Signs that my baby is getting older

It's hard to believe that Drew's already 16 months old!!! Where has the time gone? It's been such a joy to watch him grow and develop and discover new things. You can't deny that he's growing up and turning into a little boy (but he'll always be my baby). He can do so many things that amaze me and remind me that this season of our lives is fleeting. We need to stop and enjoy the little things before they're all gone.

Signs that my baby is growing up:

• He can use a fork and spoon with increasing success (=less mess)
  


• He can follow one-step directions (and sometimes even 2 or more step directions)
  


• He knows where things go to put away out of the dishwasher and will put them away for me when asked. (Tupperware dishes, plastic grill drip pans, pie and cake pans, etc.)
  


• He can amuse himself for longer periods (though still not very long) at a time looking at books or playing by himself
  


• He's starting to recognize when he needs a new diaper and will respond when asked
  


• He can get his own cup out of the refrigerator (after we open the door) and knows how to put it away
  


• He will pick up toys and books and put them where they go
  


• He loves to help with laundry and can put clothes into the basket
  


• He's getting better at throwing a ball
  


• He can step up and down small steps when holding onto someone or something (we're still working on the big stairs - he can go up, but not down)
  


• He claps and smiles when I say "Daddy's home" and goes looking out the front door
  


• He can recognize people in pictures and can identify them with alarming accuracy
  


• He can lead you by the finger to get you where he wants to go
  


• Plus a thousand more things that I can't think of right now...the list goes on and on

I'm attaching some of our most recent pictures for your enjoyment! There probably won't be many posts for the next week or two. We're heading to Houston on Thursday and will be back a week from Sunday. (In between, Drew is getting to spend time with Gigi and Grandpa Randy and Mommy and Daddy are getting to spend time together in Jamaica!!! I'll post all about it when we get back!) Enjoy the pics.

Drew's Safari (with video clips)

Okay, for those of you that are dying to see Drew's newest tricks (you know who you are) here are my attempts at getting video clips of him showing off "elephant" and "giraffe."

Background information for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...
Drew loves animals (which is great since that's what his room is decorated in and one of his mommy's favorite things too) and we've been working on identifying some of the more common ones. There's a book that he likes to look at that has pictures of zoo animals. His favorites are the giraffe and the elephant.
Giraffe Back Story: One of the pictures of the giraffe in the book is a giraffe sticking it's long tongue out to get some leaves. Russell and Drew were looking at the book together one evening and Russell pointed it out to Drew. Now, knowing how much Drew loves to play with his tongue he started imitating it. Russell didn't really think anything of it until the next day when I was looking at the book with Drew and when we turned to that page he immediately stuck his tongue out and pointed to the pictures. So, now whenever we talk about giraffes, or ask what a giraffe does (since they don't really make much noise) he will stick out his tongue.
Elephant Back Story: When Papaw Dave (Russell's dad) was here a few weeks ago they were looking at the book and Dave decided to teach him what sound an elephant makes. He would raise up his arm and make a "trumpeting" sound each time they got to the page about the elephants. A day or two later we noticed that every time Drew got to that page, or saw his elephants in his room he would raise up his arm and start to make a funny sound. He's not as consistent with that one, but he definitely knows.

The moral of the story: You never know what he's going to learn next - so watch what you're doing and saying!!

Giraffe Video:

Elephant Video (the sound he makes is really hard to hear on the video because of where the microphone on the camera is and the volume of the sound - it's kind of like a grunt/growl that he makes in the back of his throat - but you can see him raise up his arm - and you can tell that he's a little embarrassed):

Drew's Baby Dedication

Today was "Baby Dedication Day" at our church. It's a chance for parents to publicly make a commitment to raise their children to love and serve the Lord. We were one of several families taking part in this year's celebration (we were gone last year when they did it, so we were playing "catch-up" along with a few others in addition to the new babies from the past year). They put together a slide show with pictures of the babies and let their parents choose a bible verse for their child. We chose Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Our prayer is that Drew will grow into a strong man of God and trust in Him to guide him all the days of his life. (Andrew means strong and manly). Here are the pictures that we put in the slide show.

Playing at the Trailhead Fountains

This morning we met some friends from church at the Trailhead fountains in Mandeville. This was our first time out, but I can promise it won't be our last! It's a cute little spot with "fountains" that shoot water up out of the concrete. At first Drew was a little skeptical, but he warmed up to it and got much braver. I think he really had fun - we may have to make this a regular part of our weeks this summer.

A Productive Weekend

We had a good weekend (we're all feeling MUCH better!!) and were able to get some things done around the house. Our biggest project was getting the front flowerbeds weeded and re-mulched (something we've been putting off for a very long time). They look so much better and hopefully will stay that way for awhile.

Drew was taking a nap during most of our work (which was a huge help), but after he got up he came outside and "helped." I couldn't resist taking some pictures.

I've also decided that Drew probably needs his own set of sunglasses. He's very interested in borrowing mine and will actually leave them on for a little while at a time now (a few months ago he'd immediately take them off). He's just so cute!!!

Chevron picnic

We had a good time at the Chevron company picnic last Saturday. It was really hot and muggy, but we still managed to have fun. It will be even more fun as Drew gets a little bit older (it's probably perfect for ages 3-10 or so). We tried the pony rides, but Drew definitely preferred swinging on the swingset and looking at the fish in the Koi pond.

Getting on the horse

This might not be so bad...
Nevermind, I DON'T want to ride a horse!!!
Ahhh, this is the life....
Looking at the fish (they're a little bit bigger than ours at home...)

