Drew's Last Day As A Two Year Old

Today was a special day... Drew's last day as a two year old.
He spent most of the day around the house, I'm sure trying to avoid me since I was trying to hug and kiss him every chance I got... trying to get in those last hugs and kisses of my "two year old."
He did get out for a little bit with his daddy for a hair cut and to pick up food for lunch.
Daddy asked what he wanted and he wanted a cheeseburger and fries with a sweet tea.  What a boy.
So Daddy got take out from Buffalo Wild Wings and brought it home so that we could watch the FIFA finals.
After that we spent some time outside in the backyard.  I caught a few random moments on video.  I know it won't be interesting for most of you, but to me it means the world.

(By the way, the opening line I had to include...haha.  Drew is very big on his routine and "poop scooping" is always the first thing we have to do when we go out everyday.  I apologize, but it was just too funny, and it's a part of our life)

...Because He Bit Me

So Drew is on an antibiotic (read that back-story HERE).
The other night I forgot to give it to him before I put him down for bed, so Daddy volunteered to go up and give it to him.
I had the cherry flavor mixed in with it so that he would enjoy it a bit more, so Drew thinks of it as a treat.  We call it "his cherry."
I just have to say, "hey Drew, do you want your cherry?"  and he yells, "yeah!!!!"  And we go through the ceremony of shaking it and pouring the right amount and then he takes it.
Well, Daddy walked up to his room, turned on the light, and Drew knew immediately, "Daddy, you have my cherry! Mama forgot!"
Daddy starts to take the cap off and Drew says, "We have to shake it like this, Daddy!" Drew shows him the motions to shake it.
So while Daddy is shaking it, Drew gets his book and tells Daddy with a stern look on his face that he has to take his cherry because he (pointing to the mosquito on the front cover of the book) bit him!

Daddy had a pretty good laugh at that.

He took his cherry and scolded the mosquito one more time by wagging his finger at him, then off to bed he went.

Mama's Freak Out

Drew has a "boo boo" on his ankle.  Really it's where a mosquito bit him.  I guess I should start at the beginning of this story.

...I must warn you, this story was not written to have the typical build up to a climax that stories are suppose to have, this story was written to show you how badly I can handle some things as a mama.  I never said I wasn't overly dramatic about my own personal fears.  I try not to transfer that over to my own children, but sometimes I just can't help it...

About a week ago, Drew woke up and said he had a boo boo on his ankle.  When I looked at it, it was swollen a bit.  He said he hit it on his bed.  I decided to just keep an eye on it since he could walk on it and it didn't seem to bother him one bit.
About an hour later I asked him if I could look at it again to check on it.  When I looked this time it was "weeping" and I could actually see a puncture!  On top of that it had swelled so much that this ankle hardly had any shape to it.  I tried to act "cool" so that he would respond to that.  He was still pretty much unaffected by it so I didn't want that to change.
But, I was still scared to pieces.  Everyone and anyone who knows me knows that I'm the BIGGEST ninny when it comes to bugs, so to see a bug bite on my child is bad enough, but when it's swollen, weeping,  and turning red around it (thank goodness no red lines up to his body, I knew enough to check for that) it really scared me.
I ran out of the room, out of earshot from Drew and immediately called the doctor.
They did want to see him so they scheduled an appointment later that afternoon.  It made me feel a little better that they didn't want me to rush him over to the ER or even see him in the office immediately.  But I was still very scared.  I was shaking and couldn't stop.  My legs were like spaghetti so I wouldn't even go around Drew.  Again, I didn't want him to know I was freaking out.
 I'm pretty confident when it comes to bangs and bruises.  I usually don't flip out about things that happen to the kids because I know they are kids and things are going to happen.  I also know that they are quite resilient.  But bug bites are different (and all I could think of was spider bites and some of the creepy shows I've watched on the Discovery Channel.... darn that Discovery Channel!)
Well, I did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen so that it was sparkling, and straightened up the toys.  This is a typical response of a southern woman.  It's been said that we tend to prepare for the worst.  We clean our houses before we leave for vacations just in case something happens and someone needs to come in without us.  Well, I took the same approach before I went to this doctor's appointment.  I was so freaked out that I was prepared to be in the hospital by Drew's side for days-on-end.  I know, I know... horrible, but again, I didn't let him know this at all.  He was probably wondering why his mama was ignoring him all morning.  Look, I never said I handled this well!!!
Well, to get to the point (which I haven't done very well up to this point) we went to the doctor's.  As she was looking him over, listening to his heart and breathing, looking him over up and down, he was focused on the decor of the room.  We were in the Ann Geddes room and he just wanted to count all of the "hidden babies" as he called them.  That was a pretty good indicator to the doctor that he was feeling pretty good.  She ran some tests on him (she wanted to rule out MRSA).
Well, it ended up being a mosquito bite that he scratched and got infected!
I know I know.... quite anticlimactic!  Thanks goodness.  I felt like such a nut-job!

