Because It's Fall and I never post...

I know, I haven't posted in forever. Here are a few fall pictures of our little baby who is now a little boy. Where have the past 18 months gone? Happy Fall Ya'll!

The Camera is Rolling

Today I woke up like I always do, to the sound of a little boy calling out for us to get him up. Today was different though. After hearing him I heard the "beep" from a video camera and Scott saying, "July 24th, 2010, a day in the life."

I had forgotten. He was filming. Yes, that is right. My artsy fartsy husband has been filming our life from the moment we woke up. That is some really scary footage if you ask me.

It's all part of a you tube project. Here's the link if you're interested.

It calls for compelling footage of your life on July 24, 2010. I don't know that waking up, making muffins, eating with friends, book club, lunch, and the rest of our day is that compelling but we'll see.

I do know that I was filmed at 6:54 this morning and I think I deserve wife of the year for that.

Like father like son

Do you see the cable in his hand? He has been walking around the house holding it for two days now. Don't worry, he's not in danger. He's just obsessed with electronics like his daddy. Like father, like son.


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Is the world really ready for this?

This is my husband. Isn't he great!



He has become kind of artsy fartsy in the past couple of years. In fact, he just started a photography website. Well, it's been in the works for a ridiculously long time but it's finally here.

He takes great pictures like this.



It's just something he enjoys. Not something he's doing as a job (Just in case you were wondering).

You can visit the website here.

Enjoy!

Too much!

I've been thinking a lot about how much technology we have in front of us all the time.

You see, we have a desktop, a laptop, an IPad, 2 IPhones, and 2 Televisions all in one fairly small house. We don't need to move but a few feet to reach the next gadget. The worse part is, we reach a lot. I've caught myself eating lunch with the little guy while I check my email. I wonder what he thinks. I'm sure he wishes I was talking to him instead.

I've decided to put down the phone or computer while I'm with him. We are both happier that way.

I read an article a few months ago discussing the possible effects of technology on children. It discussed possible links to ADD, discussed the effects on communication skills, and on intellect. I'm a little scared of what this technology is going to do to the next generation...even to our generation.

Anyways, here is a clip I caught this morning from Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today Show. We decided that our kitchen table is going to be a cell free zone. I'm working on making Sundays unplugged too...I'll let you know if we get there.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Home

Pretty soon our family will be heading back to New Hampshire for an extended stay. We are so excited to get to go. We feel totally blessed to have such a beautiful place to call our home away from home.

It's the kind of place where you are always surrounded by family.

It's breakfast on the deck, sand in your toes, looking for crawfish, not wearing make-up, ice cream every night, children's laughter in the background, campfires on the beach, water-skiing, tubing, kayaking, the trampoline, sand castles, time with Grammy, visiting, laughing to the wee hours of the morning....the list could go on and on.

Growing up we spent our entire summers there. Some of my friends didn't understand why I didn't miss being home in Texas. They didn't understand that when I hear our car pull onto the gravel driveway in Wolfeboro, I do feel like I'm home.

Last summer Scott did an awesome job and made the Camp Grammy 2009 Video. My oldest sister told me her two youngest have been watching and re-watching the video sometimes more than once a day in anticipation of our trip. They have even set up the office like a movie theatre with popcorn to watch it. Click on the link to see why we love this place.

Camp Grammy Summer 2009 from Scott Hollrah on Vimeo.

4th of July

We spent July 4th weekend in Austin this year. Scott's parents hosted a 4th of July BBQ at their house complete with Big Daddy's Ribs, Rudy's BBQ, and a Croquet Game. The rain held off for the day so we could enjoy some time outside and I do believe the rain made it one of the more cool and green July 4th's Austin has ever seen. Don't get me wrong it was still really hot but better than triple digits.

Here are a few pics from the 4th...

He kind of looks like he belongs playing Croquet in this outfit.

Me and my sweet baby boy.

Our Family.

Hope you had a great July 4th weekend too!

Wolfeboro, Round 1

We got back from our first trip to Wolfeboro this summer just before the July 4th weekend. I titled this round 1 because we are taking another, much longer, trip to Wolfe City later this summer. This time we went for my sweet cousin Kaitlyn's wedding weekend. We had so much fun and were thrilled to be included in such a special day in Kaitlyn and Andy's life. They are one of the most fun, gracious, happy, and definitely athletic couples I know. If you knew me a couple of years ago, you may recall that we hosted 3 boys for a few days who were running across the country...well that was the groom. Crazy, I know!

