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.

Sleepy Heads

It is hard to fly so early in the morning!  John Chris, Ryland, and Ridley are out on the plane and will be rested for the beach in ANGUILLA!

Boys weekend

The boys headed to Louisiana to have some fun in the country.  I was a little shocked when I received the picture of their catch.  That is a big gator!

 

 

Ryland & Reed walked through some thick, yucky mud, and they loved every moment of it.

 

Showing off a snake.

 

Brotherly love.  Reed helps Ryland clean off his cap.

 

The camp has a huge tree that all the guys got inside just to see how many people would fit.  It held 15 guys.  The boys were amazed at the huge tree.

 

Toe injury

I was eating dinner and catching up with my MOPS mommas at our first Third Thursday of the year, when I got a text from John Chris.  He stated that his toe was hurting even worse than earlier today, and he was about to drill a hole in it to relieve the pressure.  I took a few minutes to think about what he is about to do, and I realized that I just didn't feel comfortable not being at home while he operated on himself.  I told the girls that I should probably call it a night. I could only imagine that he was at home with the electric drill, and the boys are his surgery assistants. 

I made it home in time to supervise, and the boys were already in bed.  The electric drill was plugged in and ready to go.  Gosh, I know him too well.  It all ended well, and he was able to finally ease the pain.

 

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!



 

 

32 Years Old

Happy Birthday to John Chris!  We love you and look forward to many more years to celebrate!

 

 

The only white cake available at the grocery store wasn't very cute, but it was good.

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? 

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. 

Washing and watching

It has been several months since John Chris has had a shiny, clean truck.  He had two great helpers assist in vacuuming and wiping the interior, but they both just watched him wash the exterior.  I am thinking he chose to contain rather than chase while washing. Looking good!

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!

Glasses or masks

We couldn't decide if this adorable eyewear were glasses or masks. They were just one of the many Valentine treats in the box from Nana. Ryland wore them on his head like Mommy's sunglasses for a while before...
John Chris got in on the fun. He put Reed's pair on and acted silly with Ryland. I love how Ryland has his on upside down. So funny!

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!

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.

Painting project

I started working on the entertainment center today, and I quickly had more help than I knew what to do with. I had removed all the decorative trinkets, so I could give the whole cabinet a fresh coat of paint. I have worked off and on caulking the outside of the cabinet, and I needed to finish up the interior shelves. My team stepped in to help out.

As soon as John Chris climbed up the ladder, Ryland had his ladder out. While I sanded and they caulked, Reed observed. He must have thought we were amusing, because he watched and smiled all afternoon. While we wait on the paint to dry, my sweet OCD Ryland, helped me dust and clean the trinkets. What a team!

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!

John Chris turns 30!

John Chris celebrated his 30th birthday in a very low key way. He wanted to stay home to grill tuna steaks and spend time with his family. The boys and I made the rounds to pick up his gifts, groceries, balloons, and a cake. I told Ryland he could pick out Daddy's birthday cake, and this is what he selected. A little blue cake with purple and yellow flowers and plastic honey bee picks. I couldn't figure out the attraction until we were about to cut the cake. Ryland took one of the bees and scooped some of the flower icing and started licking. Bingo!

We had a great evening of eating and spending quality family time together. What a wonderful way to spend a birthday!

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.