Wesley's 1st Birthday!

As I'm sure most of you know (considering the audience of this blog is family and friends), our little man turned one!

In true first birthday style, we celebrated in style.
I know I only have a few years of getting to choose the theme for birthday parties, so I took advantage and went with the John Deere theme. No, we are not farmers, for those who worry that we might be going all redneck, living amongst all these Aggies. I just thought it was cute!

Daddy, Mommy, and big sister joined in the theme and dressed for the special occasion. Jesse was thrilled. What can I say? He was a good sport. :)

We ordered BBQ for lunch, and I think everyone got their fill while Wesley finished his morning nap. After all, we didn't want a cranky birthday boy!

He was slightly overwhelmed and a bit cranky when he first woke up to all the people and decorations. Luckily, Aunt Julie worked her magic and helped cheer him up.

And Uncle Charlie really had him giggling!

Then to top it off, cuddles with Caleb?! Wesley decided he liked this birthday business!

And thus, the birthday began! With help from Ryleigh and his cousins, Wesley quickly got the hang of opening presents.

It was a big birthday! Wesley got a lot of fun "boy" toys, many things with wheels, and a ton of cute clothes for the fall and winter.

He was a happy boy indeed!

Little did he know, things were about to get even better! It was cake time! My mom got the cute cake for all of us, and smaller cake just for him.

He didn't seem to mind one bit when we put him in his high chair, despite the fact that we were all gathering around him, smiling, staring, and singing happy birthday...

... but once we attempted to put the birthday hat on him, he was no longer happy!

So it quickly came off. And the cake eating began. And did. not. stop.

That boy loves cake! And just like a boy, he went for the tires on the cake first, which of course, were black. Black icing was EVERYWHERE. Ryleigh kept trying to get in on the action, and it was all Jesse and I could do to keep the icing only on Wesley!

When he was done, Gaga took him straight to the tub!

Once he was clean, he rejoined the group.

And watched as the big kids made forts and whatnot with the boxes and paper from the party.

It was a fun party, and truly, I did not stress out too much! We intentionally kept it small (family only) hoping Wesley would have fun and not get overwhelmed. It really was a lot of fun, and we were so blessed by the family who were able to come and be a part of his special day! Thank you to everyone!

Happy birthday, Wesley!

Dunkin' Divas

A time-honored tradition at Texas A&M is ordering and receiving your Aggie ring. Entering her senior year, Julie ordered her ring a few months ago, and last week she was able to go to the alumni building for the big "Aggie Ring Day," and pick up her shiny new piece of Aggie bling.

I had not been before, so I was not sure what to expect. Boy howdy, it was not at all what I anticipated! There were people everywhere! A sea of Aggies, past, present, and future, all flashing their new rings, comparing to other people's rings, and dreaming of the day when they too would wear the pretty piece of gold on their right ring finger.

When Julie asked me to go with her and the family to pick it up, I didn't realize what a big deal it was. But, I'm SO glad I went!

It was very exciting watching all the seniors wait patiently for their turn to go pick up their rings. When Julie's group was finally called, I tried to nonchalantly catch the grin on her face, full of excitement, but she caught me.

When we made it inside, I stepped back to watch my parents help Julie find her ring group, check the ring to make sure it was right, and finally slip it on her finger.

Bling bling!

Once we made it back outside, there were more lines to wait in so we could get a picture of Juls with the large Aggie ring outside the Alumni building. She was pretty frustrated (and hot!), but I think the pictures we got under the ring made it all worth it. Personally, I love the look of confusion on her face here...haha. I'm sure I could make up a "you might be an Aggie..." joke about this picture, but I'll withhold myself.

Later that night, the traditions continued as Julie and her friend Kristin dunked their new rings together. We were there early to finish setting up and just to hang out, so we kicked off the night early with a sister shot.

Our littlest diva was pulling out all the stops, determined to make sure she received a fair amount of attention at "Ju-we's pa-tee."

One of my favorite pictures of the night. :)

The "pitcher" Grandma bought Julie to dunk in. HA! Love it. My kind of dunk!

We waited for awhile without too many people (other than family) showing up, and I was worried that Julie and Kristin might get their feelings hurt that their friends would not show up. Silly me! I forgot that college kids never show up until later. Nothing ever "starts" until at least 9:00pm... Luckily, they all did show up....

And right in time for the big festivities! Julie and Kristin both dropped their shiny, new Aggie rings into their pitchers, and went to town.

I was beyond impressed with Julie's chugging ability! I just knew she was going to throw up everywhere, but she held her own. Ryleigh too was amazed that Julie drank "ahh dat apple juice!"

Happy Dunk Day, Julie! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day, and congrats- you are no longer a 2%-er. Welcome to the wonderful world of Aggie!

It's a BEAUTY-ful day!

I'm SO excited! I had the tv on today while I was feeding the kids lunch, and heard a familiar song...I turned around to see a rose petal falling and then Belle dancing The Beast. I stopped, frozen. Listening intently to what the commercial had to say.

