Look who’s walking!

May was a big month for our sweet Ben. He was officially weaned at the beginning of the month (May 6th), and now he is all sippy cup – all the time. TOO BIG!

He also took his 1st steps – one, two – right in the middle of the ktichen on May 29th. I was on the phone with Mom and I think I busted her ear drum when I screamed out! I hope my little outburst didn’t terrify Ben – he’ll never try walking again. I know I’m a little bit (ok – a lot) crazy… I was just so excited for him.

Way to go, Benji-bear! Now please stop growing! :)

Love that cheesy smile!

Let's go outside, please!

Helping Dad with some chores - that's my boy!

Looking a little concerned that Brian allowed me to have some
live plants. His feelings are justified. I'm glad I have the picture,
because they'll likely be dead by June.

My 1st ever Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to me! It’s weird to be on the receiving end of this holiday for the first time in my life. It makes the day even more fun because I still get to recognize my amazing Mom, Stepmom, Mother-in-law, and all the grandmas, but now my sweet boys are going out of their way to make me feel special, too… although they do a pretty great job of that all year long anyway!

Brian planned a wonderful surprise for me on Sunday. He came home from work that morning and went right to sleep like he always does. He usually sleeps until about 3 or 4, but he got up at noon and came into the kitchen and told me that he had taken Sunday night off. He could have stopped there – I was so excited that I would have extra time with him that afternoon, evening, and the following morning. The surprise got better, though, as he told me that Ben was going to spend the night with the Collins and we were going to a Bed & Breakfast in Gruene. This was our first night away alone since Ben was born. We had a beautiful room right on the river, courtesy of our dear friends that own the Gruene Mansion Inn. We did some shopping, enjoyed the quiet and the scenery, and had a nice dinner at the yummy Gristmill. We TRIED to sleep in Monday morning, but we failed miserably. I guess when you’ve gotten up by 7 am EVERY MORNING for the past 11 months, it’s kind of hard to trick your body into doing otherwise. Regardless, it was a wonderful way to spend my 1st Mother’s Day. Thank you, Babe, for planning the surprise and for helping me to be the Mom that I am. I love you (and Ben, too!)

Me & my sweet boy on my inaugural Mother's Day

The awesome Gruene Mansion Inn

Hanging out on the porch outside of our room

The view from our room - GORGEOUS!

Brad the Bachelor

Brad and Jess are engaged and the big day is fast approaching. Brian is going to be his brother’s best man, and I think he was most excited about planning the bachelor party. Much like Bri’s send off to married life a few years ago, Brad requested a party that was rated “G” (or at the worst, PG-13). It’s honestly one of the things I love most about the Barrick men – they were willing to honor their brides even on the night of their Bachelor Parties.

Here’s the guest of honor… his t-shirt cracks me up. “Game Over!”

The first thing they did was go to this arcade like place that featured this crazy activity that was a mixture of bumper cars and lacrosse. I don’t understand it – but apparently they had a blast playing.

There were also guns to shoot… very important and also manly.

Then there was Dance, Dance Revolution. They apparently needed a break from all the manliness. Oh, how I wish there was video of this part!

The guys ended the night with one of Brad’s favorites… Mexican food. It looks like they all had a great time!

I know Bri enjoyed spending time with his brother and the other guys. He won't say it out loud, but I'm sure he also enjoyed the brief break from his daddy & husband duties. I'm glad you had a great time, babe, but I'm sorry to tell you that your own bachelor days are long gone. :)