Miss smiley, curly-top turned four, and we got to throw another party while we were in town! Lucy loves donuts, and sprinkles, so Desi and I got to have a lot of fun with this one.
The night we party-prepped was the funniest. We put all the girls to bed in one room, and listened to them chatter and play until all hours of the night... and then slowly start to cry and whine when they got so, so tired. It was so sad and pathetic, but pretty darn funny, too. Samantha would cry, and you would hear the saddest, "Sammie, stop crying... Sammie be quiet!" After awhile, we had to move the baby to another room- and that's when Eliza got freaked out by the big girl bed and needed to be put in the crib, after crying on the bottom bunk for an hour. So, Eliza fell asleep in the crib, Sammie in another room, and Lucy was officially going crazy from exhaustion. She would suddenly yell out that Eliza was being creepy and moving in her sleep. But, when when we went in to the room Eliza was totally asleep. I think you had to be there to get it, but it was so ridiculous and funny, and also made me really nervous about having both of my girls in the same room pretty soon!
So, while the girls were experiencing cabin fever, Desi and I were up all night with a movie marathon and junk food- painting banners and party prepping. We used this board to pull together some ideas, and went crazy- "Life is better with sprinkles!" We drew naked donuts on the back porch for the kids to decorate, hung lanterns from the trees, and filled a donut piñata. Instead of a cake, Desi filled three tiers with donuts that Lucy got to go pick up with her Dad the morning of the party, in her pink sprinkle dress. We also set up a donut decorating station, with colored glaze, all kinds of toppings, and plenty of milk to go around.
The kids had so much fun! It was such a fun and pretty theme, that didn't take a lot of effort or money. I mean, every one loves donuts. I think I ate five. For real. Eliza ate a ton, while holding onto the hem of my dress most of the time- she was a little shy around Lucy's friends. But, not too shy to grab her fair share of the piñata loot.
Happy (late) Birthday, Lucy! I still can't believe she is four. Lucy was my first love- there's nothing like a niece to make you realize how beautiful a baby is. She was the one who got my clock ticking, and pretty shortly after Lucy was born, was when I suddenly felt a very real urge to have a baby of my own. And, that's why Eliza was born a year later! I love that they are close in age, and good friends.
Lucy got a real, big-girl bike for her birthday, and after the party all the kids played out on the driveway and street in front of the house. Desi lives in the house that we grew up in, so it's always so crazy to see this new generation of kids playing in my yard and my driveway. It also makes me a little jealous of suburban life, and the ease of neighborhood play- so much fun.
We had a lot of fun in Texas. The first half of the trip was all party fun, while the second half was filled with good family times. I got to stay up late chatting with my sister several nights, and we went to the best Selena sing-along at Alamo Drafthouse- complete with maracas, drunk women cursing in Spanish at Yolanda, and a real candlelit vigil during the final scene. Eliza got to spend a lot of time with her cousins, playing in the yard, splashing in the neighbors kiddie pool, and running around McDonald's clutching a chicken nugget. She spent much of the time at Grandma and Grandpa's chattering away as she played with my old dollhouse, and watching new shows on the big screen. She very intently cared for the cats that live in the backyard, always being the first to put their food out in the morning. And, she even helped Grandma make a little pink, sparkle skirt in the sewing room. Grandad took us to Fredricksburg for a day trip, one of our favorite places. And, Eliza made herself a little secret play area upstairs in the closet with a curtain, where she sat and read herself books.
We won't be traveling for awhile, obviously. We traveled a lot this past year, and I have loved it. From March of last year we went out of the country once, to Texas three times, and to Utah four times. It's time to step back and take care of this growing family at home for a bit. I can't see us going too far until Christmas, when baby sister will be five months and ready to make the trip. As much as I love our opportunities to travel and see family, I think I am looking forward to the remainder of 2016 to be a little less scheduled, and a little more relaxed. Isn't it funny that I can say that, knowing that I am about to have a baby? But, we Grays are a crazy, overly ambitious bunch. And, I think this baby might actually slow us down a bit and force us to focus on what's right in front of us. And, that will be Rox and Sam, Eliza, and baby sister. I can't wait.
