Fun With Friends and Fun with Family

We had a great weekend and the week is off to a great start too! Friday night we had dinner at our neighbors' house. Drew loves playing with their son Preston who is only two weeks younger. The adults had a very relaxing evening while the boys played perfectly together. We got a kick out of their conversations as well. We kept hearing their sweet voices discussing cars, balls and other favorite toys. They are good buddies and we are very fortunate to live so close! Saturday morning we all ran errands and did housework. After Drew's nap I took him to spend the night at my Aunt Mary's house!!! We have spent nights away from Drew while out of town but this was the first time he left us. I wasn't worried about him since he was in such loving hands but I did miss him. He had a ball and the Gunderson's really enjoyed having him. They went to the park and pond and even used the new fishing pole they gave Drew for Easter! I picked Drew up on Sunday morning and heard all about their adventures on the way home. I'm so glad the sleepover went well and was proud of Drew for being such a good house guest. The sad part is he didn't miss me one bit. I asked Aunt Mary if Drew looked for me or asked about me but she had to break my heart and tell the truth...nope! That's okay, I'm thrilled that he feels so comfortable at the Gunderson's and loves them so very much! George and I decided to go to a nice dinner on Saturday night to get our minds off of missing Drew. It also gave us a chance to celebrate our 6th anniversary, even if almost a month late. CC and Day along with their friends arrived Sunday for a quick visit. They were returning from Myrtle Beach and headed for the airport. It was a nice visit, even if too short. We had a yummy lunch and spent the afternoon outside playing with Whitley and Drew. It was sad to say goodbye but we are looking forward to visiting them in May!

On Monday, Drew and I went to the zoo with some friends. It was a pretty hot day and we all came back exhausted! Pictures below...

Preston and Drew playing nicely with cars Friday night.
Stella, Drew and James at the zoo.

Drew and Stella check out some Patas Monkeys.

Drew getting ready for the carousel to start. He had a hard time picking an animal to ride considering they had all of his favorites. He decided on the dolphin and was very pleased!

Getting hot and tired but still very entertained by the exhibits.

Pointing and talking! It was really fun taking him to the zoo now that he talks so much and knows every animal.

Drew and Stella get a close look at some turtles.

D is for Drew!

We've been pretty busy since my last blog post. My parents came in town last weekend and we all went to Virginia on Saturday to visit our cousins. It was a warm day and we enjoyed tons of delicious food and outdoor fun. Drew and I spent the beginning of the week in Myrtle Beach with Mom and Dad. They had plans to go there with some friends for a golf trip so Drew and I decided to sneak down for a short visit. We had a great time and Drew came back with quite a few new toys that he talked CC and Day Day into buying him! The rest of the week has flown by with chores, running errands, park visits and tons of playing outside. We're looking forward to a fun and hot (temp in the 90's!!!) weekend!

I want to mention a few new things that Drew has learned. His vocabulary is unreal and he pretty much talks non-stop. I love it! He also counts to twenty now and knows lots of letters. He is always on the watch for letters that he recognizes. Anytime he sees a "D," whether it's on a package at the grocery store or a sign on the highway, he yells "D. D is for Drew!" Another one of his favorites is "O" and the hysterical part is he says, "O is for Baby O-Tee" (his name for Whitley). The name stems from "Cristie." He couldn't say Cristie when he first started talking so he nicknamed her O-Tee. I guess he decided to just call Whitley Baby O-Tee since it's Cristie's baby. I think it's adorable! Drew also introduces himself to people now by saying "My name is Drew Davis" instead of just Drew. He is also very specific when it comes to descriptions. For instance, he has a bunch of sea creature figurines that he loves to play with. If you try to call the blue fish just a "fish," he will correct you and say, "It's a blue marlin." The seals are seals and the seal lions are sea lions, not to be mixed up. He learns something new constantly and although I hate to brag, he's a pretty bright kid. You can't blame a proud Mom for bragging though :)

Whitley and Drew in Lila's new fort/slide.
The three cousins cooling down with a drink.

Drew at the beach.

Day Day and Drewby!

CC, Day Day and Drewby. Pretty smiles!

