Sunday, April 18, 2010

Hello Houston!

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post since we've been back! Thanks for hanging in there with me! We had a great trip to see Jason's family.

Grandpa Orlando had no idea we were coming. Jason was so giddy, he literally skipped to the front door. Jason's aunt opened the door and called for him and said, "Dad I promise you are seeing right, come look who is here for you." He came to the front door and it was the sweetest moment I think I've ever seen. Big, huge tears came to Grandpa Orlando's eyes and all he could say was "Oh my goodness, my grandson has come home." Jason cried, Grandpa O. cried. It was so terribly sweet, that moment made the entire trip worth it. Grandpa O. then gave me the HUGEST hug and said, "I am so thrilled to finally meet my new granddaughter." He is such an adorable man.

Upon our arrival, we had a spaghetti (the REAL way) and a lot of family time. I, of course, decide to hang out with the kiddos:


It was a pretty exhausting first day, and we had to get rested up for Grandpa Orlando's 80th birthday party the next day! It turned out to be a great party, although I felt like there were paparazzi everywhere with as many cameras that were floating around. It was SO incredibly loud. Do you all watch Cake Boss or Everybody Loves Raymond? If you do, it will give you a great insight to how loud my new Italian in-laws are. :)

Some photos from the party: My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, husband, and me.

Jason with his two uncles. These two were definitely my favorites. Jason has a lot of qualities that his uncles have, so it was easy to get an idea of how my husband will be/look in about 20 years! I think he looks identical to the uncle in the grey shirt:

The Orlando Men:

The Orlando Women:

Grandpa Orlando wanted to take a picture with his newest granddaughter. That statement made me smile :)

Jason with Grandpa Orlando. This man is Jason's hero. In fact, he is the reason that we are carrying on the Orlando last name. Jason decided to carry on the Orlando name instead of his biological father's name, but that's a whole different story. Anyway, Grandpa Orlando is my husband's hero.

Grandma and Grandpa Orlando in front of a classic vehicle that belongs to one of the uncles. Don't they look so cute?! You would never believe they were 80 years old!
We did some touristy shopping while we were in Galveston, and this is what happens when Jason's aunts dare him to dress up. The coconut bra was definitely Grandma Orlando's idea.
My sweet husband and I on the deck of one of the souvenir shops. It was a terribly windy day!
It was very hard to see my husband say good-bye to his grandparents, but we plan on being back next spring to celebrate Grandma Orlando's 80th birthday too!!

7 comments:

Jess said...

Awww..... it sounds like you guys had a great trip! I love that Grandpa Orlando was so excited to meet his new granddaughter!

I love the turquoise-ish top!!

Shannon said...

how fun!!! that's so cute, Paigey! Can you elaborate on what real spaghetti is? That sounds really yummy and interesting.. I've only had my mom's homemade spaghetti, but she is definitely not Italian :) Tell me all about it! Mmmm! :) :)

Jamie said...

What great pictures! Looks like y'all had a great time :)

Unknown said...

Shannon-real spaghetti is sauce completely made from scratch, with meatballs made from scratch that cook within the sauce. Jason makes it for us a lot, but it definitely doesn't compare to what Grandpa Orlando can do! :)

Shannon said...

oh neat! we make our sauce from scratch too - but we use tomatoes from a can. Not sure if that makes it un-scratch or not.. haha!! And I don't make meatballs.. just brown hamburger meat and put it in. I bet their spaghetti was great, though!

Brittany Ann said...

What a great trip, and what a great surprise for Grandpa! Glad it went off without a hitch!

Laura and Ryan said...

How fun to surprise Grandpa!

I'm glad you enjoyed Houston...I've been dreaming of it lately!