ANDREW'S 1st CONVENTION!!!

It has been a few days since I have posted, sorry I was distracted by the loads of stamping fun I was having. Who wouldn't have fun with over 7,000 crazy ladies doing what we love, STAMPING!! This was the last event I could take Drew to and I have to say I was a little worried we would have a repeat of Leadership. At that event (this past January) he was only 6 weeks old and very fussy, so I missed lots and have to admit was extremely stressed. However, this time he was AWESOME!! He was a total flirt, with everyone who looked at him, even if they didn't look at him he would stare them down until their attention was all his...I think we are in trouble ladies. Stampin Up! always provides a Mother's room, which was a total lifesaver. When Drew got antsy, I was able to take him in this room and just let him play. They provided gliders, a changing area, and a nice sized TV, so we could watch all the presentations and not miss a thing. What a great company.

Enjoy some of the highlights below.. I am fired up again and ready to stamp, so WATCH OUT!! I will be posting my favorite samples later because they are just to cute not to share, plus some of you have never seen what I do...

Getting Reacquainted with Auntie Erin

SEE Food!! That's my boy!

Pop-Up Glue Dots, I LOVE IT!!

Auntie Erin & Drew Watching Mommy make pretty Make-n-Takes Love this pic! Doesn't he look Gangster?? Me & Mommy all dressed up! Midwest Stamp Gals @ Awards Night! So Cute... Snuggling with Keri
Dressed up for Awards Night!My Washington Gals & Upline Erin Last Day & I am still Chipper
This is not even close to the amount of pictures I took last week, so you may see more in the near future.. I get a little camera happy at Stampin Up! events. I was better than normal at the this event by taking just over 400 pics...yes you are reading that right!

ON MY KNEES!!

Drew is getting so close to crawling, but said he just doesn't feel like it right now. He gets on his hands and knees, rocks, then slides to his stomach to fake us out. I just know he is going to surprise us one day and start crawling, just like he does everything else. He prefers to boot scoot...hey it gets him where he needs to go, and to tell you the truth I am okay with him not being mobile right now!!

At Grandma & Grandpa Hagerhjelm's

At Home this Past Saturday...(can you tell daddy washed my face, or did he?!)

STAMPIN UP! CONVENTION HERE WE COME!!

Hey All, I have been crazy busy getting ready for my annual Stampin Up! Convention in Salt Lake City. This marks my 7th convention, that is so weird to say. Anyhow, Andrew is coming with me, this will be his last event as he will be to old after this! We'll see how much info I retain...he he he!!


Anyhow, here is Drew saying he is ready to go, ship him out!!




If you don't see a new post this week, you will know why... but you never know!! Happy Stampin' ya'll!!

He's Got the Music In Him!!

While at Grandma & Grandpa's in Washington, Drew fell in love with the instruments Grandma brought out for him to play with. He got to choose between a tambourine, maraca, and small cymbals. He LOVED them all, the more noise the better! He decided which instrument to play by tasting it first, mmmmmm yummy, isn't that how all good musicians do it?! We have to say he was a very quick study...Robby it looks like you have a 2 man band in your future!! So, enjoy the toe tapping pictures and hand clapping video below!!

DEDICATED TO THE LORD!!

"Thou hast given him his heart's desire, And hast not withholden the request of his lips." Pslams 21:2

Today was a very special day, as we dedicated Drew to the Lord while here in Washington. It was very important to us to have Pastor George do the dedication because a few months prior to finding out we were pregnant he anointed me with oil and prayed for us the first Sunday of each month. Not long after the first Sunday we all prayed, David and I found the Gyft clinic, which is an amazing fertility clinic. Once we went there we were pregnant within in a couple months! So, praise be to God! We were so blessed to have so many of our friends at church to celebrate this special day with us as well and Grandpa & Grandma. Thank you all for you support, we love you!!

If you know anyone or you yourself are struggling with infertility, I am here for you! We went through it a long time and I would love to pray for you and encourage you!! God is SO GOOD!!

YOU'RE CUTE, NO YOU'RE CUTE....

We arrived in Washington on Thursday and are having a wonderful time. Drew is loving the time he's getting to spend with Grandma & Grandpa!

On to the topic...The first night I arrived, I set Drew on the dresser in our room because there was a mirror hanging directly above it. He always gets so tickled when seeing the boy in the mirror, who looks an awful lot like him and even likes the same things. How cool is that!! The other day he discovered himself in the shiny silver thing in the tub (no I don't know the name of it, so "the shiny silver" thing is all you get). Anyhow, you can tell when he sees himself because his whole face lights up. This past week he also discovered he has two Mommy's & daddy's, one when he looks in the mirror and two when he looks directly at us, what more could a boy want... I am sure he won't think that when he gets older, but it is cute right now. Note to Robert: Sorry he doesn't mean you, he said he has never heard of you, and he is still washing his hair, but thanks for letting him drive your car!! He He Ha Ha!!

I hope you enjoy these pics! I just thought this was adorable, don't we all think our kids are the cutest! I was glad I captured this moment!

HERCULES, HERCULES!!

