Don't Miss A Thing!

**** I have a tendency to write several blog posts in one sitting. I like to think of it as time management when I have a big block of time to sit down and get caught up. If you check in on the blog from time to time... be sure to scroll down, and you may have to even click onto the next page to be sure you've gotten all the latest Ramsey news. (Blogger has restricted the number of posts I can have on the first page, so I never know what exactly is coming up). Thanks for checking in with us, and following along on Our Great Life Adventure! ****

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Big Day

Vivian had her first birthday yesterday!  And while I'm putting together another post with a year in review I wanted to share some pictures from the Big Day!  We're having a party in Chicago next weekend with a lot of friends and family... but were lucky enough that Great Grandma, Aunt Bev and Cousin Jenny joined us to celebrate with our sweet little lady! 
I'll let Vivian tell you all about through pictures!
Mom... seriously, I just woke up.  Get that flash out of my face!
ooohhhh... what's this?
My first doll!!!  I don't even know what that really means, but I love it!
I love her!!!  I'm so happy!
Great Grandma and I playing ball... my GG sure is a lot of fun!  And my friends that came over today were loaded with presents!
I'm not sure what's going on here... but I'm pretty curious.  Mom was saying something about Birthday Brownies???
YUMMO!  I am loving this!!! 
Haha... I'm in chocolate heaven!  Why have they been holding out on me with this whole chocolate miracle!
It's so good that while I have brownies in both hands... and am trying to lean in and get what's on the table with my mouth.  I can't get enough of it!
The two most important men in my life!  It's a Sunday and my brother says that you have to wear "team shirts", something about bears???  Mom gave me a pass today so I could wear a pretty outfit for my special day.
My special visitors... Cousin Jenny, Aunt Bev and Great Grandma!
 I had a great day, and can't wait for the celebration to continue next weekend... stay tuned!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

And so it begins...

Organized sports... a much anticipated rite of passage.  Braden is playing Soccer this fall!  This past Wednesday he had his first practice and he loved, loved, loved it!  He enjoyed kicking the ball around as well as doing it with a bunch of new friends.  I have no idea how 3 year old kids actually play games and follow any type of rules, I keep picturing a bunch of kids running around after each other chasing a ball... and some off doing their own thing.  That's what the practice was like!  Here are a few shots of our Soccer super star! 
Any sports fan knows that a player needs a good cheerleader. 
Before practice, Big B is warming up and showing off his "airplane".   And he's putting his game face on.
 It's what he was taught at preschool that helps you stop the ball and get your balance.  (He really wanted me to take a picture of this... seriously... he posed again and again asking me to get it).

Team meeting with the coach before they get started
All lined up and ready to get started!
Participating in a drill...
But sometimes a kid drifts away... wait... that's Braden!  Where you going Buddy?
While he did a great job listening at practice.  I did manage to catch him doing his own thing from time to time.  I'm pretty sure this wasn't something the coaches were telling them to do! 

Chad and I are both so excited for him.  Organized sports as a kid is a great way to learn some skills, learn to take good direction, and most of all have fun with friends!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Bear Down!

Football season... it's one of the best times of the year.  While traditions for the better part of my 20s consisted of sleeping in until 10am, getting up and heading to Joe's Bar for Sunday Funday... the past few years that has been replaced with getting up early with kids, putting on Bears gear for the day and eating chili for lunch (and sometimes dinner!).  The last two seasons, we lived in Washington and Canada, where we could only watch the games on TV in our region, but this year in Texas we've got Direct TV and able to get the NFL ticket, so we won't miss a Bears game!  
Saturday after the kids went to bed I began making loads of chili that we can freeze and pull out each Sunday. 

 I think this is about 8 weeks or so worth. 

Chad was flying back from Las Vegas, so we kicked off the season just the three of us.  I got Braden and Vivian dressed and attempted a quick photo op.
It's so hard to get an almost one year old, and an almost 4 year old to look at the camera at the same time!
And when they do both look... I get goofy looks like this. 
Probably because I'm behind the camera acting pretty silly myself. 
But as a few minutes pass and they loosen up... a big brother leans in to hug his little sister.
And if you're lucky... he even leans in to give her a kiss!
And then they give you a little smirk as you catch one more photo...
 before they declare photo session over and resume play!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

GW - Las Vegas - All Good Things Come to an End

After a successful evening for everyone on Friday, a group of us were up early and at the pool in our hotel just before 10:30.  We knew the pools filled up quick and were told that the least crowded would be the European Pool, so off we went.  We may have been the second group of people there, but we staked out a spot, got some food, and started enjoying some tasty drinks! (The Sangria was my favorite!). 
For dinner it was a quieter affair, some people wanted Sushi... but those of us that didn't went to a place in the hotel.  Here are Chris, Staci, Ali and I between dinner and our next stop.  We got to enjoy a little show outside to the infamous Garth Brooks song, "I Got Friends in Low Places"

Afterwards we all met up at Blush, a lounge club, where we had bottle service and area to sit and camp out for most the evening.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere here... even when our waitress, who was actually very nice... couldn't hide the look on her face when I asked for a beer instead of drinking the vodka at our table.  What can I say... it's just the way I roll... I'm a beer kind of gal.  


Staci and I... enjoying our last night before we returned to real life the next day.
Erin, Jill and I... this is late night at XS (not "extra small", like "excess"... or simply read by saying the letters "X-S".  I explain because  I didn't immediately get it,  just in case you were confused).  It was a very late night... but since it was the last night it was worth it to be with friends. 

