Texas State Fair 2010

What an amazing time we had yesterday! It was Grayson's first ever State Fair and really my first without the TX/OU game being my first and foremost priority. It was nice to go just to eat, see the sights and be with my family. Beau, Grayson and I headed out with my Mom and Jeff and we splurged on every fried food you can imagine: fried s'mores poptart (mmmm), fried frito pie (heaven), fried margarita (not what I thought it would be), corny dog (a staple!), sausage on a stick, turkey leg, beer brat and sauerkraut, wine tasting, lots of beer, some Greek food and last and definitely least, fried beer. I can't remember the last time I spit out food because it tasted so bad. Nor can I remember the last time Beau or my Dad didn't like a food that they have tried (ha!). I think that wraps up the food portion of our fantastic day!

Did you really think there would be a post without Grayson talk? The best $25 ever spent?! 5 on this hat and about 20 on the awesome drawing! The hat fit perfectly, which I can't believe and it was a huge hit with all the passers-by. Enjoy and get to the Fair if you can - you won't be sorry!

 Mimi and the Stud Muffin at the wine tasting - a great area for some shade and relaxation!

Fall is here!

Oh, how I have been waiting for this cooler weather. It's still a bit too warm during the days (highs of 86) but I will take the cooler mornings and evenings! My parents' back patio is so nice during these times and we enjoyed sitting out there the other evening with a glass of wine watching the ducks and talking with the golfers as they played through. I look forward to many more evenings out there and perhaps I may begin showing up in the mornings for coffee too :-)

And I can't WAIT to bundle up this little guy for cold weather! I know it will get old come January and February but how CUTE is he?!

He is all set with winter clothes already. Imagine that. :-)

They like me! They really like me!

I have had several people over the past few days comment that I haven't blogged in a while. I had no idea anyone even noticed! Granted two of those people were my Mom and sister, Andrea, but that's beside the point. I received a funny email from the third person, my friend Thea, and since she thought I was hurting for material, she made some suggestions including Beau sitting in as a guest blogger. But then I thought while that's a good idea, why ask Beau when Thea's email made me laugh so much?! So, I couldn't resist posting this cute email and when you are finished there, keep reading below b/c I FINALLY posted several entries from the past week or so. Enjoy and thanks Thea! ;-)

From: Thea
To: Me
Subject: disappointment

11 days...that's how long it's been since you've blogged.  This is just not acceptable.  Are you trying to tell me that Grayson's learned no new tricks in that time?   Brinkley's brought you no sacrificial rodents?  You haven't found any awesome boots that I must covet?  Seriously, Stacey.  I'm not falling for it.  
 
To help you out, here are some suggested topics.
 
1) Comparing Grayson's cheeks to fruit.  I believe they were limes when I saw him 2 weeks ago but photos from Nana's bday makes me think they may be the equivalent of two plums now.
2) Grayson dressed in burnt orange.  This one never gets old.
3) Brinkley in action...hunting...real game (rats don't count) with Beau.  Show off all that fancy schooling he got!
4) Guest Blogger Beau entertains with stories about backwoods Arkansas
5) Post photos of your new couch's throw pillows once they are recovered
6) Food photos.  Always big crowd pleasers.  Or at least Thea pleasers.
 
 
That should get you started.  Ok, chop chop!  Get to blogging! 

Okay, you asked for it!.....

The Hunting Lease

Beau invited me to tag along to the hunting lease yesterday afternoon since, let's be honest, there's no way in hell I'm ever going out there at 4am to sit in the cold water. I would like to tell you that I helped him build a duck blind but I would be lying. But I did snap this far away photo of him building it while I sat in the truck listening to music and playing games on his phone!

Who builds a duck blind in a Brooks Brothers polo?!

This guy!

and from his hunt last week...(I already made the "I don't see anything" joke so don't even try it)....

It's really beautiful out there (near Bonham, TX) and I'm happy that Beau got this lease so that he can do what he loves...kill innocent animals control the duck population. Love you Beaubs!

Jumperoo - Woo hoo!

My tired, lanky arms are fist pumping with relief! I purchased this obnoxiously large jumperoo out of desperation to save my poor, tired arms from constantly holding up a very active, but very limited 3 month old baby! Poor thing, I've said it before, he is like a toddler trapped in a baby's body. He constantly wants to stand up and jump, look around and engage, which is great and I'm glad he is. But it can grow tiresome very quickly with a 16 pound baby! Three jumps for the new jumperoo! (my limited closet space hates me already)

Funny, they didn't advertise that it's also a chew toy....

Ma's 90th Birthday!

Ma Smith, my mom's mom, turned 90 on September20th! She and my aunt Charmaine flew in to Dallas to celebrate and we had such a great time! We spent most of the weekend either relaxing at home or shopping at the Galleria or the Shops at Willowbend. She still moves around better than most of us and loves to stay active. Saturday night my parents arranged a lovely dinner in the wine room at One2One here in Frisco. It's our new favorite restaurant (I've mentioned this before) and it didn't disappoint! Happy Birthday Ma - we love you so much and can't wait to see you again very soon! xoxo

3 Months Old

Grayson is now just over 3 months old and I can really see the growth - both physically and with his development. He recognizes me even more these days and gets the biggest grin when anyone smiles at him first. My favorite is this silent laugh that he does where he is just so tickled and overjoyed - I just can't get enough of it! His grasp continues to impress people and his leg and neck muscles are stronger than ever. My mom still swears that he will walk before he crawls! He doesn't like to be put down and I spend a lot of my day holding him so that he can stand and look around. It's tiring in a whole new way!

