HIGH Flyin' Daddy Time!!

Guess who! We are finally getting settled in our new house and feeling pretty good. We plan to be settled in this house for the next few years, so God willing we will not be moving anytime soon, WHEW!!

Now to catch you all up! In April Drew had a Daddy day, so off to the airshow they went. David was excited to share his love of planes with Drew up close and personal. This was Drew's very first airshow, and let me tell you he was absolutely exhausted. Enjoy a couple of fun pics from the day. Daddy didn't take a lot, but hey ateast he took some!!

EVAN TURNS "ONE"

NOTE: I want you all to know I started this post a couple weeks ago, but as always life takes over and it is just now getting finished..

Our sweet Evan has been "One" for a little while now, it is crazy! I recently realized another tooth snuck in his mouth. So, he is now up to 5 teeth three on bottom and 2 on top. Since I started this post, I now see another tooth on top sneaking in, just a simple reminder time flies way to fast.

Evan is such an easy going little boy and you hardly notice when he is not feeling well. This can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. There is nothing better than when he snuggles your neck, and if you want him to keep doing it just saw "AWE!" He is at the stage where he is into EVERYTHING and he is quick. His favorite areas are Bella's dog food & water and the cupboards. Needless to say we have to barricade Bella's dishes, and redirect him to the "Evan" cabinet. He is becoming a little bulldozer because if you are laying on the floor he loves to climb over you, or if something is in his way he will just push it out of the way to get where he wants to be. He is not talking much, but babbles alot. He truly sounds like he says Bella/Doggy, Yeah, and Da Da. I really think he will be an easy going kid, but who knows with Drew's (Energizer Bunny) influence.

So, on to stats from his 1year doctor's appointment:

Weight- 21lbs 1.5oz (23%)

Height- 29 1/2" (38%)

The doc gave us the go ahead to face him forward in the car, which we have not gotten around to. He also said Evan had quite a growth spurt from his last appointment.

Evan is still a HUGE eater, however he is not a fan of Peas or Peaches. We have started the transition to whole milk and have gradually increased the amount of milk mixed with formula. He did not react well to milk as a little bitty man, so we are taking it slow. Anyhow, enjoy some pics of Evan's 1st Birthday that we were blessed to share with great friends or as I say the bonus family God has blessed us with!

Cute Cake...THANKS COURTNEY (she makes the cutest cakes!!)

We got a bonus gift: It's a Drew!!

Drew's Trip to The FARM!

We had a fun outing today with our MOPS group. I wasn't sure about it at first, but then I thought the price wasn't bad and it would give Drew and I some time together alone, since David was home sick and could take care of Evan. I am sooooooo glad we went. The place was called Grisham Farms and our small group was the only one there because you have to make appointments, sooooooo nice! Anyhow, Drew got to hand feed the goats and sheep, then throw some food to the BIG pigs. We were instructed it wasn't smart to hand feed them and once I saw them I completely understood why.

Feeding the Animals

Petting the animals (they brought out 5-6 for them to pet). Drew had LOTS of questions for the lady, I was pretty impressed because they were great questions, like "What do the animals eat?"

Someone spying on us, hmmmm...

And.... then comes his new best friend, Bo Bo! He found this bright green Caterpillar in the sandbox and carried it around everywhere letting it crawl up his arm. He was the hit of the playground. It took LOTS of convincing from me for Drew to let Bo Bo stay with his friends at the farm. He tried to sneak it more than once...smarty pants!

He must have been exhausted, this is where we found him during quiet time.

WALKIN' ABOUT & 11 MONTHS!!

Well, as I realize we are just one day away from Evan turning the big "ONE" that I have not posted anything about 11 months. This has been a BIG month for Evan, here are a few things: *He still eat up a storm (I don't know where he puts it). Pretty much anything you put in front of him, however his favorite two things are meat & mango. *Crawling up a storm *Pulling himself up on everything *In EVERYTHING *Babbling (says Dada and it sounds like he says Bella) *Loves everything Drew does and wants to hang out with him *Walking with walking toy *Snuggles (especially when you say "Awe") *Does not like to have his diaper change, or maybe he just doesn't like laying still *He had his first and hopefully only round of RSV, which came with his and our first experience with breathing treatments. *Had his second ear infection (same time as above)

Evan, continues to be such a sweet and funny little boy. He is definitely at that age where he is testing us, especially with the dog dishes. I am not quite sure what his infatuation is with them. He has flooded the kitchen a couple times. Stay tuned for his 1 year update!

