Happy 10 Years

John Chris and I have been married 10 years.  I spent the entire day and whole weekend in the bed with strep throat.  Not exactly what we had planned, but my sweet hubby brought me gorgeous roses.

Work with a view

I spent a few days working in Austin, and I had meetings at the River Place Country Club.  Our conference room had a great view of the hills and golf course, that was a bit distracting when the details got draining. 

 

Music festival

Since the boys were out of town having fun, John Chris and I planned a few fun activities for us.  It was really weird without our boys, but we kept busy with date night dinners, a movie, and event a music festival in Dallas.  We loved Matt & Kim!



 

 

Flowers

After a very stressful week, the flower designing is in full swing.  The color scheme made a slight shift due to availability, but the white hydrangeas looked so much better than the green ones.  I set up a make shift studio in the garage with a few tables, and I turned on the tunes. Back in the zone.

Here we go...

Today was the day we got serious about the gym again.  I have let it slip over the past couple of months, and I had noticed a change in the way I felt and how my clothes fit.  John Chris also mentioned feeling blah, so we agreed to buckle down and get back into it.  No pain, no gain? 

Dentist

Ryland and I had our 6 month dentist check up.  He acted so grown up and wasn't nervous or scared.  He sat down in the waiting room and grabbed Time. 

 

 

Ryland's cleaning and exam went well, and he has no cavities.  Yes!  Great job!

James gets married

 

 

A moment that we never that would ever happen actually has.  John Chris and I spent the weekend in Shreveport celebrating James getting married.  It was great to see old high school and college friends and catch up. 

Joe T's

After lunch at Joe T Garcia's, we wondered around the back gardens for some pictures.  Ryland and mommy pose by the fountain.

Ryland asked if he could get in.

Ryland and Nana

Fort Worth Stockyards

Ryland and I played tourists in the Fort Worth Stockyards today in celebration of Nana's birthday.  We had planned to ride the train from Grapevine, but when we arrived at the station we learned all the seats were sold.  I couldn't believe that they were sold out!  We decided to drive on down and have some fun anyway.

Ryland was a little unsure of this tough looking bunch of cowboys, but he warmed up to them quickly as they chatted with him a bit.  It was rather amusing to see them snap back into character for the photo.  Doesn't Ryland fit right in with his plaid shorts and Polo?  Don't let him fool you, he is ruthless.

We had been in Fort Worth for a while, when we heard the train come into the station.  It was an hour late!  Oh my, we lucked out and didn't get a ticket.  That would have been one hot ride!  We will try again in the fall.

Ryland posed with a tractor as we discussed what was so smelly stinky.  Cow s**t.  Whoops!

Ryland is about done with all the site seeing.  We had a great day full of fun.  We look forward to coming back when it is a little cooler.

Birthday cake

Happy Birthday to John Chris and myself!

We started the celebration with cake.  The ugliest, brightest cake we had ever seen, but it was delicious.  Thanks Mom!

Painters' tape is yummy!

John Chris and I are finishing up the re-painting of the kitchen cabinets, and we had a few little ones wanting to help. The painters' tape made both of them happy for a moment until Reed decided to chew on it. He was pretty upset when we took it away, so I am sure it is yummy!

MOPS

I am really enjoying my MOPS group this year. I have met so many great women, and I look forward to our bi-weekly meetings. I am thankful for the awesome steering committee that graciously give their time to create a fun, relaxed, and spiritual environment. At times I feel a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility I have taken on, but I am somehow always reminded of the impact we have. Today was one of those special days. I continue to look forward to where this group is going, and I treasure the friendships I make along the way!

Date Night

Our church held a Date Night tonight, so John Chris and I were able to enjoy a relaxing uninterrupted sushi meal. It was awesome to dress up and get out of the house with my husband. We were able to catch up and actually have a conversation.
We knew the boys were taken care of and having fun also. They played with friends, had a pizza party, and watched a movie. Too bad the church doesn't do this once a month.

Cowboys game

John Chris and I were excited to have a date night for the Cowboys' first home game of the season. We lined up a babysitter and headed to Arlington for an evening of fun. After a delicious Pappadeaux meal, we went to the stadium for a little pre-game fun.

Fortunately we had a parking pass, great seats, and an awesome couple to hang out with. We enjoyed a mini Los Lonely Boys concert while waiting in the beverage line. It was fun to people watch and see all the crazy fans!
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Pre-game festivities

We had great seats pretty close to the field, but I still found myself watching those massive screens hanging overhead.

