Parks and Haircuts

One of the things I am planning on doing this summer is trying to hit up a lot of the parks in The Woodlands.  I decided to go to Tamarac Park off of North Millbend yesterday.  We got there and there was only two US Postal Service cars parked there.  I looked and saw two women eating lunch at the pavilion by the water so I decided to go ahead and get out of the car.  We went to the water and saw some turtles, lots of dragonflies, and one male mallard.  The "Please do not feed the ducks" sign was also at this park and I was happy to see no one, really, not one person, feeding the one duck.  We walked around the pond and happened upon a great blue heron but fortunately didn't spook it away.  We watched it slowly walk away and continue fishing for minnows.  At this point Marshall was tired of being held so we walked to the actual play area.  One thing I liked about this park was the shade, but it was back in the woods and with Marhsall and me being the only ones there it was a bit unsettling.  I was on constant watch out for "bad people in the woods," and let my imagination get the best of me a few times with all the noise the woodpeckers and squirrels were making but I still had fun.  The playground was fun and Marshall enjoyed climbing up the slides and playing in the mulch.  My little guy is already such a nature lover that once he found the dirt and sticks that's all he wanted to play with.  At one point two young guys showed up at the skate park and Marshall was very intrigued with the skate boards and the noise they made.  Overall, it was a nice day and we will definitely go back again.  I don't have any pictures of the day so sorry =(

On another note, Marshall and I went today to get him his first professional haircut.  My mom has given him a few buzz cuts but we thought it was about time to get it done with the sides faded and all.  I have heard a lot of good things about Clip Its in the mall, so that's where we went.  Marshall sat in the chair all ready and somewhat happy, but once the stylist put the smock around him and he lost his hands he decided that he wasn't sure about this new experience.  She pulled his hands out and gave him a toy but it didn't work AT ALL.  He cried the whole time kicking his feet and all.  When she was all finished he had a cute spikey look and got a toy lizard.  It was definitely an interesting experience but totally worth not trying to do it myself at home.  Enjoy the pics!

Baby Leah Katherine Pierrel

So, after Meagan left last Sunday we were expecting Grammy to come stay for the week to wait around for the newest Pierrel member to arrive. Monday afternoon around lunch time Grammy told me that Thomas (Nick's brother) and Jess were heading to the hospital, how EXCITING!!! She decided to go ahead and go down town to stay at Aunt Marsha's house for the night and wait and wait and wait. On Tuesday morning at 7:30 Leah Katherine Pierrel was born coming in at 7lbs 8oz. Nick was so lucky that day during work to get to see and hold her but he did join me that evening while Grammy watched Marshall. Both parents were beaming and so proud of their sweet girl.

I was dying to go see her this weekend but I had a sore throat and didn't want to risk getting anyone sick. I went to the doctor and didn't have anything but they gave me some antibiotics anyways just in case. Nick went and saw her on Saturday and we almost went on Sunday but I still didn't want to chance it.

So, we went today, finally, so Marshall could meet his newest younger cousin. Grams and Gramps were there when we got there so we got to visit with them as well. Marshall didn't really seem to know what was going on and just wanted to climb the stairs. We are working on trying to teach Marshall to be "soft" with the dogs at my house but we haven't quite got there yet. He pointed at Leah and wanted to touch her but he was swatting so we decided to just let him look. Marshall took at nap so I was able to hold the sweet little angel for 30 minutes and watch her sleep. We had to leave at some point and as we did Marshall gave Leah a kiss on her head, so sweet!

I want to congratulate Thomas and Jess and Howard (their dog) on their new addition and wish them all the happiness and sleep in the world. Leah is a very lucky girl to have such wonderful parents and an awesome Aunt and Uncle!!

Meagan and Tatum's visit

We were so happy to have Meagan and Tatum down last weekend for her 30th birthday. It was a crazy weekend but we had lots of fun. Marshall and I went down to my sister's house in Friendswood for the day on Thursday because we had to pick Meagan up at Hobby at 6:30 and I just did not want to deal with I-45 at 5:30. My sister, Misty, has a pool in her backyard and it was a beautiful day so Marshall and I went swimming and enjoyed the change of scenery from our blow up pool in our back yard. Meagan's flight was a little late but we got her and Tatum safe and sound to our house around 8:30. My dogs were so excited to see another little person and tatum kept saying "Uh oh, puppy." It was very sweet and so cool to hear Tatum talk. I hadn't seen her since her birthday in December and she has definitely changed a lot. We put both kids in the bath and didn't put them to bed until around 9:30 or so.

The next morning we got up, ate breakfast, got ready and headed off to the zoo. I expected a crowd because it was a friday but we had to park at the museum because it was soooo crowded. It was a VERY hot day but I think the kids had fun and were definitely worn out; they both took long naps once we got home. That evening we went to Allison and Curt's house to play and swim with Brooklyn and Colson. All the kids had fun in the pool except my little guy who loved playing in the dirt, of course!! We had a very yummy dinner and then let the kids get a little out of control on the mats(pics below). It was a late night again but thankfully both kids slept late the next morning.

The next day was Meagan's 30th birthday!!! We just hung at my house for the day and enjoyed seeing our kids play together, although there were a few times they didn't quite agree on things. That night Allison came over and we all went out without the kids for Mexican food and Margaritas. Nick was so wonderful to agree to watch both the kids while we were out, but we didn't leave until Tatum was already asleep. It was nice to hangout with my two college roomies and make new memories aside from the crazy ones back in the day.

We joined Allison for church on Sunday for Mother's day and then sadly we had to take Meagan and Tatum back to the airport. It was a hard good bye because they are moving to Virginia in June and I don't think I will get to see them for a while. Marshall, on the other hand, I think was glad to have his house back to himself. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I am really hoping to plan a trip to see them in the fall if I am brave enough to attempt taking Marshall on a plane.


Tatum, Brooklyn, and Colson
check out Brooklyn's legs in the air!

Tatum and Marshall fighting over the chair

Camoflauge Birthday Party

We couldn't decide what to do for Marshall's first birthday since the majority of people that would be coming were adults, so we decided to do a camo themed party so everyone could participate and it turned out awesome!!! The majority of people showed up wearing camo or at least camo colors. For some reason Nick and I decided to tackle serving lunch for 40 something people and thankfully everyone was patient and the food turned out great. We took the easy route with hotdogs, hamburgers, queso, and a variety of chips. I was so stressed out because the weather man said it was supposed to rain all weekend and I just couldn't imagine 40 people in my house. Luckily, it did not rain at all and turned out to be a typical muggy Houston day and people spead out inside and out.

Marshall was all smiles the whole day and had Grammy following him everywhere. He is such a social guy and wanted to see everyone or maybe he wanted everyone to see him! My mom made an aweome camo cake with a giant orange one. She is so talented and I knew if I told her to make a camo cake she would pull it off. We put the whole cake in front of Marshall to sing Happy Birthday and of course he went straight for it not really knowing what it was. After we sang we gave him his own cupcake with lots of green icing and he made a mess of himself and loved it!

I attempted to open presents with Marshall but that did not last long once he got a few things he was interested in. We got lots of awesome gifts and we are so thankful to everyone who came and shared the day with us! Marshall was so tired and exausted but still wired that he only took a 30 min. nap that afternoon. After his nap he was right back up full of energy so we gave him his sand box from Nana and Pa and had a nice evening playing outside. We took so many pictures that there is no way I can post them all, so here are a few, enjoy!

Overall, it was an amazing day but now I understand why we only celebrate the birth of a child once a year, I was exausted!!!