Re-CONNECTING!!

I LOVE Facebook because it has given me the opportunity to reconnect with old friends! It is so nice to catch up and see where they are now and what's going on in their lives. My favorite part is looking at their pictures and seeing their beautiful families! What I find funny is a lot of people I went to school I with are in the same place in life with kiddos, and I thought David and I were older parents so as strange as it sounds it makes me feel good.

I have had the opportunity recently to meet up with a friend from Middle School on, and a fellow New Kids on The Block follower (long ago..lol). She has two little boys close in age to mine. I am so excited she lives here in Dallas! We had a wonderful time! Enjoy some pics!!

My socialite Drew asking a stranger what he was doing, then proceeded to stand and watch! Drew is with their friend Nolan, somehow I didn't get a shot of him with Matthew, bummer! Evan & Reed!! It think he is trying to spring him from the car seat??? Sorry Meghan, I know you might hurt me for posting this...lol!!

GOOD TIMES!!

Evan's New Discovery!

On Friday night Evan discovered his tongue. It was a little surprise, I turned around and I saw him playing with it. So, of course we egged it on as much as possible. It was so funny he was trying to grab it. Oh, I love this stuff!! Enjoy!

LIMP DOG CRAWL...

Don't make fun of the name, it is so true. When I was recently visiting my friend Meghan she said her son Matthew crawled like a limp dog (I think that's what she called it), then she saw Evan and said that is it. So, I thought it was funny and have carried on the name. Judge for yourself... Not that I am complaining because he can get from point A to point B, which means I don't have to carry him. By the way he is REALLY fast, I am soooo in trouble!! Enjoy!!

"WASH ON - WASH OFF" with Drew

As I have said many times, Drew LOVES to help! You can turn around just about any bad behavior with him when you give him a job. I am not saying this is 100% effective, but pretty close. I often have to remind myself this very thing! Drew was a big helper last weekend, working with Daddy to clean our vehicles. He had a BLAST!!

Our McKinney Kitchen

Okay, I know you are probably getting bored with my house pictures, but I am trying to get better at documenting things. This is the first house I have ever purchased curtains for, and I feel like I am actually decorating. I know curtains can be expensive, so I was beyond excited to get these on clearance for $2.99. We got the cabinet and table/chairs from Craigs List.. I think we did okay... you be the judge.

These were a steal... from the dollar store!

Who says you have to spend a lot do decorate? NOT ME!!!

10 MONTHS = EVAN!!

WOW, it almost hurts to say that Evan is 10 months. He is still such a sweet little boy and is all of a sudden doing lots of stuff. I remember when I went to his 9 month appt and the doc asked me if he was pulling up or holding his own bottle and I answered "no" to both of those questions. Well in the last month the boy is:

*Holding his own bottle (happened just a couple days after 9month appt), he practically rips it out of your hands.

*Pulling himself up to his knees

*Goes from a laying to sitting position (this was just a couple days ago).

*Up on all fours rocking, moves one knee then slides to his belly. However, this boys gets from point A to B by rolling or pushing himself on his belly with his feet. He is one very determined little guy.

*He surprisingly eats just like Drew did and will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him. He is menu now consists of: Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, White Potatoes, Apples, Mandarin Oranges, Pears, Peaches (his least favorite), Grapes, Puffs, Crunchies, Cheerios, Chex, Banana (he eats one by himself), beans, Avocado, Bread, Cantaloupe (he LOVES), and I am sure I am forgetting some. By the way if I have not mentioned it before, after attending a lunch at our friend's house a couple weeks ago and Evan's screaming during lunch because he didn't want to be fed, we immediately went to all finger foods, and he is LOVING it. Makes meals so much easier that's for sure.

Evan has such an endearing smile and wonderful laugh! I love listening to David getting him ready for bed and all the cackling he gets out of him. It brings back wonderful memories of Drew at this age to. Evan is a great sleeper a majority of the time, which is one way we can tell something is wrong with him...if he is not sleeping well. He loves his big brother, who he smiles at constantly.

