"HIP HIP HOORAY"...DREW LIKES YOGURT!!

You are probably saying..."SO", well it is a big deal to us because Drew was not taking to dairy. As of the end of last week he is eating almost a whole container of yogurt and has begun drinking milk. I had to put a couple little drops of chocolate in his milk, but it worked (thanks Auntie Angela for the tip)! Now, onto weaning our little guy from his night feeding, which means no more nursing. A part of me is sad to be almost finished because it is such a snuggly, sweet time, but the other part is saying FREEDOM.

Anyhow, Enjoy these pictures.. The top one is my favorite, his face says everything..."Mom, another picture?!" I love him in this gray mock turtle neck.. he looks so grown up.

OUR JUNIOR EDITOR...

Andrew LOVES the computer, he has been mesmerized by it since his itty bitty days. So, every once and awhile Daddy will let him go to town on the home computer. David quickly learned anything goes and no buttons are off limits. This video just cracked us up, so we hope you get a good chuckle out of it. Watch the computer screen if you can see it!

SNOW or NO SNOW???

I for one am not a fan of snow, and thank goodness we are currently in a location where we don't get a lot of it. It seems everyone around us is getting those pesky little white flakes, but not us... THANK YOU GOD!! Don't get me wrong I love the changing seasons, but if we could just skip the one we call WINTER, I would be oh so thrilled.

When we were back in IA for Thanksgiving, we were greeted by some fluffy white flakes. So, for those of you who are dreaming of snow...this is for you!! I added the picture of Drew because on that morning I really wanted a pair of warm cozy PJ's like his, minus the Dinosaurs...maybe some crowns...he he he!!

CUTE MOM SONG...

QUICK POST... for those of you who are Mom's you just HAVE to click on the link below and listen to this song. One of our awesome MOPS Mentor Moms sent this out today and I just couldn't resist sharing it.

THE MOM SONG: http://vimeo.com/1509073

CHATTY CHARLIE.....

Two videos in a row...I just don't want to miss a thing and maybe I have a picture and video problem! Anyhow, enough rambling, I hope you enjoy this cute video, where I actually captured Drew talking.

DANCE FEVER!!

Drew loves music and I am sooooooooo happy that he does. Music make the world go round in our house, so it is only fitting that he loves it to. We are not huge supporters of him watching tons of TV, but I really wanted to find a fun wholesome cartoon he could watch. So, I tried a few that are on during the day, but not one of them kept his attention. Then I remember someone telling me about the "Backyardagains" so I thought why not. The first episode we watched was "The Swamp Creature," and he LOVED it (still his favorite). For those of you who have not stumbled across this show it is great....very wholesome and my idea of a great cartoon because it takes a musical approach. I mean what could be better than that?

Enjoy his groovy moves!

GOT MILK? & JUST PLAIN SILLY!

This is a fun post... Since Drew turned a year we have started introducing Whole Milk to his diet. He is not a big fan yet, but we are truckin' along and offering it to him daily. I am down to nursing once a day, only at night, which is nice, but I would like to be done completely. As soon as he starts drinking a little more milk I will be done. I have to say on one hand I will miss it, but on the other hand I will be thankful to be done. My goal was to nurse 12 months and I accomplished it.

I am not sure how I got off on that tangent (what's new?!). Anyhow, I just loved this picture because it reminds me of the "Got Milk" Ads.

Below are some other fun pics of Drew being silly, which happens daily... Man, I love this kid!! Enjoy!!

Peek-a-Boo (this is a new discovery, did you know you can see things through holes???)

CHEEZ..Such a Ham!!

Awwww, he just loves that anti-social cat... Two Peas in a Pod

CAR ADDICTION!!

Andrew has a CAR ADDICTION! I don't think he can see or say car enough. The other day David was on his way to get him out of the crib and he could he him saying, "Car, car, car, car, car...." Come to find out he was pointing to all the cars on his pj's..what a silly boy.

Anyhow, he got this really cool car from Grandma Linda & Grandpa Bob, it is one from the movie Cars. When you shake it, it rev's up like a real car and says one of two things: "Show some respect Holmes" & "Low & Slow" then takes off...the more you shake it the farther it drives. It is really funny, but I must say a little loud. Drew just loves the engine sound, when a car drives by or starts up outside he instantly says "Car" without even seeing it.

It will be fun to see if his love for cars continues throughout his life. Enjoy...Vroom!

FLIP FLOPPIN OVER THE WALKER...

We absolutely love the walker Erin & Fam passed down to Drew, however we think he is becoming a little reliant on it. Hmmmm, so here is the dilemma do we just let him use the walker or do we slowly start taking it away?! Believe me I in no hurry to rush the walking thing, but on the other hand he is already so quick and mobile with the walker... I can see I am clearly not getting any closer to a decision...

