Saturday, January 4, 2014

Trying to catch up

So, it has been a really LONG time since I have posted and I want to jump back on the band wagon and catch up on it all.  So much has changed since the last time I wrote anything and I'm mad at myself that I haven't done a better job documenting it all.  Luckily there are some things that I have written about either on paper or in my cell phone so that I would remember them and be able to add them into the blog.

I started to grad school in September 2012 and that combined with the fact that I was pregnant meant I way too busy and too tired to do any blogging.  I start my last semester of grad school next week and know that I am going to be really busy again but still hope/ plan to take a little time for blogging ever now and then! 

In order to catch up I want to start where I left off and go forward from there.  This will take me several posts and probably a couple weeks to get done but I am motivated and determined to get it done!  So, here we go with the end of 2012!

We shared our pregnancy with family and our closest friends in early October...


... and then announced it to the virtual world after the end of the first trimester in early November.


We went to Lubbock before Thanksgiving for a quick weekend with our families.  While in Lubbock we had Cade's 2 year old pictures made and took new family pictures.





We celebrated the actual holiday at our house with a very low key and untraditional (steak and potato) dinner...


... and then decorated for Christmas!

 


December started off with my little brother proposing to Julie!  He planned a fun scavenger hunt for her that started off at their house and then took her several places before she found him on one knee with the ring!  After that they went to dinner with both their families to celebrate!  We didn't get to go to Lubbock to be with them but I was able to help Seth with some of the planning and send a couple of special things for them that went along with the scavenger hunt.  I love my little bro and Julie too and am so excited that she is part of our family now!


We had our big anatomy sono on December 11 and found out that baby #2 was another BOY!!!  We wanted to include our family in the gender reveal and so we had the sono tech circle the gender on this card and put the reveal picture in an envelope and we took them home to facetime with our families that night and open the envelope when everyone was watching!  It was lots of fun to include them and we are over the moon about a little brother for Cade!!!


We had our 1st Annual North Pole breakfast and met our Elf on the Shelf "Nuffin"!  Cade loved the breakfast and all the sugary treats!  Nuffin received his name from Cade- I think he was trying to say Muffin and it came out wrong!


Cade was still a little young and did not fully understand much about the Elf.  The first night we put Gregg and I had lots of fun over the month finding new places to hide Nuffin each night.  The first night we put Nuffin in Gregg's Christmas stocking and so Cade thought that was where he always belonged.  Every morning he would find him in a new spot and then always make us return him to Gregg's stocking!



We celebrated Christmas at our house a little early because Gregg had to work Christmas day.  Santa visited one day while I was at work and Cade was at daycare and left lots of goodies for us!  Cade had fun playing with his new toys and unwrapping all the presents- he is very particular with the wrapping paper and has to have every scrap of paper and piece of tape off the package!




We ended up having a small snow/ ice storm in Dallas on Christmas day so Cade and I finished packing the car up a little early and headed to Irving to visit Gregg at the fire station and then stay in a hotel there.  The next morning we picked Gregg up from the station and headed to Lubbock to be with our families for Christmas!


We celebrated Christmas in Wolfforth with my parents first which I can't find any pictures of.  Next up was Christmas at my grandparents house.  We spent the day hanging out there before all the family got together that evening for dinner and presents. 

Cade had fun playing outside in the water puddles


All of the stocking hung on the mantle at Grammy and Gramps house!  My grandfather had a mantle extension made that holds all the stockings.  We will be adding 2 more stockings up there next year as my cousin Mikka and I are both expecting babies in the Spring!


Mikka's oldest, Jadyn and Cade in front of Grammy's Christmas tree


 Opening our brown bag stocking stuffers!


After spending a couple of days celebrating with my family we headed to Hale Center to be with Gregg's family.  We had new family pictures made with Gregg's entire family while visiting.  The pictures were made at the little farm and ranch museum there in Hale Center.  It was my first time to ever visit the place and it was really neat.  They have all kinds of old cars and tractors that people have donated to the museum inside the barn and the boys had such a fun time running around everything!






After pictures we went back to Ronald and Beverly's house to open presents and have dinner.  It is so much fun getting to watch Cade and Landry together.  I cannot wait to add another little one into that mix next year!!! 


The next day we spent some time out on the farm.  Gregg got a chance to do a little shooting and then he and Cade had some fun on the tractor!




I just love these two boys!

 We had such a great time over the holidays with our family and were so glad to get to spend that time with them!




Sunday, November 4, 2012

Cade's 2nd Birthday Party!

Cade will turn two on Monday, November 5 so we celebrated with a little party at our house on yesterday!  Cade is kinda obsessed with Mickey Mouse right now so naturally that was the theme for the party.  I wanted to use bright, primary colors and found an invitation from Amanda's Parties To Go and an AWESOME party package from Your Printable Party that I used as inspiration and to make all the printables. 
 
Birthday Boy  
 
Party Invitation
 
Balloons on the mailbox

 Birthday Balloon wreath welcoming guests to the party
(I made this wreath last year for Cade's 1st Birthday and was able to change out the centerpiece and use it again!)

Entry table

 Cade's Mickey balloons

 Sweets table in the kitchen

Close-up picture of the sweets table featuring Mickey's Marshmallows, Mouseketeer Rice Crispies and Toodles Cakeballs along with some Mickey themed candy

 
 Candy, party favors and Cade's Mickey Mouse Subway Art

Cute Mickey Mouse I made with help from my friend Susan

Hot Diggety Dog Table


Drink Table 
 
Kids Coloring Table

Birthday banner on the back fence
 
Cade's Cupcake 
 
Singing Happy Birthday

Blowing out his candle

 Silly boy loved laying down out in the grass

Peyton, Cade and Kenlee coloring
 
Cade and McKensley checking out the drink options

playing with a new puzzle 
 
checking it all out
 
Cade and Peyton sharing a hug

I forgot to get a group picture while all the kids were still there and attempted later with Lina and Kenlee but Cade took off running every time we got them lined up so...

Cade in front of his Birthday banner


It is so hard to believe that our baby boy turns TWO tomorrow!  In some ways it feels like we were just headed to the hospital yesterday and in a lot of other ways it feels like he has always been a part of our lives.  We had a great time celebrating yesterday and so appreciate all the friends that came and made the day so special for Cade!  And a HUGE thanks to my Momma who came down and helped us with all the baking, decorating and basically pulling the whole thing off!!!