Sleeping isn't getting much better but when a kid eats like this (anywhere from 4-6 ounces every 2-3.5 hours), who can sleep through the night?! Solids will be my best friend - I look forward to that day! 

I will say that if this guy fights for what he believes in as an adult the way he fights going down for a nap then he will change the world! ;-) It's getting tougher and tougher to put him down, especially when he is already overstimulated (i.e. lots of family and conversation around). He just wants to be a part of everything - no idea where he gets that from! ;-) 

He has handled his shots like a champ and on each of the 2 visits, they were so pleased to find a nice, plump thigh to stick...and let me tell you, they are some meaty thighs! 

Here is a video of him on September 15th when he was 3 months old. Boy is he discovering his voice and these squeals will be something to recon with in public soon!

P.S. [in my best Chandler Bing voice] - can these cheeks GET any bigger?!

Grayson's First Pool Day

Well, sort of. After purchasing a few end-of-summer, deep-discounted finds, I was on a mission to put Grayson in his first swim trunks and get him by a pool over Labor Day weekend! The pool in my parents' neighborhood was way too chilly so I picked up this neat-o baby pool and we headed to the backyard! Let's be honest with each other, this day was all for me, not the baby. He could care less about the water that was just like his bath tub, except outside. And Beau was kind enough to put up with me and my swim day mission! Of course it led him to pricing out real, human-sized pools....don't worry, I put my foot down on that one! Meanwhile back at the ranch, this cute little shaded baby pool cost us $5 after a 75% sale at BuyBuyBaby and will work next summer too. If, of course, we can find it by then...we will miss you summer! Next time we see you, this little boy will be walking - yikes!

Happy Baby!

I posted this to Facebook but want to make sure I capture it on this blog - a very happy baby on a very rainy day (Tropical Storm Hermine left us homebound for a couple of days). He spends his days cooing more and more and this house is filled with such beautiful sounds! Not a day goes by that I don't feel truly blessed to be here for all of them.


You should also know that this very snug 0-3 outfit has since been retired along with all other 0-3 month clothing. As we rapidly approach our 3 month mark, I continue to be amazed at some of the 6 month clothing this baby is wearing! 


Love this cooing baby!!

Grayson Rolls Over!

First thing's first. Our parental cup of enthusiasm runneth over! Please excuse our reactions on this video but you have to understand, rolling over is really the first milestone that is definitive. Everything else, making eye contact, following your movements across the room, smiling on purpose are all kind of gradual and you can't really pinpoint the accomplishment. But THIS! This. just. happened! So proud of our boy :-)

Mila's Daydreams

I have been meaning to write about the blog, Mila's Daydreams, for some time now! I'm not one to typically get teary-eyed with joy (or really anything) but this blog did it to me! Rarely does something come along this special in my opinion and while these pictures tend to be whimsical, there is something so special about each snapshot. Maybe it's just the thought and preparation behind each scene. It just seems to be done with so much love. I also liked the author's "about me" - short and sweet. 


"This is my maternity leave hobby. While my baby is taking her nap, I try to imagine her dream and capture it."


I challenge you to pick just one favorite! :-)


http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

Cheddar Worst, I mean Wurst

Holy fat grams did I have an eye-opening experience this week! I have been buying package after package of these cheddar wurst links since a) they are delicious and b) they are an easy, quick lunch (or dinner) for both Beau and me. And, who am I kidding, since I am no longer breastfeeding my little lactose intolerant angel, I have been ALL OVER dairy products. Anything cheese-infused is a bonus! Sooo, you can imagine my surprise when I happened to glance at the nutritional content (which I try never to do) and saw 19 grams of fat. IN EACH LINK! Now I'm no Jillian Michaels but I think that's excessive and could quite possibly land my family on her Biggest Loser show if we keep this up. So, farewell to my relationship with melted cheesy hot dogs. It's been yum.

Sleepy Head

I have a gazillion more photos just like this but I'll spare you the overdose of cuteness. I just don't want to forget one second of this awesome time! I feel like my blog doesn't even capture a fraction of all the precious experiences I have. There just isn't enough time to update and not enough readers to alienate - ha! But I will give you plenty of warning - I have tons of other Grayson-based subjects to write about. Enjoy this sleepy head!

Squeals for everyone!

Grayson is really practicing his squeals so that he can embarrass me in public some day! 

Nikki's Bachelorette River Trip!

I went down to float the Guadalupe River last weekend for Nikki's bachelorette party! I really miss my girls these days - it was fun to be "Uptown Stacey" for 24 hours and leave "Frisco Stacey" behind (shout out to Thea for naming my alter ego!) We had a blast and I only wish it could have lasted longer (but my body wishes no such thing). 12 girls, 3 cars, 5 cases of Miller Lite and 1 inflatable "Willie" made the trip and it was SO much fun! Here are some pictures....

The bachelorette flew in from Destin!

We only had one near-death experience but it was totally okay because THIS saved Nikki! I speculated that she planned the near-fatal flip out of her tube on the rapids....

We survived the 6 hour float!

Later, we took cabs to the bustling downtown of New Braunfels (I hope you get that's a joke). Nikki made it rain with some help from her awesome friend Jen (also from Destin). The folks at The Phoenix Saloon never knew what hit 'em! ;-) 

Overall, I will never forget this wonderful weekend! And, I'm happy to report, it was my first night away from Grayson and I did great! It was the perfect length of time away for the first time. :-)