Down by the Bay

Ry & I took a quick trip to Galveston late yesterday afternoon with Auntie (Yvonne). Road the ferry, then headed to East Beach about an hour before sunset.

We fed the gulls, then Ry headed for the water. He cautiously walked parallel to the water line, before pulling off his crocs and stepping in. In no time, he was splashing about and running at lightening speed all over the place.

He made a great effort at climbing a huge pile of sand, trying to copy what the older boys were doing.

The sunset was spectacular. And the bumper-to-bumper traffic that we'd passed on our way south had cleared out by the time we headed home.

Wrapping Up Ry's Birthday

Yes, I know. I kind of left you hanging. Let me catch you up on the birthday weekend festivities.

To start with, I got sick. (adenovirus) Luckily, mom flew in on Thursday and (frankly) pulled off a birthday miracle.

We kept Ry home with us on the actual day (Friday, 8/10), which began with his current favorite meal, pancakes. We then kept our annual tradition of a birthday portrait @ the Picture People in the Galleria, before running a slew of b-day party errands.

At some point that afternoon, Aunt Yvonne caught up with us, and later Anthony joined us all back home for a birthday dinner of fajitas and pie.



In case this slideshow doesn't clearly demonstrate the point, Ry LOVES blowing out candles. We did three rounds of flames and singing and blowing before he was satisfied. He opened a handful of gifts (a great indoor sandbox from Jackie that he promptly climbed in, and a bunch of balls from Anthony that made for a rowdy time) before Ant & I broke out the paint to stamp hand and foot prints into the book he gave him for his first birthday.

Saturday brought the party. Our guests included:
- Grandma & Grandpa Silhan
- Nana (my mom) & Aunt Yvonne
- Brian, Lori & Aunt Cindy
- Vincent & Monica (who kindly made us cupcakes!)
- Hernan, Alicia & Medai
- Tina & Adria
- Tia (Cynthia)
- Trish
- Jackson, Beckett, Shannon & Kevin
- Riley, Shannon & Matthew
- Halie, Luke, Jaycie & Aunt Julie
- Elena & Natalie
- Hannah, Colby & Deputy David

To be honest, I was in a bit of a fever-induced fog. I have no idea what memories Ry (or others) will have of the event, but mine include:
- Ryan's sheer panic and extended crying episode over the balloons
- The arrival of friends, friends, and more friends
- My mom in an apron teaching kids to paint with marbles, string, and bubbles
- Paint on fingers, hands, arms and an occasional leg
- Paint on faces and in hair
- Some impressive works of art (yes, some paint actually hit paper)
- On-time pizza delivery
- Kids running inside
- Kids running outside
- Lots of balloons popping
- The graciousness of my friends & family who helped us clean up

Here are some pics from the event for your enjoy/amusement:



Whether you were there or not, consider leaving us a comment to this post to commemorate the event.

xo -

me (& the ry-guy)