Well, while my brain is still flip flopping enjoy the video below, and you will see the reason for the flip flopping (how many more times can I say that?).... I think he is playing us, how about you??

Drew's First Birthday Party...

Hello All, Okay these next few posts may be a little out of order, but I wanted to start with Drew's birthday party. We had a small, but nice family party for him this past Saturday, November 29th at Pizza Hut in my hometown of Muscatine, Iowa.

Drew was so good and entertained the family, with lots of cheesy smiles, waves, pointing at & saying "Car" as they passed by, and more.. We can't thank all of our family and friends enough for the warm birthday wishes and goodies for Drew! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, we love you all!!

Cousin Brooklyn with Drew

Cute Cake...Drew LOVES cars!

Don't forget to lick the car...

Us with Great Aunt Jean, Great Grandma Pace, Cousins Brooklyn & Gabe

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW!!

My baby turned ONE today! We had a wonderful day with friends who graciously invited us over for an early Thanksgiving. They also had a cupcake for his birthday, he wasn't sure about it at first, but after a taste test from Daddy he quickly decided it was yummy.

Now onto the stats from his 1 year Dr.'s appt:

Weight: 24.2 lbs

Length: 30 3/4"

Head: 18 3/4"

All of the above info fell in the 75%-90%, so we have a very healthy boy. See pictures from our big boys special day (he has his official birthday party on Saturday, so stay tuned for more pictures).

THANKSGIVING POTLUCK RECIPE...

Okay so it has been a little longer than 24 hours, but hey this is pretty good for me. Some of you have asked for the recipe I made for our church potluck this past Sunday. I have to say I am not a Sweet Potato fan at all, but my Mom-in-Law made this dish for Thanksgiving and I just loved it. It has been a tradition ever since. I think she also got it from a potluck several year ago, so it just goes to prove that great recipes keep on giving! Mmmmm, I am making this again tomorrow for an early Thanksgiving with some wonderful people here.. Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
3 c. cooked & mashed sweet potatoes
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 c. finely chopped pecans
½ c. butter

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and butter. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into greased 2-quart casserole.

Topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, and pecans; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Note: For the church potluck I actually increased this recipe because as is it fits in a 9"x9" dish, so I made it to fit a 13"x9" dish....which is 1 1/2 x's the recipe.

SPAGHETTI ATTACK!

We have entered the week....the big week... yes the week... Drew turns ONE on Wednesday, AHH! Times certainly flies, but I wouldn't change any of this last year with him. I am so blessed to have had to opportunity to stay home with him and enjoy every moment. I know it isn't possible for everyone to do, so my thanks goes to God first and my wonderful husband David second! I am really looking forward to seeing what year number two brings.

Now, the picture! We finally let Drew dig into some spaghetti, I just couldn't resist taking the picture as I know many of you have done the same. It was so funny when we went to clean him up, okay not that funny as I am still trying to get the stains out, because it was EVERYWHERE it looked like guts all over his shirt...and for those of you who don't already know it stains, I am on my third round of stain sticking and washing this outfit. My advice DON'T let them wear WHITE with spaghetti. You all probably paid attention to that detail, but me, well, it was the last thing on my mind.

I will be posting throughout the week, so don't keep checking back.. His stats will come later, sorry you have to wait for those! Chow!

MOPS ROCKS!!!

Hello... I am trying to be on top of my blogs this week especially with Thanksgiving and so much more coming up, so over the next couple days I will be scheduling posts to hit every few days, so just wanted to give you all the heads up. Anyhow, on to the reason for this post...

This is my first year in MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and I just love it. I volunteered to be a DGL (Discussion Group Leader) for my table and have taken on making our speaker gifts, which has been so much fun! Our table is full of such wonderful women and we recently had the opportunity to get together for a 13"x9" Potluck lunch. I thought since we all have recipes that call for a 13" x 9" pan it would be a great theme. It turned out so wonderful and YUMMY! Below are some pictures of Drew playing, thanks Wendy for a wonderful space for the kids to play. Look below the pictures for my recipe..

Should I be worried? Look below...

Shiloh & Drew
Finding his way around the kitchen... Good Boy!

BUBBLE PIZZA
Ingredients:
2 Tubes Buttermilk Biscuits
1 jar/can (16oz) of Pizza Sauce
2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 ½ lbs. Hamburger (note: use whatever items you would like, I like Green Peppers & Onions, and at home I do half with the above veggies and the other half with pepperoni for the hubby)

If using hamburger, brown it and drain well. Cut Biscuit dough into quarters. Mix pizza sauce, hamburger (or ingredients of choice), and biscuit dough. Bake in a 13”x9” greased pan at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Add cheeses and bake 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Note: If you want to do a pizza half & half, then just split the recipe in two bowls and mix in the ingredients wanted in each per side. Then pour the mixed ingredients in either side.