Oops!
He's on an antibiotic to keep the infection at bay.  You can read the real story that I started and meant to tell about this HERE.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.....

What is more 4th of July than baseball and apple pie?
For our 4th, after spending a lazy day at home, we went to a baseball game. It was crowded, it was hot, and the concession-stand food was less than impressive..... and we LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
When we arrived (after the longest line of traffic ever... it was backed up on the interstate!) the parking attendant didn't charge us a parking fee and told us we were more than welcome to look for a spot and wished us luck (in a very sarcastic tone that I didn't really appreciate). Well, lo and behold, we found one!!!! We tailgated with some new friends we made (within that 5 minutes of parking). We finally made it inside at around the 3rd inning (I know, we're horrible, but who could pass up new friends!?!).
Drew loved the game. He loved all of the chants and watching the action down on the field. He also loved watching the "ailoplanes" fly over. He thought they were solely trying to watch the game... like that's the only reason that they were in the air. It was cute.
After the game, we stuck around for the best fireworks show around. It was pretty amazing. Drew LOVED them! Little Emma didn't know what to think at first. She sat in my lap, all drawn-up holding on with her death grip as she shook at first. I had her ears covered and then started to sing to her (I figured she'd here it since her ear was pressed right up to my chest) and she settled immediately. After that she seemed to actually enjoy them.
It was a wonderful fourth of July. We never got our apple pie, but now that I know better how to plan, there's always next year.

My favorite part is the very end when you can hear (and kind of see) Drew say "I wanna do it again!"

Making The Most Of Every Moment

Last night, when I was cooking dinner, Drew was getting a bit fussy. He was hungry and bored.... not a good mix for a two year old. So I thought I would keep him busy while I finished up our baked ziti.

I had the perfect container, the ricotta cheese container, to make into a "button game." I saw this idea once before and knew it was something that would be good for Drew to work on.

I cut a little slit in the lid and grabbed some buttons (my sewing kit was on the dinning room table because Drew and I had been working on Emma's romper earlier in the day, but that's a whole other story for later.

I created this game for Drew.... to see how many buttons he could put into the container in a minute. I was amazed to see him work at this.

He loved it! It was just the perfect level of difficulty for him. He didn't get frustrated with it, but it wasn't too easy either.

This kept him busy while I was cooking and it helped his fine motor skills at the same time. He is now so excited to wear a button down shirt and button it up all by himself.

Playing With Some Dough

The other day our strategy to beat the heat was to stay in during the afternoon hours. We decided to pull out the Playdough. I love Playdough, but I had to get over my incessant need to keep the colors separated real quick. Drew was ready to combine as many colors as he could.
We were making food. Drew would ask, "So what would you order today?" (he means "what would you like to order today") and I would order my food and he would make it for me.

We used the bucket for the food kit as the oven. He would put his "food" in there, turn the switch (one of his numbers cutters) and wait a couple of seconds. After making the ding ding sound, he would remove the food and hand it to me. Then he made me "drive away." Yikes. Now I'm telling on myself. Yep, my kid knows all about the drive thru!

So to battle his fast food, I made him a Playdough salad.

Doesn't that count? Haven't I redeemed myself with that action?

I tried.

Had To Share This One

My friend Jennifer posted this one on her Facebook page and I had to share it.
This is so hilarious!

Na Na Na Na... So You Think You Can Dance?

I foresee our children dancing in Vegas.... at least in our little town that we call "K Vegas" (our little town is pretty hoppin'. Known for it's fast paced night life. Can you hear the sarcasm in my typing?)
One of my favorite shows is "So You Think You Can Dance"

and I subject my children to it all of the time. Both love trying to imitate what's going on on the screen. It's hilarious to watch Drew spin around and in my attempt to be Adam Shankman, I yell at him (good heartedly of course, not harshly) to "point your toes, extend your arms, feel the music." We laugh and laugh until he falls down. But not before he attempts to do what I've told him.

Drew had no choice but to have a great sense of humor in order to fit into this family. Look at that form! haha (Emma is obviously not into it at the moment)

Look at those pointed toes. He's "extending his lines" ...hahaha (and Emma is still not into it in this moment either)

Then I jumped up and kiss him when he said, "Mommy, it's you!" and pointed to the tv when Cat Deeley was on.

Not a chance. Maybe I should have his eyes checked.

Anyhoo, we had a great time watching. Can't wait to tune in again and watch my little stars shine. If I get pictures of Emma dancing along (the co- sweetest sight in the world) I'll post them.

Super Why, Thank You!

Drew has really been into the the show Super Why lately. You may be seeing him as Whyatt at Halloween if this keeps up.

He calls for "all super readers! To the book club!" all of the time. You'd think that we have "super big problems" going on constantly if you asked him.

