Bounce houses!

Getting a balloon at Harris Teeter. Drew loves the car cart and steers both wheels!
Drew at a birthday party. He loved dipping the chicken (and the pretzels and the chips) in the sauce!
Peek-a-boo!
Unwinding from the party by watching Curious George for the millionth time.
Position change.

Video of Drew saying bye bye as we drive away from the birthday party.

We have had such a busy week and weekend. Drew and I went to Jumpin' Beans on Tuesday with the Mom's club. It's a play place with bounce houses and other toys. Drew was so scared of the huge jumpers and held on to my leg for the first 1/2 hour. I even got in with him but it didn't help. Too bad, I was looking forward to jumping! Then we took George to the airport and he was gone most of the week for work. He took the camera which is why I haven't posted anything new until now.

Friday evening we went to a block party and had a great time. We met a few families that moved in recently including one couple from Mississippi. He went to Gulfport High which is the neighboring town to Biloxi and played baseball at Ole Miss. She is from Oxford and was a Phi Mu at Mississippi State. Small world! We played "Do you know such and such?" for quite a long time!

Saturday I went to my sister's house so I could watch my niece. My sister and Tom had Saturday school to make up for a snow day. Ridiculous! But I loved spending time with Whitley. We had dinner at our neighbor's Saturday evening and hung out till after midnight on their porch. The monitor works from their house so we were able to put Drew to bed and still have a "night out." The best news was we didn't have to pay $10 an hour for babysitting :)

Today we went to a birthday party for a friend Zoe who turned three. There were tons of outdoor toys and Drew played with every one of them. She had a bounce house and Drew liked it today. Boy how things change in a week!

Lovin' Life at Lowe's!

Drew and I outside of Lowe's.
Drew's very sad face when Angel got out of the car at the airport.

We dropped Angel off at the airport today after a huge lunch at a local BBQ place. Yummy! Angel is a picky eater but seemed to be pleased with hush puppies and sweet tea! Who wouldn't be? Drew was so sad when Angel departed and busted out in tears. He perked up when we went to Golfsmith and I let him play on the golf carts. I'm sure the Manager wouldn't have been happy with me showing Drew the horn button but luckily the carts were outside so no one could see (or hear) us. We watched George test out a driver but Drew was so excited about the golf balls flying through the air that we left because his squeals were disturbing the other shoppers. We went to Lowe's next and Drew got a hot dog from the vendor cart outside. He thought that was tons of fun and proceeded to eat the entire thing while George shopped. He greeted everyone that entered the store and waved bye-bye and said "bye-bye" as people left. It was so cute! Drew also enjoyed looking at the riding lawn mowers and other super-sized toys outside of the store. When a neighbor asked me what we did today I cheerfully responded that we had a great time loitering at Lowe's. The sad thing is we really did! When did my life become so simple that an hour in a rocker outside a home improvement store become a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon? When I had Drew, fell madly in love with him and his happiness became my happiness - I guess that's the answer.

Duke Gardens

Drew leads the pack through Duke Gardens.
Drew smells a flower. His nose was working overtime as he sniffed just about every flower!
Angel and Drew
Drew kisses Whitley!

Video of Drew talking to Whitley, poking Whitley and offering her some juice!

Angel, Drew and I met Cristie and Whitley at Duke Gardens Saturday morning. What a beautiful place! Drew ran around and sniffed hundreds of beautiful flowers! Cristie also showed us the bench where Tom proposed to her. Very sweet!

Last night we went to the Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban concert. Whoo hoo!!!! I went to the concert knowing I loved Carrie but left loving Keith as well! I have really been missing out not being a big fan of his. Gotta get all of his CD's this week! He and Carrie were both great performers and it was a really fun night. We had one little incident when we stood up to dance and a lame couple behind us told us to sit down. What?!?! It's a concert for cryin' out loud. Who sits at concerts? Obviously they do. Anyway, once things got rockin' most people were standing so they were forced to suck it up.

All in a day's fun!

Angel, Drew and I.
Drew was pumped about having a corn dog for dinner!
Cute close-up of Drew exiting a tunnel at the mall playground.

My best friend Angel arrived last night and so far we've had tons of fun! We shopped this morning and bought the same purse. We felt like junior high girls but we don't live in the same town so we can get away with it! We enjoyed the gorgeous weather this afternoon and played hard with Drew. Angel is a natural with kids and Drew adores her. So does Bailey! We've been getting ready for the Carrie Underwood concert by singing her tunes for Drew. Angel is the only person I know that sings as poorly as I do so Drew was quite the trooper to listen to us.

Fun at the park!

Drew and I met some friends at a great park today, the Friends Together park. It was like 6 regular parks in one! It had everything you would want and more. I kept wondering when they were going to charge us an admission but then I realized they do, it's called property taxes. Although the park at lots to offer, Drew's favorite thing was the riding car his friend Zoe came in (pictures below). Guess I'll have to get one of those next time I'm at Toys 'R Us. Hopefully they have colors other than pink, not that Drew cares.

