Friday's Favorite

For this week's Friday's Favorite, I'm posting a picture of our trio taken last year at a Cardinals baseball game. The B-Man doesn't have the happiest expression, but it'll do.

Wishing you and yours a happy (and safe) Memorial Day weekend. I know here at the Butler household we are certainly looking forward to a three-day weekend!

Weekend in Review

What a great weekend! We kicked it off with the Sucker Day Parade Friday evening with our friend Keebee (Keri). I still smile when I think about how much fun Braden had.

Saturday we hit some garage sales (one of our favorite weekend pastimes) and decided to give the actual Sucker Day festivity a go. Braden had fun, but I have to say I did not enjoy being bombarded by all the politicians. I understand wanting to get your message out, but good grief!

Sunday was a heat wave! It was finally warm enough to break out the sprinkler and let the B-Man give it a try. This was his first time with a sprinkler and he loved it....not that we had any doubts. What kid doesn't love running through the sprinkler on a hot day?

Hope all our Canadian friends and family had a happy May 24 weekend!

Sucker Day.

This weekend is the 53rd annual Sucker Day here in Nixa. It's an entire celebration devoted to suckers....as in, sucker fish. There's a long history you can read about here if you're so inclined.

The festivities always kick off with a parade on Friday evening. We have been filling Brady's head with the promises of marching bands, fire trucks, and candy all week and, thankfully, the parade did not disappoint.

I don't ever remember having more fun at a parade. Brady discovered the harder he waved, the more charming he was, and the more candy he got tossed at him. I'm surprised he is able to lift his arms today...the kid was working it. The funny thing is he never gets candy, he just liked collecting it. He was giving high-fives, accepting stickers, shaking hands...the whole bit.

Just to give you some perspective of what a difference a year can make, here he is at last year's parade:

And here's my sweet little guy this year (I can't believe it):

If that's not enough sweetness for you, here's a video of him dancing to the marching band...I honestly think it was his favorite part of the whole parade.

Friday's Favorite

Mike and I had the rare opportunity to have a date night last night. Braden's Uncle A-Lay (Lance) watched over him as he slept, allowing us a night out on the town (downtown, to be exact). Our dear friend Keebee (Keri) gave us a gift certificate to Fedora's. It is by far the coolest place we've ever eaten. Everything about the evening was perfect. The food was delicious and the ambiance was just right. There was dim lighting, accented by the warm glow of candles, while a delightful arrangement of music played overhead.

It was truly a (much needed) grown-up evening that left us both with a feeling of euphoria. We were even able to change up our CD rotation from Raffi to romantic love songs.

Be warned: this next section is...mushy. I am so thankful to have Mike as a partner in life. Not only is he my best friend (sappy, but true) and a wonderful husband, but he's an amazing father...which makes me love him even more. When I watch him and Brady together, my heart swoons and I say a silent prayer of thanks.

Which, brings me to today's picture for the Friday Favorite. This was taken last year, but it's still one that makes me smile.

Two of my favorite people...goofy as can be. Wouldn't change a thing.

Weekend in Review

Yes, I realize it's Wednesday and I'm just getting around to posting this. I contemplated skipping "Weekend in Review" because of the delay, but the weekend was too good not to recap and remember. Besides, better late than never, right?

We had family come down from St. Louis this weekend. Namely, Grandpa Mac (we're working on a better name) and Nami (who's real name is Tami, but Braden has renamed). We were afraid it was going to rain all weekend, but we managed to sneak in some fun times in between the stormy weather.

Our friend Keebee (Keri) told us about the St. Jude Dream House open house on Saturday and joined us for a viewing. We didn't buy the tickets to try to win the house, but we did fill out entries to win some free furniture. Here's hoping!!!

After dreaming our way through the dream house, we all went to the Japanese Stroll Gardens. If you live in the area and haven't gone, I really suggest you do. It is beautiful and relaxing, and perfect for pictures...providing you don't forget to charge your batteries....which I did (and that was after we made a special trip to go back by the house since I forgot it in the first place). Oy.

I did manage to get a couple before the batteries gave up the ghost.

This was the last shot I was able to take. I'm generally not good at capturing scenery, but I love this picture. I edited it a little (ok, a lot) more than I did my other pictures, but there's just something about this picture that makes me happy.

The visit went by too quicly, as it always does, but we enjoyed it, as we always do.

Friday's Favorite

I think you're going to like today's Friday's Favorite. I know I do.

The pictures were taken last July. I'm thankful I kept the unedited versions because back then I would have tried to diminish the traces of drool on his shirt. Now, I love the drool. It serves as a reminder of life back then...a time when drool was a part of life. A time where he had no teeth, had just started walking on his own, and was much more dependent on us than he is now.

He has changed a lot, but there are parts of him that have remained unchanged. I love that. And, I love my little guy. 

MayMay and Papa

These pictures make me smile.

Though from a technical standpoint they are far from perfect,

They manage to capture the feeling of the moment.

From tickles and belly laughs, to snuggles and reading the Bible.

Moments captured. Memories made.

Anticipation

From the moment Brady woke up Thursday morning, he knew MayMay and Papa were going to be here...and he was excited. Any time he heard a noise outside he would run to the door, certain they were here.

When it came time for them to arrive, we decided to wait outside.

Braden watched. Vigilantly.

Every car that passed was looked at with anticipation and the declaration of "MayMay, Papa". Unfortunately for the B-Man, our neighbors were having a garage sale so our usually quiet street was not all that quiet.

Still, Braden continued his watch. Hands in pocket. Gaze set.

He was only (briefly) distracted by a snack.

Hey, a boy's gotta eat.

After the snack was polished off, he was back to the task at hand.

Finally, after all that waiting, the moment arrived....MayMay and Papa were here. And this was Braden's reaction:

Go figure.

M.I.A.

Are there any of my blog followers left after I've abandoned you for so long?

I've been intending to update for a few days, but time just got away. I've been on a cleaning kick and have been anxiously trying out new all-natural cleaning solutions. When I get a few favorites, I will post the recipes for you. I am still waiting on some supplies to arrive from Amazon so I'm in limbo right now.

Braden's favorite Uncle Dance came over last night for some pizza and time with the B-Man. It was a great visit, as always, but I think we may have to rename Uncle Dance yet again. The pronunciation has changed from "Dance" to something that resembles "A-Lay". Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

I finally broke the camera out from hiding to grab some shots of Uncle-Nephew fabulousness and got this shot:

And these two:

Brady also wanted to show off his peppers and Uncle Lance lovingly abliged.

To top off the evening, there was a visit from the ice cream truck.

Brady was happy to indulge.

He was a sticky mess, and the treat came a little too close to bed time, but sometimes the extra work is worth a great memory.

On a side note, I've been trying out some different photo editing techniques. I haven't quite found my groove yet, but I'm getting there...I think?

B-Man's beloved MayMay and Papa are coming for a visit tomorrow. He's been talking about it all week. He "helped" me make the bed for them and ever since we've been having this conversation:

Brady: MayMay, Papa

Me: Yes, MayMay and Papa are coming on Thursday

Brady: Sleep

Me: Yes, they're going to sleep here

It's a good thing they are sleeping here, otherwise we would have one very disappointed B-Man on our hands. He's been so excited about their upcoming visit he falls alseep saying "MayMay, Papa" and wakes up saying the same thing (no exaggeration). Despite the broken record, I'm thrilled he gets so excited about their visits. Anyone who has the privilege of knowing them knows what a treasure they are and I love that Braden seems to realize that too.

Here's to a great visit and, of course...sleep.