Easter

I love Easter! It is such a wonderful time of year with all of the flowers in bloom and green leaves covering the recently baren trees. The whole Earth is screaming "Rebirth" and "New Beginnings"! It also shows how much God is in control, that he can use nature to remind us of the very act he endured on the cross so that we can be reborn and have a new beginning in Him. I love church on Easter Sunday. All of the beautiful new dresses and white shoes and the Easter Hymns are some of my favorites : "Up from the grave he arose...." and "He Lives" just to name a couple. This year our family went in spring green. It is the only Sunday our of the year that J wears a tie!!!

Aren't they handsome? Gus was so tired he wouldn't smile for anything and J. was eating skittles!!! The photographer was having a time with her subjects!

Once we got home Gus discovered that the Easter Bunny had hopped by and left him a present.

This big carrots was full of bubbles, which we enjoyed on the porch later that afternoon.

Of course, Gus' favorite part of his basket was the fake paper grass!

This year marks the second year that I have had Easter dinner at my house. Last year I had just my family but J's family was able to join us this year! I was so happy that we were able to have Gus and Allie together for Gus' first Easter. Our families made it through several obstacles this Easter such as stuffy noses, ear infections, sore throats and even hospitalization but we were able to be together and that's what counts. Dinner was delicious; ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn casserole, deviled eggs, yeast rolls, and for dessert, strawberry cake, chocolate cake and banana pudding! Needless to say we ate like kings. In all of the excitment ( and running around on my part) I forgot to take a picture of the table to show you the decorations, but I think it turned out pretty cute!

Gus and Allie were in major need of a nap before the big egg hunt and once they had rested we all relocated to the front porch and yard. The kids are a little young to really get into the hunting part but I think they just enjoy being outside.

I'm not sure real eggs were the best idea. Gus just beat them together until the shell was in little pieces. His tongue also changed colors which each egg he tasted!

Don't worry this wasn't a regular egg! Gus had found a small plastic one in the bottom of his bucket!

I believe this picture is my favorite of the day! He is always so busy.

Gus and Allie have a huge fan base! Uncle Adam was helping in the field,

The rest of the crew was cheering from the porch!

We ended the excitement with some bubbles! Who doesn't love bubbles?

I hope that you and your family had a great Easter too!

Our First Haircut, Egg Hunt & Fair Day!

Gus has experienced three firsts this past week. On Saturday we spent another lovely day in the yard trying to get it looking presentable for Easter Sunday. Gus was in heaven and completely filthy but one thing bothered me all day....... his hair in his eyes.

It's shameful I know. So J. and I took matters into our own hands and tackled this hair. As long as Gus had a snack to munch on he was good as gold. I was the snack-provider/entertainment and J was the Barber. All in all it's not perfect but I don't think it's half bad!!

Gus also went to his first Easter Egg Hunt at our Church this past Sunday. I would take him around from egg to egg and he would pick them up and eat them! He even choked on a piece of cedar tree that he happened to pick up with an egg...it scared me to death. Despite that we had a fun time and Gus even found a prize egg with a $2 bill inside!!

If you'll notice he has the prize egg in his right hand an wouldn't let it go the whole time! That boy is too smart for his own good.

Lastly, J. and I took Gus to our local livestock fair last night to show him the animals. Because the pig show was going on at the time we were only able to look at the steers. Gus got up close and personal with his cousins exhibits!

Thanks Uncle John this is fun!!

This was Hercules and he was awful friendly. He wanted to lick and Gus sure didn't mind! Gus also enjoyed people watching at the fair. There were so many people there and lots of kids running around to keep him occupied. He even chowed down on some smoked ribs and macaroni & cheese courtesy of some church friends we ran into.

Gus is a fearless and curious child, which I have to admit I love about him! I can't wait to experience some more firsts with him.

Playin' in the Dirt

Have I mentioned yet that Gus LOVES it outside? I mean he LOVES it. Anytime we walk inside, even if it is just from the car to the front door, he cries as soon as the door shuts behind us. I believe I could just leave him out there by himself and he would be fine, except for the billion leaves and twigs he would eat without my supervision! He would also attempt to climb any one of the various pieces of equipment that are in our yard from time to time. On Saturday, J, Gus and I were able to spend some time in the yard. J had borrowed a digging contraption to add another water line in our back yard so that I can water my new lemon tree. As soon as Gus spotted it we had to go check it out.

