Pumpkin Patch - 10/12/12

We went back to our very favorite pumpkin patch of all time on October 12th.  This was our third year to go to the same patch and it just gets better every year.  (Here are the links for 2010 and 2011.)  I definitely had my hands full this year with a 2nd grader, 3 year old, and toddler.  Whew - I was worn flat out by the end.  I may need to bring back up next year.  Ha!

 All the kiddos together - Luke, Clayton, Drew, Owen, Caroline, Sadie, Maggie, and our newest pumpkin, Cori  :)

 This boy was happiest when he was out of his stroller - freedom!  However, that meant double the work for Mama.  We compromised with a mixture of being strapped in the stroller and being free.  ;)

 Owen in all of his hair glory - Wade's ready to cut the curls and I am soooo not.  I'm going to ride the curl wave as long as possible.

 This little mess of sugar...  He is something else.

 Clayton kills me - I looked over and he had this chick on his head.  He is the animal whisperer, for sure.

Such a fun fall tradition...  :)

Western Day at Preschool - 10/11/12

Drew's preschool had Western Day on October 11th.  Our Drew is going through a cowboy phase right now, so he was pretty stoked about getting to ride a pony and petting the animals.  :)

I know that he's mine, so I might be a bit biased.  But... I think he is the cutest little cowboy this side of the Mississippi.  ;)

 He smiled the entire time and was far too busy to actually look at the camera.  He had a ball!

 All of the cowboys in his class...

 and all of the cowgirls.

 He loved riding that pony.

 This sweet little guy is his best preschool buddy.  He talks about him all. of. the. time.  I love that he has his first school friend.  :)

The preschool director is an absolute doll - such a sweet, gentle spirit.  She came up to me while we were outside and told me that Clayton was welcomed to pet the animals and ride a pony.  I politely declined, thinking that Clayton would want no part of the preschool fun.  I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him getting onto one of the horses.  Somehow, he ended up with the teeny tiniest little pony there.  His toes almost touched the ground.  Ha!

Western Day is such a fun part of the preschool calendar.  I'm so grateful for our little preschool and all of the fun activities that they plan.  It brings me so much joy to see Drew getting to have the same fun experiences that Clayton did at this age.

P.S.  Here is the link to Western Day when Clayton was in the 3s and Drew was 2 days away from being born.  Feels like that was just yesterday, yet here we are 4 years later.  Crazytown.

Drew Version 4.0

My Drew turned 4 years old yesterday!  I can hardly believe it!  I went to vote yesterday, and I had a major flashback.  The last time that I voted in a presidential election, Drew was only a week old.  That was our first big outing with our tiny little babe.  And now he is 4!  That realization in the voting booth yesterday was enough to move me to tears.  Time just keeps marching on, doesn't it???

He is a mighty fine looking 4 year old, if I do say so myself.  :)

Drew had a fan-tabulous birthday!  His Daddy went and got him doughnuts for breakfast.  We stuck candles in them and sang Happy Birthday.  So fun!

After he blew them out, he said, "Yay!  Can we do it again???"  Wade said, "Well sure!  It is your birthday."  So we did it again.  Ha!

Then we spent some time hanging out with our boy before it was time for preschool.  I had debated on keeping him home from preschool because who in the world wants to go to school on their birthday???  Drew, does - that's who!  He was not about to miss his chance to be the birthday Shining Star (line leader for the day, brings a special show and tell toy & book, brings snack, etc.) and to take part in Crazy Hat day.  He LOVES his preschool and so do I!

I had to snap a picture of our 4 year old in the yard before we left.  He is so sweet to humor his mother with lots of pictures.  ;)

Here's the happy boy working on his morning work picture that I wanted to get on the first day of school.  My, what a difference 6 weeks makes!  Ha!

At 1:30 Clayton, Owen, and I brought a cookie cake up to the school to share with his classmates.  They were so cute singing to him.  Such a sweet little group of kiddos!

All 3 Brothers - sort of  :)

Drew asked me to bake a cookie cake with chocolate chips and M&Ms.  He picked out Lego candles at the store to go on top.

I think that our boy's 4th birthday was a smashing success!

At 4 years old, Drew:

*  Loves his yellow "nanny" (security blanket).  It never leaves his bed, but I happened to snap a picture of him with it last weekend when we were on our way home from Houston.  Sound asleep with his nanny and clutching his Batman - that pretty much sums up our Drew at 4.  :)  He is very particular about how we lay his nanny on him when we tuck him in to bed.  He likes the soft side (not the silky side) close to his skin, and he likes the tag end at his feet.  He will correct us (nicely, of course) if it isn't just so.  ;)  Funny little boy.

*  Drew weighs 42 lbs and is 42.5 inched tall - almost a perfect square!  Ha!

*  Drew still takes a 2 hour nap most days.  I haven't been laying him down after preschool, but I think that I may have to start.  He just needs his rest.  I'm still trying to figure that out.

*  Drew eats really well.  He is a big fruit/veggie eater, which thrills me to no end.  He has a sweet tooth, too, of course.  I'm hoping that the appples and carrots will balance out the cookies and brownies.  Ha!

