Weekend Visit from Casa Cullen
Guess who made his first trip to the Riley house? Back in January I blogged about my first visit with baby Nash in Austin when he was just 2 months old. He is the little one of our dear close friends The Cullen Family. We are so blessed they are in Austin and that we have been able to see each other so regularly.
It was late Friday when they arrived due to Walt's new job but Nash was all smiles after sleeping all the way. He let me get lots of loving. (Oh, and I hugged mom and dad too on the way to baby :-) After a good night sleep we hit the ground running on Saturday morning. Literally - Justin and I jumped up and both got our runs in so we could relax and enjoy the rest of the day. (which prompted Morgan to ask - "who are these people and what have you done with the Riley's" HA! Nash stayed behind for a walk and little nap with Dad & Justin while Morgan, the boys and I headed out to the Farmer's Market to pick up some yummy veggies for the weekend. (Just look at that kale!) Oh.. and gingersnaps for the little buddies.
The boys had swim lessons so after a great lunch all 3 little ones took a great snooze while we did lots of catching up (and a little snoozing for my man too!) The weather was INSANELY gorgeous with a little cool down that came through. When the boys got up we moved the party outside to enjoy the afternoon. I recently revamped the sandbox (washed, dumped, and started over) this time with pea gravel instead. It was a huge hit with the boys.
The best part of hanging with this family? That we don't really have to do anything to have a great time. We loved on Nash. Played with Zola, chased the boys, snacked, listened to great tunes and of course took lots of pictures. Eli LOVES Zola. We talked all week about her coming and looked at pictures (because he is scared of dogs) but he did great! He was gentle and laughed so hard every time she licked him. Precious. Even today he said "where the doggy go Mommy?"
Dinner Saturday night was such a treat. The yummiest steaks with a new asparagus recipe and grilled vegetables. Eli and Beckett did a great job helping dad grill the veggies. Check us out over on CasaCullen today.. she featured our recipes for the weekend! Go HERE to see the great pictures and get the recipes. You have to try the steak marinade and the asparagus. YUMMY! Even Nash joined us at the table and really enjoyed his cup of milk in the boys high chair.
Sunday morning we all made it to church together. The boys were in great spirits, Nash did wonderful, and as always the message was challenging and right on time. Sunday lunch was already in the crockpot and done by the time we got home. I have to say it is one of my favorite meals. I found it on Pinterest but now follow the blog Tone It Up! It's so hard to find healthy crockpot meals but this one hits the spot. Can't wait to try the other ones! This one was also easy to make dairy free by using So Delicious yogurt. By the way, if you aren't using coconut milk in your smoothies you are missing out. Try it! I promise it is yummers. Promise :-)
It was such a rush as they left to time nap, the boys went down, Justin left for a baseball game with a friend and all the sudden I found myself alone in a quiet house for the first time in days. I posted this on my facebook but I was truly blessed by the weekend. The conversation with friends, the swapping of ideas, the encouragement, the debates, the laughter, and craziness of little ones. To just enjoy being in each other's company is such a gift of great friendship. My heart is full of great memories from this week. The Cullen's are here in Texas "all alone" with no family just like us. But God fills that space. He shows us how much He loves us through the people he brings in to our lives. I read this today and thought how fitting this is in so many situations in our lives.
Love,
The Riley's
It was late Friday when they arrived due to Walt's new job but Nash was all smiles after sleeping all the way. He let me get lots of loving. (Oh, and I hugged mom and dad too on the way to baby :-) After a good night sleep we hit the ground running on Saturday morning. Literally - Justin and I jumped up and both got our runs in so we could relax and enjoy the rest of the day. (which prompted Morgan to ask - "who are these people and what have you done with the Riley's" HA! Nash stayed behind for a walk and little nap with Dad & Justin while Morgan, the boys and I headed out to the Farmer's Market to pick up some yummy veggies for the weekend. (Just look at that kale!) Oh.. and gingersnaps for the little buddies.
The boys had swim lessons so after a great lunch all 3 little ones took a great snooze while we did lots of catching up (and a little snoozing for my man too!) The weather was INSANELY gorgeous with a little cool down that came through. When the boys got up we moved the party outside to enjoy the afternoon. I recently revamped the sandbox (washed, dumped, and started over) this time with pea gravel instead. It was a huge hit with the boys.
The best part of hanging with this family? That we don't really have to do anything to have a great time. We loved on Nash. Played with Zola, chased the boys, snacked, listened to great tunes and of course took lots of pictures. Eli LOVES Zola. We talked all week about her coming and looked at pictures (because he is scared of dogs) but he did great! He was gentle and laughed so hard every time she licked him. Precious. Even today he said "where the doggy go Mommy?"
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| Mr Justin - you are funny |
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| Stealing baby kisses |
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| Gorgeous day! |
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| Happy man with his dad |
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| Playing fetch (Morgan, not Zola.. ha!) |
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| talking to daddy in "time out" |
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| Beckett & Eli 2.5 and Nash 5 months |
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| Love this family |
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| LOVE!! |
Sunday morning we all made it to church together. The boys were in great spirits, Nash did wonderful, and as always the message was challenging and right on time. Sunday lunch was already in the crockpot and done by the time we got home. I have to say it is one of my favorite meals. I found it on Pinterest but now follow the blog Tone It Up! It's so hard to find healthy crockpot meals but this one hits the spot. Can't wait to try the other ones! This one was also easy to make dairy free by using So Delicious yogurt. By the way, if you aren't using coconut milk in your smoothies you are missing out. Try it! I promise it is yummers. Promise :-)
It was such a rush as they left to time nap, the boys went down, Justin left for a baseball game with a friend and all the sudden I found myself alone in a quiet house for the first time in days. I posted this on my facebook but I was truly blessed by the weekend. The conversation with friends, the swapping of ideas, the encouragement, the debates, the laughter, and craziness of little ones. To just enjoy being in each other's company is such a gift of great friendship. My heart is full of great memories from this week. The Cullen's are here in Texas "all alone" with no family just like us. But God fills that space. He shows us how much He loves us through the people he brings in to our lives. I read this today and thought how fitting this is in so many situations in our lives.
Love,
The Riley's