Birthday Surprise

Where have June and July gone? We have not had a normal school routine here at the house, but yet we have managed to stay super busy. And Mr. Finn has kept me on toes, especially now that he is mobile! Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I notice that as he becomes more active so am I!

With Finn's birthday party planning underway, I really did not want to do anything for mine. {My older two don't understand why I do not have a full blown party with a theme...love them!} And for those of you who do not know, Finn's birthday is July 23rd and mine is the 25th.  Last year I was released from the hospital, taking home the best gift possible!! So sweet! 

Anyway, we did not have anything planned at all.  I woke up on Wednesday, the 24th and Finn and I were in the kitchen making breakfast.  I look down on the counter and see this:

As I was waiting for the bread to pop out of the toaster, I could not stop grinning!! The note was so sweet and thoughtful. He told me that I would be picked up at half past noon for my birthday mission. He said that we would spend a night at the park seeing a righty vs. lefty duel! {funny story...we had just watched "Here Comes the Boom" with Kevin James the night before and it has MMA fighting in it, so my first thought was that he was taking me to a boxing match...yikes! Moments later I clicked!} The letter also said the the kiddos would be taken care of and the place of our stay would take care of breakfast and our sore muscles!! Massage baby!! Then reality settled in and I thought about Finn's party at our house on Saturday and got a little antsy. But oh well, I knew it would all work out, it always does.

Traffic was crazy getting there, we hit rush hour so that slowed things down a bit and there was also a soccer game going on at Cowboys Stadium just right down the street.  But we made it in time.  :)

I really enjoyed going to the Texas Rangers' ballpark.  Always fun to see how other teams run things. For example, they had a TON of workers, mainly college-aged kids and they only had a few people selling alcoholic beverages in the stands.  The vendors were selling food items like hot dogs, churros, cotton candy, bottled water, frozen lemonade. I just thought it was neat how they mixed it up.

Shawn had spoke to Andy a while back and asked which game he was going to pitch, so that was really neat to be there at his game.  While the Yankees did not get the win, we enjoyed being there and supporting him!

After the game, we picked up a couple of Frosty's and headed back to the bed and breakfast. Shawn picked out the perfect little place.  It was so quaint and very relaxing...just my speed.

He had a massage set up for me the next morning at the spa across the street {which was still affiliated with the bed and breakfast}.  I enjoyed it so much, it was so relaxing.  I have only had a handful of massages, so this was a nice surprise from him.  I also got a spa pedicure...what girl doesn't like being pampered, especially on her birthday!?!  {Can you tell I was a little worn out?}

What a wonderful surprise from my husband. While we are running 100 mph with life, he took time to think of me and plan this trip. And if he would have asked me to go, I probably would have said no since we had just went to Austin earlier this month and Finn's party was only a couple of days away. But, I'm glad he didn't ask and planned it himself.  And also a big thank you to my sister and mother-in-law for watching the kiddos! 

My mom and sister came over and surprised me with a fruit arrangement...super yummy! We nearly ate the whole thing in one sitting.  And then we went to Baskin Robbins!! #dietprobs!

Finn is 1!

My baby boy is 1! So hard to believe this...I can remember the day he was born!

He is such a sweet boy and his smile is contagious! He started taking steps at 11 months and now at 12 months, he is a full on walker! {Jase started walking at 13 months and Ally was 14 months.}  He says a few words: Momma {first word}, Dadda, JJ, Ally, and no-no. Just like his brother and sister at this age, he really enjoys to be outside. Finn still has 6 teeth, but I think more are on the brink of coming through because boy oh boy does he like to teeth...on you and anything he can cram in his mouth!!  He is already a biter! I'm not sure if it started off because he nursed and was used to the feel of skin, but hopefully this is short-lived! Aside from the biting, he is a sweetie! ;-)

Tonight we had family over to celebrate his birthday and it was a great time.

After presents we sang Happy Birthday to him.  Poor guy, he was not a fan at all.  About half way through the song he broke out in tears.  I'm not sure if it was the dark, everyone staring at him or the song, but it scared him. After the lights were turned on and the song stopped, he was ok.

He scarfed down his pound cake with whipping cream and fruit!!

It was a nice and relaxing evening and glad everyone came over to celebrate Finn turning 1 with us!

Oh and Allyson was quite the entertainer! She found herself quite comfortable on the fireplace and put on a little show for us! #priceless

Homemade Pizza

Last week I bought ingredients for homemade pizza, but life happened and we never made it.  I thought this afternoon would be a great time to do this with the kiddos.  I found this whole wheat pizza dough in the frozen section at HEB and thought I would try it out.  It was super easy to press out {my rolling pin is MIA} and tasty too, and and for less than $2 I will definitely be purchasing again.  The kids thought they were big time making lunch all by themselves and I had fun watching them!

It turned out super yummy and all 3 kids ate it up!  It was a nice change from our sandwich routine!