The wedding and reception took place at Bald Peak Country Club overlooking the lake. I was thrilled to get to go there and see it because I have never been able to get in. It was even more gorgeous than I could have ever dreamed of....and of course we also had a blast!

I so want to give you a detailed description of the wedding weekend but instead I think I'll just share a few pictures.

Our little monkey just chilling on the deck.

On the town docks with cousins.

One more of little monkey making my favorite face.

Now to the wedding weekend....

The caravan girls on the way to the bachelorette party.

Almost all the girl cousins at Kaitlyn's bachelorette.

Me, Mom, and Vanessa at the bridal brunch on Lake Winnipesaukee. I don't remember being sweaty or tall but I think this picture proves otherwise.

Guests at the wedding were greeted by this gorgeous bare tree my ubber-talented cousin Meghan made for the couple. As guests arrived they fingerprinted and signed their leaf on the tree. Meghan amazes me. Check out her etsy store here for more of her beautiful creations....more on her in a later post.

The backdrop for the ceremony is Lake Winnepesaukee. How gorgeous is it!

The beautiful couple. Absolutely breathtaking!

The younger cousins who were in the wedding.

No trip to Wolfeboro is complete without numberous (or nightly) trip to Bailey's Bubble for what is truly the best ice cream on earth. Blue Bell is seriously no competition. Trust me.

Even Jax agrees.

Way Behind

I've gotten way behind on blogging. We've had a fun and busy past few weeks and this is definitely the first thing to go. So, I may post a few older posts in the upcoming days in order to catch up....some things are just meant to be shared.

We had a super laid back day on Father's Day this year which is exactly what we all needed. It was just the three of us and we went to church, ate at The Feed Store in Southlake (Scott's choice), and daddy got to play hockey. We were so excited to celebrate all things Scott! He is an amazing husband and dad. We couldn't ask for more!

Here's a picture of my two men. If there was any doubt of who Jax looks like I think this picture is proof that he is his father's son. Even their noses are crinkled the same way.

Here daddy is opening up his card. He got the new iphone for Father's Day. Yes, I know he would have gotten it for himself if we hadn't gotten it for him but he was so happy to have it from us!

My sweet friend Liz sent me this "Dad Life" video. I absolutely love it. So here's to all those awesome dad's and husbands out there. Happy Belated Father's Day!

Good for a laugh

If this video doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will!

Watch for Snakes

It's snake season in Texas and I am scared to death of them. I avoid long grass on my runs at all costs and jump every time I see a tree branch in the grass.

Today I faced my fears and went with my boys to a hayfield near our house to take pictures of our boy in his pearl-snap shirt. I wore my cowboy boots to make sure no snake could get my toes and forgot to even put shoes on Jax...he did survive but I felt terrible. We need to get him some boots of his own.

Anyway, here are a few pics of our baby. He's 14 months old now. We didn't get many smiles but God bless him, he's a little under the weather. He was a trooper though.

Simply The Best!

I'm a sucker for good pizza. In fact, pizza may be one of my favorite things to eat. Growing up my mom always made homemade pizza with lots of fresh vegetables on top. Because of her, I'll forever be a fan of veggie pizza.

Last night I made the Pioneer Woman's Tomato Basil Pizza with homemade crust. It was simply the best homemade pizza I've ever made. It was also one of the easiest too. Even the homemade crust took no time at all and was easier than the others I've made in the past.

Here is the Pioneer Woman's...mine looked the same but I didn't think to take a picture. I just don't think that way.

If you want a little slice of heave in your life, here is the recipe. I did the first version with the prepared pesto.

This crust is great because it makes crust for two pizzas and freezes well. I've done this before and I promise the crust is just as good when frozen and even when made a couple of days ahead and kept in the fridge. Here is the crust recipe.

Bon Appetite!

Gracie Girl

This is Gracie. I don't think she's ever made the blog but today's the day.

Before we had our baby boy she got a lot more attention than she does now. If you don't have kids yet, don't judge me...you will someday understand. We love her as much as we used to but our little man has shifted our direction a little, well maybe a lot.

I just went to wake Jax up from a nap. (If someone has ever told you not to wake a sleeping baby, they are crazy. If I don't wake him now he won't sleep later and I will grow gray hairs.)

This is what I found.


It is Gracie sleeping outside of his door. If she had her way she would be inside next to his bed. How sweet is that! He may drive her nuts when he pats her too hard and jumps on her but she loves him nonetheless. It is moments like these that I know why I put up with her shedding hair all over the house.

