SURPRISE!

Eric turned the BIG 3-0 on February 18th so I decided to get friends and family together last weekend and do a SURPRISE party for him!!  I think this was my first and possibly my last SURPRISE party that I am going to do.  It is so hard to keep a secret!!

I was terrible and didn't take many pictures but Eric had so much fun!!  How did I keep him out of the house?  My dad came into town from Ohio and his birthday was February 16th so Eric though that my sisters and I were going to surprise him and cook a big dinner.  Keep in mind that my oldest sister lives in Ohio, my middle sister lives in Virginia, and I am here in North Carolina so it isn't very often that all the girls are in the same place which makes it special for my parents when we are! Eric though he was keeping my dad out of the house until dinner time, but really my dad was keeping Eric out of the house, HA!  When Eric pulled in the drive way I knew he would know something was going on by all the cars but he would still be surprised! I had all the lights off except the porch light and Grayson was standing there with a huge bundle of number 30 balloons and he was just shouting DADDY!  Eric said he wished he had a camera because Grayson standing there was definitely a moment he wished he had a picture of.  I was so busy turning off the lights and getting all the food ready I didn't get a picture.

As for Eric's cake...well, Eric and I are not "cake people" I know we are weird, but we love box cakes (like vanilla with chocolate frosting, yummy!) I have been asking Eric what kind of cake he wanted and he mentioned German Chocolate and Red Velvet.  Those are the only two cakes I have ever seen him eat besides are wonderful wedding cake.  Why not make all THREE!! 

My mom and I (mainly me) had this brilliant idea that we would just make his cake.  We made a small German Chocolate cake for him to cut into and since not many people like that flavor we made red velvet and the traditional vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.

As soon as we started frosting it the cake started to fall apart!! it was two layers and the it started to tilt to the side...oh it was a mess!  My mom and I were so frustrated we were about to toss it in the trash but thank goodness for Eric's mom.  She convinced us that even though it wasn't the prettiest cake it still would taste good!!  We laughed about that cake all night long!!

Grayson had a ball opening Eric's presents. 

He loved the cards that played music!!

We were pretty sad to see Papa go on Sunday because he spent most of his time with the Eric on Saturday keeping him out of the house. 

But I am pretty sure Grayson wore him out and he was ready to get home HA!

(This was them Sunday morning watching cartoons)

Some other birthday wishes for this month:

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT LINDSAY (GIRL)!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THAYNE!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA RICK!!

 

 

 

 

As you can see Grayson was tired and ready for BED!

 

 We tried really hard to take some picture of Grayson holding up signs for my dad becuase it is his birthday today, however, Grayson really wasn't into it as you can see.  He sure does love his Papa and we cannot wait for him to come visit from Ohio this weekend!

Happy Birthday Dad!

7 FACTS ABOUT ME!

I received the 7 Facts Blog Award from Shelli over at Everyday Everharts!

All I have to do is list 7 things about myself and then award it to 2 other bloggers of my choice!

1. I married my Best Friend Eric in March of 2009 and shortly after we had our son Grayson in July 2009.  If are doing the math, yes I was pregnant (very pregnant) before and during our wedding.  I know some people may "frown" upon that but I believe everything happens for a reason and we were blessed from the moment we found out about Grayson!  If Grayson didn't come into the world when he did then Eric's father, who was diagnosed with MS in 2009 and past away in 2010, would have never had the opportunity to meet Grayson and Grayson would have never had the chance to meet his Grandpa Mickey. 

2. I work full time at a Law Firm in Downtown Winston (Crumpler Freedman Parker & Witt).  I am a Legal Assistant to a criminal attorney Jones Byrd, Jr.  As much as I would absolutely LOVE to stay at home with Grayson, I know it is best for mommy to go to work and Grayson to go to school/daycare.  Eric drops him off in the mornings (because I hate leaving him even though he loves it there) and I pick him up because he gets to excited to see me and I love when he comes running up to me shouting MOMMY with his arms wide open.  He loves his friends at school but he really loves his mommy and daddy!

3. I moved to North Carolina from a tiny little town in Ohio right on Lake Erie about 11 years ago.  I miss my family like crazy but living 6 hours away really makes you appreciate your family more.  My sisters are my best friends and I don't know what I would do without all the CRAZY advice they have given me throughout the years.

4. I really want to go sky diving and on a hot air balloon ride!!!

5.  I am never ever on time, especially in the mornings. It never fails I am always the last one walking into work in the mornings.  I hate being late and feeling rushed but I don't know how to change it.  I set my alarm and clocks fast but it doesn't help.  It frustrates Eric to no end but he has learned to tell me to be ready 30 minuets before we really have to leave. HA!

