Mimi and Bud: Only getting more fabulous with time...

Photo credit:  Uncle Bud

Fourth Recap...

It is sort of anticlimactic to discuss what we did on the Fourth, because we did the SAME THING this year that we did in 2012 and 2013.  Not that I would change a thing, mind you.  I'm a sucker for routine.  Plus, it is such a delight watching Banner enjoy the exact same parade and fireworks show that I did at his age.

Sometimes is the simple little things.  Probably why the Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  Just good ole fashion summer fun with friends and family.

Anyway, I won't bore you with too many details.  Just a million and a half photographic memories of Banner's third half birthday:

Business as usual...

Waiting for the parade to begin.

Two year olds get a lot of candy tossed their way.  Especially
when they have a sassy fifteen month, female sidekick named Eva.

Have I mentioned that he has A LOT of energy?

Paw-Paw Mint.

CEO, Uncle Yum and Jeep.

Lady Loraine and the FABULOUS Auntie Mimi.

Rachel and Neighbor Becky.

So, yeah.  Catching isn't his best skill.  But to Banner's credit, he keeps trying.

Because being two means you gotta
pull the Dragon Wagon "myself".

After the parade, we returned home so Banner could open his half birthday presents from Jeep:

He is finally getting the hang of opening presents.

Present time was followed by "quiet time".  Little man keeps threatening to drop his nap, but we strictly enforce quiet time because...well, mama and daddy NEED a nap, even if Banner (*thinks* he) doesn't.

We were supposed to meet at my dad's house a little before 5 PM, but were delayed by a stray storm.  Lots of thunder and lightening at our house, but NO RAIN.  A mile away at my sister's house, though?  DOWNPOUR.  Abrams and Mockingbird?  HAIL.  Skillman and Mockingbird?  FLOODED STREETS.  75 and Mockingbird?  SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS.

For those of you not familiar with Dallas, I live exactly 6.1 miles from my dad, and four miles from 75 and Mockingbird.  So we are talking about a pretty bad a$$ thunderstorm that was less than three miles wide.

Here's a visual (photos taken less than five minutes apart) on Mockingbird:

The weirdest thing is that the storm NEVER crossed 75, and everyone we spoke to that evening was like, "What do you mean it rained today"?

Of course, it would have been a better story if it had actually rained at my house, because I'm all about free water in July.

Anyway, back to the festivities, Banner was a HUGE fan of the band at the club this year.  During their break between sets, he even went and found them drinking coffee and sat down like he was one of the guys.

Number ONE fan.

We weren't sure we were going to be able to see the fireworks because
little groupie didn't want to leave the stage and his new buddies.

But after a few rounds of peek-a-boo, and the promise of another band outside (I kid you not, he ended up on stage!), we were successful in getting him outside.

A rare family photo before the fireworks began.

I may love this photo more than THIS ONE taken last year.

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday!  

Just one of those moments in time that makes me smile...

Mimi and Bud have been in town a lot lately, and Banner has absolutely adored getting to spend extra time with them.

As an added side note, Banner still thinks the ADA sidewalk ramps at Brook Hollow are slides.

(Shakes head.)

Just like the cold front: I knew it was coming, but it still shocked me when it arrived...

Yesterday, I received an email from Mom365 informing me that my favorite little mess is now 100 weeks old.  Coincidentally, it was the same day he turned 23 months.

It sort of blows my mind that 100 weeks have passed.  It doesn't seem like that long ago I was measuring Banner's life in days and weeks.  Yet soon I'm going to the mother of a 2 year old. 

Seriously?  Multiple trips around the sun?  Already?  How is that possible?

This time last year, Banner was bald, crawling baby.  Now he is a running, jumping, always on the go toddler who told me yesterday that, "Daddy funny.  Mama no funny" right before demanding that I change the "saun, peas" (song, please).  Because apparently the Mi Mi song (which he thinks is about Auntie Mimi, by the way) can only be followed up by Journey, not Imagine Dragons.  Duh.

(Silly mommy.)

