The Ray Wedding

It was with the happiest of hearts that we traveled to Stafford, TX to celebrate the wedding of one of my greatest friends.  I have known Cookie since I was a baby, and she has always treated me like family.  I spent the night at her house with the big girls, she was my chaperon on church trips, and she let me go places with the older kids when that was all I really wanted.

When I found out that she was getting married ( and she asked me to take her bridals) I was so excited.  If anyone deserves a happily ever after and a dream wedding, it is Iesha.

Because I decided to adhere to their wishes, I didn't take any photos during the ceremony.  Here are some snaps from during the reception though.  Every thing was beautiful and we had a great evening.



Because the wedding was held at a historical home, we left Emmy at home.  I didn't want to pay for any broken heirlooms.



We snapped a couple of pics of these two cuties outside by the vintage car.  This was the venue owner's grandmother's car.  So cool!



I sure do love this lady!



To make the night even more memorable, Iesha sang(!) to Keith.  Her rendition of  "At Last" will always hold a special place in my heart because she sang it at my wedding too.  There weren't many dry eyes in the place after the song was over.



And like all good things, the night passed by in a blur of excitement and fun.  Dances were danced, drinks were partaken in, and memories were made.

Congratulations Iesha and Keith Ray!  Thank you for allowing us to share in the merry!

The Pumpkin Patch 2015

Emmy's favorite fall book is Duck and Goose find a Pumpkin.  It has been a household staple since she was a few months old.  Because of that book I take her to the pumpkin patch every year in El Campo, so she can find a pumpkin too...and take a bunch of photos.

When we got to the patch this year, we found our pals Jackson and Wyatt.  These four are going to be so close.



They were ready to leave, so we stayed on course and kept going alone.  We knew we only had a limited amount of time before we needed to leave for Dylan's party.





They sky was a little overcast, so it really was one of the nicer times we have had at the patch.  Juggling two little people was different, but we managed our expectations and our time.  Things that would have made me cry when Emmy was a baby (and I still believed in perfection) were laughed off that day.



It always nice when you have good help though.





Lincoln thought the pumpkins were orange balls of awesome that should be licked and tasted.



I've got a pretty good group don't I?






I got a few more smiles from him than I did from Emmy that first year.



Daddy took her over to the moon bounce and pumpkin painting area while I worked with Lincoln.  That's teamwork right there!





It was probably the most fun we have had at the pumpkin patch, and we made it in and out of there in just a little over an hour.  We need to do more things with that laid back carefree attitude!

Lincoln- Month Five

You weigh 15.4 pounds and 25 inches tall (long).  You wear size two diapers and you still wear size 3-6 clothes.  You are still just the happiest baby and a joy to have around.

You can roll over both ways, so we cannot just leave you lying on the bed anymore.  Now let us all bow our heads and say a prayer for your Mommy's sanity now that you are becoming more mobile.

Okay.  And moving on.

You shriek and squeal with laughter when tickled, and you especially like when your Daddy acts like he is going to eat your stomach.  You laugh so hard that you almost cry.  You realize when you have been left alone now, and you aren't too crazy about it.  The double edged sword is that you respond positively to just my presence.  So while I can just walk into the room and you feel better, I have to walk into the room.  You are going through a small "mommy" phase, and sometimes other people just don't do it for you.  The exception to this is the ladies from school.  You practically jump out of my arms every morning to get to them.

You can sit up (with protection around you) for a few moments now.  We like to sit you up in the middle of the bed or on the rug in the living room with pillows all around you.  You will sit there for a few seconds and then your whole body will just plop over to the side.  It's incredibly cute when I know that you are safe.  You have the biggest smile.  I just can't emphasize that one enough.  It melts my heart every time.  This could be very dangerous in a few years.

You went to Andrew's ring day (College Station), to meet Elizabeth Kathleen (Pearland), the Downtown Houston Aquarium, and Cookie's bridal shower among other various events.

You like: chewing on your fingers, eating anything we will put on a spoon and head your way, playing with the lion and giraffe on your car seat, playing and getting tickled, your pacifier is still the biggest asset we have with you (you love it),  playing on the floor, your jungle gym mat, looking at the TV and listening to music, hugging everyone, kisses, and snuggling.

You dislike: Being left alone, Mommy walking out of the room, being "forced" to be somewhere (like strapped into a seat or swing You just want to move at will), the dark, your pacifier coming out in the car and not being able to reach it, and not being fed quickly enough.


You eat: green beans, milk, and water.


Monthly and weekly photos are below.

This one showcases that killer smile I was talking about earlier.





Those eyes.  I can't even.





He seemed to grow up so much this month.







