Ferris Wheel, Sausage Balls, and Swimming!

Clint had to work all weekend : (  So we decided to go to Fort Smith Friday night and at least have one day of activity. We met Katie and Eric and took the girls to Varsity for dinner. This was interesting. Let's just say the girls love them some cheese dip! After dinner we took them across the street to West End Park to ride the Ferris Wheel. I can do roller coasters, but HATE the Ferris Wheel. Eric felt the same. So we sat out while Katie took Caroline and Clint took Gracyn. Gracyn would go around with her arms up in the air! She got off and told me all about how she went around in a circle and up and down.

They love each other!

This is the only picture that even half way turned out. Can you see her little head poking over?!

After the ferris wheel we did our usual....went to Goodies for yogurt! The girls were exhausted so we had to cut our visit short. Clint, Gracyn, and I headed over to my mom's to get Kaeleigh. She stayed the long weekend with us.

I love "The Great Food Truck Race" on Food Network. I've watched the first two seasons and when I heard they were coming to Fayetteville I was ecstatic!

Fayetteville Flyer posted that they would be in town on Saturday. We decided we would go to the square around noon for lunch. We got there a little before 1:00 and nothing! We went to Dickson...nothing! So we went to lunch at Chili's. Fayetteville Flyer posted that they would be back on Dickson at 1:00am. Clint got off work about 11:00 that night so when he got home we headed to Dickson! ** Gracyn stayed home with Janaca. We got to Dickson with a lot of time to kill so we went to Common Grounds for a drink. We then waited on the WAC steps for quiet sometime, along with a lot of other people. The trucks showed up about 1:15 blaring their horns and cameras were everywhere! So not to bore anyone with all the details, I will make this short. We stood in line about 3 hours and spend $40 on "sample" food. We each got a sausage ball from Seoul Sausage, an Italian quesidlla and sweet rolls from Nonna's kitchen, and a fish basket (1 piece of fish) from Coastal Atlanta (something like that.) In the end, I'm glad we went. It was fun standing in line with a bunch of sober people making fun of all the drunk people (one of who we know, but will not be named!)

Clint waiting in line to get sausage balls from Seoul Sausage!

Sunday was pretty boring. Us girls cleaned the house while Clint slept. Once he woke up we decided to go swimming! It was already 4:00 and Clint didn't have to work til 8:00 so we decided to just go for a couple of hours. Gracyn hadn't been swimming since her first year of life, not really sure why we didn't go last year. She loved it! We started off in the big pool with her floaty. After a bit, she wanted out of it then was jumping off the sides! I was trying to teach her to put her face in the water. She did that a couple of times, then we decided to check out the kiddie pool. She was doing great on her own til her feet came out from under her and she went under. When Clint puller her up she was sputtering water and said, "My hair!" We laughed so hard! Even the lifeguard was cracking up. What a little priss!

Overall it was a great weekend! Kaeleigh even got to stay with us for the week since Girls Inc. was closed. I'm thinking we will definitely be going swimming more often this summer!



Big Girl Bed and Paci Free!

We finally did it! We turned Gracyn's crib into a toddler bed! We haven't had any issues with her trying to crawl out of her crib. Instead, lately she had been asking to sleep in Mommy's bed, or the big bed. We decided it was about time we move her into a big bed of her very own. We went to a couple of furniture stores, but I wasn't crazy about any of the beds. I really wished we had bought the twin bed that matched her furniture suit back when we bought the furniture! I found a headboard at a place in Little Rock that I LOVE!!!! However, it's about $1,000 too much! I'm wondering if I can convince Clint and Jake to make it. Jake is pretty handy at building things!