We are beyond blessed by our little guys, and pray God will add to our family someday.

"IF YOUR HAPPY!" by DREW

Drew knew this song at a very early age, well we have been singing it a lot to Evan who is finally really getting into it. So, Drew has taken it upon himself to sing it to Evan, SOOOO CUTE! Enjoy this little video from our songbird, with help from the peanut gallery!

OUR TX HOUSE Part 3

I just realized that I had not given you any updates on our McKinney House. Let me say that it is still a work in progress, but we are getting there. We are going through each and every tub and box to downsize and it is taking time, but we know it will be well worth it in the end.

I have been working on the boys bathroom off and on, but I thought I would share with you where we are at so far. I have to say I fell in love with the ocean theme from my friend Angela. The bathroom she did for her boys is SOOOOO cute, she is such a great decorator! So, I thought I am going to steal her idea.. thanks Ang! Enjoy a few pics below!

This last pic is of painting Drew did at a party he went to. I thought their had to be a way I could keep his first painting masterpiece, so I ordered the W is for Whale Decor Elements from Stampin Up! and Wha La!! LOVE IT!!

Crawling? Who Needs Crawling?

Okay, so Evan is sooooo close to crawling, but he just gives up. But, boy can he roll all over the place. So, I finally got a video the other day, it gives us a good chuckle! He may have a future in the Circus, whatever works right?!

IT SNOWS IN TX?????

Wow, I thought we were moving to a WARM climate, but oh how I was proven wrong this week. The week started fine, but then Tuesday happened. We got a down pour of Sleet, which turned into very thick ice on the roads, I almost took a dive a few times and had to hand onto the truck for dear life. I wasn't about to be someone else's comic relief, lol!

So, David left work early on Tuesday and has been home the every day since. I have realized that Texas has no clue how to handle anything winter related and mix that with the Super Bowl in town and NOTHING happens.

If that wasn't all bad enough, we got 6" of snow today on top of all that ice...eek! I did promise if we got another snow this year that we would take Drew out to play, so thankfully Daddy was home to make good on that promise... to cold for me!! They had a great time throwing snowballs at each other and getting balls stuck on the roof.

So, here is the positive, since we are in TX, as soon as that sun comes out the snow and ice will melt in no time, so thankful for that. Plus, we had 70 degree weather last weekend when everyone else was freezing, so I can't complain to much! Anyhow, enjoy a couple pictures!

First Up, Cleaning the Snow off Everything... REALLY?

A Little Snowball Action

EVAN is 9 Months, BOO HOO!

Well, Evan is not listening well and continuing to grow. Time always baffles me because it just goes way to fast. Sometime I feel like I am hanging on by a thread!

He is such a sweet boy and does not know a stranger. He will lift his hands to anyone who reaches to pick him up. This could be a problem later on, hmmm. He has the sweetest smile and little laugh. Evan doesn't fuss about much and when he does you know he wants something or something is wrong.

We recently had his 9 month appt, so here are his stats:

Weight: 17lbs 6.5oz (6%, little guy)
Height: 28" (38%)

It was so funny to see these numbers because early on Evan had a huge growth spurt in height and was in the 90%, now he is a shrimp. I have to say he has made progress from his 6 month appt where he wasn't even 14lbs and had gained less than a pound from the previous well visit. I have start supplementing with formula, which I didn't think I would have to do this time, so the hope is that will bring his weight up more. After my kidney stone attack, then the gallbladder attack and surgery my milk considerably decreased and I have not been able to get it back to where it was. Plus, Evan is quite the biter is you know what I mean, so neeldes to say, you just do what you have to do.

Now on to some fun facts...

FOOD: Evan loves to feed himself and goes crazy for finger foods. He loves puffs, wagon wheels, biter biscuits, banana chunks, cheerios, Ritz crackers, bread chunks, etc. As far as other food he still loves Sweet Potato's, and also likes: peas, green beans, squash, and the jury is still out with carrots. All of which I make at home, so much cheaper. As far as fruit goes, it is just not as cost efficient to make it, so I admit to buying them, he likes just about any fruit: bananas, pears, mango's, apples, and the jury is still out on prunes & peaches. I have a lot more foods to introduce in the coming months... this is such a fun time.

