Bluebonnets + Blue Bell

Meal Planning

2012-01-23T17:14:00.000-06:00

Meal planning is not one of our strong points as a couple - I am often exhausted once Sawyer is in bed and can't stand the thought of cooking a real meal; Jeremy hates always doing sandwiches or cereal (which I could live off of!), so more often than not we end up driving through somewhere or getting take-out. It wasn't really a resolution, we just knew we could do better with some advance planning!

I made this little meal planner so I could see on actual paper what I had to cook or prepare for the week. Hopefully it helps! Sunday afternoon, after stocking our pantry and fridge, I cooked chicken and made King Ranch Chicken casserole and the filling for Chicken Roll-Ups and froze both to use later this week. Both make great leftovers, too, so that should cover some lunches and even maybe dinners early next week. Since I cooked a lot Sunday night, we just had biscuits with bacon marmalade and cereal for dinner. The rest of our week is as follows:

Monday - Wine Night + The Bachelor with friends

(meaning, I'll eat something quick and Jeremy is on his own!)

Tuesday - King Ranch Chicken + Veggies

Wednesday - Lemon Basil Spaghetti + Caprese Salad

Thursday - Chicken Roll-ups + Veggies

Friday - Shrimp & Grits Casserole + Steamed Broccoli

Saturday - Leftovers (KRC or Chicken Roll-ups)

In addition to making some easy dishes, Jeremy and I each picked a new dish to try this week (Jeremy - spaghetti, me - shrimp & grits, of course!). And I'm hoping some or most of these things Sawyer can eat with us or take to school for lunch. Here's hoping it's something we can stick with!

January Favorites

2012-01-20T11:07:00.000-06:00

At least from the 1st to the 20th anyway... who knows what could change in the next 11 days!

VitaTops
Yes, an actual muffin top. And it's so good! I found them in the freezer in the organic section in my grocery store. These babies only have 100 calories and no artificial preservatives. You can toast it straight from the freezer or let it thaw for 30 minutes at room temperature - the latter works perfectly for throwing it in my bag on my way to work and eating at my desk.

Spike the Punch Jewelry
I can't remember how I stumbled upon this jeweler, but for the last month I have been checking her Twitter and Facebook pages for announcements of new products added to her etsy shop. I love neon and pink and sparkles so these necklaces speak to me.

Lana del Rey

I'll give Adrienne the credit here - she sent me one of Lana's videos a while back, which I promptly ignored. I read about Lana again here, and happened to finally watch her videos on YouTube. Now the videos are on repeat while I work (her album doesn't come out until January 31). I love her voice... and I know, she wasn't so great live on SNL last weekend, but that's why I don't like live music anyway. Her EP sounds fine to me!

Friday Night Lights

Obviously. We're on Season 3 right now and can't get enough!

More Weddings!!

2011 was a big year for weddings - I threw showers and was a bridesmaid in Pam's, Adrienne's and Becky's. Well, 2012 will be (slightly calmer but) similar - Sarah and Huynh got engaged last weekend!!! I am so excited for the planning to begin, and I am already "pinning" shower ideas like crazy. Fun times ahead!

And lastly...

Austin Restaurants in Houston!

Torchy's Tacos opened in December, and I was lucky enough to have had it once since then! This became one of our favorite taco joints in Austin and I am so excited it's down in Houston now. (My favorites are the Brushfire and Fried Avocado - thank me later.) Another Austin favorite I haven't tried is Uchi, and it's opening here in early February. We already have reservations and I am quite excited to try it!

Meggie Loves Pretty Dresses

2012-01-17T10:47:00.000-06:00

Also known as, Golden Globes Fashion 2012. Also known as, the start of awards season makes Meggie so happy!

I had a few favorites, and then a lot of "Do I love it? Do I hate it?" moments. After digesting for 2 days, I've added a lot more to my favorites (because I'm nice like that).

Ladies in Yellow! A nice respite from nude/cream/ivory/white.

Seth Rogen's wife Lauren Miller in ?

Paula Patton in Monique Lhullier

Maria Menounos in ?

Mireille Enos in Naeem Khan
(Don't know who she is? I didn't either. Apparently she's in a show called The Killing.)

All the Modern Family ladies had varying degrees of success - my favorite was actually Sarah Hyland. I thought she looked young but still sophisticated without being showy.

Julie Bowen in Reem Acra

Ariel Winter in Dolce & Gabbana, Van Cleef jewels and Betsey Johnson shoes
(she might win most improved from the Emmy's - yikes!)

Sarah Hyland in vintage Dolce & Gabbana

Sofia Vegara in Vera Wang and Harry Winston jewels
(the color - and her hair - fell a little flat for me, but how can you argue with those curves?!)

Who doesn't love a redhead in a black gown with bold earrings??

Julianne Moore in Chanel

Debra Messing in Monique Lhullier
(technically it's brown...)

Black, White and Red All Over!

Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta and Kwiat jewels

Emma Stone in Lanvin

Claire Danes in J. Mendel

Rooney Mara in Nina Ricci

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace
(lovely if not slightly wax figure-ish)

Salma Hayek in Gucci

Reese Witherspoon in Zac Posen

And I can't decide if I love or don't love these looks... (I'll err on the side of loving.)

Michelle Williams in Jason Wu

Zooey Deschanel in Prada
(pretend she didn't have sideburns/mutton chops...)

Last few favorites:

Jessica Alba in Gucci

Nicole Richie in Julien Macdonald

Ellle MacPherson in Zac Posen
(not my favorite gown but I'm loving her wrist candy!)

Favorite Couple:

Amy Poehler in Naeem Khan (not my favorite but she always gets a pass)
and husband Will Arnett in a snazzy gunmetal tux.

Duh.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Giorgio Armani

Happy 2012 - from the Beach!

2012-01-12T08:03:00.000-06:00

In between laundry and taking out mounds of trash from Christmas and trying to organize new toys, we went down to Galveston on a wild hare on New Year's Day. Sawyer hadn't been to the beach before and it was a slightly warmer day, so off we went around 4 in the afternoon.

The beach is Sawyer's happy place. He loved the sand, he loved the water, he loved the shells. You'll notice in our pictures he quickly goes from fully clothed to shoe- and sock-less, then pant-less, then pant-less but with a hat. He loved running in the water toward the waves, digging his hands and feet in the sand and throwing handfuls of sand/mud in the water (which we tried to discourage). We walked along a pier and he cried the whole time for the water. I guess we need to a plan a beach vacation for the summer!

Happy New Year!

5th Anniversary 12.30.11

2012-01-10T09:07:00.003-06:00

On December 30 we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary!

It feels like forever and 2 weeks at the same time. A baby and 2 moves in a year will do that to you!

We love to celebrate with a really nice meal, so we made reservations at Rainbow Lodge. It was amazing. Simply amazing! We started with an appetizer of fried quail on a pumpkin waffle, foie gras butter and a bourbon bacon ganache. It was. So. Good. Then we each decided to order a salad - Jeremy ordered the butter lettuce hearts with duck ham, bleu cheese dressing and toasted hazelnuts, and I ordered the blood orange and watercress salad with candied almonds, roasted beets, feta and fig vinaigrette. Delicious, but we probably could have skipped that course. Our entrees were phenomenal. I opted for the special - a cut of bison, medium, topped with mushrooms and crab meat, served over mashed potatoes. The bison was great and didn't taste too "game-y." Jeremy ordered my second choice, the grilled elk chop topped with a delicious berry sauce served over sweet potato mash and wilted spinach. Both of ours were fantastic and we were completely stuffed. That did not stop us from ordering dessert though! It was our 5th anniversary - very special! Jeremy got the creme brulee (if you want a fancy pants description it's vanilla bean creme brulee with Sicilian-style pistachio bar!), and I got the very delicious apple streusel cheesecake bar with brown butter pecan caramel, lodge brandied cherries, and chocolate chip Mexican vanilla ice cream. We were almost too full to enjoy dessert, but pressed on and ate a few bites.

After dinner we almost just went home and watched more Friday Night Lights, but since we rarely get to see movies anymore, we decided to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Jeremy said he heard it was fantastic, so I think he was slightly let down. I'm not sure where he heard such a thing, but I thought it was plenty entertaining. I'm glad we went!

Thanks to Lolly, Pops, Josh and Jamie letting Sawyer have a sleepover, we also got to sleep in until 10:30 or so the next morning, which might have been even more incredible than our dinner! Almost.

I did get Jeremy a little something for a gift, which we normally don't do. I just happened to find a vintage UT pennant from the Bluebonnet Bowl (held at the Astrodome). Jeremy, very thoughtfully, over dinner explained the traditional 5th anniversary gift is wood, so he asked if I "would" go on a vacation with him this year! We are so excited to plan a real vacation, not with friends or family (sorry guys!), not driving, not staying at someone's house, but a real vacation with a plane flight and hotel and tourist attractions. Our top contenders right now are New York City (I've been a lot, Jeremy has never been), Boston (neither of us have been), San Diego (Jeremy's been once for work), and San Francisco (I went in 1996). And of course I just have to check on Hawaii to see how much over budget that might be... but one can dream, right? Any suggestions? We're kind of at a loss right now - need more direction in our planning.

Granmomo

2012-01-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

Granmomo is my mom's mom, Sue. I named her Granmomo as the oldest grandchild and as long as she was able to write, she still signed her cards to me by that name. (Even though the younger grandkids renamed her Grandmommy.)

Granmomo went to be with Jesus on December 19, and really, for her it is a blessing. She had suffered from Alzheimer's for years, and had recently broken her hip which seemed to accelerate the symptoms. She was laid to rest in her hometown of Wharton, next to my grandpa, and I hope they'll be reunited in Heaven!

Granmomo was my last living grandparent, and my mom's last parent, and losing her has some sad finality to it. I wasn't extremely close to either of my grandmothers, but I was closest to her. And I have some fond memories of spending time with her before the Alzheimer's affected her memory...

I remember staying at her house in Austin, and looking at the twinkling lights of cars and homes in the Hill Country and calling them Easter egg lights.

I remember having a snack with her every afternoon when I stayed there, and she called it 'Tea Party.' We had milk and Wheat Thins with peanut butter. My grandpa went to Dunkin Donuts every day during this time and had his coffee. She used to make cookies for us when we came to visit, and my favorites were M&M or her special iced oatmeal cookies.

She had 2 guest rooms upstairs in her house - the blue room and the pink room. I always stayed in the blue room. She had these bath toys we always played with - my sister has them now. We have the fondest memories of those little toys. And Sawyer gets to play with them at his Mimi's house (until Amanda has kids and a bathroom of her own - ha)!

We also always played cards (Double Solitaire or Patience) or a board game called Pollyanna with her. Pollyanna is the best game ever.

She wore the most beautiful champagne beaded gown to my aunt's wedding, and she wore it to mine also. As a little girl, I thought that dress was the most gorgeous dress in the world.

She read the same books to me every time I stayed overnight - the one I specifically remember is The Five Little Peppers.

I remember meeting her and my mom in Wharton for a little ceremony at the cemetery. She alone pushed for it to receive a Texas historical marker. I drove her back to Austin and got pulled over for speeding in good ol' Fayette county. You better believe she tried negotiating with the state trooper on my behalf! (It unfortunately did not work.)

When I started dating Jeremy she told me he was a keeper.

After we moved to Austin, I met her and my mom in Elgin and drove Granmomo back to her place after she'd spent the week with my mom. I was a little apprehensive about making the drive with her and Sawyer (who was 4 or 5 months old at the time). But Sawyer slept the whole time, and Granmomo and I were able to have some nice time to talk in the car. We might have visited the same topics a few times, but it was still nice.

The second to last time I saw her was at Sawyer's 1st birthday party. I love that I have that memory, and pictures of them together.

She loved her Longhorns. She graduated with her BFA in Music Education, and she said the only reason she finished her degree is because she happened to not have been married by then! She was glad she had it, which was passed on to my mom and onto me. She always enjoyed watching the Longhorns play on Saturdays and always had on her burnt orange.

On Jeremy's behalf, I know he remembers spending the last two Christmases with her at my mom's house. When we would get frustrated with answering the same questions repeatedly, he would always answer her so sweetly and try to engage her in conversation - about going to UT in the '40's, about living in Wharton and then in Connecticut. One thing they shared in common was music and playing the piano and Jeremy would always play for her so she could sing. It really was the nicest thing to watch, because you could tell how happy it made her.

----

I wrote this before her service, which was held in Wharton on December 29. We were unable to make it to her memorial service at her church in Austin, but I loved being able to attend the Wharton service. A nice group of her friends still living in Wharton and some of my mom's friends she grew up with there attended. It was so sweet that they came out, and I enjoyed meeting them and hearing more stories about my grandparents. One of my favorite anecdotes I heard was from a woman who went to church with my grandparents. She said one of her favorite memories is teaching bible school for 2 weeks in the summer with my grandma. She said there were so many children and they were just so excited to teach them, and she also enjoyed teaching Sunday School to high school students with my grandpa. My grandparents moved from Wharton to Connecticut (and eventually back to Austin where they joined a Presbyterian church), but her friend said she believed Sue always remained a Southern Baptist at heart. To which her Presbyterian pastor from Austin replied, was there every any doubt?

