Memorial Day Weekend!

A marathon weekend so I had to capture it! Warning: This post is super long....


Friday
We stayed in Friday night so that I could obsess over the attire for our family pictures the following morning. I had 3 weeks to plan the look/feel that would be captured for a lifetime. I also needed to figure out my wardrobe for the rest of the busy weekend....sooo I waited until the day before to stress. It's a good thing we stayed in and went to bed early because....


Saturday
Family Pictures!
Our day started at 5:45am! Since Grayson naps at 9am, we had to have pictures wrapped up by then! Zoe D. Photography, who also did Grayson's newborn photos, chose a meadow in Allen for our setting and since I trust her with my photographed life I was happy to drag the family out there! We started at 7:30am, were out by 9am and only had a handful of mishaps mostly caused by me. Here they are in no particular order:


1) I forgot Grayson's hair brush - didn't seem like a big deal at the time...
2) I had chocolate all over my butt. Not a big deal b/c that doesn't get photographed but it was weird since my pants were white. Shouldn't have eaten that chocolate bar on the way there.
3) I got icing on my boob. We did a smash cake session at the end so while I was pushing the stroller and carrying the exposed cake out to the meadow, I apparently brushed against the BLUE icing. 
4) Grayson had said BLUE icing in his hair BEFORE we got started. I blamed Beau. However, the blue icing on my boob gave me away...I was caught blue-boobed. Get it?! Instead of red-handed?? Never mind.
5) Grayson's hair ended up looking SO greasy throughout the session b/c of all this and since I didn't have his hair brush (see #1), we were limited. I'm so sad since his hair was one thing I really wanted to capture (we have to cut it soon). Oh well.


All of this said, I can't wait to see the pictures! Overall, it went really well and I'm sure we got some good ones :)


Byron Nelson - oh wait, we didn't go.
Grayson had the PERFECT golf Jon Jon to wear to this golf tournament and my parents, Beau and I had planned to go to this for weeks. Long story short, when it was Go Time, I was the only one that wanted to go. Boo. Beau, Grayson and I ended up playing in the back yard and listening to good music with a couple of cold beers - it was perfect! :) And good thing we didn't make a day of the golf tournament because....

He hates this hat. I love it! 

Someone has a penguin in their drawers....

Brooke's Lingerie Shower/Bachelorette Party
I had a VERY exciting night planned with my girl friends! It all started at 5:30 when Kristi, Thea, Whitney, Ryan and I had a nice dinner at Neighborhood Services Tavern and then met the rest of the group for Brooke's lingerie shower! She received tons of great goodies, some that were absolutely crazy (ahem, Whitney) but overall very fun things!


We then took cabs to Teddy's Lounge - a cabaret bar where we had bottle service, made ridiculous requests of the DJ and watched my friends drop like flies! Ha. Needless to say that we started out with 20+ girls and Kristi and I (you can call us the Real Housewives of Frisco) were pretty much the last ones standing! We had a hotel room downtown so we wanted to make the best of the night! I so enjoyed being with all the girls and can't wait for Brooke's wedding this coming Saturday (the 4th) and then our Lake Day at her parent's house the following weekend. She and Aaron are here from New Zealand so this is their big month-long trip home for the year. I can't think of a better reason than to get married. :)

LOVE this picture of Brooke - not only does she
look so pretty but SO happy as well :)

The only other photo I took - the snazzy band that played while
the cabaret dancers did their thing. Awesome!

Sunday
Brunch
Kristi, Thea, Kate and I had a great brunch at Cafe Brazil where I fell in love with this tree! Anyone know what it is?? The pink and yellow blooms are like brushes or fans - I love it!

Trinity Hall with Framily (friends + family)
Later, we had two parties to attend. So I left the M Streets at about noon to only be back down there by 2 for my friend's pool party! On our way back down to Dallas with Grayson in tow, Beau and I received a barrage of texts from friends and my parents that they were all at Trinity Hall, a fun family-friendly Irish pub with live Irish music. We were completely diverted and had a great time re-living the night before! But really, it was pretty random to walk in and see my friends and parents hanging out together. Ha! Facebook really DOES bring people together ;-)


RAZOR Reunion
We ended up missing party #1 in order to make it to the second one given by a former co-worker of mine. I'm SO glad we made it - I got to see a lot of my old co-workers and was able to catch up with most of them! We didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked because it had been a LONG day for Grayson and it was his bedtime. Beau was SO sweet to let me drag them both all over the metroplex to see my friends. He was so good watching the baby so that I could have uninterrupted conversations. :)


Monday
BBQ with the Andersons!
Our friends, Lori and Allan, invited us over to their house for BBQ and I was SO looking forward to seeing them. Lori used to be my stay-at-home-mom buddy but recently went back to work. Grayson and Piper are not happy that their love affair has been jeopardized by such a decision but I completely support Lori who is loving her new job! Not only is Allan awesome on the grill (and apparently Lori was Betty Crocker in her past life), but they invited us to celebrate Lori's new job by opening a bottle of Dom! It was SO sweet that they chose us to share that with :) 

Grayson wants his own PB chair.

