White Sales

The white sales are here! I've only been waiting like 5 months for January to roll around to get new sheets on sale! And why not personalize them?! I am probably the last person on earth to get these from Pottery Barn but for anyone who has yet to get these, do it now! Personalized and shipped for like $80. Not bad at all!


Don't think of this picture as a crappy one taken with my phone at night in poor lighting but as a calculated, moody shot to set the tone...

Is there anything better than new sheets? Or new personalized items? Or really anything that UPS delivers to your doorstep?

First Snowfall of 2011

It began snowing during Grayson's Baptism yesterday and it was so beautiful and special! The snowflakes were gigantic! Probably some of the largest I've seen. I will blog more about the Baptism at another time but I wanted to capture some of our snow pictures. 


Beau took Brinkley over to my parents' house yesterday since they had free reign of the golf course and lake. They had a BLAST! And yes, Brinkley got in the water. Crazy dog. I stayed inside with my Mom and Ma by the fire and enjoyed a skinny margarita. And a champagne cocktail.

Beau's office resumed regular business hours this morning while much of the metroplex observed delayed hours or closed altogether. This is how the rest of the fam is enjoying the snow day....

Anyone surprised that Brinkley is the ONLY one that wants to be out in this frigid weather? Not me.

Grayson is getting into....

his own stuff?! No complaints here - I'm a happy Mama!

Eyelash Update

I'm still jealous....in case you were wondering. :)

My Mother would just die...

if she knew about this.

And if she saw what happened right after I took this.

Poor Brinkley just lays there. He has moved spots about 37 times but this now-crawling baby keeps following him :)

A Painting for Beau

I really challenged myself to think outside the box with Beau's Christmas present this year. It hasn't taken long for me to grow tired of the Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop gift cards! I mean, I'm sure he isn't tired of receiving those ;) but I wanted to do something different this year. A sentimental gift was the goal but I didn't want it to be cheesy - a tough balance for a guy's present. I just so happened to be catching up on one of my favorite blogs and saw where she gave her hubby a painting for his birthday. Like us, they wanted more artwork in the house but since real paintings are usually pretty expensive, they hadn't pulled the trigger. Well, thanks to Etsy (LOVE ETSY!), they found a great artist that sells very affordable artwork. Here is their blog post showing the painting. I love it! I decided I would do the same for Beau. I saw where the artist advertised that you could commission your own painting of your favorite picture. I think this is such a great idea and is the perfect sentimental gift for someone who is interested in art! I highly recommend the artist too - in addition to affordable and good work, she was super fast as well. (Interesting fact: she just so happens to be located in Corpus!! And the couple from the blog above is in Virginia so total coincidence.) 


Without further ado,  here it is. Beau LOVES it :) And below that is the picture that was used - one of our favorites from a rainy day in New Orleans...

Crawling!

Well, army crawling. But it's all the same to me - it means this kid is not looking back! He is so driven to get his hands on everything so it's only natural that this, coupled with his strength, would get him crawling before he's even sitting up on his own!



I was going to post this video today - guess it's not that big of deal anymore! :)

11 Goals for 2011

I thought it would be fun to whip up a few quick goals for the new year. Kidding, these have been on our minds for a while but it's always good to make a list - who doesn't love lists?! These are absolutely in no particular order and have been kept general (read: no hard #s) to keep at least a little bit of our personal life off my blog ;-)

1. Go to church most Sundays out of the year 
• Let's be honest, we can't make every Sunday, what with the 27 weddings we have this year and traveling and such. God understands. :)
2. Continue to build our savings to a predetermined goal
• We can only hope and pray that 2011 will be relatively drama free. I try not to be negative Nancy on my blog but I watch the news. I hear people's stories. Sad and scary things happen to good people and I worry. A lot.  
3. Strive to be a fun, active family 
• We want to be creative with our family activities and want Grayson to have lots of fond, fun memories of his childhood. So working on this now rather than waiting for him to be older is key so we don't get into a rut with couch time. I know this is easier said than done but I never want movies and pizza to be the norm or the default, I want it to also be a special family event that doesn't happen all the time.
4. Save for and purchase the much-desired Nikon D700 with lens/flash/battery/bag 
• Beau has been dreaming about, talking about, planning for, threatening to sell the house and/or his soul, etc. for this amazing camera. I must admit it makes everyone a professional and I need all the help I can get. I'm on board.
5. Replace the fence
• The downside to a big yard is A LOT of fence that needs replacing. This needs to be a priority as it is the only thing keeping us from the neighbor's 5 daughters and 3 standard poodles - ahhhhh!! ;-)
6. Beau - work predetermined hours of contract work
• Beau has had two great opportunities from executives at his former company to work contract. He typically wouldn't have considered this but as he said, "The work is just so easy." I can't blame him - he won't have to travel, he can do it anywhere on his own time and the pay is sick. Where were my guidance counselors in school when I wanted to go into Marketing?! On the account service side?! TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS, PEOPLE! Oh well, I wouldn't have listened anyway since I still can't even tell you what my husband does for a living... :P
7. Stacey - get ACA up and running and have it bringing in a preetermined amount by the end of the year
• It's no secret that we are so behind in launching this but we are soooo close!
8. Get in shape 
• Ugh....I can't promise this is as important to me as it is to Beau although I wish it was :/
9. Get the house organized/maximize space
• The baby isn't even 7 months old, we've experienced two FABULOUS gift-giving occasions (baby shower and Christmas) and I'm already getting anxious about storage. This house actually has a good amount of closet space - we just aren't using it well. The Container Store Elfa people would be itching to get ahold of this house! It will be up to me to get creative on this one while saving money (read: not hire out the Elfa people).
10. Give back to the community 
• Through both volunteering and monetary donations, we are both interested in giving back. Beau has become interested in helping high school kids who are at the very important cross-roads of deciding to either go to college or go straight to work. I think he would be a great mentor in a role like this. :) 
• We are also looking at pledging to our new church home St. Philip's. They are in a great time of growth but I am discouraged to see their pledges are down by 4% from the year before. Interesting when membership is up and the economy is on the upswing. We would love to help however we can.
11. Stick to the budget 
• In 2010 we were able to pay off all credit card debt and most student loans! We plan to keep this up by strictly following our budget spreadsheet :) (Similar to #2, this is barring major life-changing events). 