We're very sad to have lost Granmomo, and as always seems the case, I wish I had spent more time with her in her last few years here. But I am very, very glad she is free of this disease, and we can all take comfort in that.

The family celebrating Granmomo's 80th birthday in Austin in 2008.
Top: cousin Brigeda, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Richard, Uncle Chris, me, Jeremy
Middle: Aunt Cara, my mom, brother Tyler
Bottom: cousin Baxter, Granmomo, cousin Anna, sister Amanda

My mom, Granmomo, myself and Sawyer at his 1st birthday party - sweet memories.

'Twas the Week After Christmas

2012-01-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

The week after Christmas was especially fun - Josh and Jamie were still in town, I only worked one day, and Jeremy was off all week. It really felt like a vacation.

Monday, the 26th, I got up early and met my mom at the Container Store for 50% off wrapping paper and other Christmas supplies. My paper collection was depleted this year minus a few scraps, so I had to really stock up. I got there right at 9am, when they opened, and I am sure anyone who got there after 9:15 would have been out of luck. Afterwards my mom and I stopped by Plants for All Seasons, a cute little nursery with a great gift store, and all their Round Top Collection was 60% off. Since we're in a rental it's hard to buy more Christmas decorations, but I did get a few little pieces. I drove straight back into town to go to Jamie's 3D ultrasound. Their only place in Arkansas closed, so they scheduled one while they were in Houston. It was so much fun to see an ultrasound again, and we got official official confirmation it is definitely a girl! We had lunch and hung out at Jeremy's parents' house for a while, then we headed home to get ready for a fun night out!

My mom so kindly kept Sawyer that night so we could eat somewhere nice, so we had dinner at America's River Oaks. That might be my all-time favorite place to eat in Houston (order the lobster pops, trust me). After dinner, Jeremy and I went to Justin and Emily's annual holiday party. We got to catch up with lots of friends, and I was especially excited to catch up with Carrie and Zach, our friends from Austin. We had a lot of fun and were up way too late, but we all need nights like that with friends once in a while.

Tuesday Judy and I helped throw a shower for Jamie at our other favorite Houston restaurant, Shade. They were so nice to accommodate us, and I think we all had lots of fun. It was small, just the family girls, so I didn't plan any traditional games. I did get a "Wishes for Baby" fill-in-the-blank page for all the guests to fill out between courses, and that was the perfect thing to do. My plan is to laminate the cards and make a blessing ring for Jamie to keep in baby Lauren's room. After a very filling lunch, I met Jeremy at home for a little nap while Sawyer finished napping. After nap time, the day was so, so gorgeous we met everyone at the zoo. It was crowded, but we still had a lot of fun and the animals were all out enjoying the weather too (until about 4:30pm - the animals apparently eat around 5 and all disappear!).

Wednesday I had to work, and I'm not sure what everyone else did. I guess they had fun! I bet the park and/or wagon was involved somehow. That night was UT's Holiday Bowl game, but while the boys watched it, we went to get some ice cream and looked up baby bedding online for Jamie! A much more fun way to spend the evening, I think. (But UT did win!)

Thursday Sawyer spent the day with Lolly, Pops, Jamie and Josh while Jeremy and I attended my grandmother's funeral in Wharton (a separate post on that later). We got back in time for an early dinner, so we opted for the Black Lab, one of Josh and Jeremy's favorites. We were going to play games back at our house, but everyone ended up being pretty tired, so Jeremy and I got a night to ourselves! We started watching Friday Night Lights and became totally hooked on it.

Friday was our 5th anniversary! (Another separate post about that night!)

Saturday we took it easy, hung out with family, and went to an early dinner at Grandluxe. (Incidentally, I have eaten there twice before and didn't care for it, but liked it a lot this time we went.) We went back to Jeremy's parents' house to put Sawyer to bed, and to play games. We played Things then Balderdash until midnight, watched the ball drop and toasted with champagne (and sparking apple cider), then we got Sawyer and headed home for the night. Happy New Year!

Sunday Josh and Jamie had to leave for Arkansas, so we went to see them off. I think we were all very, very sad to see them leave! We won't be seeing them again until April when it's time for baby Lauren to arrive!

And that wraps up our fun, fun holiday. It was so difficult to return to work and routines this week - we've had so much fun spending time together, but routines are good to get back into as well. We have a lot to look forward to in 2012!

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

Christmas morning was wonderful this year - this was our first year to wake up in our home and not have to rush anywhere. It felt so nice and relaxing! (It also helps when your toddler wakes up at 8:00 like normal because he doesn't know Santa left presents!)

We got Sawyer up, and Dad snapped some pics as we walked downstairs to see if Santa came...

And he did!!

Santa brought Sawyer a Little People airplane, a Thomas & Friends train set, some cars, fruit snacks, crayons and paper, a light-up Sponge Bob necklace, and a little penguin cup. Sawyer was pretty excited to see his new toys, and he happily played (after I opened some fruit snacks immediately) while Jeremy and I prepped breakfast for his family.

We had Jeremy's parents and Josh and Jamie over for breakfast so we could have our relaxing morning at home, and so Sawyer could take a regular nap before we headed to my mom's house to celebrate. Jeremy pretty much handled all of the breakfast - he made baked apples filled with walnut streusel (seriously the best thing you'll ever eat), breakfast tacos with egg, cheese and chorizo, and apple cider. I had fun having the family over to my house - I got to use my grandma's Spode dishes for the first time!

My ornament-less tree, second year in a row. Maybe in 2012.

After breakfast, we let Saywer open his presents from everyone. He thinks ripping the paper off is kind of fun, and then he wants to open whatever the gift is immediately. It can be slow-going, but he's so cute that it's okay. Sawyer got lots of great things - books, cars, tools, and even a wagon!

Sawyer's face was so cute when he was in the wagon - like he couldn't believe he got to do something so fun (we love the wagon, too, by the way!). The boys and Lolly went outside to take it for a spin!

The family headed home, and all 3 of us got to take a nap before heading to Mimi's house. On our way to Mimi's we stopped at Aunt Pat's to drop off gifts and to tell Meemaw and Peepaw Merry Christmas! We also got to see Jeremy's cousin Erin and her husband Lucas, who I don't think I have seen at Christmas in probably 6+ years. Pops had the great idea for us to take a cousins picture since we are rarely all together, and I'm glad he did!

Top: Jeremy, Chris, Josh, Erin, Lucas, me
Bottom: Moms-to-be Amy and Jamie

And one with Meemaw and Peepaw (and Hannah, lower left!)

We weren't there long before we went to Mimi's house for presents, dinner and sweets. My mom keeps Sawyer every Thursday, so it felt very easy and relaxed being there since he's used to her home. There's just something about going home to your mom's house that feels right, and it felt really good to be there with her (and Jim and Tyler and the dogs). We opened some gifts while dinner cooked, and indulged in some champagne and fudge and sandtarts. Yum!

My mom still likes to buy us stocking stuffers, and that's Jeremy's favorite part, so we had fun going through those. We had chicken spaghetti, pretzel salad (the one with crushed pretzels, cream cheese and cool whip, and strawberries and strawberry jello layered on top - my favorite!), and cheddar biscuits for dinner. Sawyer was starting to become a wild man, so Tyler helped keep him entertained so we could visit. Our very dear friends Carolyn and Ned came by on their way home from seeing family and it was such a treat to see them. Carolyn was my nanny starting when I was 3 months old, and she has been a special "grandma" in our family ever since. I haven't seen her in years, so again, such a treat. They must be in their late 70s or 80s, and they are just as sharp as can be - Carolyn said she's been Skype-ing with her son who is living in Korea right now. I was very impressed. We didn't stay too late so we could get Sawyer to bed, and it was nice to have an early night at home.

We had such a happy Christmas seeing so much of our family, and celebrating with our favorite toddler. Sawyer brings such joy to our lives, and to his aunts, uncles, and grandparents' lives as well. He is such a blessing to us, and we are blessed to be able to celebrate the day our Savior was born so we are able to live this life now and in Heaven.

"Glory to God in the highest;

And on earth peace, goodwill to men."

Luke 2:14 (KJV)

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

I was so, so happy to have such a relaxing holiday this year. I got a lot of days off from work, we didn't have to do any traveling, and I think we planned well to allow enough time with family and also to relax.

Christmas Eve I was in a mad dash to finish wrapping gifts. I had done very well on finishing shopping, but I'd been piling boxes in my garage, so I had quite a pile to wrap. Jeremy and Sawyer went to play with Josh and Jamie so I could finish up and run some errands and get ready for Christmas Eve.

Unfortunately Sawyer had a really bad cough and a slight fever that afternoon, so we decided not to send him to childcare at church and then we decided it didn't make sense for us to go if we'd be chasing a toddler around the whole time. I was very sad to miss the service with our family, but we got Starbucks and drove through River Oaks looking at lights instead. Once church was over, we went over to Lolly and Pops' house for dinner and presents with Josh, Jamie, Aunt Pat and Uncle Dan.

Sawyer stayed up with us through our "As Seen on TV" gift exchange (I got a cake pop baking pan and Jeremy got an Anti-Monkey Butt gift set!) and then we put him to bed in his pack-n-play. After Pat and Dan headed home, we opened family gifts. We are so spoiled by our family - highlights included a very nice set of new knives (so long, Cutco!), a Keurig (woooooooooooo!), and pretty, fun jewelry for me! Jeremy's favorite gift, I think, was a UT basketball goal from his brother you'd hang on your wall. When Jeremy opened it he said, hey, I used to have one like this in my room! To which Josh replied, it is the one from your room! Probably 8 or so years ago, when Jeremy's parents moved from their home in the 'burbs and were cleaning it out, Josh snagged that basketball goal and has been hanging on to it ever since. It was the sweetest gift for Jeremy to get, to be able to play with Sawyer. And Jeremy is the worst receiver of gifts - he never knows what to say, and never seems very excited - and I have never seen him so excited about a gift. It was so sweet to witness!

Mr. Darcy had to open his gift first - he really loves digging toys out of gift bags!

Yay, a Keurig carousel!

Wait a minute, no Keurig?? (Just kidding! He liked his gift better than Keurig anyway!)

We headed home around 11, and I got busy setting up for Santa then Jeremy and I decided to go ahead and exchange our gifts. The past few years we've just done small stocking stuffers, but I guess this year I just felt like buying real gifts so I did (and then Jeremy had to follow suit!). I think we both did a really nice job - I got Jeremy some new work shirts, all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights, and some Bacon Marmalade. Jeremy got me a scarf/gloves/hat set, a sweater from Anthropologie, TOMS, a new hair straightener (mine has been broken since March!), and a really great wallet/iPhone case from Michael Kors.

We headed to bed pretty late, but had such a fun night together!

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-06:00

The day after Bamblen Christmas we were supposed to go to my friend Annie's wedding (I can't tell you how much I hated to miss it!), but Jeremy's project from hell reared it's ugly head and he started working even more hours 'round the clock. We barely spoke or saw each other until the 22nd. How fun!

We worked until Thursday, and Thursday night we picked Sawyer up from my mom's house in Spring and headed out to Magnolia for a party at Pam's parents' house to meet our friend's new baby, Beatrix. Sawyer had fun running around the house, playing with baby toys, and eating cheese and grapes (such a refined palate). I loved catching up with some friends from high school and holding baby Bea! It was a fun start to our time off from work and holiday celebrations.

Friday, the 23rd, we made use of our zoo membership and took Sawyer to see Santa at the zoo! I was a slacker last year and never took Sawyer, so at 21 months old this was his first experience. Honestly prior to this he really had no idea who Santa was. He knew baby Jesus from his nativity toy and from school, but we hadn't really talked about Santa. All Sawyer ever wants to do at the zoo in run around freely, so Pops and I stood in line while Lolly and Daddy let him run wild.

The line went very quickly, and then it was time to meet the man in red!

Santa was very nice, and I was shocked all we got from Sawyer was a giant pouty lip (as opposed to a scream and/or tears). And don't worry, I paid the $35 to get a few prints of the professional picture, too! Santa told Sawyer he'd like him more after Christmas morning anyway. :) Now Sawyer talks about Santa a little - he likes reading his Night Before Christmas book, but we still read The First Christmas book more and that's fine with me.

We went by the new elephant enclosure on our way out and had the best time watching them. The weather was gorgeous that day, and I have never seen elephants so playful. Two babies were rolling around in the water and dirt like puppies might play.