So far, Gracyn has done really well sleeping in her bed. We've had two nights in the week that she had a hard time going to sleep and wanted me to sing to her over and over. However, we've had two nights that she slept all the way thru the night! This is a big deal! This morning she woke up as I was putting on my makeup. I went in there to check on her and she say got up and told me she needed to potty. That made me so proud! Oh, and we took the paci away!!! She has been using at bedtime only for the last year. We decided after Vegas we would work on taking it away. I wanted her to be able to use the paci on the airplane so her ears wouldn't pop and also to have at night since she wasn't staying with us. Little girl needs some security and normalcy! I was a little worried about how this would go. I got her memory box down and told her to put her pacis in the baby box. She threw them all in. I don't think she really realized what she was doing, because when she got in her big girl bed for the first time she reached up to the closet and asked for her paci. However, she hasn't asked for it since that first night!

Sweet, Sleeping Baby! She loves to sleep with her Cat Cat! She woke up one night crying out, "My Cat Cat, My Cat Cat!" I go in and find Cat Cat on the floor! Poor kid!



Every morning before we leave for school, Gracyn sits on her beanbag and watches Gasperd and Lisa while eating a yogurt. If she doesn't finish it she gets to eat it in the car. For the most part, she does just fine with it. There have been a couple of times she has gotten it all over her and her carseat!

She looks so grown up here! I just love that little smile!

I finally got the app, Instagram, on my phone. I haven't really played around with it too much. I have just seen a lot of people post pictures taken with it on facebook. I took some of my current pictures on my phone and played around with them. I just love the way this one turned out! I used the 1977 app and think this picture really looks like it was taken in the 70's!

This looks like a picture straight out of one of my mom's photo albums!!!





Wedding Day!!!

Clint and I woke up and went to his parent's room to see Gracyn. Then I left to meet the girls at Starbucks for breakfast, then we were going to get our makeup done. However, they didn't have any makeup artist there at 10:00 and told us to come back at 12:00. Not sure why they told up to be there at 10:00 the day before! So, we decided to take our Starbucks up to the room and start on our hair. Sarah asked if she could fix my hair...I was very impressed!!! She did a great job! Once noon rolled around we went down to Sephora for makeup. They had three Smashbox consultants there to do our makeup.

Becki did a great job on my makeup!

After makeup, we headed back up to the room to get dressed. At this point my nerves are starting to kick in. Not about getting married, I was just scared we weren't going to be ready in time and the party bus and limo were going to leave us! However, we were able to all get ready in time and made it down and in the limo without Clint seeing me!

This picture just cracks me up! They literally had everything you can imagine packed and ready to go!

The Grove was about a 30 minute drive from the Strip. When we first pulled in I was very nervous. It was just a building with a fence in the middle of brown, rocky desert. However, once we walked in the fence it was a lush, green garden area! I loved it!!!! It's exactly what I imagined it to be!

We had a few minutes to freshen up then it was time for the show to begin! 

The photographer took a few pictures of me as I was "getting ready" then it was time to begin! The ceremony was wonderful! We were so lucky to have our friends and family come all the way out to Vegas to see us get married! I can't wait to see the actual pictures once they come in!

 Waiting for me to come out!!!

 Saying his vows!

I love Katie's expression here! And my own!

After the wedding, the party bus and limo took us to Pampas Brazilian Steakhouse for our reception. It was delicious and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We had great food, cheesecake, and of course wedding cake! I think I got a little carried away with how much cake I ordered because we had a lot left over. It was delicious, nonetheless!

Instead of a guest book, we had a guest book quilt. We played it off of what Clint's grandma does for their family reunion every year. We had cut fabric squares and had them sitting on the guest book table along with markers. Our guest were able to take a fabric square and write or draw a blessing or memory of us. I think everyone had a great time with it and I can't wait to get it quilted! It's something we will always have and use!

Guest book quilt!

After the reception, we all went back to our rooms to get ready to go out. We started off with The Piano Bar at Harrah's. We were called up on stage to lead everyone in the Chicken Dance. I felt like an idiot, but it was fun. The best part of this was when someone from Tennessee paid them $20 to play Rocky Top. We took up a collection of over $30 to have them stop playing Rocky Top. They knew the UofA Fight Song so started to play it as we stood up singing. It was great!

Once we were done at the Piano Bar we headed to Cleopatra's Barge at Caesar's Palace. We were able to get in and guarantee a table by buying a $100 bottle of Vodka. We all felt like high rollers! I had the BEST time here! The music was great, the mood was awesome, and we were just having a wonderful time!

