Father's Day

If I were to be given the opportunity to "build the perfect dad," I would build my husband. He has the biggest heart and will get down on the ground and play and pretend and wrestle with Liam like a kid himself. Somedays I just sit back and listen to the sound of their laughter and it fills my heart with joy. Our daddy will even do arts and crafts, which if you know our daddy... that may not have been his calling. Liam thinks he is the greatest artist. Liam wants to do everything that his daddy does and follows him wherever he goes. He is his hero. They make coffee together and watch sports on the sofa. How this started at age 2 I will never know... I guess he is his father's son! Bill has the greatest patience with him. Almost never raising his voice. I am in awe of that. I think one of my favorite daddy qualities is that Bill wants to spend all his time with Liam. If there is a golf game or event on TV... he will gladly put it all on hold just to throw a ball with our son. And we are totally a partnership. Bill drops off and I pick up from school. We share sick days and making meals. He is instilling values into our son that I am so appreciative of. The bond between these two is incredible and as the mommy... my cup runneth over. God blessed us with the best of the best and this is only just the beginning for these best friends...

Madagascar

"Da-da-dadada-da-da-circus, da-da-dadada-da-da-afro-circus, afro-circus, afro, polka dot, polka dot, polka dot afro!" We are going to be singing this for a while...

Houston with E

There is nothing like childhood friends. Friends that have known you the longest! Friends that even if you haven't seen them in a while, you pick up right where you left off. One of our dearest and oldest friends, Elliott came to visit us in Houston a few weeks back and it was so much fun catching up! I will have to admit that this visit might have been a tad different than past visits... We traded bars and nightlife dinners for carousel rides, dinner on the green and lunch with the giraffes.

My Mother's Day

This year Bill planned the perfect Mother's Day. Liam was ill with a nasty 7 day fever virus that turned into pneumonia that caused a hive break-out. Gotta love daycare! The day that we sent him back to school with a clean bill of health, we got a letter home stating that there had been a confirmed case of chicken pox. Little did I know, that just because you were vaccinated, doesn't mean that your child will not get the chicken pox. It is more of an 80/20 kind of thing and it just means that if they do get it, then it will be less severe. That would have been good to know. All that being said, we were going stir crazy! I was so excited about our Galveston trip.

My only request for Mother's Day was that we take family photographs with one of my favorite photographer's Shalonda of Chubby Cheek Photography. Being a photographer, you are pretty much behind the camera 90% of the time and while I love being behind the camera, I also love photographs of my amazing family. When it comes to capturing the joy and the love and the moments of our family... I put all my trust in Shalonda because she manages to bottle our memories every time. She continues to amaze me with her artistry. We happened to be one of the lucky few to snag one of her saltwater sessions for 2012 and it fell on Mother's Day weekend which was even more perfect.

Like I said... Bill planned the perfect weekend. He researched the area and decided on a stay at Moody Gardens. There was a sparkling pool, swim-up bar, and a bounce house right at our back door. We popped Liam in the stroller and literally walked across the street to the aquarium and rain forest exhibit. We are huge fans of the movie "Happy Feet" and so the penguins were a hit! They really did an awesome job on the details in that movie. The penguins were second only to the sea lion exhibit. There was a new baby that took quite the interest in Liam. Liam would run from one end of the glass wall to the other and the baby seal would follow and mimic him. It was so much fun to watch and gathered a pretty big crowd. We ended the evening on the beach and a fun dinner at Fish Tales.

Chicken Coop

If you were to look up cool in the dictionary, you might just find a photo of the Robbins family. And adding to their cool factor? Greg built his very own chicken coop... wait for it... so that they could raise their very own chickens and have fresh eggs. Cruella is pure deville with her peppered crown of feathers and Chick Chick still rules the yard! They even let Liam name one and he chose something to the tune of "pick-pocket" only for him to change it to "rocket" later. I totally forgot about these photographs and they still crack me up. It took all 4 men to carry the coop across the yard. I also love the working man's high five and the cousin drivers... aren't they just too cute?

Twins Wanted

I was clearing files and ran across these cuties! I most likely forgot about them because there was a photographer on site and well, I just didn't take that many photographs since she seemed to have it all covered. But how in the world could I miss a blog post about these adorable little cowboys? They are seriously some handsome twins and I just love their mommy! It was a great afternoon for a celebration! The party decor was straight out of a magazine. Every single detail was done to perfection. From the snacks to the cake to the favors of cowboy cookies and hats... It is hard to believe that they are already one. Happy Birthday Charlie and Max!