We went home for lunch and naps, and then we got out in the afternoon to get hair cuts for the boys. We tried a new barber shop in River Oaks and it was awesome. Like an old, traditional barber shop with dark wood and vintage chairs. They did a great job on Sawyer (and Jeremy) - Sawyer was perfect sitting in my lap, watching Sponge Bob on the TV while Moses cut his hair. I do not recommend going to the River Oaks shopping center the day before Christmas Eve, however. It was nuts there, and there was a honking, yelling parking lot standoff while we were at the barber. 'Tis the season, I guess?

Afterwards we had dinner at Lolly and Pops' with Uncle Josh and Aunt Jamie, who got in town that evening. So much fun to come!!

Bamblen Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

We have a lot of different groups to see over the holidays, so my dad very kindly agreed to celebrate with us a week early. Amanda did a "Bamblen" Christmas with us last year, so we kept the name and expanded to include my dad, Heather, Tyler, and Alexander (Heather's girls were out of town unfortunately!).

We started with our traditional lunch at Champions, which was gorgeous as usual.

The decorations are really amazing! Our wedding was there five years ago, and the decorations alone were what dictated our wedding date. I am always so happy to go back and see them. Sawyer was perfect during lunch, which made it all the more great!

Some family pictures...

After lunch we went back to my dad's house and opened gifts with everyone. Sawyer got some Legos and was a happy camper playing with those with Tyler and Alexander while the rest of us opened. My dad, as always, was so generous with his gifts for us - S got the Legos and a basketball goal and some books, Jeremy got a Blu-Ray player, and I got some shoes I desperately wanted! But more than the gifts, we were so happy to spend a relaxing day with my dad and his family - normally we're rushing between houses on Christmas and don't get to spend enough time together. This day was not rushed at all, Sawyer was wonderful, and it was just such a treat to have that time together. We also enjoyed celebrating with Amanda, who left before Christmas for Puerto Rico to spend the holiday with her friend. I really appreciated everyone working to finish shopping and wrapping a whole week before Christmas - I know it wasn't easy, but it really made our Christmas day easier, too.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2012-01-03T10:37:00.001-06:00

And now that we're through the holidays, I have so much to blog about! We had so much fun with family and friends over the past few weeks, so I should have lots of fun posts as well. First up - Sawyer's school's Christmas program, breakfast with the Shepherds and class party.

The school threw a lot of events at us the week before Christmas, but they were a lot of fun and I was excited to participate in them. Thursday, the 15th Sawyer and his classmates were in the school's Christmas program! I was surprised the little ones were in it and wasn't sure how that would work, but they were too cute! My mom and dad, and Jeremy's mom and dad were all able to come, which was a lot of fun. First the infants came out in their buggies wearing reindeer antlers. Those babies stole the show!

So cute, right? Then it was time for the toddler classes.

The toddlers had bells to shake and ring. They were pretty cute. We were invited to get as close to the stage as we wanted to take pictures, but I knew better than to let Sawyer see me. There's no way he would have stayed on the stage. Luckily, Pops brought his zoom lens so we still got good pictures. After the toddlers, the preschool kids did a traditional program with scripture and songs. We stuck around for that and they were pretty funny. It was very, very clear that boys mature slower than girls - the girls knew all the words and hand motions, while the boys jumped and played around the whole time.

We all went to see Sawyer's class afterward, and unfortunately Daddy had to head back to work. In addition to shopping and wrapping and prepping for Christmas, and doing all of these school activities with Sawyer, Jeremy was in the middle of a huge project at work and we basically didn't see him during daylight hours until the 23rd. I, as always, have a huge amount of respect for single parents because it is just not easy!

The next morning Sawyer's school had Breakfast with the Shepherds, where students were encouraged to dress up as someone who might have visited the manger. I went out of my way to buy some fleece to make Sawyer a shepherd costume, but I forgot it in the morning and figured I would just be a slacker parent. We got to breakfast after the school-age kids were gone and it turned out most little kids weren't in costume anyway. Thank goodness for other slacker parents! Sawyer did great during breakfast (something I think all single parents hope for... a well-behaved kid!) and then I dropped him off at his classroom so I could run and finish prepping a few things for his class party.

The class party was a little crazy! I think maybe these kiddos are a little too young to appreciate it, and are just thrown off their normal schedule and don't know what to do. Lolly so kindly met me back up at school so I had some extra hands to set up the desserts and wrangle Sawyer. I was in charge of desserts so I got some mini-cupcakes from Crave, and then I made some cute reindeer cookies. I didn't snap a picture, but here's an example from (where else?) Pinterest:

Source: buddingbaketress.blogspot.com via Meagan on Pinterest

They were a hit with the kids! (And I used sugar cookies instead of peanut butter.)

Most of the kids were crying or throwing fits at some point during the party. Sawyer did pretty well eating lunch, thankfully, and then it was downhill from there. The kids did a book exchange and Sawyer was less than thrilled to see he opened a book! Then his teachers were so sweet to give all the kids presents and Sawyer was again less than thrilled I wouldn't open his new toy. (Eventually I caved.) By the end of our hour there I was worn out. And I found out Sawyer didn't nap after the party. They said he wasn't whiny, he just didn't want a nap that day! (Probably the cupcakes...)

Mom won't open the new toy...

In the process of caving...

And we're happy!

Ms. Carla, Sawyer's BFF

Even though it was a lot in two days, we had fun at all of Sawyer's events! Next up... "Bamblen" Christmas with my dad's family!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2011-12-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

Pinterest Recipe Day: Caramel Apple Cookies

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right, it's time for another tried and true Pinterest recipe!

Jeremy and I were searching for the perfect fall baked good and decided this recipe seemed simple enough. As it says, I actually did have all the ingredients at home except for the caramels and apple cider packets. Easy!

Here's the recipe:
(click the pic!)

Source: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com via Meagan on Pinterest

And here are my real-life pictures:

A few notes:
-The dough tastes suuuuuuper apple-y with all 10 packets of cider mix, but it ends up tasting great when they're baked!
-The best way I found to get the caramel in the middle was to scoop dough out with a spoon, flatten it in my hand, press the caramel in the center, then roll it in a ball so it's a perfect sphere of dough. They bake out pretty well from there.
-Parchment paper is required. Seriously.
-It really makes a difference to let the cookies sit on the parchment paper for a little while (but not too long!) after baking. Taking them off too soon can rip off the bottom and the caramel will leak out. Let them firm up and twist them off ever so carefully and your cookies will be perfectly intact!

We loved these cookies, and might make them again for the holidays - give them a try!

My Little Ewok

2011-12-10T09:00:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Halloween was kind of a bust this year - Sawyer was sick with hand-foot-mouth disease and what turned out to be an ear infection, and Jeremy was busy working, so we missed out on the Fall Festival and any trick-or-treating. Since I bought this silly Ewok costume, I had to at least try it on Sawyer. He was less than thrilled so we opted for Halloween pj's instead.

Maybe next year!
(And maybe then I won't blog about it nearly two months late!)

Becky's Wedding!

2011-12-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

So my year as a bridesmaid came to an end last weekend - Becky and Aaron tied the knot!

We left on Friday and got into Dallas in time to relax, change and head to the rehearsal dinner downtown at El Fenix. The rehearsal was earlier in the week, so we missed it, but we got to attend the fun part! Sarah, Huynh, Jeremy and I got there early to enjoy some time at the bar, but we ran into the bride and groom and helped them set up the room. I was glad we were able to help in some way, and I think we did a great job!

Becky brought all those decorations! Didn't she do a great job? We had a great time visiting with friends and family of Becky and Aaron, catching up with the hostesses from the shower we threw back in September, and enjoying some really good queso and Tex Mex food.

They put together a great slideshow, and we heard some sweet toasts for them. Becky seemed to have a blast, and it was sweet to see her and Aaron sharing a few quiet moments together before the big day!

Saturday morning we had breakfast at my favorite place in Dallas, Cafe Brazil (I am sure there are better places, I just really like it!). Then it was time to get ready! Sarah and I went up to the church early to hang out while Becky got ready, then we did some pictures, and it was go time!

(I'm borrowing these from Pam - thanks Pam!)

Oh yes - a highlight of my weekend - I met a blogger in person! She and Becky used to teach together, and she actually made the most adorable Longhorn growth chart for Becky to give Sawyer, so I was excited to finally meet her and her daughter Brinley (the front flower girl). The kiddos did great, thanks in part to iPad movies and MandM's.

Isn't she gorgeous? Her dress was stunning, her long veil borrowed from her sister-in-law was beautiful, her flowers were perfect, and I wish you could see her glittery Kate Spade shoes!! (She switched to glitter TOMS for the reception!)

Sarah and I, along with 13 or so other girls, were included in Becky's Bridal Party. Becky had 5 bridesmaids stand with her - her sister, 2 sisters-in-law, and 2 cousins. They all wore the same black dress, and then the Bridal Party had a choice of 5 styles of similar black dresses. We all walked down the aisle and sat on the front pews during the ceremony, then walked back down the aisle afterward two by two. Very different, but if you know Becky, it's perfect for her. It was fun to be a bridesmaid but without as much pressure! :)

We zoomed over to the reception in Addison, and it was lovely! I wish we had taken more pictures but I only have 2 - one from my iPhone, and another borrowed from Pam (I'll let you guess which is which!).

We started with cocktails and appetizers in the foyer, and once the bride and groom arrived we went into the venue. Dinner was yummy - meatloaf sandwiches, mac and cheese, green beans and biscuits. For dessert we had peach cobbler and wedding cake, and after lots of dancing we were treated to s'mores. Yum! We had a blast dancing - even Jason and Jeremy got in on it - the band was awesome! We were so excited to send them on their merry way to Mexico while serenading them with "Texas Fight!"

Congratulations, Becky and Aaron! You two are a perfect pair and I'm so excited for your life as a married couple now!

SHH: 19 Months

2011-12-07T08:00:00.003-06:00

I had all intentions of posting when Sawyer was 18 months... but last month just got away from me. 19 months will have to do!

Edited to add: I guess the last month got away from me as well - he's now 20 months old!

I feel like 6 months ago might as well be 3 years ago - I think Sawyer has changed so much from 12 to 18 (19) months. He is like a real little boy now - not a baby any longer! So...

"Cheese" Face

What is SHH up to at 19 months?

Eating: Sawyer continues to be a pretty good eater, and not very picky. Starting at his new school at the end of August, I had to start making his lunch 3 days a week (his school in Austin provided all meals). This was scary to me at first, but I have my good go-to lunches that I know he'll eat. I typically make chicken nuggets, baked chicken, meatballs, a hot dog, or just some turkey slices, with some fruit (mandarin oranges, pears, peaches or mixed fruit), a string cheese, and some veggies (green beans, corn and peas, or any other frozen mix I happen to buy). They say he's a good eater at school so I guess I'm packing okay lunches! He eats very similar meals for each dinner, and we're still fixing him different meals than meals for Jeremy and myself just because we eat at different times. Breakfast is trickier - he's not a huge breakfast eater. We used to feed him waffles, which he loved, but again, he was getting a different breakfast at school each morning. At his school now, you have to pack breakfast and you have to have him at school by 7:30am to eat there, so Jeremy just feeds him at home each morning. It's not easy to find something quick for Jeremy to make, not messy and something Sawyer will eat 3-5 days a week. We still try waffles, cereal bars, oatmeal, oatmeal bars, and turkey sausage. If one of us has time to sit with him (and keep him from being too messy) he has yogurt. I sort of think he'd be just as happy eating a hot dog and green beans for breakfast! He has a morning and an afternoon snack at school, but we don't give him too many snacks on the weekends anymore, at least not at set times. If we're out of the house running errands I make sure to have nilla wafers, goldfish or fruit snacks on hand and he's happy. His favorite foods these days are: cherry or grape tomatoes, grapes, peaches, cherries, peach yogurt, hot dogs, meatballs, string cheese, green beans, goldfish, nilla wafers, animal crackers and fruit snacks. He is a good milk drinker, likes water from our cups, and loves apple juice as a treat!

Schedule: Sawyer wakes up between 7:45 and 8am most days, and goes to school from 8:15 to 5:45 3 days a week. His other 2 days he spends with Lolly and Mimi. He eats breakfast at home, usually a mid-morning snack, lunch around 11:30 and then naps from 12:30-2:30 {not at our house on the weekends though! I can't get a 2-hour nap to save my life those days!}. He has an afternoon snack, comes home to our house around 6pm, then we do dinner, bath and play before bed around 7:45pm. At school and at his grandmas' homes he does various art activities, reads books, and plays outside. When the weather is nice and we're not being attacked by mosquitoes we go on short walks around the block every evening around 6pm.

Diapers: I moved him up to a size 5 recently. Size 4 can work well but seemed a little small for nighttime wear. I also just started ordering from Diapers.com. It seems cheaper... can anyone vouch for this?

