Father's Day

It's so hard to believe Father's Day has come and gone again. I don't really feel like we celebrated too much, but I think James is happy just the same. On Friday morning, Cullen's school had donuts, coffee, and special ties for all the dads. James wore his tie into the office and shared his donut with Cullen. Cullen wasn't too sure about the donut at first, but he was hooked after the first bite. I don't like feeding him food like that (especially since I want to steal it from his hands and eat it myself), but he had to have his first donut sooner or later. At least it was Shipley's!

Don't talk to me right now. I'm eating!

The next day we took Cullen to buy his first pair of Crocs. I made the rookie mistake of putting Cullen in a cheap pair of sneakers on Friday. When we picked him up from school, he was wearing one sneaker and carrying the other. The back of his heel was sliced open by the shoes, so Crocs were the only thing we could think of that would cover his feet without touching his heel. Luckily, he has really taken to them and refuses to wear anything else. Even better, the outlet had a buy 2 get 1 free sale, so I got a bigger pair for him and a cute pair of walking shoes for myself. What can I say? They're comfortable!

We spent Saturday evening with some friends in Kingwood enjoying dinner and letting the boys play. Myles was Cullen's first friend as a baby, so it was really fun watching them play together as big boys. They are both so expressive, and they are all boy. They made a mess, made a lot of noise, and wore themselves out.

On Sunday, James celebrated Father's Day by mowing the lawn and cleaning out the garage. In all fairness, I didn't ask him to clean out the garage, but it was a necessary evil. My brother is moving to Okinawa soon, and we'll be keeping watch over his BBQ pit while he is gone. The pit has to go in the garage, I was unwilling to give up my parking space, and the garage needed to be cleaned. The highlight for me is that James installed a shelf for all of my kitchen appliances that I don't have space for in the kitchen. Now I don't have to crawl into the alcove to find the blender. I am SO incredibly happy about that one. The alcove is dark. And creepy.

Last night, James drove the BBQ pit home. The garage smells like BBQ. I love it.

xoxo ashley

Fun Times With Mommy

Over the weekend, James was supposed to go out of town with friends for a boys weekend. At the last minute, plans got cancelled, and he ended up staying in town for the weekend. Even though he couldn't leave town, James spent all day Saturday grilling and hanging out with friends.

I elected to keep my own Saturday plans of going to the zoo with Cullen and Kristen. Cullen has really come into his own lately, and he is incredibly independent. It's pretty much his way or nothing. Some days, it's nothing. Some days, I just don't feel like fighting him. On Saturday morning, Cullen decided that he was too big for his stroller and would be walking the zoo. That little man walked the entire zoo and rode the carousel before we headed home. On Cullen's last carousel ride, he was close to terrified, but this time went really smoothly. I can't wait to take him back again!

Kristen looking cute while Cullen pretends we aren't there. 

Handsome little red-faced boy.  

Cullen and the armadillo. 

Later that day, Cullen asked for a snack. I always keep some healthy snacks in the center console for emergencies, so I passed him the box of yogurt covered raisins. I should have known that the quiet drive in the car meant he was up to no good. The picture doesn't display the full mess he made. There was melted yogurt everywhere.. On his shirt, his shorts, his shoes, his car seat, his hands, his arms, his legs, his face, his hair... You get the point. Although he doesn't look it, he was quite pleased with himself.

The next day was a family day at home. Cullen really enjoys "helping" in the kitchen, so I pulled him up to the island while I baked and cooked for the week. At lunch time, I grabbed a Lunchable and orange cup for Cullen. He ended up eating a decent amount of food, but he couldn't resist the temptation to play with everything and nibble from each piece. As long as he's happy and healthy!

xoxo ashley

Gearing Up For Summer

Summer time in Houston. What a miserable time of year. Earlier this week, we actually broke another heat record (one of many). June 5th was the hottest day in June in Houston in recorded history. I can't wait to see what August is like.

To help handle the heat, we decided to take Cullen swimming last Sunday. He had a great time splashing around in the pool and floating around in a tube. His comfort level with the water is absolutely amazing. I can't wait to get him started on swim lessons next month!

Tubing the pool like a big kid and hanging out in the expandable ball!

On Saturday, we visited some friends who were holding a housewarming party. Their new home is beautiful! We spent the entire party watching Cullen walk up and down the stairs. He is getting so good at it, and he's so proud of himself. Maybe next time we all get to visit, Cullen with actually play with Brady.

This week has been my first week of boot camp. I am beyond exhausted, but I'm really enjoying it. We get yelled at, we get pushed to the max, and we are constantly competing. If I didn't have to get up at 4am to go, I think I might actually love it. My plan is to make the most of boot camp for the month, and then I'll be heading back to the Y. I actually miss my body pump class!

Tomorrow night is GNO at Alamo Drafthouse. We're going to a Grease singalong, and I am super excited. I get to see Amy, sing, and eat pizza. I think it is an all around win. James is out of town this weekend, so Cullen and I are headed to the zoo on Saturday with Kristen. Who knows how long we can last in the heat!

xoxo Ashley

A Long Weekend

James, Cullen and I finally got a long weekend together. Our last long weekend was almost two months ago, but it feels like it was so much longer. We were hoping for a quiet weekend, so we packed it as full of activities as we could.

