Why We Stopped Hosting Gatherings

It’s true.
We stopped.
No more dinners or games nights.
Halloween bash, huh? 
Christmas dinner at our house “NOOOO WAY!”

We used to be the hostesses with the mostess
Kent rocked the kitchen and I whipped up dessert and décor.
We were a good team!

Our home was always open for gatherings.
In fact we’ve even had friends hold their events at our home.
It was all fun and games until…….. 

We got fed up!
Actually I got fed up and Kent was all “Why can’t we just use paper plates and not worry about the house?” and I was all “Are you kidding me!?!”

I was dead set on presenting the prefect package.
Even if that meant buying new napkins to match a color scheme or just the right items to complete the tablescape.
Oh and the house, yes the house had to be juuuuuuust right!
It took me weeks to decorate for Holidays in preparation of holiday parties we were hosting.

It just got to be too much…..
Too much money.
Too much time.
Too much to cleanup.
Too stressful.  
Their was almost always some unkind words exchanged between my teammate and I.
We were usually rushing around like crazy before the party and too tired to clean up afterwards.

Enter pregnancy
Followed by our sweet Weston.
He’s a handful (pictured above)

We just no longer had the time or maybe more like the drive to host gatherings.
So we stopped!
I even stopped decorating for holidays.
It was actually kind of peaceful. 

Until recently.

We had family come to town and really didn’t have a choice but to host a few meals at our home. After those gatherings we figured what the hey let’s invite the grandparents over for a meal. After that we decided we might as well have some friends over too.

Bam just like that we were back in action!
But things are MUCH different now.

Thanks to Weston we just don’t have the time to fuss over the house the meal or special details of the gathering. I’ve just been doing the best I can do while making sure I’m having fun with the process (that’s a big one).

I’ve enjoyed being creative with things we have on hand and not fussing too much.
This means a newborn wrap from my prop stash used as a table runner. Leftover paper napkins in napkin rings (classy right). Easy flower arrangements with cheap flowers from Trader Joes.

Store bought pizza served right out of the box (not shown in the pic above) and a salad made with things we already had on hand. Mint from the herb garden and a sliced orange (again already had on hand) to spruce up the ice tea. Another newborn prop wrap used as a runner paired with a white curtain valance I have yet to hang. Paper napkins I’ve been holding onto for years waiting for just the right time to use them. Just the right time meant I never used them. 

A store bought dessert. The Martha Stewart in me had a hard time with this one but y’all if you’re near a Costco run and get this. It’s delicious! Martha Stewart can shove it. Just kidding Martha. I love you!

My new motto when it comes to hosting is…..
Keep it simple. Make it special by using things I already have on hand. And most importantly remember to enjoy the process.

Look at my dad and step-mom smiling and having a good time.
They don’t care that we just served pizza or didn’t have a dessert to offer them.
Weston on the other hand looks like I’ve shamed him.

Follow Us on Instagram:
Kendra.Pryor
Droolzies

Family Trip To The Zoo

Our 1st family trip to the zoo was a massive hit! Honestly I didn’t think Weston was going to be too excited or even get what was going on but boy was I wrong! I should have known that my adventure seeking people loving baby would eat this adventure up!

I decided that a 1st as any 1st in Weston’s life deserved my SLR and NO phone pictures. So I packed the big camera. Of course I had to take a couple phone snaps to share with my Instagram buddies but for the most part the phone didn’t get used. Once we got home and looked through the photos I was so glad we decided to put the phone down and pick the camera up! Kent even took some video which is pretty precious! I will add it to our YouTube channel soon.

If you’re in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and haven’t visited the Ft Worth Zoo you better get your kister over there. It’s stunning. The grounds are beautiful and they put a lot of thought into the animal enclosures. Animals aside it was fun just walking around and enjoying all the beautiful scenery.

That’s when you know you’re getting old eh?
You enjoy super exciting things like plants and find yourself saying things such as…..
“My gosh this tree is stunning.” and “I wonder if these do well in full sun?”