Clothes: Sawyer can actually still wear most 12-18 month toddler sizes from Baby Gap we got for him this spring/summer, so I have continued to buy that size for warmer clothes. With Carter's I think he's in a bigger size, 18-24 months and maybe even 2T in some clothes and definitely in pj's. We just got new shoes and he was a 5 wide - I think his feet are kind of on the smaller side! It is insane how quickly he grows out of shoes!

New tricks: I'm not sure this category applies anymore - he is into everything and doing everything! Climbing, running, talking, singing, copping an attitude... what isn't new these days?

Sickness: He had a cold earlier this month, which he got over quickly with an antibiotic, and as always never lost sleep over. We have seen several doctors over the last month or so about his ears - he got an ear/eye infection in July, was on 4 different antibiotics over a month, and still we could never get rid of the fluid in his ears. His ears are no longer infected, but the fluid remains, so he is getting ear tubes next week! I hate that it has to happen, but it's what his little ears need right now, especially going into cold and flu season. I really like our pediatric ENT, and as he put it - if his ears were that bad in July, you can count on them being 3 times worse during the winter. So tubes it is!

Loves: Cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, trains - anything with wheels. Outside. Going on walks, but walking on his own and always refusing to hold our hands. Animals, especially dogs. Reading - favorite books are Pat the Bunny, Race Cars, Goodnight Moon, Baby Bible, When the World Goes to Bed and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Brushing his teeth (probably the bubblegum flavored toothpaste more). Watching cartoons or movies - favorites are Cars, Toy Story, Yo Gabba Gabba, the Wonder Pets, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sponegbob Squarepants and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Taking medicine (seriously, I have never ever had to force him to take any medicine - he loves it).

Dislikes: Holding hands on walks. Diaper changes. Washing his hair. Not getting his way (shocking, I know).

Words: He says basically anything, but some of my favorites right now are:

Water - Whhhaaaaaaater (he says it with this really weird, throaty accent!)
Apple juice - doooosh
Tomatoes - matoes
Grapes - matoes? (apparently he can't distinguish the two)
Outside - ousside? (always questioningly)
Train - tren, choo choo
Mama - Mama!
Dada - Didda!
Uncle Josh - Uncle Dosh (he says uncle so clearly, it's crazy)

Thanksgiving

2011-12-06T10:59:00.001-06:00

We lucked out with an easy, easy holiday this year. Though relaxing in Wimberley last year wasn't so bad... but as far as Houston holidays go, it was simple. We got off work around noon on Wednesday, and Jeremy and I had a little date lunch at Benjy's before we picked up Sawyer from school. It was a really nice day, so we got some ice cream and took Sawyer to the Arboretum to stretch his legs. This guy loves walking and running so he loved it! (Though it was a chore keeping him on the designated path.)

Wednesday night we met some friends for dinner then bowling. It's hard to beat a rousing game of ten pin with our friends! I wish I had a picture because we took some cute ones... maybe Emily will share one day. :)

Thursday we had a very relaxing morning and headed over to my dad's house around lunch time. All I had to bring were 2 pumpkin pies and green bean casserole - I got off pretty easy! My sister is a stickler for our traditional family recipes so she and my dad handled most of the menu, and Heather and Gigi filled in a few gaps. We had a couple hours to kill before eating - we cooked approximately eleventy billion dishes in a single oven. Our menu included turkey, my Nanny's dressing, my mom's sweet potato casserole, Heather's sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, homemade rolls (the best!), toasted pecans, pecan pie, coconut cream pie, pumpkin chiffon pie and key lime pie (yes, 5 pies, but there were 12 of us). Sawyer normally loves turkey but didn't really want any - he did go to town on the whole berry cranberry sauce! I could not believe how much he ate of it. Between dinner and pie we walked to the playground and let Sawyer play. He had a blast swinging and sliding - he would just jump head first down the slides, not even hesitating to see if I was there to catch him (I always was!). Sawyer was a good trooper because he only got about a 10 minute nap in the car on the way there, and he was a sweetheart the whole time. And then crashed hard on the way home!

These are the only pictures I got!

We were busy Thursday night packing because we left the next day for Dallas for Becky's wedding. Hope you all had relaxing holidays with lots of food, family and football, too!

...oh yeah...
and UT BEAT A&M!!!!!!!!!

Gifting Guide: More Lovely Lady Gifts

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Obviously I am biased - I find buying for women way easier (and more fun!) than buying for men. Here are a few more fun girl gift picks! As always, Happy Shopping!

Lovely Accessories:
IkaBags Waterproof Messenger Bag ($79)
I am always searching for a great multipurpose bag - I've purchased a few and like them all, but I haven't found the most perfect one yet. This could almost be it - cross body, waterproof, pretty, large enough for baby things or cameras or work stuff or normal purse things. They come in almost any color you could want also!

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry Chevron Necklace ($58)
My friend Adrienne found this jeweler in Kansas City, and I knew when I saw her pieces on etsy they had Adrienne's name all over them. This chevron necklace is my favorite, but I love almost everything by her.

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Gold or Silver Tiny Initial Necklace ($48)

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

TOMS Canvas Flats (price varies)
If you're not familiar with TOMS, they are incredibly comfortable (I promise!) shoes that come in many different colors and styles - also for men, kids and babies! - and when you buy a pair TOMS donates a pair of shoes to kids in need.

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Monogrammed Scarf ($19.99)
Tons of color combinations and monogram options - and can't beat that price!

Source: marleylilly.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Custom Camera Straps ($18-$30)
There are many of these on etsy, but these are my favorite shops I've found.

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

So she'll write you pretty letters!
Return Address Stamp ($43)
This is the best $43 I have ever spent - I bought this design, the 'Elizabeth', before Sawyer was born and have been able to use it on thank you notes, invitations, announcements, Christmas cards, etc. (I highly recommend the self-inking ones!) Lettergirl's etsy shop has tons of cute designs and she's great to work with on your customized stamp. I have also bought cheaper replacement dies for our stamp (since we have now had 3 addresses since Sawyer was born).

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Jess LC Merci Notecard Set ($14)
Gold?? Pink?? Yes!!

Source: jesslc.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Fun Things for Around Her House:
Personalized Platter ($30)
Lots of different options in this etsy shop: Christmas colors, football team colors, and just pretty colors!

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Cupcake Cookie Jar ($45)
Too cute not to be in my kitchen.

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Rifle Paper Co.'s Botanical Wall Calendar ($28)
I love all of Rifle Paper Co.'s products, and this lovely calendar won't break the bank!

Source: riflepaperco.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Rifle Paper Co.'s Recipe Box ($135)
Okay and yes, this could break the bank. But it's gorgeous!

Source: riflepaperco.com via Meagan on Pinterest

CatStudio Embroidered Location Pillows ($149)
These come in a variety of locations from states to cities to countries to national parks to regions!

Source: catstudio.com via Meagan on Pinterest

and for a little less moolah,
CatStudio Embroidered Tea Towels ($20)

Source: catstudio.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Monogrammed Coffee Mugs
Customize your own for $24...

Source: inthisveryroom.com via Meagan on Pinterest

...or buy one ready to go from Anthropologie for $8!
(I picked some of these up for Sawyer's teachers!)

Source: anthropologie.com via Meagan on Pinterest

West Elm Owl Measuring Cups ($19)

Source: westelm.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Gifting Guide: The Girly Girl

2011-11-25T06:00:00.101-06:00

Here are some fun girly gift picks (my favorite!):

Kate Spade Prize Ball Thermos ($35)
Ms. Spade has surprised me with so many cute, affordable gift options. I love this thermos - it promotes hydration (kinda... via coffee or tea...) and saving the planet from Styrofoam office cups.

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

I'm also flipping over the Kate Spade cheeky jewelry out right now. I recommend checking all of it out here, but a few of my favorites are:

Kate Spade "Spike the Punch" Necklace ($78)
I probably wouldn't wear this around my neck, but it makes me laugh just the same. (Similar options are Oh-la-la, Cheers, Smile, Mrs, and I Do!)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Kate Spade Idiom Bangles ($32, $48, $58, $88 depending on size)
These are cracking me up. Options range from a white bangle engraved with "tickle the ivories" inside to thick black "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" engraved with "turn the tables" inside to thin gray with "smoke and mirrors" engraved inside, and many other colors and idioms.

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Okay, okay - I just can't get enough Kate Spade right now. All of the hats, scarfs and gloves are too cute (see them all here). I particularly like:
Air Quote Mittens ($65)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Tiara Ski Hat ($85)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Baby It's Cold Scarf ($125)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Metallic Ear Warmer ($85)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Silver Cocktail Ring Gloves ($75)

Source: katespade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

J. Crew Glitter iPhone Case ($25)
I bought the leopard-print case (and love it!) and now I am totally in love with the glitter options (silver or gold). Hard to beat that glitz and that price for your favorite sparkly friend!

Source: jcrew.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Deborah Lippman Glitter Nail Color Set ($29)
Speaking of glitter... any glitter-loving gal will love this Deborah Lippman 'Dance Music' Holiday Mini Trio. Perfect stocking stuffer or gift exchange pick.

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Bobbi Brown Party Shimmer Brick ($40)
Oh yes... more sparkles! One of my favorite products from Bobbi Brown in a cute little 'party package!' This has my sister's name all over it.

Source: bobbibrowncosmetics.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Sephora Gift Sets - I think they always have great gift sets - good for people you're not totally sure what they like, good for tweens or teens, good for sisters, good for girlfriends... you get the idea. Here are some of my faves:

Sephora Favorites Deluxe Fragrance Sampler ($50)
My sweet sister-in-law has gotten this for me the last two years, and it is by far one of my favorite gifts ever! You get 12 samples of their most popular perfumes - and those 12 samples last me quite a while. It also comes with a gift certificate inside for a free full-size bottle of your favorite one! (It has to be one of the samples.) My first time I got Marc Jacobs' Daisy and last year I got Marc Jacobs' Lola. Perfume isn't typically something I go out and buy for myself, so this is a perfect gift for me.

Source: sephora.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Sephora Favorites Lashstash ($45)
A sampler of 10! different mascaras, including 2 full-size ones, and a make-up remover. Perfect for a make-up lover!

Source: sephora.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Sephora by OPI Glitter 4-Piece Nail Color Set ($28)

Source: sephora.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Sephora by OPI Glimmer Wonderland 18-Piece Nail Color Set ($48)

Source: sephora.com via Meagan on Pinterest

More Happy Shopping to you + Happy Black Friday! :)
{And more gifts for the ladies are coming up... because I realize not everyone loves glitter like I do!}

Gobble Gobble, Y'all!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone has a delightful day with family, friends and food. We're having lunch at my dad's house - first time I've spent Thanksgiving with his family since Jeremy and I have been married! - and then we'll be parked in front of the TV watching the Longhorns play tamu.

On our menu for today: my dad is taking care of turkey, dressing and gravy; his wife is making sweet potato casserole; my sister is making our mom's homemade rolls, sweet potato casserole, and key lime pie; and I'll be bring green bean casserole and pumpkin chiffon pie.

We usually don't do Black Friday shopping (I'm more of a Cyber Monday kind of girl), but my sister and I might try to be at Anthropologie at 6 AM for a super secret sale! Then Jeremy and I will be off to Dallas for the weekend to be part of Becky and Aaron's wedding. I will be sad when the wedding streak of 2011 ends and I won't have all these excuses to see my friends as much!

And here are some things I am thankful for this year:

-Our jobs.
We are really lucky to have gotten jobs so easily back here, and though we are both busier, we are very lucky for all that our jobs are able to provide us.
-Sawyer, Jeremy and the rest of our family.
The best part of being back in Houston! And Sawyer is obviously the most awesome baby ever, so he just makes my life feel complete and happy.
-Friends!
Especially Pam for meeting me at the movies last night so I could see Breaking Dawn. But I love all our other friends too, and they all so much joy to our lives.
-Shellac.
Yep, I went there. And don't deny it, because it's true. Shellac is the best beauty invention ever in the whole entire world.
-Jeremy.
I know, I mentioned him above. But really, I am so thankful to have him in my life. He's been working crazy hours lately and it makes me appreciate the times when he is home - he's so wonderful with Sawyer, and he also does a lot for me around the house and helping out with Sawyer and Dixie and manly chores that I don't like to do. We miss him when he's not around! And on top of that, I would fall down and die in a puddle of tears if I was working like he has been, and he does it generally without complaint. His work ethic always impressed me, and though his hours are bad, I am so proud of the job he does.
-AT&T Uverse Cable & Internet.
It is awesome compared to our horrible Comcast service, and I am really happy about the switch.
-Health.
Something we all probably take for granted, but I am very thankful for our continued health.

Happy Turkey Day!
gobble gobble,

Gifting Guide: Let's Hear It For The Boys

2011-11-17T14:13:00.002-06:00

I am mildly obsessed with finding THE perfect gift. Starting around Halloween I feel this internal itch to start bookmarking pages or scouring Etsy for awesome finds, or this year, to pin good gifts like crazy! So here's my version of a holiday gift guide - just a normal girl, online shopping while working, trying to find free shipping. My goal this year is to be completely finished shopping (probably not wrapping!) by December 17 - when we'll celebrate with my dad and his family.