We spent all day Saturday preparing for a neighborhood hamburger cookoff that was doomed from the start. No one else signed up for the contest, and the lady who organized it never actually got the prizes anyway. Just a couple of hours before the contest was set to begin (long after we had already gotten all but the cooking done), the organizer decided to cancel the competition portion (and let us know that no one else had signed up). This lady hasn't ever been held in my highest regard, so I wasn't particularly surprised.

She asked us to bring out our hamburgers to the gathering, so we dropped them off and headed back home. We had turned the event into a fun day with friends, so we spent the afternoon at home with Megan, Lee, and their dog Lucy. We had a great time just visiting, eating, etc. It was quiet, and I like quiet.

We spent Sunday at my parent's house eating ribs and swimming. I had been toying with the idea of not signing Cullen up for swim lessons this summer due to time constraints, but our time in the pool definitely convinced me that now is the time. Cullen was a fearless little guy jumping into the pool left and right. Since Cullen seems so comfortable in the water, I'm thinking it will be an easy transition into lessons. The highlight for me was watching my dad play with Cullen. Whether he says it or not, I think he was just waiting for Cullen to transition from baby to boy. Now that the difference has been made, they splashed and swam all over in the pool. Of course, my dad decided he was done with the pool about the same time I decided to get my camera out. I'll have to be faster next time!

On Monday, we had plans to go swimming with the Atwoods, but little Hadley was under the weather, so we stayed home and grilled. We went to Randall's to pick up some steaks that were a great deal, and we ended up picking up some lobster tails, too. Add on the risotto and baked asparagus I made, and we ended up with a pretty extravagant dinner. Aunt Peggy came over to spend the afternoon with Cullen. It was so nice to get to be the hostess for her this time. Usually, we're at her house when we get to visit.

During our outing to Randall's, we stopped at the local YMCA to sign Cullen up for swim lessons. It wound up being cheaper to sign up for the Y and get Cullen lessons than to just sign him up without a membership. James wasn't entirely sold on the program, so I'll be the one working out at the Y for the next two months. I'm hoping that I find enough programs that I like to continue going after two months.

Along with my Y membership, I also signed up for boot camp last week. I guess I was just in the mood to sign up for things... I also made a pretty recent decision to lose some weight. I've been exercising, but not very regularly. My biggest issue is food. I like food. I like good food. I like to eat good food. I've started using a free app to track my calorie intake, and I'm working out on a more regular schedule. I'm two weeks in, and I've lost four and a half pounds. It's a start. Most importantly, I need to keep up with Cullen. I am now getting up at 4:15, taking Scout for a walk, heading to the gym, and making it home before Cullen gets up in the morning. At some point, I'm going to need to start going to bed earlier.

The most momentous occasion of the weekend was Cullen's hair cut. He has had at least half a dozen haircuts, but I still feel like they're a big deal. They're incredibly expensive for such a tiny head of hair, so I usually get his hair cut just a little bit too short and let it grow out too long. You can see the transition from Baby Bieber to Little Boy. He's growing up too fast!

xoxo ashley

Quick Trips and Quiet Time

If it isn't yet obvious, we don't slow down. This past weekend, we went to Austin for a friend's wedding. We had a lot of fun seeing people and catching up, and we were so happy to be a part of Brandon & Amy's celebration. To add to the excitement, we got to see James's sister and her husband, one of James's cousins, and my brother. It all passed by far too quickly, but we soaked up as much as we could. We had lunch at Iron Cactus on Saturday and Moonshine brunch on Sunday. Per the usual, I feel a little homesick.

When we got home, James and I decided to do a dry run of the hamburgers he's going to make for our neighborhood hamburger cook off this weekend. James is the griller, but he's humoring me by letting me come up with the premise for his burger. I don't want to unveil any secrets just yet, but Cullen got to help me make part of it. He is always so interested in what I am doing in the kitchen, so I pulled a chair up to the counter and let him "help." Mostly, he just stabbed at the bowl with a spatula and banged on the counter with a wooden spoon. He had fun. The headache I got doesn't count.

Mommy's Little Helper

A ride home in our car is never calm, rarely quiet, and always entertaining. I caught this picture of Cullen a couple of nights ago. James had taken off his boots for the drive home, and Cullen insisted on holding them on his lap. He laughed and played peekaboo with them the whole way home.

Big boots to fill?

xoxo ashley

Family Vacation

I am so excited to finally share details about our little family vacation we took over the weekend! We got out of town and went to Port Aransas with friends, and we had SO much fun! One of James' best friends from Austin celebrated his 30th birthday last week, and his wife planned a surprise vacation for their family with us. We got the call about the trip while we were in the ER for Cullen's stitches, so I told Stephanie to just send me the plans. We would have to go!

The toughest part about this trip was keeping a secret from Jason. James and I are both terrible at keeping secrets, but we managed to hold it in for a couple of months.

