11 Is No Trick

Today our son turned 11. Yep, that's right...11!!! I just cannot believe it. We had a beautiful morning of family time before school, yummy sausage and egg breakfast made by dad and Elmo cupcakes at school to share with friends. We came home from school, did homework, played outside and enjoyed the beautiful and brisk evening air during soccer practice. Once we finally got home, we had our normal family birthday gathering with our six and our special two. There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think about Deerfield Drive and the love, friendship and family that we found through the bushes. (But that is a whole different post!)


We played a few tricks on #1 during this celebration. First, we didn't tell him that D&J were coming over - so he was happily surprised when he opened the door and found them hiding to the side!! Then we put 'never go out' candles on his cake. That is always a ton of fun, but boy-o-boy, do they make some smoke!


The biggest and best trick was saved for last though. We took one of his old skate decks and wrapped it up. When he opened it, he was confused until dad handed over the new deck! We all had a good laugh.



#2 gave him a new book by one of his favorite authors, Louis Sachar. #3 gave him the 'This is my Element' skate video. And #4 gave him really cool juggling sticks which he has almost mastered!


He was thrilled to get a really cool Skatepark of Austin t-shirt and the always expected and very coveted washcloth from D&J. Someday she is going to stop making these little treasures and our kids are going to go nuts!!! :)



So here's to getting one of our kids through to another year. We have made it this far and I am happy to report that he is a pretty darn good kid. What a beautiful blessing he has been to my life. I am SO thankful!

On Being A Carr

JC and I have been married for almost 17 years. JC is the oldest of three boys. This weekend was another of those times that I was able to walk away from the events and realize just how lucky we are to have each other and our Carr family. We might not see each other often enough and may all do different things in life, but we all love each other. It was SO SO SO nice to spend time with our family this weekend. Jeff and his brothers have a very special bond. I feel like they are both my brothers and I know that if I ever needed help, I would call them. I love their wives and most especially love all of the little Carr children. It was so heart warming for me to watch the 7 grandkids run and play together just as if they have been together everyday of their lives. Oh how I am thankful for these people.

What mother wouldn't be proud of these boys? And besides, they are all pretty hot!!!


Carr daughter-in-laws and grandkids.

And how about the fact that all of these grandkids can pass for siblings!

Birfday

Sunday was my birthday. We were super duper busy doing family things for the wedding all weekend. I did get treated to a very nice dinner out Sunday night. Cathy and Steve (Jeff's mom and husband) were in town and flying out of Austin Monday morning. They took us all out to dinner - MY CHOICE!!! I didn't really know where to go...we went to Shady Grove, but it was a 45 min. wait...which is not a good idea with 4 kids - so we ended up at Uncle Billies Brew-B-Que. The food was good, the company was even better and it was just nice to get to do something with my family on my birthday. THANK YOU CATHY AND STEVE!!!

Stargrazer Ranch

The reception was held at the Stargrazer Ranch. This is the Leach family ranch (bride's parents) that is around the corner from the church - just minutes away from Schulenberg, Texas.

This is probably one of the most beautiful receptions I've ever been to. The ranch sits on many acres. In addition to a large tent, the family home and barn were also used for mingling and visiting with family and friends.

Upon arriving at the ranch, we were greeted by a three piece Texas Swing band that was playing all of the classics.


We enjoyed cocktail hour while having many delicious appetizers. The weather was perfect and the ranch was just beautiful! At some point, they rang the dinner bell and we all made our way to the tent. Oh my - it was SO beautiful inside. Our six were seated at the 'squirrel' table with Jeff's cousin. I was breaking my neck to try and see everything that was in this portable reception building. First of all, it was air conditioned and had wood floors. There were so many beautiful flowers. Everywhere - hanging from the ceiling, on the tables, on the couches - everywhere you looked more beautiful flowers. And the food - oh my! It was done in a buffet style with many different stations. Beef tenderloin, salad area, fresh veggies and mushrooms being sauteed right when you asked. Crab cakes being made while you waited, oh - it was ALL so so so good. All of our kids ate caviar too. This was offered at the avocado bar - where you got a half of pitted avocado and you could dress it with any of the sides that were available! It was so so so good!

Queen of Painted Churches

The beautiful wedding was held at the 'Queen of Painted Churches' St. Mary's Catholic Church in High Hill, Texas. This church is truly breath taking. The church was blessed in 1906 and the final decoration artwork, wall decorations and ceiling decorations were completed in 1912. What a beautiful background for a wedding!

I Thee Wed

This weekend was the big wedding weekend for the Carr Family. Our dear Chris married his love Margot in a beautiful, elegant, country wedding. I have SO much to blog about this weekend that I don't know where to start.

I'll start with my Carr kids. I am SO proud of all four of them! They were all so well behaved and well mannered. They were perfect for me as I was alone in getting them ready for the rehearsal dinner and wedding. They were perfect in the church and when meeting all of the family and friends. And to top it off, they all looked great!

Big thank you's to Liz and Terry for letting us borrow a suit, a dress, and some cowgirl boots! Love you girls!

Halloween Fun

Another great night of Halloween fun. Started the night on Yandall at the big party. All of the usual suspects with delicious food and the very best of friends. Then for a walk through their 'hood to get the loot! After a while, we came back to our 'hood to see what the neighbors had to offer! Fun was had by all!



We have this family tradition of sorting and swapping candy as soon as we get home. We also let them eat as much candy as they want this one night of the year. #1 said that he wasn't feeling well when he went to bed. I'm thinking they will ALL need to eat LOTS AND LOTS of veggie tomorrow! :)