Ka-Chow! Sam is Two Now!

Sam's birthday celebration continued today with a Cars party at our house for friends and family. The Cars movie has been Sam's favorite for quite a while and he loved all of the "Queen" and "Mater" decorations and toys everywhere!

My mom and I made some Cars wreaths for the front doors that turned out really cute!

Sam's Lightning McQueen cake and cupcakes were a big hit. Dream Cakes did a great job and everything tasted just as good as it looked.

I had fun decorating the entry-hall table with all of Sam's little cars from the movie.

We setup a small table for the kids to color and play stickers.

And Sam even had his own special Cars Happy Birthday plate!

This was one of the "toolboxes" we gave as party favors to Sam's friends.

These two sweet little girls were having fun coloring...

so these two handsome boys decided to join them!

After lots of playing and coloring it was time for some food before we had cake and ice cream. Sam and I took a break from snacking to smile for the camera.

We obviously weren't moving on to the cake fast enough for Sam because he got caught trying to sneak a little bite before we could even sing and blow out candles. Watch out, Daddy....Sammy is quick!

"Isn't it time for cake yet? I've been waiting all day to dig in!"

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Sam, Happy Birthday to you!

Make a wish!!

Yay, you did it!!!

We love our sweet boy to pieces!

Shuffie was nice enough to let Sam eat the big, black fondant tire off the cake - pure sugar. I told Shuffie that I would be happy to let Sam go to his house after the party and they could bounce off the walls together for the rest of the day. ;)

Remnants of the delicious tire....

And he gladly showed us his new black tongue, too!

Time for presents - so much fun!!

A new "titar" from Lili & Shuffie.

And so many other wonderful presents from our friends and family - thank you!!

"Sssssssss," says Pirate Sam. Who said a pirate always had to say Argghhh? ;)

Adam and I got Sam a tricycle. We kept it upstairs during the party and Adam brought it down at the end of the presents. Sam loved it!

Daddy had to help Sam with the pedals but it won't be long before Sam will be riding around all by himself.

The cousins tried out of the tricycle together - they are quite a pair! :)

Playing with friends, eating cake, and opening presents can wear a boy out! Sam had to take a quick break in his new Ole Miss chair from Sarah.

Even Rusty and Adam stopped to rest their feet for a minute too!

Lili, Sam and Sarah

(The birthday boy was starting to look a little sleepy in this one.)

Sam and his three sweet great-grandmothers. How blessed we were to have them all at the party with us!

We appreciate everyone that came to the party and helped make it such a fun afternoon. Sam was still going strong long after the last guest left but once he hopped up in my lap and was still for a minute it didn't take either one of us long to fall asleep. Being two is hard work and I think I agreed with him this afternoon! ;)

Happy Birthday Sam! We love you and look forward to many more celebrations with you!

My Heart

Happy 2nd Birthday Sam!!!

Today, I woke up for the first time with a two-year-old little boy in my house. Where in the world has the time gone? It seems like every day he does or says something new and I think to myself how I would love to just freeze him the way he is right now.

The birthday boy woke up all smiles, as usual, and requested donuts and chocolate milk for his special breakfast.

"Cheese, Mama!"

Sam chose a vanilla iced donut with sprinkles, his favorite, and even got another donut for free as a birthday happy from the nice lady behind the counter. He couldn't wait to get home and eat up!

Around lunch time we met Daddy at the Build-A-Bear Workshop in the mall so Sam could make his very own teddy bear. He helped stuff the bear, gave him a bath, and picked him out a special outfit to wear - Lightning McQueen pajamas!

After we dressed the bear it was time to head to the computers to name him and print his birth certificate. Adam and I asked Sam what he wanted to name him and without hesitation he said, "Lightning." He also spotted a bat and ball near the checkout counter that was a perfect size for Lightning so of course that went home with us too.

Sam was so proud of his new friend and insisted on carrying him in his box all by himself as we walked through the mall to get some lunch.

I was able to get him to stop for just a minute at the front of the store so I could snap a picture...

...and then it was off to the food court to eat some Chick-fil-A.

Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to the food court without riding a few rides. Sam thought the school bus was so much fun!

Tonight we had a small family pizza party at Gatti Town to celebrate on Sam's real birthday before his big party on Saturday. Lili, Shuffie, Bobi, Easy, Didi, Banks, Hayes, Mimi, Meme and Mammy were all nice enough to join us!

Sam played games...

and rode the merry-go-round with Banks until it was time to eat cupcakes and open presents.

He was so excited about blowing out his candles and we had to sing a few rounds of Happy Birthday.

What a sweet, sweet face!

He got so many wonderful presents and had the most fun ripping into each one of them.

After a day filled with never-ending fun it was time to come home and get ready for bed. Sam wanted to wear his Lightning McQueen pj's that matched the pj's his bear Lightning had on. They were quite a pair!

He kept giving him big hugs and was so proud of him. :)

Tonight, we put a two-year-old little boy to bed for the first time and I couldn't feel more blessed. His sweet nature and sense of humor always keep me smiling and laughing. His hugs and kisses warm my heart. But most of all his presence in my life makes me thankful for the privelege to be his mom. We love you Sam and can't wait for another fun year ahead!!

Chick-fil-A Ice Cream is the Best!

Mississippi Gulf Coast

Thursday afternoon we drove down to Gulfport for a weekend at the beach with Mimi, Bobi, Easy, Didi, Banks and Hayes.These two little boys had so much fun playing in the pool with their boats and water guns.

Friday night before dinner we finally got all three of them to stay still long enough so we could snap a few pictures. Speaking of pictures...our first attempt at a family picture didn't quite turn out because of silly Sam.

But our second attempt was much more successful!


On our way back to the condo after dinner we decided to stop and play for a minute in the sand and the water.

These two have fun wherever they go!

But I had to steal a quick hug when Sam took a break from playing with the boys.

Saturday we went across the street to the beach and got more than our feet wet this time. Banks and Easy even built some sand castles but Sammy insisted on going back to swim in the pool instead of building his own.

Saturday night we had a delicious "last supper" at the Half Shell Oyster House in Biloxi.

We even ordered dessert and started Sam's birthday celebration a few days early.

Everybody knows it wouldn't be a real trip to the beach though without at least one stop at the souvenir shop. Sam picked up a really cool pair of glasses while we were there.

We were all sad when Sunday arrived and it was time to pack up and head home. Before checking out we all put on our white shirts and went out to the balcony to make some family pictures. Sam was already posing before we made it outside!

I love this picture of the four of us! :)

Sneaky Sam thought if he hid behind the chair he might not have to be in any more pictures. We all know how boys are about having their picture taken.

Great group photo!

After some yummy shrimp po-boys for Sunday lunch we all hit the road and headed back to Jackson. It certainly is hard to return to the real world after a fun weekend at the beach!

Does Sam Love Trusty?

We went to the Mississippi Braves game tonight with our friends Jim and Jacqueline and had a pretty close encounter with the M-Braves mascot, Trusty. Sam saw him from afar and was waving and wanting to see him but that all changed the closer Trusty got to our seats. I'm thinking it will probably be a while before those two share a hug!

Precious Boy