VERBAL: We have no real words yet, although he almost has "Dada" down. I could of swore the other day he almost said Bella, but you know us Momas think we hear all kinds of things. He is babbling up a storm and has found his voice since the holidays. Him and drew often get into a screaming match as the last video showed.

PHYSICAL: Evan is rolling all over the place and wants to crawl so badly. He has the rocking motion down, but just can't put it all together quite yet. He is so close and I think it will be no time at all until he is mobile. He loves to throw things, don't all babies love the drop game? So much fun, or just a good ab workout. He is clapping his hands and waving from time to time. he is very much into grabbing faces and snapping straps.. can you say OWIE!!

We are continually amazed to watch our boys and see how completely different they are. I can say Drew and Evan love each other very much and it shows! Evan just lights up when he sees his big brother.

BOY TALK!!

Boys will be boys! Evan has recently found his voice and listen how the boys communicate. This is super cute unless you are in public.. lol!

Drew TURNED Three- More Catch-Up!

Okay, so I am not doing very good with catching up the blog, but I am determined to make a schedule for 2011, which will include a blog day, so I can have consistent weekly posts.

Anyhow, we are going back in time a bit with Drew's 3yr update.

We went to the doctor about a month late, so I will start with his 37month Stats:

Weight: 37.2 lbs (89%)
Height: 39" (79%)

After the doc looked at his weight he said. "you have a big boy, but that is okay because he is also tall." Drew's mouth is continually moving and producing sound. Sometimes it's a good sound and sometimes not so much. I know many of you will relate, but I am just not sure where he learns some of the stuff he says. His newest things are:

KNOWLEDGE:
*ALL ABC (with song, which is has been doing for a LONG time)
*Knows all the vowels
*All letter sounds
*Recognizes many words like: book, dad, mom, evan, drew, pie, truck... the list goes on
*Is starting to sound out words
*Pronounces his last name better than most, knows his whole name
*Knows lots of shapes including octagon and hexagon
*Knows several songs, some I didn't even know
*Says sweet prayers
*Is in major pretend stage and I think has an imaginary friend
*Counts to 11 consistantly sometimes up to 15
*Know Right from Left most of the time
*Knows how to point you home, Emma's house, or little Airport close by.
*Knows what CVS & Starbucks look like (sad huh?)
*Is starting to learn names of planes
*Figures out most gadgets/toys better than David and I! He finds things we didn't even know they did.
*Can work my IPhone... scary
*Can select a movie off Youtube

Okay I have to stop with this list because I didn't know I had a 12 yr old....lol!

Makes Us Proud:
-"I want to hold Evan."

-He wants to always give Evan a kiss and hug before bed

-He loves to be the first to talk to Evan when he wakes up. He opens his door, turns his light on,
and talks to him. He even sometimes gives him toys.

-He is such a helper: helps with: laundry, emptying the dishwasher, gets Evan toys, throws away diapers, brings boxes in from the front porch, helps clean up toys, etc..

-He is our resident ant smasher

-Potty Training, he is in big boy underpants most of the day, except when we go out or at night. he is going pee pee atleast 80% of the time on the potty.

-Gives wonderful morning snuggles

-Drinking out of a big boy cup, even filling his own cup with water

-Puts his dishes and silverware in sink when done, after throwing his trash away

Not so good:
-"I am not going to be your friend."

-"I am not going to listen to you, I am a mean boy."

-Throwing things...ANYTHING

-Doing things even when he is told no... looks at you and does it anyhow.

-He has started saying he doesn't like food, so we are learning how to be polite at the dinner table.

-Potty Training, he has these moments when he doesn't want to go on the potty at all and we have yet to conquer the poop! If any of you have tips for that I am VERY open to it.

-Temper tantrums

FUNNY RECENT DREW COMMENTS:
*"Daddy you can't do that it is impossible." This was when David was getting Christmas tubs down from the attic.

*Me-"Drew look there is another excavator," Drew-"No Mommy, it is a Mini Excavator, you know like tiny."

*"I am going to smash that ant with my pee, and blow it up."

*"No, Mommy I sad no Starbucks, you don't deserve it." He says this when we get close to a Starbucks, even before I turn into it... so sad!

Birthday Kisses from Emma

Here are a couple pictures from his birthday party! I would put more, but my computer is not working quite right, so this is all you get for now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!