Tate is 2!

My, oh my how time flies! I can't believe my little boy is growing up so quick! 

 On the morning of his party he woke up to balloons in his room! He LOVED it! He loves balloons and I thought he would really be surprised and excited to see them first thing. He immediately woke up and said "ballooons, balloons!". He had to run into the living room and show us! Watching him be so happy makes my heart full!

He is such an AMAZING big brother! He is by far the sweetest kid I've ever been around. He's so generous and shares with Bowen and others sooo well! He went and showed Bowen his balloons and let him hold them. 

 We also got a bounce house set up behind the house. His eyes lit up when he saw it and he was ready to play!

 Love that grin!

 And then for the big birthday present....a RAPTOR TRUCK! 

 This is his reaction when he saw it from the bounce house. He was sooo shocked and excited he climbed out as fast as he could. (Oh yeah, and he loves to pull his hat all the way down over his eyes like that now. I couldn't convince him to pull it up...vision is overrated I guess ahah)

 Daddy showing Tate how to drive his first truck

 And then he took bubba for a ride

 The yummy cake!

 And little Bowen didn't miss out on the excitement...he got sugars from everyone!

 We have such a loving family! Everyone came out to show Tate their love and celebrate with us!

 And we got to see this little handsome man! Roen and Lauri...I have a feeling that Tate and Remi and Roen and Bowen are going to be buds!

 Roen was going for Aunt Whit's pretty necklace.

 Back to the bounce house! Tate wanted me to hold him and jump...this was quite a task, being that he weighs around 35 pounds! 

 hahah

 And then on his actual birthday a couple days later we started by going to the park (big surprise I know)

 and watching movies

 and....BAKING CUPCAKES! Including, licking the spoon! He was a very good helper 

But no one was gonna mess with his cupcake. 

Later that night we had family over for a birthday dinner and he played so hard with everyone that he was tuckered completely out! What a lucky little boy our little Tate is! Thank you to everyone who  made his birthday so wonderful! 

I'm so grateful that I am his Mama! Some times I still can't believe he's actually mine. He bring so much joy to my life I can't even begin to put it into words. When I see his sweet grin and hear his infectious laugh it makes me stop in my tracks and smile. All I want for him is everything! I couldn't have asked for a more lovable baby boy! 

A few of my favorite recent photos

Sweet baby boy in the bath

 being silly

 Tate is such a sweet big brother!

 I love his hair in this picture! It's so wild and unruly...kinda like him!

 This boy loves to swing!

 sick baby but he still likes to play

Getting some lovin' from Gigi!

Our trip south

We were brave and decided to make a trip to Austin/ New Braunfels to see Courtnie. We had a lot of fun and the kids did surprisingly well...for babies. I've come to learn that trips with babies is perilous! There's so much to pack, days go into this process for me to make sure I've packed everything. You plan your trip around optimal sleep times, and in-car entertainment is a must! We made it and the journey was definitely worth it! 

Tate was in the sun and did have his shades so he decided to wear mine. 

 This was the first night we made it into New Braunfels.  There was a bit of surprise in the rooming arrangements but it all worked out just fine. 

 The boys needed some outdoor time from being in the car all day. And it was so nice outside. 

 Tate explored the rock pile and being the boy he is got all sorts of dirty before we went to eat at the Gristmill.

 Playing on the bed with Grandaddy

 headbutting

 and nose kisses...these are a few of his favorite things!

 The next morning while Trevor went fishing dad and I took the boys to eat breakfast at Napolitos and then to the river to go explore. It was perfect weather. 

 Hanging with Grandaddy

 while Tate played in the water with his trusty stick

 One of the few reasons I love this part of Texas. We are an outdoorsy kind of family and this would be perfect to have in our backyard. I love that the boys would be able to go fishing and exploring and their imaginations could grow wild!
 Dad even took him to go walk on the dam. Wild guys!

 This was from breakfast. Tate has a new fascination with salt and pepper shakers...and well, anything that can keep him preoccupied til his "sau-sau" gets to the table. Silly boy was trying to be sneaky.

 On Friday night we drove into Austin to spend time with C-C. We met at Terra Burger and ate while Tate played. I love Austin because it is so family and kid friendly.

 The next morning Bowen woke up all chipper! Sweet little baby

 playing with his toes...could he be any more precious?! No

 After we got dressed we headed out to the farmer's market and then to Zilker Park so the boys could play.

 Tickling my silly little fuzzy headed boy

 Then we ate at Baby A's. It was really good!

 This picture just scream "I got a dollar, I got a dollar, I got a dollar hey hey hey hey"! hahah

 while Bowen fell asleep at the table. After we left Courtnie, Allison, Bowen, and I went to the Bridal Extravaganza. It was a lot to take in and of course baby Bowen was getting oooo-ed and aawwww-ed over while we went to each vendor. 

When we got back the guys cooked while we played. Tate loved getting his hands licked by Zo dog. She wasn't too interested in him but was a good sport. 

Tate "helping" Carl.

 The next morning Tate ate Krispy Kreme and decided the chocolate icing was the best! 

 the baby massage

Before we came back home we stopped the Inflatable World at the Lakeline Mall and Tate had a blast! We wanted to really wear him out before our long ride home. It worked. He slept like a champ and we made it back in just before the snow fell and the boys got sick. So all in all it was a great trip. I wish the boys wouldn't have gotten sick when we came home but that's life I guess.