Miscellaneous Things

George was out of town all week with the camera so I wasn't able to take any pictures. I had a few pictures that I've been meaning to post so I'm including those with this blog. First, Drew and I went to see my cousin Stephen play baseball in a tournament recently and had a great time! Stephen pitches and I was really impressed! Ever since we went to the game Drew won't have anything to do with the T in his t-ball set. He only wants to use the ball and bat and "pitch it like Stephen." I thought that would be a big disappoint for Drew but he doesn't mind swinging and missing and when he does make contact with the ball he couldn't be prouder of himself! I hate to brag but he's pretty darn good for a two year old! I'll try to get a video soon. After the baseball game Aunt Mae Mae and Uncle Ralph gave Drew his early Easter present, a fishing pole! Drew was so excited about it that we had to open it in the parking lot and try it out. We are making a date for him to go fish at Mae Mae's pond and use the pole for real! The other photos are from dinner out with our friends. We went to a hibachi restaurant and I have to say that is a great place to take kids! Drew was so entertained by the cook, fire and even a huge aquarium they had. It didn't hurt that the food was delicious as well!

We really missed George this week but kept very busy. We went to the library for toddler time, ate and played at McDonald's with friends and hosted the neighborhood playgroup. Drew loved having his friends over and was especially thrilled with Lelia, a baby that was there. He spent his time getting her a bottle, offering her a pacifier and making her laugh. I was very proud of him and it gave me hope for what's to come in August! He's going to be a wonderful big brother!

Drew and Mae Mae at the game.
Watching Stephen pitch!

Getting an Easter present early... a fishing pole! Wow!

Trying it out with Uncle Ralph in the parking lot!

Drew, Lauren and I at a hibachi restaurant. Yum, yum!

Drew and George watch the fire.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter and I hope all of you did too! I think this was the first holiday that Drew totally understood and got excited about. He enjoyed the egg hunt we went to earlier in the week and was looking forward to a visit from the Easter bunny and another egg hunt on Sunday. When I went to get him Sunday morning the first thing he asked was "Mama, did the Easter bunny bring presents?" He couldn't wait to get downstairs to see what was there! As you can see, he got a basketball hoop, puzzle, dragon and fish figurines, lots of chocolate and a few other things. He wore himself out playing basketball before we even ate breakfast. Then we all went to Lowe's to get a few things for a garage project George is working on. We attended an Eggstravaganza that afternoon so had to put Drew down early for a quick nap. He didn't mind being woken up though when I told him it was time for the egg hunt and party! We enjoyed the Eggstravaganza which included lots of delicious food, an egg hunt, a pinata and some crafts. Drew was a champ during that hunt and didn't stop to eat the candy. The eggs were actually hidden this time and he did a great job of finding them. We all came home exhausted and ready to watch The Masters. What a happy Easter!

The Easter bunny spoiled Drew but I think he deserved it :)

Helping Daddy at Lowe's. It is so cute how he always wants to help. He follows George around with his tool set while George builds and fixes things and does exactly what he sees his Daddy do.
Drew and I before the egg hunt at the Eggstravaganza.

Drew and George watch the pinata action.

Drew blowing a kazoo he found in the pinata.

Here's a couple of videos from Easter...

Duke Day!

We spent most of Good Friday on Duke's campus. A couple of the football coaches live in our neighborhood and invited Drew out to watch Spring practice. It started a little early for us so we caught the end of practice which mostly consisted of drills and lots and lots of yelling. Drew didn't seem to mind missing the good part and kept busy playing with his friend Reese on the sideline when he wasn't watching the players. After practice we went to Duke Gardens to enjoy the beautiful flowers. Drew really enjoyed sniffing the flowers, showing me the pretty colors, and even found a few bugs.

Drew and George take a ride from the trainer.
Running on the field after practice.

Our friends Britt and Reese after practice.

Sniffing some flowers at Duke Gardens.

Showing me a bug on a flower. He kept telling me "The bug is stuck on the flower." It took me forever to find it in the sea of tulips but eventually I saw the dead fly he was talking about.