Drew is such a tough boy, we are always amazed at how strong he is! He loves to stand up and hold onto things, however he takes it to a whole new level. In this video he is standing up holding onto his jumperoo. You will see he is trying with everything he has to tip it towards him, I am not quite sure why...the day before this video he kept lifting a big envelop filled with stuff, and it wasn't lite. It looked like he was doing bicep curls....Aubrey this reminded me of Brady's jungle gym hang...

STAYING UP-TO-DATE & INFORMED!!

Andrew loves the newspaper, okay he loves anything that makes noise! Even though he has fun noisy toys we find he goes right to paper every time. Anyhow I thought this was cute because it looks like he is checking out the Sunday ads with Daddy! I think he just wanted to get into the action or maybe he thought he saw a good sale?! The video is cute, watch how he responds to Mia (our kitty) in the beginning, he just gets so tickled by her!

Note: We will be leaving to Washington tomorrow for the weekend to visit Grandma & Grandpa and to have Pastor George dedicate him to the Lord. So with that said I am going to try the scheduling feature (which allows me to create entries to be posted at a later date), so you won't feel neglected while I am gone! Believe me I have enough pictures & videos to last a while! HE HE HE!! Enjoy!

A BOY'S BEST FRIEND!

Hello, it has been a couple days since I have posted...just wanted to give you all a break from my obsessive posting! Anyhow, I just love watching Bella with Drew. She loves him and it doesn't hurt Drew is eating in the high chair and mysteriously food ends up on the floor for our vacuum, Bella. I think they are conspiring together!!

When we first brought Drew home Bella wasn't sure about him, all she knew is he took attention away from me to her. Bella has definitely been jealous, but I am so thankful she doesn't act out. She has just snuggled up with David more, however she knows the more time she spends with Drew equals more time with me.

I honestly think Bella really likes him. She sits in his lap (between his legs) and gives him entirely to many kisses, but he likes it. When we say her name, Drew know exactly who she is. He likes to grab her feet, pull on her fur, and pat her back. It is so cute.

"OH TOOTH WHERE OUT THOU?"

Teeth are just popping up all around me, well not literally. Drew has been teething off and on since he turned 3 months and no teeth yet. Hmmmm.... We have learned our little booger just does things when he is good and ready. He intently observes everything you do and then one day he just does it, like yesterday with waving, which we have been showing him for awhile. I was playing with him in the mirror and as usual I waved at him and said "wave" then he just suddenly did it back to me, and again just about every time we said it the rest of the night. I know he truly has no control over the teeth, and I have to admit no teeth right now is A-Okay with me since he is nursing...if you know what I mean. We will just have to deal with him gumming everything...a little goober never hurt anyone, right?!

Mmmmm That Looks Tasty...

This is a cute video of David finding a tickle spot on Drew. He was just trying to reach for this toy to get his chew on and every time he did David would tickle him. At one point he sounds a little agitated. Our kids are fun toys, aren't they?!

MY WATER BABY!

We finally took the plunge and went swimming our pool here at the apartments. To our surprise and delight there were only a couple people there...weird since it was after 7pm. Anyhow we have gone the last two nights and Drew LOVED...I must repeat... LOVED the water. When we went down yesterday he was getting excited before we even got in, which was fun since he has not been swimming for almost 2 months, enjoy a couple pics and short video..

DAY ONE (Sunday-Yesterday)

Cute Outfit (Thanks Chip & Heather)... I just had to get a pic of the outfit even though Drew would not look at the camera for one of the pictures...oh were makin' memories here)

Video with Daddy...don't mind the music in the back someone was playing it when we got there and it was LOUD with a capital L... Not to mention not our type of music at all. So, hopefully Drew's cuteness will drown it out.

DAY TWO (today)

The Good Life...

Okay you all got off easy since I downloaded 38 pictures this evening... he he he, I know it is an addiction!

FINALLY A KEEPER!!

Finding a high chair has proven to be quite the task! You would think finding the right one would be easy, but NOPE not for me. I searched high and low and even bought two, one from Craig's List & one from a kids resale event both cute in their own right. First problem is when I went to clean the first high chair after we had visitors and read the cleaning instructions it said those dreaded words....DRY CLEAN ONLY! Now, who in their right mind would make a high chair dry clean only?????? They are meant for kids to eat in, right?! So, onto Craig's List I went to find a washable material, which I found and it also came with some toys...bonus! We got the thing home and it had this smell to it, I tried to wash it and it still lingered. So, David came home from work a couple weeks ago and I said "Would you hate me if I wanted a different high chair?" He just gave me that look, so I quickly explained why...

I remembered the high chair my friend Angela has and why I liked it... you can just WIPE it clean, yes no need to use the good ole washing machine! I decided quickly, that was the way to go.. so we went out yesterday in search for just that. After looking at Babys R Us, who had nothing in our price range, we thought, why don't we just try Once Upon a Child (my favorite resale store) and poof there it was. They actually had several of the one we chose brand new still in the box and on sale....WHOO HOO! Now onto selling the other two!! I may be slow sometimes, but I eventually figure it out!!

