What We've Been Up To

We have been having fun over the last couple months. Here are some things that we have been doing...

Gabe and I completed our first sprint triathlon (400 meter swim, 9 mile bike, 5K run).  It was the annual Tri To Make a Difference event.  The Lynch's are the sweet family who began this race.  They were inspired by their precious son, Thomas, who was born with a rare seizure disorder. 100% of the proceeds benefit the children's miracle network. It was a great event and I will definitely do it again!

The Lynch's



And by the way...  I finished in 1 hr 20 minutes; Gabe's time 1 hr 25 minutes.  Yep, that's right, I beat Gabe.  Better luck next year babe ;-)



Other news... Michael has been learning to help out around the house. Rent is only free for so long...




He has also been charming the ladies...
 

Hanging out with friends...
 


Hanging out with some out of town visitors...

My mom and her twin sister came to visit and then my dad showed up to surprise us for a short 8 hour visit. It was a great surprise and I think my mom really loved it since it was their 35th wedding anniversary!  Happy 35 years to my parents!



We also went hiking in the canyon. Michael liked the hike, but he loved slurping on the Camelback even more.

I also turned 21 (plus or minus 10 or so years) so I got some really great gifts and among them was a really cool new toy, jogger/bike trailer from Gabe's parents. Here's a pic of Michael all strapped in and ready to go.



It was a great birthday and getting older did not even bother me because I am so at peace and happy with where I am in life right now. God has blessed me with so many answered prayers. I have a sweet baby boy, a loving husband, great friends, and a wonderful family... I have much more than I deserve!

Because I have been given much, I too must give.

Grace Crowell

Dallas Visit

Gabe and I went to Dallas last week and stayed for a long time! Here is the recap in pictures:

Before we left, Gabe grew a mustache for the bachelor party:




While Gabe and his mustache went to a ranch for the bachelor party, Michael and I went on lots of play dates!

I got to see my best friend from high school and her very new, only one week old baby, Brayden Andrew Hilton.  Here is a pic of Michael and Brayden.  I have a feeling they will be good buds in the future!



Michael borrowed Brayden's hat for a cute pic:



Then we met up with some more friends for another play date.  I went to high school, played volleyball with, and maybe even got into a little trouble with these two gals and now we are all grown up and have babies:

Katie and Brayden (1 week), Brooke and Michael (4 months), Becca and Ryan (14 months)

Here is a pic of the play date group. We had lots of fun playing with our friends!

Left to Right (Stacey and Grady, Brooke and Michael, Katie and Brayden, Dana and Sophie, Becca and Ryan)

 

I also got to meet up with some friends from SMU, my alma mater, and their babies. Nina on the left is expecting a girl in February, Kristin had Luke 2 weeks before Michael, and Kelly had Elliot in last February. I guess it is the time to reproduce. It was fun to catch up although Michael had a minor melt down. Skipping naps makes Mikey mad and he was sure to let me know. Oh well. I guess he can't be perfect all the time ;-)

Left to Right (Nina and baby bump, Kristin and Luke, Kelley and Elliot, Brooke and Michael)

We also made the drive out to Desoto to see Great-Grammy.

Great Grammy and Michael

 

I also got to see my friend, Nova, that I worked with at my first job out of college, and a couple from our old small group and their kiddos but I forgot to take pics at these visits.

 Of course we also got to spend some quality time with "Bumpa" and "Cece."

Michael with "Bumpa" and "Cece"

 

Michael also discovered his toes and got a new toy:



On top of all our visits we went to a rehearsal dinner and wedding for Gabe's good buddy Scott Lavendar and his new wife Margaret.  I didn't end up getting to go to the wedding because after all our visits, I was spent.  I ended up getting sick, but it was worth it because it was great to see everyone!  Until we meet again Dallas...  Now I have to go catch up on some rest!

Girls + 1 Boy Weekend

Last weekend, the boys went camping in the beautiful mountains of Colorado which meant girls weekend at home! Poor Michael was stuck in Amarillo with the girls. He was a little to young to head off with the boys just yet. So, while the guys were looking at this...

The girls were looking at this...

We decided to have a yard sale and I can't say that it was a success in monetary terms, but it was fun to hang out with some of my favorite gals. My neighbor and good friend Megan hosted the event, and Sarah spent the night at our house all weekend, so we would mosey on over in the morning help with the sale. The 3 of us plus Megan's 2 girls, and Michael spent the whole weekend together and named ourselves the "sister wives." We ran errands, helped with the kids, made fruity drinks, ate pizza, gave each other facial masks and foot rubs, and we laughed a lot! It felt like I was back in the college dorms again except add kids, more comfortable beds, and better overall living conditions, so maybe it wasn't really like the dorms at all, but it was fun!

The Sister Wives!

Poor Michael was a victim of girls weekend. While I was in the shower, this is what happened to him...

It was a fun weekend and we were actually a little sad when the guys said they were coming home a day early. Maybe our next move will be to a bigger house so we can really live together as sister wives. That wouldn't be too weird, would it?

Gotta go do manly stuff with Michael so he won't be too scarred from girls weekend :-)...