There you have it - 11 for 2011. I hope to look back on this often to keep our focus. I'm curious as to what my friends' 11 goals are for this year. I hope to see a similar post from those of you with blogs! :D

A Look Back at 2010

2011 has a lot to live up to. I joke with Beau that we have a lot of work to do in 2011 since our history goes like this:

2007 - we met
2008 - engaged
2009 - married
2010 - Baby Grayson arrived

How can 2011 top this?! I overheard my Mom telling Grayson the other day (yes, she talks to the baby all the time) that maybe his parents will have twins in 2011. Ha!!! There are 3 things certain in this life: death, taxes and Beau and I will NOT HAVE TWINS in 2011. :)

So before we have a little talking to with 2011 regarding everyone's high expectations, let's reminisce about this perfect year....

January
We started off the year in full swing! I was well into my second trimester when we found out that Baby Reynolds was in fact a boy! We knew he would be - I just had a feeling. And Beau was just hoping :)

February - April 
There were so many decisions to make - from nursery colors, to furniture, to baby names, strollers and diaper bags, I was consumed with thoughts of baby but somehow managed to stay focused at work. Thank goodness I had that balance to keep my mind from obsessing!

April
Beau and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary with a date to Maggiano's, a place we frequented in the beginning of our relationship. Just yesterday I came across that Q&A page he put on my pillow that night (I talk about it here) - it's still very special to me!

My parents moved to Frisco! Just like that. House hunted for, found, bought, moved. It seems like it happened in a matter of weeks. And by far, next to Beau and Grayson, this is one of the greatest gifts I could have been given! I love having them so close.

May
The best baby shower ON EARTH! This was an amazing day that I will always cherish and hope that I can give back to each of my hostesses the way they have given to me! That includes my sisters - why don't I have a picture with Andrea??

June
BEST. MONTH. EVER. My long-awaited baby Grayson arrived perfect as all get out. But he didn't come easily. Beau got great satisfaction sneaking pictures of a MISERABLE Me in the few weeks leading up to the delivery. Like these...

 Goodness the feelings of discomfort come back to me like it was yesterday. I remember sitting in meetings trying to concentrate on important matters all while Grayson's head was prodding my rib cage. It's enough to consider a surrogate the next time around. Kidding. I guess this is where I post pictures of my perfection!! I have 100+ pictures of my wonderful hospital experience but here are a few favorites of his first minutes:

Newborn Photo Shoot!

Grayson met his Aunts Andrea and Amanda within a week of each other at the end of June/beginning of July! They love him SO much!

July
It's all a blur really but tons of family time over the 4th of July (the 5th is my Grandmother and Amanda's birthday!) and lots of bonding with Grayson. I was still nursing at this time so most of my time was committed to that in some fashion.


Brinkley was sent off to finishing school (okay it was hunting training) in May and stayed through the end of July. He was missed dearly but it was very nice not to have him under my feet when I was walking around with a teeny tiny baby in my arms. Especially after surgery. He's better than ever out in the field...

August
I became a full-time Mommy in August - something you just can't prepare for! What a beautiful time in my life that I will never forget! At about this time Beau left for London for a week-long business trip - his first trip to England and it had to be for work (and without me!) :)

My friends and I went down to float the river for Nikki's bachelorette party at the end of August and it was OH SO MUCH FUN! My first night away from Grayson (he was 10 weeks at this point) and I think I did pretty well :) Girl time is a must and is healthy for any new mom. Love my girls and only wish I could see them more.