So for the first edition of my gift guide... gifts for BOYS!

I have several different men I buy for: Sawyer - age 1.5; Tyler, my brother - age 13; Alexander, my step-brother - age 16; Jeremy - age 30-something; Josh, my brother-in-law - age 30-something; my father-in-law and my dad; and PeePaw, Jeremy's grandpa (actually his cousins' grandpa but he's ours too!). I'll do a separate post on good gifts for little ones, and I'll just be excluding the teenagers also since all they want are gift cards and money (am I right, or am I right?).

Here we go...

I think Etsy is a great place to search for personalized or meaningful gifts - here are a few I'd consider for my Texas, Star Wars, beard-loving husband:

Source: etsy.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Pottery Barn Collegiate, MLB and NFL Glassware (upward from $20)
For guys who might love their sports teams more than you - just on game days!
(And no UT ones, Longhorn fans - thank Texas' strict logo usage for that one!)

Source: potterybarn.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Pottery Barn Leather Catch-All ($30)
This is great for the men who seem to lose their keys, phone and wallet all over the house.

Source: potterybarn.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Whiskey Stones ($20)
The nifty little stones won't water down your favorite guy's favorite drink.

Source: uncommongoods.com via Meagan on Pinterest

itap iPhone Gloves ($20)
These gloves still work on the touchscreen of iPhones, iPads or iPods, though many different varieties are available.

Source: itapgloves.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Pinhole Press Hanging Wall Calendar ($30)
The benefit to having a child? Grandparents love getting pictures as gifts! I have ordered and received one and I love it so much. Great quality and great price, and it's fun to customize with your own pictures.

Source: pinholepress.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Friday Night Lights: The Complete Series DVDs ($75)
I suppose any good Southern, football-loving gent should see this show! (And bonus: I want to watch it also!)

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Books are often a fail-safe gift for the dads. A couple of note this season:
Steve Jobs

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Mophie Keychain iPhone Charger ($35)
Perfect for your frequent traveler!

Source: mophie.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Bacon Marmalade ($9/jar)
Made in Brooklyn (by a former Houstonian!), what guy wouldn't want spreadable bacon?

Source: baconmarmalade.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark ($27)
When in doubt - always go for the bark.

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Lightspeaker System - Wireless Speaker with LED Light (price varies)
For the guy who needs a party to-go!

Source: thegreenhead.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Leather "Book" iPhone Case + Wallet ($60)
I actually got this for Jeremy for his birthday and he loves it! (And he never loves gifts.)

Source: twelvesouth.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Lego Architecture Series (price varies per piece)
A grown-up way to revisit their childhood.
An ode to Chicago...

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

An ode to New York...

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

And an ode to Frank Lloyd Wright...

Source: amazon.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Literary iPhone Cases ($35)
For your very own Nick Carraway or Holden Caulfield

Source: uncommongoods.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Wood iPhone Alarm Clock Display ($39.50)
For the classic + modern guy on your list!

Source: uncommongoods.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Another cool option from Crate and Barrel ($60)...

Source: crateandbarrel.com via Meagan on Pinterest

OCD Cutting Board ($25)
Two boys on my list happen to have slightly OCD qualities... not naming names.

Happy Shopping!

Source: uncommongoods.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Sawyer Visits the Zoo

2011-11-16T09:18:00.001-06:00

About a week before Halloween we decided to take Sawyer to the Houston Zoo for the first time. We went to the Austin Zoo and... it left much to be desired. Like paved walkways and actually seeing animals. Unfortunately we didn't realize "Zoo Boo" was going on, so it was pretty crowded, and I felt immense mom-guilt for not putting Sawyer in at least a Halloween t-shirt, but we still had a good time! Lolly and Pops met us there, too, and I think we all appreciated the extra hands. :)

First stop always - Seals!

He thought the seals were okay but was really, really excited about the balls in the water!

Meerkats!

Mostly, Sawyer just wanted to walk on his own. Pure Joy!

Checking out the elephants. I think this might have been Sawyer's favorite animal to see.

Our attempt at a family picture... yep, pretty normal.

We stayed with the cheetahs (leopards? I don't know!) for a while - they were pretty close to us and not too many people were around. We noticed one poor thing was missing part of its paw!

Lions! I tried explaining to Sawyer this was Simba... not sure he understood. Also, I must note our $11 bottle of bug spray, courtesy of Lolly. The day we went to the zoo also happened to be the first day of a massive influx of mosquitoes in Houston. You can't even understand how awful they were! Sawyer didn't get bitten at all, thank goodness, but I got probably 20+ bites just on my heels and feet (since I was wearing jeans). Yuck!

Hyenas! Sawyer thinks the hyenas in Lion King are hilarious - these, not so much.

Petting Zoo in the Children's section. Sawyer was so excited! He walked up to every single goat and patted each one on the back while saying, "Pat pat." (That's how we gently pat Dixie at home, too.)

Otter! He was my favorite - so cute!

Then... the highlight of Sawyer's day! We rode the train around Hermann Park and Sawyer was in heaven. Next time we can probably skip the zoo and just ride the train 3-5 times. You can't see it in the pictures, but he was just so excited.

It was fun to finally get out and enjoy Houston! And thanks to Lolly and Pops getting a membership, I think we'll be going back a lot!

Tubes-Day

2011-11-11T10:22:00.001-06:00

Last week was one of those stressful ones - Jeremy and I were both busy with work, and Sawyer was sick the majority of the week (and missed Halloween!), and he had ear tubes put in last Friday. Thankfully we had a restful weekend and things were back to normal this week.

Two weeks ago I picked Sawyer up early from school with a slight fever, plus a runny nose and just that normal gunk that happens during the fall and winter. Sunday morning I noticed red dots all over the palms of his hands and around his feet, spreading up his arms and legs. I had a hunch, and Dr. Google confirmed what I thought - hand foot mouth disease. Yuck! (Sidenote: I don't recommend scrolling through Babycenter.com's pictures of different rashes if you have a weak stomach.) Sawyer was pretty fussy so we thought getting out for a drive (and watching Cars) might help, but he ended up even fussier. We stopped by Lolly & Pop's for some ice cream (they can get sores in their throat so I thought that might help) but he just wasn't feeling well, so we took him by an urgent care clinic just to verify that it was HFMD. They were so nice and didn't even have us check in (maybe due to the screaming baby) and sent a nurse out to check him out. Yes, it was HFMD. Some Advil helped a little and then two mom friends saved my night - Ashley and Melanie have both been through this and recommended a magical medicinal cocktail to soothe the pain, coat his throat, and make him loopy enough to not feel bad. Thank you, friends!

Lolly kept Sawyer Monday, so he didn't have to go to school and so we could work, and Tuesday, her normal day. Monday we were supposed to get Sawyer dressed up in his Ewok costume and go to the Fall Festival at HFBC, and I was so sad to miss it! We didn't even dress him up or have any trick-or-treaters. In fact, Sawyer went to bed early, we ordered pizza and Jeremy worked. How exciting. Tuesday afternoon we took him to the pediatrician just to see if he could return to school Wednesday, and to make sure this thing wouldn't affect his ear tube surgery at the end of the week. Sawyer has had fluid in his ears since August, and we recently had his hearing tested and it showed some (temporary) impairment, so this surgery was going to happen! Sawyer was cleared for school but we found out in addition to HFMD he had another ear infection!!!! Are you kidding me? No wonder we weren't getting much sleep at night! But even with the infection, he was still good for getting tubes.

I stayed home with him on Wednesday - we just didn't want him picking up any more germs at school and getting sick before surgery, and my mom kept him on Thursday. I think we made the right decision because I got an email from his school Thursday notifying us of a strep outbreak in class.

We finally made it to Friday morning - tube day! Sawyer could have clear liquids (juice or water) from 12:30am to 6:30am, and then nothing after. He woke up about 10pm and I gave him some milk, but luckily he didn't wake up again until the morning. He's not a huge breakfast eater, so he actually never asked for anything or seemed to care about not having eaten. The surgery was at Texas Children's and he was pretty happy playing with all the toys in the huge waiting room. We had to keep getting pulled away to meet with the billing people, a nurse to take his vitals, then the nurse practitioner, then the doctor, then the anesthesiologist. It was nice to meet everyone though! Sawyer can tend to be very clingy to me in new places, so I was really anxious about when they'd have to take him away from me but they promised it would be a quick few minutes before he was under general anesthesia. Now whenever I warn someone about him screaming, he never does it, and same thing this time. The nurse came to take him back, I wrapped him in his blanket, kissed him and handed him over and he just let them walk away. I think he was starting to get hungry and sleepy and wasn't in the mood for a fight.

Surgery took maybe 15 minutes and then we were called back to see him in recovery. I could hear him crying when we walked in, but grumpiness was to be expected. I held him in a rocking chair and we got him apple juice (so happy!) and some Tylenol (happy mom!). Jeremy left so my mom could come back and see him, and after his doctor came by to see us, we were headed out the door! I think we were at the hospital for maybe 3 hours. We got home, put on Cars, snuggled on the couch with Lolly and ate some goldfish. Sawyer seemed fine with the food on his stomach - hungry even! - so my mom brought him a Happy Meal and I have never seen him eat so fast. He took his normal nap and then he was completely back to normal - happy, running, playing, talking. It was great to see him feeling so well! We had to give him ear drops three times a day for three days, so by this Monday he was back in school and done with any medicine from the procedure. Everyone I talk to raves about the difference in health before and after tubes, so I am really hoping this helps a lot over the winter.

Here are some pictures from Friday morning:

Enjoying some juice in recovery

Trying to catch my little blur in his tiny Texas Children's pj's

Playing in a car - what else?

Santa might have to bring S a Cozy Coupe!

Back to normal!

A boy and his dog.

This Time Last Year...

2011-11-09T08:51:00.001-06:00

A year ago yesterday:

-Sawyer started his first day ever at daycare. Sending a 19-month-old to daycare now seems so different than sending an 7-month-old. I can't believe I was able to do that! (Luckily our school was awesome, teachers were wonderful and Sawyer loved it.)

-I started my first day of work at an engineering firm in Austin. I'm now on job #3 since then.

-We had just closed on the sale of our home in Houston.

-We were still "house-sitting" in Austin. We're now living in house #3 since then.

-Sawyer hadn't started crawling yet! He didn't start until Thanksgiving last year. Hard to believe they can change so much in 12 months.

Truly, what a difference a year makes. I never thought the last 12 months of my life would have had so many changes - hopefully the next 12 are a little more static.

My New "Pin"terest: Baking

2011-10-11T17:05:00.001-05:00

Witty title, no? It's 5:00 so my brain is halfway to turning off for the night - sorry. As if blogs, facebook, gchat and online shopping weren't enough, I have fallen into the pit of lost time known as Pinterest. First it seemed people were using it for home decor inspiration, but now I really enjoy using it to keep track of recipes I find online and want to try. And ogling pretty home decor and clothes and accessories makes it fun too. :)

Here's a few pinned recipes I wanted to share:

{Margarita Cupcakes}
Pinned here. Blogged about here. My very first experience baking cupcakes and making icing from scratch, and I was worried. But it all turned out well and they were delicious! Buttery, sugary and just hints of lime and tequila. I highly recommend making these for your next fiesta!

{Low Fat Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins}
Pinned here. I had a bunch of overly ripe bananas and had just seen this recipe, so voila! We had muffins. I threw some chocolate chips in because really, who doesn't want a healthy, low-fat breakfast muffin + chocolate? They were so good! So easy! I love baking muffins and having them around for a quick breakfast in the mornings (or quick snack after work). (Carbs are my love language.)

{Ready-to-Eat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough}
Pinned here. When I saw this on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it immediately. Cookie dough was one of my guilty pleasures right after Sawyer was born, when I forgot I couldn't eat like I was pregnant anymore, and I was a single mom Sunday night - Friday night when Jeremy was working in Austin. Alas, I had to stop buying it and keeping it in my fridge. But every so often, you just need some dough, you know? My conclusion: a pretty good substitute. It's missing a little something (like raw eggs for starters) but when you just want a few bites of something sweet, it's not bad!

{Sugar Cookie Bars}
Pinned here. I have this fantasy that one day we will win the lottery and I'll have enough money to quit my job and open a bakery (likely in the downtown tunnels for hungry professionals with a hot pink table with Emily). With this recent dream and the help of Pinterest, I have been anxious to practice new recipes. I was home sick last week and threw these together with ingredients we had on hand (with clean hands, don't worry!). My advice: the recipe says you can use lemon zest in the dough, and either vanilla or almond extract in the icing. I opted for lemon zest and for almond extract, and I wouldn't do both again. Use the lemon with vanilla icing, or no lemon with almond. It makes a lot, so they're perfect for cutting into bites and serving at parties.