 

Awww sweet baby kisses! I will never get tired of his open mouth slobbery kisses!

 

Anything Weston could get involved in he was all about it. Although I’m sure he thought this was Brady’s (our dog) big brother wearing a funny hat!

 

Almost 9 months old but looking like he cheezing for his 1st school picture!
Just look at those sweet teethers! Something else I’ll never get tired of!

Nana and little buddy! Isn’t my mama so pretty?

 

THIS was our favorite part of the trip. Again I didn’t think he would care too much about the merry-go-round but yet again I was wrong……… he LOOOOVED it!

He giggled every time the horse went up and down. It was precious even the folks waiting in line were getting a kick out of his reaction.

Trip to the merry-go-round at the mall is added to our summer bucket list! In fact I bet we’ll be going several times this summer!

 

The bird exhibit was pretty awesome as well.
You walk into a big net covered area that had tons little birdies flying around. Weston got a kick out of it!  Annnnd I did too!

Kent manned the camera most of the trip which was very sweet of him but I did enjoying taking photos of the animals. When I looked back through the photos I took a million bird pictures.

No zebras.
No giraffes.
Just birds and more birds!

Something weird about yours truly that only a few people know is that have an infatuation with birds. Kent and I enjoy bird watching (yes another old folk reference). What can say I’m 31 going on 60. Come on though don’t you think birds are funny? They crack me up! They way they walk. The fluffy feathered dance thing some do during mating session. They’re hilarious!

And so I shot tons of bird photos but I’ll save you and only show you 3.  

 

This guy was pretty cute too! I would love to go back with a big zoom lens and get a little more up close and personal with the bigger animals.

Weston checking out the otters.

 

I could write a whole blog post on the elephants alone.
A mama and her baby. It was awesome to watch the bond between them. The baby playing but never going farther than reaching distance from his mama. He had to be touching her in some way at all times.

My mom brought up a good point and said it reminds her Weston and I. Yep my little one is the same way. Happy as can be but the second I turn my back even if I’m in the same room he flips. He’s happiest when he’s in my arms. Call him a mam’s boy. Say I’m spoiling him. I don’t care. He’s been that way since he was born no matter what I’ve done and I know a day will come when that’s not the case so I ‘m choosing to soak up every ounce of his mama’s boy love!

And on the note of him being a mama’s boy this guy hates being in his stroller. He much prefers the Ergo or to be carried. He’s 25lbs of baby love so that’s not always possible. We brought it along anyway hoping his stroller hating days were over. Let’s just say they aren’t but he’s working on it and did take a nap in his stroller so we’ll call that a success. 

This was such a special day for our sweet little family. Something I know we’ll remember for a long time!

Yay for day #2 of the Blog More in June challenge!
I’ll be back on Friday with a post about why we stopped hosting gatherings at our house!

Find us on Instagram:
-Kendra.Pryor
-Weston’s Bib is from: Droolzies

I have a few blog buddies that are joining in on the challenge to Blog More in June! Check out their post by visiting the links below!

Wild Geese That Fly: You’ll love Jeny and her post! She’s funny and has an adorable baby that is just a few weeks older than Weston. We can thank Jeny for this challenge. It was her sweet Instagram comment that inspired me to get back at it!
Murry Mayhem: Alicia is a southern sweetheart! She’s a photographer, a crafter, wife, and mama. Alicia and I met at a blog gathering a loooooong time ago and have kept in touch over the years. You’ll enjoy her sweet southern sprit. I sure do!
Simply Domestic: My sister in-law’s blog! Kim is an amazing wife and mother. She blogs about life, family, and her walk with Christ. Something that is often said in our house “Well Kim said…..” Yep I totally look up to her as a parent and the relationship she has with my brother!  

Let’s Play Catch Up

Hi guys!
Things have been  a little quiet around here so I thought a round of catch up was in order! Here’s what we’ve been up to last couple of months……..

1st family trip to the Dallas Farmer’s market!