1st Purchase (cute, but DRY CLEAN ONLY)

2nd Purchase (came with a great activity tray, but weird smell)

Drum Roll Please.... Here is the Winner!!
Video of Drew having fun in his new chair!!

So, I guess the whole point of this is I wanted to share my dilemma with those of you who are getting ready to purchase a high chair or will be in the near future. As Moms we have enough to do, so this is just one less thing to think about!

My "Size Healthy" Journey Week #1

Hello All... Okay I had to remind myself to post regarding this topic to keep myself accountable. It is so easy to talk yourself out of it or just let it slide, but I made a promise to myself and you to keep this up.. Plus, as I was getting dressed for church this morning I was hit with the harsh reality that nothing fits right, so on to the week....

It went okay except for the 4th of July celebration thrown in there.. So, to remind you my first vow to myself is to not eat after 7pm, if I am done by 6:30 even better, to ensure my body has enough time to digest. I chose 7pm because I am not usually in bed until midnight, which gives my body a full 5 hours.. I have to say since doing this my heart burn at night is pretty much gone. I tried to remember the last time I ate tums and I just couldn't because it has been quite awhile...YIPPEE, no more chalky bedtime snacks.

So, on to the good stuff.. I came into this last week already down 5lbs, which happened over the course of a couple weeks. As I weighed in yesterday morning I was delighted to see I was down 1 more pound for a total of 6. I have to admit there was two days including Thursday 7/3 where I ate WAY to late, but I have to chalk that up to the holiday and not being at home. So, going into this week I am excited to get back on track. I have also committed to going down to our cabana area starting this week to use the treadmill at least 3 days, plus get out and walk with Andrew whenever possible or weather permitting.

Whew! that is all the updates I have so far! Writing this post gets me excited and motivated to keep moving forward.

HAPPY 4TH YA'LL!!

Happy 4th of July to each of you! We are just lounging today because we celebrated yesterday with some friends from church... thanks for having us over Erin & Brendan. We were worried about Drew's mood since he decided to opt out of his naps yesterday. To our surprise he was wonderful the whole night. He smiled & laughed with little to no fussing. Let me say we did not get home until after 11pm.. Thank you Lord!!

Here are a couple pics from our fun evening of WAY to much food and fireworks!

Drew & Kaylin (Erin & Brendan's little girl)
The only reason you are seeing this picture is because I wanted to share that Drew started eating before everyone and he finished after everyone..can you say "Oink!" He tried meat (hamburger) for the first time last night and LOVED it!!

Watching the Fireworks (okay this is the only picture I got with Drew somewhat looking in their directions because he was to busy watching the cars, the booms did nothing for him).

Drew is watching the kids play, and if you listen carefully you will hear the new sound he started there... Now he does it all the time. No, he is not squealing like a girl he is just exercising he falsetto.

I'M 7 MONTHS...SO THERE!

Drew is officially 7 months and 1 week tomorrow (Thursday). He just amazes me everyday! I love that Drew is learning so much, but I also can't believe he is already 7 months which is over halfway on the road to a year.

At 7 months Drew has added apricots, mangoes, egg yolk, bread, cheerios, spinach, and peaches to his diet. He is also grabbing food really well, today he started figuring out how to pinch with his fore-finger & thumb. He LOVES to feed himself, so I am slowly starting to let him. I am really just letting him lead the way. We were going to wait a little longer on bread & cheerios, but he goes NUTS for them, so I started giving him a little wheat bread and softened cheerios. Today I held out a piece of bread in one hand and his rice/peas in the other to see which one he would reach for...and...drum roll please... he chose the bread in seconds. He is also doing really well with a sippy cup. The first kind we gave him (with the side handles) he just played with , so we tried this disposable kind (thanks Leslie) and he loves them.

He is getting close to crawling, which is truly scary, but exciting at the same time. He constantly goes from a sitting position to his tummy and tosses the toys out in front of him so he can reach for them. He is beginning to pull one leg up and is using his feet to launch himself forward a little. I will try to get it on video.

In recent posts I have also shared how much he is starting to copy us, it is soooooo funny! Drew loves to say baa baa and copy us laughing. He knows who Bella & Mia are as well as where the computer is. You just have to ask him where they are and he looks right at them. He is not consistent with looking at us when we say Mommy & Daddy, but we know he'll get is soon. Our newest mission is waving, which he has only done once so far, but as he has proven he's a quick study.

I just love the hair in this pic.. it is filling in more and more. The little swoop reminds me of David or some reason!

Short Video with Uncle Phil... Drew was very interested in his facial hair. Before I took this video he put his mouth on Phil's chin, so I got the camera out and of course he did not perform. However, in this video he gives Uncle Phil and present..

DREW THE COPYCAT & KATELYN UPDATE!!

I just watched this video again and it was to funny not to share. Drew is really copying alot these days and this action he just started doing on his own... you will see that David and I are a little tickled by it! I think we have comedian on our hands! ENJOY!

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KATELYN UPDATE:

I wanted to let you all know the Katelyn and her family are home today and doing well. They didn't hear anything back from St. Louis, and no news is good new... so THANK you all for your prayers!