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Meet Mister ONEderful
Monday, July 25, 2022 at 01:44PM 
Come for the sparkling blue eyes and stay for the adorable two-toothed smile
Oh what a time we had over the weekend.
Rhett had his second of two birthday parties at our house on Saturday.
It was an all-day event.
I remember taking this newborn picture
His first party took place the night before, at his other grandparents' house. He was celebrated in grand style there, with a meal and presents and his own little cake.
Then a sleep, then his actual birthday: second verse, same as the first.
It was a hot, sunny day, perfect for swimming but not for being outside for much else.
We were prepared to party
I'd done most of my part of the cooking in advance.
Starting after supper on Friday, I made seven-layer salad, pineapple baked beans (just like the apple pie baked beans served for our Fourth of July party, but with pineapple tidbits), deviled eggs, and Oopsie Bread for those who wanted a low-carb burger bun option.
Ice-cold watermelon was on the menu
Everyone began arriving around noon. Our Stephanie could not come in person as she had other relatives visiting, although she did attend via FaceTime twice during the day.
We are still missing Andrew and Brittany and Ember in Oklahoma, although their time there is swiftly coming to a close. They've bought a house in East Tennessee and Brittany will be there for a few weeks in late August, setting up housekeeping.
I took the nine-month photo and his other grandmother took the ten-month
She and Ember will return to Oklahoma to be with Andrew then, but by Christmas they should all be back in our time zone and close enough for us to visit whenever we want.
Of course, thoughtful as ever, they had sent a gift for Rhett.
But first, before gifts, we had a feast.
Obligatory at southern repasts: deviled eggs
Erica had covered all of her bases and then some, when it came to decorating for her baby's first birthday.
She'd put together an adorable banner featuring a picture from each month of his life, plus a newborn shot.
There were balloons and cupcakes, a festive backdrop, and props of giant blocks spelling O-N-E.
At Chad's parents' house, during Rhett's first party. Photo courtesy Erica Porter.
Our meal consisted of burgers and brats done on the grill by TG and Chad, plus the aforementioned seven-layer salad and pineapple barbecue beans and deviled eggs. On the day, I made a small baked macaroni and cheese, and cut up watermelon into triangles.
Seven-layer salad is a favorite of TG's. That's bacon on top.
Erica brought more vegetables for a colorful tray, with Ranch dressing for dipping.
It was impressive.
The presents accumulated at the far end of the table
The birthday boy was so tired from the ongoing festivities that, upon arrival at the venue, he had to be put down for a nap in my room.
We ate then, enjoying every morsel and one another's company.
After the meal was cleared off, Rhett woke up and was seated in his special little chair for his own dinner.
That's what I like to see: lots of colors on the plate
He lustily consumed his private repast and, as usual, did an excellent impersonation of a bottomless pit. There was milk in his sippy cup.
I made coffee and we decided that it was time to dig into the little cake Erica had made, with matching cupcakes.
First, Rhett got his serving of cake. Having already proved himself a world-class chow hound, he picked it up in fistfuls and shoved it in as though he had not eaten in a week.
Rhett has joined the chat
I'm pretty sure we enjoyed watching him eat that cake as much as he relished putting it away.
And no doubt he would have eaten more, but after two pieces, his mother cut him off.
After cleanup of the guest of honor, we repaired downstairs to the TV room, for presents.
Rhett certainly gets the party up on its feet
Erica had carried all of Rhett's gift bags and boxes down there and arrayed them, along with a few he'd already opened on Friday night.
That's when I went into the front room and retrieved his main gift from TG and me: a Little Tikes ride-on pirate ship.
TG had put it together ahead of time.
His witty gentleman-themed cupcakes were on display
I'm not just saying this: Rhett registered pure delight over that toy, from the moment he saw it. His daddy put him in the driver's seat and although his feet don't yet touch the floor (they soon will), he grinned when he was pushed along and right away got into the spirit of the thing.
He thrilled to the toy pirate in the crow's nest and immediately tasted it.
There is a button to push, causing piratey sounds to emanate from above the Jolly Roger sail.
This is how he looked for his first Christmas
It was a big hit and I thought, well now, that's a slam-dunk present for the first birthday of a pirate grandkid.
But he had so many other precious gifts! Toys and books and clothes and so forth and so on. The whole enchilada. Such fun.
Erica read aloud each of Rhett's cards before opening the gift they came with.
We don't have a birthday party in this house without the banner and the flamingo
She came to the present from Audrey and Dagny, and tore open the enclosed envelope.
Audrey had showed me the card beforehand, telling me that she paid more for it than she normally would, because she loved it so much.
She indicated that the card with its sweet message had grabbed her by the heart and failed to let go in time for her to pick a cheaper one.
This was not a smash cake, but it was smashing nonetheless
Erica began to read. By the third line, she had choked up and her voice would not work anymore.
I looked over at Audrey, whose face had crumpled into tears.
Tears sprang to my eyes. Erica handed the card to Chad.
This little baby has come a long way
He picked up reading the sentiment aloud where his wife had left off, but within half a dozen words, his voice stopped working too.
