CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS Part II!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! This is my newest nativity, isn't it the cutest thing you have ever seen??

I hope you are all with those you love this year and remembering the real meaning of this special day, when Jesus, Our Lord & Savior, was born!

Onto our second set of Christmas Celebrations... during our visit to Carbondale this past weekend we had the joy of celebrating Christmas with our friends Leslie & Renee and their families. Drew had a good time, but as you will see by the short video....well...you watch it and decide for yourself!

Thanks Auntie Neah & Dawn

Open Presents...No Way!!


Hey Uncle Phil...Snuggle, Snuggle, Snuggle!!
Peek-a-Boo!Thanks for my New Tool Bench Uncle Phil & Aunt Leslie, I LOVE IT!!Mmmmm, my new dress is yummy & I am just plain ADORABLE!!!Drew is staring at Uncle Phil, I don't remember why...but I remember it being funny!Look Drew, this is how it's done! Thanks Uncle Phil, for letting Mommy get a picture that looks like I am actually opening a present...Mommy, what are you doing to my face?Are we done yet??

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS Part I &II!

First MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!! For those of you waiting on my Christmas Card, well they are not done..so this season you will be getting a "Ringing in the New Year" Card...hey a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!! Now onto the post...

Not only are we beyond blessed by our family & friends, I am so grateful for the love you all have for us and our little man Drew. There is just something special about family and those friends who might as well be family.

We have had a couple Christmas celebrations already, in Iowa over Thanksgiving with Grandma & Grandpa Dipple, Aunt Wendy & Tyler, & Aunt Jenny & Greg. We had a great time. Drew is not into present opening quite yet, but he sure loves to drive his cars over boxes and through paper, go figure!

Aunt Wendy

Aunt Jenny

Home on the Range...

Hello all... Well, since we are still sitting in MO because Drew was not feeling well this morning (I will spare the yucky details), I thought hey what a great time to blog. So, here goes..

We took a quick trip down to Carbondale, IL, this weekend to visit some friends and of course sweet little Katelyn who is just 7 months younger then Drew. Enjoy some fun pictures below:

Playing with Katelyn, how sweet!!

Yum, a Chocolate Preztel...Thanks Auntie Leslie!!

See Food.. I have no idea where he learned this...Hmmmm

Sweet Katelyn

Snuggling his Cup

UPDATES to COME...

Hello All, I know I have not been updating much...December always proves to be busy busy busy!! We are heading out the Seattle tomorrow early, once we get settled I will get back on track! Pray we have a safe flight and can get there!

Hugs!! Christie

"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!