And though it's not a Pinterest recipe, my traditional cake in "celebration" of OU-TX weekend:

Unfortunately the cake gave the Horns no luck. Maybe next year I'll try vanilla...

Wrapping Up Summer

2011-09-30T12:00:00.002-05:00

I'll fill in the blog with some pictures courtesy of Pops (we never seem to have our camera on us anymore) of the end of our summer. We spent the greater part of August packing, trashing and organizing and prepping for our move back to Houston, but we did get to have some fun.

One weekend we came into town to see the home we leased (sight-unseen!) and it just so happened we were able to meet family in The Woodlands at Tommy Bahama's to celebrate Aunt Pat's birthday! Erin had even flown in from Denver, so it was great to see everyone and made us excited about the move.

Lolly and Grammy with their grandkiddos, Sawyer & Hannah

Judy's gift to Pat was books from each decade of her life (I won't give away that number!), whatever book was the #1 book that year, and she gave us all clues to see who could guess. As much as I like to read, I didn't guess any!

What are you looking at?

Happy Birthday, Pat!

All the kids were actually very well-behaved at dinner (I was shocked!), but we did get up and walk with Sawyer several times outside. It broke his heart that we wouldn't let him play in the splash pad, so after dinner we took off his shirt and let him run and splash to his heart's content.

Then he wanted to play soccer with the big kids!

And much to their mother's excitement, Hannah and Katie jumped in on the splashing too... in their dry clean only outfits! Oops! Glad all the kiddos could have fun though - I can't wait for Sawyer to have more second cousin play time!

We made the move at the end of August, and we've been enjoying our time back in Houston with friends and family. Now if only I had time to finish unpacking all of the boxes!

Mullet-Be-Gone

2011-09-27T16:15:00.001-05:00

In no way was I intending for Sawyer's mullet to be a permanent style - between the move and new jobs and busy weekends we just never made time to get it trimmed. But this Sunday we finally broke down and took him to SnipIts in Rice Village (for his 18-month birthday...post coming soon!).

Jeremy snapped a before picture:

I thought Sawyer might not fuss - especially once I saw the TV and sucker - but of course, I was wrong. He hates to be sitting anywhere not in my lap or attached to me and be messed with, for example, you should hear how he screams at the pediatrician just when they're weighing him! Worse even than when he gets shots! Once we strapped him in the chair, he lost it.

He settled down enough once another stylist started blowing bubbles at him, and then we got into a sweet spot with the bubbles, a banana sucker and watching a video on the TV in front of him!

Once the stylist started in on the detailed cutting, like around his ears, Sawyer got uneasy again. Luckily it was all over very quickly! She saved his hair for us, and Sawyer got to pick out a new car (which they had conveniently displayed right by his chair) - a yella bus (two of his favorite words right now). We had to stop by Lolly and Pops' house to show off how handsome our boy looked!

I love the results! He looks so handsome! His hair really looks the same, just without the "party in the back" and really long wispies on top. I love my blonde guys! {I'm counting Jeremy in there, too!}

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The Emmys

2011-09-19T16:15:00.001-05:00

I really, really enjoy TV. We all know this. I know I could do better things with my time, but I really love being invested in a great series. So TV is my hobby, okay? Don't judge. My DVR makes it incredibly easy for me to keep up with my favorite shows. Summers seem so long these days with the absence of new shows (besides good summer reality like So You Think You Can Dance and the ever-reliable Bravo), so I look very forward to this week each September when (most) new shows start up again! It's almost like my Christmas morning!

Embarrassing as it may be, here is our DVR schedule this week:

Monday
How I Met Your Mother
Gossip Girl (starts next Monday!)
House (starts October 3)
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Tuesday
Glee
New Girl (Zooey Deschanel's new sitcom - we'll see...)
The Rachel Zoe Project
Teen Mom
Tosh.0 (but we have to record when it repeats at 11pm!)

Wednesday
Up All Night (we watched the preview episode last week and it could be good - Maya Rudolph could save the show!)
Modern Family
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Happy Endings (starts next week)

Thursday
Community
Parks & Recreation
The Office
Whitney (probably will be bad, but I'm throwing it in here anyway)
Grey's Anatomy
Project Runway (also have to record a later airing of this one!)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Sunday
Amazing Race

The Emmy Awards last night were like an exciting pep rally to kick of the new fall seasons. The show was pretty good - Jane Lynch was okay, sort of hit or miss for me. There were so many good bits that had us laughing! The best actress in a comedy nominees all standing up on stage pageant style, followed by Melissa McCarthy's very genuine reaction to winning. The Lonely Island's performance with Michael Bolton, John Stamos, Ed Helms, Maya Rudolph, Akon and others. Musical interludes by The Emmytones, which included Cobie Smulders (Robin, How I Met Your Mother), Joel McHale (from Community and The Soup on E!), Wilmer Valderrama, Zachary Levi (Chuck), Kate Flannery (Meredith, The Office) and Taraji P. Henson (I know her from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). When announcing the nominees for best writing for shows like Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show, and Conan they all did funny things - all the SNL writers were announced with different pictures of Justin Timberlake, all of Jimmy Fallon's writers were announced with pictures of cute puppies, and Conan drew 1 writer's name out of a hat to name - his own.

What I love almost as much as TV is awards show fashion. I love pretty dresses. I love pretty hair. I love jewels and shoes. I look forward to Oscars fashion more than the actual awards, and though the Emmys aren't as big, they're just as exciting! I didn't watch any red carpet coverage, but these are my opinions from watching the show:

Hits!

via
Julie Bowen in Oscar de la Renta
Verging on almost too thin, Julie does look great in her dress and I was excited for her win as Best Supporting Actress!

via

via
Sofia Vegara in Vera Wang

via
Kristin Wiig in a yummy Zac Posen

via
Minka Kelly in navy and lace by Dior
This could err on the side of grandmother-ly, but I think she is so beautiful she could wear a paper bag. And she was so excited to present the award for Best Actor in a Drama to her old co-star Kyle Chandler for Friday Night Lights, I can't help but like her!

via
Kerry Washington in Zuhair Murad

via
Elizabeth Moss in Marchesa

via
Cobie Smulders in turquoise Alberta Ferretti

via
Amy Poehler in Peter Som
I love her simple silhouette with the glitzy fabric!

...And the Misses...

via
Katie Homes (Kate Cruise?) in Calvin Klein
Actually, I do love her messy hair and her make-up. And the dress is not so bad, I just don't think the front cut is very flattering. But she does look pretty!

via
Gwyneth Paltrow in Emilio Pucci
Her hair and makeup look great! And the dress is pretty in theory... I just can't get past 2 piece, midriff-baring dresses. It takes me back to Bearkadette Ball in high school when that was all the rage (I opted out of that trend!).

via
Juliana Margulies in Armani Prive

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Julianne Hough in Caroline Herrera
I am a huge Julianne fan, even bigger now that she's doing the remake of Footloose. But something just wasn't working for me when I saw her picture. Perhaps it's just the lighting?

via
Drew Barrymore in Givenchy

via
Heather Morris in Masai Payan
Eh.

via
Ariel Winters in ?
Slightly inappropriate for a 13-year-old girl? What do you think?

10 Years Later...

2011-09-13T15:55:00.001-05:00

I can not believe 9.11 was 10 years ago. It feels like just yesterday it was 2001. I was very lucky to not be directly affected by any of the terrorist attacks, and I certainly don't have any earth-shattering revelations about what happened that day, but Jeremy made me watch a couple specials on 9.11 and I kind of just wanted to write to remember. I wish I had written down what I was thinking in 2001 - now 10 years later I feel like I barely remember the details of that day anymore, and that having seen so much footage and so many stories, I don't know if I am remembering details from those or what I actually saw. We watched 102 Minutes that Changed America and 9/11: 10 Years Later (the documentary by two French brothers that focuses on the firefighters in Ladder 1).

9/11: 10 Years Later took my breath away. And made me nauseous. These brothers set out to film a rookie firefighter - I think Tony was 19 - and happened to go on a call regarding a gas smell just blocks from the WTC. And they caught the first and only footage of the first plane hitting. It is truly amazing and shocking and terrifying. I absolutely can not imagine what must have been going through anyone's heads - witnessing these events, or being trapped in the buildings, or on the planes.

My now foggy memory of that day is being in Mr. VandenBelt's history class - it was either AP history or his world geography class (I took both that semester and now I can't remember which it was). I believe it was second period? I have a vague memory of walking between classes and hearing something about an attack in New York. I believe we turned the news on in class, and I remember asking Mr. V what the WTC were. I just didn't understand the significance of those buildings to terrorists. I actually had been to the WTC once when we visited New York with my mom in 1998 or 1999 - we tried to eat at the restaurant, Windows on the World, and couldn't get in. Later in the trip we took a picture from the Statue of Liberty with the twin towers perfectly in the background. I'm not sure if my mom worked in the WTC, but I know when she went to NYC for business she worked near there. I cannot say for sure if I witnessed the second plane crashing live. I seem to remember watching it and thinking it was a replay of the first, then realizing it was happening live. I think we all walked around in a bit of a daze and fear that day. We were too young to understand the implications - I was, anyway - but I remember some girls had fathers who were traveling on business and were worried. I remember a rumor that the top 5 biggest cities were going to be attacked and Houston was one of them. I remember worrying about my mom working downtown in the Enron building. I remember drill team practice getting canceled so we could go home when school ended - we might have even gotten to leave early, I'm not sure. But it was a gorgeous day in Houston - clear, very blue skies, and just starting to feel a little cool. It actually would have been a nice day to practice dance on the blacktop outside. And then I remember flying was a little scary. Lots of rules, and meeting people in baggage claim instead of at the gate. It's crazy to me these are things Sawyer will never know. Not that meeting in baggage claim is a hardship, I just think it's so weird that our children will grow up and 9.11 will not be a major event in their lives; it will just always be.

Three months later, my best friend from high school and our moms flew to New York City for vacation the day after Christmas. One friend and her mom dropped out of the trip from fear. But we went and enjoyed shopping and eating and a Broadway show (Mama Mia!). We didn't make it to Ground Zero - now I wish we had seen it then, still in 2001. I don't think the city seemed different to us, and I never felt unsafe. In 2006 I went back to New York City, again with my mom and sister (and 100 other Bearkadettes!). This time we did make time to see Ground Zero and I am very glad we did. I have two pictures from our visit:

It looked quite different then, even 5 years after, than it does now. The memorial looks beautiful and I hope one day to visit it. Peace be with those who were lost and who lost loved ones that day.

Becky & Aaron's Couples Shower!

2011-09-12T09:31:00.001-05:00

This weekend a few of Becky's bridal party girls hosted a couples stock-the-bar shower for her and Aaron in Dallas. We were all so busy leading up to the shower - our emails were ridiculous going over our busy schedules and who could and could not do what. But it all came together! We held it at Becky's cousin, Katie's, home, which is pretty close to Northpark Mall. It is the cutest house and the best location! Apparently the Bushes live in the same neighborhood, but they didn't make an appearance - too bad.

Anyway, it was a Mexican-themed shower, and we called an audible last week and opted not to pay for catering and to throw the food together ourselves. It really turned out so well, we had the perfect amount of food and all of it was really yummy!

Katie made a Mexican pie dip and green chile cheese bites, Sarah made Chuy's creamy jalapeno dip and Mexican wedding cookies, Sharon made tamale bites, and I made chicken enchilada roll-ups, margarita cupcakes and monster cookies, and we also had chips and salsa. The party was at 4pm, so this was the perfect snack spread.

{Sidenote: The cupcakes were awesome! If I do say so myself. There is tequila in them, brushed on top of them and in the icing, but mostly you just taste buttery, sugary goodness. They're made from scratch as is the icing, and I even channeled my inner baker by piping the icing on with a baggie like a professional.}

We also had margaritas - special Beck family recipe! - and I think they were enjoyed! Sarah bought these adorable straws and personalized cups for drinks and they matched perfectly. Aaron was so excited he said, ""I've never seen my name on a cup before!" Luckily we had a lot of extras they were able to take home and can use in the future.

Huynh also got in on the party planning and brewed some beer just for the party - a cream ale complete with a 'Pham Brewing Co.' personalized label that matched our invitations. Too cute!

Our lovely bride showing off the beer + my cupcakes! Isn't she pretty??

Becky is a really, really special friend. She has a good head on her shoulders, which makes her a great person to have honest conversations with about your life or big decisions you need to make. She is also so positive and loving - every single time I see her, I leave feeling happy and uplifted. She loves Jeremy and Sawyer just as much as she loves me, and she has made countless quick trips to Houston or Austin to see us for special events in our lives. She drove from Dallas just for the day when Sawyer was teeny tiny just to meet him, and I remember her being incredibly upset that she got sick the weekend he was born and that she couldn't come to the hospital! She is just the best, and every single friend at the party thinks so too. (That explains her bridal party of about 15 girls!)