Beauty and The Beast comes out on DVD (for the first time ever) next Tuesday, October 5!! i had no idea it was coming! Guess who will be 1st in line to purchase that one? You guessed it. Yours truly.

I know Ryleigh will love it! Actually, now I'm worried she might want to be Belle for Halloween, and I'd have no choice but to make Wesley dress up as The Beast. Or maybe Jesse will volunteer...

Yay for classic Disney movies!

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On another note, it is a BEAUTIFUL day outside! Fall decided to show up this week, and I have loved waking up to mid-50 temperatures. This morning I was enjoying the Fall spirit so much, I decided to go try the new Starbucks Toffee Mocha Latte. It was a toss up between that one and the Pumpkin Spice, but alas, the former had "mocha" in the title, and you know I'm a sucker for anything resembling chocolate. It was very good, and sipping the warm coffee made me feel so happy. I love Fall. I just wish we got to experience it a little longer. I'm betting by the weekend, the temps will again shoot back up to the 90's, and I'll have to resort back to cold water, rather than warm coffee.

But alas, today, it is a beauty. And next week, we'll add the beast as well. :)

Look what I saw coming down my hallway this afternoon!

He was pretty much like, "you better look out Mama! I don't know how to stop this thing!" And the look on his face when he did stop (running into the wall) was priceless. He was so proud of himself!! I still think we have awhile before he really starts walking, but hey, this is a step. Literally! Way to go big boy!

First day of school

Little Miss was pretty excited when she woke up this morning and I told her that she got to go back to school today! So much so that she was running out of the door faster than I could, and had to tell her to stop, back up, and let me take a picture.
You know I can't resist... :)

Is it just me, or does my "little" girl look huge? (Not huge, but old, grown up, like a real life kid!) She was so excited, and when she saw her friends already in class and one of her teachers from when she first started, she never looked back. Smiling all the way, she bravely walked into her classroom ready to play!

Goodness gracious, this is going by fast.

Friends are a treasure

Jesse and I have always been blessed to have good friends around us. Honestly, we are both non-social by nature, and whether or not it is because we are shy or insecure, I do not know. But nevertheless, God has always been faithful in providing good friends to come alongside of us.

This past year has been rough. Moving away from family and friends, even though it was not a far move, was difficult. We have a hard time reaching out to people we don't know, and therefore have pretty much become hermits in our home. So when our friends planned a weekend at the lake (minus kids), we jumped on board. Nothing like a little Jesse & Melody time + great friends to equal a fun weekend!

By NOT having any friends here, we have really realized what a blessing it is to have friends. Even if we don't see them or talk to them all the time, we know that we could call any one of them at any time, and they would be there.

The weekend was perfect. Seriously, the most fun we've had in a long time. Whether we were out on the boat,
Playing around the cove,

Relaxing and catching up on life,

Floating and getting some sun,

Or enjoying the sunset from the tower,

We had a blast. We relaxed, had adventure, shared a ton of laughs, and were free to just be ourselves. Which, if we're being honest, makes for the best times with friends. We've decided to make the lakehouse weekend and annual deal, and I'm already looking forward to next year! I love you all, and had a great time hanging out! We truly are blessed.

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Also in the "friend" category, I have to let you know that after living in College Station for over a year, I finally have some friends! Yay!

• Ryan and Megan- Ryan went to high school with us, and I knew his younger sister. When they found out they were moving into the area, he looked us up and we met them for dinner. They have a 2 year old daughter, who Ryleigh loves to play with, and a 2 month old son. Megan and I got the girls together for a couple play dates, and the rest, they say, is history! We have been hanging out a lot, and really like them! We all seem to "mesh" well, which can be difficult when trying to mesh multiple people within families. Jesse and I are very excited to have people in town to hang out with.
• Vicky & girls- I joined the Mom's Club here in town, but because of my work schedule, I haven't been able to do much with the group. They had a new member's brunch a few weeks back, and I made a point to go. I figure I could band with other 'new' Moms, instead of trying to get into the group of Mom friends who had been hanging out for awhile. That's where I met Vicky! She is new to CS as well, and has two daughters, a 3 year old, who again, Ryleigh loves to play with, and a 6 month old. We have had a play date, and conversation was very comfortable and easy. I haven't met her husband yet, but I hope we can be friends!
• Mom's Club in general- I have made more of an effort to put myself out there and try to hang out with people. Ryleigh is such a social butterfly that she really thrives in activity and social settings. So, I've spent time with several new people. I actually saw a fellow mom in the grocery store, and felt so excited! Finally, I'm starting to recognize people out in the community and feel like we belong.
• Church- I started helping out in the nursery, so I've met several sweet women in there too. Again, putting myself out there and trying to meet people, so that when I see them around the church campus, I can smile and say hi. It certainly helps make you feel like you are a part of the community.

So, yay for progress in the friend department!! Friends are a true treasure. I've always been lucky to have the opportunity to meet people based on life circumstances, but I've never really had to go out and look for opportunity. It is a lot scarier (and harder for me). The payoff will be worth it. :) Thank you to all my friends out there! I love you all!