BABY MIA!

Some of you have asked me about Baby Mia, the picture to the right. I don't know her or her family personally, but they are friends of a friend from Washington.

The story just tugged at my heart strings and I just felt I had to spread the word regarding this amazing little girl and her family.

Please pray for them and check out their blog for other needs!

Thanks!

"BUBBLING WITH JOY"

Drew is such a fun little guy. He can make any day brighten right up with his big cheesy grin and funny faces. You know we all have those days when we have to pry ourselves out of bed (or maybe its just me). God knows what he is doing, especially when blessing us through our children.

As you can see by these pictures, David had a little to much fun the other night with Drew's bath. He sure wasn't lacking bubbles and somehow they ended up on his head...hmmm...daddy...


It is moments like these when I think I have rubbed off on David. No! that is not a bad thing... he he he!

TOP FIVE #2- THE ROAD TO ONE YEAR!

I had so much fun doing my top FIVE last week, I thought I would throw another one out there in celebration of Drew's countdown to turning the big ONE...only 12 days away. So, enjoy this top five....

HOW I KNOW DREW KNOWS TO MUCH FOR HIS OWN GOOD....

#5- He quickly turns his head when he hears a car drive by and says "Car," smart boy!

#4-He comes knee or walker running every time he hears the dishwasher door open. What a big helper, NOT!

#3- He gets a big cheesy grin when he knows you are giving him something to eat that he LOVES (ex: peanut butter & jelly sandwich, ham, cheesy mini rice cake, graham cracker, cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese...just to name a few).

#2- He tears his bib off when he is done eating and hands it over to me.

#1- He repeats our actions, for instance I was just joking around with him because I thought it was so cute that he waved while pointing his finger, so I said "Oh, no you di' int'. So, now anytime I say it he knows exactly what to do...well we have to have a little fun right?!

HAPPY FALL YA'LL!

Well, I did it again...what you ask? A photo shoot, my poor child, I would be scared to add up all the pictures I have taken of him. I just have this mind set that I want to capture every moment because I want to remember everything. I love it and I hope one day he will appreciate the excitement I have/had in documenting his life...now if I would just start his scrapbook.

Onto the photo shoot! I LOVE, love, love fall...I hope I made that clear. I searched for just the right area for pictures because I had to have leaves I could throw him in, okay gently put him in, and the perfect photo spot was not that easy to find.

So, last Friday I took the first couple in the front yard of one of my MOPS table mates after our Potluck, then I knew I couldn't stop there so on the way home I stopped by a park and snapped away...do I even want to admit I downloaded over 120 pictures?! I hope you enjoy this fall photo shoot. Stay tuned for Drew's one year pictures later this month as well as new family pictures.

Drew Loves to Point!

DRUM ROLL.... Below is my favorite picture of the day!!

A TOP FIVE....

Interesting title huh? Anyhow, I was just watching my little man today and as he quickly approaches his first birthday I thought to myself man he is becoming a little man. So, as my mind often wonders I thought of this top 5 list:

THE TOP 5 WAYS YOU KNOW YOUR BABY IS GROWING UP!!

1. Shakes his head no, when you ask if he wants to get out of the crib. Okay he shakes his head "no" anytime you ask him a question.

2. Pushes your face away when you try to give him a kiss (he does this during nursing)!

3. Wants to do things himself (ex... when you give him a snack he puts it down and picks it up again because to him its like he got it himself).

4. Stares at the video Monitor because he knows you are watching...spooky!

5. Goes right to the ladies in the church nursery and waves good-bye to you.

I think this growing up thing is soooooooo much harder for me then him! Does it ever get easier?!

By the way the picture is from the other night, Drew sweats just like his daddy...so David and I found it humorous to spike his hair...no hair products needed, pure sweat. We don't get out much! Below is another cute one...

Piano Man!

I finally found a stand-up piano. My friend Angela had one for her little man Robby, and I loved it...so I was on the prowl. Drew absolutely loves it and you can catch him playing it OFTEN...boy I'm sure the neighbors love us, little do they know we have a Mozart on our hands, he he he!! This is an early birthday present for him, however he will get the rest of the instruments for his one man band later, shhhh don't tell him!

Thank you to those of you who were trying to find this for me. Once Upon a Child came to the rescue once again, man I love that store.

Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!!