Hailey’s First Birthday

This was a fantastic weekend in our home. On Friday, Brenda and I started our weekend a little early. While we weren’t taking the day off for rest and relaxation, we did get kick-off Hailey’s birthday celebration. We didn’t have to wake up at 4am as we did a year ago, instead we slept in, to a leisurely 7am! After dropping Grace off at Gram’s for breakfast with Grandad and Gram, we took Hailey for her 1 year check up. After 4 shots and declaration of a clean bill of health, we were off for a full morning of errands and house cleaning. Later in the afternoon we took the girls to Portrait Innovations for pictures. On Saturday we filled our home with family and friends for Hailey’s party.

We are blessed to have family and friends that made Hailey’s birthday such a big priority. Tracy and Josh arrived before the party, something made remarkable considering that Tracy had been on a plane returning from Iowa the day before and managed to make it to our home despite a brief 9 hours spent in her own home after a week of travel. Missy, Richard and the boys came in Friday evening and were at our house Saturday morning early to help us get ready for the party. Unfortunately, they had to leave the party early because they also needed to attend a 50th birthday party on Saturday evening in Houston. Todd, Melanie and Jaden driving in from Abilene and making a weekend of it was a fun treat as well.

Dinner at Posada's, church with the family and brunch at Mimi’s Cafe wrapped up a busy, fun and blessed weekend. The girls (including Mommy) enjoyed a well deserved nap while I sorted out pics! Speaking of pictures, I have added a fist full of pics from Hailey’s 1 year portrait session. If I am feeling really industrious, I will sort and upload pics from our weekend this evening some time.

Happy Birthday to my lil’ Sweet Pea!

Comments

Grace's Birthday pictures

Count Brenda and I into the category of fans of Portrait Innovations! Leading up to Grace's first birthday we took her to have her picture taken at Sears every 3 months so that we could watch her grow. Each time it was a difficult experience. Nobody at Sears seemed to be able to get Grace to interact at all. It usually came down to Brenda and I deciding on 1 decent picture out of the set to use. For Grace's 2 year old picture, we decided to try someplace different. We went to Portrait Innovations. Talk about a great experience. Just like in the previous times, Grace was fussy and not at all interested in having her picture taken. The difference was that this time, the photographer took her time to draw Grace in and make her feel more comfortable. We took some family shots and used lots of different props to keep Grace engaged. It also helped that they took a ton of pictures! Not only did they take lots of pictures, we used 2 different studio rooms and several diffe...

I can do it!

Today was our second class at Young Chefs Academy in Round Rock. Grace was very excited to be going back this morning. We have talked a lot about our class over the last couple of weeks. Grace already has plenty of enthusiasm for spending time in a kitchen, which is something we have been instilling in her at home for some time now. This week, even though this was just our second time in our class, it was a joy to see her confidence grow. When we walked in the door, Grace was still a bit timid, clinging to my leg. She was happy to be there, but she just still needed a few minutes to warm up. By the time Miss Lesley Ann got us into the kitchen, and I got Grace's jacket off, she was already starting to warm up. This was familiar now. Miss Lesley Ann helped her get her apron on, and then it was off to wash our hands. Unlike last week though, I didn't have to take her. She had confidence in where she was, and what the routine was. Miss Lesley Ann was no longer a stranger and the on...

C'mon Mom, it's just PB and J!

When Mommy makes Grace a sandwich, she takes lots of time to cut the sandwich in small, manageable pieces for Grace. Mommy also has a thing for clean fingers, clean hair and hopefully clean ears. There is certainly nothing wrong with this approach. I applaud her enthusiasm for Grace's manners. However, sometimes... well, come on... really. It is just peanut butter and jelly. At this point, I should probably take a moment to thank the sponsors of this particular blog entry, Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Gramma's Strawberry Preserves. Gramma's Strawberry Preserves and Peach Butter is only available at a small pantry in Tyler, TX. She doesn't advertise, she doesn't sell her products online, heck, she doesn't even sell her products period... But those in the know, know where to go to get their jelly fix. Since I am down to my last jar of Strawberry Preserves, and I am completely out of Peach Butter, it must be about time for another journey to East Texas. Since Gramm...

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