Happy Birthday, Nais!

Today is this sweet lil' guy's FIRST BIRTHDAY...

Photo Credit: Jolies Images

I love this little midget more than words can express! He has this aunt wrapped around his little-bitty finger, and I can't wait to celebrate at his birthday party this weekend...so expect {lots} more pictures next week!

To mark this very special day, 12 pics to represent the last 12 months...

November 2013: meeting Nais for the first time

December 2013: Nais with Great-Grandma Lois

January 2014

February 2014: Nais' Dedication

March 2014: Napping with Daddy

April 2014: Easter Weekend

May 2014: Nais & Lily

June 2014: Nais visits Dallas

July 2014: Cowboy Nais ready for the rodeo

August 2014: Nais with Uncle Ryan

September 2014: Nais with his daddy and great-granddad

October 2014: the cutest lion on the planet

November 2014: 364 days old!

Happy 1st Birthday, Nais!

Aunt LeeLee loves you so much!

Congratulations, Kelli!

She did it! Kelli completed her first marathon...and she did it in 3 hours, 47 minutes, and 3 seconds. Here are a few pics Landon sent to her fan club throughout the race...

6:57 am...before the craziness began!

8:26 am...Nais is just waiting for his momma at mile 10.

8:54 am...big smile at mile 10.

9:10 am...halfway to the finish line!

9:22 am...just takin' a little snooze while he waits for his momma at mile 18.

10:07 am...between miles 18 and 19.

Landon and Nais ran with her for about 0.25 miles between miles 18 and 19...love that part!

11:15 am...FINISH LINE!

This pic just baffles me. It is at the end...AFTER she ran 26.2 miles. She looks better than I do most days!  

Congratulations, Kelli!

What an accomplishment...so proud of you!

For the Love of Friday

Happy Friday, Friends! 

One: NCAA Basketball Preseason Rankings

My beloved Kansas Jayhawks are ranked No. 5 in the USA Today preseason men's basketball coach's poll. The Jayhawks have three home games before traveling to Indianapolis to face the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in the Champions Classic on November 18. Rock Chalk! 

via

Two: Rock 'n' Roll Denver Marathon

I'm sending well wishes and positive vibes to Kelli, my sister-in-law, as she runs her first full marathon tomorrow in Denver. She's worked so hard and been so dedicated in her training. I have no doubt that she is well-prepared to conquer 26.2 miles...but I know she's a little nervous {if nothing else, just from the thought of losing all of her toenails!}. I'm so proud of her...and very excited for her to accomplish this HUGE goal!

Good Luck, Kelli!

This precious little guy {and his daddy} will be cheering for his momma along the way...

Nais, 10 months
Photo by Jolies Images

Three: Napa Valley Recommendations???

I mentioned earlier this week that we're going to Napa in a few weeks to celebrate our first anniversary. SO.EXCITED...but a little overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite number of wineries and restaurants to choose from. Do you have a favorite? Any and all recommendations are welcome! Please and thank you! 

Four: Kansas City Royals

I can't say I'm much of a baseball fan...but I'll hop on the wagon to cheer for the Kansas City Royals. It's pretty exciting that they're headed to the World Series for the first time since 1985! I even found this little gem in my closet...

#BeRoyal

Five: Blog Love

• Healing Heels

, by Aimee @ Aimlessly Elegant. Aimee shares the story  of two friends who are raising funds to create a line of "kick-ass shoes for women battling cancer."

Say something. Please for the sake of all that is holy, say something, by Amber @ Mr. Thomas and Me. Amber is an incredible writer...I'm a big of all of her posts. This particular post totally changed my perspective on the song "Say Something" {A Great Big World/Christina Aguilera}.

Have a great weekend!

Today I'm participating in lots of Fabulous Friday link-ups: 

"Oh, Hey Friday!" {hosted by The Farmer's Wife and September FARM} 
"5 on Friday" {hosted by A.Liz Adventures, North Carolina Charm, The Good Life, and Hello! Happiness}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by All the Joys}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by Meet at the Barre}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by Momfessionals} 

Thanks so much to all of these ladies for hosting fun Friday link-ups!