Another little "nugget" that he's picked up from Super Why is looking for Super Letters. He's always looking around for letters. I love it!

This morning for breakfast, Drew was eating his jelly toast and out of the blue he said "Mommy, it's an E!" I looked and sure enough, it was.

I love to see how he sees things. I was just so impressed because I truly did not even prompt him. He just came up with it all by himself. But I must give credit where credit is due: so to Super Why, I say thank you! You've got Drew thinking about reading and that makes for one happy mama!

Can't you just see this cutie as Whyatt? (minus the jelly all over his mouth)

Happy Daddy's Day

Having two generations of fathers here makes for a very special Father's Day.
Daddies are put on a pedestal, as they should be. After all, Daddy is the ideal man to carry a baby girl up to bed, the perfect twirling partner, and the perfect shoulder to cry on. For me, it wasn't until later in life that I found out that my dad was the perfect man to talk to as well.
Emma and Drew adore their daddy, so we celebrated him in a big way this year.

He's so modest, isn't he!
Yes, he got his dream bike. It's not here yet, but it's coming and it's his. He's as happy as a lark.
This year Colin was not only spoiled with his gift, but Colin and his father were both spoiled with this year's theme: "Yummies For Their Tummies."

We started Father's Day Weekend with a ring at the doorbell. The delivery man brought Colin a dozen Shari's Berries while we were eating Colin's favorite, homemade Cream Cheese and Strawberry French Toast.

They are the size of small apples.... really!!! Take a look!

Then, more tummy spoiling went on at yet another crawfish boil. I do believe Michael, Melinda, and I are converting our friends up here to our Louisiana ways. Two crawfish boils in 4 weeks!!!!! We've found that it's quite perfect to have them shipped up here from Natchitoches, Louisiana.

This morning we woke up and had homemade Raisin Cake with our coffee and later enjoyed a family lunch spread which included homemade pimento cheese and crackers.
We've really enjoyed indulging ourselves this weekend, but after tonight's dinner I must stop or else Colin won't be very "aerodynamic" for his new Ducati!

Thomas!!!!!!!

Sunday was our trip to Tweetsie Railroad to see Thomas the Train. Drew was so excited! We had been counting down from about "5 sleeps" (he doesn't quite get the days of the week yet)

We hopped in the car to get started on our drive.

I was taking pictures of Colin in front of the car at the gas station getting ready for the drive. Here, he's showing us, in the car, what the engineer is going to do.

He's just hamming it up.

As soon as we parked the car, the Siscoe's (whom we were meeting there) pulled in diagonally from our car. I had literally just picked up my phone to call them, and there they were. It was perfect.

So we gooped on the sunscreen and headed into the park. Our ride on Thomas wasn't scheduled to happen for a couple of hours, so we just lolligagged around for a bit.

Giddy up! Sadie and Drew have the reins.

This saloon girl couldn't pass up a boy as cute as mine!

Then we took a ride on the chair lift up the mountain to see the view (I've never held Emma so tight in my life... poor girl was probably soar after that)

After going up the mountain, the kids stopped to mine for gold. The parents didn't protest since it was in the shade.

Then it was off to Deer Park, the petting zoo.

This little guy would just let himself out of the fenced area to help himself. He had it all figured out. He wasn't even all that hungry because so many people were feeding him.

Then there was one more little ride before......

heading back down the mountain on the chair lift. This is a picture of Colin and Drew on the chair in front of Emma and me. But notice how nonchalant the other parents were with their little ones on the chair. Yeah, that wasn't me AT ALL! Of course, Emma is a lot younger and more wiggly than those kids.

Then it was on to driving. Sadie and Drew (actually I think it was more like Michael and Colin) really wanted to drive the little Tweetsie Cars.

There go Colin and Drew.

Michael was foot loose and fancy free and Sadie was in control of the wheel.....

.... until Sadie ran into the side and almost gave Michael whiplash. But she had a great time!!!

Here come my boys!

And Michael and Sadie. Sadie is all smiles as usual!

Now it's time to see the main event: Thomas!!!!!!!!

We waited in line for the first car. It's what Drew asked for... so it's what we did.

Here he comes!!!!!

It's Thomas!!!!!!!!!

and the Tweetsie Train

Not particularly a good picture of us, but it's the only of the whole family.

The kids take a moment to pose for a picture with Thomas.

Then my guys went to take a ride on the ferris wheel while Sadie and the Siscoe's rode on the classic carousel (one of my favorites)

While on the ferris wheel, Drew told Daddy "my stomach is hurting!" How do you describe or prepare your child for the feeling of flutters caused by 'your tummy dropping' when you come down from so high so quickly?

Then we started heading on down to the parking lot when the sky just fell out and it poured and poured. We waited it out on the front porch of the entrance area and then we packed it up and drove home.

And that was our day at Tweetsie. It was a great time and I'm sure we'll go back next year to see Thomas again.