Happy 65th, Mom!

 My beautiful mama turned 65 this January.  65!  

Looking at her, you'd never know it.  Somehow she doesn't age.  My dad decided to throw her a surprise birthday party at their friends' house.  So, when she asked if we could celebrate her birthday a day early, I played along.  After Jackson's basketball game we met the fam at Desperado's for some good mexican grub.

Jackson couldn't stay the whole time because he had a community service project to get to with his baseball team.  He gave Gigi a big hug and headed over to Feed My Starving Children to do some good for those in need.

 

In order to not have anyone spill the beans, we didn't tell any of the kids about the surprise party.  And I knew she'd think something was up if I didn't bring a cake, so we got one at the last minute.

We lit those candles and the whole room listened as we sang Happy Birthday.

The next evening was her actual birthday.  We picked up Maddie and Lilly and told her that we were watching the Cowboys game at our house with Jared's fam.

Then we snuck off to Rockwall to beat her and my dad to the party!  These kids are all about a  surprise party and did well as the lookouts.

All of her best friends were there! 

And all of us were as well--I just love a good surprise!

We sang to her again and everyone loved the Italian Cream Cake that we brought.  So delicious.

Great idea, dad!

We had the party catered and sat down to enjoy dinner before the playoff game began.

Too bad the Cowboys didn't win, but we sure had a great time seeing everyone and
 celebrating Connie Louise Raines. Happy Birthday, Mom!  We love you.

Christmas Break

 The post-Christmas week is always one of my favorite weeks because you finally get to take a big, deep breath.  The craziness of the holidays is over and you can relax.  We spent a few days at home, doing nothing but playing with new toys.  After three days of that, we were going a bit stir crazy, so we had to venture out.  

Cami went to Callum's birthday party at Ninja Warrior...

Mandy and I took our kids, plus a few extra to Plano Superbowl one day...

and Jared and I had a date night with some fun baseball peeps.  We did axe throwing and it was one of the most entertaining nights in a long time!  Highly recommend this place if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.

We also went to Javier's for dinner before Phantom of the Opera.  Maria and Andrew had tickets as well, but since they were still in the hospital with Baby Mason, Lila and Maddie took their spots.

Lyndsie and Jared got the table-side Mexican Coffee.  I sampled it, just to make sure they did it right.  Verdict--amazing!!

We loved hanging out with these two girls. They are both growing up so fast.  It's really great to be able to do something other than sports with them every now and then. 

And just because he's so darn cute, I'll end this post with a Baby Mason photo. 
You can't help but smile.  Adorable!

Mason James Hays

 Mason James Hays arrived on January 3, 2019.  

He was 6 weeks early, so all of us were caught by surprise!

While we were anxiously awaiting his arrival, Uncle Jared and I went down to the gift shop. 
I wanted big balloons and this stork fit the bill perfectly.

We all prayed that the delivery would go smoothly and it did.

This sweet angel baby was born via c-section around 5:30 that afternoon.

So very precious.

 

He weighed 5 lbs. 1 oz and was almost 18 inches long.  Such a good size for being so early!

That night, only his daddy and mama were able to see him and hold him, but the next night, Memaw and I got to go into the NICU to meet the little guy.

Oh my goodness...I was smitten from the very start!

The nurses said that he was doing great, but he just needed a little help eating, so they placed the feeding tube in his nose.

He looked so tiny next to his dad!

He didn't open his eyes too much that night, but I did catch him looking straight at Andrew.

I just love being an Aunt!

I went back to see him the next evening and he was wearing his first little outfit.  Adorable.

We got in so many good cuddles.  Is there anything better than a brand new baby?  I think not.

I took Maria back to the hospital a few days later and got to spend a few more hours with them.

Every day he got a little bit stronger.

 

Such a cutie.

Later that week, he wore the premie outfit that we bought him the night he was born. 
Even that looked big on him!

By the end of the week he was doing so well.  They removed his feeding tube and started talking about him being released within a few days.

As soon as he could take all of his feeding from a bottle, he was good to go.

You can do it, little buddy!

Sure enough, he was able to go home on January 13.  This little girl got to meet him two days later, the day she turned 5!  What an excellent birthday present!!

Little mama Lila knew just what to do when it was her turn...

and didn't want to give him to Jackson.  

All of his cousins were in awe of him.  "He's so tiny!"  "Baby Mason is so cute!"

 It's safe to say that this little boy has a very big fan club.

We love you, Mason James!

Happy New Year!

Laid-back with some of our best friends.  Just the way I like it.

Who loves New Year's?

This girl!

We decided to have a small get-together at our house to ring in 2019.  Madison was our first guest to arrive and she went straight to the props with Lila.

Even baby Lilly got in on the fun and wore a pink headband for some of the night!

 

A little while later, the Shubzda fam arrived, along with Andrew, Maria and Baby Connor.

This girl cracks me up.  Cheers!

#bestyearever

Such a goose!

We chatted all night, watching football outside by the fire...

and playing with the babies inside.  Maddie and Lila are fantastic little mamas.

This little lady loved hanging out with me by the fire, until it was time for her to go to bed.

As it got closer to midnight, (on the east coast, that is!), we all gathered outside to watch
Ryan Seacrest in Times Square.

I love this scene!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Happy New Year!!!

Here's to a fantastic 2019!