*  Drew recognizes all of the letters and knows almost all of the letter sounds (several of the vowels and less often used letters still trip him up).  He can even sound out some short words with very little assistence (stop, cat, dog, etc.).  He is still working hard on letter formation - fine motor skills are not his strong suite.

*  Drew's speech is pretty good, but there are still some words that he says funny.  They are too cute to correct, so we just go with it.  He says Net-fah-lakes for Netflix, guh-pan-oh for piano, Shoes and Ladders instead of Chutes and Ladders, and he still calls Wade "Dada."  I love hearing those words, and I will be so sad when he corrects himself.  :(

*  Drew had an ear infection at the end of September.  He had absolutely no symptoms - never complained of pain and didn't run any fever.  Then one afternoon he woke up from his nap screaming that his ear hurt.  He was unconsolable, so I called the doctor and they could see him almost immediately.  We learned that he had a massive infection and that his eardrum had ruptured.  Poor buddy!  His tubes are still in (that were placed in Feb 2010!), but the right one was clogged.  Ugh!  So, we have seen the ENT and are trying to figure out what to do.  They have been in for too long and need to be removed, but she wasn't sure if this infection would clear or if he would need to have another set of tubes placed.  The point of the story is that Drew has a really high pain tolerance and really crummy ears.  :(

Here is the video questionaire that I did on his birthday:
For the sake of the future blog book, here are the questions and answers typed out.
1.  Who are your best friends?
      Cash at my preschool, Clayton, Owen, you, Lukey, Eric, Maggie, Sadie, Caroline, and James
2.  What is your favorite thing to do?
      Play games with you.
3.  What is your favorite game?
      "Shoes and Ladders"
4.  What is your favorite color?
      Pretty much orange.
5.  What is your favorite food?
      Apparently, apples.
6.  What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
      Apparently, I like to eat.
7.   What about going on trips?
      I like going on trips to Disney World.  My favorite place is Disney World.
8.  What is your favorite toy?
      My lego set over there that I made
9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
      I really want to be Darth Vader.
10.  No, what do you want to do for your job?
      I want to move somewhere else. 
11. What makes you happy?
      Playing games.
12. What makes you sad?
      Not doing things with you.
13. What is your favorite TV show?
      Mickey Mouse
14. What is your favorite book?
      How Do Dinosaur's Say Goodnight
15. What do you like to learn about?
      Fishies
16. What was the best part of your birthday?
      Eating cake
17. Where do you like to go?
       To Disney World
18. Who are your teachers?
       Ms. Christi and Ms. Shanna
19. What is your favorite treat?
       Apparently....just maybe....it's Cosmic Brownies
20. What do you think about before you fall asleep?
       I think....I think....I think I won't fall asleep, and I want to sleep in your bed with you.
21. What kind of party did you have?
      Cowboy
22.  Did you love it?
       Yes.
23.  What is your favorite movie?
       Really it's on Netflix (pronouced Net-fah-lakes) and it's Avengers (the cartoon).
24.  Who is your favorite guy on Star Wars?
       Obi-wan-kanobi
25.  Why is he your favorite?
       Because he has a green lifesaver (he he) and he is pretty much awesome.  The most funniest part is that he has a ponytail.
26.  Do you want a ponytail?
       No!!!!

Drewby Drew,

How can it be that you are 4?!?!  You are growing way too fast!  I tried and tried to get you to stay 3, but you insisted that you had to turn 4.  Bummer.  I really, really, really, giant super big puffy heart the age of 3.  It's my fav.  Well, one of my favs.  I'm a bit afraid of 4, I have to say.  4s want independance and start to get sassy and too big for their britches.  At least that's what I've heard.  ;)  Please prove me wrong!  I'd love for you to remain your sweet self and skip the sassy stage.

You have such a sweet little spirit.  You are kind to your friends and really good at sharing.  Just yesterday Clayton asked to play with one of your brand new toys that you hadn't even opened yet.  You replied, "Yeah, sure!" without even missing a beat.  I love that you are generous and happy to share.  That is a wonderful characteristic that will bring you much joy.

You are also soooo funny!  You smile and laugh all of the time.  You have the funniest facial expressions that make me giggle even on the hardest of days.  You are our family comedian, for sure. 

You started preschool last month and I was sooooo worried about how you would do.  You have been my trusty little sidekick since you were born.  I was worried that we might both be miserable.  The first day was rough, but you have done so well since!  You LOVE preschool and have learned so much.  I couldn't be prouder of you!  On Tuesdays and Thursday, I watch the clock and wonder what you are doing at school - just like I have always done with Clayton.  I am so glad to pick you up at 2:00 and love when you run to the door with a big smile to give me a hug.  You are a precious, precious piece of my heart.  I hope that you always know how much I love you.

You have started to volunteer to pray more and more often, which I love.  I always want you to know that the Lord hears all of your prayers and longs for you to commune with him.  I know that you are at the very beginning stages of that relationship, and I love watching that part of your heart form. 

You are the special link in the middle of our family.  You are essential and so very important to our family dynamic.  We all adore you so much, and I hope that you never, ever doubt the love of your family.  You make us all better.

I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy