This post ended up being really long so I’m going to break them up into 2 parts!

As some of you know my brother and sister moved to Austin a few years ago so we’ve been going to Austin pretty frequently. At first when I booked this trip, boyrobot wasn’t sure if he could join us because of work so we booked our tickets separately. After the baby stage, the kids have been great travelers (as long as they have their iPad lol). I make sure to have treats for them during takeoff and landing but other than that, flying with them is pretty much a breeze thank goodness. We got all of our tickets for sooo cheap. They were around $120RT EACH! We flew there on Frontier and Jetblue back. A lot of people hate on Frontier but I’ve honestly never had a problem with them. It does suck not getting drinks or a snack on the plane but if you prepare ahead, it’s totally fine!

If you’re looking for kid headphones these are great! They fold flat so it’s easy to pack and the kids seem to find it more comfortable than normal headphones. Aff Link: https://amzn.to/2Dwe92D. I’ve also gotta link to Emma’s suitcase since everyone kept commenting on how awesome her luggage was! It’s a good case if you’re looking for a hardcase rolling one for kids. It fits under the seat as well and we’ve had no problems taking it on Allegiant, Spirit, or Frontier as her personal bag. It fits so much too!! And the coolest thing is the white side you can draw and color on. We got it at Target. Lastly, whenever we travel now I always put my kids in their “world traveler” shirt. It’s super soft and comfy and perfect for the plane. The lady who sells these on Etsy runs a Facebook group called Tiny Globetrotters that is a must if you want to travel with young kids!

My brother picked us up from the airport and we immediately headed to grab some food. We’ve been to Austin several times but have never eaten at Torchy’s! I’m not a big fan of Mexican food but these tacos were so tasty. I was so famished that I did not even get a picture of them lol. The weather was so beautiful we ate on their outdoor patio area. The only annoying thing was how many bees were everywhere. They kept following us and scaring the kids so we had to rush through our meal. Afterwards we tried Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs for dessert recommended by one of my cousins. It was soooo good. It reminded me of Joe’s Italian Ice back in Anaheim but their ice cream might have even tasted better! We got the rainbow flavor.

Afterwards we finally headed to my sister’s house where we would be staying while in Austin. We contemplated doing an escape room or going to the movies but per the usual we were too lazy to leave the house lol.

The next morning we visited my sister and brother’s shrimp store, Diz Shrimp! They recently had to move all of their shrimp tanks because the warehouse they were using ended up being sold I think. It was amazing to see all of the expensive shrimp they are raising and all of the work that goes into maintaining their shrimp. If you ever come to my house, you can see our own pet shrimp that are boyrobot’s joy and pride. It’s funny how shrimp hobbyists become so obsessed with their shrimp! If you have any questions about shrimp or are interested in starting your own tank, just ask! I have to admit they have been the best pet for us because it’s practically ZERO maintenance and they look so cool! The particular setup we have does not even require for us to change the water or clean the tank. Our snails and plants do all of the work!

After the shrimp store, we figured we should do something fun with the kids so we took them to the Austin Nature & Science Center. This place is small and free so don’t expect something crazy but it kept our kids entertained for a few hours! There was a cool dino pit where kids can dig for dinosaur bones, a small interactive area with science-y things to play with, pretty trails, and a lot of caged animals including this tiny bobcat that looked like a large cat!! There was also this raven who had some friends on the “outside” who kept talking to the caged raven. It was actually kind of sad to see….they kept cawing and flying up to the cage as if they were trying to free their friend!!! But all of the caged animals are permanently injured in some way and cannot survive in the outdoors :(

The best part about this trip was seeing my kids interact with my sister’s kids. They really had so much fun on this trip and grew so close. It made me feel so much better about leaving them in August for Iceland! Here they are painting canvases that my talented sister set up for them out of the blue!

She also made them these cute foods for breakfast the next day lol. She is like a real life pinterest mom!

My kids love my niece’s pet guinea pig Spike since we have not allowed them any real pets….another perk of visiting their cousins!

On this trip, we also finally tried the famed Franklin’s BBQ which normally has a several hour wait no matter the day or time! Luckily my brother told us we can preorder so we were able to do that and avoid the outrageous line. The brisket was unbelievably tender and moist! Probably the best I’ve ever had. I would definitely say it’s worth it to eat at least once! We ended up taking the BBQ and eating at nearby UT Austin.

Afterwards, we took the kids to The Thinkery, a children’s museum. It had a lot of the typical things a children’s museum has including a water play area, a pretend grocery store, a playground, and an art center. They had lots of fun, interactive exhibits too….it’s worth a visit if you are in Austin with kids. I just realized I did not take any pictures of the inside and only have this 1 from the outside.

The next day we drove to San Antonio so I’ll continue that part in a separate post!