Destin 2009

We just returned from our first family vacation! This was the first time that we've gone anywhere as a family that wasn't to visit more family. We went to Destin, Florida and enjoyed a wonderful weekend at the beach. Russell and I have gone to Destin by ourselves twice before - once before Drew was born as our "baby moon" and once after I had weaned Drew (before our trip to Jamaica). This was the first time for us all to go, and it was great!!! The weather was beautiful all weekend and because most schools are back in session it wasn't crowded at all. It was a wonderful trip! We'd been talking about going to the beach with Drew for a while and he was so excited. He loved getting to wear his swimsuit, digging in the sand, building a sandcastle with Daddy and watching the waves. He tolerated getting his feet wet and even went out a little ways with Russell carrying him. Josh was a trooper - he obligingly took his morning nap on the beach under the umbrella. None of us got sunburned, although I think I have a few new freckles. It was great and a trip that I would definitely repeat. Enjoy the pics!!

Drew and Daddy on the pier leading to the beach (Friday afternoon)

We're at the beach!!

Mommy and Josh ("wearing" Drew's sunglasses)

Daddy and Drew getting their feet wet

(LOVE this picture, LOVE these boys!)

Footprints in the sand

(Saturday morning) Ready for the BEACH!!

Josh sleeping

Drew digging in the sand

Josh still sleeping...

I think he liked the beach, what do you think?

Josh seemed to enjoy it too!

Drew and Daddy in the ocean (okay, it's the Gulf, but it's so pretty here!)

(Sorry the picture is a little blurry - I was taking it from the beach and had to zoom all the way out on my camera)

Back in the hotel room - laughing it up!

My goober boys

Blue eyes

Yep, that's his foot he's putting in his mouth

Mommy and the boys ready for one last walk on the beach (Sunday morning)

Mommy and Josh looking so cute in his hat!

Daddy and Drew one last time

Brothers

I finally got some good pictures of the boys together! I love them!! Hope you enjoy too!!

2 1/2 years!

Can it really be true that my baby is 2 1/2??? With Josh in the picture now it seems like most of my "milestone" postings are about him, but I don't want to forget what Drew is doing either. This is such a fun age and I am constantly amazed (and challenged) by the things he can do. This post will mostly just be "Mommy ramblings," but I wanted to make sure I had somethings documented for my own memory. His vocabulary has just taken off in the last few months and it seems like each day he has something new to add. He is a wonderful big brother and loves to watch Josh and make him laugh. We've had very little instances of jealousy (for which we are extremely thankful). I can't wait to see how their relationship grows and develops over the years. I hope they become the best of friends. Drew has really started developing his imaginary play in the last couple of weeks. (In fact, as I sit and write this he is pretending to be fishing with a stick in the dog's outside water bowl.) He loves to "play" with our cat, Maggie. So far she's been extremely tolerant. He still loves to look at books and is very gentle with the pages. I've started sharing my collection of paperbacks with him (under supervision) and he treats them with love and respect - I'd expect nothing less! I hope he always loves books and the adventures they can take you on. He's a lefty through and through. We laugh at the articles that say, "by now you MAY be able to see a preference for hand dominance," we've known for a long time that he was a lefty. He writes/draws left, most often eats left, he golfs left, bats left, throws left, kicks left. (He still uses his right hand, so no worries developmentally.) He can recognize all of his uppercase letters and most numbers 0-10. He knows all of his colors and basic shapes. We've begun casual potty training as he's beginning to show signs of readiness. Last night, for the first time, he used his little potty before bed with success!! We are so proud of him!!! He still loves Elmo and Sesame Street, but his newest love is Curious George (I think we have every episode saved on our DVR - gotta love the DVR!!). He also enjoys watching Clifford, Super Why, and Word World on occasion. I still think his favorite activity is playing outside and now that it's starting to get a little cooler (at least this week) we'll be able to be outside more. It's been a great ride so far, and I can't wait to see where the journey takes us next!

(Just some cute pictures that I took on the 25th, his actual half-birthday)

Josh's official stats

Today was Josh's 4 month well check. He is looking great and right on track with his development. His official weight was 16lbs., 3 oz. - which puts him in the 60th percentile. His height was 25 inches - which puts him in the 50th percentile. He had to get 2 shots, plus an oral vaccine. He did pretty good with the oral, and didn't cry at all for the first shot! The nurse was completely surprised. I think he made up with it on the second one though; I guess he knew what was coming. We go back at the beginning of October for his 6 month check.

Our latest happenings

The past 2 weeks have slipped away pretty quickly. I can't believe we're more than halfway through August! We were lucky enough to have Auntie Randi and Papaw Dave come visit us last weekend. We played lots and Dave helped Russell with lots of projects around the house!! He deserves a BIG thank you!!! Drew enjoyed getting to "help" and playing with Auntie Randi. Josh gets cuter every day. We got out the Exersaucer and he's liking having a different vantage point. This past week he has discovered his feet and loves reaching out for them and grabbing them whenever he can. It's really cute. Now, onto the pictures - I'll let them tell the rest of the story...

Drew giving "Quack-Quack" a drink

Happy Josh

Drew helping put sand out for the pavers for the new patio extension Jumping on the pavers to make sure they were set (caught in mid-air!)
Auntie Randi brought Drew a bubble machine
He loves making bubbles and chasing them or having someone else chase them
Papaw Dave and Josh
Josh and his toes

Daddy and Drew eating pretzels together
Drew in his "nest"
Josh makes the cutest faces when we're at the table

Tuckered out and ready for bed

Josh is 4 months old!

Today Josh turned 4 months old! It's so fun to watch him change each day. He is such a happy and laid back baby and I absolutely love being his mommy. He's on a 3 1/2 hour feeding schedule during the day and this week we've been stretching the night even more. Now he gets his last feeding around 9:30 and then doesn't eat again until 7 or 7:30! He still makes a few little noises during the night as he's learning to self-soothe and settle (which of course wakes me up), but he's doing great! He is very interested in his hands and is starting to reach and grab for toys. He can sit supported and can occasionally hold a "tripod" pose for a few seconds before falling over. He still isn't really rolling over, although he looks like he might be getting close. He loves to watch his big brother and to look at himself in the mirror. He makes the cutest noises when he's "talking" and has a wonderful belly laugh! We love our little boy!!! He doesn't have his 4 month check-up until the 24th (we have a very popular doctor), so we won't have official stats for awhile, but I weighed him yesterday and he weighed 15.8lbs!

Josh LOVES his big brother!!

So precious...