Hayride

When I was a teenager and in the youth group at my church, hayrides were a big activity for us in the fall.  After a long ride on winding country roads, we would end up on someone's farm, roasting hot dogs over a toasty bonfire.  Trucks, wagons, and hay were easy to come by in my hometown, you know.  Every September, Justin's home church hosts a hayride after one of their Sunday services.  After enjoying lunch on the grounds, we loaded up the wagon and headed off through the gorgeous country.

You wouldn't have believed that we had actually just eaten lunch, since my kids snacked on chips and Little Debbie's during the ride.  Not gonna lie, I stole an oatmeal cream pie, too.  Poor Granna wrestled Canaan, while trying to make sure Hadley and cousin Larissa didn't fall off the side of the wagon.  There were no sides on the wagon, but at least the bales were tied on. 

We actually took some time to wade in a creek, before driving on across it.  The kids skipped rocks and did their best to not fall in the cool water. 

We took Canaan's overalls off so that he could walk in the water some, too.  He is very tender-footed and wasn't as thrilled about the way those rocks felt on his feet.  Granna had to hold on to him tightly, every step of the way.

 

Such a sweet way to spend a Sunday afternoon; surrounded by family and taking in God's glorious creation!

Boyce General Store

One activity on my family time bucket list has been a trip to Boyce General Store.  You see, I have this strange obsession with general stores and secretly (or not so secretly) would love to own one someday.  During the summer, the general store has been hosting bluegrass bands on the weekends.  Bluegrass music, another one of my strange obsessions.  You can see why this is a very exciting activity for me; a combination of two of my favorite things.

Now that fall has officially arrived, we can start wearing some of our pumpkin themed clothing.  Fall is my absolute favorite season and something I look forward to for months ahead of time. I love how this seems straight out of Mayberry to me; I can imagine old men, wearing overalls, sitting on this bench talking for hours.

The bluegrass band was fabulous.  I seriously could have listened to them for hours and hours. They traveled to us all the way from the great state of Alabama, told great stories, and entertained us throughout the night.

Sometimes I love foregoing the weekend trip to the sit-down restaurant.  Hadley and Canaan were able to actually act like kids without us having to worry about them breathing the wrong way.  We're not actually that bad, but you know how stressful family dinners at restaurants can be. 

Have I mentioned how much I love a little girl in pigtails?  Well, I really do.

My parents joined in for the fun since they don't live very far from Boyce and Nana danced with Hadley for quite some time.  They entertained everybody.

A large part of the night was spent chasing Canaan around and trying to get him to stay close by.  It's times like those you appreciate all the help you can get.  My night at the Boyce General Store was exactly how I imagined it to be and made me want my general store even more.  It never hurts to dream, right?  I hear the store's homemade breakfast is amazing.  I am hoping we can make it for that sometime very soon!

Canaan's Duck Blind

Duck Dynasty is family-friendly show that we just love.   I think it reminds Justin and I of our big hunting-crazed extended families and makes us feel right at home around the Robertson clan.  When I thought of our wild-man Canaan and how much he LOVES all things outdoor related, I knew I had the perfect second birthday theme.   I know parents always say this, but it really does fly by.  I cannot believe our baby....our sweet Canaan is two years old.

We had such a beautiful day for the party, that we spent most of our time outside, which was so nice.  Sometimes parties can get quite crowded inside, so it was nice to be able to spread out. Canaan handled the day's festivities so well, especially since he didn't get a nap at all.  He had a ball playing with all his cousins and other little friends, as well as playing with all those new toys.  He was just one happy boy the entire day.

Camouflage binoculars proved to be a fun party favor for the kiddos.  Distressed wooden frames, pine cones, sawed off tree trunks, and cattails added the rustic touch I was going for.  Months ago, I started looking at Hobby Lobby for artificial cattails.  I was shocked at how expensive a small spring was!  So, as I was driving out and about, I started looking at ditches and ponds that had an abundance of cattails that I could feasibly get to and retrieve some for the party.  On the morning of the party, I put on my rain boots and trudged through a nearby ditch.  I know I looked ridiculous to the people passing by, but I was able to get all the cattails I needed.  Then I just had to get home, cut those suckers way down, and arrange them in vases and jars.  Now that was a cheap decorating touch!

The menu for Canaan's party was simple and tasty.  I placed a boston butt in the crock pot the night before the party and it cooked all night long.  Pulled pork sandwiches are always a hit in these neck of the woods.  Justin's Uncle Timmy runs "Uncle Bow's Barbecue" and he made his fabulous cole slaw (swamp grass).  Yuppie food seemed appropriate to call fresh fruit and gator tail was simply grilled chicken tenders.  Of course we had to have Uncle Si's sweet tea, too.

Last year, I used old-fashioned apple pies for Canaan's first birthday (Canaan County Apple Festival) and this year the pecan pies seemed appropriate to fit our theme.  I think every single one was eaten by the end of the party.  Between the cupcakes and tea cookies, we had plenty of sweets.

Our soon to be five year old, Hadley, was more than excited to celebrate Canaan's birthday.  She has been telling everyone for weeks about Canaan's Duck Dynasty birthday.  We even pulled out some camo for her, too.  Love these two sooo much!

We were just blown away at the precious family and friends who came to celebrate our sweet boy.  It means so much when people take time out of their busy schedules to celebrate with you.  We are just so blessed.

Canaan got so many boy toys this year; especially trucks.  Let me tell you that this boy is obsessed with trucks.  He did love his slide that Granna and Grandad gave him, too.  When pool season rolls around next year, we are going to use it to slide into the water.

We just couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate this sweet boy.  From the food to the fellowship, it was just wonderful.

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet boy!!  We love you soooo much!!

Sunday School Promotion

Sunday School Promotion is a big deal in the Bible Belt.  Our Canaan is moving out of the nursery and in to the 2-3 year old Sunday School class.  This marks the first time in several years that I haven't had a child in the nursery at church.  I should be happy about this, but as I passed it up to walk my big boy to his big Sunday School room, it made me sad.  My babies are growing up.  Mr. Ricky and Ms. Jessica were Hadley's Sunday School teachers when she was in the same room.  They do such a great job with the little ones.  Canaan is not talking very much yet; certainly not in sentences.  He also cried every single Sunday when we dropped him off in the nursery, even though he loved it in there, saw the same ladies every week, and stopped  crying within two minutes.  So I am a little nervous about how he's going to do in the new room.  Hopefully he will adjust quickly.  I can hardly wait to ask Canaan what he learned in Sunday School and him be able to tell me.  Sweet times for sure!