  Thank you husbands, grandparents, etc for allowing those of us with a child (or in my case, two of them) to get away for a weekend, recharge and spend time with the girls.  It's important to our sanity, so expect me to hope you'll help out with things like this every other year or so.  But seriously... we could not have gotten away and had this experience if you didn't step up to the plate.

Thank you friends for making the trip, new memories with old friends are the best kind!
For those of you that couldn't be there... we did miss you. And don't fret, I already have GW 2012 planned in my head.

From the little Garth Brooks song show we watched earlier... just a good way to close out the end of our time together.  Because I've babbled enough and anymore just won't do it justice. 
LOVE AND MISS...

GW - Las Vegas - Evening Two

After a picture perfect day at the Encore Beach Club we made it back to the hotel to get all dressed up for our evening out.  We had reservations at Del Frisco, a steak house... and the food was AMAZING!!!  Great service, good atmosphere, and for steak, seafood and drinks... reasonably priced.  I'm giving this place a must visit if you're looking for a place to eat a good meal (just 5 minutes off the strip).   
At the Wynn, waiting for a few others before we left for dinner
Waiting for our table to get set up at Del Frisco's.  We're dressed up for a good time!
This was my birthday cake... I had wanted to share the birthday wishes with Natalie (her birthday is just a few days later), but she came down with a nasty migraine and needed to get back to the hotel to sleep it off.  My point... Natalie I was thinking of you!
This lemon cake was delicious, and massive too so I shared it with all the girls!
After dinner, we had plans to try go to a nightclub, Haze.  A few hiccups in the original plan, but we all made it inside.  I'm not a nightclub kind of gal, but I gave it a go, the sheer size was really impressive.  I have never been in a club that big before.  The music was actually pretty good too.  However, I can't say I was disappointed when a few girls were thinking it would be nice to leave and try something else.  So, we branched off, not sure where the night would take us, but knowing we'd have fun together... and the girls that stayed would have fun since people like me weren't pouting in a corner waiting to leave... so it was a win-win!
As Staci was discussing ideas about where to go next with the taxi stand guy, Ali looked up and saw a bright sign off in the distance that said... "PUB".  Now we're talking!  We spent the next 2 1/2 hours sitting outside, enjoying amazing weather, sipping cocktails and best of all... lots of girl talk.  It was perfect!
Erin, Ali, Staci and I after leaving the Club... on our walk over to the Pub we stopped in front of this amazing, and huge water feature outside the new Aria Hotel. 

GW - Las Vegas - Day Two

We woke up early Friday morning (and felt pretty good... thankyouverymuch).  The rest of our group was arriving and we had a big day planned.  We got on our suits and headed to breakfast at Tableau in our hotel. 
Breakfast with Mimosas... great way to kick off my birthday!
Another shot of the Wynn waterfall as we made our way over to the Encore for the next part of our day.  We arrived a little early, so we went to the Encore casino... where I used $20 at the Roulette table and in just 4 spins had turned it into $307!  I won 3 of 4 spins... I used the same numbers every time and the winners... 32 for my new age, 27 for the date of my birthday, and 17 for Chad's birthday.  Score! 
Encore Beach Club.  We totally got hooked up thanks to Sarah getting me in touch with her high school buddy Neal... an awesome private cabana!!!  This Beach Club was a lot of fun... perfect way to spend the day!
The whole gang inside the cabana
Katie and I enjoying much deserved adult beverages. 
Ali, me and Jill taking a break from the hot sun!
Staci and I having some free mimosas...
Getting ready to pack up and head back so we could get ready for our big evening out!
I highly recommend going to the Encore Beach Club if you're going to Vegas... and I assure you it's worth the money to get a cabana!

GW (Girls Weekend), Las Vegas - Day One

Spending time with girlfriends is good for the heart.  So it's no surprise that living far away from all my girls for the last 2 1/2 years has been difficult at times.  I was beyond excited that somehow 12 ladies managed to have the same weekend available and we booked a girls weekend to Las Vegas!  My friend Jill's mother-in-law is a frequent visitor to The Wynn Hotel and Resort and scored us an amazing price to stay at this upscale place. 
7 of the 12 of us arrived on Thursday... and I wish everyone had been there that night, it was one of my favorites, we hit up a total dive bar, The Road House at the Imperial Palace. (Such a dive that there wasn't a bathroom, you had to leave out a back door, into the Imperial Casino to get to one).  We were treated complimentary bottle service (in addition to ladies got free drinks from 10-12), and our own space, and those that know me... I need a place to sit down, I just can't stand around all night.  Not that we were sitting all that much because they played fun music and were up on our feet rockin' out to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Justin Timberlake, etc. 
Pictures always tell a better story... (and since no one wants to bring a fancy camera out and about in Las Vegas, we used standard digitals and they aren't quite the quality)
Wynn Lobby about to hit the town
Our dive bar was equipped with a fog machine...
Me, Katie and Ali... my matron and maid of honor in our wedding!
Staci and I "trapped" in a cage!
The waterfall outside at The Wynn... this was at the end of our night after the looonnng walk home.  (I was really grateful that I had packed flip flops in my purse). Between the bar and the hotel we realized it was past midnight and literally danced in the streets since it was officially then my BIRTHDAY! 
More to come on all that...