My parents have owned an airboat for as long as I can remember. I used to be so scared of it when I was little and would beg for them to let me stay with someone while they went out fishing but Dad didn't go for it. It wasn't until we blew the prop up and were stranded on a island that I go over my fear (yeah I tend to be weird like that)! After that I loved it. Most of the time I would drive the boat while my dad and brother fished off of the front. To me it is so relaxing because the loudness of the motor drowns out everything but the moment, the wind, the sun, the clouds, and the water. The last time I was on the airboat was during my pregnancy with Gus. Gus has been too small to go out. Until now.

I convinced Dad to let us go Saturday afternoon for Gus' first airboat ride/fishing trip. While I packed the necessary snacks and clothing and picked J up, mom and dad went and bought Gus a new pair of ear muffs and we headed for the coast. Gus is such a great kid! He takes everything in stride. We smeared on the sun block, snapped him in his life vest, put on his hat and ear muffs and loaded the boat. The sun must have been blinding Gus at one point because he stole my sunglassess.

I don't think he liked not being able to hear very much but he adjusted really quick. Once we started cathing fish he was excited! The fish were going everywhere, jumping out of the water and making lots of splashes, and Gus was pointing and saying "Pish, Pish". He rode on the top seat with me most of the time but he did take a turn in the drivers seat with my dad (it was closer to the fish cooler!).

I love this picture of all the guys. Yes, J. is standing in the water, we hit a shallow spot and he had to push the boat off!!
This was our smallest catch of the day. Gus got to check it out before we threw it back!

Eventually those good vibrations put my little man right to sleep and we headed back to the boat ramp, but I think Gus had a great time. I know that as he gets bigger this is going to be a lot of fun for him like it was for me (only Gus will have twice the fun since both of his grandparents have an airboat!).

Football season is here again and I'm not talking about Gators but the mighty, mighty Tigers!! The boys are doing great this year and my cousin is on the Varsity team doing really well himself. Our family has been supporting the Tigers each Friday night they have a home game. It has been fun to see how much Gus and Noah have grown since last season, see for yourself!!

They had a great time. Gus likes to dance to the band and watch the cheerleaders and he thought he wanted to touch the tiger mascot but that was right up until he got within arms reach of the Tiger!!

Tonight the Tigers take on our BIG rival, the Bulldogs. Good Luck Hunter, we'll be there to cheer you on!!

Lastly let me leave you with a funny picture. Gus' Uncle J and Aunt Lynsey just got back from a cruise to Mexico and this is what they brought him back.......

I'm thinking he might have to be a little mexican for Halloween, what do you think?

I've been tagged.....

Becca from The Texas Darlings has tagged me with some questions so here we go! I hope that she is not completely bored by my ordinary life!!

1. Where were you born? and your parents? - well we have all been born in Florida and have remained in the same counties all of our lives!!

2. Least favorite memory of awkward high school days- My first trip to the prom with J. (now my husband). I was so nervous and scared. He still hasn't let me forget it either:)

3. My favorite photo I have taken -

Our vacation this year at the beach. I just LOVE this picture, mainly because it has my favorite two people in the world in it but it just grabs at my heart strings!!

4. Song that makes my day go better - This is a tough one for me because I love all types of music, therefore I never know what station I'll be listening to. However if I am feeling low I need something with a good beat that I can turn up really loud and roll the windows down.

5. How did my husband and I meet?- Being from the incredibly small town that we are from we have known each other forever. Our fathers went to high school together too; again small town! It wasn't until the 11th grade for me, 10th grade for him (yeah I feel for a younger man) that I started to notice him THAT way:) I wanted to ask him to go to prom with me and I finally worked up the courage to do it, at the Ag shop, which is where we had our first kiss too. Anyways, we went to the prom and one other date but me being me I was too shy and decided to break up with him (stupid). Then his senior year I started crushing on him again, I was already graduated and basically I stalked him. Not in the scary way but I went to all of his baseball/football games and was always available to go skiing on the river. We took our first serious date on June 14, 2002 and we started "going out" officially on October 4, 2002. We were engaged December 24, 2004 and married December 3, 2005.

