To Dallas and Back...

We made a trip down to Dallas this weekend, and had a blast! Chris's house is absolutely adorable...Charlotte and Gray had a great time going through all of his things. Thankfully nothing was broken (I don't think) when we left on Sunday afternoon, and Helen followed behind us and left the place perfectly clean and good as new! If only she lived here in Memphis and could follow behind the kids on a regular basis...

Sadly, we didn't take very many pictures over the course of the weekend. Correction: I didn't take many pictures. Charlotte took a ton of herself but it is hard to see anything but her nose in most of them. Here is the best of the bunch (although I'm pretty sure this one was taken in Memphis):

While we were there we also got to spend lots of time with Fairy God Momma (FGM) Tif, and we got to have a fun girls night out with Olivia and Taylor (we missed you D!). Tim, Chris, Grammy and Papa watched the Sooners win and got to see Brad and Tiffany. Overall, the weekend was a great success!

Below are a few photos that I just cannot resist posting:

And I almost forgot...this video is one of the funniest things EVER! At least I happen to think so...

Chickens and Cows...

Halloween in our household was a great success, although I think I can safely say that we are glad it is over! Charlotte mastered the chicken dance and Gray was an excellent cow. Both kids had parties at Lindenwood on Friday, and they got to participate in the Halloween Parade. Charlotte was awarded "Best Legs"...I'm not sure if we should be proud of that or not;)

We hit several Halloween parties on Saturday evening and Charlotte ate her weight in chocolate and sugar. A great Ravens win on Sunday topped off a GREAT weekend!

Fall is here!

On Sunday we went to the zoo to check out Teton Trek, the new Grizzly Bear exhibit. It is really, really cool! I am sure we will return many times. That afternoon we put Gray and Charlotte to work sweeping up leaves...apparently Charlotte thinks this is a super fun activity. We can't wait until they can actually do some yardwork!

These lions were a definite highlight!

Updates! Updates!

It's been a while...I am renewing my vow to be better about updating the blog...someone hold me to it! The past few months have been filled with lots of travelling and we have been very fortunate to see lots of family and friends! We headed down to Dallas for Labor Day weekend and got to spend time with great friends and Uncle Chris! Tim and Chris went to the OU season opener and had fun despite the loss.

Later in September I got to go on a fun girls trip to Las Vegas (yes, we were celebrating my gasp 30th birthday!). The weekend was so much fun and filled with lots of laughs...and a little bit of gambling. Early October brought the JDRF walk that Adah's Rhodesters did in honor of Laura Coultas, our beloved friend. In the end we raised over $9000!!!!

Just this past weekend we were up in Baltimore visiting Mimi and Grandpop and lots of other family and friends. We had a wonderful time and are just starting to get back into the groove of things here in Memphis. We are finished with the whirlwind of travel and guests, and are excited to spend some time relaxing and enjoying the fall weather here!

Gray turned 1!

It is definitely hard to believe...Thomas Gray Stakem has already hit the 1 year mark!! We celebrated with lots of friends and family in Memphis on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Gray was especially pleased with his double chocolate cake, and Charlotte managed to subsist on sugar products alone for the entire day. On Sunday we all went to the zoo where Charlotte showed Grammy, Papa, Mimi, Grandpop, and Uncle Chris how brave she was when she held the birdies all by herself! Impressive. We missed Uncle John, who was busy packing for his semester abroad in Chile...maybe the whole clan will plan a suprise visit to the Southern hemisphere...brace yourself John.

Papa brought some beautiful window boxes that he made for our house and Grammy painted them for us! Mimi took the kids for lots of walks and Grandpop taught Charlotte to say "WTF". Nice.

Overall, it was a wonderful and busy weekend!

Looking back...Moving forward

I was going through pictures from this summer today (yes, I know I should haven been working) and I couldn't beleive that I hadn't posted these two that were taken in Hartford of Charlotte with Nana. I think the one of both of them sporting their shades is especially fantastic.