Cute pictures from before we got sick...

I'm feeling much better than the beginning of the week, and the rest of the family is catching up too. We'll survive!! I've heard that this particular bug has been making the rounds and has hit several of the other families from church - now if only we can keep it from going around again!! Here are some pictures from last week that I thought I'd share. (Don't forget, if you want to save a copy to have on your computer or print yourself, right-click on the picture and then "Save Picture As." If you have trouble let me know!)

Getting ready to color

"Helping" with the yard work - wearing our leather work gloves
"Hey Drew, don't you want to share your strawberry with me???"
"Oh, silly Maggie, strawberries aren't for kitties"
Eating goldfish crackers with Daddy

We're all sick

I will try to actually get some pictures and other posts written up later, but for now this is as much as I can handle. We're all sick (and not just the "I don't feel good" kind of sick). I'll spare you the details, just pray that it's just a quick stomach bug and will be gone soon!!!

Weight Watchers

Okay, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little and letting you into a personal area of my life - so be prepared. It has been on my mind for a while now that I needed to lose some weight (nothing drastic, just something to get healthier and be a better steward of the body that God has blessed me with). This isn't something that I've really wanted to think about and, like most of us, would just like to forget about and have it go away without having to do any work. But, that's not the way things like this go. So, I've decided to give Weight Watchers a try. I know lots of people that have had great success with the program and it seemed like something that I could do, even with a 15 month old running around. I'm doing it a little differently than most, I'm not going to meetings (at least not yet) and I'm not doing their program online - so I guess I'm not officially doing their program - but I digress. I found a brand new starter kit on ebay and the information that I needed to get started. I started last Monday and have already seen results (I've lost 4 pounds). My plan is to weigh in on Monday mornings and post my successes and challenges here as a way for others to help support me on this journey and keep me accountable. The thing that I love about Weight Watchers is that you really can keep eating the same things that you love. I even had enough points saved up from my weekly allowance to splurge and have a Sonic Blast last night to celebrate our anniversary. It's all about portion control and changing the way you look at food. Anyone want to join me??

Big Boy shoes

One more sign that my baby is growing up into a little boy. Since he's gotten so much better and more confident at walking we're trying to make the transition to 'big boy shoes.' Our first attempts didn't go so well, but we're definitely making progress! The first time I put real shoes on him he just cried and screamed (that was before I even tried to get him to stand up in them or walk). After much patience and more attempts we've finally come to peace (at least temporarily). This weekend we bought him some sandals and this morning I put them on him expecting a fight, but was pleasantly surprised to find a happy child who was ready to go play! Check him out, he's so cute!!!

6 years ago...

What a great 6 years it's been!!! I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else and I can't wait to see where our journey takes us next. I Love You, Russell!!! God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful partner and I pray that He continues to strengthen our marriage as we seek His will for our lives.

A Weekend with Papaw Dave

We were lucky enough to have Papaw Dave (Russell's dad) come visit for a few days. He got in Thursday evening and stayed through Saturday afternoon. The guys got to play golf and even got a couple of "honey-dos" crossed off of Russell's list, including installing the new fan in the guest room!!! It looks great! Thanks for coming and helping - you're welcome anytime!

Oklahoma

Okay, I'm finally getting time to write about our trip to Oklahoma. It was great to be back "home" and get to spend extra time with family and friends. It's always amazing to me how much some things can change, while others stay the same, no matter how long you're away. We flew up on the Friday before Memorial Day (Russell's Friday off - lucky for us!). Drew did great with the flying and loved walking around the airport and looking out the windows. He sure kept us on our toes, but thankfully he got some of his energy out before we had to sit and be still on the plane. He wrote on his magnadoodle, read some books, ate some snacks, looked out the plane window, and cuddled with Mommy.

Looking out the windows at the airport

We were able to just relax for most of the weekend (and of course eat at Taco Bueno and go shopping at Kohl's!!) Drew enjoyed his time playing with toys, playing ball with Gramps, reading with Aunt Becca, and just settling in to his new environment.

Cuddling with Daddy (isn't this the cutest picture!!!)

Peaches in the hair (how lovely!! - we got to wash our hair almost every night)
Playing with Gramps

Drew and Aunt Becca (at the airport)

The most momentous occasion of this trip was Drew's first attempt at eating with a fork. We were having Macaroni and Cheese (one of my favorites - and his too) and I decided to see how he'd do with it in a bowl with his new fork (it has rounded tines) instead of on the tray with his fingers. He did surprisingly well for a first attempt, we'll keep working on it!!

Drew loved reading his books, as usual, and really liked rolling away from me when I was trying to change his diaper or get him dressed. We were using my sister's bed as our staging area and he thought it was super funny to roll away (to the middle) and then sit and smile (often while not wearing a diaper - luckily there were no accidents!)
One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to visit with my best friend Kim (we've been friends since we were 4 - or maybe 5) and getting to meet her daughter Evelyn (she's exactly 8 months younger than Drew). She and her family are in the process of moving to Malibu so that her husband can begin teaching at Pepperdine. Her parents still live in Tulsa, so I went over there one evening for dinner and then the next day Kim came and picked me and Drew up and we went to a nearby park with the kids. Evelyn and Drew hit it off right away and Kim and I were able to visit a little bit (although it's much more difficult when you're wrangling your kids!!) Even though we don't get to see each other that much, we always seem to be able to pick up right where we left and share what's in our hearts and minds. It's so comforting to have a friend like that!!! I love you, Kim!

Me, Drew, Kim and Evelyn

Overall, it was a great week!! Can't wait until we can do it again!!