Birthday Fun – The Arboretum!

Since we’ve lived in the Dallas area, it has become a little bit of a tradition with my family to do some kind of event for my birthday involving some sort of Dallas cultural attraction…so fun! One year we went to see a movie at the Angelika (about all the men who have gone to the moon!) then shopping at Mockingbird Station. Another year we went to the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. This year, we packed up the babies and headed to the Dallas Arboretum to check out their fall display – Autumn at the Arboretum!

It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday morning, and the temperature was just right! We got there early, rented a wagon for the girls to ride in (Camryn loved it, Emery just wanted to stand up in it!), and made a beeline for the pumpkins! And yes, we dressed the girls in matching outfits! :)

There was beautiful scenery every way we looked…amazing! I can’t believe I had never been before last weekend!

The Pumpkin Village was pretty incredible. There were houses covered in pumpkins and photo opportunities everywhere…and we sure took advantage of that!

We made sure to get family pictures of the Madisons and the Kirkseys:

And pictures of Gigi with her grandgirls:

(I can’t get over Emery’s face…priceless!)

We saw about every variety of pumpkin imaginable…God is so creative!

We spent a couple of hours wandering through different gardens and just admiring all the plants, flowers, and pumpkins, of course. Toward the end, the girls were getting a little tired, so we headed back to the car, stopping for one last photo op at these huge, reddish-orange pumpkins.

I guess we wore the girls out, because this is what they both looked like about 5 minutes into our car ride home:

It was a fun and special day, made even more fun with the cousins there together! Thanks to Tyson and Camryn, Beth, Matt and Emery, and Mom for making in such a great birthday!

They Finally Fit!

OK, so here’s the story:  A sweet friend (Hey, Mrs. D!) gave Camryn this adorable pair of pink cowgirl boots for a baby shower gift (along with a pink stick pony which she loves!).  Of course newborns can’t wear boots, and they were a size 5.  We have been waiting patiently for Camryn’s walking skills and foot size to catch up to these boots, and they finally do!  So she got fully accessorized today (completing her outfit with Mama’s bracelet) and we got some pictures!

 

This girl was walking all over the house in her boots…didn’t take long at all to figure it out!

 

I just love this little cowgirl! :)

Rainy Day

When it looks like this outside ALL DAY…

…you have to find fun things to do inside!  Not that I’m complaining about the rain…we needed it!  So, instead of grocery shopping in the rain, here’s what Camryn and I did this morning:

Her mommy helped her get the couch cushions on the floor, and she had a great time climbing, flopping, and jumping on them!  Yay for free fun! :)

Happy Birthday, Emery!

Today my sweet niece, Emery, turns one!  I can hardly believe that it has been one year since I got that phone call (in the middle of the night!) that she was on the way.  What a blessing she is to us!

Last weekend, we headed over to Tyler for a big birthday bash for Emery!  Her mommy did such a great job with all of the decorations and details!

Leading up to the front door – the birthday girl’s name in flowers!	The cupcakes, banners, and chandelier decorations all made by Beth!  Can you tell what the theme was?? ;)

Everyone that came participated in the theme by wearing black, white, or pink (and wrapping their presents to match!  Beth’s hair even got in on it! :)

Emery (in her tutu!) with her Gigi and OK.	Beth and Emery…see the pink hair?!

Emery did a great job with her birthday cupcake…and even got a little help from Camryn!

All the party guests loved watching Emery eat her cupcake and open her gifts…

…and Emery loved opening her gifts – she was SUPER excited about each one!

Happy Birthday, Emery!  Aunt Sarah, Uncle Tyson, and Camryn all love you so much!  And thanks to Matt and Beth for hosting such a fun party!

Summer Fun!

This summer I have had to get creative.  See, when you have a toddler with tons of energy and it is a bajillion degrees outside, you have to find ways to entertain them that beat the heat!

We have done 2 weeks worth of swim lessons… Camryn learned that being in the pool is OK, how to splash her hands and kick her feet, and how to hold on to the side of the pool.  This was her first real experience in the pool, and she wasn’t sure at first, but warmed up to it quickly.

 

We have had some fun visits to Tyler to see family for special occasions like Fathers Day…

Great-grandgirls with thier mommies, Grandaddy, and OK

Camryn with her Grandad.  Happy girl!

