Puttin' up butterbeans

Caroline wanted to help me freeze butter beans Monday night, and actually proved to be very helpful in the process. Well, that is if you don't account for all of the beans that ended up on the floor. We were up to our ears in beans because in total, we froze 6 quart bags of peas and 7 quart bags of butterbeans. It's a good thing because my Little Butter Bean, Will, absolutely loves peas and butterbeans! He shoves them in his mouth faster than I can put them on his plate.

Happy Birthday Ethan and Jenna!

Okay, so I'm a little late in my birthday wishes, but it is better late than never, right? I actually started on this post right after the party, but since there were so many good pictures, I decided to make a little slide show. Of course, that takes a little extra time so that explains the delay. (Not to mention that I am trying to settle into our new house!)

Anyway, on Saturday, August 16th, we had the pleasure of attending a double birthday party for our cousins, Ethan and Jenna McGrew. Though they live in Louisiana, they decided to have their party at Gattitown, which is only a few miles from our new home. Needless to say, we were thrilled we were able to go to the party since in the past we have always lived too far away to enjoy these fun events. One might ask why would anyone travel out of town to have a party at Gattitown? The answer is simple...all the pizza you can eat, a great salad bar for the ladies, tons of games for the kids and a big screen TV to keep the men happy. Need I say more?

After the party, we (including Pappaw who tried to weasel his way out of it) all went to the Museum of Natural Science to see the dinosaur exhibit. To my surprise, Caroline really enjoyed the dinosaurs. I was afraid she might be a little scared of the huge beasts, but she proved me wrong. While she liked seeing the dinosaurs, her favorite animal was the live crocodiles (not high on my list of favorites). Will even enjoyed all of the sights and took his chance to get up close and personal with a bear!

We are so glad we got to go to the party, and the kids really enjoyed playing with all of their cousins. Happy Birthday again, Ethan and Jenna!

9 months old

This month proved to be a big month in the life of my little man. He got his first tooth (which was quickly followed by a second), began using his fingers to feed himself big people food, and started walking with a little bit of assistance. This month also served as my awakening of what is to come. I am quickly learning that little boys get into a lot more trouble than little girls. Either that, or my little boy is just harder to chorale than his big sister was. Don't get me wrong, Caroline is a handful in her own right (especially with all the drama little girls can muster up), but Will is a Demolition Man. He can break anything he touches, is a climber (to include climbing all of the stairs that lead to our bonus room upstairs) and can scoot from one place to the next in a matter of milliseconds. He is especially fast on all fours when I turn my back. As soon as I turn around and call his name he stops dead in his tracks, sits up, laughs and gives me the biggest smile. It is precious!

This one's for you, Granger!

My good friend Brandi has a precious little boy named Granger who is a few months younger than Caroline. When we lived in Dothan, Granger and Caroline had the opportunity to play together and ever since then, the two of them have been smitten with one another. In a recent post on Brandi's blog, she commented on Granger's internet romance with Caroline. (To see the blog I'm referring to, please go here.) As it turns out, Caroline also enjoys going to see "Danger" as she calls him on his blog as well.

So, Granger, the following pictures were taken just for you! I hope you enjoy them. Caroline decided to wave at you and even blow you a kiss. I hope you catch it!

The "Vegetables of our Labor"

Don't these veggies look delicious? These are the result of blood, sweat and tears. Well, maybe not blood, but definitely a lot of sweat and a few tears that were shed by my little one when a garden bug introduced himself to her. My grandparents' garden proved to be a big hit with my kids as they absolutely loved going out to the garden every day while we were in town to see what was ready to pick. I've always known that gardens are hard work, but I strongly believe they are well worth it. It is great to watch it grow, and I think it teaches kids a lot...how the rain and sun help things grow, what all the vegetables look like and most importantly responsibility. After all, nothing gets to the table for us to eat without someone's hard work. I really appreciate my grandfather and all of the work he put into the garden. We couldn't have enjoyed all of the yummy summer treats without him!

Lounging at Nana's house

During the few weeks we lived life as hobos, we spent a few days with my Mom (aka Nana) and Pop Buddy. Caroline quickly found some of my old t-shirts, dress up clothes, Barbie dolls and stuffed animals. Caroline's curiosity got the best of her because she had a ball pulling EVERYTHING out to take a gander. Believe it or not, it even raised an eyebrow from my Mother who claims Caroline can't do anything wrong...no, in her book she is a perfect angel. The kids also actually watched a little TV (something that is so rare that we rarely have it on at our house). I contribute it to either the massive television Nana has or perhaps the lounging chairs she got especially for the little boogers.

