel. He had run away from me and wouldn't come back when I called. He ran up the steps and across a foot bridge out to the street level with me chasing after him - and he's fast. I gave him a time-out by the waterfall back along the river and everytime we walked past that spot he'd say "I get time-out there!"

So if you ask Evan what his favorite part of the trip was, you'll get one of two answers. The first one is "I get time-out by the waterfall." and the other would be "My cup fell in water. It float away."

La Fiesta (sorta)

So it's our last night and there's a raging party for everyone who attended Mike's conference. When I say raging...


Evan and Sheryl were looking for orange juice.


Evan's cup fell into the stream.


There were actually much, much more people - and a mariachi band. Mike, Sheryl, Evan and I were hanging out on this little area the "grotto". This convention center is enormous - over a million square feet. You could get lost in it's many rooms. The party was in one of the outdoor areas.





Around 8:45 we left the party. Evan and I headed back to the hotel, but took a longer route home to checking things out a little. It took about a half hour and we got back and immediately passed out. Mike and Sheryl got drinks with work folks.

More Texas

Here's just one of a million restaurants along the river. This is the view from the street entrance, looking through a hallway to the river side of the place (it's the 2nd floor on the river). The hallway had rooms off of it and opened up to an enormous stone porch.
Evan and I have been exploring the street level of San Antonio more and more. Probably because it's so much easier to get around with a stroller. I had no idea how close everything in the city is if I didn't walk along the super curvy river. Close to our hotel is the King Williams district which has these beautiful, enormous Southern homes decked out with columns, some strung with white Christmas lights. Gorgeous, but I saw it at night and the whole neighborhood there was like a ghost town. The only sign of life was a toy truck on the front steps of one enormous home. No streetlights or anything. This neighborhood borders on South Town, which seems to house the artists and a bit of a counter culture. There were these great Mexican restaurants, bars, little artist studios and Key West-styled stores and homes. One was called China Latina... A Mexican sushi place! But again all closed and I was one of only a few people walking around. It seems that nobody outside of the locals really go to these little places... Everyone hangs on the river. Of course, it was about 10:30pm. I had to get out. I had put Evan to bed and he had been giving me a hard time. "Mommy, sleep with me please. Mommy sleep with me please." I'd get in bed with him and then "Go in that bed!" he pointed to my and Mike's bed next to his. So I move over to the other bed. Again "Mommy, sleep with me please. Mommy sleep with me please." Then again -"Get OUT! Go to that bed, Mommy." This went on back and forth a couple of times - I couldn't escape it and I finally snapped. "Evan, I've had it with you! I'm going for a walk!" and so I let Mike put him down and walked down to the King William district. I could hear his little voice yelling even as I got on the elevator "MOMMY - COME BACK!!!" I have to say our usually very easy going little guy has been pushed to his the limit. The 11pm bedtimes and being out all day have created these little "witching hours" which are between noon and 1pm and when we put him to bed. Around noon something little will set him off and he's inconsolable until he's down for his nap. Plus, Evan and I have been spending a lot of alone time together. We usually do anyway, but at least our week usually has playdates and time with our enormous extended family, and much MUCH more of Daddy). With so much togetherness Evan and I have had a few arguments. Imagine - arguing with a 2 year old, but yes... Evan and I are both very stubborn and we do argue.

This is funny... when I get dressed up and put on makeup Evan always notices and says "You look pretty, Mommy". or "Hot lady! Hubba hubba!" (Mike insists he didn't teach Evan "hubba, hubba". I think my sister did.). This morning I got up and Evan looked at my sleepy face and messy hair and said "You NOT look pretty, Mommy." I think he was still mad at me for taking off the night before. So I respond "I'm not pretty?" Evan says "NO, Mommy. Not pretty." So I said "Whatever, your butt stinks." He's like heeheehee!

Today we hung out at La Villita (the little village) which used to house first Spanish settlers, then later on German, Irish and Polish settlers. It's full of little galleries and a couple of places to eat.

Evan and I ate at La Guadalajara. Evan's guacamole and salsa were too spicy so I had to give him a piece of pumpkin bread I bought from Starbucks earlier in the day. He was so tired during lunch (I had to ask for the check literally 5xs!) that he lost it and started crying because I gave him too big of a bite of ice cream. When I tried to give him a teeny bite "NO! Too big. Toooo big. Tooooooo big. Whaaaaaa!" without even looking at the spoon. I tried a few more times then said "Fine, no more ice cream." to which he responded "Ice cream! Ice creeeeaaaaammmmmm!" I left the ice cream, walked up to the register with my crying boy and told them "Look. We have to leave now." I left a small tip, which the waiter looked at with disgust and got out to give Evan his nap.

Here's Evan about the time he lost it. Notice only a few other customers? I was like 'the check PLEASE!!!'

I really, really don't want to leave here. Tomorrow's our last day and it's only a half day. The only good thing about going home is that Evan will be back on his schedule.

Back to El Mercado...

This time we went with Sheryl to Mi Tierra...

This place is so cool. It's enormous, it never closes and it's filled with tons of decoration.




Evan plays with the mariachi band.