September

I was lost in my world with Grayson spending days nesting and watching him grow before my very eyes! It was difficult with Beau leaving every week - it seemed to him like he was missing all of Grayson's changes. We did have some fun outing weekends like Ma's 90th Birthday and the Texas State Fair with my parents! 

October

TX/OU was a great time with friends as it is every year. My parents were so nice to be our DD down there and Grayson made a brief appearance...

Halloween! My sweet boy had two costumes due to some unseasonably warm weather (uh, 80 degrees? that's not Fall)...isn't he just adorable?!

Beau's family pumpkins - perhaps he should consider a new career...

My Mom and I made the big trek across the state of Texas to be with Ma after we learned that one of our family members passed away. Eight hours in a car there and eight hours back with a 4 month old is just something I will never forget. :)

 November
Thanksgiving was incredibly special to me since both my sisters and their guys joined us in Frisco for Thanksgiving. My parents house was bustling with people and we also joined the Dallas Caldwells for their huge meal as well! I love family time and if I was wealthy, I would purchase tons of hill country land and force my entire family to live on it with me!

This one is of the Reynolds guys only since you have already seen all of us here.

Beau started his new job in November! Okay, this is ANOTHER "greatest gift" I have been given. I keep saying that. :) But really, having him come home every day and wake up next to him each morning is so new to us and something I hope to never take for granted. He helps put Grayson down at night and cuddles up with me on the couch each evening and I already can't remember how I spent Grayson's first 4 1/2 months without Beau home.

December
I love, love, love Christmas! And it's even cooler with a child. :) I can only guess that it will become more stressful joyful and toy-filled spiritually significant as Grayson gets older! :) We did take some time for ourselves with a date night here and there. We didn't get photos of Christmas parties or us at the Christmas Eve service, which I'm disappointed about but we did snap one the night that Beau took me to The Nutcracker! I really do hope we can make that a date night tradition.

The play group I joined had a Moms Night Out/gift exchange in December and we had a ball! I'm really enjoying getting to know the girls in the group and am loving all the fun, inexpensive things they plan. They can really keep a girl busy. I'm looking forward to seeing them all more in the new year.

Grayson was just over 6 months old on Christmas and we loved seeing his reactions to the presents that Santa and his family gave him. The presents could have been filled with tissue paper and he would have been just as happy. :)

Overall, a great year indeed and as we look forward, we can only pray for as beautiful of a year as we had in 2010!

Happy New Year friends!! I'll leave you not with a toast wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year (although I do wish that) but I'm signing off with a picture of NAKED BABY. Cheers!

New Year's Eve Shindig

Beau and I hosted our very first NYE party! But not just any NYE party - one with kiddos! We had 10 adults and 5 babies (including ourselves) and had a ball! I learned a lot from this party - mostly because we were hosting what was ultimately a play date but still planned it with an adult party mindset - ha! All in all, I think everyone had a great time and we hope to do it again next year - with just a few changes. Here is my short list of lessons learned:

• Put your makeup on! Good grief - who forgets to put makeup on for their own party?!
• Take the "adorable kids with goofy hats" picture when everyone first arrives. Who waits until their own kid goes down for the night? Me. Of course it didn't help that he crashed ridiculously early.
• Everyone brought something and it was a HUGE help! And it was all SO good!
• We should have started earlier. It was no secret that the party wasn't going until midnight so why not start earlier so that the parents kids can play longer? Done.
• People always migrate towards the kitchen. Unless there are babies and toys then it's the living room floor! We focused way too much on our kitchen when we should have made the living room the hang out place. Thus, we should have moved the gigantic play pen that took up 1/2 the floor space so that people could actually move. Noted.
• There is a level of distraction with children that I have simply never experienced. From forgetting to put things out (hello, sandwich tray!) to forgetting to tell the non-drinkers about our yummy hot chocolate station to not even getting out sauces for some of the foods - goodness! In addition, Beau and I were both trying to play host while our friends were left babysitting our fussy child! 
• Maybe next year wine sippy cups for the adults? Again, because we were all on the floor, wine and champagne glasses had no home. We do have tons of the stemless wine glasses - should've used those! I always wondered what those were good for ;-)

I feel better now that I documented these so that I can look back for next year! Here are some pics:


Our various centerpieces at the end of the night (another thing we forgot to do - more pictures in the beginning):

I can't really tell you if the kids or parents were the more entertaining part ;-)

 The final product, which I stole from Annie's blog since we didn't get one of all 4 kids  (left to right: Cole, Emmie, Piper, Liam (not pictured: Grayson & the baby still baking in Annie's belly):

Maybe Grayson will make an appearance in the photos next year!


Happy New Year - I can't wait to see everything that 2011 has in store for us, our family and friends!