The shower was so much fun, and I think Becky and Aaron got some great things! A few picture highlights:

Pam literally stocked their bar with Patron and Ketel One, and Becky was very excited!

Hostesses with the Mostesses: Jenny, me, Becky the Bride!, Katie, Sarah & Sharon

Personalized Rangers glasses - now Aaron's name is on a glass forever!

After the shower, we went back to Aaron's house to finish watching the UT game (yay!), then we ordered some pizza and watched even more football (Michigan v. Notre Dame!). We spent the night there, and headed back very early Sunday morning so Huynh didn't have to miss any NFL games - I was home by 11am. We had a blast hosting this for Becky, and I loved getting to meet more of her friends and family, and spending more time with Aaron. He's a keeper! Love you, B!

2011-08-23T11:30:00.002-05:00

Seems like once our lives settle into a normal routine we like to change things up again! So... We're moving back to Houston! When Jeremy moved with his boss to a very small start-up company in March we knew it was a risk, so we weren't all that shocked when it ended up not really working out. Jeremy was lucky enough to get a job offer from his old company in Houston, and with this economy having a job offer anywhere is nothing to turn down. Unfortunately it means another move for us, but Houston will always be our home so it feels good to be going back (if I keep telling myself that it will be true!), near family and friends and co-workers Jeremy enjoys. I was also lucky enough to get some interviews and I've accepted a job with an energy company doing regulatory (same thing I do in Austin). I am really excited about this opportunity for my career - in the end Houston just makes sense for the industry I'm in.

As positive as I'm trying to be, there have been a lot of tears on my part about leaving. I love our home (even if it's just a rental), our neighborhood, Sawyer's school, my job and coworkers and friends. I have never loved a job and the people I work with so much, and loving Sawyer's school and teachers like I do makes it so easy for me to go to work each day. I have loved being here, just our little family, and figuring things out (mostly) on our own. Moving here was very, very difficult - Sawyer was only 4 months old when we started living here full time, and then we had so much stress over selling our home in Houston and me finding work here. But once I started at Jones in March, I really felt like we hit our stride. We had a great schedule during the week and so much fun together on the weekends. I hate having to leave a job I am just not ready to leave. My last day was Friday and it was such a tough day. And again, no move is without stress. We have had trouble finding a comparable school for Sawyer in Houston with openings, and we searched for weeks for a rental home with no success. And we are breaking our lease in Austin, so we've been praying our home here would get leased again quickly so we weren't stuck paying rent two places. Like I said... Lots and lots of tears!

It seems over the weekend stuff finally came together for us. I made it through my last day of work. Very sad, but I made it. Our home is Austin has been leased. We leased a townhome in Houston sight-unseen and finally saw it with our own eyes this weekend. It's beautiful and the location is great and I think we'll be happy. We toured a school for Sawyer and though they only have 3 days a week open, we absolutely love the facility and hope to make it work for the time being. We got to spend some time with our friends in Houston and it makes me a little more excited about moving back.

So that's our yearly moving update. Very bittersweet but hopefully looking back I'll know it was the right decision for us. We move on Monday - nothing like scheduling a move during record breaking temperatures. And unfortunately we'll be doing this again in 2012 as our lease is only for 12 months. But if I have any say at all, next year we'll be buying a place we can live for the next 10-20 years! I am ready to be settled!

Location:It's That Time Again!

Wedding Weekend in Crested Butte

2011-08-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

The weekend after Independence Day, one of my best friends got married in Crested Butte, Colorado. We had a whirlwind two days back in town, and left again Wednesday evening. We hadn't done a nighttime drive with Sawyer before but it went great - he was out like a light 30 minutes in and slept the rest of the way and then through the night once we arrived at Jeremy's parents. We spent the night in Houston, then left mid-morning on Thursday. We were excited to be on the flight with our friends Jason and Pam and Taylor and her mom. We arrived in Gunnison mid-afternoon with a lot of other wedding guests. Adrienne, her dad, the groom's parents and maybe some others showed up to chauffer us back to Crested Butte, which was so nice of them! It's about a 20-30 minute drive and it was beautiful. I convinced myself I didn't like Colorado in the summer... and obviously I was wrong! It was such a welcome break from the 100-degree temperatures we've had in Texas!

We got to the condo we rented with Jason, Pam, Sarah and Huynh, settled in a little, and then it was time for the Lingerie Shower! Pam did a great job organizing everything from a distance, and we had a fun shower/cocktail party at Adrienne's parents' house with a small group of ladies who were already in town. After the shower we had dinner at a great place in town called Maxwell's. My dinner was delicious and they did a really good job of handing our group of 40!! Yes, 40! It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed meeting everyone at our table. After dinner, some of us younger ladies went to a few bars in town. We started at a really cool place called Dogwood - dark, small, cool decor and really interesting cocktails! We tried a karaoke bar but there was another wedding party there already hogging the stage and singing horrible karaoke songs. We ended the night at a local place with a great DJ and all the girls had a fun time dancing and bonding. There were several groups of girls who came in town - New York friends (where Adi used to live), UT friends (like me!), high school/Houston friends, even some Crested Butte locals. We all had a blast together, it really felt like we came away with a bunch of new friends! While the girls did their Bachelorette thing, Jeremy, Jason, Huynh and Sarah's dad went to dinner (Jeremy ate elk and was happy to brag about it!) and had a few drinks in town as well.

Friday morning we had the rehearsal up at the location - Ulley's Cabin. It was so pretty! What a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding! After that the bride and her bridesmaids went to town to get our nails done, and then Pam and I met up with our guys for lunch at The Last Steep. It was so delicious - I had a burger with cream cheese, jalapenos and pineapple.

We went straight back to the condo for naptime, then it was time for the rehearsal dinner. It was at Butte 66, which nicely enough was very close to our condo. I think rehearsal dinners are so fun because it's a little more relaxed and casual and intimate than the wedding. We had a fun time catching up with everyone, and then spend the night in our condo bonding with our "roommates" for the weekend.

Saturday morning we got our hair done in town - another fun part of weddings! I think it is so fun to have that girl time to relax and laugh and eat and get ready together before the wedding. A family friend brought delicious food up for us, and we had mimosas and enjoyed listening to the Robyn station on Pandora (Adi's choice!).

Then it was go time! We grabbed our bags and drove up to Ulley's to get ready. The location looked awesome - it was all tented, with picture frames hanging to frame the gorgeous view. The flowers were lovely and Adrienne was such a stunning bride! I loved all of her accessories! We were told just to wear any teal dress we wanted, and we were all excited that we ended up looking great together! Right about ceremony time, the rain really started coming down. Adrienne was a trooper and I never heard her say a word about it! We walked a little ways under an umbrella and then stood under a tent. It ended up being freezing, but we toughed it out through the ceremony. And then - they were married! Yay!

The reception was a lot of fun, great food, good drinks and awesome music! They flew up a Beatles cover band from Austin, the Eggmen, who come complete with fake British accents and costume changes! It seemed like Adrienne and Garrett had a blast and it was such a joy to be part of their big day. The whole point of all this wedding nonsense is to be married and together at the end of the day, and even while it was raining during the ceremony and the bottom of Adi's dress was black from mud, I could tell that's all they wanted.

Sunday morning before our flight at 3:30 was our last little bit of free time, so we enjoyed breakfast and then did a zipline with 5 stages down the mountain. It was so, so much fun. It had just opened and our guides were fun and I am so glad we made time to do that!

Sunday afternoon at the airport is when things got fun! {sarcasm} We had all boarded our small plane in Gunnison bound for Denver and had pulled away from the gate when the pilot said due to thunder storms no one was landing in Denver, so we got off the plane to wait in Gunnison until we were cleared. Our connection time in Denver wasn't too tight, but it wasn't long either, so I went to wait in line to speak with a reservations lady. What I overheard was that 1) no one was flying in or out of Denver so our flight to Houston is delayed like we are, and 2) there were no more seats on the later flight to Houston anyway. We figured we'd chance it, and an hour or so later we were allowed to board our flight again and made it to Denver. Once we landed I had a message on my phone from United rebooking us on the 6am flight the following day from Denver to Houston. Oh, I was beyond irritated. There was nothing United OR Continental could do, and long story short, this merger business makes it very, very difficult to get good customer service from either airline. Also if your flight is canceled due to weather, you get no help with a hotel room. It ended up being a little fun - we got a discounted rate at a Doubletree so we stayed there with 2 of Adrienne's friends from NYC and walked to dinner nearby. The party continued! We took the first airport shuttle at 4:30am to the airport for our 6am flight (with no luggage to check) and had to run to our gate and barely barely made it. Furious is an understatement. And we had two middle seats. So all in all, lots of fun! Ha!

But really besides that travel fiasco, we did have a blast over the weekend and loved seeing some of Crested Butte, Adi's ~~second~~ ~~third~~ fourth? hometown. Yay Daveys!

SHH: 16 Months!

2011-08-17T16:30:00.001-05:00

My sweet little newborn boy is now a 16-month-old, wild and crazy, silly toddler. It is amazing how much he's grown up, even since he was a year old. Running, playing, talking, yelling, singing - he is so much fun right now. Many many times try my patience, but his little personality is so fun to see and interact with. So...

What is SHH up to at 16 months?

Eating: I do love the ease of Sawyer eating table food these days. He is generally a really good eater, especially fruits and veggies, which makes my life pretty easy. He has some milk in the morning, and then eats breakfast, lunch and a snack at daycare, then we feed him dinner at home. We still do separate dinners - I have to feed him by 6:30pm or he loses it, and then Jeremy and I eat together once S is asleep. Some typical meals at home are waffles, meatballs with pasta sauce, turkey sandwiches, pb-and-j sandwiches, some sort of baked or grilled chicken sometimes with pasta sauce, chicken nuggets and I try fish sticks or tilapia every once in a while but he's not a fan yet. I buy fruit cups - mandarin oranges, pears, apples, peaches, mixed fruit - and he'll have probably 2 a day. I also buy bags of frozen veggies and I just steam them in the microwave - broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, corn. He drinks mainly milk and water, but I just started letting him have some apple juice once in a while since it's so hot outside. My pediatrician also recommended switching to 2% milk since he drinks so much anyway. His favorite foods are: waffles, corn, green beans, turkey, cheese, pears, cherries (from the mixed fruit cups), applesauce, meatballs, bananas and mac-n-cheese. We have goldfish and nilla wafers for snacks - and I always remember to pack some when we're out of the house. Goldfish can be a lifesaver. He doesn't hate much, but he does hate scrambled eggs and avocado. Lately when he's resisted eating, we have realized he wants to feed himself with a fork or spoon. It can make for messy meals but he's actually getting pretty good at it!

Schedule: Sawyer gets up around 7:45 in the morning, and Jeremy takes him to school by 8:30am. They play, eat lunch, nap, play, snack and then I pick him up by 6pm. We rush home and make him dinner and then we'll play or go straight to take a bath depending on his mood. Some days he hates the bath and screams bloody murder, some days he loves it and plays in it well after the water drains out. Then we put on pj's and you would think I am torturing him and we don't do this every single night! Ah, to be a toddler. We read books or play on the floor with Daddy, then we turn off the lights, sing songs and go to bed. He is so great at going to sleep - we are really so lucky. He'll roll around his crib, sing or talk, then eventually just falls asleep by 7:45pm or so.

Clothes: Not much changed in this area - still wears 12-18 months things, but now I'm buying 18-24 months. His Carter's stuff in 18 months is snug though! He wears a size 4.5 shoe, according to his new kicks courtesy of Lolly and Pops.

New tricks: Oh goodness - so much! Talking a lot. His teacher told me during flash card time at school he said "it's a car" so I guess he's starting to put words together. He loves to throw balls. He gives hugs and kisses a lot - to Dixie, to us, and apparently to some girls at school! Starting to climb on things, but luckily not out of his crib yet. He is really getting a sense of humor, so we laugh a lot.

Sickness: My boy had been doing great and hadn't been sick since February or March. Unfortunately a couple weeks ago he came down with a pretty bad ear infection, but we caught it early enough and got on an antibiotic. He's been a little unsettled some nights, but I think it's just teething. He thinks Orajel is the devil when I put it on his gums, but then it (and Tylenol) seems to help pretty quickly. Those molars are huge!! Poor kiddo.

Fever cheeks!

Loves: Reading books (to himself). Animals. Hugs and kisses. Dixie. Mom (most of the time!) but Dad when he comes home each day. Cars - watching cars, reading about cars, playing with cars, talking about cars. Puzzles. Singing songs. Riding in the car and watching movies on the iPad (if we're in the car for an extended period of time). Doing mischievous things on purpose then smirking at me. Piggy back rides from Daddy. Playing outside. Splashing. Playing chase through the house.