6. Favorite snack?- Would have to be cold m&m's and a coke! I get that from my dad, he always keeps some in the fridge:)

7. First concert? - I'm not a big fan of concerts basically because I don't like rubbing on a drunk stranger while having my eardrums busted out but the first and probably the best one I have been to was Brad Paisley at the Strawberry festival in Plant City, Florida. It was a small concert before he was super famous and I loved it. But I love Brad, so that's why I made an exception to my "no-concert" rule!!

8. What makes you the happiest?- Hearing J. say I love you for no reason and seeing Gus' face light up in a face-busting grin:)

A Family Afternoon

J has been out of town for basically the whole month of August. With the exception of the weekends he has been in two different states for the last three weeks. Gus and I have missed him terribly and were so glad to see him Saturday morning (he got home around 1:ooam)!! Needless to say we hijacked him for the day, hooked up the boat and headed for Suwannee. It was a great day to be out on the water, it was overcast and there was a slight breeze!

Gus wasn't crazy about the lifevest we made him wear.

It was the same lifevest that all of the Ayers' kids have worn including J. At one point we were riding around and Gus started licking and chewing on the vest and when I pointed it out to J he said he used to do the same thing when he wore it!! After our big ride we went inside for a cold drink and Gus had a blast exploring. He loves the big windows that face the water and playing behind the drapes. He also had fun going through the books that cousin Allie had left down there! He also wanted so badly to swim in the "pool", which is what he kept calling the river!! I don't think he meant head-first daddy!!

It was a great afternoon topped off with a yummy supper with J's parents. We are so glad to have daddy back home again!!

Muddin'

One positive outcome of the rain we had everyday of last week is PUDDLES. Saturday evening while we were on a family walk we ran across this huge puddle in our driveway. Gus made himself right at home! Ya'll he ran from one side to the other, he crawled, he splashed, he threw mud, he even walked right out of his shoes!! (note the floating shoe below)

Every time he fell down he took a deep breath like he was afraid he might go under!!

Who needs a pool?? He wanted to show me his bellybutton! See him pointing?
Look at this face! We stripped him and hosed him down on the carport before we let him back in the house. He had dirt is all of his little wrinkles!!

HE'S ALL BOY!!! :)

Shaggy no more

Gus has been in serious need of a haircut for several weeks now. I mean it was curling around his ears and in the back to the point that brushing it did no good whatsoever and it was driving me crazy. So now that my friend, Kalyn who cuts my hair and did Gus' first haircut, has started her new job at a local salon, Gus and I headed over on my day off yesterday. We decided to butter up Kalyn by taking her out for lunch before the big cut and we had a great time visiting with her. Then we headed back to the salon and plopped Gus in the chair and covered him with his very own camo cape!!

(look at that hair)

I think Kalyn was a little nervous since the last time she cut Gus' hair he was not happy with her and he squirmed and cried most of the time. This time, however, he was really good especially once he was given "the pink bottle".

Ya'll he sucked the yucky city-chlorenated water out of that bottle the whole time she was trimming his hair! That and he stared at the other customers in the building.

On a side note: Gus is probably going to grow up thinking that his favorite color is pink. All of the toys he loves at Ma'am's house are pink because they were first Allie Claire's. Don't get me wrong, he is ALL boy but it makes me wonder sometimes what all of this pink influence is doing to him:)

Well the finished product was a big WOW for me! My baby looks so grown up. I looked at him the whole way home thinking "Who is this kid in my backseat?". What do you think?

(Kalyn & Gus)

This weekend we had a great time on the Rainbow River. It was an incredibly hot day, perfect for floating down a really cold, crystal-clear river. We had around 26 people from our church that went, aging from 11 to 77. Gus had a great time. He rode with lots of different people like: his dad in the ganoe, his papa in a float, me on a fun noodle, and some church members on the big boat. We floated and talked and ate boiled peanuts. It doesn't get much better.

I think we could go every weekend. I was able to swim about half of the way down while Gus was hanging out with everybody else so I was as happy as I could be. I love to swim and dive down in the holes and look around! J was happy riding in the ganoe with the trolling motor most of the time but he did jump in a few times. Gus was out like a light as soon as we strapped him in the carseat! We are already planning next year and maybe going twice next summer!

For your comedy relief this morning I'll leave you with these pics of Gus eating a porkchop bone. He was having a great time if you can't tell!!! (This was all my mother's doing since I don't gnaw on bones, but Gus didn't seem to mind:)