the pass.

last saturday night, we were able to get out and celebrate jeffrey's bday with a DATE!  it is amazing how luxurious it feels to be out and about with just each other past 8pm.  we had the most outstanding experience at the pass.  it is a newish restaurant in houston that offers tasting menus with amazing flavor combinations and a playful execution.  i wish we had remembered to snap pics of all the dishes {jeff had 8 and i had 5} - but we only really managed to capture these two dishes. 

 crackling pig {pork rind} with caviar on a bed of freeze dried ingredients and a layer of creme fresh underneath.  it is intended to be eaten like chips and dip.  amazing.

   beet chocolate molten deliciousness with a citrus ice cream, fried phyllo dough and other goodness i can't remember.

it was an amazing night that lasted 3 hours {LOVE those long dinners!} - and if you are in the houston area - I highly recommend this place!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

st. arnold's brewery.

as i mentioned in my last post, we headed to st. arnold's brewery to celebrate jeffrey's bday.  it has been on our list of things to do while in houston - so i'm glad we finally found some time for it.  it is a cool warehouse on the edge of downtown that offers tours of their brewery.  jeffrey was happy with an afternoon that centered around beer. 

xoxoxoxoxoxox

jeffrey's bday.

{logs is not so sure of that candle}

yesterday we celebrated jeffrey turning a year older.  i met him at work for a lunch date {wow it has been a while since we have been on the lunch date!}  logan was at mother's day out - so it was just me and jeffrey for lunch - glorious i tell you.  that evening, i made homemade tacos {per the birthday boy's request} and sang happy bday with his marble slab cake.  jeffrey is not a fan of cake {weirdo!} - so i got his favorite - cheesecake ice cream with kitkat mixed in - stuck a candle in it and that was his bday cake. 

the celebrations continue this weekend with a trip to st. arnold's brewery, date night at pass and provisions, and lots of family time on sunday!

hope everyone has a lovely weekend!!

xoxoxoxoxox 

life {according to instagram}.

 bedtime shenanigans

 the new restaurant opening at the end of our street

yay for hotdogs!

{carol - you want me to mail you one!? xo}

 playdate with luca and henry

 father and daughter

playdate with ben

xoxoxoxoxo

logan at 19.5 months.

my dearest girl,

you are a spitfire these days.  full of giggles, smiles, and squeals.  you are also testing your limits {or mama's}, starting those lovely tantrums and totally having meltdowns when i try to change your diaper or simply put your clothes on.  i even gave you your first time out yesterday.

you seem to be very empathetic, which i absolutely love about you.  you get very concerned when other kiddos are crying or upset.  you absolutely LOVE to give hugs and now kisses although we are still working on not strangling the recipients.  you are very into babies, pointing out every one we see and always wanting to run up and say hello.  when the time comes, i have not doubt you will be a wonderfully loving, caring and helpful big sister.

you continue to love water play and would spend all day outside if it wasn't for the heat or mosquitoes.  you are a true lover of books and are constantly asking "more" while you bring me yet another book to read to you.  i hope your love of books continues and you can develop a lifelong love for reading.

we love you beyond belief sweet girl and simply cannot get enough of you.  you are our joy.

all my love,

mama  


   

schmoe's send off and casey's first bday.

last night, the welsh family gathered at our casa for a send off for the schmoe family and also to celebrate casey's first bday.  we are soo soo sad that the schmoes are leaving houston, but the good news they are staying in texas!  they are headed to wimberly, texas and have plans to build in the texas hill country.  so while we won't see them as often as we would like - we will still get to see them multiple times a year.  we also got to celebrate the adorable casey ruth's 1st year!

 gram with casey and logan

 uncle texas, mom, and cousin christene with casey

 cousin mereditha with boyfriend, clark

 welsh sibs:

uncle texas, mom and uncle sam

 sharon and uncle texas

 cousin michael and chef jeff

 bday gal - miss casey ruth!

  the cute schmoes!!

we will miss yall!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

our out west trip {santa fe, new mexico}.

our last leg of the trip was in santa fe, new mexico where my parents have a house.  there is just something so relaxing and beautiful about santa fe.  my brother and his cute new girlfriend, lauren joined us there for some fun!  we celebrated my dad's bday on the 4th of july with walking down to the plaza and a home cooked meal.  we visited museum hill and probably the highlight of the trip was we got to see and tour georgia o'keeffe's home in abiquiu.  her home was stunning!  the views from her adobe, seeing her furniture and the way she lived - i just LOVED it.  sadly, we were not allowed to take any pictures while touring it - but i would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat! 

 old car show in the plaza

 the bday boy

 art project at the folk art museum

do we have a lefty on our hands!?

the whole gang!

xoxoxoxoxox

our out west trip {moab, utah and durango, colorado}.

we LOVE LOVE LOVED moab, utah.  some of the most stunning landscape jeff and i have ever seen.  i didn't know much about moab, nor did i expect much - but boy the red rocks were just incredible.  with the rivers below!  we are already talking about going back and doing fun family rafting trips, hikes and bike rides.  we stayed at this cute lodge that had a back porch with an amazing view.  we sat out there for hours after putting logan to bed and took in the wonderful setting.  we were so impressed with the views - you might be on picture overload with all the shots we took......

 outside our room

 dinner view

 first stop at arches national park

and then, we headed to durango, co - which is a cute little town with a main street and lots of mom and pop type shops.  anyone notice the massive amount of chocolate frozen yogurt on logan's shirt - hey it was vacation.

xoxoxoxoxo