 Katie and I taking a moment out from getting our groove on!

Too cool for words!

Once we were all danced out we decided we needed dessert. Where else would we go, but SUGAR of course! I had been eyeing the Lollipop drink all week, but since it was $36 I passed. However, this was my wedding day so I just HAD to have it! It was huge! I ended up sharing it with everyone and I think there was still a third of it left! Katie and I had order the macaroni cheese balls then decided we also needed milkshakes. Clint was very surprised when it came time to pay the bill. It was all worth it though!



Overall, we had the best time! I couldn't imagine doing our wedding any other way! We wanted to celebrate our wedding over several days and just have a good time! I didn't want to be stressed out and worried about this or that. I wasn't at all. It was perfect!!!!

Wedding Party Breakfast, Shopping, Girls/Guys Night Out

Friday morning started off with the wedding party breakfast. We met at Mon Ami Gabi for a delicious French Breakfast. We wanted to show our family an friends how much we appreciated them by treating them to breakfast and some small gifts. I got my bridesmaids the Pandora Peridot flower charm to represent their bouquets. Clint got his groomsmen a beer mug with poker chips.

The flower with the green center represented our green bouquets. Of course, I had to get myself one!

Our Family!!!

 Our wonderful wedding party!!!

We love our parents!!!!

After breakfast, the guys went to pick up their tuxes while us girls went shopping. We had to go to the Pandora store to see what we could find there! We decided to eat a light lunch at Sugar Factory, this included dessert! While we were there the manager came over and talked to us. He convinced us to come back that evening for fondue! While we were there we ran into Vic Vegas from Food Network Star!

 We decided to go the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace after Sugar. Of course, most things there were out of our price range. We decided to head back to our hotel and check with Sephora about getting our eye makeup done before our Girl's Night Out! We had a blast! We had a strawberry daiquiri while getting all made up! I don't think a girl could ask for more!

Sarah getting her eyebrows done! This consultant was amazing!

The girls met at PF Chang's for dinner then headed to the Holly Madison Peepshow! The guys went to Fremont for dinner at the Heart Attack Grill. Apparently, they have a scale in the restaurant and if you weigh over 350 lbs you get your meal free! The guys don't have pictures to document their night....which I'm thinking is a good thing!

Getting in some yummy food before the show!

After the show we headed back over to Sugar Factory for fondue. This was not a good experience, our waiter was terrible! However, we had a great time together. We then headed back over to the hotel for a good night's sleep before he big Wedding Day!!!

Beakfast, Sugar, Errands, Friends, and Family!

Thursday morning we got up and met Katie and Eric for breakfast. Clint had watched Bacon Paradise on the travel channel and saw an episode on Hash House a Go Go. We knew that was one place we had to go to! I've known for weeks what I was going to get...the French Toast! It included cinnamon grilled bananas and walnuts. It was amazing! I'm pretty sure Katie had the most impressive meal....the Chicken and Waffles!

 Headed to breakfast!

 What to order?!

Chicken and Waffles!

After breakfast we walked back to our hotel. Katie and I decided to stop in Sugar on the way back. It was amazing!!! We were there way too long and spent way too much money on suckers. I don't think the guys were too keen on being there. 

Thursday was reserved for errands. yay! We met with Jazmin at Pampas, which is where we were having our reception. Everything seemed to be in place! We then caught a cab to head to the Clark County Courthouse to get our marriage license. We registered for it online so luckily we didn't have to wait in line! We then headed back to the hotel and I took a little nap. Matt D. had come in so Clint decided to go down to the casino and hang out with him. I woke up just in time for Clint's parents to arrive with Gracyn!!!  We brought her up to the room and got her changed then headed to dinner. 

She had a blast jumping on the bed!!!

