Dustin's Birthday-- Take 2

I think that mommy and daddy had just as much fun as Dustin celebrating his birthday last weekend with a few friends!

We had a Diary Queen ice cream cake with these Whoopie pies (super yummy) and a few snacks; Dustin opened presents and then we headed to the pool for some water fun!

Cake and Whoppie pie:

Train cut out bouquet:

Dustin and Adam head to the pool:

Jackson hanging with Ms. Lisa and patiently awaiting the arrival of his playmate, Baby Caleb:

Dustin and Lauren "bumping" in the pool!

All the kiddos pile on Tim in the pool (sweet baby Ella is in the foreground):

And, here is Dustin playing with his new toy from Mommy and Daddy...a train table!

Dustin's Second Birthday Party -- Take One

We have had a wonderful time celebrating Dustin's two years of life!  There has been so much celebrating that I'm going to have create 3 separate blog posts to cover it all!

The first celebration took place in West Virginia, at Dustin's Grandma and "paw-paw" Riggs' house.

These cupcakes were so good that I will have to post the recipe, soon!  Dustin really enjoys trains, so I made some little cupcake toppers with train cutouts and that had sayings such as, "Choo, Choo, Dustin is two" and "All Aboard, Dustin is 2".

Here is a photo of the spread:

Here is a close up of the 12 month photo banner that I made for the party.  This idea came from Annies-eats.  I just adored it, since his relatives were able to enjoy photos that showed how much our Little Man had grown over the prior 12 months.  His daddy and I enjoyed taking a little trip down memory lane, too!

Dustin enjoyed playing with the balloons at the party.

Both of his Great Grandmothers were able to attend the festivities!

His grandma Riggs got him a push bubble mower--he loves it!

Dustin and his cousin Landon enjoyed playing on the bridge and sweeping up with the new broom from Grandpa and Grandma Pickens.  (They also got him a vacuum, which he also LOVES!)

Overall, Dustin thought his train party was pretty cool!

Happy Birthday Dustin!

To me, a celebration is a mark and reflection of a joyous occasion.  An overflow of life that is portrayed in vibrant hues.  Today, we celebrated Dustin's second birthday!  What a joyous occasion!  I am reminded with this birthday, as I likely will be with each birthday and perhaps through the mere passing of time how blessed we are to have this Little Man with us today, how he is the living proof that God does work miracles, that He does answer prayer, that He does work for those who call Him Father, that His love for us is beyond imagination and so, so much more.



We are amazed with every passing day how fast this Little Man of ours is growing, is learning and is teaching us. 



Click here to view a slide show of Dustin's two years.



Dustin--you are a special little man who your mommy and daddy love beyond measure.  Happy birthday, sweet angel.

JACKSON -- FOUR MONTHS

Jackson Turned four months old at the beginning of the month!  I cannot believe how fast he is growing!

So, what's he up to?

26 and 1/2 inches (This is currently the 95th percentile! He is going to be tall!)

He weighs in at 15 pounds and 3.5 ounces.  (The 50th-75th percentile--tall and lean!)

He is rolling over at every chance he has when on his belly and has become a tummy sleeper.

He has two teeth that have prominently appearing in the front of his mouth.  This has caused him to chew on everything in sight.

He is absolutely delightful and loves to laugh.

Oh, Girls--a guest post by Jackson

Hi, there!

Welcome to my crib!  Mommy is letting me do a little guest post on her blog today. 

This is Charlotte and me the first time that we got to hang out.  She surely must be into me...she's giving me the stare down, after all.

This is Charlotte and I the second time we hung out.  She was trying to grab my hand.  She was definitely sending me signals that she wanted to get to know me better.

I thought that she was really into me.  Until, I read this.

I was devastated by the news that Charlotte has eyes for another.

After all, I am so very special:

I have a great smile and eyes that penetrate the heart;

I like to cuddle;

I enjoy fine dining;

I have a great sense of humor;

 and I have a handsome big brother.

I was really quite upset about all of this, and then,

Mommy and I spent a Saturday morning with these cute redheads!

All better now!

Family Reunion and Jackson's First WV Trip

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

This past weekend we visited West Virginia to attend our Smith family reunion.  It was fun to see family that I have not seen since I was a little girl, to be re-introduced to folks and to watch everyone eat and be merry!!  This was also Jackson's very first trip to the Wild and Wonderful state of West Virginia.  He was able to meet many of his relatives, including Uncle Pickle Mike for the very first time!

Jackson with Pickle.  (How cute is this hat?--That would be Jackson's hat, not you Pickle!)

Dustin had a great time too!  Here he is discovering golf clubs for the first time.

The clubs quickly became this little guy's obsession.  (Sound familiar to any ladies?) 

 He was easily distracted from those clubs when daddy took him to the creek at mom's house.  This Little Man just loves to throw rocks into water.

The trip to West Virginia was a great opportunity for Jackson to receive lots of love...from his Great Aunt Kathy,

From his Grandma Pickles Pickens,

From his Grandpa Pickens,

From his Great Grandpa Smith (whom he met for the first time with Great Grandma supervising in the background),

From his Great Grandma Smith (whom he also met for the first time),

From his Great Aunt Vickie,

and from his Aunt Erica.

Dustin was able to play with his cousin Landon.

He also drove his first car.

We all had a good time visiting our family and look forward to another visit in just a few weeks!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

I am very blessed to have a wonderful and loving father. 

A photo of me and my dad on Father's day.  My father worked very hard to provide for my family and sacrificed much for my brother and I.  He is the type of guy who would give the shirt off of his back, if a friend or loved one needed it.

A photo of my father and I at my college graduation.

Tim and Dad at my and Tim's wedding...two goof balls.

My boys are also extremely lucky to have Tim as a father.  He spends so much time with them, loving them, teaching them and showing them the love that the Father God has for each of us.

Daddy and Dustin last Christmas.

Daddy with both boys--sleeping safely in his arms.

Daddy and Jackson on Jackson's birthday!

In honor of Father's day, below are a few quotes about fathers:

"The most important thing a father can do
for his children is to love their mother."
~~Author Unknown


"To her the name of father was another name for love."
~~By Fanny Fern.~~



"They didn't believe their father had ever been young;
surely even in the cradle he had been a very,
very small man in a gray suit,
with a little dark mustache and flat, incurious eyes."
~~By Richard Shattuck.~~



"Fathers, like mothers, are not born.
Men grow into fathers-
and fathering is
a very important stage in their development."
~~By David M. Gottesman.~~


"It is a wise father that knows his own child."
~~By William Shakespeare (1564-1616)~~


"It doesn't matter who my father was;
it matters who I remember he was."
~~By Anne Sexton (1928-1974) U.S. poet.~~


"I cannot think of any need in childhood
as strong as the need for a father's protection."
~~By Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)~~


"A Man's children and his garden both reflect the

amount of weeding done during the growing season."
~~Author Unknown.~~


My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew


There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus. ~Author Unknown


When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Mark Twain, "Old Times on the Mississippi" Atlantic Monthly, 1874



Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. ~Bill Cosby


"The greatest gift I ever had

Came from God, and I call him Dad!"
~~Author Unknown.