Christmas in Hawaii

We spent this Christmas with my family, and since we all had time off from work and school, we decided to make the most of it and travel to Hawaii!  We spent three days on Oahu (Honolulu), and four days on Maui for a glorious, tropical Christmas!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

 

{Made it to Honolulu!; View from our room of Waikiki}

 {Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona Memorial; 

wall of names entombed in the ship, 

part of the ship; plaque dedicating the monument}

 {Dole Pineapple Plantation - beautiful plants 

and the family on the Pineapple Express tour}

{In front of tree at Maui hotel; view from our room - day & night}

{Stockings Christmas morning!  Even baby had a stocking!}

{Christmas pictures - Colin & I; Mom & Dad; 

the original four; Ryan & Micah}

 {Iao Valley in Maui}

Such a beautiful trip!  So blessed to share it with family!

Christmas Season 2013

Christmas is always a cherished time for many families, and ours is no different.  There are certain traditions we look forward to each year – serving as volunteers at the Trains at North Park, our ABF Christmas party, small group party, dinner and Christmas lights with the Muellers, etc. 

Here are some pictures of this year’s festivities!

{ABF Christmas Party - Erin & Anna representing houndstooth; 

Christmas carolers from the neighborhood}

 {Ladies & Gents group pics at the ABF Christmas party}

{Trains at NorthPark - Children's Hospital display;

Colin taking a break from ticket collection;

donated trains decorated with family names;

New York City setup}

 {Small group Christmas party - Most hilarious kid photo shoot ever}

Can't wait until next year when we'll have a little one to partake too!

Sharing the Special News with Our Co-Workers

Before we left for Thanksgiving break, I wanted to let my boss, Walt, know our good news.  I was almost 13 weeks, things were going smoothly, and I knew he was in the middle of strategizing our department.  He was thrilled.  I had already moved on to talking about how long I planned to be gone, etc. and he had to stop me to absorb the great news.  He couldn't wait for the rest of the team to find out.  I swore him to secrecy - something that is difficult for him.  He likes to be forthright and transparent, so I knew this was a big secret that would challenge him.  He enjoyed talking in code over the next couple weeks though.  :)

As for my co-workers, I waited until our "holiday" (Christmas) get together (16 weeks) so I could share the news to everyone all at once.  I enlisted Walt's help - and he couldn't be more excited.  I told him we had to come up with a "cool" way to announce, and boy did he!  He came up with this "ice breaker" by himself, and nobody knew I was in on it.

Colin found a way to tell his co-workers too.  Since their team had several people leave recently for various reasons, he decided to tell people that he was putting in his two weeks too…for paternity leave!  They were all very happy for us, and relieved he would still be around. :)

Sharing the Special News with Our Parents

I know there are a lot of crafty ways of announcing pregnancy these days (thanks, Pinterest!), but we (I) really just wanted to have a fun way to share the news with our parents.  Being the first grandchild on either side made the expression "the best parents get promoted to grandparents" the perfect fit for us.

I headed to Michaels and got some goodies so I could create picture frames for each of them.  As luck would have it, both of our parents have some maroon in their house, so I used the same color for both.  For the picture, I made a little sign that said when the promotion would be effective.  Believe it or not, I just got the phrase from Pinterest, but came up with the rest on my own.  I thought they turned out nicely!

Now, we just had to wait for my parents to make a trip up to Dallas so we could tell them on the same weekend.  After several conversations on trying to pin down a date (I was nervous and didn't want to tell them why it was so important to come up), they planned their trip for November 7-11.

They drove up on a Thursday, and we had dinner with them and Ryan and Micah.  On Friday, we had dinner together, and then they came back to our house to stay.  We wanted to share the news with parents first, siblings later.  I told them I had a little gift for them and let them open the box with the frame in it.

Mom was shocked and the tears started immediately flowing.  Dad claims he knew we were going to tell him something 'big' like that. ;)  They were both thrilled.

After my parents headed out of town on Sunday, we stopped by the Hanks' house to share the news with them.  We handed them the gift and they opened it together.  More shocked faces and more tears = two more happy future grandparents. 

We joked that we had thrown everyone off our plans so much that everyone would be surprised.  I was glad - I didn't want people watching me closely and/or guessing anything before I was ready to tell them.

Now, they just need to come up with their nicknames for baby to call them!

Our little surprise!

Colin and I found out on September 30 that we are expecting!

To be honest, we were surprised to find out that we were.  I was late and had taken a test, but it came back negative!  So, we lived through disappointment for a few days and waited until our next chance to try.