I think the only dry eyes in the room were Dagny's (although I'm not entirely sure about that) and Rhett's -- oblivious to the surfeit of emotion on his account, he kept playing with his toys, crawling enthusiastically from one to each of the others, then circling back.
Erica says she may hang this up in Rhett's room
Eventually we composed ourselves and continued with the party. I guess we're all a bunch of suckers for commercial greeting cards but what are you going to do?
After every gift had been opened and discussed and admired and shown to Rhett, the many new duds were stowed away and everyone decided that it was pool time.
Rhett sensed the mounting excitement as he played with one of his balloons
Our weather has been sweltering, scorching, so humid that it truly approaches being a bona fide phenomenon. It's impossible to enjoy it except in abundant shade (and then only for a few minutes) or in the pool.
The water is nearly ninety degrees.
Chad and Erica and TG and Rhett got in. Dagny sat poolside, in shade, with a special apparatus on her casted leg that allowed her to put both feet into the water.
The cake was brought forward in preparation for being served
How we are looking forward to that Labor Day swim, when she can once again splash and snorkel!
Next Monday she will be outfitted with her walking cast. A step in the right direction.
Rhett has a new floatie that is supposed to resemble a stingray, but it really just looks like a super-cute baby in an inflatable indefinable creature, with a canopy over his head. He loves it.
Ah! So THIS is what all of the fuss has been about!
The tiny craft positions him forward, so that his legs trail behind him. He's learned to kick them and make himself go. I wish you could see that.
I sat outside on the swing for a while, drinking an ice-cold A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer, but soon enough I retreated inside to be cooler.
Rhett took to his pirate ship like he'd been waiting for it all day
Eventually our guests began to talk about going home. (I must admit that I was glad to see the party winding down; I needed to sit quietly someplace where it was very cool.)
Everyone helped Erica and Chad dismantle the decorations and pack up all of their things.
Their SUV storage area was stuffed to the top like for a camping trip, minus the tent and mosquitoes.
The greatest gift on any birthday is love
Rhett, in his new front-facing car seat, fell asleep on the ride home and went straight to his crib upon arrival, to continue an exhausted late-day nap.
While he was snoozing, Erica arranged all of his new toys in the living room so that he could play with them as soon as he woke up.
And he did wake up, and he did play -- and play and play and play and play -- with his new toys.
Rhett squeezed every last drop of fun out of his first birthday
Stoked from an excess of sugar and excitement, he didn't go to bed again until eleven thirty.
And so the first birthday of our youngest grandchild is in the books, and it was memorable, and we all have precious memories of the occasion.
I remarked at one point that, when our children had their first birthdays, we would go to the zoo as a family and, at lunchtime, put a candle in a Twinkie and sing to them. That was the extent of it.
It's hard to believe but he will only get cuter
Times have changed.
Our prodigious penchant for pirate parties being what it is, I don't see it ever changing back. We'll keep on celebrating life in as zealous a fashion as the occasion calls for.
As it should be.
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Monday
Reader Comments (16)
And celebrate that sweet little guy you should! How adorable is he on that pirate ship? The perfect gift from you! Why can I not seem to find LittleTikes toys anymore? Are you buying online? And what did you think of the beans?
Would you believe my youngest grandchild’s first birthday is next week? We shall be attending her party on Saturday. I found a cute barn toy with animals and a farmer at TJMaxx. I think my daughter picked the theme of One Perfect Peach. I can’t wait!
@Bijoux ... One Perfect Peach ... how DARLING! I can't wait to see pictures of that and I hope you share some! Kids always love barns with animals! My mother kept an old Fisher Price barn just to bring out when littles visited, and all of our kids and grands (except Rhett) have played with it! So, the beans ... it was the same recipe as the ones I put apple pie filling in, so much the same as that, but I must say that I hoped to taste the pineapple a little more than I did. What I may do next time is make MY no-measure beans which do not involve sausage or onion or such strong spices, and add pineapple to that. I think we may be able to detect them better. BUT the beans were heavenly! I don't think you can miss with that recipe. I found the toy just by searching for "gifts for one year old boys" on Amazon. That pirate ship popped up and I said whaaattttt? And clicked BUY NOW! Haaahaha xoxo
Happy Birthday sweet Rhett! He is just so stinkin' cute! And those eyes still get me.
It looks like a perfect party. The pirate ship? I think it was designed with you and Rhett in mind. It's so perfect!
The pineapple in the beans sounds so good to me (but Bon is not a fan of pineapple and is all about the beans...)
I love seeing Dagny with her cousin. Isn't it sweet when they just love their cousins?
I'm so glad that Andrew and Brittany will be moving closer. I think that we will have to plan a visit to each of our Andrew's and then meet in the middle, since our Andrew is in West TN. It's closer than SC and MI, right?
I've been known to pay extra for a good card too. I like a card to say what I feel! Now, I think you need to tell me what it said, so I can cry with the rest of you!
