Our Week

We started off the week on a fun note!  We spent the July 4th morning in Millcreek where they have a great parade (at least on election years)!  

Since they were tiny babies, this has been their reaction to loud noises!  

My May came for the parade and Sam was glad to have some attention.

Catherine and Brittany organized their streets float.  They were the Millcreek Super Heroes.  

Sara Beth decided she wanted on as they were passing by.

And the little sisters caught the candy.

While the little brothers just hung out!  I have a feeling Trey and Sam will do a lot of hanging out with 5 older sisters between them!

At the end, Mrs. Brittany was kind and let Audrey and Leigh climb on to practice their wave.

Afterward the parade, it was time for eating, swimming, sliding, and jumping.  All of which our family did!

Monday afternoon is when our week sort of fell apart.  Sam got fussy and didn't nap.  Also, we got all five of us dressed and sunscreened to head to the pool and as soon as we got their it thundered-so we headed home with two disappointed girls.  Zeb and I thought we were giving the girls a huge treat and cooked hotdogs and had chips!  Let's just say the dinner was not fun nor a treat and we won't be eating hotdogs and chips anytime soon.  

What started with Sam being  fussy ended in 3 days of 103 plus temps.  So, he spent a couple of days like this... 

While Sam was sick, the girls and I caught up on some of our reading.  We had gotten behind with Bible School, the beach, and cheer camp all in the month of June.  

Today, he's all smiles...sort of... so we headed out of the house for a bit!  Sam needed to check out his new ride after turning one!

I asked the girls what they wanted to do, and Sara Beth wanted to go to the library.  We checked out 15 books that they are chomping at the bit to read, so that's what we will be doing this afternoon.  After the library, we went to Renaissance with my mom and had fun playing in the fountains! At first Sam wasn't too sure what to think about them, but it didn't take long.

Mom treated us to lunch at Pepper's which is always yummy!  I think everyone benefited from a morning out!

And this is what I came home to....I'm up for ideas of what Austin got into...

Sam I Am--This is it! Ha!

I was told more than once that I was doing a lot of work for a child that wouldn't remember or care!  Well, I know he won't remember, but I will.  I won't have another child turn one, and for some reason this is a momentous birthday to me.  And, I had a great theme and the teacher in me came out--I had so many more ideas that I didn't do!  

I didn't spend much money on this party at all.  It's amazing how much stuff friends and family have when you start asking around.  I got the tables and dishes from my mom.  I borrowed the lanterns and the buckets that his month pictures were in.  And the real kicker was that my cousin did all the paper decorations for me!  Thanks to everyone that helped!

And, he may not remember, but he had a great time!  He seemed to know that Saturday was his day! 

He also cruised for the first time using this wagon and said ball for the first time--both at his party!

Love, love, love this shot!  My SIL Laura gave Sam a Honey Bee Farms t-shirt (I love Darby!!!) and my sister, Elizabeth, thought he must have the blue jean diapers!  The combo was just too much for this Momma!  I could just eat him up!

A little squeal came out when he opened this gift!

sweet moment with auntsa

I pushed our furniture against the wall and put two round tables in the living room.  It was crowded, but worked.

This is Ginger and her mom, Dot!  Dot is Doe's sister.  Sadly, neither one of my grandmothers could make it!

mantle--I got these wood letters from Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off.  Then I quickly painted them.  I think all 6 of them took about 30 minutes!

This is my favorite decoration!  Sara Beth wanted to add her Green Eggs and Ham project that she made at school!  Of course I let her and I love she is thinking in theme!

favors:  The kids took home these green eggs and ham watches.  They flip up and tell the time.  They also took home their cups and the stuff that was in the eggs.

I found these cute notebooks at Michael's on the sale rack for $1.  Ginger made the Sam I Am stickers then  added sticker that were bought.  I was pleased with how they turned out.  I love the gift tags that she made!  Also, all the ribbon is from Michael's when it was 50% off!

Sam I Am-Part 4 The Smash Cake

The best part of any one year old party is the smash cake!  Sam didn't disappoint!

hmmm....

tasty...

And he had to have a bath before he could even open his presents!

