Jet-Setter

Mimi is in town (Stephen's mom), and we met for dinner at the Nordstrom's bistro.  After we ate, we ventured over to the kids department to let Knox run around.  He picked up every book and toy at his level, and then we found this cute little backpack/luggage piece.

He's obsessed.  He walked around the entire kids department, pulling it behind him.

Mimi thought he needed it for Vail.  The rest is history!

This morning, it was like Christmas all over again.

He walked the plane all over the house, ALL morning.

So happy!

He even stopped to catch a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Pete approves.

But the best part about the bag, in my opinion, is how flippin' cute he looks with the backpack on:

I'm pretty sure he's ready for Colorado...such a jet-setter!

Batter Up...

For Knox's first birthday, the Wrights got him a Rangers jersey t-shirt.  I finally had a little photo shoot...I think he's the cutest little Rangers fan I've ever seen :)

Wish this one wasn't so blurry...love that smile!

This is how the majority of the photo shoot went...him running away! 

Thunder Clap, eh!

Our child has great taste in music.  He loves some Ursher.  Actually, it was a total coincidence that Mr. Raymond was on when he hit the power button, but we believe he danced so passionately because of it ;)

Kitchen Re-Do

Our house was built in 1968.  One of the things that sold us on this house was that the previous owners had already updated the "big" things, like granite and tile.  They had chosen colors that were doable, and for the most part it was move-in ready.  Now that we've lived here 2 years, we've taken on little projects here and there to update it to our liking. 

The one thing that has bothered me for a while is the kitchen.  At first look, the black was fun and funky...but lately it has been wearing on me.  After some research (and a lot of spontaneity) I decided to paint the kitchen cabinets.  There are a lot of great blogs that I gained inspiration from, and thanks to the competent workers at Home Depot I had a plan.  Liquid sand the cabinets (they were oil) and then paint in latex.  Less smelly, less toxic and a LOT easier.  Once they were painted, I simply sanded the black back out to add an unfinished look.  They need it, since they are original and quirky.

I loved the finished product...but I wasn't finished.  Something wasn't right.  So...I painted the kitchen walls.  We decided on a gray color to tie in the blues from the living room and the black/cream/stainless color scheme in the kitchen.  Now I REALLY loved the finished product.  But there was still one things amiss...the built-in china cabinet.  My mom and I antiqued them when we first moved in...but the brown just wasn't working.  Martha Stewart just came out with a metallic glaze, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  You really can't tell in these pictures how different it looks, but trust me.  Much better.  I might even do one more coat. 

Now...it's finished.  And we're in love!

Well, maybe I told a little white lie.  We're not completely finished.  I really don't like the floor tiles, so those are next!

Fourth of July: Part 2-City Center Fun

I didn't mean to take so long posted round two of the 4th of July pics, but things have been crazy around here.  We had a packed weekend of birthday parties and baby showers, and painting our kitchen and cabinets (more on that later)...so I'm just now getting around to it.  Forgive me?

The highlight of Knox's weekend was our trip to the city center for dinner and live music.  We went on the 3rd, but for the 4th they had fireworks as well.  Maybe next year.  He loved running around and playing with the other kids, people watching and of course dancing.  Here are some fun shots before he crashed!

This boy LOVES his Daddy...but I don't blame him :)

Always a ball or a car/truck, and always pointing!

We noticed a mastiff not too far from where we were.  Knox is in LOVE with dogs, so we thought we'd venture over to see if the dog was nice.  She was a true "gentle giant."  She let Knox climb all over her, and never made a fuss.

Seriously, she was HUGE.  125 lbs.

Her owner grabbed Knox and placed him on her back.  I think she secretly loved it.

Her kisses were a bit bigger than Gracie's, though!

Knox loves dancing, and Mimi was happy to lead.

He ran around the whole night.  Chasing soccer balls, older kids, or just roaming the grounds.  Some of my favorite shots were while running between Stephen and Papa.  He has the sweetest smile on his face!

We headed out before bedtime, and he was SO tired that he barely stayed awake to finish his milk.  We can't wait until our next Houston trip to let him wear himself out again :)

Fourth of July: Part 1

We headed down to Houston on Thursday night, and stayed through the 4th.  Knox loved getting to spend time with his Mimi and Papa, and wore himself out playing in the pool, on his new toys and on wagon rides around the neighborhood. 

Every morning he would inspect what Papa was eating, and loved that he got to partake!



He started using his Papa's spoon, and then enjoyed trying to feed himself with his utensils.

 

He woke up from his first nap at their house with the most amazing bed-head...and we had to try out the denim diapers now that he can fit in them :)

No really...the bed-head was AWESOME!

And that denim toosh is pretty cute, too!

The Dotsons got him a little scooter, and he loved acting like a big boy, scooting around the house.  His favorite toy, though, was a lawnmower.  It had the start-up string/pull that made a loud noise, gas can and popped little balls while you mowed.  He loved it.  I unfortunately didn't get a picture of it, though.

The next day, Papa had yogurt.  This was a little more messy.

Notice the cereal flakes on his face, too!

Glenda saved all of Stephen's favorite toys from when he was younger, so we got them out to see if Knox would like them.  He's still a bit young for some of them, but in a few years he's going to be obsessed.  We laughed hysterically at some of the wrestlers...and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Awesome.

Knox's favorite was the Greyhound bus.

He loved putting people and smaller cars inside.  When he really gets working, he opens his mouth (see below).  I love that he does this, and love even more that my Papa (his great-grandfather) did this when he worked.  I found out this weekend that Stephen's Papa did this, too!  Love that he's carrying on the tradition :)

He needed a little water break...

We spent most days in the pool, and he had mixed emotions about it.  He loves the pool, don't get me wrong, it's that it was 150* outside and I wanted him in the shaded floatie.  He HATES the shaded floatie.  We did our best to only get in the pool later in the day when part of the pool is shaded, but he really just wanted to play in the fountains!

He's got that  mouth working again, trying to get as much water as the pail can fit!

He loves the water!

Dancer or Soccer Player?

I'm voting the latter...but the boy can bust-a-move :)  We spent the 4th in Houston with the Dotsons, and we ventured out to the City Center shops to have dinner one night and stumbled upon a live band.  Here's the proof Knox wore himself out.

Just a few notes: 

1) My dad LOVES Johnny Cash, so the fact that he's dancing to Fulsom Prison Blues makes Papi happy. 
2) He stole the soccer ball from the big kids before he started playing defense.
3) He loved walking around the dance floor and stopping to have impromptu dance sessions...I guess when the beat moved him!

(the video was taken from my old point and shoot-sorry for the quality)