6. I could live off of ice cream and sweets (or really any food) which is why I am not back in pre-pregnancy clothes.  When Eric and I travel to Ohio or on vacation he makes fun of my sister and I because we plan our days around FOOD and what restaurant we want to eat at next.

7. I have a really bad habit of tossing things in the trash when I can't find a place for it at that current moment.  Just like a typical women, after a month goes by I realize I need or want what I tossed out and have to go buy it (which would go hand in hand with my need to just buy things!) I am thankful for Eric's mom who takes the things she sees me toss out and keeps them for me (without me knowing) and gives them back to me when she hears me mention I want them again! For example, when Eric and I first moved in together I tossed out ALL of my stuffed animals (big and little) and then when Grayson was born she brought out some toys she had stored away for him, and here she came with some of my stuffed animals that I LOVED!

There you have it, 7 random facts about me.  Some of them are not important but I listed the first 7 that came to mind.  Listing 7 facts sound easy, but when you actually have to do it, it is kind of hard to pick what you want to list about yourself.

I am going to pass the award off to Erica at A Journey Through Mommyhood and Jessica from Blue Eyed Metephor!

Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 

Here are a few pictures I took after dinner of Grayson in one of his many Valentine's Day shirts!

We had a very low key night at our house!  Eric's mom (Granny) came over and we grilled out some yummy steaks and made potatoes and salad.  It was nice to just stay in, put on some comfy clothes, and relax (and not have to wait in a HUGE line at a restaurant!) 

Here are a couple of pictures I took of Grayson in one of the cutest shirts Ms. Shelli and Finn gave to Grayson.  This was before he went to school/daycare one morning and he was pretty content watching his cartoons!

On another note, does anyone else watch the Bachelor? 

I absolutely LOVE that show!!  My mom got me hooked on it last year and I just have to watch it on Monday nights!  Last night was the best!!   

I am so happy Michelle got sent home! I really dislike her!

Catch us if you can!

This has been one crazy week at The Bailey's!!  I am so exhausted!!  I think I have worked late at the office just about everynight except last night and I came home and cleaned and did a ton of laundry.  I tend to make cleaning and laundry time playtime with Grayson. He likes to help me sweep the floors and put the clothes in the washer and dryer and I don't mind that a bit.  I love the help and he looks so cute doing it!

Here is a little bit about how our week went...

We went to a Superbowl Party and Grayson had the time of his life (so did we of course but we didn't document our fun).  A friend of my mom's had some friends over to watch the game and they invited us over as well.  Amazing food, good drinks, and playtime for Grayson equal one fun night.

Grayson had a bag of toys and of course he would think this dog toy was the best!

I'm pretty sure Grayson thought the food was amazing too 

Can you tell what team Grayson was cheering for....he didn't have any "GREEN AND YELLOW" but I think the shirt gives it away! 

He even found a girlfriend!

Doesn't everyone find their girlfriend at a Superbowl party?!

They were so cute together! Grayson shared his goldfish crackers with her and followed her around all night!

Wednesday came and went.  I don't like wishing the weeks away but I feel like once Monday and Tuesday are over the week goes so much better!

A couple of weeks ago Shelli asked me if I would be interested in going through some clothes that no longer fit her son, Finn.  Of course I said yes becuase her son is always dressed so cute and who doesn't love hand-me-downs!  Grayson goes through clothes like it's nothing!  I love saving money anywhere I can!  This is one of the many adorable GAP shirts Grayson got.  I got so many cute things from her.  I will post a picture of this cute Ralph Lauren shirt I got from her on Monday becuase it will fit in with the Valentine's Day theme.  

Grayson has became very independant these days.  He likes to do things for himself, which is a good thing, but I tend to like to keep things "neat and clean" and well as you can see I need to get over that and get over it quick! 

I know his food looks really gross but we have one picky eater on our hands and he hates just about every good food out there.  In this picture he is eating mashed potatos with carrots mixed in.  I normally have to hide things in his food to get him to eat it.  Does anyone else have picky eaters?  I mean never in my life have I ever seen a child as picky as Grayson.  He hardly eats any meats, veggies, or anything good for him. I think he could live off of potatos, bananas, oatmeal, and meat sticks (GROSS), if I let him!  I am always making him try new things but he just spits it out! HELP!

I'm pretty excited about this weekend because it is supposed to be warm and we can FINALLY get out of the house and play outside!!

Birthday, and Shopping

Yesterday (February 5th) was my actually birthday but I tend to drag my birthday out to a week/month long celebration.  It just gives me a good excuse to eat lots of good cakes and cupcakes!  Plus, I know one day I wont want to celebrate my birthday so I figure I should make the most of it now.