Drew riding in Zoe's car.
Drew quickly discovered that although riding is fun, pushing

Zoe in the car is much more exciting! He pushed her around

the park while I followed them. I kept waiting for Drew to get tired

or bored but I think we would still be there if we were waiting for that!

Booda Beans - what a genius idea!

Drew crowded at Sam's Club. He's not budging from the Super Pretzels!
Bailey poses on the staircase. I think that is such a pretty picture of her!
Drew takes a seat on our bed rail. He thought it was so fun and kept going back to our room to do it again.

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This week is off to a great start! On Monday Drew and I met some friends from the Cary Mom's club at Booda Beans, a coffee shop with a kids play area! It's my new favorite place! I don't drink coffee but they have yummy bagels and other treats. The play area is right in the center of the tables so the kids are never out of sight. They had every toy in the world including a kitchen set, tons of trains, a chalkboard, the whole nine yards. I was only planning on staying an hour but Drew was having so much fun that me spent most of the morning there. One time when I checked on him I noticed his shirt was all wet. I couldn't imagine what that was from (it's the first week in many that he's not teething!) but then I noticed he was playing with a couple of cars and that the moisture was flying from his mouth while doing his motor noises. That's his most recent obsession. He drives his cars all over and makes the most precious and creative sounds.

Today we ran tons of errands and came home exhausted. I kept making stops because Drew seemed to be having a good time. We were way overdue for a Sam's Club trip so got that out of the way. Boy, did we get some stuff! I felt bad when I had to start putting items next to Drew in the cart. He didn't mind though and he spent most the time trying to open things. The fun ended on the way to the car when 115 double rolls of Bounty Select-a-Size kept falling out of the cart and I got really aggravated. I ended up carrying three or fours things in one arm while trying to steer the heavy cart with the other. I don't think I could have chosen a further parking spot! This evening we went for a family trip to Goodberry's Frozen Custard. Yum, yum! We finally found some ice cream Drew will eat!

I'm super excited this week because my best friend Angel is coming to visit Thursday!!! My free time (what free time?) has been spent cleaning the house and car to get ready for her. I wasn't about to pick her up at the airport with the car in such a mess. I found at least a dozen Goldfish crackers while vacuuming it out. I assume Drew just throws them around when I'm not looking.

We had such a nice weekend! Friday we met my sister and her family for a yummy dinner in Chapel Hill and sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Every week I discover another great location for shopping and eating. They are on every corner! Drew really enjoyed eating outside because it gave him a chance to see everyone come and go. He wanted to get out of the high chair toward the end of dinner so I took him out and he walked right up to some college girls and totally flirted! He smiled at them and his precious blue eyes were sparkling. The minute they looked at him he put his head down and then slowly looked back up and smiled. The girls ate it up of course and one girl even said "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to have kids. He's so cute!"

Saturday afternoon I left the boys (and Bailey) and joined some friends for girls night. We had a great time catching up, eating dinner and staying up till 2am chatting like 11 year olds. It was tons of fun! George assumed I drank too much when I didn't get home till almost noon today but I swear we had switched to milk and cookies by 9:30 pm. We just got to talking and stayed up too late. George, Drew and Bailey had a fun day and I got 5 or 6 updates via text message. I always get a kick out of that when I'm gone. George sends the cutest updates about what they are doing and what Drew ate or didn't eat. Some of yesterday's messages include, "Guess who slept 3 hours and woke up perfect?" I would have guessed Drew, Bailey or even George on that one but figured it must have been Drew. "Just went on wagon ride. Neighbors outside so Drew played with Preston." Preston lives behind us and is 6 days younger than Drew. Before we met him everyone told us that Drew and Preston would hit it off because they were the same size. Yep, Preston's a big boy too! And lastly "Drew just wolfed dinner. Being perfect. May go for ice cream after Masters." They always do fun stuff like go for ice cream when I'm not around :(

This afternoon Drew and I met my sister and niece for a little shopping. It started off fine but then Drew spotted a Balloon at TJ Maxx that was part of a display. He was mad as a wet hen that I wouldn't let him have it and just as he was calming down he spotted a ball on the ground. I wouldn't give that to him either because I know he throws balls and I didn't want anything to break. Well, Drew continued to get more and more upset and didn't relax even when I told him he was embarrassing me. Guess he didn't care. After attempting to calm him down with goldfish crackers, a banana and anything fun I could grab off the shelves, he was still fit to be tied. Therefore, we said a quick goodbye and left the store. I was mad at him on the way home so didn't do my normal talking and singing to him. He pouted (which he does so cute!) and then snapped out of it when we got home and he saw George and a couple of guys watching the Masters. Drew charmed them instantly and they were complimenting his demeanor in no time. They may have been singing a different tune had they seen Drew break ugly at TJ Maxx 30 minutes earlier!