The bar..



They also had a counter full of Mexican pastries.


I bought some dessert to share and we ate it outside.



Outside there were stores with crazy Mexican wrestling masks.


Sheryl buys Evan a sombrero for the fiesta the next night.



Evan's pooping here (Mike's taking this picture and has no idea).


Still pooping....


Mommy! I pooped!


Here's Evan naked from the waist down. He escaped me while I was cleaning up the poop.


Ah, a typical night for the Cronin family. Sheryl is such a trooper and took it all in stride. She even wanted to hang out with us again the next night for their work Fiesta. Evan had asked her to be his date for the party. He even took a bath in preparation for the big night so that he would be poop-free.

Remember the Alamo!

We zipped through this! That's so bad, but it was so hot and we wanted cold drinks and food.

Then Evan got pizza and fruit in the food court on the mall on the riverwalk. He had a timeout during dinner.


A statue along the river walk - Saint Anthony (San Antonio) the patron saint of the city. Mike holds Evan in a similar manner.


Walking along the river...


The next day Evan and I hit a work event with Mike. Free food! Evan was complimented for bringing in more business and was encouraged to come to more events. He made so many friends with the participants. Those are cups of margaritas behind his head.



Here they are with other College Board folks.


This cool building is right next to our hotel.

More Texas fun

So the next day Evan was super cranky and tired so we spent the morning first buying soy milk and sunblock (can't believe I forgot it) then swimming in the pool. We then had lunch where the locals go - at the Filling Station in an old gas station off the beaten path. Not a tourist in sight and everyone knew each other. Evan and I put the old map away and tried to pretend to be cool. Then he fell off the curb, scraped his ankle and all hell broke loose. The boy was so damn tired so I immediately took him back to the hotel for a nap. He moaned the whole way there until he was in his bed.

So this is my second trip to San Antonio. My first time was with my parents and sister when Mike and I were still dating. So I'm making Mike see everything we saw back then. I dragged him to the first Catholic church in the Southwest - San Fernando. We latched onto a little tour of the church (with a wedding party who was having a rehearsal). We weren't even supposed to be there in the first place, and we were back with the group looking in the priest's closet at all of his robes when Mike's cellphone rings! It was his coworker wondering where we are. We looked so bad! Not only that, but unbeknownst to us, his coworker dropped the f-bomb in that very sacred place. Thank God he wasn't on speakerphone!

Then to El Mercado which has a couple great restaurants. It's a Mexican market and quite a walk from where we are on the river walk, plus it's so stinking hot. Like over 100 degrees hot. I think Mike (and his coworker who was meeting us there) was more than a little skeptical, but it was worth it. And now Mike wants to go back! This picture doesn't even do this side of town justice. When it got dark, the whole place lights up. There are mariachi bands, colorful stores, Spanish spoken everywhere - more Mexican than Cancun!


We ate at La Margarita with one of Mike's coworkers. Since we got to San Antonio, Evan hasn't eaten much - and now we know why. Evan and I were looking at things at El Mercado when Evan's face got serious. "Oooooh, poop." Now more desperate and I can smell it as I scoop him up "Oh- Momma. Please. Poooooop." We found some dirty toilets and I smacked down his fold-up potty seat that fits on the toilet and he let it go (there was already some in his underpants). Poor baby pooped for like 20 minutes straight and we were all very proud of him.

Evan's feeling much lighter after his poop and grooves out in one of the market buildings (which was actually closed btw). He's singing "I gotta soda! I gotta soda!" here complete with theatrics. The actual song is that Killers song that goes "I got sold, but I'm not a soldier".



The 4 of us walked back with beers in hand - beers that Mike and his coworker bought in a souvenir shop! We parted ways back to our respective hotels and Evan passed out with Elmo. He has not gone to bed before 11pm for a few days now and he's exhausted.

The stars at night...

... Are big and bright
(clapclapclap)
Deep in heart of Texas!

We checked out our hotel for a few minutes.

Evan loves the phone.


Then it was off to work! Evan and I attended a College Board reception with Mike! On the way to trying to find the place, Evan spotted a piano.

I know this video is dark, but so cute.


At the reception, Evan rubbed elbows with Mike's coworkers and instantly took off with one of the girls because she asked him if he wanted a cookie. Then Evan and I roamed the conference centers and Evan tried to poop in the potty (that's where Mike found us after the reception). In one of the conference rooms Evan asked "Are there monsters in here?" He jumped up on a mini stage and then walked down the steps and said "I walk down the steps, down the boardwalk and to the beach!" After the reception we were invited up to the club lounge for some more food and drinks. We had a view of the whole city up there.


Then we headed back to the ol' hotel along the river walk. The riverwalk stretches through downtown and branches off in several places. It's actually below the street level, so you have to take an elevator or steps to get down to it (unless you're like us and your hotel is right on it). There are these little foot bridges that connect the two banks and it's not very stroller friendly. I'm getting some huge arm muscles from carrying Evan in the stroller over different areas. Thank God for super nice people who've helped me out when Mike was working!





Our hotel was located on a quieter part of the river by the waterfalls. Evan is so sleepy here.