Anyway, we all got to take a ride on the boat and Matt couldn't resist jumping in the lake. He ended up tubing and actually talked Caroline into going for a ride with him on it. I couldn't let Matt outdo me, so I decided to show my little girl that I am not too old to enjoy a little tubing myself. Afterwards, we all (including Will) ended up jumping in the lake to cool off. Since it seems that I'm the only one in my family that takes photos, I only have pictures of Matt and Caroline tubing and none to prove why I was sore the next day!

Watermelon Party

During our stay with my grandparents, Caroline became quite fond of country life. One morning, she noticed that we still had a watermelon left over from the Fair and declared, "Let's have a party...a watermelon party!" It sounded like such a good idea, that we took her up on it and enjoyed watermelon on the back porch with Mammaw and Pappaw. Will even enjoyed the party and was so messy after he devoured his piece that we headed straight for the bathtub. In kid terms, that means you had a wonderful party!

Caroline's 1st Haircut

We thought the day would never come...but just as my grandmother said it would, it did at last! You see, for the longest my darling little girl has never had enough hair to warrant a haircut. According to my grandmother, it runs in the family because she told me that when I was little she was so worried I would never have much hair on my head. She then told me that she obviously had nothing to worry about because I have too much hair now. Hmmm...does that mean she thinks I need a haircut?

Anyway, over the past few months it seems Caroline's hair has grown so much and I have been debating over whether or not I should trim it a little to give it a little "shape" as my grandmother calls it. She also has always said that a little trim will make it grow thicker. I'm not convinced of that, but since Caroline could still stand for a little more hair, it is worth a try! Luckily for us Aunt KK, aka Miss Jack-of-All-Trades, had a brand new pair of trimming sheers in her suitcase (who knows why) that she was dying to use. Caroline seemed to really like the idea, so we turned Mammaw's kitchen into a beauty salon. Surprisingly, Caroline sat still though the whole "trim" and Aunt KK did a great job...so much so, I hopped in the chair and got a trim too! Boy have things changed...I remember when we were teenagers and I let Kristin WACK and I mean WACK my hair! Hormones were raging and I don't think we spoke to each other for a week over the whole fiasco. She vowed to never agree to trim my hair again and I vowed to never ask her to again. Obviously she has gotten more practice and I my temper has toned down alot as well because this time around was smooth sailing. Since Aunt KK seems to come home every few months, I figure we can assume the role of our beautician permanently!

The Neshoba County Fair

...aka Mississippi's Giant Houseparty! Woohoo...as it turns out, the first week we were "homeless" was also the week of the Fair. That being the case, we stayed with my grandparents who live only a mile from the Fair and took in as much red clay, heat, sawdust, lemonade, corn dogs, watermelons, horse racing, carnival rides, catching up with old friends and porch sittin' that our little hearts could handle. On Saturday of the Fair, my grandfather's family had a "get together" as he calls it at my grandparents' house. We so enjoyed visiting with our cousins from Tennessee and Georgia. Andrew and Brianna were HUGE hits with my kids and great baby sitters. They are welcomed at my house anytime.

Aunt KK also made a trip home to take in the Fair. Just check out Aunt KK and Caroline in the Wranglers they wore to the rodeo! Will also got all dressed up in his Wranglers, so we decided we needed a picture of the two little ones before we went to the rodeo. Aunt KK volunteered to get the kids to look at the camera and smile. Obviously, Caroline thought her funny face was hilarious, while Will thought it was the scariest thing he had ever seen.

Matt and Will enjoyed watching the runners in the Heart of Dixie and Matt vowed that next year he would be a participant. (Please note: Matt has made this vow for the last few years but never ends up following through. He told me that if we would quit having babies and quit moving that he might actually have a chance to train for the big event. I don't plan on doing either in the next year, so we'll see just how serious he is about this!) Anyway, during the week we enjoyed visiting with my Uncle Randy and his family at their cabin. Caroline especially loved seeing her baby cousin, Lane. She told me that she wanted a baby sister. I told her she was barking up the wrong tree...for now at least! I hope to post a few more pictures from the actual Fair soon. I know it is hard to believe, but I forgot my camera so I'll have to get some Fair pictures from Mimi.

Getting Settled

FINALLY... I have internet access again! It seems as if it has been ages since I have posted anything to my blog so you know what that means...lots of catching up to do. We have finally moved into our new house in Madison, and I am attempting to rummage through the many boxes I find myself tripping all over. As to be expected, the things I need most, I cannot find and the things that I could do without keeping popping out of the boxes first. The kids really seem to love our new home...perhaps it is because they realize that we are finally going to settle down for a while. Anyway, I'll be playing catch up over the next few days because life is never dull with us.