Halloween Festivities!

We had a busy weekend enjoying some Halloween fun! Saturday night we went to a costume party dressed as tacky Mardi Gras revelers. Beware: one of the photos below is NOT PRETTY! Our costume seemed to be a hit and we were impressed by the other costumes as well. Sunday Drew and I went to a cookie decorating party and got a serious sugar high. Then George and Drew did some pumpkin carving. Well, Drew watched for about 5 minutes and then just wanted to drive his trucks into the empty pumpkins. The finished products are really good! George is quite the jack-o-lantern creater!

Drew watches George clean out a pumpkin. He thought the seeds were gross and repeated "yuk, yuk, yuk" over and over.
George and Drewby admire their first jack-o-lantern!

Fall decorations! The little pumpkin on the left has a "D" carved into it! George took pumpkin carving very seriously :)

Drew at the cookie decorating party. He was eating the candy from the candy necklace kit faster than I could make it.

Eating the icing from the spreader. We only came home with one cookie. Pitiful! Drew was licking the icing and I was eating the cookies.

Tacky Mardi Gras revelers!!! Luckily "John McCain and Sarah Palin" covered me up with stickers!

Picture of some the girls. Looks like Sarah Palin is copping a feel!

Little Tiger Fans!

I'm posting these precious pictures of my babies despite the horrendous loss yesterday to Georgia. I realize all of the pictures are almost identical but I couldn't pick a favorite!

Pumpkins, Hayrides and Other Fall Fun!

Drew and I went to a pumpkin patch today, and like most things he does, he had a great time! He enjoyed the hayride, corn mazes, pumpkins, farm animals and the hay stacks (especially when he discovered he could use them as slides). There were tons of school groups there so he had a ball pretending he was 7 years old. He chased the big kids through the corn maze over and over until I finally dragged him home. I was only able to get him to leave by showing him the dozen school buses in the parking lot. Buses are the newest addition to his obsession with all things on wheels. Here's some photos from our fun day...

Sitting on the tractor after the hayride.
Drew completes the corn maze!

Running through the kids corn maze. It wasn't extreme enough for Drew so he headed for the bigger one.

Drew didn't like the feel of hay at first.

LSU Road Trip

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted an update. George and I went to Columbia, SC over the weekend to see the Tigers vs. Gamecocks game and it's been a slow week trying to get back with the program. We drove home after the game Saturday night/Sunday morning and we're not used to staying up all night! We had big plans of sleeping most of Sunday but jumped out of bed as soon as we heard Drew in the morning. We missed him so much, even after only 36 hours! It's impossible to catch up on sleep with a toddler around so it's been a tiring few days. We had a great time on the trip though and really enjoyed seeing some friends. We spent a lot of time with Ward, our best friend from Baton Rouge, and met up with my good friend Kelly and her husband who drove up from Atlanta. We were thrilled to see the Tigers win despite the frigid weather! Judy and her friend Jane came to our home to watch Drew and it sounds like they had a great time as well! They said he was a really good boy and was even on his best behavior at church. Wow! A big thanks to Ward for a wonderful weekend and to Judy and Jane for the loving care you gave Drew!

Heading out after dinner Friday evening.
Ward and I. Ward, do you approve of that photo?
After dinner Friday night.


Kelly and I ran into a sorority sister, Stacy, before the game.

Kelly and I pre-game.
It was sooooo cold!!!

Get ready to laugh!!!

Drew is going to be Mike the Tiger (LSU's mascot for those that don't know) for Halloween and I've been searching the stores and the net for the perfect costume! I wanted one with the right colors and that also had detachable pieces in case Drew didn't want to wear the hands or headpiece. I finally found exactly what I was looking for and couldn't wait for it to arrive. What a joke! It is waaaayyyy too small! George and I got the BIGGEST laugh when we put it on Drew. I ordered a 24 month because that was the largest size they had. I even e-mailed the company to ask the length because I was concerned it would be too short. They responded that it would fit toddlers up to 40" in height. Don't think so! Drew is 35" tall and you can see it's a good 6" too short! The sad part is Drew seemed to love it. He started roaring as soon as I put it on him!!! Guess I'll hit Party City and buy the second best Tiger costume. I have to find something that works because we are so excited about Halloween this year! Whitley is going to be an LSU cheerleader and her and Drew will trick-or-treat together in a wagon decorated purple and gold! Can't wait! Get ready to laugh...

Trip Down Memory Lane

I have been transferring photos from the computer to discs today, a task I have been avoiding for months. We have so many pictures on this thing that I'm afraid it's going to crash so I finally got around to the job. It was much more fun that I expected since I got to take a trip down memory lane. Gosh, what a difference a year makes! Drew isn't even the same child he was this time last year. Below are a few photos from the Fall of '07 to show you what I mean...

Drew at LSU Fan Day. He has always loved the ladies!
Another Fan Day picture. I would love to see Herman hold Drew now!

Drew with Ward at Drew's first football game! Drew looks so different without hair!

Drew used to push this toy across the floor as he learned how to walk. I can't even remember what it was like before Drew walked! This time last year he was happy cruising around the coffee table 20 times in a row. Now he can climb up the stairs, go to the bonus room, grab a truck and be halfway back down the stairs is 4 1/2 seconds flat! That happened today as I'm sure you guessed.
First car! Whitley, one week old! What a beautiful newborn!
Ali, Lila, Cristie, Whitley, Drew and I.
Drew meeting Whitley! They loved each other from the start!

Whirlwind Week!

We had a really busy week again! Short recap... Day Day arrived and Drew was thrilled to see him, I turned 29, Drew had Roseola but is all well now, Whitley had her 1st birthday and a wonderful party to celebrate, Drew learned how to steer (or over-steer) his Power Wheels truck, my friend Sharon and I took the boys to a lame Fall Festival so ditched it to meet the hubbies at Hooters, I changed the sheets on the guest bed four times (lots of rotating company!), Judy, CC and Day Day left on Sunday and Drew is wondering why the fun had to end. Unfortunately, I hardly took any pictures all week since we were so busy. Here's just a few...

CC and Drew at Cristie's on my birthday.

Drew greeting Day Day at the airport! Drew waited so patiently at the bottom of the escalator and then ran for his Day Day when he spotted him!
Reading with Day Day
Drew with the waitress at Hooters. He was so in love! He followed her around and even went with her to take orders at other tables. What a sweet girl!

All the kids at Whitley's birthday party! Such cuties!

Whitley watching all the silly people sing "Happy Birthday!"

Cristie, Sydney and I at Whitley's party. It was so good to see so much family!

Monday, Monday

Yet another few days flew by around here. My Mom arrived Wednesday evening and Drew and I were waiting at the bottom of the escalator when she came down. He was thrilled to see her and ran to her with an energetic "CC!!!" When we got in the car he looked at her suitcase and said "This is CC's." I can't get enough of his talking, especially the sentences. It was a short visit with CC because she left Thursday morning for Myrtle Beach with her sisters. But she came back Saturday and watched Drew while George and I went to an engagement party. My Aunt Betty stayed the night as well and my cousin Stephen read to Drew before bedtime so it sounded like a wonderful night on the home front! George and I had a great time at the party and were spoiled not to have to worry about a babysitter. My Mom also kept the monitor Saturday night so we could sleep in Sunday morning. Whoo hoo! I wanted to visit with Aunt Betty before she left so didn't take much advantage of the sleeping but probably got an extra hour or so. Then Judy and her friend Jane arrived Sunday evening on their way back to Myrtle Beach from New Jersey. Everyone is gone now and today seemed boring after such a fun and busy weekend. Drew and I are going to Cristie's tomorrow to spend the day with CC and Whitley while Cristie and Tom are at school. Then George will meet us there after work and we're going to celebrate my birthday. Fun! Daddy arrives on Wednesday evening (can't wait!!!) and Whitley's 1st birthday party is Saturday. Looks like another busy week!
Here's a few recent photos...



Drew with his serious face. He is all business while driving his truck!


Drewby at the park. He will only play on the section built for older kids, he completely blows off the baby swings, baby slides and anything else designed for kids under 5.