What a fun surprise!

Grayson loved playing with all of Piper's toys (read: pink teapots and baby dolls). So much so that he didn't go down for an afternoon nap until like 5. Sheesh. 


Family Time
When Grayson woke up, we made our way down to Dallas (see a theme here?) to Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Gayle's house. They were grilling and had a bunch of family and friends over. I took Grayson with me and Beau hung back to have some down time....I don't know why he was so tired from this weekend... :)


Anyway, another banner holiday weekend fo sho! LOVE our family and friends!!

One Sock Wonder

Grayson is like the Michael Jackson of sock-wearing babies! He has been since he was strong enough to pull them off. I can find a lone sock just about anywhere - under the crib, his stroller, the mall...Here are just a few of many pictures we have with this funny guy. ;)

One sock. Always.

About 8 or 9 months old

Alphabet by osmosis

This video is from a couple of months ago when he started doing patty cake. So. Stinkin. Cute. Regardless, look closely at his feet...yep, one sock. :)

Happy 11 Months!

Baby Grayson - I'm going to stop begging you to slow down because it's futile but what I *will* do is tell you how much we enjoy watching you grow up! On one hand I can't wait to see what kind of person you will grow up to be but on the other hand I want you to stay my cuddly baby forever! We still get so many compliments on you! That said, you aren't happy as often as you used to be but that was only to be expected as you begin to grow up and learn that 98% of the things in this house aren't toys for you to play with :) You want in the oven, the washing machine, fridge, bath tub, toilet, shower (only when I have just gotten out and there is water inside), the fireplace, the kennels, the list goes on. You most definitely don't like to hear "no". Temper, temper. Here are some goings on from the past month:

• Wake up every time with a huge smile on your face and usually laughing. Just like your Aunt Andrea! Hope this lasts forever as there is simply nothing better to wake up to. (besides your Aunt Andrea, of course).
• You are hugging! I have been waiting for this all year! You latch on and get so tickled and squeeze so tight - it means everything to me.
• We are seeing more strong will coming through (mentioned above). I could do without the kicking and back arching. I can only imagine what kind of tantrums we will have to deal with in public. 
• You are getting taller (although I don't have measurements) and can now reach things off tables. It still catches me off guard! You are thinning out a bit but still moving up in clothing sizes. 18 months - wearing some 24 month PJs. I'm thinking you will plateau around this for a while. 
• Climbing! On everything - things I wouldn't even think of. Your music table? You want to be ON it. The fireplace, boxes, the dogs - you want to climb it all! 
• You give High 5's! You may not be walk or talk but you sure can slap a hand when we say "High 5!"
• If your Dad is home and in his office, you are standing right by his chair. You love to be near him and are now pulling at his pants leg when he gets home. You are really starting to show your love for us and it's adorable :)
• Nap times and night time are SO much easier! We put you in your crib and you put yourself right to sleep. 
• You are eating table foods and feeding yourself!....and then running your fingers through your hair. Why must these two things go hand in hand (hand in hair?)? The upside is that you smell like peaches :)
• You know exactly how to get down from the couch or someone's lap - feet first! Every time. You're like a legit toddler that way! You have never really even tried to go head first - it's like you've always known. Kinda weird so I had to mention it :)

You start laughing so hard that you can't stop - we LOVE it!

I promise this is a pastel pink! It looks sharp with your sear sucker shorts ;)

I couldn't keep you away from this pool!

The pink shirt again - playing with Piper at her 1st Birthday!
You two have come a long way!

Can usually be found climbing on everything -
even if you are too tired to finish. :)

You love bath time too! Again, obsessed with water -
the complete opposite of me!

Here is a video showing you just how happy you are in the mornings! Yes, I have morning voice and yes, you start freaking out because I haven't picked you up yet. But aren't you ADORABLE?!

Getting Down and Derby!

Beau and I went to a really fun Kentucky Derby party at Deran and Sarah's house recently. I can't wait to go next year when I'm better prepared! They went all out: big hats, fun dresses, mint juleps in mason jars, red roses everywhere, Kentucky fried chicken (okay, so maybe they don't really do this at the Derby), and so on. They even had mini-trophies for those who won the bracket. We took Grayson. Next year, he's going to Mimi and Pop's for the day. ;) This kid can get into EVERYTHING. And gone are the days when he would just nap in his stroller in a dark room. Okay, okay, I probably milked that for everything it was worth but he was just so eeeeeasy for so long. Not anymore. 


Here are some pictures from our fun day!

