One of my BIGGEST WISHES!

As many of you know we are aggressively working to pay off debt, but that doesn't mean I don't have a few things I am dreaming about. One of the items I have been dreaming of for awhile is a Tassimo T20 Brewpot...no not for the coffee, but for my tea addiction. I was first introduced to a similar product over a year ago at a Bunco party, then again recently when my at my friends house where I enjoyed a yummy and quickly made cup of hot cocoa! I am IN LOVE.

So, I just entered to win one at one on a fun blog: mamabmy.blogspot.com. Pray for me and keep your fingers and toes crossed because it will be awhile before I can even think of affording this. Check out the giveaway details by clicking here!
I wish us all luck!! Christie

A BLACK FRIDAY BIRTHDAY!

Drew is officially THREE! He had the opportunity of sharing his day with Black Friday, like he knows what that is. We had the opportunity to celebrate his special day twice, once with friends here in TX and the other with Uncle Mark, Hannah, Abby, and his birthday buddy Aunt Sherri in LA!

Drew's first cake, to the left, was made by one of my bestest friends Courtney. I just sent her a picture and she totally recreated it. I am totally jealous of people who bake. I am blessed to know her. The second cake below Mark & Sherri got Drew. Isn't it awesome? Drew is still playing strong with his cake toppers!

Drew is seriously three going on 12! We are often amazed at the things that comes out of his mouth or even the things he remembers. I remember the other day I was nursing Evan and he bit me and I yelped a little. Drew came rushing in to my aid and put his hand on my arm and gave me this serious look. He said," Mom, are you gonna be okay?" Or the other evening we were outside and from no where Drew looked up and said, "Look Mommy, its a planet." He was right! When we drive by a Starbucks he often asks me if we are going to get one (could be a bad thing), or he I ask if we can stop and he says, "No Mommy, you don't deserve one." I could go on and on with Drew statements. He keeps us on our toes and laughing!!

Drew is beginning to get a little picky with food, which I hoped would never happen! He has started telling us he doesn't like things and he doesn't want it. So, I am trying to see this as a learning opportunity, as I grit my teeth. We are now learning how to ask to be excused and to politely say, "I am full, thank you." Or, "It is delicious." I didn't think he was hearing us, but when we went to Louisiana he sat quietly and ate all of his food with no complaints.

Now potty training....what can I say we are still doing it. We are going to take away the diapers New Year's weekend and go from there. David is home for 4 days, so here goes! The only reason we are going to do this is because Drew knows exactly when he needs to go and tells you. He is just choosing to take the easy road and potty in the diaper! So, pray for success!!

Now onto some more pictures from the birthday celebrations! We had a great time and we can't thank you all enough for the blessing you are in our lives as well as Drew's!

LOUISIANA BIRTHDAY!!

TEXAS BIRTHDAY

Back Track... Evan 7 Months

Okay, well one of our family New Year's Resolutions will be setting a family schedule. Somewhere along the way I lost my rhythm... the good thing is I can only go up from here.

Evan turned 7 months on November 9th, and is growing like crazy. He is eating up a storm and loves:

Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Green Beans, Squash and is learning to love carrots. For fruit he is eating Prunes, Apples, Peaches, Mango, Banana, & Pears. If you were to give him his favorite combination it would be Sweet Potatoes and Apples. He continues to be allergic to dairy, I tried to eat a little ice cream the other day and well it back fired with Evan having gas, which came with lots of screaming. Yes, I am still nursing and it is going as good as it can. After my two emergency room visits & surgery this fall (more info to come), my milk has decreased a little. I am working hard to build it back up! My goal is still 1 year!

Verbal: Well, he is still alot of babbling... what can I say!

Other: Evan is such a snuggler, which I love because I really didn't get that with Drew. His little face is starting the fill out and he is getting cuter by the minute. He has found his jumping legs during this month and is a rock star in the jumperoo. He is very ticklish, pretty much EVERYWHERE. Evan has the sweetest little laugh, almost like a whimper. The most exciting thing is his BM is regular!! Who would of thought such a thing would make me so excited?! One of the funniest things Evan does is grab his pacifier out of your mouth or hand, pretty agressively. We get lots of laughs out of it!

Evan loves his big brother and often searches for him it is so cute! Drew tends to get a little crazy with him, but he truly loves his little brother.

I am looking forward to his 9month appt as we should see a huge difference in his weight. We will be switching doctors because I am just tired of his appt's taking 2 hours for no good reason. I guess I should make that appt, oh and Drew's to.

We are truly blessed by our little sweetie!!

Drew's 3rd Birthday Thank You Notes..

