Monday, April 15, 2013

Seven

Saturday, Levi turned the big SEVEN!  For some reason, seven is a big year for me.  I guess six still sounds like a little kid, and seven feels so much bigger, I don't know.  Odd, but true, seven feels SO big to me!  My youngest babe is seven, and with each year that he ages, so do I!  Yikes!  I am getting older.  Sigh.

For his party, Levi wanted to have a Duck Dynasty theme.  We are HUGE fans of the show, and of course we decided we would go BIG or go home.  Well, we had the party at home, but we definitely went BIG!  I knew the party would have to be budget friendly, so a few weeks ago I started gathering things from around the house, and also picked up a few items at the Goodwill.  Ha!  Y'all know I love me some Goodwill!  Anyway, I gathered and collected lots of things that fit the theme...items like ducks (of course), camo, and outdoorsy.  The morning of the party, we blitzed the house in a cleaning frenzy and then I set about decorating our Duck Dynasty Empire.  So. Much. Fun!

I will let the pictures do most of the talking, but boy oh boy did we have a great time.  I had enlisted my mom's help to make up some beards, and she did not disappoint!  The beards we all wore were fantastic! 


I displayed all of the beards by hanging them from jute twine, and added a fun sign that said "Keep Calm and Grow a Beard".  Everyone could just stop by the beard station and choose their facial hair!  You can see there is one missing in the picture...Levi couldn't wait any longer!
 

This was the cake and gift table.  I hung up a sign that said
"Happy, Happy, Happy", which of course fit the mood of the day.  My mom made Levi's requested chocolate cake, two tiered and round.  That boy is specific...he knows what he wants!  Ha!  I used some camo fabric to accent the table...it is actually the fabric they sell in the hunting supplies that is 3-D, with leaf cutouts to make it look realistic for use on deer/hunting blinds.


This was the food table...complete with a homemade "Quack" banner.  We enjoyed taco stack salads and lots of fresh fruit.  We would have loved some of Ms. Kay's fresh squirrel or frog legs, but I haven't figured out how to get some cooking lessons from her yet!  A girl can dream, right?  And yes, we just might eat some of those goodies if I knew how to cook them.  Ha!


This was the centerpiece for the dining table.  I put nerf bullets in a mason jar, and added a beard to the jar for fun!  I just kind of layered in things I thought would work...burlap, long grasses, guns, ammo, duck head from Goodwill, rocks...anything that was appropriate for the occasion.  I think it turned out pretty cute!

After our meal, it was time for some yummy cake and gifts.


Levi posing with his camo cake...so proud!  I made some cupcake toppers thinking he would like camo cupcakes, but he was adamant that he wanted the two tiered, round, chocolate camo cake.  I improvised and stuck my cute toppers in the cake instead...turned out cute!  The toppers said things like "Happy, Happy, Happy", "Physically and Metaphysically", "He Gone", and "You can't fix stupid!".


Blowing out the candles!
 

If you know Levi, you know that when it comes to receiving gifts, he the MOST demonstrative and thankful kid I know.  He goes on and on with squeals of delight over the littlest things!  I am so thankful he expresses his excitement and gratitude.  There is nothing worse that a half-hearted thank you when you have worked so hard to bless someone with the perfect gift.   In this picture, he was opening a new alarm clock...it is camo and to turn off the alarm, you shoot the target with the gun.  Perfect for my little hunter!


More Legos...the way to his heart!
 

A new pocket knife/pocket tool.  It has all sorts of tools, including a tiny say, scissors, pliers, a knife, a file, and more!  He is all boy, so this gift fit him perfectly!


He got duck bookends from my sister and brother-in-law, as well as a hunting light!
 
I don't have a picture of the other gifts, but they included a skeet shooter with electronic gun, a Duck Dynasty t-shirt, some money, an Amazon gift card, and of course some more Nerf gun stuff.  He is a blessed boy, indeed!

Once we had eaten, it was time to beard up! 