 

…and for my sister Beth’s birthday! 

Cousin play time with Aunt Sassy!

Birthday festivities included a trip to the zoo with the grandparents.

We have also discovered the children’s play areas at the local malls and toddler story time at the library…Camryn loves them both!  It’s survival, people, and we’re loving it! :)

Catching Up – Caribbean Cruise

Although it kinda seems like a distant memory now, Tyson and I went on a 5 night Caribbean cruise just after Camryn’s first birthday in February. Oh man, was it fun! :) Both sets of grandparents made sure that Camryn was taken care of while we were gone, and they did a great job! We sure missed our girl, but we had a great time together celebrating the fact that we made it through our first year of parenting!

Day 1 – Embarkation: We got up super early (I think it was in the 4’s somewhere), and flew to Miami to catch our boat, and it was beautiful (the city and the ship!). We got off the plane, caught a cab to the port, and we were on the boat by lunch time on Saturday, February 20th. The weather was breezy and warm…such a nice change from the mountains of snow we received in Dallas just a week before!

Our first day on the boat was spent familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the ship, unpacking in our somewhat-small-but-cozy stateroom, and enjoying our first of several great meals. We played a round of bingo after dinner, but didn’t make it to that night’s show because of our previously mentioned SUPER early wake up time that day!

Day 2 – Sea Day: Our first full day on the boat was spent at sea travelling between Miami and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, readily available ice cream, and all the activities on board. We went to an improv comedy show and played shuffleboard with a couple of older gentlemen from Ohio. Dinner that night was formal night, so we got all dressed up and another yummy dinner (Tyson had Colorado rack of lamb that he said was amazing! I wouldn’t know because I was too busy enjoying my escargot and coq au vin!)

Day 3 – Ocho Rios, Jamaica: I had hoped to watch the process of our ship coming in to port, but we were already in Jamaica by the time we made it to breakfast. We ate on a deck at the very back of the ship looking over the port of Ocho Rios.

We had a great tour guide that took us to Dunn’s River Falls, floating in tubes down a river, and to scenic overlooks and interesting places around town. He even brought us some fruit from his backyard…all varieties native to Jamaica, and none of which we had ever seen before! We tasted each one, and they were all interesting, but not all were so tasty. :)

Then it was back to the boat!

Day 4 – Grand Cayman Sea Day: Overnight we travelled from Jamaica to Grand Cayman (where we were supposed to ride jet skis and swim with the sting rays!). The water was too choppy that day for ships to get into port safely, so the port authority closed the port! Wop wop… So, that day was spent at sea travelling to Key West, Florida instead. This was another relaxing day spent by the pool, playing ping pong, eating of course, and game show activities on board. By the way, that night for dinner I had the Lobster Bisque and the Ossobucco ala Milanese, in case you were wondering. :)

Day 5 – Key West: Although we had booked a tour to go snorkeling, a long line trying to get off the boat kept us from making it on time…boo! So we just took our time wandering around the streets of Key West, people watching, and eating Mexican food. :) It was a cloudy, rainy day, so we didn’t spend too much time there before getting back on the boat.

This was our last night on board, and our last dinner in the main dining room. Our tablemates and our waiters were awesome! The other couples we were seated with were so nice and funny and easy to talk to…made dinner fun! Our head waiter, Limon was hilarious and so nice…we miss him reading the desserts to us every night and calling us “Ma’am Sarah” and “Sir Tyson” !

Day 6 – Debarkation and Travel Home: We got off the boat after breakfast that morning, and travelled home, excited to see our baby girl! After a LONG day of waiting in lines, delayed flights, and Dallas traffic, my parents were waiting at our house with sweet Camryn! She was pretty much SUPER excited to see us…the feeling was mutual! :) Unbeknownst to us (and it was probably better that way), Camryn had decided to get her first ear infection and trip to the ER while we were gone! Some yummy pink antibiotics fixed her right up, but it was sure a long night for her Gigi and OK who were up with her all night!

We’re so thankful to Tyson’s parents and my parents for making our getaway possible! I’m so sorry that Camryn got sick while she was with y’all, but we sure appreciate the great job you did of caring for her…she loves y’all so much! :)

Whew, I think I’m caught up on the major events of the last several months…finally!