Texas Blue

This season we spent a lot of time in the bluebonnets... I used my little man as a stand-in for all three location shoots. The first two he was down right NOT having it! And on the second to last shoot not only did he pick a bluebonnet and laugh about it... he totally would not stop for even a second to take a family photo since Mea and Pop were there. We managed to get one... and if that is all we got, I am grateful! He was saving up for round three...because I finally got to capture my handsome man amongst the Texas Blue and on that day... he took my breath away. Enjoy!

OLE!

Last night as I was clearing memory cards, I ran across these... I am pretty sure it makes me a pretty bad daughter-in-law to forget such an important post... and I have been blessed with a pretty amazing father-in-law so my deepest apologies Pop!

Harper's Candyland

Harper celebrated her second birthday in Candy Cane Forest just around Gum Drop Mountain! This little lady in curls with melt your heart! And her mommy is one of the most beautiful people inside and out. We miss our little stars class so so much and there is nothing quite like the bond these children have with one another. Our precious, precious babies are 2!!

Baby Q

I mentioned in my last post that two of my very best friends were having second boys... Pretty soon we are going to have an entire football team! wink... Oh Ashley... I am so excited for you! It seems like yesterday we were welcoming Noah into the world. That perfect little boy with a head full of gorgeous, dark brown hair. I remember getting the call and running out into the yard screaming at Bill as he was mowing that baby Kerr was here! I am pretty sure I scared him to death! It is incredible how much our lives have been changed in just 3 years and in just a few short weeks you are going to have a family of 4! I cannot wait to meet him.

When it comes to party planning... it doesn't get much better than Aunt Colie (Nicole Smith Designs). For this very special Baby-Q, we started with our very own inspiration board to get the juices flowing. I love all of the special touches Nicole designed from water bottle labels, to placecards, to the Kerr glass jars. The color scheme was just beautiful and everything was perfectly set in Amelia's new home. I still have kitchen envy. We served baby burgers (sliders whose aroma filled the room), potato salad, and mini pecan pie bites from Alisa's kitchen that were to die for.

Pamper Party

Two of my very best friends are having second boys this summer and I could not be more thrilled for them! Like over the moon happy for them. On May 6, we got together to "Pamper" Carin before her baby arrived. Ryne has since made his arrival and he is simply PERFECT. I will hopefully blog about him later...

Happy Birthday Jackie

This post is going to be so out of order, but it is way over due... A couple of weeks back we celebrated Jackie's birthday dinner with the girls. While in college I never would have imagined that I would get to continue on my life journey with so many of my Aggie girlfriends. I love getting to share this part of my life with these girls. I love being a mom and sharing in that with Jackie who has the most adorable little girl by the way. She is an incredible mom and I am so blessed that she is in my circle of friends. Jackie is one of the most genuine people and gives some of the best advice, esp when it comes to kids. I appreciate her friendship so much. With all of our increasingly busy schedules, I am so grateful that we set aside time to get together and celebrate. This time it was margaritas, Mexican food and James Avery! Happy Birthday Jackie... love you to pieces and hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Rodeo 2012

I love the rodeo... it makes me feel like a true Texan! The Houston rodeo is always so much fun and I get all excited to wear my cowboy boots. I posted our glimpse photo from that week as the boys looked on at the Ferris Wheel, but I have been so far behind in posts, that i never posted the photos from our rodeo day with the Domann family and the round-up activities at Liam's school. It seems every year we attend at least one of the concerts, but our schedules made this year's rodeo seem like a blink in time.

I love seeing all the kids in their western gear. I get such a kick out of their pint-sized boots. This year we took Liam to Cavendars to choose his own boots. Bad Idea. His first choice were the red, roper pair which daddy was quick to veto! He finally settled on a pair of "ostrich" to be just like dad (don't worry, his were fake). He took them up to the lady at the counter and informed her that "Biam wear boots like daddy!" Luckily we have had lots of cowboy practice with the spring horse and cowboy hats we received at Christmas. The final touch were the boots and he was truly a cowboy.

Rainbow Eggs

I mentioned in my last post how my mom always had fun projects for us at each holiday. One of fondest memories was the time that she helped our entire class make paper-mache pumpkins that then mildewed over the weekend because there was no air circulation. I remember how incredibly fun it was, but I am sure all my mom can remember is that dreadful smell permeating the classroom when we returned on Monday! Disaster or not, it will be a memory that stays with me a lifetime.