Drew saw some kids running in the field and he asked to join them.

Taking a rest!

Back to running and Daddy joins in this time!

Weycroft Egg Hunt

Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt for kids on Wednesday morning. After practicing a few times around the house I just knew that Drew would get his fair share of eggs and then some. I was even thinking of how I would stop him after getting a few eggs so that the younger kids would have a chance. My tactics weren't needed though because once he realized that the eggs at the hunt were filled with candy, he decided not to collect eggs but rather stop and eat the candy before moving on to the next one. Needless to say he only got 5 or 6 eggs. He was happy though! Here's a few pictures...

Drew and some of the neighborhood kids waiting in the garage before the hunt started.
Drew's got his basket and he's ready!

Picking up an egg but leaving the basket behind. Guess practice doesn't always make perfect.

Watching his friend Harrison get an egg.

He decided that he didn't need a basket since he eats everything inside the egg before moving on to the next one.

Dora Helps Pass the Time

I just finished the Vegas blog but forgot to mention how good Drew and Whitley were on the loooong (5 hour and 10 minute) flight! On the way there Drew played with his toys, read books, had a snack or two and watched half of a movie. On the way back he was a little more tired so we had to put more energy into entertaining him. Here's a video of Whitley and him watching Dora the Explorer. It was a little loud but hey, it beats crying and screaming like many of the other kids on the flight were doing. The lady behind Cristie keeps peeking through the seat crack and I can tell she's thinking, "what the hell is going on up there?"

Vegas Babies!

We are back from Vegas but still reminiscing about the wonderful time we had there! Although I was looking forward to the trip for months, I was somewhat concerned with taking a two year old across the country to an adult playground. It turned out to be one of the best experiences! Drew absolutely loved Vegas and we all had a amazing time! There was so much to do and we packed lots of activities into our days. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay which was gorgeous and had an unbelievable pool with a beach and lazy river. We rented a beach bungalow two days and took full advantage of the beautiful weather. I was able to see three shows; Tony & Tina's Wedding, Mystere (a Cirque du Soleil show) and David Spade. Tony & Tina's wedding was funny and very entertaining, Mystere was simply amazing and David Spade was hilarious! I have to thank my parents and Judy for watching Drew three nights in a row! We also did tons of site seeing and checked out as many casinos as possible. Drew and Whitley loved the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, the lion habitat at MGM, the flowers and butterflies at Bellagio, the statues and aquariums at Caesars and the gorgeous scenery at the Venetian. Both kids were perfect the entire trip! I was amazed at how they adjusted to the time change and just how great they were overall. I guess they were having so much fun that there wasn't anything to be upset about. It didn't hurt that they had doting grandparents with them at all times and got to eat fast food every day! Thank you Mom and Dad for a fabulous trip!!! There are lots of pictures below...

Day Day and Drew enjoy the lazy river at the Mandalay Bay. Tom takes a ride too! He's in the yellow tube :)

Day Day and Drew got soaked by the waterfall.
Lovin' the lazy river!

Getting ready for a ride with Uncle Tom.

Drew watches TV and eats Cheetos while taking a break in the beach bungalow. What a set-up!

Chillin' in the bungalow.

The grandparents with the babies. They don't want to look at the camera, they just want CC to hold them :)

Day Day helps Drew give money to a mime at the Venetian. Drew was scared though and is still telling me about the "scary white man" he saw.

Judy, Drew and I at the Venetian. What a beautiful place!

CC and the babies check out a gondala going by at the Venetian.

Drew patiently waits for someone to take him down the lazy river...again!

Tom, Cristie, George and I before going to see David Spade. We got tons of laughs!

Drew checks out the butterflies at The Bellagio.

The babies are pooped.

Daddy and his daughters.

Drew and I at The Bellagio.

Drew getting a good look at the glass flowers at The Bellagio.

Drew spent quite a bit of time like this on our trip but he didn't mind one bit. He loved taking in all of the sites from the comfort of his stroller.

Observing an aquarium at Caesars.

George shows both babies an aquarium at Caesars.

Bye Bye Las Vegas and the Mandalay Bay!