Once again, I hate taking pictures. I am not photogenic, so I always hate photos of myself. I decided to go ahead and add this one to prove I am still alive when I look back at this years from now. :)

John Chris taking it all in - on the mega screen! The Cowboys pulled it off, but it was a game of field goals! Thank goodness for the kicker.

Stair project begins

We have discussed and discussed these darn stairs for just about a year now. When we first moved in this house, the stairs were covered in stained, nasty, and worn out beige carpet. The first day in the house, John Chris and I pulled out all the carpet.

We had wood stairs at the last house, and we loved them. The wood is easy to clean and doesn't show wear and tear. The only negative thing I found was when I fell down them. Ouch!

After removing the carpet, we put down wood. We had plans to remove the old wood spindles and replace them with iron. Great plans, but the stairs just didn't look like we wanted them to.

The right side of the stairs where the wood ends was going to be white with a piece of white curved white trim on the left side against the wall. I pulled out a few of the wood spindles and painted the trim white. Hmmm. Not exactly what I had in mind.
So, the stairs just remained an unfinished project until John Chris came across a picture. I know this sounds cheesy, but he found a picture of the Kardashian Christmas card. The staircase they were standing on was what we had in mind. The basic difference was that the stair tread and riser came all the way out to the end of the step with the iron spindle anchored directly to the step. The risers were also painted white instead of being stained wood. We knew this would be a ton more work and more expense, but it would be worth it.

Since the boys were visiting their grandparents, we ripped out all the spindles and wood.

We sanded the handrail and newel posts and painted them white. We also added the curve white trim on the left wall.

The wood steps are in and the iron spindles are in place. We just have some caulking and paint touch ups, and the stairs will be complete. I will post the final picture along with the original picture as soon as we finish up the touch ups.

Flowers

The sweet joy of wedding season. I had the pleasure of designing the wedding flowers for the sweetest bride, Abby. I first met her over a year and a half ago right after her engagement. June 11, 2011 seemed so far away, but it finally arrived.

The altar arrangement was a challenge. Since it was so large, I made it on site which is normal. The challenge was making this one from the back. The container sat on a small table right behind the altar. It was way too heavy to make and then move it into position. The bride and her family were pleased by the end product, and I can't wait to see the professional ceremony pictures.

I didn't make the cake, but I made it pretty.

My sweet husband

John Chris came home today eager for me to open my birthday/mother's day gift. I knew what it was going to be, because we had talked about it. He started a bracelet for me after Ryland was born. The bracelet started out with a Tiffany R locket, and a Tiffany love charm followed. Since Reed is here, I wanted to add another R locket for him.

When I opened the beautiful blue box, I was shocked when I saw a new toggle bracelet with the additional R locket and a round charm. I had quickly looked at the additional round charm, but I didn't think he noticed. I was blown away by his thoughtfulness. I could not believe he not only noticed my glance, but he went ahead and added it to my bracelet.

It is a beautiful gift that I will treasure. It will not only make me think of my two sweet boys but also my fantastic husband. I am so lucky!

Sip'n see

The cool mommas in our playgroup organized a sip'n see shower to celebrate Reed's arrival. It was so nice to visit and hang out with the whole gang again. I feel really fortunate to be part of this group and friends with these women. Whether it is chatting and sharing stories, positive emails and cards, or bringing my family dinner after I had Reed, I am truly blessed.

Ryland's 2nd birthday party

Ryland woke up in a great mood, and he was ready to party. In the spirit of a fireman themed birthday party, Uncle Clint let Ryland wear his old helmet. He didn't want to put it on for a while, but then he warmed up to it. When he put it on, he turned into a bobble head. He could barely hold his head up. While Ryland was taking a nap, I decorated the house for the party.

The reaction was priceless. He pointed and said "balloons" with excitement. It made all my planning and running around totally worth it.

Lizzie and Aunt Emily spend time with Reed.

The cake was HOT!

Aunt Chanda and Ryland

Ryland got embarrassed when we started singing happy birthday.

Ryland loves birthday cake! Yummy! He really just eats the icing, but hey it is his party.

Jackson tries on the helmet.

Uncle Clint, Aunt Kristi, and Doodle cuddle on the sofa.

Ryland opened a super cool fishing kit complete with a vest.

A multiple animal call, just what every boy needs. This thing makes about 10 different animal noises.

Look at that face! He loves the wheelbarrow.

Nanna and Ryland

Ryland and Uncle Clint

What a cool turtle! Ryland loves his new sandbox. I can just imagine the hours of fun outside. I am so very happy we have a home with a backyard.

Ryland take a spin around the pool in his new boat. I could not believe that John Chris put him in when the water is so cold, but he was very careful to make sure he didn't get wet.