Bobbing on the River....

We took Gus for his first boat ride and trip to the sandbar on the River last friday when we got off of work. He had a great time, which we were sure he would. How could he not love the water when his dad and I love it so much?

Isn't she beautiful?

I can't tell you how much a love the river! Especially a cypress tree, which is a good thing since most of my house is made from one!!

Gus did some swimming..

Some climbing....

Some falling (notice the wound between the eyes)....

Some playing with fish hooks :o....just kidding (sort of)!

While daddy didn't catch any fish (in his defense we weren't out there very long) we had a great time and can't wait to go back. We have decided we are going to do this at least once a month. We'll call it Fishin' Friday!

92

My grandmother is 92 years old today! I can't even begin to imagine the changes that she has seen over the years. She was born in 1918, gas was .08 cent and cars were $500!! Let me tell you a little bit about her:
Growing up her family lived on an island that was only accessible by boat. I can't wrap my head around how isolated she must have grown up. They eventually moved onto the mainland but, like most people during that time, she stayed at home with the family pulling her weight of the chores. My granddaddy, whom I never had the pleasure of meeting, saw a glimpse of her through a screen door while she was ironing and said right then that she was the one he was going to marry even though she was only 16 I think!! They had 10, yes 10, children during their marriage: 6 girls and 4 boys, my mom was #9. Granny has never driven and car. I was told that one of her sons tried to teach her how to drive but she just never got the hang of it or decided there wasn't a point, I'm not sure which. To my brother and I, she has always seemed old so she didn't take us to do things like most people's grandparents do. But she did do everything she could for you if you stopped by to visit, she especially made sure that you had something to eat! She is a great cook and has cooked lunch for her youngest daughter, who lives with her, everyday up until recently. She is a firey woman that will speak her mind but in a quite way that is not offensive. I absolutely adore her and hope that I will be able to see traces of her in me from time to time. We always have her party at my parents camp because it is a bigger facility, although it still isn't big enough!! All of the 9 remaining children were present along with some of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There were lots of hugs given, pictures taken, kids playing and catching up. Mom and I try to decorate a little bit, the flower centerpieces had Granny's initials on them and this year I made the birthday cake. By the way purple is her favorite color :)

And this is the guest of honor. I always think of the song "all because two people feel in love" when this side of my family gets together because ya'll it is a massive amount of people. Heaven forbid they all show up one year, I don't know where we would put them or how we would feed them!!!

I love you Granny! Can't wait till next year :)

My new ride!

I have been driving a Jeep for the last 7 years. It has taken me to and from UF for two years, out on dates with my sweetheart, home from the hospital with my baby boy and all the way through the first year of his life. There are a lot of memories that the Jeep has been a part of but J and I have someone who is wanting to buy it so we needed to find something else. This past Tuesday, J. Gus and I went to test drive a new-to-me truck and we ended up driving it home that night. I didn't really expect to ever drive a truck, and let me tell you it is taking some getting used to, but I like the way it handles and the ride is so comfortable and smooth. For those who have ever rode in a jeep you know it is just the opposite!! My biggest transition is giong to be learning to park the big thing! Here she is:




It is a 2009 Chevy Silverado 4x4 crew cab. It only had 22,900 miles on it. The best and most important thing to me was that it had ebony interior. I swore a long time ago that all of my vehicles would have ebony interior. I love an ebony interior! It cleans easily and doesn't show dirt, wear & tear like gray and tan seats do.

J was the one who really wanted a truck. He wanted us to be able to go in my vehicle more often because his is always hooked to a trailer and filthy!! But I am excited that I will be able to pull and haul things too!! We also discovered last night that the bed of the truck is a great place to put Gus and Allie to play because they can't escape!! They had a ball running around in it. I can't wait to see how many more advantages I can come up with.

And just because I can't post without a picture of Gus, here is Gus and Sidney (my parents australian shepherd). Poor Sidney puts up with A LOT!!

Our Summer Vacation!

Last week, J., Gus and I loaded up our camper and headed south for our first family vacation! We left Thursday and came back early Sunday morning, so it was just long enough to do some fun things but not too long to be gone with a one-year-old. We stayed at the Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, FL and it had a great family atmosphere where kids were riding bikes until dark and playing games in the streets. I hope we are able to go back again soon when Gus (and maybe a brother or sister) are big enough to play too.

Our original lot, #90, was too small for our camper so they let us move to #89.

We're not sure why it said "campground host" but the lot was perfect with plenty of room and great creek access.

We went to two beaches while we were there, Siesta Beach and Venice Beach. The water was gorgeous at both beaches but Siesta Beach was our favorite. It was rated the #2 beach in the country I think. Gus had a great time in the sand and water and walking on strangers beach towels on the beach!! I had to run him down several times!! Both times we left the beach Gus was asleep before we left the parking lot, too bad we don't have a pretty beach a little closer to home!! J. and I also learned that Gus and a campfire don't mix. We couldn't keep him away from it! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

The canoe ride, pictured above, was a little nerve racking because Gus screamed when we tried to get him to wear a life jacket so we gave in and let him ride without it. Of course that meant while he was splashing over the edge in the gator infested creek I was praying he wouldn't fall overboard because I sure didn't want to have to jump in after him!!

This last picture is my favorite. My two boys are something else ya'll! They are so much alike it isn't even funny. There was just way too many things that went on over the weekend to share them all but we had a great time and would definately go back!!

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.