A Very Merry Christmas!

Our family had a very Merry Christmas with Judy, my parents and the Watson's in Myrtle Beach. Drew was spoiled with many, many gifts. He started opening them the first day we arrived and there were still plenty by the time Christmas day rolled around. We enjoyed spending time with family and filled our days playing games, taking walks, eating, watching Finding Nemo (Drew's new fav!) and playing with Drew and Whitley and their new toys. Drew was so thrilled to be with all three of his grandparents and the Watson's and frequently took a roll call to make sure everyone was present. He would say "CC? Day Day? Me Maw? (his name for Grandma), Mama? Dada? Dom? (Tom), a botched version of Cristie that I can't even begin how to spell and Baby? (Whitley)" When he confirmed everyone was there he would say "Yes!!!!" and display the biggest grin! It was so darn sweet! He acted like a true two year old with the presents though and thought they were all his. He said "No, mine." so many times that Whitley was saying it by the end of the trip! We all agreed that as wonderful as it was to watch Whitley and Drew enjoy Christmas that next year will be even better as they grow to enjoy it more and more! I'm looking forward to it already! I hope you and yours had a memorable holiday season! Drew and Day Day take a long ride in a golf cart. Drew kept saying "Faster, faster Day Day!"

Drew taking a quick rest at the beach.

In awe of the hundreds of seagulls.

Drew took two of his new trucks to the beach to play.

Drew and Whitley help me open a present.

Drew helps Grandma open one of hers.

Day Day sneaks Drew another ice cream sandwich. He lived off of those things
on our trip. Guess that's what vacation is all about! He would open the freezer and say "More cream?" Nobody could resist his darling voice!

Drew gets a Diego tricycle!

Drew needs another car don't you think?

Drew and Whitley work through the many, many presents!

We watch Finding Nemo again! This time we watched it on the travel DVD player so everyone wouldn't have to see it for the 47th time, the babies didn't seem to care.

Drew is his darling new pj's!

My Little Homebody!

I just wanted to share a cute little thing about Drew. Lately he has become the biggest homebody! When we go places he'll ask over and over if we can go home. I can't blame him when I'm dragging him on errands and he's bored stiff but the other day we were on our way to a birthday party and he only wanted to go home. I said, "Drew, do you want to go to a party and see your friends, play games and have cake?" He looked at me and responded so pitifully, "No, I want home." Tuesday I took him to his 2 year check-up and as soon as the nurse called his name, he ran to the door and starting repeating "home, home, home". She and everyone in the waiting room laughed hysterically. Some of them were still laughing when we came back out 20 minutes later. We saw the nurse a couple of weeks ago for Drew's flu shot and it was obvious he recognized her. He didn't get any shots this time and the Dr. said Drew is doing great! He weighs 32 pounds (85th percentile) and is 37" tall (97th percentile). He continues to be a big guy! Below are some pictures of Drew in his fire fighter raincoat. CC got it for him for his birthday and he didn't like it at first. He ran from it as fast as he could. But then a couple of days ago he changed his mind and now wants to wear it constantly. I asked him Tuesday what he wanted to wear and he said, "my wee-ooh, wee-ooh fire ,truck."

Choo Choo!

Like most little boys, Drew is fascinated with modes of transportation. It started with cars and trucks and then grew to include airplanes, helicopters, boats and trains. George and I decided he needed a train table for his expanding Thomas collection so I started shopping for one a couple of months ago. We never found exactly what we were looking for; wrong size, wrong color, too expensive, etc. so one day George decided he was going to build one! As soon as he got that idea he was on the way to Lowe's and returned with a pile of wood, nails, tools, and stain. One glance at the receipt blew the budget right out of the water but he assured me the table would be better than anything we could have bought. Boy was he right!!! When I mentioned the project to my sister, she immediately volunteered to paint the table! She did such a beautiful job! We gave the table to Drew for his birthday and he absolutely loves it! It is such a special table since it was made for Drew with love from his Daddy and sweet Aunt Cristie!

Post construction, pre-stain.
Checking it out!

What a beautiful table! Thanks George and Cristie!

Sound the Alarm! It's Drew's 2nd Birthday Party!

Drew's birthday party was Saturday and it was a flaming good time! We had a fire truck theme complete with fire truck invitations, a fire truck cake, fire truck pinata and even real fire fighters with their truck! Fourteen of Drew's friends plus their parents attended in addition to the Watson's, both Grandma's and Aunt Mary. Drew was so excited to see the fire truck in his front yard and was devastated when it drove off (sirens blaring of course!). The Cary Fire Department went above and beyond any of our expectation. They came in with hats and pencils for all the kids and then gave a safety presentation. Fire fighter Chuck got dressed in his protective gear in order to show the kids that a fire fighter is not a monster if they see one. It was a great message and very entertaining. They even let the kids try on the clothes, mask, hat, shoes, and oxygen back pack. It was pretty neat! They were amazing and we are so appreciative for their time! Also, thanks to Mom for all the help with cooking and to her and Judy for helping with clean up!

Drew's fire truck cake that I made. It took me forever to decorate!

Waiting for the fire fighters to begin their presentation.