The last few weeks have been a little bit hectic, but overall I'd say we can't complain. Charlotte and Gray started in their new classrooms this week. Charlotte is a proud new member of the Tiger Den and Gray is now chillin' in the Dolphin Room. Their new teachers seem to be wonderful!

This weekend we will be headed to Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs...SO excited! Lots of pictures and a fun update to come!

MAINE

Well, I feel like I brought it on myself...I prayed and prayed that it would be cold in Maine because is was so darn hot here in Memphis. And cold it was. Really cold. And rainy. Taking a 2 year-old on vacation anywhere is a a challenge, but this may have taken the cake. We did have a lot of fun and it was great to spend time with Mimi, Grandpop, Grammy, Uncle Chris, Uncle John, and Leah. We managed to have lobster 3 times and we dug a slew of clams. Charlotte is now fascinated that you can find crabs under rocks and she even held a few of the little bitty ones that we found. Now that we are home I can look back on the vacation fondly, but....next year you may find Tim and I somewhere in the Caribbean...

The beginning of summer...it was HOT

Early June in Memphis was a scorcher. I'm pretty sure that doesn't even begin to describe just how hot is was, but we were desperately looking forward to our trip up to Maine! We had a really fun trip to the water park in Cooper-Young and Charlotte and Gray had a blast! Charlotte's teacher, Ms. LaQuinta, is so great about planning these fun family outings. Afterwards we all hit Chick-fil-a where Charlotte climbed to the top of the GIGANTIC twisty slide and slid down. No fear whatsoever. No wonder I am getting gray hair...

Houston bound....

I'm back! I know it's been a while but it was seriously the busiest Spring ever...

May was a great month for us especially with BBQ Fest and Shelley's wedding in Houston. Team Hogweiser did not necessarily dominate this year, but our beef came in 16th and the chicken came in 23rd (or something like that). These places are out of over 100 competitors so we were proud of ourselves. My sauce pretty much came in fifth to last, which was kind of depressing. I figure if it was that bad it would have been way cooler to come in dead last. Suffice it to say, I think I will be throwing in the towel in the sauce category...

Our trip to Houston was so much fun and Shelley's wedding was beautiful. The best part of the reception was the addition of boas and Elvis glasses on the dance floor!

Charlotte and Gray didn't make the trip with us, but they had a wonderful time hanging with Grammy and Uncle Chris in Memphis.

Easter

Easter Sunday was a really wonderful day for all of us. We went to a new church on Sunday morning, and we decided that we really love it! Not only did we feel welcome, but they have a fantastic nursery that makes life a whole lot easier for all of us! After mass we headed over to the Schuhmachers and had a delicious brunch with lots of great friends. It was our first holiday away from family, and we felt very blessed to have such wonderful friends to spend the day with. Charlotte and Jack hunted for Easter eggs despite the rain, and Charlotte managed to eat a very large quantity of chocolate...

Charlotte's 2nd Birthday!

Charlotte turned 2 on April 7th! She had a great day complete with cupcakes at school, balloons, a pretty princess outfit, and lots of cake! Jack came over to help her celebrate and outfitted her with a tiara, heels, earrings, and pompoms...Charlotte was so excited!

Jay and Chasity Got Hitched!

Well, after an engagment that could only be rivaled by ours in terms of length, Jay and Chasity got married! I spent most of the day trying to remain calm about the fact that Charlotte was supposed to serenely walk down the aisle as the flower girl, but I have to say she did a GREAT job! I think the fact that I told her there was a doggie at the end of the aisle may have helped...

Tim was a groomsman and of course looked super handsome in his tux, even though his dear friends John and Blake tried to ruin his look.

Both sets of grandparents were also in town, along with both Uncles and even Hannah! It was such a busy weekend, but it was wonderful to spend time with everyone who came to Memphis. Congratulations Jay and Chasity!