Drew and his friends taking a break from playing for a few minutes of Shrek. We had some of the neighborhood crew over for dinner Friday night and set the kids up on the couch when it was the adults turn to eat. They sat just long enough for the Mom's to scarf down a few bites and then the rowdiness continued!


Drew and I making Halloween cookies. He fell off the stool just after the picture was taken. He was completely unharmed thank goodness, for him that was just a minor incident.


Drew loves saying "Please" now. It's pretty cute! I'm embarrassed that he is rewarded with a cheese puff. It looks kind of like a dog that speaks and gets a treat. Oh well. Drew has gotten really smart with using "please" and repeats it when I tell him no. For instance, he stands by the garage door saying it over and over in hopes that he can take the truck for a ride (for the 18th time that day!). He knows I'll cave because he's being so polite.

A Lovely Day in Laurinburg

Monday the 29th was the first anniversary of my Papa's death so Drew and I went to Laurinburg, NC with my dear Aunt Mary to put flowers on his grave. We also visited Papa's sweet sister and brother-in-law, my Great-Aunt Irene and Great-Uncle Al. What I anticipated to be a very sad day ended up being a wonderful visit to the town I so enjoyed visiting while growing up. We always lived pretty far away so only got to visit once or twice a year but the trips were always wonderful and we would be spoiled by our sweet Nanny and Papa. I know everyone thinks they have the best grandparents but my sister and I know we were extra lucky! Unfortunately, Nanny passed away while I was in high school but we were fortunate enough to share more time with Papa until a few years ago when Alzheimer's started to take him away little by little. Our trip to Laurinburg got off to a great start when Aunt Mary arrived and we packed the car to head South. We talked and laughed and Drew didn't fail to entertain us...as usual. Aunt Mary and I talked about Papa and how much he adored children. It breaks my heart that he never got to meet Drew. I know they would have loved each other! When we got to Laurinburg we went to Aunt Irene and Uncle Al's house first and had a ball playing in their beautiful garden! Homes & Gardens is missing out by not doing a spread on that place! Drew brought his push lawn mower from cousin Matty (good idea Aunt Mary!) and ran it from one end to the other quite a few times. He thought the stone paths were super fun and loved peaking behind bushes with an energetic "boo-a-boo," his version of Peak-a-Boo. The green house was a huge hit, who knew? He played make-believe in there for quite sometime and then found a broom to sweep the floor. Then he watered some plants and sat on the front porch swing. Oh! I can't forget to mention the game of kickball he watched at an elementary school across the street. He cheered them on with his "Gooooooo ball ball!!" The best part of the day was the fact that Drew seemed to bring as much joy to Aunt Irene and Uncle Al as they did to him. They were so taken aback by his energetic personality and they loved hearing him talk. We all got a huge laugh when he left the room to go #2 in his diaper and then screamed "Mama, Stinky!" from afar. When I asked him to wait a minute he responded with something we couldn't understand but knew it had to be along the lines of "I want it changed now!" Sometimes his tone of voice translates everything. After playing for awhile we left for the cemetery where we planted a beautiful bouquet of red flowers. We all agreed that Papa would be proud of the flowers and how well-kept the gravestone is. That made me both happy and sad. He always kept the gravestone immaculate after Nanny died and we want nothing less for him. After leaving the cemetery, we returned to Aunt Irene and Uncle Al's where we enjoyed a yummy meal from a local seafood place where kids meals cost $1.95, seafood salads cost $4.50 and crab is spelled "krab!" Gotta love small towns :) The grand finale of our visit was a tour of the garage where Drew got to sit in a 1979 Dodge Aspen and I got to reminisce about sitting in the front seat of a similar car with Nanny as a kid, sans car seat. Then Drew found Uncle Al's John Deer riding lawn mower and was thrilled beyond belief that he got to sit on it. I think folks across town heard him repeat "kactor, kactor, kactor!!!" We stopped on the way home in order for Aunt Mary to get Drew a couple of books. She said he was "good as gold" all day and deserved a treat. So sweet!!! What a day! I'm so glad we went and I can't wait to visit again. Papa, I miss you dearly!!! All my love, Your Buddy