@Mari ... hahaha that card didn't move me in the same way when I read it, but when my girls started crying, I couldn't help but cry too! It was something about one candle, one wish, blah blah ... just pure sentimental slop, haahaha! And we all fell for it. Too bad Bon doesn't like pineapple ... trust me, just make those apple pie ones. They're a sure hit. Yes, Rhett is pretty much the cutest thing going. We all just flip out whenever we are around him and make total fools of ourselves! He must be thinking, my family is crazy! The pirate ship was one of the most inspired purchases I have ever made and it makes me so happy that he loves it! And YES we sure could meet in Middle Tennessee! Excellent idea! Something to look forward to! xoxo
This looks like your most fun party yet! And Oh, those beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile! You got him the perfect gift, so exciting to see him on it! The food all looks so yummy!
Happy belated birthday Rhett! What a handsome young man you are and will continue to be! I love the decorations of a picture a month of Rhett's first year! That year went by incredibly fast! Such a delightful party you always put on, Jenny! I don't know how you get your energy to do so time after time again and again! I sweat over the family (4 people plus us 2) coming over for lunch or dinner one time a week (and I don't even do the cooking lol) and you put on an elegant feast for so many!! You rock there!
Oh my gosh, that pirate ship toy is the cutest thing I have ever seen! And how appropriate that you and TG gave him that gift. He will have so much fun with it!
I'm glad Dagny could at least put her legs into the water. It is not the same as swimming but at least she can cool off a bit! I think our pool is about 93 degrees now.
So glad Andrew, Brittany and Ember are heading back east and will be closer to you all! I know everyone is looking forward to that!
So whose party is next?
betty
Oh my gosh what a great party for such a sweet little one-year-old! I agree that the pirate ship was the perfect gift from you. Our babies always took to little riding toys like that, too! I absolutely love the month aged garland! I wish I would have thought of something like that for Max and Levi's first birthdays! I did a similar thing for my kids with their school pictures at their graduation parties. The food as usual looks wonderful! I wish I could have seen Rhett swimming too. Good that it won't be long now that Dagney can swim again! 90 degrees sounds like my kind of pool water! XOXO
I don't know how any of you can keep your eyes off of that adorable child! In almost every picture I've seen he looks so sweet and happy.
How awesome that you found him a pirate ship. Isn't amazon amazing that way. I've done the same search and came up with something perfect.
Keep celebrating the way you do. Each day is so precious and you're making memories which is what it is all about.
Have a wonderful week Jenny!!
@Ginny ... It was a great time and isn't he gorgeous? We're pretty wild about him. Stay cool, my friend! xoxo
@Betty ... You know, I actually think that planning and doing the parties gives me energy! I LOVE having a project to work on! I love all of it -- the planning and shopping, and then the doing. It's such fun for me. I'm glad too that Dagny could put her legs in the water, but the poor thing was so hot sitting there. I don't like to wish my life away but Labor Day cannot come soon enough, when she can swim! Speaking of Labor Day, when you asked which party was next, that's the one I was thinking of -- as we celebrate it "big" every year along with our Stephanie's birthday, which is the same week. BUT before that, we have Henry's 90th birthday! He turns 90 on August 4th and on the 6th, we are having a big bash for him. I am in charge of the decorations! I can't wait to share all of that with you. Love to precious Winslow! xoxo
@Jeanette ... Isn't that pirate ship something? I was so thrilled to have found it, and Erica says he is playing with it and with all of his other new "big boy" toys non-stop! He is such a happy and content little guy. Wasn't that picture garland special? I didn't have Amazon as a young mom so my kids got nothing remotely like that, haahaa! More's the pity. Yes the pool is delicious! I go in almost every day. Have a great week, my friend. xoxo
@Lori ... We can't! We can't keep our eyes off him and we are constantly crowded around him, laughing and cooing and stroking him. Seriously he must think we are nuts, haaaha! Amazon certainly is great in that way. I have found so many ideal gifts just by searching by gender, age, and occasion. It sure makes my life easier because I'm not wandering around the stores looking for gift ideas anymore! We certainly intend to keep celebrating because you're right: the memories are priceless. I hope you're having a great week with your beloved! xoxo
Another fabulous party. I do say, one of these parties this Wisconsin girl is going to crash. Hee Hee!
Fun gifts, great food, wonderful memories and those EYES!!!! Wow, what a handsome fella he is already.
;-)
The decorations! The food! The birthday boy! Sounds like such a good time. Many returns of the day.
@Carla ... Isn't he just? Amazing. And wow, what fun we'd have if you were here! I hope someday you will actually do that! xoxo
@Liberty ... It was pretty much the best kind of day we could have imagined! xoxo
That is some birthday! Beautiful ideas! I know it was all yummy! I'm the one who posted anonymously on your jewelry entry just now. I forgot to enter my info
@Gayla ... YES it was all so good and best of all, we were together and Rhett had a blast, haaaha! xoxo
Totally precious...
But I missed this....
And perhaps, another one...
Is my blogger list not working?
Or i I did not check my blog list, which I have had to make,because....?
Well, if I know I am missing posts, that's a start
to figuring this out.
-repeat sigh-
🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼
@Mari-Nanci ... I don't know but I hope not! I thought perhaps you were still taking a break from much in the way of reading and commenting. Good to see you! Don't be stressed on my account though! xoxo