CELEBRATE September

September has always been one of my favorite months {birthday month, duh!}. It just seems like there is so much to celebrate: Labor Day, LOTS of birthdays {a few I've already mentioned here, here, here and here}, the first signs of cooler weather...and lots of other things I can't think of right now.

And here are a few more fun things to add to the list of September celebrations...

Baby Scarlett's Birth 

Precious Baby Scarlett arrived 12 days early.  She is A-DORable...and perfectly healthy with chubby little cheeks and a full head of hair! She and her sweet mom are doing well. 

Scarlett Josephine

Born to Christine and Jon

7 lbs., 9 oz. and 20.25" long

First Family Photo

My mom said my eyes were "glowing" in this pic...
I wonder if she's subtly hinting at something.

Congratulations Christine & Jon...I adore your little family!

Neices' Birthdays

Miss Mackenzie turned 11 on  September 19...

And this lil' diva {Miss Maddyx} turned nine on September 28.

Happy Birthday, Girls...we love you so much!

Genius Baby

My 9.5-month-old nephew can already write his name. Impressive, huh? This may have been my favorite birthday card this year...or ever.

Texas State Fair

I haven't been to the fair yet this year, so perhaps this should be an October celebration...but since the State Fair begins in September, I'm going to throw it in with this month. Plus, I got to wear jeans to work last Friday to celebrate the first day of the fair, which is worthy of celebration itself! And I can't wait to stuff my face with a funnel cake!

What do you celebrate in September?

Life Lately...

It's been a minute or two since I've given this little bloggety blog some quality time and attention. What can I say, but sometimes living life gets in the way of documenting life.  Here's a little update on what we have been/are up to...

One: Megan's 30th Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, August 9th, we went out to celebrate my fabulous friend Megan's 30th birthday! Good times...

Two: Long Weekend in Nashville

I was terrible about taking photos while we were in Nashville last weekend. Based on the photos we do have, it appears all we did was eat and drink while we were there. Oh wait...that pretty much is what we did!

Nashville is my new favorite city! So.Much.FUN! There's so much to do...and everywhere you turn there is GOOD music! Our favorite bar on Broadway was Tootsie's...we may have visited it more than once. We had some A-MAZing food, but if I had to narrow down our favorites, I'd go with The Southern and Urban Grub. We had such a great time in Nashville and will definitely be going back...soon! Perhaps I'll remember to take more pics then! :)

Three: My Sweet Nephew

Of course I've got to include sweet Baby Nais in a "Life Lately..." update. Although I don't get to see the lil' guy nearly as much as I'd like, his mommy and daddy are very good about sending pics and FaceTiming with Aunt LeeLee.  He's growing so fast...and definitely on the move {crawling so much that he needs knee pads to protect those chubby little knees from the hardwood floors}.

Handsome Baby Nais, 8 months old

There are numerous pics where Nais looks a lot like his daddy, but the pic above took me back about 28ish years to when my baby brother was about this size. I decided to go through some old photos, and this is what I came up with...

Landon {circa 1986} on the left; Nais on the right

Tell me they're not related...Like Father, Like Son

Love this perfect lil' family soooo much...

Photo by Jolies Images

Four: Miss Preslee Jo's 3rd Birthday

Today is Miss Preslee Jo's 3rd birthday! She just might the girliest girl I know...and I adore it! I mean, seriously, look at her having a tea party with her babies! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Photos by Erin Mitchell Photography

Five: Christine's Baby Shower

This weekend we'll celebrate the upcoming arrival of Christine's baby girl at her baby shower. How cute is this momma-to-be?

Have a fabulous weekend!

Today I'm linking up with "Oh, Hey Friday!" {hosted by The Farmer's Wife and September FARM} and "High Five for Friday" {hosted by Lauren Elizabeth}. Thanks, ladies, for hosting!