On Friday I started with my annual birthday celebration at work.  Not many work places celebrate birthdays but at my work place we go ALL out.  I came in Friday morning to a fully decorated office and everyone shouting HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  Before lunch we always open presents, yes presents.  Before your birthday we always get an e-mail asking where we want gift cards from, where we want to eat lunch, do we want a plant or flowers, and what kind of cake we want.  I just love birthdays at work!  I picked Target gift cards because I can always find awesome stuff at Target.  We ate at Firbirds, I just love their Salmon.  I chose a plant because it lasts longer then flowers, well it is supposed to but I tend to kill mine, HA! Last but not least, I picked an ice cream cake.  I normally get a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, but I knew Eric was taking me to the Cheesecake factory Saturday night so I didn't want two cheesecakes.  So, needless to say, I racked up on some Target gift cards, ate a yummy lunch and cake, and got a plant that hopefully I can keep alive.

(Sorry I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures at work!)

Saturday Grayson let me sleep in until 8:00 a.m. instead of the normal 7:00-7:30 a.m. which was nice.  Eric got up with Grayson and did the normal morning routine while he let me lay in bed a little while longer. I mainly just answered birthday text messages and birthday phone calls.  Then I was greeted with a BIG, "HI MOMMY" and birthday presents in bed.  I think I liked the "HI MOMMY" better then the gifts but don't tell Eric that! 

Eric went and picked Grayson up early from school/daycare one day and took him to make this for me!!  I can't believe the two of them painted this all by themselves! They also got me a great gift card to The Loft, I love that store!

So Saturday night Eric and I went to dinner with my parents to the Cheesecake Factory.  I love cheesecake and I have always wanted to eat there so I thought why not for my birthday.  It's about an hour drive and they do not take reservations so we were taking a risk! For a place that doesn't take reservations we thought it couldn't be all that bad, boy were we wrong!  We had to wait in line just for the hostess to tell us it would be about  2 hours and we couldn't even get the buzzer for another hour and to come back! I think I should mention that I was starving because I hardly ate anything during the day to save lots of room for the good food and cheesecake! Luckily, the Cheesecake Factory is attached to one of the best malls in North Carolina (they even have valet to park your car), so what were we to do while we waited on a table for 2 hours...SHOP! My Step Dad and Eric were so excited about that! NOT!  As soon as we walked in the mall I saw a booth for Crocs and Grayson had outgrew his first pair and I knew he needed another pair for this summer so we got him some.  Can you tell who picked them out?

Camo Crocs and NC State inserts to go in them

After that, the guys decided to go find a sports bar and watch some sports while we shopped.  My mom and I found a really cute outfit and hat for Grayson at the Baby Gap.

So after a 2 hour wait, some shopping, and a few drinks, we finally got our table at the Cheesecake Factory and it was worth the wait! The service, food, drinks, and cheesecake were WONDERFUL!



Here's a picture of my yummy Oreo Cheesecake! It was as good as it looks! 

This was the best I could get of Grayson in his new Crocs!

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!

February is a busy Birthday month for us so there is probably going to be a lot of Happy Birthday posts, but that's ok I love celebrating Birthdays and it's an excuse to eat really good desserts!

When Eric and I were dating I made it known that I had always wanted a puppy.  We never really agreed on a dog, he wanted a big dog and I wanted a sweet little fu fu dog I could dress up.  After looking online I found a sweet little puppy with a little ribbon in her hair and I just had to go meet her!

After lots and lots of begging, Eric finally agreed to go see her.  All the way there Eric kept tell me over and over again, we are not bringing a dog home, we are only going to meet her and we will discuss it after that.

Well I am sure we can all guess what happened after that first meeting.  We just couldn't leave without her.  I don't know who was attached more, me or Eric!

Lucy taking her first boat ride 

She even made it to our engangement photo shoot

I was so worried about how Lucy would do when Grayson arrived because she is a very "needy" dog and loves attention!  

As you can see, Grayson became her new best friend. 

(I think Eric got a little jealous that Lucy wanted to be with Grayson all the time instead of him!)

They go and do everything together!

Lucy lovs when it's snack time becuase Grayson tends to give Lucy all his snacks.

 

Grayson really does love Lucy even though he doesn't show it all the time.

This picture shows just how patient Lucy really is with everyone in our family!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY LUCY!

P.S. For the people that do visit our house, I am sure you are asking where Lucy is since you haven't seen her lately.  Well, Lucy tends to stay at Granny's (Eric's mom).  Just like Grayson, Lucy loves her Granny and gets WHATEVER she wants so she likes to stay over there.  Plus, Eric's mom has a fenced-in yard with two outside dogs, so Lucy can run and play all day long if she wants!!  She is also great company for Eric's mom.