A Merry Christmas in 2009

I'll go ahead and admit that I'm embarrassed by this blog post. We had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of time with family and I have hardly any pictures to remember it by! It was a busy holiday with an excited 3 year old, a baby, company, cooking and the other tasks that come with Christmas so we just didn't find time to take many pictures. I'm more disappointed than ever because George and the boys gave me THE BEST Christmas present - a book of my 2008 blog and it makes me want to do better with postings. George wanted to see the book before printing 2009 but we love it so much that we plan to get it done this week. I know I'll look back and wish I would have taken more photos of this Christmas. I don't even have a picture of either Grandmother. Sorry CC and Me-Ma! I'll do better next year! We did have a great Christmas! It was so special with Drew being totally into it and having sweet baby David too! Drew saw an ad in Toys R Us a couple of months ago and fell in love with a silver castle. He was consistent with his wish and told Santa in addition to everyone on the street that he wanted it. As the weeks passed, he imagined the silver castle complete with a green dragon, a bad man (a knight) and a princess. I was out shopping on the 23rd trying to get my hands on a darn green dragon that would fit the castle. Santa found all the pieces and the silver castle was a huge hit! Drew and David also got tons and tons of wonderful gifts from family and friends! I don't plan on shopping for toys anytime soon, they are set for a really long time! CC, Day Day and Me-Ma were here Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us which was very special! In addition to the generous gifts, they also spoiled the boys with lots of hugs and kisses. We turned a home gym that was rarely used into a second guest bedroom so everyone was very comfortable. We now have lots of space for guests so please come visit! I'll be back with a post in the New Year!

The ridiculous amount of gifts!
Drew seeing the silver castle he's been dreaming of!

Playing the guitar from Me-Ma. He's a cute little rocker!

David checks out a toy from CC and Day Day.

Drew is super excited about a gift from Aunt Kim and Uncle Dreg. He was playing with a scuba diver at their house last month so it was so sweet of them to remember and get him a set with a scuba guy and all the fish!

Drew digs a pirate ship from the Watson's!

Whitley tries on the Snow White crown from the dress-up set we got her. Pretty!

Aunt Cristie and David enjoy a pretty day outside.

Dimple David!

David helps Day Day out and holds the bottle himself.

What's New With Drew

Drew had a busy week! He had his first dentist appointment on Tuesday. He absolutely loved it! It was a pretty cool place. It was decorated in a jungle theme and had a TV above every chair. He thought the sunglasses they made him wear were super cool. He didn't want to leave and gave me a fight when I told him we had to head to preschool. He has asked me numerous times this week when he can go back to the dentist. Then on Wednesday he had his three year well visit with the Pediatrician. All was good there too. Once again he didn't even flinch when getting shots. He was pretty silly in the exam room. He used the examination table as a swimming pool and was kicking his way across it. Then he would climb down and run to the other side to climb back up and do it again. He was dressed in only spiderman underwear so it was a pretty ridiculous site! At the end of the exam the Dr said, "Well, he sure is entertaining!" That's pretty much a nice way of saying he's wild. He continues to be in the 90th percentile for height and weight, big boy! Today was his big Christmas program at school. They have been practicing songs for a couple of weeks and Drew has been really into it! His teachers even told he was their best singer! He doesn't get that from me. He did a pretty good job but they said he wasn't as animated or loud as in practice. I guess the crowd of gawking parents scared him a bit. I was sure proud of him though! He knew every word to six songs! I had trouble uploading a video to the blog so there is a link below to access it via You Tube. Drew starts out great and then he ends it by picking his nose! Classic!

Getting ready for his first cleaning!


Time for X-rays.

With Santa after the school Christmas program.

I slipped David in there too but there was a line of excited kids behind me so I couldn't spend time getting him to smile.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNibCIqnpIU - link to Drew's video

Drew's Dino-Mite Birthday!

We had a big weekend around here! Drew turned three on Saturday and we celebrated with a dino-mite birthday party! Everything was all about dinosaurs, from the dino footprints on the sidewalk to the dinosaur chicken nuggets and dino shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. The kids played pin the tail on the Triceratops, went on a dinosaur egg hunt (George painted Easter eggs with textured paint, they were cool) and destroyed a dinosaur pinata. Each guest went home with a set of mini dinos and dinosaur sugar cookies. Drew had seven buddies attend along with cousin Whitley, Aunt Cristie, CC, Me-Ma and Aunt Mae Mae. It was all very fun and exhausting! Happy 3rd birthday to my funny and adorable Drewby!!!

The birthday cake I made. It turned out pretty cute but making it took forever and I almost called it quits twice and was going to beg Harris Teeter for a cake last minute.

Drew and his friends play with all the dino toys.

Aunt Cristie paints faces! So sweet of her!

Aunt Cristie, Whitley and Drew smile at the lunch table.

The dinosaur confetti on the table was a huge mistake. I'll be finding specs of it around the house forever!

The kids come out for the dino egg hunt.

Drew right after blowing out his candle. He was so happy!

The boys and I at Disney on Ice. We went on Thursday night as part of Drew's birthday. Seeing Buzz Lightyear was definitely the highlight for Drew!

Mini Road Trip

On Wednesday the boys and I along with Aunt Mae Mae went to Laurinburg for my great Aunt Irene's 90th birthday! She was very happy we came and we're glad we could help make her birthday extra special! Laurinburg is only less than two hours away but the ride home took quite a bit longer than that with two nursing stops for David and two potty breaks for Drew. When we pulled off the highway there weren't any places to take Drew to pee so he had to use an Elmo potty in the car! My friend Sharma told me to always have a travel potty for that reason and I'm glad I took her advice. Drew wouldn't sit on the potty to pee because "big boys stand up" so I held the potty up to try and reduce spray in the van. His leg was leaning against the play button so the potty was screaming "WAY TO GO! YOU WENT IN THE POTTY!" (in Spanish no less!) the whole time. It was quite a sight and Mae Mae and I got quite a laugh! Our mini trip was an adventure to say the least but it was an enjoyable day. Turning 90 is a big deal so definitely worth the trip for us. Happy birthday Aunt Irene!