Topsy Turvy Thanks Thank You 3x5 folded card

Click here to browse hundreds of thank you card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

2010 Christmas Card

Joy Magic Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I LOVE Shutterfly, they have been the company I go to for a majority of my photo gift needs. I just received another great photobook! If have a special photo gift to make Shutterfly is the place to go. They often offer % off your order and sometimes even FREE items! Christie

TWITTER PARTY- Pampers Love Comes Early

Hello All! I am such a slacker with posting. I couldn't help, but share this amazing Twitter Party coming up called Loves Comes Early, which is sponsored by Pampers! I always said I would never do Twitter, but well.. as you can see that did happen!!

Join us tonight for a touching story and a chance at great prizes!! It starts at 7:00pm CT and you will need to enter hash tag #LoveComesEarly. It will last an hour, no RSVP needed!

Click here to watch the movies about Baby Addyson before attending the party because there will be questions asked and the answers are in the video!

I hope to see you there!! Christie

Drew the "BRAINS"

I am going to try to be better at blogging all around because I know I am missing key things that I will regret not blogging about when it comes to scrapbooking. Anyhow, those of you who know my Drew Boy, know he is smarter than he should be at his age. He is the most verbal 2 year old I have ever met. It has been getting even more fun lately because his imagination is in full swing. We put him in his room for quiet time and just listen to the stories he tells.. CRAZY! I will have to start documenting some..

So, he will be turning "THREE" next month, which is when we will start some basic school stuff. He already knows:

*ABC's
*Counting 1-10 (and sometimes more)
*Colors
*Some Shapes
*Songs/Games: Marching, Twinkle Little Star, ABC's, Songs we make up, Ring around the Rosie, Itsy Bitsy Spider
*Potty Training (some days are good some days are not so good)
*Amazes us with things he remember from months earlier
*I am sure I am forgetting tons more

He loves to fix things like daddy, helps with housework (dishes, laundry, letting Bella out and feeding her) helping with Evan,

I am currently in a Women's Bible Study at church where we are learning about the Five Love Languages for Children and it has been priceless. Drew's Love Language is Quality Time, FOR SURE.

His ears often need adjustment because he doesn't seem to always hear us (lol). Overall we are beyond blessed with our two little men. Drew is a determined boy who likes things his way on this time schedule. He often reminds of of things we shouldn't say just like we do to him. Aren't kids such a reflection of ourselves? So, David and I are also getting our share of life lessons!

Okay, that is it for now, but stay tuned for more updates!!

EVAN is 6 Months!!

Wow, time flies! Evan is already 6 months and changing daily! Out little man is growing leaps and bounds and I have to say it never gets old looking at life through your children's eyes.

Evan had his 6 month appt yesterday and it was LONG just like the last two. After an hour & a half we were finally done. 90% of that time was pure waiting, which would be fine, but there was no one else in the waiting room. Needless to say we will be looking for a new doctor that was just way to stressful!

Okay now on to stats:

Weight: 14.38lbs (gained less than a lb-4.53%)
Height: 27.5" (85%)

As you can see his weight increased less than 1lb over the past 2 months, which has raised some red flags for the doctor. Everything is progressing fine. We are not sure why he didn't gain much weight. Evan has had trouble having bowel movements for most of his little. He only has one about once a week and a lot of times that is assisted by a suppository. Poor little man! We have tried solids with him two separate times, but he is not having it. He literally throws his head back and screams at the site of them. So, we are trying to be patient and just try it here and there. He is so different than Drew with food because Drew could get to solids soon enough. The doc actually told me I could solely nurse for 2 years and that would be sufficient... Ummmm NO WAY, that is totally not for me. My goal is always a year, but I don't think I could make it much past that.

So, anyway please pray for Evan that his little system start processing everything better!!

On the fun side here are some of Evan's updates:
*Almost sitting up completely by himself (sits for several seconds)
*Rolls all over the place
*Babbles
*Kind of waves
*Can stand up, if leaning on something (by himself)
*Chews his toes
*Giggles
*Solids.... A NO GO
*Very distracted nurser... if someone is talking he pulls off and lifts himself up to see what is going on... so STRONG. This is especially true if Drew is the one talking.
*He loves Drew
*Grabs at faces
*Holds you hand
*Takes his pacifier out & puts it back in
*Sleeps 8-10 hours at night & rarely wakes up
*Uses Bumbo
*First Cold (with an everlasting cough)
*Figured out how to jump in the jumperoo
*If he wakes up, you can just put his pacifier back in and he is instantly back to sleep
*Loves the song David made up & Drew often sings (to the tune "Where is Thumbkin"):

Evan Michael, Evan Michael,
You're a stinker, you're a stinker
Yes you are a stinker, yes you are a stinker
Evan Michael, Evan Michael

Okay that is all I can think of right now! I hope you enjoyed this update. Check out my photography blog for more pics of Evan... joyinthejourneyphotography.com

DREW- The Scientist!