We headed out of town Friday afternoon and stopped at Prasek's on the way for snacks and a chance to stretch our legs. Because I'm a big kid, I decided to get an ICEE. Why not, right? Over the last eighteen months, I've made a concerted effort to keep Cullen away from most junk food. He'll get an occasional cookie, but nothing wild. Then I gave him a sip of my ICEE. Then he drank most of my ICEE. I don't know why he stayed up so late Friday night...

Who could deny that little face?

We got up the next morning and headed for the beach. We live so close to the beach, but we've never actually taken Cullen out there. I felt certain that our first trip would be full of tears and ingested sand and salt water. It was a little bit on the cool side, but Cullen seemed to enjoy the pull of the water and running around with shovels. I would consider it a success. I can't wait to get him on the beach again!

Why dig with the shovels when you can run with them?

Stephanie and I took the little boys back to the condo for an afternoon nap, and the big boys spent the afternoon on the golf course. The highlight of my afternoon was spending some quiet time with Cullen. I put him down for a nap in the bed (instead of the pack and play), so I went in to check on him after a couple of hours (when he would normally be waking up from his nap). I laid down on the bed to read my book, and he woke up almost immediately, walked across the bed, curled up at my side and slept for another hour. Cullen has never been big on cuddling, so it was a really sweet, rare moment to enjoy. Those little things really are some of the best parts of being a parent.

We went out to dinner that night and went out for ice cream afterwards. James kept a hand on Cullen's ice cream cup, but we let him feed himself. I love that look on his face that shows how he didn't expect the spoon to interact that way with the ice cream. Every day is a learning experience right now.

How do you do this? Eeeeee.

After ice cream was pirate picture time while we searched high and low for a Christmas tree ornament and a t-shirt for Cullen. We ended up leaving with a pirate picture and a ball for Cullen. It was nothing like what we were actually looking for, but Cullen was happy.

Aarrrgh.

The next morning we got up and headed home to catch up on the mundane tasks of life (like laundry). We started out our trip with a quick ride on the ferry. James took Cullen out of his car seat for a quick tour of the water (Cullen knows now that water is also "agua").

Look at all the agua!

It was so nice to have a weekend away as a family. We're already discussing Port Aransas as our family vacation for next year when we might not be able to make it to Garner. Until then, I'll be getting all wound up about our trip to Austin this weekend and our trip to Garner in less than 6 weeks. I can't wait to see my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew!

xoxo ashley

Mother's Day, Grills, and Peanut Butter

Last Friday, Cullen's school celebrated Mother's Day. I got a hand print card, a popsicle stick picture frame, and the best Derby hat ever. Cullen was just happy to get to spend extra time with us. I feel pretty blessed to have Cullen in a school that cares about him. So awesome.

Hat of the Year

Friday afternoon, James picked me up from work a little early. He wanted to take me to Nordstrom to pick up my Mother's Day gift. I've had my eye on some Ugg flip flops for a while, but I've been too cheap to just buy them. In comes Mother's Day. No big deal. We're going to walk into Nordstrom, pick out the shoes, pick Cullen up from school. WRONG. I have never ever ever had bad customer service at Nordstrom, but I found the bitch of the land. They didn't have the shoes I wanted, so I went home to order them online (after checking every single store in the Galleria for them). Nordstrom is charging for shipping (and I am cheap), so I called Nordstrom, ratted out angry lady and ordered the shoes over the phone. In the effort to not have to wait too long, I ordered the two sizes I would have tried on. I'll return the extra pair next week.

We spent Mother's Day with my parents in Lake Jackson. Cullen's nap came right after an awesome lunch, so I laid next to the pool with my feet in the water for a couple of hours. It was probably the laziest afternoon I've had in a while. On the way home, Cullen decided to remind me of the joys of being a mommy. He shoved a bite-sized Oreo so far down his throat that he started choking. While James was trying to pull over, I scooped the Oreo out of Cullen's throat, and he threw up in my hands. I wish I could say it was the first time he threw up in my hands. Alas, he is alive, and we are holding off on Oreos for a bit.

Because there is no rest for the weary, I found a large part of a screw in Cullen's water table weekend before last. It turned out to be a part of James' Cullen's grill. We decided to utilize Costco's lifetime guarantee on the grill and exchange it for a new one. After a little bit of additional research, James decided that the Big Green Egg would be a better fit for our little family than the Black Pearl. There was a pretty decent additional cost for the Egg, so James got his Father's Day gift early. As long as he's happy, I'm happy.

Yesterday was Cullen's 18 month checkup with the doctor. It's crazy to believe that he is actually 18 months old. He is still a tall, skinny thing, but he's staying on his growth path. The highlight of his appointment yesterday was his first taste of peanut butter. I've really wanted to add peanut butter to his diet as a new source of protein, but our doctor requested that we wait for an appointment to let him try it. A few months ago (I think), he showed a fish intolerance with lots of hives, so we wanted to be careful with other common allergens. The fabulous news is that Cullen is not allergic, and he loves peanut butter. I'm so happy that I can offer him peanut butter sandwiches when he won't eat meat for dinner. He's going to have a balanced diet if it kills me.

This week has been incredibly hectic as we prepare to go out of town this weekend. I can't wait to share more about our trip when we get back!

xoxo Ashley