Meanwhile, I went to my annual doctor's visit and mentioned it to her.  She offered to do a test in her office.  I hesitated because I didn't know if I should just retest at home myself, but I decided to go for it.  She walked over with the little strip of paper and showed it to me, and I just stared.  Now really, when you take a home pregnancy test, you memorize what exactly you are looking for so you will know at first glance.  A pink line, a blue line, two lines, a plus sign...whatever it is.  Well, I didn't have an instruction manual, so after staring for a few seconds, I smiled because I thought I knew what it meant, but looked up and asked her just to be sure.  Confidently, she said "you're pregnant!"  JOY!  :)

I scheduled my next visit and bolted home to tell Colin!  We were meeting at home before going out to dinner with his parents, so I prayed he would be home sooner than later so we could absorb the news together before heading out, and acting completely normal.

I greeted him in the garage (not abnormal for us), and after my 'hello' kiss, I asked if he was going to say hello to both of us and put my hand on my tummy.  A grin from ear to ear and a "really?!" later, he knew.  God had blessed us with a baby!

I had told him before I went to the doctor that there was a chance they could tell us for certain through my blood work results, but those wouldn't come in for a couple of more days.  He was surprised I knew that day.  It never occurred to either of us that answer was just one more quick pregnancy test away.

Luckily, we were able to compose ourselves enough for dinner.  We knew we wanted to keep things quiet for several more weeks to make sure everything was okay, and even then, we would only tell a few people.

Aggie Football Season 2013

As always, Colin and I tried to watch every Aggie football game this season that was on TV.  Our schedule just did not allow for us to actually go to a game this year. 

For a couple of games, we had friends over to watch with us.  Pizza?  Chips & queso?  Aggie football?  Great time - even if we didn't win.  Johnny Manziel is just amazing to watch!

The Goodings and the Muellers joined us for the game versus Sam Houston State on September 7.  The Ags won 65-28.  Gig 'em!

{Group Gig 'em!; Ladies}

 {The Muellers, us, The Goodings}

For the Auburn game (October 19), we invited our small group over.  With three Aggie couples and one Auburn couple, you knew it would get interesting!  We had TONS of food - chips & salsa, queso, pigs in a blanket, zucchini fries, bacon wrapped chicken bites, a huge calzone, soapilla cheesecake & homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Too bad we were busy eating and I didn't get any pictures!  The boys were too busy watching the game, but I did get some pictures of the ladies!

{Kristin, Myla, Eva Mae & Erin;

Aubrey and I in our matching A&M gear;

Julie and Aubrey;

Erin & Eva Mae}

{One of the attempts to get a good ladies and babies pic}

The Aggies ended up losing to the Auburn Tigers 41-45, but the Ogles were good sports about it and did not rub it in too much!

"I've seen 'em win, and I've seen 'em lose, but I've never seen 'em quit."

GIG 'EM!

Charleston & Savannah Trip

For Labor Day this year, Colin and I decided to take a trip to the South!  We flew into Atlanta and then drove to Charleston for the first stop in "Low Country."  I couldn't believe how high up the water came to the roads!

Once we checked into our hotel, we drove through downtown, and then explored the shops a bit before stopping at a local favorite, the Low Country Bistro, for dinner.  Their specialty was food from the south!  Colin had to try the local brew, and I tried a dish that accented all of their fresh and local foods with a 'southern twist.'  After dinner, we explored some more and even came across a decadent desserts shop - yum!

The next day, we went back to downtown to shop around a bit and find some keepsakes from our trip.  We also stopped by Waterfront Park to see the fountains and walk along the pier! 

The Charleston Painted Ladies were also a 'must see!'  Houses there were so charming - and we could see the Spanish moss growing on the trees!

For lunch, we stopped by the Blind Tiger, a local pub.  Colin had the 'Gator Hater,' a spicy alligator sandwich.  I had a pulled pork sandwich with the BEST okra I have EVER had.  Yum, yum, yum!!

Afterwards, we drove to the Charleston Tea Plantation to see the only tea grower in America, and taste their unlimited samples of tea! 

That night, we ate dinner close to our hotel so we could get packed up and ready to head to Savannah the next day!

We made it to Savannah, and went to the famous Wormsloe Plantation.  It was beautiful to see the 1.5 mile line of live oak trees, dripping with Spanish Moss. 

As the oldest plantation in Georgia, it was so fun to tour and see the re-enactment of how the plantation used to operate. 

Afterwards, we went to Forsyth Park to explore.  What a cool park! 

Went back to downtown and had some 'comfort food' at the Cotton Exchange on the river for lunch.  There were so many historic buildings that had been preserved and re-purposed as restaurants and shops in the area.