My mind is sort of blown, y'all.  I wish there was a way to bottle time, so I could savor Banner at this age for just a little bit longer.  Because I know I'm going to blink, and he is going to be 3.  Heck, I just bought him 3T-4T overnights on Tuesday.  Not to mention all the conversations Trevor and I have had lately about transitioning him to a Big Boy Bed in the next few months. 

I just can't take it.  It's too soon, folks.  Too soon.

Time to pull an ostrich and bury my head in the sand.  Because maybe if I pretend hard enough, he will stay my baby for a little while longer.

I'm too happy, tired and FULL to care if any of the following makes sense...

I don't even know what to say about Thanksgiving.  Mainly because it has been an awesome day THAT JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING AND GOING.

Seriously.

We woke up at 6:30 because we registered to run the 8 mile Turkey Trot like a$$hats.  It was 28 degrees.  I was cold.  As is evident below:

Please stop taking my picture, Trevor.  I can't feel my face.  

Because "I can't feel my face" means "selfie".  Obviously.
Also, why hasn't anyone ever told me that I have a Jay Leno-esk chin?!

I've decided Trevor is suuuuuuper annoying to run races with because he insisted on arriving at the starting line FORTY FIVE minutes early.  And that was with all my efforts to delay standing in the cold for no good reason for as long as possible.  Mentally, I compare it to that time he was in charge of our travel itinerary and got us to BWI SIX HOURS BEFORE OUR FLIGHT TO DFW in 2008.

Yeah, still not over it.

Luckily, the freezing temps got our booties across the finish line in a respectable (if you are us) hour and twenty minutes.  Because the trot was only the beginning of our day, and we still had showers to take, country club clothes to don and a certain little, hyperactive dude to pick up from Gran's house.

This is what my kid looks like watching Toy Story after being
fed a slice of pecan pie for breakfast by his grandmother.
OMG.

As Gran would say, "wilder than a hoot owl".
I don't even know what that means, but Ban was it.

Not that she did it on her own.  Uncle Spencer helped.
(Not that MY kid needs much convincing to eat pie!)

When we arrived, Banner was just starting to come down from his pie-induced sugar high and poor Gran looked like she needed a nap. 

(I have a bad feeling that the only lesson Gran learned this morning is to only give Banner sugar immediately before returning him to us.  Lord help us.)



Post-race blurry iPhone family photo attempt #1

Post-race blurry iPhone family photo attempt #2

Thanksgiving PART 1 was at Brook Hollow.  We attempted to take another family picture.  It didn't go well.  But Banner was wearing a collared shirt and sweater and I had actually made a rare attempt at blowdrying my hair, so we had to try.  Mimi is a patient soul:

And, yes, I realize that you can't even tell that I made an effort hair-wise.  But I assure you:  said effort was made.

Then it was on to food.  Banner is thankful for sweet pickles.  

This is Banner's first of THREE plates.  Every pickle was consumed.
Banner is to pickles as I am to olives.  No kidding.

The time between plates two and three was spent running around the golf course like a crazed maniac.  A friend of Trevor's from high school tried to convince me that Banner doesn't weigh enough to injure the putting green.  But I'm not so sure.

At least, we calmed down (briefly) to have a deep conversation with Uncle Baaaaa:

Then, it was home to nap (for a mere 45 minutes) before Thanksgiving PART II with Gran and Pop-Pop.  

Banner was running on fumes, with *almost* explains the following videos.

Dancing to Selena Gomez at half time.

The annoying chicken.

And to clarify, no one was able to capture a video that adequately depicts Banner's INSANE energy level tonight.  BECAUSE WE WERE TRING TO KEEP PROTECT HIM FROM HIMSELF, not photo/video document.  But, believe me, Banner was a complete and utter spaz.  

Needless to say, we were home by 7:30.  Banner was bathed and asleep by 7:45 and I am in my PJs at 8 PM.  But AT LEAST I AM AWAKE.  Trevor is snoring as I type, but still clutching the TV remote like his life depends on it.  Like I'd even attempt to change the channel to anything but football.

(Not because I've been trained well, but because I'm too exhausted to care.)

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!