Mellow SoCo day

While Ryan's family was here, we spent an afternoon on South Congress shopping and enjoying some yummy treats. Toward the end, G got a little tired of walking around, so we decided to sit on the curb on a side street. I looked up at him, and knew I had to get some good photos before we lost the light. Here are a small few, but we must have taken a couple hundred, by the time the rest of the family found us and got in on the action. Man, I love these pictures!

Love that boy!

Sweet face.

Striking his own pose. Something about this picture reminds me of my Uncle Bob. I shouldn't be surprised he looks like my family, since this kid stole my face.

I could eat those lips!

Always struggling to maneuver her way around and over obstacles.

Precious girl.

Brother and sister.

A totally unprovoked display of affection. More surprising? She actually let him do that!

Scout returning the love. Here's the kiss...

...and the plant.

Daddy and G

Crazy kisses

Sweet kisses

Mommy and G

G's Birthday Photos

Here are a few more photos from Garrett's birthday weekend for the grandparents' viewing pleasure.

A bear hug from Pop the day they arrived

Scout got her first sock monkey from her aunt Jess

Here's G opening his first present from Mommy and Daddy on his birthday morning. He was feeling sick that day from a strong antibiotic, but he was a real trooper. Poor little guy!

Here he is playing with his other present from Mommy and Daddy with Grandma. It was a box of pirate island toys from Whole Earth. It was the only thing he asked for, even when I said he could have anything he wanted. He'd had his eye on it for at least six months.

G trying out his new snorkel from Grandma and Lito.


Scout checking out how it works on her toe, while G tries on the flippers.



Daddy getting a laugh from G, which were few that day.

The cookie cake and a few extra cookies.

A little Sooner pirate

Three pirates on the hunt for treasure.

A good place for a pirate to read his map.

We can make it down the slide together ... and some ring pops for confidence don't hurt.

Sweet Scout on the move.

Me and my sis.

Just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman ... costume courtesy of Aya.

Batwings like his cousin's from Nonni and Pop

Jess liked them, too.


An unbeatable crime-fighting team.

The Beards' visit

Ryan's parents and sister Jessica flew in for the weekend of Garrett's birthday. They brought lots of presents for both kids, and it didn't take long for G and Scout to warm up to them again. Scout quickly latched on to Jess, and they pretty much spent all of G's birthday together. She also loved playing hard to get with Pop, and he did a good job of giving her love and attention, but also her space. Garrett discovered that Nonni loves computer games, so the two of them spent some time on the Playhouse Disney website. Besides the party, we also took them to some fun local restaurants and wandered down South Congress. The SoCo day was particularly nice for me, since I got to visit Hey Cupcake, after which everyone else enjoyed Amy's Ice Cream. The boys in my house and the entire Beard family share a love affair with ice cream, however my choice for a sweet treat is a cupcake. When it comes time to choose a treat, I'm always out-voted. Maybe Scout will love cupcakes with me, and we'll have to take turns when she can finally voice her opinion, oh.. and when we let her have sweet treats. The last night the Beards were here, the adults sat around reminiscing about past Beard family times, teasing Ryan's mom about how little she remembers, and wishing Ryan's brother had been there to fill in the blanks. We laughed a lot. Anyway, it was a lovely weekend, and here are a few photos to prove it.

Scout and Nonni opening some presents

Pop and Scout

Scout and Jess


Relaxing on the curb on a South Congress side street

A race with Nonni

Backyard fun with Nonni and Pop

Stealing a kiss


Batgirl and Superman (both were birthday presents)

A day at Zilker Park

On April 25th, Ryan and some guys from church put some hardwood flooring into the children's home. Some of the girls and kiddos got together to ride the train, explore the cave, eat snowcones and play on the playground at Zilker. The playground was the last thing we did, and the ground beneath the equipment is pebbles. When we got home, we were all so dirty, that I decided I'd throw the kids into the bath before their naps. This is what I found when I took off Scout's diaper.

I can't believe she rode all the way home sitting in gravel. Poor thing. Maybe her fussing wasn't about it being past her naptime.

Here are a couple other cute pictures from the day. It was a lot of fun.

The Pirate Party

Garrett chose a pirate theme for his fourth birthday party, and I ran with it. I spent quite a bit of time on the internet researching pirate speak, so that I'd get the wording on the evite just right, and by the end of it, everything was all ship shape and Bristol fashion, me hearties! We also hand-delivered some messages in bottles to the kids. Ryan's parents and sister flew in for the weekend, and my parents and sister drove in for the day. Unfortunately, G's stomach was bothering him from a strong antibiotic he'd just started, but he was a tough little pirate and didn't give in to the pain until that night. He was insistent on wearing his pirate costume, so I joined in with a bandana and some hoop earrings. We had it at our neighborhood park, and the kids looked so cute running around with their swords, bandanas and spyglasses. Barrett was well-versed in pirate talk, and I don't think any of the kids were confused about how to have a sword fight. Even Scout got into it, though she does have the advantage of watching her brother engage in swashbuckling sword fights with imaginary opponents all day. Ryan led the kids down one of the trails on a treasure hunt, where they stumbled upon a treasure box filled with chocolate gold coins, sucker rings and pirate tattoos. We ended with G's cookie cake, and let the kids run until there was no doubt they'd all get a great night's sleep. Our friends were also generous in bringing items to stock the Central Texas Children's Home pantry instead of gifts for Garrett. We'll see if we can get away with that again next year, but G was happy to do it once more, and the thank you card he received from them is a prized possession. Thank you to our friends and family for those gifts and for helping Garrett celebrate his day!

Blake and Garrett

Daddy and Scout

The treasure hunt


The cookie cake

The Dread Pirates Beard

Captain Beard and his crew

Garrett at 4

I can't believe it. My little man is four-years old. It's gone by too quickly, and the feeling reminds me of my dad when I was little. He had this old typewriter case, that he said he wanted to put my sister and me in, to keep us little, so we'd never grow up. We thought it was hilarious then, but now I get it. I remember when Garrett was new and wrinkly, and I'd hold him at night in his big red chair, trying to burn every part of that moment into my memory. Life moves so quickly now, and those quiet moments are so scarce, that I have to remind myself "remember this!" Life with Garrett is so rich, and I don't want to forget any of it. Some words I would use to describe him right now are smart, sweet, thoughtful, compassionate, helpful, funny, verbose, dramatic, inquisitive, snuggly, friendly, accepting, protective, imaginative and handsome. He is an amazing big brother and a wonderful son. He is quick to shower me with compliments, to praise Scout's accomplishments and to try in every way to imitate his Daddy. I thank God every day for the precious gift of being G's mom. I am so blessed to be able to watch him grow and learn, and I pray that I will be the mother that he deserves and that God has called me to be. Happy Birthday, baby! I love you!