                               

TX is crazy hot in the summer so we try to do as much as we can outdoors before the heat rolls in! Lots of family walks, backyard lounging, exploring, and outdoor dining! Some of our favorite things thing to do! Yet another reason why we need to move. Kent and I hate yes that’s a strong word but we literally hate TX summers. We won’t be moving anytime soon but we’re starting to think on it. Maybe before Weston starts school!?! Fingers crossed!

                            

These 2 are still best buds!

 

Clothing diapering is still going well! In fact I love it and am so happy we decided to cloth diaper. Once Weston moved into the one size diapers I tried several different brands and systems until I found something that worked for us. We found our sweet spot and have been working on building a stash!

I shot Weston’s 6 month pictures which were more like his 6.5 month photos. He did awesome and totally made up for his newborn session.

Family photos on the other hand. Well that’s a different story…….

With the help of the tripod and a shutter release remote we tried to sneak in a few family photos as well. Yeahhhh that wasn’t happening. This was seriously the best of the bunch. Crying baby, my massive hair, Kent’s growing a foot out of his arm. But hey the light was pretty, Kent looks good, and you can see my cute shoes.  Framer for sure eh?

The best shot we got (obviously not the best quality) was a selfie we snapped with our phone as we we were getting into the car.

Weston had his 1st official baby play date.
He’s little buddy gives back scratches and daintily picks ears. I’d say this friend is a keeper!

This also happened during their pay date.

 

Weston’s is crawling, pulling up on anything he can grab onto, standing on his own for a few seconds and just generally into EVERYTHING. He’s learning what NO means real fast. He knows he’s not supposed to be playing with the cords (in the photo below). He crawled over to them grabbed them then smiled at me waiting for my “Weston no!” I have a feeling this one is going to be trouble! Cute trouble though.

 

I went to a concert with my best friend. It was good for my soul. Kent and I love going to intimate concerts but stopped going when I was pregnant. When you’re knee deep in mommy bliss you forget some of the things that made your heart happy before baby. This is one I definitely need to pick back up!

                       

I’m back at it!  Weston’s was born in late September. I came back to shoot a few fall sessions in November then went back on maternity leave until last month! It was a nice and much needed break! I’m booked through September. Thankfully I’ve been able to slide back in where I left off!

                               

We’ve been enjoying our family life! Seriously why did we wait so long to have kiddos. Yes it’s hard at times but the hard time don’t even touch the amount of joy these precious peas bring into your life. I can’t wait to have my arms full of babies. If Kent would let me I would totally try to give Michelle Duggar a run for her money! Don’t think that’s going to be happening though.

 

We also have some exciting news to share!
(no I’m not pregnant)

We’re often asked about the little drool bibs Weston wears. I mean come on aren't they adorable? There’s been so much interest in them we’ve decided to make them available to others who might like to get their hands on them. We’ll be sailing “Droolzies” very soon! Hopefully by this Friday 6/13! 

Since this is something new we’re rolling out our 1st sale via Instagram. If you’re on Instagram be sure to like our “Droolzies” page so you can get your hands on some of this cuteness. 

           

 

Annnnnnd one more little announcement!
(no I’m not pregnant)  
I’m kicking off a blog challenge….starting today!

Yahooo!

Y’all I have no idea how I blogged almost daily during my last challenge. That was during some of our hardest days with Weston. We survived and it’s all good but my goodness that was hard. It wasn’t until he hit 6 months that I felt like I could see straight.  I think the post during that challenge were honest and definitely showed what we were going through during that time!

I really enjoy blogging on a more regular basis. So I thought why not run another challenge to get myself back into the swing of things. During the remainder of June I’ll be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I even have a few blog buddies joining the challenge. Once I know their blog schedules I’ll share links with you so you can check them out!

Thanks for catching up with us! I’ll see y’all back here on Wednesday! If you have anything you would like me to blog or vlog about let me know! I have a few post scheduled and ready to go but I would love some of your input!

Follow us on Instagram:
Kendra.Pryor
Droolzies