This is my dad as Si.  He LOVES the show as much as we do, and thinks Si is the funniest guy ever.  Really, my dad is just as crazy as Si, so he sees something familiar!  Ha!  Anyway, we made him a nice gray beard to wear so he could play the part.  His t-shirt even says "Si is my role model!"  Perfect!
 

Natalie wanted to be Jace.  She loves that Jace is always getting onto Si, and has perfected saying "Si!" and "No" just the way Jace says them on the show.  This outdoor girl dreams of one day driving over to meet the Duck Commander family.  Maybe someday  her dream will come true...until then, she will continue to watch and re-watch every single episode she can find!  She also thinks it is super cool that they are Christians, and they aren't afraid to share that.  We also attend a CofC congregation, and Natalie feels a special connection with the Duck Commander family because of that!  Forever in Heaven with the Robertson's?  Yes, please!!


Here is Nathaniel sporting his beard.  He could really grow one of these with a little time.  I wonder sometimes what he would look like with a beard...I guess now I know!
 

Here is most of the gang!  I was taking the picture, but I was sporting my apron, just like Ms. Kay!  My mom is also missing from the picture, but we often call her Ms Kay for a plethora of reasons.  She is a great cook, but she also has some hoarding tendencies just like Ms. Kay!  Love ya, mom!

We spent the evening watching some Duck Dynasty on the iPad, and then having Nerf Gun wars on the backyard.  I took a large box and turned it into a duck blind for Levi.  I used the same camo fabric and wrapped it around the box.  I cut a slot for him to shoot through, and also added a door on the back so he could get in and out of it easily.  HE LOVED IT!  It turned out great, and the kids are enjoying using it every day...definitely getting some good use out of my hunting blind!  We were too busy having fun to get pictures on the day of the party, but the next day we were able to get some good pics of Levi and his duck blind. 


Levi, aka "Willie" hanging out the front of his duck blind, holding his double barrel nerf shotgun!  Is he the cutest or what?!
 

Standing next to his blind.  He insisted that he be the one to dress like Willie...no one else could have the flag bandanna or the face paint.  Ha!  He made a cute Willie!
 

I wasn't able to purchase a real duck call (that crazy budget thing!) but I did find some toy duck calls for super cheap.  The kids really enjoyed them, and spend time every day down around our tank 'calling' the ducks.  They are hoping they can get some ducks to move in, and then we can hunt and eat them!  I'm game!  As much as he is loving this toy duck call (that sounds pretty good if you ask me), he hopes to someday have his very own REAL duck call!
 

Another pic of him calling the ducks.  He even moves his fingers up and down, just like the guys do on the show.  He loves it and feels so grown-up!

As you can see, a good time was had by all.  Wonderful family memories were made, and a we had a grand celebration of Levi's life.  When Levi chose Duck Dynasty for his party, I truly couldn't think of anything more fitting for him.  We love watching the show together, and we love laughing together.  We love feeling a small connection to the Robertsons because we, too, are just 'Jesus Lovin' Rednecks'!  As for me, well of course I would love to meet the family and maybe even enjoy a meal together, but more than that, I would love to sing with Missy.  As a singer, and someone who loves to sing praise to the Father, I think it would be grand to spend some time with the Robertson's singing old hymns together...4 part harmony!  Yes!  It just couldn't get much better!

Levi, seven years ago, God sent you to us.  He used your precious life to bless us beyond our wildest dreams.  We love you, sweet boy!

2 comments:

  1. Well 7 is a week of years. So I guess it must be significant.

    Now I'm looking forward to the 26th to see how Nat decorates on his day.

    Papi

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  2. Hi Anne, We think about you a lot and pray for all of you daily. ButI have been absent from Henhollow for too long. Thanks for the good pics and review of what is going on! May the Lord keep you all safe. Hey those eggs look yummy. The yolks are a good dark color. Not the pale washed out yellow we get sometimes at the store. Hope we can find some Papadums. We are always on the look out for low carb stuff that is good.

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