The Moment Collector

\\ p i z z a  p i e  in the  s u n s h i n e //

We tried out our new neighborhood pizza place,

and it was so so yummy.

Spinach Salad with fresh pineapples, oranges, and goat cheese,

spiral cheese bread,

and delicious Hawaiian style pizza

enjoyed on the patio with my two favorite guys?

I can't even...

\\ s w i n g  batta batta  s w i n g //

After an evening spent bug-catching in the backyard,

we watched our Huntsville Stars play under the stars.

Hudson (with a little help from Daddy) stormed the outfield

along with the big kids, while "Who Let the Dogs Out"

blasted from the loudspeaker.

(That song is equal parts lame AND catchy)

Our boy was quite the little runner,

but Will said that he decided to scoop Hudson up when he began

running sideways while looking backwards at the kid stampede.

Daddy to the rescue.

\\ pure  s w e e t n e s s //

Hudson is ALWAYS doing something

that manages to make my heart melt. 

He brings me flowers from the yard,

spontaneously tells me that he loves me "sooo much",

and shares the sweetest snuggles.

While we were out to dinner,

Hudson decided to shower his Gennie (my mom)

with a extra long-lasting cascade of kisses.

Who says boys aren't made of sugar??

I'm a big believer in
collecting MOMENTS,
not things.

Bocce Ball, Burgers, and American Pride.

Memorial Day

in the South

is the unofficial 

kick-off to summer fun.

So today, we celebrated accordingly,

with laid-back family time,

grilled burgers, baked beans and watermelon,

and some friendly competition via a few of our favorite lawn games.

These are my favorite kinds of days.

But as we enjoyed ourselves,

the sacrifices that so many Americans have made

were not far from my mind.

Today I remembered the many heroes that have died for our freedom,

and give special thanks for the men and women who are out there 

defending our great United States.

Hope you all had a wonderful lonnnnng weekend!

It's back to reality now....

if you are in need of an easy and delicious dinner

to whip up tomorrow night,

I'm sharing the recipe of

one of my favorite yummy Mexican meals

at my sweet friend Kyna's blog. 

Go check it out! 

Your tummy will thank you. 

Just another case of Star-Crossed Love.

Romeo & Juliet.

Jack & Rose.

Bonnie & Clyde.

----

It's a tale as old as time.

There are just some lovers

who, sadly, have relationships doomed by outside forces.

And here we have another unlucky couple to add to the list:

Princess Noccalula and her young warrior beau.

Legend says,

Noccalula was the daughter of a Cherokee Chief in the wilderness of Northeastern Alabama.

Despite her love for a handsome warrior, who belonged to her own tribe,

her father instead arranged for her to marry a Creek Indian Chief....

simply because he offered more bounty for her hand.

Noccalula's dad had her lover banished from the tribe,

and she was forced to ready herself for marrying a man she didn't love.

On the day of the wedding, she dressed herself in the traditional attire,

attended the marriage feast, and sat in on the merrymaking.

But at some point during the day,

she slipped away and wandered through the forest.

She eventually came to a beautiful waterfall

that sat near her tribal home.

Rather than facing a lifetime in a loveless marriage,

she decided to jump to her death.

Her father was so overcome with grief, 

he named the falls in memory of his daughter.

This is Noccalula Falls.

And although the star-crossed love stuff is the pits,

there is no denying that there is something very special about this 

gorgeous spot in North Alabama,

where the rushing falls cascade more than 90 feet,

down down down,

over the ledge of Lookout Mountain and into a lush ravine.

Hudson had the most wonderful time,

due to the fact that a very cute, red choo-choo chugs along

through the park, carrying happy passengers from

one stop to another.

He's also VERY into animals,

as always.

But his new thing is this:

when he sees an animal,

he always says "AwwwWWWW!"

We heard a lot of:

"AwwWWW! A little goat, Mama!"

or

"AwwWWWW look at that sweet kitty cat, Daddy! AwwwWwWWW!".

It's so precious.

Needless to say, we spent quite a bit of time at the petting zoo section,

acquainting ourselves with an abundance of  aww-worthy animals.

I loved the sassy little deer that lived in a little farm habitat with roosters, llamas and goats.

She ate apples, licked Hudson's hand,

and even charged at a billy goat that was a bit 

too close for her comfort. 

Then, outside the barn, Hudson found a "kitty cat".

He is quite in awe of feline friends...

he loves to "pat" them,

and even pretends to be a cat sometimes.

This friendly little Calico kitty really made Hudson's day.

The waterfall and it's accompanying tale of thwarted love?

He'll take it or leave it.

But a cat?

Now that's exciting. 

"AwwwWWWW!"