My mom and Kaeleigh flew in on Allegiant with the rest of the NWA crowd. They didn't get in til almost midnight! We had a little welcome party for them all in the lobby. That night we stayed up gambling. I played a little craps and was up and down. Decided to move over to the blackjack tables. I got as far up as $85 then eventually lost it. I played about 4 hours on $60 so not too bad! This was the only night I was reserving for gambling.

Bye Bye Baby, Take Off, and Mystere!

We left for Vegas on Wednesday May 9. We woke up that morning and finished packing Gracyn up for Aunt Jeffie's. We met Jeffie at daycare to show her how to check Gracyn out. Leaving her was so hard! Of course, she didn't realize anything was any different! She would be going to Clint's parents after school then they were leaving for Vegas Thursday afternoon. I've only stayed three nights away from Gracyn and those three times she was home with Clint. So to have her riding two and half hours to Tulsa, then getting on an airplane without me was very difficult!!!

Suitcase is packed...she's ready to go!

She wasn't phased at all!

After we dropped Gracyn off, we went to Briar Rose bakery and had the most delicious breakfast ever! We went home and finished packing up. We were so excited and couldn't believe the time had come to leave for Vegas!!! I had to bring my dress along so in order for Clint not to see it I put Gracyn's flower girl dress on one side and my mom's dress on the other. It worked. I will tell you, traveling with a wedding dress gets you all kinds of attention! Everyone tells you congratulations AND you get to board on the plane first!!!

At the airport....we're ecstatic!!!

We got to Vegas about 4:30pm. We had a slight flight delay in Denver. Once we got to Vegas we checked into the Planet Hollywood and freshened up. Then we headed to dinner at the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood. Then we hauled it to Treasure Island to see Cirque de Soleil Mystere! Once we got our tickets we had about 30 minutes til seating. Clint needed to use the bathroom so I decided to sit down at the Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. I put in $10, lost it. Put in $20 more and on my last spin hit the Wheel of Fortune!!! I got to spin the wheel and hit $250!!!! Whooo hoo!!!!

We got into the show and it was amazing!!! The athleticism of these people is unreal!!!! We had great seats and thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Headed into the show!









After we got out of the show we were surprised to get a text message from Katie and Eric. They had just gotten to the hotel and were ready to hang out! Once we got back to our hotel we met up with them and hung out for a bit. Katie and I were exhausted so headed up to bed. The word is the guys had a lot of fun!

Gracyn's First Haircut

Yes, Gracyn is already 2.5 years old and yes, she is just now getting her first haircut. I feel like it took so long to come in and I was scared to cut it off. However, it started to get stringy and her bangs were always in her eyes. So I decided it was time for that first haircut.

After gymnastics Saturday, we took her to Pigtails and Crewcuts. She chose to sit in the firetruck chair. I was little worried that she may not want the girl touching her, but she did very well! She was all smiles the whole time! After her haircut we went to Louis's for lunch. Gracyn and I split the Chicken BBQ pizza....it's our favorite!!!

First cut!!!!

Got to style that beautiful hair!!!

The fist haircut package....includes the first lock of hair and an after picture!

Enjoying lunch with her beautiful hair!

Busy Little Bee!!!!

Now that Clint has off every Wednesday night, he keeps Gracyn every Thursday and Friday. They have come up with activities on their days together. They go to Toddler Time at the library on Thursdays. She enjoys circle activities that relate to the story they are reading! Then on Fridays they go to Boingo Bounce! We first discovered Boingo Bounce when we attended Maya's birthday party. Gracyn was a little unsure of the bounce arounds at first, but now is going down the huge slide on the biggest bounce around!

We are going to have one busy toddler! She will have library story time on Thursdays, Boingo Bounce on Fridays, gymnastics on Saturdays, and starting in June she will be a Twinkle Tot dancer at The Art of Motion! I think involving a child in extra-curricular activities is very important! They learn social, physical, and cognitive skills that will help them as they grow. I know gymnastics has already taught Gracyn patience, how to take turns, and helped with her coordination and balance.  I will continue to introduce Gracyn to all kinds of activities as she gets older so she can decide what she wants to do.

Enjoying puzzles before story time!

Down the balance beam she goes!