After lunch, we made our way back to the hotel while walking through the City Market - a street filled with shops and eateries. 

That night, we drove out to have the "best fried chicken," and boy was it!  Sisters is the place to go for fried chicken and huge helpings of all of your favorite sides!  Top it off with sweet tea, and we were stuffed!!

It was a wonderful trip to the South filled with gorgeous landmarks, fun adventures, and the BEST food!  Loved it!

Swimming Party with ABF

This year's ABF Swimming Party was quite entertaining, to say the least.  Lots of cute kiddos to chase around, for sure.  Without further adieu, here are some pics I snagged.

 

{Julie & Knox}

{Kristin & Myla}

{The Links}

{Erin & Richard with Eva Mae}

 {Anna & Westin}

 {Some of the gents hanging out in the kitchen}

Love how I caught Myla squeezing Denise's face!

 

{Some of us ladies on the couch}

{Denise reading to Bryn & Myla}

Such a fun afternoon filled with sweet friends, giggling kids, and tasty food! 

Miami and Tampa Bay Trip

The first weekend in August, Colin and I took a long weekend trip to Miami and Tampa to see the sites and, of course, cross off two more baseball stadiums!

We landed in Ft. Lauderdale just before lunch on Friday, picked up our rent car, and drove down to Miami Beach.  It was really cool to see all of the fancy houses right on the water with all of their boats lifted.

South beach had a cool park area with a lot of people rollerblading/walking/etc. with a whole line of restaurants and hotels facing the ocean.  We had already picked out an authentic Cuban restaurant (Havana 1957) that was in the Lincoln Park area, so we parked and headed that way.  We ate outside (with a fan close by of course), and had some authentic banana chips, mojitos, and some delicious cuban food.  Afterwards, we shopped around a bit in the area.

We made our way to the hotel over a long causeway, but stopped at Star Island (according to Real Housewives of Miami, this is THE place to live) to look around.  The houses were gorgeous - from what we could see of them.  Most had big gates and landscaping that you could not see around.

Our hotel room had a gorgeous view of the bay area.

We got changed and headed to the Miami Marlins game.  Apparently, local citizens are not pleased with how their tax dollars are paying for the new stadium, because there was not a big turnout at all.  We didn't mind!  It was an exciting game with 14 strikeouts!  The Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians 10-0.

The next day, we ate breakfast, drove around Miami beach some more, and started to make our way to the airport.  We stopped on one of the beaches to dip our toes in the Atlantic (it was so warm!).

We made it to the airport, and a quick 30 minute flight later, landed in Tampa Bay.  We picked up our rent car, and headed towards St. Petersburg.  We checked into our hotel and then headed to downtown St. Petersburg to check out the area.  After browsing around the pier area for a bit, we found a place to park and headed to the Tampa Bay Rays game.

We got to the game early, but that gave us time to wait in line to pet the sting rays!  Yep - they have a tank with 14 cownose stingrays that you can pet or even feed!  We opted for the petting, but even that was tricky.  You are supposed to stay on a certain part of their back which made it challenging since they move so quickly, and usually stay pretty far under water.  We both got to pet the stingrays though!

After that, we washed our hands thoroughly, and got some Everglades BBQ for dinner.  I had a pulled pork sandwich, and Colin had BBQ nachos.  Both were tasty, and by far some of the best things we have had at a ballpark!

We had a great seats, and it was a packed house unlike Miami!  The Rays ended up winning 2-1 in the bottom of the 10th.  Great game!

The next day, we checked out and headed towards the Gulf Coast.  We rode down the coast from Clearwater to Treasure Island.  So peaceful.  We stopped on Treasure Island to dip our toes in the gulf, and snap a few pictures.

We slowly made our way back over the causeway and to the airport.  Such a fun trip.  I love getting to share these little adventures with my hubby!

{25 down, 5 to go!}

Chasing Babies

Instead of chasing cars (Snow Patrol, anyone?), we have been chasing babies in our small group.  We have had a couple of events here at our house lately, and the babies in our group, Myla, Westin, and now Eva Mae have kept us on our toes!

Just sharing a few of the quick (and usually blurry) pictures I got of these sweet little munchkins.

{Westin chasing Myla}

{Myla chasing Westin}

 {Myla saying buh-bye to Westin and blowing kisses}

 We gave Westin his own seat and he sat still - for about 30 seconds!

Another trick - give him blackberry ice cream.  Just don't ever take it away!!

Eva Mae can be pretty chill, but usually she doesn't like to sit still for long either.  Once you get her in a good spot though, she can stay put forever. 

Such sweet little additions to our group!  This time next year, we'll have three more to enjoy!