Drew plays with the car Uncle Al picked out for him. So sweet!

Uncle Al, Aunt Irene, David and Mae Mae

I was too slow snapping the picture and Drew was already on the run.

A little picture of David checking out the Christmas tree at home this week. He just loves the lights and ornaments!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

We had such a nice Thanksgiving weekend. For one, we have so much to be thankful for! Our two happy and healthy boys bring us so much joy! We were able to spend the holiday with Judy, my parents and the Watsons and we're thankful for such wonderful family! We ate tons of delicious food, including a traditional Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and a Cajun one on Friday. David was spoiled with tons of hugs and kisses from family and Drew had a blast riding his four wheeler and golf cart. We did have one set back though; sweet David got his first ear infection. Poor guy! He improved pretty quickly after a visit to a local pediatrician there. Here's some photos of our trip...

Whitley brought "The Little Mermaid" and her and Drew begged to watch it during any downtown. Here they are on CC's bed watching it with Cristie. CC gets some snuggle time with David too.
We went to Broadway at the Beach which has a few kids rides. Drew and Whitley had an absolute ball!!! Here they are on the teacups. Cristie rode this one because they were a little small for the ride.

Motorcycle riding!

Boat ride!

Me-Ma with her grandsons. Cute!

Whitley and Drew on the golf cart.

Drew getting ready to speed off on his four wheeler.

Whitley joined him! This totally shocked us all. We didn't think she would be up for riding this but boy were we wrong! She put her arms around him and kept repeating "Go faster, go faster!" They had a blast. Of course CC and I (always the worriers!) ran along side in case she let go.

Day Day and the kids watch The Little Mermaid again. I love their expressions, it looks like they are watching a real nail biter!

David just hanging out in Day Day's lap.

Another Wedding Weekend!

We went to another wedding over the weekend. That's three for David is just three months :) My cousin Whitney got married in Virginia and had her reception in a tobacco barn, it was so cool! Drew really enjoyed the wedding ceremony and when it was over looked at me and said so sweetly, "Mama, I want to get married." He thought Whitney was a princess and I have to agree she was stunning! I was a little embarrassed when Drew mistakenly thought the preacher was saying "I Man" instead of "Amen" after the prayers and started repeating "You man, you man, you the man!" Oops! We all had a great time and it was nice to introduce David to some of our family he hasn't met yet. Here's some pictures...

Beautiful bride and her Daddy!

Drew was so exited to dance at the reception and was the first one out there! He LOVED the band! At one point he was jamming to the music at the foot of the stage, it was hysterical. I saw a couple of people taking photos of him dancing and one lady asked me where he got his moves. Well, me of course!

Roadtrip: Final Leg

We got up Sunday morning and like so many out of town fans, went to see Mike the Tiger. Then we went to lunch with Ward before heading to Ocean Springs. We visited with Angel and her family for a couple of hours and then had a delicious meal at The Shed, a BBQ place. After stuffing our bellies, we got on the road to start our long journey home. We were almost to Atlanta when we came to a complete stop on the interstate. Two hours later traffic started moving again and we pulled into a hotel right away. It was 3am and we were exhausted. We got a few hours of sleep and then headed home. Home sweet home :) Thanks to our family and friends for their wonderful hospitality!!!

Drew in all of his LSU gear! He picked out the tiger claw at the gift shop and hasn't put it down since. He even took it to show-and-share at school on Tuesday. I'm sure his teachers were thrilled with that!

The boys and I.

Family pic!

Uncle Ward with perfect (for you again Ward!) David at lunch.

Angel, Drew and I at The Shed. Yum yum!!!

Drew fell off of this motorcycle, it fell over on top of him, he got up and said, "I need my helmet" and then jumped right back on!

Drew asked Angel to ride with him. He loves her!

Roadtrip Continued!

We headed to the New Orleans area after Hattiesburg. We stayed with friends on the Northshore and enjoyed catching up with so many folks. I even got to go to lunch with some friends from my job at Capital One. We went to Baton Rouge on Saturday to see our dear friend Ward and all went to the LSU game Saturday night!

At lunch with my old work crew. Gosh I miss those gals! George was working so I took David with me and the sweet friends we were staying with offered to keep Drew so he and their son Brendan could play.
Jessica and her precious belly, Jennifer and her son Brendan, Cristina and her daughter Sophia, Drewby and I.

Drew and Brendan with their little brothers David and Brody. Cute!

Drew was thrilled to pose with an LSU cheerleader. I usually have to beg him to say "cheese" to get a smile but that wasn't needed here! What a flirt!

Drew with Uncle Ward! Ward hooked us up (as he always does!) with great seats. We miss you Ward!

George and I Drew get ready to watch the players, Mike the Tiger and the marching band come down the hill pre-game.

Precious! When Drew saw this sign, he said, "We're here! We're at LSU!"

My friend Elizabeth came to see us from Lafayette. That was so awesome!

Uncle Ward with perfect David! Ward, I made sure to include the "perfect" part just for you :)

Drew had his game face on! He was so into it. He didn't have a nap due to our travels so we didn't stay the entire game but we were proud of how well he and David did.

Our fam at the game! It was quite a different experience than when I used to go as a student but just as special!