Liam is getting to the age that we are able to do more activities and it thrills me! For Christmas we painted pottery mugs, we had several crafts like glitter train wheels for his birthday in January, there was crayon shaped hearts for Valentine's Day and then painting the egg-shaped chalkboards for Easter. But how can you have Easter without those colorful plastic cups and wire octagons? The ones so flimsy that you splash the dark green, vinegar water all over yourself because the egg is too heavy for the wire to hold. I bought a tie-dye Easter kit, but as you can tell from the photos... that was very unsuccessful.

The classic colored cups were perfect and Liam was fascinated by the way the tablets changed the water colors and oohed and ahhhed when we pulled the white eggs from the cup and they all of the colors of the rainbow! I think he would have dyed eggs all afternoon. I know one thing is for sure, his GiGi is going to be very proud of his color wheel in the future. Ever since he was a tiny little thing, he has been a master of colors. Even grey, pink, and gold... most recently we were informed that his shirt was turquoise... But if you really think about it, it isn't surprising. With an artist for a grandmother, that is totally normal I think. It will be interesting to see if he is also left handed!

Easter 2012

Easter this year was packed full of activity. Our neighborhood continued the traditional Easter egg hunt and the big hit was finding precious "gold" coins hidden inside the eggs. Liam was quick to remember how to hunt and went running to fill up his basket until of course he got a glimpse of the playground swing set... and that was the end of it. Unlike last year, Liam was not a fan of the man in the bunny suit. Sure, a thumbs up or a high five was fine.. but no way would he sit in his lap.

I still love our neighborhood. I love all the families and taking Liam down to the pond to feed the ducks. It has been a wonderful place to raise Liam. A small town feel in such a big city. We have recently started playing with the idea of moving... just talking about it. And I will say that it will be difficult to leave when the time comes. The way this market is working, it may be 2-3 years... haha... but still.

Wink

An Easter Wink...

Did you miss me? I know, I know... it has been forever since my last post and despite my new year's promise... I have failed miserably! I never thought job and new photography business and new photography blog and toddler and family illness and LIFE would get in the way so much? Okay, so maybe there are a few more things on my plate these days, but no excuse when it comes to documenting the family and I am so far behind, it is going to be hard to catch up... but catch up I will. I thought I would start with a little wink from Easter.

When it comes to creating classroom treats for 2 year olds, you have to get creative. I will be ready when small objects and candy are no longer a concern, wink! Pinterest has been a great tool for me, like the Valentine heart crayons. This next one is a spin off of an idea of a friend's class and I was so excited! Thank you Ashley! I really try and get Liam involved whenever I can. I think it adds a personal touch and even though they may not be perfect, they have character and he is so proud of his work!

Glimpses 11.5

This week calls for a double dose of glimpses! On Wednesday afternoon, we took off work and headed to the rodeo with the boys.  We ate fried food and let cotton candy melt on our tongues. We met a few pigs and some cows. We rode ponies and tractors and a wagon... and maybe we didn't get to ride on the Ferris Wheel just yet, but they boys were flying high on one of the free rides at the rodeo... and couldn't have been happier!

Glimpses Week 11

It is unmistakable when the stomach bug hits your house. There is nothing worse than a sick little one. A little one that doesn’t really understand being sick. Sometimes being wrapped in daddy’s arms with the distraction of Mickey and best friend tucked by your side is the best medicine.

And in 24 hours... it was gone!

Glimpses Week 10

They are heros. And last tuesday evening, when a tree crash caused our entire neighborhood’s power to go out, they performed more than one heroic act of protecting a live wire. They left a huge imprint on one little boy’s world. Which made the 4 hours without power bearable. These men could have simply done the task their chief had assigned, but instead they took the time to show Liam what it takes to be a fireman. They let him drive the truck, sound the airhorn, listen to the siren, run the waterhose, fill back up with the hydrant, and even wear their hat. I cannot thank these incredible men enough for being so wonderful to my son. We were all worn out from working all day and the last thing we wanted was to come home to a power outage. Liam still talks about those firemen. They are famous in our house. It turned out to be an amazing night! Thank you so much to our neighborhood heros!

All Aboard!

"Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing.

There's no time to waste,

There so much to celebrate. 

Believe in what you feel inside,
Give your dreams the wings to fly."
You have everything you need, if you just believe."

Liam's Polar Express themed 2nd birthday turned out better than I could have dreamed it for him. These birthdays have grown legs and have certainly turned into productions, but to see the pure joy on his face made it all worth it!