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Just Beachy

My honey and I just got back from fabulous trip to Grand Cayman. We were celebrating my upcoming 30th birthday and it was quite the celebration. We had so much fun! Niether of us had ever been to Grand Cayman and we were so pumped that we made such a good choice. It was a much needed vacation. Although we missed our little guy so much we were so glad to be away just the two of us without any other distractions. Everytime we vacation we are reminded of how important it is to spend time with just each other outside of our normal day to day lives....and what better place to do that than the Carribean!

We didn't take too many pictures this trip which is really shocking if you know Scott. The main activities there are water activities so once you take one beach picture you have taken them all. Here are a few we did take.

Scott and I at dinner at the wharf.

I fed the Tarpons at The Wharf. Yes, I was the only one older than 21 doing it but I couldn't resist feeding those nasty fish.

The sunsets were the most beautiful I have ever seen. No, I don't know why this is underlined and I can't fix it.

Lunch at Rum Point. We rented a car and Scott did a terrific job driving on the wrong side of the road. We only went the wrong way on a one way street once. Way to go honey!

This was the view from our hotel room. Not too bad!

Looking out from our hotel at the beach. We stayed at the Westin.

We went on a fabulous tour to Sting Ray City with a group called "Fat Fish Adventures." If you are ever going to Cayman I would totally recommend doing their Sea Doo tour. It was the highlight of our trip. We got to enjoy a half day of jetskiing in the Carribean, Sting Ray City with a tiny group, Snorkeling, a little tour of the island, and ended the day at a beachside bar with the group before we jetskiied back to the van. It was perfect. The guides were hillarious and even made the van ride fun!

Here are just a couple of the 20ish sting rays that joined us for a feeding. They were so soft and very interesting. The water is that clear everywhere. We were about 15 miles out from the land here.

Here is a picture of Scott holding a sting ray at Sting Ray City. I held one too but one pic is enough.

Our Sea Doo.

Kaibo. The beachside bar they brought us to.

Our last breakfast there before we left for home. We were ready to see our little man.

We loved Grand Cayman. Let me know if you ever need any suggestions for a trip there!

Getting Ready

We're getting ready to leave for our trip to Grand Cayman and we are so excited! We've had a sick boy on our hands for several weeks and he's finally over it so it is time to vacay! I'm kind of freaking out because there is a 30% chance of storms every day that we are there. The picture they show on weather.com just makes me mad because the sun is just barely peeking around the clouds...it just looks negative. I'm hoping it's just a little "Island Rain." You know, the kind that happens for like 30 minutes or so here and there and the sun comes out in between. We're praying hard for good weather, and for safe travel, and that we survive without getting our little boy's bear hugs everyday, and that my mom remembers how to Skype so we can talk to him.

This is what I'm going to miss...

Isn't he the most precious thing in the world!

Now off to pack!

someday

Scott laughs at me all the time because I enter every sweepstakes I see. I just can't help myself because someone has to win it, right? I'm almost ashamed to admit that I haven't been entering daily like I usually do for the new HGTV home. That is about to change because the more I look at it, the more I love it!

Here is a pic

Isn't it just perfect! It's not the "Dream" house that they do each year, it's actually the "Green" house. That would normally kind of annoy me but for some reason that makes it that much better this time. It's just outside of Cape Cod which is a huge bonus for me because I'd be so close to family. It also has the perfect front porch for sipping my morning cappuccino and it comes with a car which is great because we currently only have one! What more could a girl ask for. So, I will begin entering daily through June 4th and I'll let you know if I win. If you win and you found out about this from me I definitely think I should be your first guest in the home...or you could at least give me the car.

Big Boy!

I know...I told some of you that I would post birthday pictures awhile ago but I'm just now getting around to it. We had a great birthday party with family at our house for our little man. The party was complete with The Pioneer Woman's Spicy Pulled Pork, all the sides, and we topped it all off with cake. If you don't know "The Pioneer Woman," you should go check her out.

So here he is, the BIG one year old!

He started really walking right before his party. How cool is that! Here he is in action.

The invitation

The cake

Grandparents

Jaxon with his smash cake and his hat which he wouldn't keep on.

Enjoying his first taste of cake.

He loves his new "Cozy Coupe."

Opening presents with cousins.

Playing with cousin Corban in his new wagon.

I think Jax had a great time and if he could talk he would say he loves being one!