Sam I Am-Part 3 The Activities

Not many activities are needed for a one year old party, but since this one year old has 2 very active older sisters, we needed something.  So, we had a green egg hunt!  Yes, you can order just green plastic eggs online!  I filled them with Dr. Seuss silly bands, orange and green suckers, and stickers.  The kids had a blast having an egg hunt in July!  I got orange sand pails for $1 at Michaels so they could collect their eggs!

Hayes enjoyed reading a board book version of Green Eggs and Ham.

Sam may not have been big enough to hunt eggs, but he had lots of fun playing with them!

With the leftover stickers that I had, the kids were going to make little books.  Honestly, there just wasn't enough time for this.  But, I have left it out and my girls have enjoyed doing it the last couple of days!

Couple more notes:

All the fabric is from Premier Fabrics.  It isn't the fabric I ordered--it never came in.  But, I think it turned out cute.  I quickly serged a trim on the fabric for the kids table, but the front table and the runners were just folded under and ironed.  I ran out of time!  

I will be able to use this tablecloth every fall and I can use the green fabric at Christmas.

Also, Honey made Sam's outfit.  It was so cute on him.  His name is on it in orange!

Sam I Am-Part 2 The Food

The food was very easy and simple for this party.  Usually, I tend to have way too much food.  Zeb encouraged me not to do so many things and I followed his advice!  

I borrowed these lanterns and had them hanging above our dining room table.  

And this was the food!

My Mom found this Sam I Am for me and knew that I would be able to use it somewhere!  I thought it looked so cute in the back of the napkin container.  I used glass plates so I didn't need the part that plates were supposed to be stuck in.  I decided to stick to my color theme on the food--so we used both Doritos and Cheetos!

Of course, we couldn't have a Sam I Am party with out green eggs and ham!  This picture is so dark (not sure why).  My Mom made the ham and cheese croissants a few weeks ago and stuck them in the freezer.  I will get the recipe from her and post it.  They are easy and my kids LOVE them!  The green deviled eggs tasted really good--you just had to get past the color!

I love fresh veggies and dip and these were easy.  We put them in shot glasses just for presentation.  The veggies are carrots, orange bell peppers, and cucumbers all cut in strips.  The dressing is Green Goddess and oh so yummy!

Green Goddess:  

1 scant cup of Hellman's light mayo

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cloves, garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp (plus another dash) of Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbs tarragon vinegar

3 Tbs scallions

1/3 cup snipped parsley

Combine ingredients well.  Keep refrigerated.  Make day before serving.

And we had some green and orange fruit.

I made Sam a smash cake.  It was very simple--just a boxed cake with a butter cream icing!  Figured it was his first cake so he didn't know what good cake tasted like!

The cupcakes were yummy, but took 2 hours!  Never again will I make my own real buttercream frosting.  It alone took an hour and I didn't love the way it tasted.  You had to bring the egg whites to 140 and then beat for ten minutes in mixer then add one tablespoon of butter at a time mixing well----ahhh! for the birds, I tell you!  But, the cupcakes, were a different story--yummy and easy and fancy looking!  

Key Lime Cupcakes:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs key lime zest

3 large eggs

1 1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup half and half

2 Tbs fresh key lime juice

Combine butter, sugar, and zest.  Beat on high until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk half and half and lime juice.  gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with half and half, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  spoon batter into prepared muffin tins until each cup is 2/3 full.  bake for 16 minutes.  cool completely. Using a mellon baller, carefully remove a small amount of cake from the center of each cupcake.  Pipe or spoon 1 tsp of key lime filling in the center.  frost with key lime buttercream frosting.

Key Lime Filling:

3 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

10 oz jar lime curd

beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.  add sugar until smooth.  add curd until thoroughly combined.  

Key Lime Buttercream:

Just make a buttercream frosting and add 2 tsp of key lime zest!

The cupcake toppers were foam stickers that I bought from Michael's 75 % off on March 3rd (the day after Dr. Seuss's birthday)  My cousin cut scalloped shapes out of scrapbook paper.  The are stuck in the cupcake using green and orange toothpicks.

Sam's cake

Happy 1st Birthday, Sam

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sam I Am Party-Part 1

Since this is my scrapbook, I am going to put all the details on here so I won't forget!

Last July, I did a post on Sam and my grandfather, Sam, and called it Sam I Am.  I knew then what his first party would be, so I have been planning all along!

These were the invitations and the thank-you notes.  Del Harrington did them and they were perfect!  Thank you Del!  The invitation said: 

Will you celebrate at our house?