Austin

Over the 4th of July holiday we traveled to Austin for some family time.  We left late Wednesday afternoon and arrived there later that evening.  I've been to Austin before, but I don't think I have ever toured the city like we did.

We started off our trip on Thursday, July 4th at the State Capitol.  It was awesome. The details were unbelievable and it made you have a lot of pride about being a Texan! And to go inside the Capitol was free and they also had different tours (free as well) that you could go on.  Very neat.

The Senate and House of Representatives Chambers were just awesome!  The big, chunky furniture made the place feel so grand.  And the chambers still contain the original walnut desks that were purchased in 1888.  Amazing!

After the Capitol, we drove around the UT campus and had to get some shots of the football and baseball field.  Jase said he wants to play baseball here! You never know! :)

Later that evening, we headed out to the ball park to see the Round Rock Express.  They are the AAA team associated with the Texas Rangers.  I was very impressed as to how nice the ball park was. The only drawback to our visit there is that we bought lawn seats a couple of months ago when we first planned our trip.  On the internet the picture of the lawn seats shows this cute scene with families all spread out on their blankets, enjoying the game.  Not the case on the 4th! The lawn area was jam packed and there was absolutely NO where for us to sit.  We ended up sitting in a flower bed...not kidding.  Lesson learned: buy seats next time!

A month or so before our trip I decided to look on Groupon for any Austin deals. I came across a place called Pioneer Farms. It's a historic area with different areas set-up for exploring. Super cool place and so glad we went.

The man that showed us around at the Stage Coach Barn demonstrated how they would shave and shape wood with a drawknife.  Then he asked if Shawn wanted to try it out! Next thing we know he gets his hat from inside the barn for Shawn to take pictures with!! Hahahaha! Shawn very kindly put on his hat for the pictures!! Nothing like someone else's sweaty cowboy hat!!

This next home was the actual home that was on the property back in the 1800's...pretty cool!

Next we drove out to Cedar Park, which is just north of Austin, and stayed at a good friend of mine.  We have been close friends since junior high, and it was great to spend time with her and her husband.  They had a wonderful home and a great piece of property!

We spent some time at the play ground one afternoon.

On our way back home we stopped at Round Top for lunch.  I just love small towns and the cozy feel they give.

We ate lunch at Royers Round Top Cafe and it was packed!! We actually had to call ahead of time to get on the waiting list. The restaurant only seats 40 people and from what I have read is always packed. They have been made famous for the pies, which were delicious!!

Such a great time spent this past weekend and many memories made.  I love taking road trips with my little family and look forward to many more!

Butter!

It's no big secret that I am a butter lover! Before I could even walk I was hooked! There are stories my mom has told me where I would just sit on the counter and eat butter by itself. Another time they could not find me any where in the house and I think I was less then 2 years old. They searched and searched until they saw a crack in the fridge. There I was...eating butter!

Apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, because look where I found Mr. Finn a few days ago!!

My New Walker

I can't believe that my baby boy will be 1 year old this month!! It just doesn't seem possible at all! Birthday planning is underway! And his walking keeps progressing everyday.  While he still prefers to crawl, he has started putting many steps together at a time.  I just love to watch him!

And if the videos do not appear above, here are the links:

Walking Video 1

Walking Video 2

Dining Room Redo

Well, we finished! We've had plans for our dining room for a few months now and this past week we wrapped it up.  About 2-3 months ago we sold our bar height dining room table. It was very nice and seated 8, but it felt too big for our space and it wasn't working for me with the little ones. I knew I wanted a farmhouse table; something simple, but with a big tabletop.

I found some ideas on Pinterest and then ended up finding a guy on Craigslist that was making and selling them in Katy for around $400.  Shawn called the guy and we made plans to visit his shop, but at the last minute Shawn was looking at the construction online and said "I can do this, I can build it!" I said "ok, if you are up for it then let's do it!" We found these in depth instructions on Pinterest for a style that I really liked and ran with it.

Shawn visited Lowe's and Home Depot many times and we spent several late nights in the garage, but it looks great and I love it! I sanded and painted our old chairs from our very first table {from over 9 years ago} to match the table and they fit in wonderfully. Our table is 31 inches tall, 7 feet long and 4 feet wide.  And my favorite feature are the 2x6's that run the length of the table as a foot rest! Below is table at different stages.

Here is the finished product!

And we updated all the decor on the walls.  I love how eclectic it all looks and it feels like us! The circle mirror we found at Kirkland's and it looks like it was made to go with the table.

While Shawn was building this table, he also built one for the back porch.  It is a few inches taller and is 8 feet long, but other than that it is the same construction.  The bottom is a bright orange, which gives it some pop! It is finished and on the back porch now.  :-)  He built 2 benches for this one and they need a little more work before they make their way out of the garage, but we hope to have them completed in the next couple of weeks. Kudos to my hubby for all of his hard work, love you babe!