How cute?! They typed a Welcome Letter on their real, legit typewriter. 

Dolan and his girlfriend, Jennifer. LOVED her outfit.

The group - minus 3 or 4 awesome late-arriving hats.

My First Mothers Day!

Have I mentioned recently how truly blessed I am?! My cup runneth over! Beau, Grayson and I spent the morning of Mothers Day with my parents and Ma at her new place. They had a lovely brunch in the dining room and the food was all SO good. Ma is quite the lucky lady to be living in such a lovely place with so many great friends surrounding her. We really enjoyed our morning there. I linked to the photo gallery above to give you an idea - the dining room is just like any country club I've been to - I'm ready to move in! :)

At Ma's new apartment (before it was unpacked!)

Afterwards, Beau, Grayson and I headed out to Beau's brother's house for a late lunch/early dinner. They cooked up some awesome food and we enjoyed the rest of the day there with Beau's family. Grayson was running a slight fever by the time we got there but he did really well for going, going, going all day! 


Beau and Grayson gave me a really sweet 16x20 frame that holds 8 pictures of us as a family - it is SO special. :) And it's a quick glance of just how far we have come as a family in one short year! They also had a 8x10 picture frame with a photo collage of many other pictures from this past year - this was waiting for me on the bathroom counter when I stumbled in that morning - what a pleasant surprise :) These pictures make me SO happy but there is a twinge of sadness that I can't pinpoint. I think it's because Grayson is growing up so fast and those baby moments are over. Simply gone. I can't dwell though because it seems like each month I find myself saying, "Okay really, THIS is my favorite month with him!"  It just gets better as he develops into a little person and interacts with us more and more.


Happy Mothers Day - albeit very late! ;-)

Our Boston Trip

We began our journey to Amanda's wedding with a 1.5 day stay in Boston! I'm sad to report that we didn't get to see much due to rainy, cold and VERY windy weather. But some things that we did get to do...

• we stayed in the Financial District at the Omni Parker House, a historic building...but then again what isn't historic about Boston?! I loved, loved, loved the architecture of every building and the feelings I had when walking through it all. 
• walked through Quincy Market to eat at Union Oyster House, America's oldest restaurant
• shopped at H&M - Helloooo, this is enough sightseeing for me! ;-)
• had a good pub experience
• saw a really cool cemetery. And by cool, I mean old, which is cool be default. This is where Samuel Adams is buried and Franklin (but not THAT Franklin. His Dad. Yes, we were confused too).
• experience Little Italy - ohmagoodnessgood! We ate at Euno - please visit if you are ever there - absolutely delightful and I totally felt like some Mob stuff was going down at the table behind us, which is always a bonus for an authentic experience!
• rented a "full sized" SUV for our 10 huge bags only to receive a Ford Edge, which was put together like an intricate puzzle by the boys. It was fun road tripping through the Northeast with the family! I blinked and missed New Hampshire! ;-)

Grayson's first airplane ride - he did great! (Thank God)

Grayson had his own neck pillow for the flight! Adorbs.

Grayson's first limo ride!

He absolutely loved riding on Beau's shoulders through the city!

The Tourist

Grabbing some pub grub right as the weather turned bad

We had a great suite, which was a HUGE bonus for a crawler!

Little Italy

Euno

A wine cork - 30 minutes of entertainment. Who knew?!

My lovely parents!

Any dessert that comes to me on fire is a WIN.

The hotel experienced lots of cuddle time due to the weather

We weren't proud of this spectacle.

The only person more unhappy than me with this shabby rented car seat.

The Lobster Shack - Cape Elizabeth, ME

That covers the journey *to* Maine - the rest of the story is in the post below! 

Amanda & Andrew's Wedding - A Maine Affair

The trip itself will just have to go into a separate post so that Amanda's beautiful and very special day remains the topic of conversation here! I simply love the pictures we have to capture Amanda's wedding weekend! Amanda's photographer captured it best but since I don't have those - here are ours. The Rehearsal dinner was simply delicious and held at the restaurant of one of Andrew's childhood friends. They did an excellent job. The wedding itself was at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. 

The Inn by the Sea - Cape Elizabeth, ME

Grayson was SO Maine ;-)

Cousin Chris one-on-one with his oldest

Reunited with Aunt Andrea

and with the Bride, Aunt Amanda!

Rehearsal

Maw with her Grandchildren 

Dessert at the rehearsal dinner - amazing!

Jeff and Rogan before the wedding 

My beautiful boys!

Wasn't she gorgeous?!

Aaaahahaha - trying to get 6 children looking and smiling!

Friend Sean - in matching sear sucker and bow tie :)

My family is simply STUNNING. Every last one of them! :) I'm also now realizing all of the friends we didn't get pictures with. Boo. But overall, they had a stellar turnout and it was perfect.