Drew amazes us every day, which I know you have heard me say a million times. It's when other people say the same thing that we know we are not crazy. He has been potty training off and on for a few months now and just when we think we are on the home stretch he tricks us and decides to skip a couple days... talk about frustrating especially when he tells you he is peeing in his diaper.

So, the point of that story was to tell you when he fills up a row of sticks for going potty he gets to pick a prize from a basket. One of the things he has LOVED is a bug catching kit. His favorite tool is the magnifying glass, which is SOOOO tiny. Don't tell him, but I found a big one for his birthday.

We went outside so he could use his new tool and find some bugs or other stuff. He was fun to watch him explore! I will post another "DREW-ISM" post really soon because I know you are missing them.

In the meantime enjoy his bug exploration!

Evan is 5 Months!

I am behind yet again, I know that is no surprise to all of you! I think you can just count on me being behind for awhile. So, Evan has turned 5 months since I posted last. He has accomplished huge milestones:

*Almost sitting up

*Falling asleep on his own, with very little fussing
*Sleeping 8-9 hours at night

*Rolling all over

*Babbling

*Giggling

*Eating Cereal (I was going to wait until 6 months, but e began to get more fussy, so I decided why not and it seems to be helping).

I do dread when this boy gets teeth because he is already a biter if you know what I mean, I could really use prayer for this. Enjoy some fun pictures below:

Evan Laughing.MOV

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

It is that time, FINALLY, to do some picture comparisons of Evan. I think this is always fun to see how our kiddos change as they grow and what features take shape from Mommy & Daddy. So, here goes... I can't wait to see what you think!

HOSPITAL PICTURES

EVAN

DAVID & ME

DREW

ONE MONTH:

EVAN

DAVID

ME

DREW

SUMMER "WATER" FUN..

I will be back tracking with the next couple posts to catch up on some of our summer fun. When we visited my BFF, Angela in Idaho we took a couple trips to a pool & splash park. Here are some pics from those trips:

Here is your tip of the day: There are swim diapers for a reason. Drew had one on and decided to poop in it within the first few minutes at the pool, so the only thing I had for him to wear was a pull-up. He kept coming over to me and telling me he was poopy again and I kept checking, but nothing. It wasn't until we were changing clothes that I realized what the problem was. His Pull-up was so full and heavy that it all made sense. He was waddling around the pool like he had a load. I felt so bad for him.. so stick to Little Swimmers and bring extra...lol!!

EVAN at FOUR MONTHS!

WOW, you can tell I haven't quite gotten my schedule down yet. Now that Evan is four months I hope to really start putting the pieces back together and myself for that matter. It has been over a week now (or has it been two??) since Evan had his 4 month doctor's appointment. So, here are his stats:

Height: 26" (85%)
Weight: Just under 14lbs

Evan continues to be a super strong boy! I am also excited to say in the last two days he has rolled from front to back and back to front. He loves to stand holding just your fingers. His little laugh just melts your heart. He is already a very ticklish boy, especially on his collar bone. Evan is nursing like a champ and sleeping about 8 hours at night. He is falling asleep on his own and we are slowly working him out of the swing and into the crib for naps. I am happy to say crying it out works for Evan, it only takes him about 5-10 minutes to fall asleep. So, as long I stay away from the dairy we have happy days.

Drew is a huge helper with Evan, he loves to show him his toys (sometimes rougher then needed), gives him his pacifiers, and talks to him. It is soooo sweet! We are still trying to get a schedule together and balance time between the boys, but I know we will get there! Enjoy these two pictures from Evan's 4 month photo shoot!

AMAZING EVAN AT THREE MONTHS!!

I am a little behind on posting about Evan's three month accomplishments (he will be four months by the time this posts), so here goes:

Evan continues to amaze us with his strength! At just over three months he was sitting in the Bumbo, spending time in the Jumperoo, and graduated to the big bath seat, which are mostly used at the four month age..CRAZY!

He really loves bath time and no matter what mood he is in he usually calms right down during a bath. Evan smiles a lot and loves to chat. He is such a sweet baby 95% of the time.. lol! Gas gets the best of him and he has been fighting night time lately, but I am excited to report he is consistently sleeping around 7-8 hours a night. Enjoy some fun pics!!

Jumperoo- 1st time, just under 3 months

BIG BOY in BUMBO
BIG BOY BATH

August 2010 - Drew & Evan! This is a little blurry, I was trying to snap quick because they weren't cooperating as you can tell by Drew's face!