Words:
Dissie (Dixie)
Mama
Didda (Dada)
Waffle
Gee bean (Green bean)
Shoe
Pash (Splash)
Pashi (Paci)
Bah bah (Bye bye)
Fow (Flower)
Cah (Car, like with a Boston accent)
Gooooooo (he yells this all the time now)
Vroom vroom
Ruff ruff
Moooo
Row Row (his favorite song)
No (doesn't say this too much though!)
Quack quack
Ball
Juice
Cuh-cake (cupcake)
Apple
Manana (banana)
Mo (more)
...and he probably says a lot more, but that's all I've got for now!

And at his 15-month appointment in June, his stats were:
Weight: 22 lbs, 8 ounces (26%)
Height: 30.5 inches (25%)

And the Heat Goes On...

2011-07-25T09:13:00.001-05:00

It has been so hot in Texas lately. So very hot. Apparently yesterday was a high for the year at 105 degrees - you know, when Jeremy was doing yard work yesterday afternoon. I think he's paying for it today. In spite of the crazy heat, we have had some fun on the weekends!

This weekend, Jeremy and some buddies played disc golf Saturday morning, so Sawyer and I ran a few errands. I have the best time doing this with Sawyer these days. He is so well behaved when we're out (typically!) and it's just nice to feel like I can get stuff done and still have fun with Sawyer. We got Dixie new dog food, went to Walgreen's and did a quick grocery shopping at HEB. We got home in time for Sawyer to have lunch and nap, and for us to rest, and then we loaded up the car for... Lockhart! It was a very quick drive down 183 and we met our friends Zach and Porter to sample some Texas BBQ! We started at Kruez Market. That place is serious. It's really big, and even at 3pm the parking lot was full. You wait in line, and then walk into the room where they're smoking the meat and you order right there. It was so smoky and hot - I have no idea how those people can work in there. Then you walk into the dining room with your meat and you can order sides and drinks. I liked the sausage a lot, regular and jalapeno. The brisket was okay... honestly, a little dry for my liking. And I know, you're not supposed to use sauce, but I like sauce! And some sauce would have done this meat a favor I think! But it was good and I was glad to finally try it!

After Kruez, we stopped by Black's. It is much smaller but was just as crowded! We went through the line and Jeremy just wanted to try some sausage, so we got some banana pudding and cobber as well. I was protien-ed out at this point. We sat outside so the littles could stretch their legs, and we did decide Black's sausage is really good. We thought we'd quit while we were ahead and left before any meltdowns happened.

After a re-group at home we decided an evening swim would be nice for everyone. Sawyer is hilarious in the pool. He doesn't last too long - maybe 45 minutes, but he smiles and cackles and screeches (with glee!) the whole time. We got him fed and put down, and then we ate dinner and watched The Lincoln Lawyer - very good, we both enjoyed it.

Sunday we decided to take Sawyer to a splash pad, because he loves "pashin" (as he says) so we went to the one at the Hill Country Galleria. It's small, which is good, and not too powerful or anything for a 16 month old. He thought it was pretty cool, but then decided he needed to keep walking away toward the street or other fountains (not for splashing!). In the afternoon we ran to Home Depot, and Jeremy did some yard work outside while Sawyer and I enjoyed the A/C. Sawyer was such a joy this weekend - last weekend we were fighting molars and the beginnings of an ear infection, so it was nice to be back to "normal" this weekend and just play and have fun.

And here are a few other pictures from our summer:

Poor bubby home with a fever

Sawyer gets his own water bowl now so he won't splash in Dixie's!

Loving life

We discovered Fraggle Rock!

Loves to rock

Very intently reading The Fly Went By

Red, White + Baby Blue

2011-07-05T16:22:00.001-05:00

July 4, 2010 / July 2, 2011

Field Trip!

2011-07-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of June, I went with 4 other co-workers to visit "the field" outside of Canadian, Texas where we're drilling some wells. I have been dying to see a working drilling rig since I started in this industry, so I was over the moon excited to go!

We left Austin at 6:30am and landed in Amarillo, then drove 2 hours north to Canadian, which is in the panhandle, almost to the Oklahoma border. We met our tour guide for the day, a sweet land broker out there who I am sure wanted to drive around 5 city girls all afternoon! Our lunch was phenomenal - if you are ever in the vicinity, go try The Bucket. It's cash only and so cheap. They make their own bread and cookies, so my burger and sugar cookie were delicious! Then we stopped at the company office, put on our steel toes and headed 45 minutes into the country.

Our first stop - a drilling rig! They were having drill string issues, so they weren't technically drilling when we were there, but they were still working. We walked up on the drill floor, over the mud pits, and saw the BOP and casing down on the ground. Pretty exciting!

We spent most of our time that afternoon in the car because...

Yep, that says 108 degrees! It was incredibly hot, dry and windy. Jeremy lived in Phoenix for a year and I swear Canadian was hotter. We saw several other locations being built, one location being swabbed, and we saw a bunch of Braums cows (yes, THE Braums farm, like the milkshake people!). On our way back into town we stopped at the Dirtiest Little Beer Joint in Texas. Canadian is dry, so this is the only place guys can buy beer (and boxed wine!) on their way home from the field locations. We thought it was pretty hysterical... and I found this lone gem in the cooler I had to try!

Have you heard of Big Blue? I had not, but it was delicious. Kind of like blue cream soda.

We showered the dirt off of ourselves and went to dinner with good ol' Ray at the Railhead, one of two places for dinner that came recommended to us. Apparently the Cattle Exchange is better food but the Railhead serves alcohol (by way of paying $1 to be in their 'club'), so that won out. I had steak fingers, mashed potatoes and green beans and it was great except for I think it was still 108 degrees inside the restaurant.

The next day we started with breakfast at The Bucket - we couldn't stay away! I had toast (their homemade bread) and part of a cinnamon roll, the breakfast of champions. We drove again into the country so we could see a frac job take place. Unfortunately they weren't prepared for 5 female visitors and we didn't get to see much happening besides a pressure test (and that is not much to see). It was still neat to see all the trailers and trailers of CO2 and water the use.

We drove back through town to pick up our bags from the hotel, and a couple fresh cookies from The Bucket (yes - we all did!) and we headed back toward Amarillo. We stopped for lunch in Pampa and took some of the RRC ladies out to lunch, ladies I work to get approvals from almost daily! It was nice to meet them all in person and check out their office. Pampa is huge compared to Canadian! We were back in Austin by dinnertime that night, but I loved the trip. I love being out in the field, and you learn so much there even in a short amount of time since that's where they're actually doing the work we always talk about in the office. I hope I get to go back soon!

Father's Day

2011-06-23T08:55:00.001-05:00

Last Father's Day was rough... Jeremy was working in Austin while I stayed home in Houston with Sawyer, who was only 3 months old at the time. We had just put our house on the market and as Jeremy was driving back in town Friday night we found out a buyer canceled her contract on our house and we wouldn't be moving to Austin as a family for a while longer. Luckily this year everything is as it should be, and we were able to relax and have a fun weekend together. Jeremy requested no gifts, so my gift to him was sleep. I let him sleep as late as he wanted both Saturday and Sunday mornings. My sister was in town for the weekend, so Saturday afternoon we went to the neighborhood pool and swam, and then Jeremy picked Santa Rita fajitas to go and homemade margaritas for our dinner. Sunday we picked up Kripsy Kreme donuts for him while he slept in, and then ran some errands in the afternoon (our first trip to Costco!). We also watched Just Go with It and True Grit, perfect choices for Jeremy (he loves Adam Sandler movies and westerns). Sawyer's gift to Jeremy was really learning to say "dada" and mean it. He didn't stop saying it all weekend, including yelling it throughout Costco when Jeremy would walk away from the cart. So cute! I did sneak in a little gift for Jeremy...

Ha! Happy Father's Day, Jeremy! You are a wonderful dad, and a great teammate in parenting!

Let's All Go to the Movies, Let's All Go to the Movies...

2011-06-23T08:45:00.001-05:00

We have seen a lot of movies recently - the exciting life of a 27 year old! We do Netflix, and we rent a lot from the Movies on Demand service through our cable, and in May we actually saw 2 movies in the theaters! (That is a big deal.) I thought I'd review the ones we'd seen...

Bridesmaids
We saw this for my birthday and loved it! Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph are hilarious together, and in some scenes they seemed so natural it reminded me of my sister and I goofing around. It's certainly not the best movie in the world, but it was very entertaining. I want to see it again!

Hangover II
We got lucky and got a babysitter so we could see this the weekend it came out. There were high highs and low lows. Lots of funny parts for sure, but there were lulls between. The plot is very similar to the first one, but if you know that going in it's okay. I preferred Bridesmaids, as did Jeremy, but still good.

True Grit
We just watched this on Sunday night for Father's Day. IT WAS SO GOOD. I knew it would be, but it was amazing. I love all the Coen brothers' movies. It was cast perfectly. It was almost 2 hours and was too short. I could have watched another hour. Go watch it right now if you haven't.

Just Go With It
My sister picked this for us to watch Saturday night. I was doubtful, but our other options was The Fighter and it seemed too heavy. This did not disappoint! There are a ton of great cameos, and Jennifer Aniston was great in it. Very cute, not too adult - we laughed a lot during it, which surprised us.

Morning Glory
I had such high hopes. I love Rachel McAdams. I love Diane Keaton. I love Harrison Ford. I love morning tv shows like the Today Show. It had so much potential... and it failed. Don't waste your time or money, trust me.

Hall Pass
Eh. A few funny parts. Dumb plot. I liked Jenna Fisher and Christina Applegate a lot.

Mad Men: Season 4
This is what we've been watching on Netflix. I love it! I have loved every season. This one is no different. We have 1 disc left and then I'll be sad when we're through it!

Twilight
I read all 4 books in about a month and a half. Say what you will, they are well written and I loved them. I couldn't wait to see the movies! I only watched the first one so far, and Jeremy laughed the whole way through, but I liked it since I loved the books. Obviously the books are better, but I still love it!

How to Train Your Dragon
I was not excited about this one. But it was great!!!! And we didn't even watch it with Sawyer. Very, very cute. Seemed like it might be a little scary/violent for kiddos, but what do I know?

The King's Speech
I was in and out during this one, but I know Jeremy loved it.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
I LOVED IT! I am 27 and I loved the Bieber movie. Mostly I teared up when they showed videos of Justin as a baby, thinking about how Sawyer would be 16 years old one day. And it was also entertaining! Like a biography and a concert in one.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
I can't believe I didn't see this in theaters! We finally watched it and of course loved it. I read the last book so quickly just so I could know the end that I barely remember it, but it's great and I am very excited for the final movie to come out in November. I wouldn't watch it if you haven't seen the others though...

Lately

2011-06-15T10:42:00.001-05:00

We have been busy lately!

I have been traveling for work for the past several weeks - just a couple days here and there, but enough to keep us all busy without having mom around. I've been to an industry training in Houston and Corpus Christi, an offsite meeting/spa day at the Hyatt Lost Pines, and just got back last night from a quick trip to Canadian, Texas to visit some of our well sites. It was an awesome trip! I finally got to visit a drilling rig and I was beyond excited. Canadian is a pretty cute town, and we found the best breakfast and lunch place, The Bucket, with homemade bread and cookies. The toast and sugar cookies are the best things I've ever tasted in my life. The trip was even more fun because 5 girls from the office went - we did a lot of laughing and had a blast together. I absolutely love doing what I do in this industry, and I have met the best people through it. I am so lucky to have found this company in Austin, where I am truly excited and happy to be at work every day.

Saywer has been a busy bee at school these days also! We pay an extra activity fee for the summer and they have different activities planned every single day for the kids. It's nice they try to break up the routine a little bit. So far a fire truck and zoo show have visited, they did a stretching class (which I think was just rolling balls around), they ate blue jello for "Ocean Day" and I know this Friday is Splash Day.

Sawyer is in the red shorts, far right

Sawyer is in the cream shirt, far left

Saywer is on the left in a red shirt, back to the camera

Sawyer was brave and held a giant cockraoch!

I think they were painting a brown bear here - Sawyer is the bald-looking man child lower right.

Sawyer has also been having fun with Daddy in the evenings when I've been away - eating applesauce without a spoon (same way Dad eats it), playing outside, and playing with no shirt on (also same as Dad).

I also upgraded my car from the Chicco infant car seat to a Britax Marathon, courtesy of my friend's sister who sweetly passed hers down to us. It may have a flower cover but Sawyer loves facing forward in both cars now! (And we're ordering a more boy-friendly cover from etsy soon!)

Last weekend was our first weekend at the neighborhood pool and we had a blast! We went Saturday and Sunday, and lucked out with it being almost empty both times. We didn't stay long, but we're trying to get Sawyer warmed up to the idea. Mom and Dad are having fun though!

That's what we've been up to lately!