You can see his little "tripod sitting" showcased here.

Lincoln's First Bites!

It was finally time for our big boy to try real food, and we were all really excited.  We had the video camera, big camera, and phones out ready to document this momentous occasion with our whole hearts (and technology).  Since I had been in charge of all nutrition up to this point, I let Bradley give him his first solid food--green beans.  I'm not going to lie.  The reaction was a little anticlimactic.   He started eating those green beans like they were going out of style.  Not once did he pause or slow down because of the texture.  He was READY to eat.

Bradley even joked that maybe he had already been eating at school when Lincoln STOLE THE SPOON and tried to FEED HIMSELF!  I joked that he must get it from me because the good Lord knows that I don't have any problem getting a fork to my mouth either. ;)













It was finally my turn to give a try too, and little boy didn't disappoint.  We had to shovel it in pretty quick to keep on his good side.








We even let sissy try.  Unfortunately by the time her turn rolled around, he was pretty full and starting to fall asleep in his chair.





One small bite of green beans but a giant leap for Lincoln.  My little boy is growing up too fast!

Andrew and Kari Get Rings

Kari's beau Andrew was getting his Aggie ring.  Being the nice guy that he is, he invited us to come to College Station for the celebration.  Since we love CS and think Andrew is pretty great too, we accepted the invitation.

Ring day has changed a little since "my day" and they now hand out all of the rings in the foyer area of the Association.  It is beautiful in there and super bright for pictures.

I love this sweet shot of Andrew and his mom.  I hope that I get to give Lincoln his little piece of Aggie gold one day too.



Now they both have a little bling to show off when they Gig'em.



We didn't know until we were already on our way that Andrew changed his mind about when he was going to propose and HE DECIDED TO DO IT THAT DAY!  I guess that ring was burning a hole in his pocket.  I think Kari suspected but really wasn't sure that it would happen that day.  It was very sweet.



So two pieces of gold were given that fateful day in September.



Lincoln thought all of the happy hugs and pretty fountains were great.



And of course there needed to be celebratory photos to mark the occasion.





Someday soon, this will be Kari and Andrew's set of siblings.  I don't think they're ready for this jelly...



Emmy wanted a photo with Andrew too.



Since it was Lincoln's first trip to the Association, we thought we should have a photo too.



Aren't these two just adorable!



By the time we got home, this little guy was partied out, but still just as sweet as ever.



Congratulation Kari and Andrew!  We can't wait to share in all the memories that are coming soon. :)

Lincoln- Month Four

You wear three month clothes now from Carters and 3-6 from everywhere else.  You wear size 2 diapers  You weigh  14.5 pounds and are 24 inches.

You eat every three-and-a-half  to four hours.  When you are at daycare, I really try to get them to stick to the four hour mark since I only get to pump twice while I am gone during the day.  You sleep from around 10:30 or 11:00 until 6:30 when I wake you up to eat before school.  Our morning routine consists of me getting ready, getting Emmy ready and then feeding you at the table while we eat breakfast.  So far that seems to be working out for you.

You can push up on your stomach for a long time, you can roll, but you won't unless you are mad, you can annihilate a bottle, you try to stand up by yourself and push off if we are holding you, you can (still) hold yourself up in our arms.  I'm pretty sure that I could carry you around on my hip and you would be fine.  I'm still enjoying the close snuggles though so I carry you around close to my chest.

You traveled to Dallas this month on your first family vacation.  You visited a water park, the downtown Dallas area, the Fort Worth Zoo, the stockyards, and other places. You were an excellent traveling companion.  Even though it was as hot as Hades, you were content to go with the flow and see all of the sights.  There were a few times that I got nervous with you in the heat so we gave you some water from a straw and put some cool compresses here and there.  You were fine, but Mommy worried.

As you probably got from earlier comments, you started daycare this month too.  Those ladies are enthralled with you and you are pretty sweet on them too.  I was much better when it was time to leave you and I almost made it out the door without shedding some tears.  A few well meaning comments from one of Emmy's teachers sent me over the edge.  You are fine though, and I know that getting to be apart some is the best for both of us.

You like: being held, smiling at people, looking/staring at everything around you, watching animals move around (the zoo was awesome for you), being swaddled at night, eating like a big boy, lying and playing with your toy gym, and talking and playing with your sister (other than me she might be your favorite).    

You dislike: Being hot and sweaty (August was a bummer for you), waking up before you are ready, being startled, not being fed quickly enough, waking up alone, mosquitoes, and getting out of the pool if it is already cool outside. 

You eat: green beans (1s), water, and milk.  (We are living on the edge here.)

























You made it through big changes this month Buddy, and we are so proud of you!