Will you join us for a treat?

Will you join us just to eat?

Here's a party you don't want to miss!

As Sam I Am celebrates his first like this...

Join us on Saturday, the 2nd of July,

As we sing to celebrate this big guy.

The party's at 10:30, so don't be late.

We'll serve lots of food,

and cake on a plate.

Would you, could you, come and play?

Let us know either way.

I think you can read the thank you notes!

This greeted guests at the front door.

I had guest sign in and write on any page in a Green Eggs and Ham book.  I also wrote all the gifts he received in the back of the book.  Hopefully he will cherish this, or at least his wife will!

There was some "Chi-O" punch at the door.  It is just sherbert, sprite, and ginger-ale, along with green and orange jelly beans and m and m's.

This cute banner was made by my super creative cousin, Ginger!  She also made the month signs that I put around the house (one of them is in the picture above).

I will post more later.  I have WAY too many pictures for just one or two posts!

Happy Birthday, Sam

What an emotional day for this Momma!  Both a year ago and today when you turn a year.  Last year, I was throwing up every time I moved so Zeb took me to see the on call doctor since mine was out of town.  Dr. Johnson checked everything on Thursday before she left and the baby was doing great and I was hanging in there.  Thankfully, she had given me good instructions on what to look for, so we knew we needed to go back.  Dr. Cole ran some tests and found out that the baby was not breathing and moving properly.  She sent me to the hospital for some fluids that would hopefully get the baby moving. They didn't so a short time later two other doctors delivered this sweet little BOY!  We didn't know if it was a boy or girl, but after two girls we just assumed another girl.  We had the perfect name for this little fella!  I was so excited to get to use it!

I cried for the next 3 or 4 hours straight.  The nurses kept asking if I was okay.  I was.  I had no idea how worried and concerned I had been for the last six months and it all just came flowing out.  He spent a week in the NICU on oxygen and feeding tubes.  He was 48 hours old when I held him and I will never forget that.  It's not normal for a Momma not to hold her baby soon after!  

It has been a fun year.  He is the sweetest and happiest little boy!  He LOVES his sisters and the feeling is mutual!  He loves to eat.  He already eats more than his sisters. He loves meats, fruits and veggies and has tried a lot of food now--too many to list.

 He is a great little sleeper, taking a morning and afternoon nap and sleeping 12  hours at night! 

Being early and then being sick A LOT this year, he is a little behind in his motor skills.  He pulls up great and loves standing.  Yesterday he stood by himself twice for a few seconds and today at his birthday party he cruised a couple of steps for the first time!  I am not at all concerned because he is continuing to make improvements.  Actually, it's kind of nice!  I feel like they transition from a baby to a toddler when they walk, so I can keep my baby a little longer!

We had a very fun party this morning.  He seemed to know it was for him and he loved it.  Pictures soon!

What a difference a year makes!

Pep Rally

The girls had a blast this week at Upward Cheer Camp at First Baptist! Yesterday was the Pep Rally. Here are the videos--so funny! The last one is Sam dancing to the music when we got home.

Ready, Set, Go...

The plan was to go to Lu Lu's at 5 and then ride go carts.  We show up at Lu Lu's at 5:07 and there is a 2 hour wait--at 5:07!!!!  What??  Anyway, we put our name on the list for 16, then head next door to ride go-carts.  Before we enter, we get the best picture we have ever gotten of Honey and G and the 8.

Now, my girls had never ridden go carts before.  However, they have had their boy cousins talk of it a lot and the girls were really excited.  So excited, in fact, that I got them to do this to earn a go cart ride!  I mopped the floors and the girls scrubbed them dry on their hands and knees! You should try this--my floors were the cleanest they have ever been.  Plus, the girls had a blast cleaning so I won't feel bad for getting them to do it again!  No judging!!:)

At first, Sister was too sure what to think.  Afterall, they made a lot of noise which she has NEVER liked!

But, she quickly warmed up and had a blast!  Enough so, that we did a repeat trip!

G got in on the action too a couple of times.  I am still trying to figure out how he got his 6 foot 7 inch self in that small cart!

After an hour of so of riding go carts, we headed back to Lu Lu's where there is more than enough to do to entertain the crew while waiting.

love this pic of Holly and G

The two babies got an end seat and enjoyed eating and eating, and eating!