Eliza and I spent some time in Texas, back in April, to visit my family. It worked out nicely that our trip was taken during my spring break, and happened to land on the week of both of my nieces birthdays. So, Eliza had some cousin time and I got some much needed sister time- especially when we were crafting and party prepping at 1am while watching Bring It On and eating piñata candy. Desi dreamed up two pretty magical parties, and I got to come along for the ride and help her bring them to life.
Samantha turned one! She is such a doll. She has these sparkly eyes that follow you around the room, and she is one of the happiest babies you will come across. I hadn't seen her since last September, so it was really fun to see her crawling around, with those wispy, little curls starting to play around her face. Desi wanted to the theme to be, "She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes." Since, she most certainly does. So, she settled on a fancy Kate Spade inspired brunch, with plenty of pink and gold.
We pulled some ideas together on this board, and ordered a couple of things ahead of time. But, a last minute slumber party was in order- putting out place settings, prepping food, and hot-gluing flowers till the early morning hours. It was really nice. I don't get to spend much alone time with my older sister, since having our girls. Usually, we plan kid-friendly outings and then I spend the night at my dad's. But, these sister sleepovers definitely need to happen more often.
The party was a huge success, even after a threatening weather forecast brought the brunch inside. We served tiny breakfast items, and Desi made the most beautiful cake. The kids all ate in the kitchen, while the adults sat at a long table in the living room. We even took turns toasting our well-wishes for the little one. It was sweet.
Happy (late) Birthday, Miss Samantha! You are so loved.
Eliza and I spent one of the weekends at my sister's, while we were in Texas. Her husband was out of town, so we tag teamed the three girls all weekend. Sammie was a dream, for the most part. I swear, I kept forgetting she was there half the time. She's so quiet! And just such a happy babe. Eliza and Lucy were there usual crazy selves, and they all had such a good time.
One of my favorite nights, we turned out all the lights and had a dance party in the living room with Lucy's flashing Elsa wand to strobe up the dance floor. Eliza wore Lucy's Belle dress-up dress literally all weekend long, usually accompanied with some tiny plastic heels and a pink diamond tiara. The heels were way too big for her, so her long finger toes would curl out over the peep toes and I cracked up every time I saw them.
It was fun to be a parent with my sister. I mean, we've done it before, obviously, but never solo without husbands. Sometimes I get annoyed being the middle sister. But, mostly, it's pretty nice. I mean, it's really great having someone to look up to and learn from. And it's really great thinking that I can possibly do the same.
We took the girls swimming, spent the evening at the giant H-E-B like it was the best amusement park ever, and Desi and I spent most nights watching ridiculous(ly awesome) shows- like Katy Perry's concert on Netflix. Have you seen it!? There are dancing cats. You will cry.
Desi could not get over Eliza's voice, and so every time she talked we would bust out laughing. I guess I never really realized how high-pitched her voice is! I knew it was bird-like, but I'm just so used to it. She has the cutest, highest voice and every word of her sentences get's progressively higher. And, almost every sentence ends in a "?" even if it's not necessarily a question. It's so cute, and I love it. What's funnier is that Lucy actually has a cute, deeper and sort of gravely voice. "Roxie, Roxie!" So, to hear the two of them talk to each other just makes you laugh. They kept crawling up on the top bunk of Lucy's beds and conspiring.
Oh! And, guess who we got to meet up with? Miss Stacie, former freshman roommate. This girl got me through my first year of college, without a doubt. And, I hadn't seen her in almost three years- not since I was first pregnant with Eliza. Stacie and her family now live in Houston, and she was a superstar friend and drove all the way up to Texas with her two little girls to spend the day with us. I haven't laughed so hard in my whole life. I was like drunk with laughter by the end of the day. Half of the day was spent with all five little girls, all three and under. We played dress up, while Willow ran around the house in an Elsa dress pointing her wand very sternly, "I will freeze your heart!" Later, we drug out the kiddie pool, and watched the girls "wash the car" while Stacie and I sat on lawn chairs and caught up on life. I was sort of digging this suburban lifestyle. And, I was sort of digging hanging out with Stace again.
