Where The Orange Blossoms Grow...: Happy Birthday, Wills!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Happy Birthday, Wills!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY!!!

William Pearce Stricklen

Blessings on thee, little man,

Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!

With thy turned-up pantaloons,

And thy merry whistled tunes;

With thy red lip, redder still

Kissed by strawberries on the hill;

With the sunshine on thy face,

Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;

From my heart I give thee joy,—

I was once a barefoot boy!

Prince thou art,—the grown-up man

Only is republican.

Let the million-dollared ride!

Barefoot, trudging at his side,

Thou hast more than he can buy

In the reach of ear and eye,—

Outward sunshine, inward joy:

Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!

From John Greenleaf Whittier's "The Barefoot Boy"

Cowboy Will...

"Roy Rogers" :P

Hambone... :)

Cutiepie... :)

Happy Birthday, Wills! You make us laugh and amaze us
every day with the stuff you come up with!
We love you, Cowboy Will!

Love,
Daddy, Mama, Callie, Mary, Abby, Margaret, C.J., and Nate

8 comments:

AnonymousMay 4, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Happy Birthday Wills:)
Love you!!!<3

Love,
Markie
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KellyMay 4, 2011 at 4:29 PM
Happy Birthday William!

Love,
The Stevens Family
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AbigailMay 4, 2011 at 5:00 PM
Aww...happy Birthday to my rootin' tootin', full o' life, happy (and sometimes very stubborn) little cowpoke brother!! I love you, Wills!

Abby~
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AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 11:15 AM
What a cute little man. Hope he had a wonderful birthday!

Victoria
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Pollock FamilyMay 6, 2011 at 1:37 PM
Wills, you are too, too cute!! Hope your birthday was wonderful.

Love you,
Mrs. P
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susanelizabethMay 10, 2011 at 7:50 AM
What a wonderful gift to William. Precious!
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Whiddon FamilyMay 17, 2011 at 7:12 AM
Awww. I hope that Will had a wonderful birthday. He's growing up so fast!

As always, love visiting y'all's blog. Keep it up!

"Come by" ;) really soon.

Blessings,
Mallory~
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The DischersMay 18, 2011 at 2:38 PM
I hope he had a wonderful birthday! He's such a beautiful and precious little guy! LOVE those pictures!

Aunt Beth
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The Orange Blossom Song

I want to wake up in the morning where the orange blossoms grow,
Where the sun comes creepin' into where I'm sleepin',
and the song birds say hello.

I want to wander over yonder, Pick the fruit that's hanging low,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the ocean breezes blow,
I want to cast my line on the falling tide,
Where the tarpon swim below.

I love the sunshine and the beaches, where the palms sway to and fro,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the Spanish moss hangs low,
Where the gators swim through the Everglades,
And the grand old live oaks grow.

I love the wildwoods, and the cities, and the friends I've come to know.
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the orange blossoms grow,
Where the sun comes creepin' into where I'm sleepin',
and the song birds say hello.

I want to wander over yonder, Pick the fruit that's hanging low,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

Here Is Home

Here is home, my blessed home.
Florida is her name.
God’s Providence has brought me here,
So here I will remain.

Here is home, my beautiful home,
Where God's creation sings
About the mighty power and grace
Of Jesus Christ our King.

Here is home, where in the Spring
The orange blossoms bloom,
And fill my senses to the brim
With their sweet perfume.

I love to hear the honey bees
Buzzing with all their might.
I love the clear, blue, cloudless sky,
And radiant stars at night.

Here is home, where Summer comes
With its burning heat,
Relentlessly providing us
With bugs and burning feet.

But when the Lord provides us
With a gentle shower,
It lifts the weary, wilted head
Of every wildflower.

Here is home, where in the Fall,
I don my scarves and sweater,
But really I don’t need them.
Cotton would do better.

No Autumn leaves are falling.
The trees are still quite green,
But a crisp, cool breeze is blowing,
And the days grow short, it seems.

Here is home, where Winter comes.
It's not so very cold,
But how I love to dig in the sand
My numb and barefoot toes!

In wintertime I love to eat
An orange from the tree.
Such a sweet and sticky treat.
Quite a delicacy!

Here is home where I am proud
To be a humble part
Of Florida's great, rich history,
And hold it near my heart.

The land on which I've tromped and played,
The Spanish settlers roam'd.
They called this place the “Land of Flowers,”
And here they made their home.

When war broke out between the States,
We proved our loyalty
To the precious Southern cause,
For God and Liberty!

Some folks call us “Florida Crackers.”
I'm proud to hold that name.
My ancestors were proud as well,
To call themselves the same.

Here is home, My home, sweet home,
Where life is at it's best.
Every day I thank the Lord,
For I am truly blessed!

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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Happy Birthday, Wills!

8 comments: