Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fall Festival and One Year Stats

Wednesday night was the Fall Festival at our church. The boys had so much fun! There were games, candy, bounce houses, and friends. What more could a kid want?!?!

Clayton has been talking about being Superman for months now. When he first started planning out his costume, he was insistent that he have a curl in the middle of his forehead "like the real Superman." He seriously wanted to grow his hair out so that he would have a curl. The kid cracks me up!

Well, sadly, his hair never quite got to appropriate curl length. Right before we left for the church, he said, "Mommy, I've got it! Let's draw a curl in with face paint!" He was so excited that I couldn't bear to burst his little bubble. So, we drew in a curl. :)

Clayton spotted our babysitter shortly after we got there and she spent the rest of the evening entertaining him. Free babysitting - bless her heart.

Clayton & Catherine

Clayton thought that he was big stuff hanging out with the teenagers.

When he wasn't with the big kids, he was with his favorite little kid, Maggie. ;)

Drew & his little lemur friend, Luke :)
It was Luke's real birthday!
Aren't they the cutest little 1 year olds, ever?!?!

Drew spent most of the time in the stroller - poor baby. We did find a little trampoline in the preschool area that he got to play in, though.

Today was Drew's 1 year old well check at Dr. M's. He got a clean bill of health, which is always nice to hear. He weighed 24 lbs. 8 oz. (75%), was 31 1/2 inches long (90%), and his head circumference was 18 1/4 inches (50%). Staying right on his growth curve. :)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Nothin' Like A Good Smash Cake

I LOVE first birthdays! It's such a sweet celebration! I think that the smash cake is my favorite part. It's so funny to watch a baby's reaction, don't ya think?

I was sad that lots of our family and friends had to miss Drew's party. I wanted to do a little post just so that those who were unable to attend due to illness or travel could feel like they were there. Thanks to all of you who were able to come! We loved celebrating our boy with you!






The Pumpkin Patch (Take 2)

Today we went with some of our pals back to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. It was muddy and cold, but our friends made it so much fun! This time we went after lunch, which worked out much better. (Thanks Melissa for the tip!) It wasn't nearly as crowded, and we even got to take a hay ride. :)


Drew liked the hay ride (and Brennan's silly faces!).

Leah and Miss Maggie

Brooke and her cutie, Ethan

Brennan and sweet Macie

A fun fall day with friends - does it get any better?!?!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Run, Forest, Run!

Saturday was CUH-razy! It was the busiest day that we have had in a long time. Clayton had t-ball pictures at 9:00. Then he had a double header at 11:00 and 12:00. Then we had a little birthday party for Drew from 1:00-3:00. Somewhere in there Wade had to pick up balloons and a cake. It was a little bit hectic, for sure.

I really wanted for Drew to get a good morning nap so that he would be happy for his party. So, I had to miss Clayton's games. :( I was so sad! I love watching him play. Luckily, he had a whole crew of adoring fans at his game. Thanks, Grammie & Papaw, G & Granddad, Mamaw, Kelli, & Jay for coming to support our favorite Gator!


Clayton plays t-ball through the YMCA. They really want the kids to get used to hitting the ball and then running to first base. That is the offensive objective that they focus on most. So, the kids take turns batting, running to first base, and jumping on the base (it squeaks when they jump on it - too cute!). However, they let 2 kids from each team hit a "home run" at the end of each game. They just tell them, before they bat, to hit the ball and run home. Wouldn't you know it, that the game that I missed was the one that Clayton got to hit a home run at. Nuts! My sweet Hubs was kind enough to video it for me. I fell on the floor laughing when I saw it. Too funny not to share!

Please note that he runs past 2 of his teammates - 1 on second base and 1 on third. Lovely. I have a feeling that we won't be getting the "Good Sportsmanship" award.
Secondly, he runs to give his Dad a high five before he actually crosses home plate. Ooops!
Third, he throws his hands in the air and runs to greet his fans. Can you say excessive celebration??? It's so nice to have a humble child...

Friday, October 23, 2009

Happy Birthday to Drew!

Drew is 1!!!



I know that I say it all the time, but, man oh man, this year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I laid eyes on my sweet little babe!


But, alas, 365 blessed days have passed since that moment. And, what a wonderful year it has been!

At 1 year:

* You wear 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers. You still have 5 teeth, but your top left canine tooth is going to break through any day now.

* You love to eat! I am constantly amazed by how much you can fit into your little tummy. We haven't found a single thing that you won't eat. You love it all! Like your pal, Ryan, you love to style your hair with your messy hands after eating. Your favorite hair do is a mohawk using green beans juice as gel. YUCK!



* You are already showing signs of being a little monkey just like your brother. You love to climb! Your new favorite hang out is the bottom shelf of our bookcases. Ha!



* You are getting braver and braver each day with taking steps. You will take 4-5 at a time usually. You haven't really taken off with walking, but you probably will very soon. It is so fun to watch you try to toddle around. When you finally fall, you laugh so hard! It's the funniest thing...

* You are making lots of sounds (ba-ba, da-da, ma-ma), but no "real" words. With your big brother around, it's hard to get a word in edge-wise. ;)

* I've started making you leave your pacifiers in your bed, so that you get into the habit of only using them for naps and bedtime. When I get you out of your crib, I take your pacifier out and say, "Bye, bye Binky." After a few days of that routine, you started taking you binky out yourself, tossing it into your crib, and waving at it. I cracked up when I realized that you had it figured out. It's the little things that you do that make me laugh.

* You are such a boy! You love blocks, cars, remotes, etc. Your brother was building towers with duplo blocks yesterday and you took great joy in knocking over each one. You were so proud and your brother was so disappointed. :)

Here are some pictures from this morning with our birthday boy:

The first picture of our 1 year old! We all went up to get him out of his crib this morning and sang "Happy Birthday." He didn't know what to think of all of the hoopla!

I think that this one will be of my all time favorite pictures!
(It was my pal, Leah's, idea. Gotta give her all the creativity credit!) :)


Happy Birthday, my Precious One! You have changed my life in ways that you will never know. I love you to pieces!

Letter to My Birthday Boy!

My Dearest Drew,

It is very early in the morning on October 23, 2009. It’s not even dawn yet, but I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. I keep saying in my head, “Drew is 1! My baby really is 1 today.” No matter how many times that I repeat that thought, I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that today is your first birthday. Oh, precious Baby Boy, what an amazing year this has been!

As a first-time mom, when your brother was a baby, so much of my time was spent just trying to figure out what to do. I worried and fretted constantly. I wanted so badly to do things “right.” I read books and constantly polled my friends in my never ending search to figure out the perfect way to raise my firstborn. When Clayton turned one, I had this feeling of accomplishment at the thought of having my first year as a mother under my belt.

When you were born, I was all too aware of how quickly this first year would go by. I knew that the next 12 months would be compiled of hundreds of thousands of fleeting moments that I would want to etch into my mind forever. I wanted to really savor every minute of your babyhood. I feel like I have done just that. I have stopped so many times and reminded myself to just sit and soak in the moment. I enjoyed every minute of your first year. It has been a year filled with precious moments that I will never forget – so many “firsts” for you.

If I sit and close my eyes, I can replay all of the highlights. I remember the first glimpse I got of your precious cherub-like face, the fears that I had when they admitted you to the NICU, introducing you to all of our family & friends, bringing you home, the way your newborn head smelt, the sleepless nights when you were suffering through reflux, your first smiles, your first Christmas, the first time that you rolled over, taking you to Disneyland as a 6 month old babe, how big you looked when you learned to sit up by yourself, the sound of your first coos that turned into babbles, when you learned to pull yourself to a standing position, the first time that you said da-da (and later ba-ba and ma-ma), the first time that you waved, the first time that you gave me a big slobbery baby kiss, your first steps, and so many moments in between. My, how far you have come in just 365 short days!

I love you being a baby and your brother being 4 ½. You two fill my days with so much joy. If I could stop time right now, I would. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t think about that possibility often. If given the opportunity, I would spend the rest of my days as the mother of a pre-kindergartner and a baby, and I would be happy as a clam. I’d jump on that chance in a heartbeat! But, if I really think about that ridiculous concept, I realize that I would miss out on so much. You two darling boys have a whole lifetime of memories to make. Today marks the end of a wonderful chapter, but is only the very beginning of a very long novel. I can’t wait to read more of your story!

I love you to pieces and I’m thrilled that I get to spend the rest of my days watching you grow! You are more precious to me than you will ever know.

I love you more today than I did yesterday, but not as much as I will tomorrow!

~Mommy

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Western Day

Today was Western Day at Clayton's preschool. He loved it as much, if not more, than he did last year. When I picked him up, he said, "Western Day is the best day of my entire life!" He's not dramatic or anything. ;)

They had a petting zoo with goats, rabbits, chickens, a turkey, a pig, a donkey, and sheep. They also had pony rides. It was so cute!

My little turkey with a real turkey




A few weeks ago, Clayton said, "Mama, I need a pearl snap shirt." When I questioned him about why he wanted a pearl snap shirt, he replied, "So that I can put it over my Superman costume and snap it off real quick like Clark Kent." What am I going to do with this boy?!?! So, when I saw pearl snap shirts on sale at Old Navy, I couldn't help myself. :)

Is it just me or is that the cutest little cowboy you've ever seen?

Mid "Yee-haw!"

What a fun day!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Autumn at the Arboretum

Have I mentioned how much I love the month of October? There's so many fun activities to do! Unfortunately, this year is rained nonstop for the first 2 weeks of October. It rained, and it rained, and it rained. It put a damper on a lot of our usual activities. We didn't get to go to the fair this year. That made me so sad, since this is the first year that we didn't take Clayton since he was born. But, we just ran out of time.

I had planned to go to the Arboretum with some friends for Autumn at the Arboretum 2 weeks ago. We had to cancel our plans due to the crummy weather. So, we rescheduled for today. We had perfect weather! However, I think that every man, woman, and child in the metroplex decided that today would be a great Arboretum day. It was sooo crowded. We spent a lot of time waiting in line, but it was worth it. :) I got to catch up with 2 of my friends from my Children's days - Brennan & Brooke. It was so fun to hear what they were up to and to visit with their little ones. Leah, was a sweetheart and came along, too. She had worked last night and I know that she was dead dog tired. But, she was her usual upbeat self and made the day so much fun.

We had a great day!
















I sure do love my little pumpkins!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Fun Weekend with The Hege Family

We had a wonderful weekend with our favorite North Carolinians, The Heges. We love Will & Leslie (and their daughter Anna, too, of course) and always look forward to their visits. Leslie and I met when we interviewed at Children's 7 years ago. We instantly bonded and realized quickly that we are very much alike. We tease that God made us out of the same mold. :)

Leslie left Children's, after a year of us working together, to marry her husband Will. Will and Wade have gotten to be pretty good buddies over the years as well, so it is a fun friendship that we all share. We have been blessed with several visits from the Hege family, and we always treasure our time with them. This visit was no different.

On Friday, we went to the pumpkin patch (see the post below) and then the Daddies watched all of the kids so that Leslie and I could go shopping. What a treat! We went to Grapevine Mills and shopped 'til we dropped. We ended up picking out most of the same clothes and shoes to try on. One of us would say, "Oh, look how cute this is!" only to see that the other one of us was already holding up the same item. It was hysterical to realize just how similar our tastes are. :)

Will & Leslie actually came in town to go the UT vs. OU game at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. While they were at the game, we got to hang out with Anna. She came to Clayton's tee ball game with us and cheered on our little Florida Gator. :)



After the games (both football and tee ball) we went to dinner at Sonny Bryan's to get the Heges some good 'ole Texas barbecue. Then we went to Cabellas. It was some good (free) fun for the kids. There may have been some shooting games and fudge for the adults, too. ;)



Sadly, the Heges had to head back home today. The long weekend went by way too fast! We are already planning to visit them and go to the beach next summer. Sounds like fun to me!



Thanks for coming to visit, friends! You're welcome to come back any time!