Galveston

over memorial day weekend we decided to take a much needed mini-trip for some family time.  cody has been so swamped at work, that we haven't really seen him much the past few weeks, so it was nice for him to have a break and to be able to spend time just the three of us.

we stayed about 15 minutes outside of galveston, so the first afternoon we just headed over to the bay for a few hours.  it was really fun, you just pull your car up on the sand and claim your spot.  mae took off straight for the water, we had to catch her just to put sunscreen on her. 

 we spent most of our time in the water, she's our little fishy!

 she's saying so many words now, and she had a blast pointing out all the boats, birds, and kites that she saw.

 

i had to zoom in on her face in this picture...she is just SO happy whenever we go in the water!

 the next day we headed into galveston to the beach.  and i've been to a lot of different beaches in my lifetime, and i have never in my life experienced as much seaweed as i did in galveston.  there are these huge hills when you pull into the parking lot, and when i got closer i realized they were hills of seaweed that the bulldoze from the beach.  then when you get down to the beach, there was like 7 feet of seaweed before you got to the water.  it was pretty gross.  mae was not a fan of the seaweed.  but after we got her past the worst of it she of course had a blast.

mae experienced her first happy meal on the beach.  she ate the whole hamburger and most of the fries and apple slices...and some of my chicken nuggets.  girlfriend can eat.  

 that afternoon we went to pleasure pier, it's like a mini-amusement park on this huge pier.  it was a lot of fun.

mae probably had the most fun playing under the picnic tables.

we took her on a carousel ride, she was so excited.  when the ride started she just started laughing and squealing with delight.  it was so much fun to go on the ride with her.

 of course one ride was not enough...she had a mini breakdown when we got off, so daddy took her for another spin.

it was so fun to have time together.  vacations are totally different with kids, but so worth it when you see how excited they get.

more gram time

of course when coleman decided to come visit, my mom had to come "help him finish driving home".  we all know she wanted to come see mae.  and we are perfectly fine with that!

mae loves her gram, and started saying "gam" by the end of the trip.

mae is learning to smile for pictures.  sometimes she says cheese, but she usually doesn't look at the camera when she says it.

 we made a trip to the all abilities park.  we love this park!  it's so much fun, and there's so much to do.  this little girl is becoming quite the little monkey.  climbing and hanging on everything,

 and she has a new found love of swinging.  she'll put her arms up and throw her head back, quite the dare-devil.  love her.

going to the park is a pretty frequent activity around these parts.  i've gotta get all that energy out of her somehow!  i think i've gone to almost all of the parks in pflugerville.

 she loves her "gam".  i love this picture of them. 

 having her milk with gam

 so, i've been itching for a project.  and i have yet to convince cody to let me paint.  meanwhile, i'd noticed that the paint on our patio chairs was starting to chip.  so, with the "encouragement" from my mom we decided to paint those suckers. (she lives vicariously through me by doing things like this).
here's a before picture.

 mom and i did the taping, and coleman did the spray painting.

 i think they turned out pretty darn good.  it was a fun project, and it adds some fun color to the backyard.

so much fun to have mom come visit.  it's always really hard for me when she leaves, but this time i didn't cry (coleman you owe me a soda).  because the countdown for the beach and our month long trip to the VA is on!!

uncle coleman

 coleman came to visit us! he drove through austin on his way back to virginia from school. (okay, so austin isn't en route to virginia from provo, more like 1,000 miles out of the way.)  we were so glad to have him, and we had such a great time.  mae especially loved having someone else to play with, and cody enjoyed having another guy around!

we played with blocks

 and watched shows

 

coleman was here for his birthday, so we had a lot of fun celebrating.  he and cody went to san antonio one night to see one of the spurs playoff games.  and per coleman's request we went to get some good ole' texas bbq.  he did some research and found this place...

  

so, i'm not the biggest bbq fan, i mean, i'll eat it every once and a while, but not something that is normally on my radar in terms of food. but OH. MY. GOSH.  this place was so good.  seriously, i could eat their ribs or brisket a few times a week and not get tired of it.  it was like fall off the bone, melt in your mouth, make you forget you're eating in the sweltering heat kind of good.

mae enjoyed my ribs as much as i did.

and wherever coleman was, she wanted to be.  she started saying his name by the end of his trip.  i think that's the best birthday present!

 

obligatory birthday wreath picture!

 mother's day was the same day as coleman's birthday.  we had a great mother's day/ birthday!

 i think mae wore coleman out.

 of course we spent some time at the lake.  this is becoming mae's favorite place...that's my girl!

we're so glad that coleman could come and stay with us!  we had so much fun with him.  and it was so fun to see his relationship with mae grow.  i love seeing her develop close, fun relationships with her aunts and uncles like i have with mine!

some mom's i know

i know some pretty amazing mom's.  i can't count the women in my life who have had an impact.  but, i wanted to take a minute to thank a few of the very important ones.

first off is my mama.  i'm not sure i can ever express how much she means to me.  as i've become a mom myself, i've grown so close to her.  she is my friend, confidant, support system, cheerleader, and biggest fan.  i love her so much, and am so grateful for her.

i always tell cody one of the things that made me love him even more was his family.  his mom is an amazing woman.  she welcomed me into their family with open arms, and made me feel like one of her own daughters.  i'm so blessed to have her in my life.  and i'm so grateful for the wonderful son she raised to become my husband.

i'm blessed to have two amazing grandmothers.  they are so loving, accepting, sweet, strong and kind.  i'm so grateful to them for raising amazing children.

 bom is one of the sweetest, understanding people that i know.

 

oma is a strong, valiant example to me.  she is quick to serve, and is always there when you need her.

 cody's grandmother is such a sweet woman.  i'm grateful for the time i've had to get to know her, she is so loving and fun.

i never got the chance to meet grandma joey in this life, but i know she was an amazing woman, and i know that she loved all of her children and grandchildren.  i'm so grateful for eternal families and to know that i will meet her one day.

i have some pretty awesome aunts.  and i've been blessed to be able to develop a personal relationship with each of them.  what a wonderful influence they have each been in my life.

my aunt pam is one of the most kind-hearted, loving people you will ever meet.

 

aunt virginia is so kind and dedicated.

aunt paris is always there when you need someone.

 aunt mary is so fun and always willing to help.

 

bev may not have been a mother, but she was like one to me.  i'm so grateful for her.  and even though mae didn't know her in this life, i know bev watched over her before she came to us.

cody's aunt marci is a wonderful, smart and giving person.

 

she's a mom to her fur-child, and will be an amazing mom one day.  i'm so blessed that my brother married my best friend, and i have this lady in my life forever

 

my sister-in-law katherine is a strong, valiant woman, and a wonderful mom.

 

i've gotten to know brittany better these past few months, and i love her so much.  she is a fun mom, and a sweet and caring friend.

i hit the jackpot with sisters-in-law.  bre is an awesome mom.  she is so easy to talk to, and so fun.  i'm grateful we live closer to her!

 

this lady might not be a mom yet either, but she will be an amazing one.  i've learned so much from her, and am grateful for the example she is!

mother's day is such a wonderful chance for me to reflect on the women in my life.  i'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with such powerful influences in my life.  i know that i'm who i am today because of these women, and i'm grateful that mae has their examples to look up to.