A "Corny" Weekend Ahead!

Tomorrow my mom and I are planning on "putting" up corn. My dad grows this huge garden every year and boy do we enjoy it but by the time it all dies we are usually glad to see it go. It's a lot of work to pick, process and freeze/can all of those vegetables, however it's nice to pull out good peas in December too!! I love corn on the cob, fresh from the field, there's nothing better. So I thought I would share with you how we cook it. I lot of people boil their corn but I think it looses a lot of its taste that way. So here's the way my family does it:

1. After you have shucked and silked the ears place in microwavable dish and cover with SaranWrap.

2. Cook in microwave, 2 minutes per ear.

3. Roll in BUTTER and salt and pepper.

4. Enjoy! How easy and quick is that? It really does taste better than boiled corn to me and it's a lot less work!!

Watermelon Parade!

This past weekend, in spite of the horrible humidity, my friend Amy and I, took our boys to the local Watermelon Festival Parade! Once my car was loaded down with a wagon, umbrellas, sunscreen, snacks and hats, we headed out. Surprisingly, we were able to get a great and convenient parking spot with time to spare and unload our cargo.

The boys did great with all of the noisy sirens and people throwing candy at them. This was Noah's first experience at a parade and I think he had a good time. I forget who he was waving at in this picture but he is just so cute!!

I'm not sure what their favorite part of the parade was but it could have been these huge dogs,

or the really big tractors,

but if I had to guess I would say it was the suckers (they each had two)!!!

The boys were covered in a sticky, sugary slobber and sweat but I think they had a really good time. They even received a new toy, since you know neither of them have anything to play with. The local Ford Company threw beach balls and they both caught one (or their mom's caught one)! This is our wagon loaded down and headed back to the car.

Amy and I enjoyed a frozen coke from Burger King and turned the A.C. on high for the ride home. I think it was a good time for all of us!

Our little Monkey is One!!

This weekend family and friends gathered around to celebrate a big day in Gus' life; he turned the big ONE!! Our front yard, and once the rain started our front porch and living room, was full of people who love my little boy and wanted to share this special day with him. While the decorations didn't turn out the way I had hoped because of the rain, I think the party went well and everyone had a good time. Most importantly Gus had a great time! He didn't crash until 7:30 that night and except for the few minutes I woke him up to eat supper and take a bath he slept until 7:30 the next morning!! Here are some pictures of the decorations:

Table centerpieces,

Party Favors,
Food table,

This cake was my project on Saturday! There are 6 cake mixes and over 9 cups of buttercream icing in this thing. Except for the slight sag in the middle it turned out pretty good I think. Here's a closer picture:

Ms. Cindy Jo made Gus' smash cake, isn't it too cute? She is so talented and I can only hope that some of that wears off on me through the years!!

He had a blast in his cake. I don't know how much he actually ate but he had a good time playing in it!!

Gus had some good friends at the party: Allie, Noah, and Veda!

We had a fun time and J. and I really appreciate everyone that helped to make his big day so special. Gus might not remember his 1st birthday but I will never forget it! I pray that God blesses us with many more birthdays with this special angel.

My "Helper"

This week has been really busy getting ready for the BIG birthday party on Sunday so I haven't taken much time to post. I have however had some cute pictures that I thought I would share with you all.

This picture is going to be one of my favorites. These two were such big helpers while Amy and I were trying to can green beans last week. They really enjoyed playing in this cooler full of ice water & beans. Amy and I realized...once again.....how difficult it is to do certain things with kids!!! I think these two ate more beans and ice and scattered them on the porch more than they actually "helped". But they did provide plenty of entertainment!

In these next two pictures Gus was once again "helping" Mommy bake a cake. Doesn't he look like the best helper ever???!

Yes he is going for the beaters. I didn't manage to get a picture but he was sucking the chocolate clean off of them!

He gets this from me because Lord knows I love me some cake batter and icing! When Daddy questioned our behavior we just told him that Gus was practicing for his birthday cake!!!

I know it's a little early but J and I went ahead and gave Gus his birthday present! J finished putting it together and Gus had to take it for a spin. My parents gave me and wagon for my 1st birthday so I thought it would be neat to give one to Gus. I am sure that over the years this wagon will haul a wide variety of things. I think that Gus would prefer it to have a motor, being the speed demon that he is, I just hope it is a little while before he learns he can attach it to the 4-wheeler and pull it around!

Pool Party Anyone?

When I was around 6 or 7 my parents put in a huge underground pool. I still remember watching the big machines dig the hole from my bedroom window. This pool was where we stayed during the summer months. It has hosted many a birthday party for my brother and I. We have so many memories of eating homemade icecream, boiled peanuts and swimming in this pool. Needless to say however, the years have not been kind to the pool. The tile needs to be replaced around the top and the whole bottom and sides need to be resurfaced. These defects result in small leaks that make it almost impossible to keep the chemicals regulated, a fact that drives my mom insane all summer long. She typically lets the pool turn green during the winter and this year was no exception. I didn't take a before picture but it was a MESS! My mom even considered not cleaning it out this year but my dad wanted Gus to be able to swim (let's just say that Gus has my dad completely wrapped)! So Papa and Uncle John pumped out the water and bleached the pool and Gus and I dropped by to see the progress. Of course Gus needed to get in there with Uncle John. This picture is them sitting on the bottom in the deep end in a small puddle of water.

This is Gus trying to climb out because that water was like ice! It felt like being in the springs.We tried it again a little bit later but he still was too chilly to stay in for long. I just know that Gus will have lots of great memories in this pool too (at least once it warms up)!I just had to share this last picture because it cracks me up. It was his first experience with sunglassess which were a little too big. He looks like an elf doesn't he?!!

Mother's Day & Birthday

Yesterday and today are two special days for me: Mother's Day and my birthday. J. has been tormented with the phrase, "But it's mother's day" and "But it's my birthday" too much this weekend. I'm sure he will be glad when tomorrow gets here! On Saturday J took me out for supper to The Melting Pot. We had a nice time for a few hours while Gus played with my parents and his Aunt and Uncle. J. and I hadn't been to the Melting Pot since we were dating, so it was a fun trip down memory lane. Plus we got to laugh at the silly couple next to us that brought their 1 year old son with them to a restaurant that requires you sit there for two hours or more!

Mother's day was a special time for me this year because it was technically my first one (even though last year I tried to count it too!!). God has blessed me with a wonderful little boy that I love so very much. We had a good day hanging out together. Gus and his daddy bought me a pretty bracelet too!

This was a funny picture of Gus eating a dill pickle with my brother!

Today is my 27th birthday! My sweet mother-in-law baked cupcakes for my at lunch and boy were they good. Gus was able to use this as a practice run for his upcoming birthday!

I think he's going to do just fine don't you?

He's all Boy!

Gus has really taken a liking to all things "boy" lately. He likes to:

splash and play in the pool and especially drink the pool water,

chew on sticks, grass and dirt,

Ride and play on all types of equipment (basically anything that moves and he doesn't have to ride in a carseat),

This last picture is Gus and Papa on the tractor if you can't see in there! He is so funny ya'll. If I would stay outside all day and ride him around on our various forms of equipment in the yard he would be perfectly happy!!