Dressed up in Discovery Green

I told Cas for our anniversary I wanted family pictures. I tend to be behind the camera in most of the pictures and I wanted a good shot of our family of three. So we met our friend Claire near downtown for some photos. We went to an outdoor setting with sticks, which meant Collin was completely uninterested in taking photos and completely obsessed with picking up and swinging around sticks. The highlight for him was watching his first train.

Next we changed outfits and headed to Discovery Green. We posed with the incredibly patient Claire until Collin made sure everyone realized he was done with photos. After that he got to burn some energy 21-month-old style - shoes off running down hills to the cheering of grandparents. Here he is running to Brownie. It was the fastest we've seen him go while staying on his feet -

Coming in for a hug (surprisingly he picked me here over Grammy, quite often it's Grammy that gets all the love)

A few photos on my mom's camera of us in our coordinated Christmas card colors -

Father and son in matching navy & green -
One of my friends, Sarah, had engagement pictures by these same colored walls in this cute dip pose. We failed to re-create it, but had fun trying -

In the Driver's Seat

Collin discovered his first remote control car in the box that was supposed to be filled with hand-me-down Christmas presents from Amber. And he was delighted to discover that control he had with the small push of a button.

A big grin and mouth agape in wonder was the expression he wore the whole time he operated the car -

Quite content until his father brought out his remote control car which gave Collin an inferiority complex. This is a milestone - first remote control car - that Cas appreciates much more than I do.

These Boots are Made for Posing

My best friend Amber has two older boys, which is SUCH a blessing to us because we have spent next to nothing on clothes and shoes. Her latest box of goodies (Christmas toys) included these black boots. As soon as Collin got them on, we knew they'd be a wardrobe staple. They're still a tad big, but that didn't seem to bother him at all.

Quite pleased with his cowboy self, posing in our hallway mirror -

We wore them the next day for our Christmas card photos. Collin decided to take them off to run, but made sure to hand them off to a responsible party after posing with them for a picture -

Little boys clothes cannot compare to the adorable-ness of little girl outfits, but these toddler cowboy boots are about the closest we'll get this year!

Surprising our 87-year-old Grandma

What better way to wish our 87-year-old Grandma Jewell Rae happy birthday than startling her with a room full of family?

Aunt Debbie, the family organizer extraordinaire, gathered us for a surprise party at Ciro's, and we had a wonderful dinner with family celebrating.

Bob, Liz and Carla pose as we wait for food. Bryce and me -

Collin had apparently worn his hat all day at school and wouldn't take it off when he arrived at the restaurant. Uncle Dick sported the dog hat too -

Collin insisted on personally wishing his great grandma a happy birthday while he tried to rip off her necklace -

We are so fortunate to be able to celebrate 87th birthdays and to have a room filled with family members who thoroughly enjoy one another's company!

Family Dinners with Uncle Alex

What fun it was to have Alex join us for some family dinners last week! We got to catch up, my dad had the opportunity to pass along his tried-and-true words of wisdom ("don't make it a late night" and "don't forget your jacket"), Alex and I managed to consume an entire pan of peanut butter bars in 4 days, and we read and played music together.

Here we are reading Farley, a book Great Aunt Debbie made up the words to while we were in Ecuador and now we all continue with Debbie's version since Collin corrects us if we read the actual text on the page!
Tickle time with Grammy -

Piano playing with Uncle Alex and later Daddy -


And books before bed with Uncle Alex, such sweetness for me to sit on the bed and observe -

Finally, a random picture of Collin from Sunday morning, sporting a preppy look.

We continue to have SO MUCH fun with our son, and have almost as much fun watching our family have SO MUCH fun with him! What joy!

A Texas Celebration for Alex and Coady

The invite read: They found a place, they set a date. Then they got married out-of-state. Join us in Texas to celebrate the marriage of Alex and Coady. So we did.

The lovebirds relaxing and reading in the backyard as we waited for the party to begin.

Collin loved the bounce house and was able to entice both his parents, Brownie, and Uncle Larry to join him.

We took some pictures before the guests arrived. Then we did not take a single picture until we were leaving, with Collin in his pajamas. We simply enjoyed friends and family who came to my parents' backyard to meet Coady and celebrate with them.

My new sister, my brother, and me -
Our family - all smiles but Collin, who at least graced us by facing the camera -
We can't wait until Christmas to see them again. And in the meantime, we'll try to join the 21st century by figuring out how to skype with them, so that Collin gets to see and know his out-of-state uncle and aunt!

Monkeying Around with Alex and Coady

We spent a wonderful Saturday morning at the zoo with Alex and Coady. We basked in the beautiful fall weather, checked out the animals, and posed for a few pictures along the way.

Intently watching the gorillas -

Then posing like monkeys -

While no trip to the zoo is complete without a stop in the children's petting area, Collin spent equal time brushing the dirt as he did brushing the goats.

As Collin wore out, he had great arms and a back to carry him -

Our final stop at the lion water fountain to soak his shirt before heading home -

We had a great morning spending time with Alex and Coady and left the zoo for Grammy and Brownie's to continue the family time at a Texas reception for the bride and groom.