Like father, like son

I was walking behind them, up the stairs, and this was my view. Is there something wrong with me that my first thought was that I just HAD to get a picture of this?!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in this household is all about family, food, and football!

David cooked another deep fried turkey this year, and we had my parents over. It felt like such a small get together without having Ryan or David's parents. We had all the usual menu items, and it was an awesome meal.

There's nothin' like my mom's pumpkin pie! Why do we only have this once a year?!!

This marks the 2nd year in a row that we have gone to the Texas game. New family tradition?

We tailgated for a little over an hour before the game.

I'm giving David grief for something. Who knows what this time!



This kid was soooo pumped to go into the game. He insisted on holding onto his ticket the entire walk. It was so enjoyable just watching him and the light in his eyes today.

 

Not a bad seat in the house. Weather turned out being pretty nice too.

The eyes of Texas are upon you...

He really enjoyed some of the chants, particularly yelling "Fight" after the other side of the stadium yelled "Texas." He was a good fan and really watched a lot of the game!

Popcorn kept him entertained as the boredom crept in around halftime.

 

We left in the 3rd quarter. Texas wasn't looking too good against #5 TCU, but more importantly, we had a great time hanging out together. Nico had a blast at his FIRST of many Texas football games!

Dallas trip: Mom's bday and Gaylord ICE!

We had another wonderful weekend in Dallas! We planned a trip up to see Dave and Cindy and also worked in a surprise birthday gathering for my mom!

On Friday afternoon, we completely surprised her at the Yard House in Addison, where the 4 of them were already together. We had Nico run up behind her and tap on her shoulder. She was shocked!

We had dinner at Papasito's and all split a GIANT order of fajitas!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

Seeing this cake makes me laugh. It was stressful on Ryan trying to pick up a last minute cake, per my request, since I knew it would make the birthday celebration special (for Nico mainly!) We went over to Ryan and Jessica's for a bit for my mom to open presents and have a piece of cake.

The rest of our weekend was spent with Dave and Cindy. Saturday was centered around getting out to see the Gaylord ICE Exhibit. It was truly amazing! The walk through the 9 degree exhibit took about 30 min, and it consisted of various carved ice sculptures that told the story of Frosty the Snowman.

The detail is incredible!

Nico and David slid down the ice slides.

After we thawed out, some of us picked up some hot chocolate, and Nico had a cupcake.

My pictures definitely don't do this place justice. It was David and my first experience at the Gaylord. Could have easily spent a whole weekend there and stayed busy!

Nico liked to watch the trains.

We then made a quick stop nearby at Bass Pro Shops for him to pick out a toy and see the fish.

We attempted to grab a bite to eat, but Nico couldn't hang. He had already had way too much fun for one afternoon! The poor guy was worn out!

I felt sooo bad that he was so exhausted that he fell asleep on this bar stool! May be a first for seeing Nico sleep in a public place (other than being a newborn).

 

After naptime and some relaxing at their house, we had dinner at Joe's Crabshack! Nico was a good helper with crackin' the crab claws and stayed entertained.

Another fun weekend in the books!

Regan in town!

I don't see my BFF, Regan, nearly as much as I wish I could. Fortunately, she came down to TX for a wedding and planned a couple nights to stay with us! Most of our time was low key hanging out at the house, but Saturday afternoon/night was a girls' night downtown!

We hit up a handful of the cute little bars on the infamous Rainey Street to kick off our night. Had a blast.

Texas football was in town, so downtown was WIRED! We landed in a bar taken over by the opposing team, West Virginia, and somehow got our drinks paid for by some old men. Yay, I think? Then, we wandered over to Pete's Piano Bar to spend the remainder of our night! (I definitely can not stay up late and hang the way I could 10 years ago. Not. Even. Close.)

Sunday was a relaxing, Cowboys watching day. David had a couple friends over from his hockey team and made some pulled pork.

There was bubbles...

 and dancing on the fireplace...

 

And late night sparklers?!...



and some lovin' on Regan. Nico gave her plennnnnty of attention, mostly attached to her hip. He insisted on being the one to fix her bobby pin in this pic.

Hopefully next time with Regan isn't too far away! I may be Tennessee bound at some point in 2015!