Drew rides on Aunt Cristie's shoulder at dinner Friday. Fun, fun!!!

Drew leans in for a kiss!
My niece Whitley and I.

Drew is tuning in to the conversation at the next table.

Quick video of Drew kissing Whitley at Kohls. He ususally kisses her multiple times but was a little preoccuped with all of the clothes he wanted to pull off the rack.

More Mealtime Fun

Drew, where's your snack? All gone!
Excited about grilled cheese (again) for lunch!

It's so hard to get pictures of Drew because he's always on the go so I snapped a couple of shots while he was eating. We also spend so much time in the kitchen that it's easy to take pictures there. Seriously, I bet I spend 5 hours a day in the kitchen. By the time I make breakfast, feed it to Drew (or supervise him eating) and clean up it's almost time for lunch or certainly a snack. Then the process repeats itself in the afternoon. I've decided to fix this issue by eating out more. Hopefully George will agree.

We've spent a lot of time lately at garden stores. I'm obsessed with wanting pretty flowers and winning the yard of the month award (which doesn't even exist in our neighborhood.) Notice I used "wanting" because I have such a long way to go! So far I have one hanging plant, two pots with flowers on the back patio and two plant stands that are going back to Lowe's because they look tacky. Oh, and an Easter Lily that is still alive - yippie for me! I am so clueless that I can't even shop at Lowe's anymore. I found a Mom & Pop shop where the owner will actually help me and not give me ugly looks when I ask how often to water the plant. I'm loving the Family Garden Center in Apex!

A Very Happy Anniversary!

We stayed at the Gastonian, a beautiful bed & breakfast.
Taking a break from the heat with an early happy hour.
Drew practices his golf swing!
Grandma, George and Drew at the beach before we headed home.

A video of Drew answering the phone with a "hello." He's sitting at a darling table and chairs set made for George by his Grandfather. Drew loves sitting there and enjoys it everytime we visit Judy. He thinks he's so grown up!

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George surprised me with a quick trip to Savannah for our 5th wedding anniversary! It was a wonderful and romantic weekend. George and I took in the sites and enjoyed many delicious meals. The flowers were in bloom and quite beautiful. It was my first time staying at a bed & breakfast and I loved it! I was such a dork and really looked forward to the wine & treats in the evening and tea & desserts at night :)

We dropped the babies off in Myrtle Beach to stay with Judy and they had a great time. Judy kept Drew busy with a toddler set of golf clubs, bubbles and even a trip to Walmart for more toys! Bailey stayed busy barking at the golfers so it sounded like a great weekend for her as well.

Sunny Days!

Drew contributes to our masterpiece.
Drew sat in sidewalk chalk. Good thing you

can't see his face - it's covered too!
Drew and our neighbor Lauren are ready for a wagon ride.

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The rain finally stopped yesterday afternoon so we hurried outside for some fun! It only rained four days in a row but that seems like forever when you stay home with a child. I was totally out of ideas to keep him entertained and we were thinking about heading to the mall just to walk around when the sky cleared. We decided to try out our new sidewalk chalk. Drew used some at our neighbors a couple of weeks ago and seemed to love it so I got some too. He mostly ran around holding the container or eating the chalk but I had a great time! I forgot how much I love that stuff. Are you admiring my flower in picture two? Then our neighbor Lauren (who I adore!) came outside and the fun continued. I love her because she's sweet to Drew and she practically babysits him when she's with him. I can just sit back and giggle at the things she tells him. A couple of weeks ago during another one of our wagon rides I overheard her tell Drew "Your name is my favorite and the way you look is my very most favorite." I thought that was so sweet. Last week she told her Mom that she wants a 2nd Mommy and Daddy. When her Mom asked her if she had anyone in mind she said, "Of course! George and Stacy!" Lastly, yesterday she told me she wishes she had a brother named Drew. She must be a fan of the name because that has come up a couple of times.

We went to Little Gym today and I've decided George needs to take Drew from now on. Either Drew put on 5 lbs overnight or I'm in really bad shape! The instructor asked us to put the babies on our heads and spin them like a helicopter. What??? I couldn't even get a tight enough grip on him to keep him from falling off my head. I looked around to see if anyone was interested in switching children but there weren't any takers. Wimps!

Cabin Fever

Happy Drew!
Speeding up the stairs. Mowing every square inch of the upstairs. If only it was a vacuum!

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It's been a rainy week so far so Drew and I have been hanging out inside and playing with every single toy. I'm ready for some sunshine so we can get back outside. I think Drew is too. George and I had such a fun time at the concert Saturday night. Drew was good for the sitter although she said he woke up around midnight and hung out for about an hour with her. Strange. I was just glad he didn't get scared when he woke up and saw a new face. We put him to bed before we left so he didn't even know she was there. No stranger anxiety for this kid!