Here is a short movie of our 4th of July vacation in Lake Conroe.  All the clips and pictures were taken with my new iPhone 4’s camera and was edited using the new iMovie app for iPhone. To watch it in full HD you need to watch it on the vimeo site here. Looks pretty good don’t ya think?

This image here is why we are no longer taking a Bies family vacation to South Padre Island. Starting tomorrow we were scheduled to spend 5 days/4 nights on the beach. Unfortunately, mother nature had a different plan. The good news though is we quickly booked a place in Lake Conroe! It doesn’t matter where we go because the highlight of the trip was most definitely going to be this guy anyways…and he’s still coming.

Since Father’s Day is approaching, I wanted to write down some of the songs that make me think of my dear ol’ Dad.  Mainly because seeing several “dad songs” in one place is pretty amusing to me, and maybe only me. We’ll see.

-”Spilled Milk” or something like that by Pam Tillis. I can see my dad jamming out to it while working out in the backyard, mid-summer dark brown skin, about to take a crisp dive into the pool, maybe in light denim shorts. We felt so country listening to that one Pam Tillis cd, though we did later expand our country repertoire to Reba and a Leann Rimes single.
-”Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club: I can still picture the tape. It was always my selection when riding with Dad.
-”Come to my Window” by Melissa Etheridge: This one is actually because I remember making Dad turn off the tv so he could watch me air guitar and sing this song. I was not joking, and I believe I was in junior high.
-”Crazy” by Patsy Cline…okay maybe we were more into country than I realize
-”Gangsta’s Paradise” from Dangerous Minds as performed by Coolio…no denying Dad said he liked this little diddy back in 96. You might still find the soundtrack in the cd collection.
-”The Way You Look Tonight” Frank
-”Unchained Melody” /the Righteous Brothers in general, but this song popped on my ipod during the run & I couldn’t stop thinking about my dad. I love it.

There you have it. Though I could probably go on & on, here’s a small collection of songs from the John Bies soundtrack for me. Happy early Father’s Day!

It was so sunny today after all our rain/mist! I enjoyed a walk to Barnes & Noble at lunch but didn’t expect that I would get warm & need my sunglasses. It was fun seeing everyone sitting outside eating and such. I saw today that the CDC says “people are happier in sunnier places”…the big apple was rated last. Texas ranks 15. I initially wondered if part of that has to do with ’southern charm’/ people in sunny/southern places will rate their happiness higher just because they won’t say otherwise…I actually don’t really think so after reading the article more closely. And gosh, I just sound so cynical saying that!! ha
USA Today article with CDC study

Posted via email from Nick’s posterous

1.   Our cutie nephew Brayden turns one on Thursday & he had a rockin’ bday bash at the park on Saturday. He really enjoyed his cake once he learned what you do with it…smush it all over your face. He had a fresh new haircut that he was proudly showing off. It’s crazy how quickly he seems more like a little boy than a little baby.

2.   We got to have dinner with Marisa & Bryson last week! Woo hoo! Marisa is having Baby Girl in January and we can’t wait! So while we didn’t quite see a baby that night, we did talk babies much of the time.

3.   Roxanne & little Avery just left! Ahh I didn’t want them to leave! Avery is such a sweeet little girl and I love her smile and laugh annnd Roxanne is such a good mom. It’s just fun to see them (and the Curry fam)  I just wish we lived closer and could play all the time!

4.   For now, Scoober is the only baby around these parts! We’re pretty in love with him!

One fun St. Pattie’s memory I have is going to the parade in NY with my sister & Aunt JoAnne. We were so bundled up, and somehow I ended up hot and asked my aunt to take my coat home while Katie & I stayed out. They both told me that was dumb, and I had to wear my coat even if I said I was hot.

If you’re really lucky, you’ll catch my mom doing the Irish jig a time or two during the day tomorrow, which is always a treat. (the odds are in your favor) I remember us practicing the jig (or our version of it at least) to some A Teens song in high school… I just remembered how much I love them back then & found a youtube music video of theirs! Nick thought I was just joking and was a little concerned when I kept right on listening to the entire songs. Next stop, learn their moves! I’m so happy to have found their videos!

Okay that’s all for now. So, I’ll leave everyone with this Irish blessing:

In This Irish Home

May these walls be filled with laughter,

may it reach from floor to rafter.

May the roof keep out the rain,

may sunshine warm each windowpane.

And may the door be open wide

to let the Good Lord’s love inside.

For some reason today as I was leaving and saw a mom pushing her baby, it clicked that my sister is a mom. Like with a child. I don’t think that’s something that will just click once though. I think it will keep clicking at random times when I think about how huge it is or when I see some aspect of what motherhood means and realize my sister is one to someone now. But who am I to say? I’ve only got three months of aunt-hood under my belt.

Brayden is so entertaining and still growing like a weed! The highlight of the weekend was hearing him giggle! It’s still a rarity, so I felt honored. It’s like he couldn’t contain how funny being bounced on his papa’s (Ray’s dad) head was, and it just flowed out. His face has changed so much. We think we know what he looks like now, but it’s crazy that he could just keep morphing and look different next month…probably won’t “morph” too dramatically, but you never know.

Here are some adorable photos of the little prince:

On Wednesday, October 22, Katie and Ray went in as two (well, more like 25, if we’re including their entourage) and at 4:08pm, they became a family of three! Baby Brayden Andrew Mastroleo was born…8.2 lbs! Wow! He looked so big next to the little six pounders in the nursery. I can’t think of the right word to describe his birthday. Amazing will have to do. I was so thankful to be able to take off of work, and it was an even better treat that at the last minute Nick was able to spend the day with us, not just the birth part.
Some of the quotes of the day include Ray yelling, “Rock and Rollll!!” to the crowd waiting in the waiting room, when it was just time for Katie to push. -Just one of the many ups and downs of the day! Man! The best was when Ray just busted through the doors, running to the nursery window yelling, “I just carried him over here!” Everyone was more than overjoyed.

I just kept picturing the night Katie and Ray told us about our new addition on the way. There wasn’t even a bump to be noticed for a long time, and I just find it amazing to hold him and know that he started as nothing inside of Katie’s tummy. I could ramble on and on about it but I just kept thinking how amazing God is.

He’s so cute! I even enjoy his crying…of course, I’m not hearing it at 3am. But his cries sound like they’re straight out of Jurassic Park. A real live baby dino. So far, he enjoys filling his days with sleeping. I’m in awe of his sleeping patterns. That’s all for now. I better get back to my baby…Scoober dog!