Disney World

Well, Tim and I took a quick vacation to Florida... and no, we did not hit the beaches and relax. Instead, we went to Disney World! Poor Tim had never had the pleasure of fighting the throngs of strollers, life-size Mickey's, and over-sugared children at the Magic Kingdom, so we figured why not? Plus, we got a great deal...

In all seriousness, we really did have a great time, although the Magic Kingdom would have been much more fun had Charlotte and Gray been with us. We did manage to also visit Hollywood Studios and Epcot on the same day, and I have to say that by 2am we were exhausted. The next day we hit Universal Studios which was far more fun and "adult" oriented...meaning they had beer and the biggest rollercoasters I have ever seen. A great combination really...

We have lots of great pictures that we took of ourselves, but I will only post some of the highlights...check out The Hulk...SO fun!

Baby Will Schuhmacher!

This post has been a long time coming, but Catherine, Blake and Jack welcomed William Blake Schuhmacher on the morning of March 3! He is triple cute, and Gray is thrilled to have a friend who is more his size!

Charlotte loves Gray!

Below is a video of Charlotte and Gray...
Apparently Charlotte's favorite nickname for Gray is "Buddy".

It snowed in Memphis! We got almost 5 inches, which is apparently the most the city has seen in 40 years. Charlotte thought it was absolutely fabulous...and so did Maddy! Tim took a few videos so I am posting them below. Enjoy!

Gray is 6 Months Old!

Tim took Gray to the doctor today for his 6 month check up (I know, I know...I'm a terrible mom for missing it, but good thing he has such a great daddy!)...Gray seems to have avoided some of the Archibald short genes and is currently ranking in the 50th percentile for height! He weighed in at 17 lbs, 3 ounces, and is 26 inches long. (Side note: I always wonder why they always say babies are "x inches long" instead of tall. Weird.)

Apparently he was a trooper during his shots as well! Here is a super cute pic of them in the doctor's office!

January 2009

January was a fun-filled, busy month for us! John and I met up in Nashville to watch the Ravens beat the Titans. We had such a good time and seriously contemplated the trip to Pittsburgh...
Later that month, Gray was baptized at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and John and Tiffany served as his godparents. It was a wonderful day, with so many family and friends to celebrate with us. Sadly, that Sunday evening brought the Ravens loss to the Steelers. It was fun to have so many Baltimore fans in the house though! Charlotte and Gray are getting so big, and Charlotte is starting to really use her words! At the end of the month I got to head north to visit Ali and Baby Ava in COLD Minneapolis. I had so much fun and Ava is such a doll! We are looking forward to lots more fun...and hopefully some warmer weather in February and March...
As an aside, in case anyone is wondering, Uncle Chris bought the super cute outfit that Charlotte is wearing in the picture below!

December was a big month for us! Tim ran in the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis and he qualified for the Boston Marathon! He trained really hard and it paid off! Charlotte, Gray, Mimi, and Grandpa were all with me to help cheer him on. I wish I had more pics, but it was too cold to even take our gloves off. The rest of December is a blur of holiday parties and celebrations. Charlotte and Gray performed in their first Holiday Celebration at Lindenwood. Charlotte's class all dressed up as angels and danced to Hark the Herald Angels Sing! Gray's class paraded through the audience and Gray wore a cute Santa hat. We all boarded a plane and headed up to Baltimore for Christmas and New Year's. We had a great time seeing lots of family and friends. Gray and Tim went up to Hartford to visit Nana and Grandpa Stakem for a few days and they had so much fun! They got to see Grammy and Papa while they were there...and Uncle Chris too! On December 28, Tim and I were lucky enough to go watch the Ravens beat up on the Jaguars...thanks Tammy and Justin! New Year's brought a really fun night spent with close friends Carey and Nick, Jay and Chasity, and Tammy and Justin. We must be getting old, becuase we went bowling and everyone was in bed at a decent hour. As we settle in to a new year here in Memphis we are grateful to have such wonderful family and friends. This past year went by so quickly, but was truly wonderful! January is going to bring lots more news...and some great football games. Boomer Sooner and Go Ravens!