He played on that thing for the longest time. And when he was done he had grease on his hands. It was like looking at a miniture version of his daddy....too cute! When the machine lost it's appeal, Gus moved to the damage left behind the machine. DIRT! What little boy doesn't like dirt, I know, but I didn't realize it started so early, HA. Needless to say I repeated the phrase, "Don't eat dirt!" about one hundred and fifty two times!

Look at those feet, hands and mouth!! I love that he's not afraid to get dirty. We are going to have a blast when he can walk and I can't wait!

Our St. Patty's Day

Yesterday Gus and I set out to spend the day with Papa, my daddy. He has been having a hard time with kidney stones and just underwent surgery on Tuesday. So we kept him company or maybe drove him crazy but nevertheless we were there!! He He. We had snacks, watched tv, and took a little nap with Papa. It was a fun afternoon! I also started supper for Mom so she wouldn't have so much to tackle once she got home from work. We had a St. Patty's Day menu, complete with green peas, biscuits and cake and Leprechaun kisses in a bag(I got the leprechaun kisses poem from Love Actually).

The bags were filled with hersey's kisses of different flavors. The cake was made by my sis-in-law and she did a great job! She even sent us all home with a hunk! Green biscuits are so much fun. Dad wasn't really excited about eating one though. I did tell mom that she should toast the leftovers for him this morning! HA!

On another note Gus and I had cheese grits for breakfast yesterday morning and I just thought this picture was too cute! Needless to say we both took a shower because there is no getting all of those little grits off without a bath!

I hope that you can see them. They are everywhere; the table, his cup, his seat, his face, hair etc! And if you could see me they are all over me too!

Cows, Chicks and Cool-Whip!

Gus has come in contact with some interesting things lately! The best part is that none of it seems to bother him. He is fearless, which he got from his father certainly, not me! This wild-haired cow took a liking to Gus at my parents house. Gus really wanted to get through the barb-wired fence and pet him.

The whole herd was there and Gus was loving all of the "attention". As you can see I had to pull him back when he got too close.

As Carrie and Annie have already shared, we went to Callahan to play with the chicks. Gus, had a good time playing with the plastic eggs!

Chicks beware; he is likely to bite you or bop you on the head! By the way, ya'll don't laugh at his pink-lined jeans he borrowed from his cousin!

My mom had made a chocolate milk cake for dessert this week and after she topped it with cool-chip, Gus had to inspect and clean the cool-whip container. It was so funny!

And this was the result of his hard work!

I had one sticky boy that night!

What we've been up to!

I have been missing in action for a little while because work has been extremely demanding of my time and Gus has been dealing with a sore throat and stomach bug that takes up the rest of it. Last week was a blur of sleepless nights and hectic days but thankfully we are slowing back down to the normal pace this week. We have been enjoying some nice spring-like days around our house and working on a few little outside projects.

1. We have moved in dirt in our driveway to hopefully stop the huge mudpuddles from forming when it rains. Gus and J. tackled this project!

The tractor put him right to sleep! I'll have to remember that for future crankiness.

2. I tried out a new recipe for a chocolate cake. It was a pretty cake and the icing was fabulous but the cake was a little dry.

That didn't stop the family from eating it though!

3. We went for a walk around the property that backs up to ours. It has an old homestead on a part of it that has citrus trees, azaleas and camelias. Gus was enjoying riding on dad's shoulders and playing in the sunshine.

Again all that walking (on mom and dad's part) put him right to sleep!

4. We moved Gus into the forward facing carseat and we all love it! Gus likes watching where he is going and seeing us up front. It was the best decision!

5. Gus is somewhat of a daredevil. I can only hope that it is something that fades with time but I have a feeling we'll be seeing the emergency room often and keeping the band aid makers in business. He loves to climb, on anything:

6. We now have a dog much to Gus' liking. Me and J. aren't too sure we're excited about this yet but we will see how it goes. Her name was Jill although we are considering changing it.


7. Lastly, we planted our new lemon tree on Sunday. I have always wanted one and this weekend the FFA held their annual plant sale and I seized the opportunity. My sweet husband planted it while Gus followed the water hose through the grass and munched on leaves!




Hope you all have a great week too!