greatest hits

well, it's official.  i am 33.  and apparently, 33 is going to be bad-ass according to this study.  we shall see.  but so far, so good.  i have felt especially loved this week.  here's why:

1) first ever deep ellum food truck rally.  since we are old, we got there early, therefore did not have to wait in too long of a line.  the winner of the favorite thing we ate is: sliders from easy slider food truck.  delish.

after some serious head-banging to a local band, ben declared that when he grows up, he wants to be a musician/artist/zookeeper/fisherman.

2) running a personal record of 3.5 miles.  chris surprised me with some hypnotic donuts to celebrate.  yes, that is bacon on a donut.  and yes, apparently i have an eating problem.

(for the record, i only ate one.)

 3) visiting the white rock local market where i bought myself some cute earrings and a small succulent in the sweetest handmade pot. (both were destroyed by my angelic children within 48 hrs. of purchasing them.  whatevs.)

 4) sushi for lunch. crosby appreciated the chopsticks but not the edamame.

 5) a candy-themed birthday party with my big boy.

 6) girls night out.  kelly smuggled pickle-shots in her purse so i could have a birthday shot!  that's my girl.

 jenn had her first big night out since having baby nolan.  we had a lot to celebrate!

 7) the funniest moment of the weekend was when crosby snatched and inhaled a handful of peppered bacon off of grandpa's plate, while he was busy preparing the baby a plate of nutritious, bit-sized fruit.  that kid is a piece of work.

 8) an afternoon spent at the dallas museum of art, where we saw the fantastic exhibit youth and beauty: art of the american twenties.  i did not expect to see any georgia o'keeffe or edward hopper, so that was a sweet little birthday surprise.

               l to r: the shelton with sunspots by georgia o'keeffe and night windows by edward hopper

followed by time spent as a family in the amazing center for creative connections, where crosby and ben were able to play and create.

 9) and since you only turn 33 once, i finished the day with one of those fancy margaritas with a beer in it (ha!) and cake.  perfection.

looking forward to the dallas flea and celebrating (more) birthdays with family.

how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

until next time,

xoxoxo

greatest hits

the bulk of this week was spent preparing for, participating in, and cleaning up after our barbeque cook-off.  

wanna meet the family?

this is grandpa.  he was worried that he looked old in this picture.  i think he looks handsome.

this is nan.  she hates having her picture taken.  this one required coaxing and persuasion. 

 little victories, people, little victories.

 this is my uncle jason.  he also loves having his picture taken.

there, that's nicer.

 this is mimi.  she hates having her picture taken as well.  wait, is that genetic?  but she obliged when i told her the picture was for one of her grandchildren.  

i like to call her the baby whisperer.

 this is kristie.  she doesn't give a damn who takes her picture, as long as she has her hands on a baby.

 you know this clown.  he likes to play in tents.

 and then this boy. he likes to smile and eat ribs.  with his belly hanging out of his shirt. (he gets that from me).

 this is jake.  he is my very favorite almost twelve year old.  he has braces, talks a lot, and loves the band lmfao.

 not pictured: chelsey, zach, kami and chris.  i do have a picture of chelsey eating chocolate candy.  but i won't post it because she is pregnant and i am scared of her.

on another note, my big boy got his first black eye this week when he walked directly into a steel handrail.  that's what happens when you walk forward and look backward at the same time.  poor (clumsy) baby.  

 this boy has teeth and he is proud of it.

a trip to our favorite kids store in the mall resulted in these shots of some pretty great quotes they have posted on their walls.  i am so sure they love the lady that always comes in and never buys anything roaming around and snapping pictures of their decor (because i don't spend more than $20 on a shirt for myself, so i sure as hell won't spend $40 on a shirt for a toddler.  just sayin').

looking forward to my saturday run and then taking it easy. 

how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

until next time,

xoxoxo

greatest hits

we are back to normal, folks.  out-of-town guests have returned back home, school started back up, my work schedule is back on.  while the holidays were fantastic, i am a sucker for a schedule and a routine.

therefore, momma is a happy girl.

here are a few things that made our week memorable:

1)  parenthood is back (thank the lord because i am all footballed out).  last night's episode made me cry (per usual), miss my grandparents, want to go on a roadtrip, and immediately look up songs on the internet.  this song was my favorite from last night's episode.  have i mentioned that i love this show?  o.k., i'll shut up now.

2) nana and papa's visit.  we ate (a lot), drank (a lot), went to the zoo, took nature walks, and played our hearts out.  here are nana and papa standing on a tree stump with ben.  yep, i don't know why either.

3) our annual new year's eve eve tradition of going to ft. worth to see our beloved robert earl keen perform at the beautiful bass hall.  this year was extra special because we were joined by some of our best friends.  we had a good dinner, listened to a fantastic show, caught up over beers with an old friend, spent the night in a hotel and ate a big mexican breakfast before coming home to our boys.  can't beat that with a stick.

4) checking out a new neighborhood park.  seriously, this baby is always happy.  he is a joy from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep.  it is too good to be true.  i'm sure he'll make me pay during toddlerhood.  but for now, i am savoring this perfection.

 5) a belated christmas celebration with pa.

 6) new years eve celebration with my boys, a bottle of wine, spaghetti carbonara, and a movie.  we (chris and i) stayed up to kiss at midnight, then off to bed we went.

 7) veggie pizza from il cane rosso.  they park their mobile wood-fired pizza oven down the street from us every monday night.  so it was pizza for dinner.  delish.

8) eating black-eyed peas with my parents on new years day.

p.s. my friend chance welcomed her little girl right after christmas (8 weeks before her due date).  baby lenox is a tiny angel and has a lot of work ahead fattening up in the nicu.  check them out here and feel free to send them a happy thought or two.  thanks!

looking forward to see kathy griffin and marcy's birthday brunch.  how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

until next time,

xoxoxo

christmas fun facts

i learned a few things this christmas that i would like to share with you here.

#1: christmas jammie/wrestling/snuggle fests get christmas eve off on the right foot.

#2: your toddler can turn into a little boy right before your very eyes, making your heart feel like it's going to burst and leaving you to wonder where in the world all the time has gone.

#3: christmas eve feels cozier when you stay in your pajamas until well past nap-time.

#4: food tastes better when you are eating it around a table with your favorite people in the world.

#5: glitter shoes and sparkling princess crowns are sometimes a nice change of pace from dinosaurs and pirate ships.  (p.s. i am going to be an aunt!  to a niece!)

#6: santa's elves often disguise themselves as pink panda bears.

#7: christmas morning isn't complete without a chubby little baby lion.

#8: you don't need coffee when you have a pint-sized singer/songwriter instead.  it'll wake you right up.

#9: sometimes the wrapping is better than the gift itself.

#10: pirates celebrate christmas, too.

#11: gorillas play the keyboard with their feet.

#12: a christmas dinner of tamales and beans beat the hell out of slaving in the kitchen all day.

#13: when cousins gather together, they develop magic powers.

#14: cousin pictures that don't turn out how you had hoped are often the best ones.

#15: nature walks with nana are much better than nature walks without her. 

#16: when papa is in town, i get a glimpse into my future.

#17: texas barbeque tastes better when shared with non-texans.

#18: i would rather walk around without a coat and eat ice cream in december, than have a white christmas any day.

 i hope your holiday was merry and bright.  ours was loud, busy, joyous, indulgent and down-right close to perfect.  much love to you and yours!