Granny's House

I've mentioned it before, 

Granny's house is one of my favorite places on this planet. 

Especially in the summer time. 

In fact, I always picture my Granny's house as if it's forever in the summer season. 

Love love love.

 Matt hadn't visited in a couple of years, 

every time we tried to plan a trip work or something always got in his way. 

I told him my cousins were about to disown him, 

so this summer we made sure nothing got in his way of a visit. ;)

 My beautiful Granny

 If there is a grill, Matt's grilling. 

They have a way with each other ;)

I requested some guitar playing from my Uncle John...

 

 Our two little boys had a blast...

 

 Mommy: "Case, you better smile I'm taking your picture! I'm gonna get you!"

Case: (In his most serious voice and face ever) "You not going to tickle me Mommy."

Mommy: "Oh yeah???"

:)

Sweet boy!

 & so did the big boys...

Brotherly love. ;)

...

 As always, our littlest man was up bright and early in the mornings.

Our boys are excellent sleepers, however, whenever we are somewhere new and different they are eager to start the day. Even when Mommy and Daddy really need a couple more hours of sleep. 

I was up at the crack of dawn with the Rhetter's the first morning. 

After some breakfast, and getting into everything in Granny's house, 

we came outside in our pajamas. 

What I wouldn't give for a front yard that just keeps on going. 

 

The boys were sharing a room at Granny's, Case in the guest bed and Rhett in the pack n play. 

The following night, Saturday night, we put Rhett down around 7 or so, like normal. 

Case went down around 8 or so - and as Case came in Rhett woke up. 

We have a video baby monitor - 

so we watched as Rhett popped up to watch his big brother climb into bed. 

 For the next, not even kidding, half an hour those boys giggled and talked, giggled and talked. 

Rhett kept throwing his doggy out of the pack n play, and Case kept jumping out of bed to give it back to him. 

Here's the conversation Matt and I watched from the monitor a bedroom away: 

Case: Ugggh, Rhett hehehehe, here's your Bobba!

Rhett: (Throwing the dog again) Ba ba ba ba baaaah!

Case: RHHH-EEE-TTTT, here!

Rhett: AHHHH!!! Ba ba ba ba haa!!!

Case: Rhett. I'm not gonna get it for you again, okay?!

Rhett: (Throwing the dog AGAIN)

Case: Rhett!!! Haaa haha! HERE!

Rhett: Ba da da da ba ba ba dah. 

Matt and I are cracking up - but after a half an hour or so- and a full day we were beyond exhausted. 

We made the executive decision to separate the two wild men. So Matt went to sleep in the bed with Case, and we brought the pack n play into where we had slept the night before. 

Instant silence and snoozing. 

Silly boys. 

Have to say though, our hearts were overflowing with joy hearing our two 

boys laughing and talking to each other. 

Precious memories. 

...

As always, it is so wonderful spending time with family. 

Visiting Granny's house is something I will treasure for all of my years. 

 

 

 

Case's first camping trip...well sort of.

Some random Saturday this past winter, Matt and I took the boys to the mall just to get out of the house. 

We were over in Dick's Sporting Goods when we found ourselves browsing through the camping gear. 

Daddy started telling Case all about camping. 

Tents, sleeping bags, s'mores. 

Didn't take long for Case to be hooked on the idea. 

So we heard about it...relentlessly for weeks on end. 

"Mommy, when are we goin' campins?"

"Daddy! I wanna go campins! Let's go campins!"

I started to roll my eyes at Matthew every time he started up about it because, well...it was WINTER and we had a LONG way to go before there would be any camping.

So we started to explain to Case, when it's warm outside we'll go, 

when the trees have leaves on them we'll go. 

Well, if you recall we had a very early spring this year. 

Flowers came up early, warm air came early...

and you guessed it, the leaves on the trees sprouted, well, early. 

"Mommy! The trees are green! The trees have leabes!"

Well shoot, the kid had a point. 

So then it became, 

"Case, we'll go when it's summer time and the pools open okay buddy?"

"But it IS summer time, it IS!"

"Not quite sweetie."

The months kept on coming and going, and soon enough it came.

Time to fulfill a three year old dream. 

Daddy was taking Case camping. 

Matt called me from work one day and said, "I think I'm going to take Case to the gorge this weekend."

So he made me a list, and I found all the camping gear in the garage that Friday. 

Matt stopped by the grocery on the way home, picking up odds and ends that they would need for the trip. 

(Making sure to remember the makings of s'mores, the most important part)

Didn't take long until they were all packed up and ready to go! 

(It was so cute too, on Nick Jr that week the theme on each little cartoon was...Camping! It really had the Case man excited!)

Case's best little buddies were even up for the trip...

 Mommy and Rhett saying "Bye" to the big boys! 

(Rhetter was too little this year to get in on the camping adventure)

 Tickling him to try and get a picture of him - he was too busy setting up his movie for the ride. Stinker! ;)

After arriving and setting up, I told Matty he better send me some pictures :)

I talked to Matt a couple of times after they had set up. 

Case was riding his bike and scooter around, then later in the evening when I talked to them, Case was telling Daddy he was ready for bed. 

(By the way: Daddy forgot to make s'mores and around 11pm, Case woke up in a panic about it, so they climbed out of the tent and make s'mores...did I mention it was 11pm?)

Fast forward to around midnight. 

I get a text from Matt that reads:

Okay so this ain't happening.

We are packing up and heading home. 

To which I responded with:

What??? At midnight? Why what's wrong?

Matt:

He just doesn't want to be here and wants to go home. 

Won't let up and won't stop.

Bless their hearts. 

What I didn't mention was that the gorge is about and hour away. 