We spent the afternoon at the Do-seum, which was big, beautiful perfectly clean suburban museum magic. Eliza and Lucy made s stop motion film while rolling around on a green screen, and Willow walked the entire museum with a tote bag full of lobsters from the "Little Town." After, Stacie and I took just our girls out to eat downtown, where they promptly made a ridiculously funny scene and I promptly tipped generously for the craziness. We let the girls pick out pan dulce, and sat outside in El Mercado for two glorious seconds eating our goods. I loved being a mom with this girl. I just love seeing old friends as moms. It's like a whole new, bonus self that you get to learn and love from the already pretty amazing person that you already know.
And there you go. I'm sure I left a lot of goodness out. And, I always seem to kick myself for not taking enough pictures on trips. But, there you go- the great Texas birthday trip of 2015.
I love my family.
My dad's big 60th birthday has been in the makes for months now. We wanted to do something that would bring everyone together under one roof, which hasn't happened in years. I mean, once you have children who have children, and who all live in three separate states- it's kind of like asking for a miracle. So, we made it happen.
We rented a condo on Padre Island, for a weekend at the coast. It was a cute, little condo with just enough room, close to the beach, with a really awesome pool and an equally awesome kiddie pool. Everything really fell into place. Sam flew in two days earlier, Danielle flew in the night before we left, and somehow we managed to fit everyone in two cars, including three massive carseats.
Except, let's just pretend like the three hour car ride down with three kids all three and under was perfect, as well. Right? Let's just say we made it without losing our minds completely, and only managed some crayon drawings on the inside of the car door. (yikes!) Also, let's just pretend like Eliza and Lucy were total buds the entire trip. Because, honestly, they were kind of pills. I guess this must be what siblings are like. The girls are only a year apart so they have such a good time together. They laugh and squeal, and say the funniest things, and play the funniest games. But, when they are not being nice they are being so naughty! They would fight and cry and scream, and boy did they hate sharing. It was the first trip where this was an actual thing. It's like, whoa, we have real kids now! But, you gotta love them. And when they hug each other, your heart just wants to melt.
Our first afternoon there, it rained as hard as ever. We thought we were going to slide right off that bridge coming up over to the island. In a way, it was kind of nice. We just sort of spilled into the condo, spread out, and relaxed all night. Later that night, some of us took the kids out for a swim in the rain until we were all shivering and laughing. The next day we spent all morning at the beach, and all afternoon in the pool. This entire trip made me remember how much I completely hate heat, but also how much I completely miss water activities to cool down!
That night, Desi and I snuck out and grabbed a cake from Marble Slab, a huge bag of party goods from the dollar store, and a handful of balloons. The girls helped us decorate the condo while my dad was out grabbing pizza, and they screamed when he came home, running around kicking balloons and waving their glow sticks. It was a great night.
It made me smile to see my dad so happy. He deserves the best. I hope that he can see what great things have come about because of him. He has always been there to give me just the right amount of advice to help me become to person I am today. And he never misses a chance to tell me he loves me and that he is proud of me. Happy 60th, Daddy. I love you.
We had a great weekend. On the way home, we stopped at the Texas State Aquarium, and when we got back to San Antonio we jumped in the neighborhood pool one last time before they closed for the summer.
Eliza loves my dad's backyard. I always wonder what goes through her little mind, like, "Oh look! Grandad has a park in his backyard!" Nobody in Berkeley has a yard, but there are plenty of beautiful parks for us to play in. So, to be able to to step right outside his door and run around in the grass looking for treasures- it must have felt like such a luxury. She also made a cute little "house" in one of the empty closets upstairs, where we played with toys and read books behind the curtained door. On one of the days, my dad watched Eliza solo while I went out with my mom. He and Eliza made homemade biscuits, colored pictures, and watched Sesame Street. She was so happy when I came back.
On our last night, we all went to Jim's and I ate the most massive pancakes ever. I don't know why, but this trip felt like the closest to "old times" as I have ever felt since I've moved away. It's like a new "old times." One I get to share with my family. And, I'm really loving it.