Watching fire fighter Chuck put on his gear.

Getting ready to high-five fire fighter Chuck.

Fire fighter Chuck!

Drew waiting to sit in the fire truck.

Drew was so excited that the fire truck was there!

He made himself at home in the seat and didn't get out until the truck had to leave.

Drew and a few others in the truck.

Drew and Nora Grace. Drew is still not budging.

Drew with the fire fighters!!!

The kiddies pick up the pinata goodies.

Blowing out his candle!

Drew is Two!!!

Our baby boy turned two on Friday!!! Of course he's been acting two for a while now with the occasional tantrum and constant "mine, no mine, mine" talk. He's such a fun-loving and affectionate little guy though so I think we'll breeze through the terrible two's without too many problems. Drew had a good birthday. We played and played inside and then got a chance to play outside for a bit too (see scooter video below). I worked on his birthday cake for hours while he napped and then we went to pick up CC at the airport. He talked about CC arriving on an airplane the entire way there. We went to dinner at Andy's, a definite kid friendly place, and then home to open some presents. Drew enjoyed the day and loved his presents so much that he didn't want to go bed. CC nor I had any luck putting him to bed so George had to step in. We wanted Drew to get lots of rest because Saturday was a HUGE day. Blog to come...

Eating a yummy cheeseburger at his birthday dinner.

A Thomas the Train set from Mommy and Daddy.

Waiting for Daddy to take the zillion ties off of a new toy.

Playing with his first remote control car - it's actually an adorable little fire truck!

BIG fire truck from CC and Day Day.

A video of Drew "riding" a scooter. I think he does a good job!

Off To A Good Start!

Drew's birthday week is off to a great start! He has already received some wonderful gifts and very sweet cards. Aunt Betty sent him a truck piggy bank which he loves, Aunt Vivian sent him money, Angel sent him trucks and a birthday plate (see below) and Barb & Roger Orban sent him a super fun mini golf course! I'm saving that gift for the weekend because I would like to use it at his birthday party. Here are some pictures from today...

Wearing the laundry basket. I guess this never gets old because he's been doing it for over a year.
Opening up a gift from sweet Angel, my best friend. The plate reads "Drew Birthday Boy" and she sent him two trucks as well! He favored the trucks of course but I think the plate is adorable!

Playing with the trucks from Angel. He's so serious!

Drew didn't want to take his helmet off after riding his truck.

Reading his birthday cards that arrived today.

Drew's first meal on his birthday plate from Angel!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We had a nice week and weekend. Drew and I stayed busy with a playgroup, some Christmas shopping, a two hour lunch at McDonald's (he loves the play area there), and even some outside playtime although it was a pretty cold week. Friday night we had a family night in with pizza and movies! Then Saturday we went to a restaurant to watch ECU play in their conference championship... they won! Drew was so cute watching the game and won the hearts of everyone in sight as he cheered "Go ball ball team!" while wearing his darling LSU jersey. Saturday night we watched Whitley while Cristie and Tom went to a Santa Bar Crawl. They looked so festive in their costumes and Uncle Tom was a darling Santa. Drew wasn't so sure at first but warmed up to him pretty quickly. Today was a really fun day for me because my Aunt Mary took her daughter Melanie and my sister and I to a lovely brunch and then to see The Nutcracker at UNC's Memorial Hall. We had a wonderful time and Aunt Mary promises to make it an annual event :) Drew will be two on Friday so we're gearing up for a fun and busy week!

Drew was scared of Santa (Uncle Tom) so he wouldn't come in the living room. Here he is pouting in the dining room.
My cutie and I at the start of his birthday week!

Drew, Whitley and Santa!

Cousin Melanie, Cristie, Aunt Mary and I at The Nutcracker.

Cristie, Aunt Mary and I.

Cousins!

December Already?

The rest of the holiday weekend fly by! We took down our Fall decorations and put up all of the Christmas ones, we hung out with friends and I did lots and lots of reading since I'm obsessed with the Twilight series. It was a great weekend! We enjoyed a couple of more days with Judy and Drew loved having her here! George and I even snuck off to a movie on Friday while Judy watched Drew. We can't believe that December is already here and it promises to be a busy month! Drew's 2nd birthday is less than two weeks away and then Christmas is right around the corner. We are really looking forward to all of the fun and festivities!

Grandma, otherwise knows as "Gam-ma" or "Me-ma" brought Drew a tiger and he loved putting the box on his head and running around.
Drew peak-a-boos around the tree.

Drew plays chase around the tree repeating "I catch you, I catch you!"

Helping decorate the tree!

Morgan and Mason, two super sweet and adorable kids, with Drew.

Drew and Reagan sitting as close to the TV as possible without leaving the kitchen (that was the rule while eating cookies). Reagan moved a chair to where the kitchen met the living room carpet and Drew followed her lead.

Drew and James watch football and admire a snow globe. We all got a kick out of Drew's vocabulary as he pointed out everything he saw in the globe. "Oooooh dog (reindeer)! Ooooooh house! Oooooooh ball (ornament)! Ooooooooh stairs!"

Rebecca, Danielle, Lori and I.