Love, Love Me Do!

I love my husband. Like, a whole lot. Yesterday was his birthday. He turned 29. His parents treated us to a Grizzlies game, and a dinner on Beale Street before the game. His dad was able to get suite tickets. It was so fun, and Brian enjoyed it so much. Preston was also very generous to his daddy. He wanted to get him something they could enjoy together, so he got the whole family a Memphis Zoo membership! A dinosaur exhibit is coming this Spring and Summer, and since P is obsessed with dinos, he really wanted to make sure we went as much as possible. Daddy (Brian) was really excited. Here's to your last birthday in the 20's, dear!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought I would take a little trip down memory lane. My friends are doing this cute little questionnaire, so I thought I would participate too. Might be kind of corny, but whatever! I didn't do all the questions, because some where a little TOO ridiculous, so I picked a few.


1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
A little over 8 years total, which feels like a long time, but really it has flown by.


2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
We met in high school. I was a junior and he was a senior. We kind of liked each other, but he was headed off to UGA and I had another year of school. We went to a dance together, and enjoyed a nice friendship, but that was about it. After he left for school, I didn't see him or hear from him until I was a freshman in college. I randomly ran into him in Florida, then in Knoxville, and then in Memphis within the span of about a year. Brian's best friend Robert became my good friend in college. I mentioned to him that I always thought Brian was cute, and Robert kind of helped set us up while we were both home from college for Christmas break in 2003. We went on our first date, and literally, on our first date, we knew this was it. In fact, I remember telling each other on our first date, that this was the best date we had ever been on. We dated long distance with me in Knoxville and Brian in Athens for two years, then another year of me in Knoxville and Brian in Memphis. Then, I moved back home to Memphis after I graduated, we got engaged and the rest is history!

Bama/Georgia game 2008

Bahama cruise 2006

Georgia/Tennessee Game Day 2005

Formal 2005

Graduation weekend at Sassy Ann's in Knoxville 2006

On the beach at night in Charleston, SC 2007

3. If married, how long have you been married?
Three and a half years. June 28 will be our fourth anniversary.


4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? 
We got married at St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Memphis. We had a full Mass, much to the dismay of lots of our friends ;) There were around 250 people there. The reception was at Central Station. There are so many things I could say about our wedding, but the #1 thing is thank goodness for my mom, who is extremely detail-oriented and has fabulous taste! It was the perfect day.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another?
I'm not really a nickname person, so I don't really have for Brian other than "B" which I call him a lot. Brian has about 1,000 nicknames for me. Some of them are Carmelki, Carmello, and Cams. 


6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
1. His loyalty
2. Sense of humor
3. His ability to not sweat the small stuff


7. Tell us how he proposed?
It was a random Friday after work (August 3, 2007), and I walked in the front door of his house. There were flowers and I saw our dog, Brother, run up to me. He was wearing a shirt that said "Will you marry me?" Of course I laughed and yelled "No way!" which is not the best thing to yell before a proposal. Anyway, Brian came around the corner, got down on one knee, said a lot of really sweet things, and crying ensued. We went to my parents house immediately after, and they took a video of us and pictures. Then we went to dinner at Spindini. 

8. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day.
Grow old together. That's probably really weird to say, but when we talk about "our dreams", it is truly to grow old together. We talk about how we want to have our house paid off, be able to take some serious trips, and if we're lucky, actually be able to retire at a decent age when we still have our health. I can't imagine ever REALLY retiring, because working makes me feel good, but maybe Brian can talk me into one day. :)


9. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Marriage is never 50/50. Sometimes it's 60/40, 90/10, or 20/80. Sometimes Brian is the better spouse, and sometimes I am the better spouse. Being there for each other through the tough times, carrying the load for the other when it gets hard, is one of the best things a spouse can do. It is selflessness and sacrifice that makes marriage work, in my opinion.


10. Show us a picture of what love means to you. (There is no way I could only pick one!)

When we first saw each other on our wedding day

P was 1 week old. It had finally registered that we created this perfect little person, and we just couldn't get enough of our little family. Such a sweet time. Brian holding my hand in one and his son in the other. This picture means so much to me, and will always be one of my favorites. Even though, I still have a swollen, pregnancy face :)

I love you, Brian! Happy birthday, valentine!

Backyard Fun

I'm pretty sure everyone had a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe when they were growing up. I know I remember the one my brothers and I played with. Well, thanks to his grandparents, Preston has one now too.

Brian pushed him around the block and P loved every minute. Of course, he likes to go as fast as possible.

In other news, he's been signing a ton! They teach him sign language at school, and he signs please, more, eat, and milk. It's pretty cool. He has also started shaking his head "no" when we ask questions. He babbles nonstop. I think he is going to be a talker, because he communicates all the time now.

Last week, we had his one-year check up at the doctor. P is super healthy and is doing great. He keeps having ear infections, and they can't really seem to clear up, so we are thinking about tubes soon in the hopes that the ear infections will stop. We haven't decided for sure though. In fact, when Dr. Bubba looked in his ears, he said both were infected. When I asked how infected, on a scale of 1 to 10, he said 10 in both ears, and they were red and bulging. Preston didn't even have any symptoms! He is a tough kid.

Height: 29.5 in (50%)
Weight: 23 lb, 11 oz (50%)
Head: Don't remember, but it was 75%

He got his shots. It was probably the worst experience we have had with shots thus far, because I was alone with him and had to hold him down with my entire body. I know my Child Life friends would not have approved, but he got over it pretty quickly. It was the first time that he was fully aware he was getting shots and was not happy about it. Also, this is kind of strange, but at the last three visits to the doctor, when Preston sees Dr. Bubba's nurse (the one that gives the shots) he cries and clings to me. His nurse, Cheryl, says that happens a lot, because kids associate her with shots. If he hears her voice down the hall, before we've even seen anyone, he gets this freaked out look on his face. It's not even like we go to the doctor a lot. Sometimes I am amazed at how perceptive my 12-month-old is. Cheryl assures me that by the time they are two, they love her. I hope so. Nothing gets by Preston.

Well, at least we have a happy, healthy and perceptive one-year-old. :)

Preston's 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had friends and family over to celebrate P's first birthday. We had about 30 people over, mostly family. Several members of the Fields family ended up missing the party at the last minute, because Brian's cousin's wife went into labor with their 3rd child at the hospital around the corner from our house. He was born about halfway through the party. Preston can't wait to meet his new "partner in crime" Quinn Fields. :)

I started prepping for P's party a little over a month ago. Of course, mentally, I had been planning it for much longer than that :). Brian and I talked about themes and knew we wanted to do a "little man" theme. At school, they call him "the man" and we have always called him Mr. P, so it was the perfect fit. I found some ideas on Pinterest and started planning.

I knew I didn't want to be too "over-the-top" because I feel like that's a little ridiculous for a first birthday party. However, I wanted it to be special and I wanted some handmade things. I think we had a nice compromise for the little man.

First up, invites! Ordered from Etsy through Dimple Prints. I found some cute navy and light blue envelopes at Archiver's to mail them.

I knew I wanted to make Preston a 12 month banner to show off his pictures from each month. It was amazing to look at them all laid out like that and see just how much he has changed.

Also at Archiver's, I found striped and houndstooth paper, because I figured that was the most "man-like." Making the banner ended up being much easier than I expected. Can't believe they go for so much on Etsy! Doing the numbers was kind of a pain, but I got through it.

Sweet cards on the mantle.

I hadn't really thought about doing treat bags, but Brian really wanted to. Plus, we had been to a few other parties and gotten some cute ones, so we thought it would be fun. Well, we ended up having the most fun with the stuff in it! Mustaches, mustache suckers, harmonicas, kazoos ($1 aisle at Target), and whoopie cushions. 

The bags were from an ADORABLE Etsy shop Cupcake Social. I ordered the bags, a tie cooker cuter, and houndstooth cupcake liners from them, and will definitely order again. Such cute party stuff. I found the little mustaches at Archivers. They are actually rub-ons, so each bag has a different mustache and they were really easy to put on. Kind of like a temporary tattoo.

Speaking of tie cookie cutters, here are the cute tie cookies. My mom helped me with all the baked goods for the party. She makes the most amazing cookies and cupcakes so I "hired" her.

Aren't those cupcakes gorgeous? They taste even better. They are my absolute favorite. She also helped me by making Preston's smash cake. It was tiny, and perfect, and had real buttercream frosting. We found the cute argyle candle at a local party place.

In addition to baked goods, we had P's favorite fruits (Dapper Dude's Favorite Fruits), "Bowtie" pasta salad, Ham Manwiches (those awesome poppyseed and ham butter rolls), and an assortment of drinks, which we labeled "A Toast to Mr. P!" We ordered the napkins for P's baptism, and ordered a big amount, because we figured we would use them for various stuff for P. They were perfect for the party.

Family pic before the cake throw down!

I thought I might get a little teary when I heard everyone singing him Happy Birthday, but I kept my composure. 

In case you missed the post before this, please go and watch the video. Preston devoured his cake like ONLY he can. I have mentioned many times that he is an intense kid, and he really took his intensity out on this cake. It was everything we hoped it would be. I was scared he might not perform under pressure, but he outdid himself by face-planting into his cake and proceeding to shovel it into his mouth, only coming up for air every now and then. He ate the entire thing!

He had an ADD moment and realized balloons were on his high chair.

He chugged his milk after the cake. He was so proud of himself.

Santa brought Preston some mustaches in his stocking. We pulled those out and some of our guests actually played along with us! Love this one of P's neighbor friend Alex. :)

Brian seriously looked like Tom Selleck when he put the mustache on. The dimples and bushy stache resembled him a little too much.

I love this picture of Preston and me. We don't have a lot of pictures together since I am always behind the camera. The look on his face is SO like him. 

Preston's great-grandfather, dad, and grandfathers.

Preston's sweet little cousin Eva! She is just adorable. She fractured her wrist last weekend and had the cutest little purple cast. 

Best friend Robyn and me...

Oh, and his shirt is from another great Etsy seller, Pocketbaby. The shirt is really high quality, and the embroidery was great. 

Brian and I love the next picture because it was how Preston looked all day. So happy, with this wild-eye look on his face. He was running from room to room checking everyone out. 

What makes a first birthday so special is that (newsflash!) BABIES ARE HARD. And we did it. We made it through 365 days of the sleepless nights, the breastfeeding, the bottles, the middle-of-the-night diaper blowouts, reflux, colic, the ear infections, the teething, fevers, the first smile, the first laugh, the first teeth, the first steps, first words, and the first black eye. We did it. And we're better for it, and I would not trade a SINGLE second of the last year. Perspective is a beautiful thing!!!! :)

After our little man destroyed his cake, Brian and I looked at each other, hugged and kissed, and could not have been prouder because we did it together. We are truly a mommy and a daddy. 

Cake Devouring

This video justifies the purchase of the Sony video camera we bought right after Preston was born :)

We celebrated his birthday today with family and friends. I'll post some pics later, but for now, I leave you with this video of Preston face-planting into his cake. I can't wait to watch this with him when he's grown.

 

PS - The video is a big file, so to avoid skipping, let the whole thing load first.