Part of me thought that Matt should have made Case tough it out, I thought maybe if he was able to distract him enough he would calm down enough to go on to sleep. 

After a phone call with Matt though, and Case just about hysterical in the background. 

I then knew, as Matt already did, that it just wasn't happening. 

Around 2 am, after dozing in and out of sleep, I came downstairs to wait on them. 

Watching out our front window, I finally see Matt's truck lights coming down the road. 

I quietly open the screen door and scoop Case out of his car seat. 

He was fast asleep. 

He cried when we got him out, the half asleep cry where they are so tired they don't know which end is up.

I carried him upstairs, made sure he had his special flash light from the trip and he drifted on back to sleep.  

So, the moral of the story?

A three year olds first camping trip...should probably be in the back yard. 

:)

BlBBles

SURPRISE!

A few months before Matty's 30th birthday, 

the thought of throwing him a surprise party kept crossing my mind.

I wanted to do something really special and memorable for the big 3-0.

It was something I tried to plan in my head while going to sleep at night, wondering if I could pull it off, how I would pull it off. Could I really keep it from him so he would be completely, honestly surprised? 

We went ahead and planned our trip to Ashland to celebrate with Papaw, and after several sneaky texts, phone calls and Facebook event planning...it was set up. For the weekend after his actual birthday. 

I was a nervous wreck! 

I put a pass code on my phone in case he picked up my phone, and there was a text message he would accidentally see that might ruin the surprise! 

I called his buddy Akers and had him ask Matty if he could golf that day, I needed him to leave around 2pm so that way he wouldn't be home until 6ish. 

However, my good boy Matty kept trying to get them to plan it earlier 

so he wouldn't have to be away all day. 

I told Akers to INSIST, and he finally turned the tables, and told him that Pickle and him wanted to surprise him with golf and beer on them in celebration of Matt passing the PE exam.

Which I thought was GENIUS because it would take any suspicions away if Matt were starting to think something was up. 

I had a couple of scares though, I had originally facebook messaged one of his work buddies, thinking he would never in a million years think I would have set up golf between the two of them. He ended up not being able to go that weekend, but he messaged me a few days later and told me he thought Matt knew about the surprise. 

My heart absolutely sank. 

I felt sick, my stomach hurt. 

Matt and I were watching TV and I snuck upstairs to "turn over laundry" to write him back and ask him what he thought he knew. He said "one of his golf buddies told him it was a surprise for his PE" 

Oh thank goodness...he was telling him about Akers!!!

Matt told me all about the golf of course, and how Akers and Pickle (his name is Derek Picklesimer in case you were wondering) were taking him golfing as a surprise and paying for everything. 

Also, I have to say I was also super happy that I always get into random "lets clean the whole house" moods and he didn't think me scrubbing the kitchen cabinets and cleaning carpets all week was strange! Ha! 

I had set up with my Mom and Dad for Case to spend the night with them, since I knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with a house full by 8pm and we had church the next morning. 

(I wanted Case to be there for the actual "SURPRISE!" so I had Mom and Dad plan on picking him up around 7pm)

Rhett stayed home because that boy will sleep through anything, and he's at the age where he sleeps better in his own bed. 

I couldn't wait for Matt to get out of the house that morning! 

Thankfully, Akers came into town around noon, and the got out of the house soon after. 

I needed to shop and set up for the party! 

Obviously with a joint checking account, it's hard to be sneaky about shopping for a party for 20-30 people.

I bought a few things here and there with cash throughout the week, and saved buying the food for Saturday.

It started to get real when our friends started showing up! 

I asked everyone to come around 5pm, which was perfect except 

Matt took FOREVER to get back to the house! 

Akers texts me at one point warning me that Matt wanted to go play another 9 rounds at another golf course, so I quickly told Matt that I was tired and that the boys were being wild and I just needed him to come home! Hee! 

So what I'm guessing was around 6:30, thank goodness I made two batches of spinach dip, and had everyone bring a side (I saved the grilling out for Matty) or we would be starving! 

I started getting texts from Akers that they were headed our way! 

I apologize again to anyone walking through the door around then, I was a little bit psycho yelling at people to hide and to get in the house! ;) Sorry, love you guys! 

So, we all hid in the kitchen and the back room, so that when they walked in the door they couldn't see anyone. 

We were all crouching against cabinets, couches, doorways when we heard the screen door open...

he walked down the hallway

and we all yelled...

SURPRISE!!!

Best moment ever. 

I teared up like a baby. He admitted to me later that he teared up too. Sweet man.

I had been pacing the floors, I was just a nervous wreck before he walked into that kitchen.

After all the planning, cleaning, sneaking around, anxiety, worrying, and getting a hold of everyone, 

it was finally here. 

We got him. 

(That's Akers there behind him, he was my partner in crime for this surprise!)

My heart was so full. 

So happy. 

So relieved that we actually pulled it off! 

So after the shock subsided, I let him know he had some grilling to do...

:)

 Pickle and his sweet girls, thanks for helping out with the surprise!

 This is Kyle, his golfing buddy - the fourth for operation get him out of the house.

 Rhett is always making moves on the ladies, I think we are in serious trouble.

 ...

and this...this was the opening of the EAGLE SHIRT. 

You heard me. 

Matt's friend Chris found himself an Eagle Shirt from Wally World. 

Turns out, thought Matty needed one as well. 

Oh my. 

 

 

 The Eagle in all of it's glory. 

Seriously. 

Oh my stars. 

STARS!

Ohhhh my word.

 BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Have I told you that I love this man?

 

 "Here guys, I'll hold it still for ya"

...

We had some awesome entertainment for the evening. 

The neighborhood hopefully enjoyed our country concert :)

 Sweet sleepy girl 

Love you so much you crazy Eagle wearing thirty year old.