Party at Taco Cabana!

We made a quick trip to TC last night to grab dinner and sit outside to enjoy the beautiful weather! It was Drew's first time to use his big boy place mat and actually eat out with Mom & Dad. He gobbled up cheerios and flirted with everyone around. He tried desperately to get the lady at the next table to smile at him...and she completely ignored him!! Don't know what her deal was. But then he found a sweet grandmother to smile at who would actually smile back. He also discovered how to play "drums" on the table and had a blast pounding it out with Daddy! He was all smiles last night!

Happy Birthday Avery!

Today is Avery's 2nd birthday & we celebrated over the weekend with a wonderful butterfly themed party in the park!

Drew had fun playing on the playground and learning to share toys with Julia and the other kids!

Avery had a very fancy butterfly cupcake cake, but she wasn't too sure about the singing and really didn't know if she liked blowing out a candle or not. But, after it was all over and everyone was cheering, she finally decided it was fun and joined in the clapping!

She loved opening presents (or seeing the presents after Stephanie helped her open them). She got tons of fun toys, books, dress up clothes, and even a whole set of high heel Cinderella shoes! The most unique gift came from her Uncle Erroll. He brought her a flower arrangement with a live Monarch Butterfly cacoon which should hatch around September 30th.

Happy Birthday sweet Avery. We had lots of fun at your party!

We missed Aunt Heather & Uncle Adam

You always know when you're missing someone, but sometimes you don't remember exactly how much until you see them again. That's how I felt when Adam & Heather arrived Friday night. It was SO good to see them again. It had been 3 months since we saw them last. It might not sound like long, but since they used to be one house away from us in Temple, going 3 months without seeing them felt like forever!

We had such a fun weekend. Saturday we hung out in the morning and played with Drew. Heather & I made a quick shopping trip downtown where we found fabulous goodies for the dogs. I've always wanted to get Bailey a string of "dog pearls"...and I finally found some! It's just the feminine touch she needs (and it's fun to drive Adam crazy seeing his dog dressed in pearls). Doesn't she look beautiful?

Here's some of our Saturday morning.

Then we headed out to Lake Texoma and rented a boat to test out the waters. It was Drew's first adventure on the lake and he seemed to love it! Adam & Heather gave him his very first life jacket (they know I'm a little paranoid about babies on the water). Drew wasn't sure he liked it until he figured out he could chew on it...then he loved it! We packed a picnic lunch and had a great day.

After the lake, we came home and relaxed briefly before heading out for dinner. It was a big milestone for us...we left Drew with a babysitter! Thankfully, Drew was so wiped out from his big day at the lake that I think he was down for the night just about 45 minutes after we left him. So, while he was snoozing, we went to downtown Sherman for some dinner and then over to the Sofey's house to introduce Adam & Heather to some of our new friends.

Sunday morning we all went to church and then had good lunch at home before having to say bye to Adam & Heather. It was such a fun visit with them. Even Kobe loved having Bailey back to play with!! We hope it won't be too long before we see them again!

The Great Outdoors

The weather has been so wonderful here in Sherman the last week or two. We've taken advantage of it and enjoyed being outside. Here are a few pictures of our past 2 Sunday night outdoor adventures. Last week we just played outside in our back yard. Drew crawled around in the grass for the first time and loved it!

Last night, we explored Fairview Park and found a wonderful walking trail perfect for a stroller! The path winds around a creek, runs behind a beautiful neighborhood, and ends up near the swimming pool. Andrew & I had a good walk, and it was peaceful enough that it put Drew right to sleep!

Are you ready for some football?

Andrew is coaching in the Upward Football League with Parkside Baptist Church. He's got a great crew of 6 second & third graders on his team. Their first game was last Saturday morning. Drew and I went along to cheer for Daddy's team. Sitting there, it hit me that this was a glimpse into the future and what is to become of my Saturday mornings in a few years. Before I know it, I'll be cheering for Drew! It's totally different from the ballerina recitals, gymnastic days, and volleyball camps I lived in during the Saturday mornings of my youth. But, I'm excited for the new viewpoint I'll experience seeing life through the eyes of a little boy!

Drew is Seven Months Old!

Everyone warns you that they grow up too fast, but you truly don't believe it when you're in the midst of nursing every 2 hours and sleepless nights. Then one day you look at the calendar and realize that tiny bundle you drove home from the hospital with just yesterday is more than half a year old.

In those seven short months, Drew has stolen our hearts, taught us what unconditional love is, added a few gray hairs to our heads, and completely changed our lives...for the better. In this last month, Drew has mastered sitting, he's crawling everywhere, and now he is starting to pull up on anything he can get his tiny hands on. He loves eating "real" food. He might make a funny face at a few menu options, but he'll eat anything we offer him. He's even found a few "treats" on his own, like dog food and leaves on the floor. Gotta watch this kiddo now! His favorite foods right now are sweet potatoes (especially the sweet potato/apple combo), butternut squash & corn, banana/peach/oatmeal, and turkey/brown rice/barley. Prunes won the award for the best "what are you doing to me" look on his face. But by the second bite, he was totally on board!

On a good day, he wakes up around 7:15am in time to wish Daddy a happy day at the office. He plays with toys for a little bit and eats breakfast and takes a morning nap. In the afternoon, we usually get out of the house and go for a change of scenery. We're back by mid-afternoon for more food and (on a really good day) an afternoon nap. Daddy gets home right after 5:00 and plays with Drew. Then Drew gets to eat some of his favorite food for dinner, Daddy gives him a bath, Mommy reads him a book, says prayers, and puts him to bed around 8:00pm.

Happy Seven Months, Drew.

Oh yeah, it was next to IMPOSSIBLE to get the little busy-body to lay still long enough to get a blanket picture this month!! He was all over the place, which made for some funny outtakes!

Kobe had really warmed up to Drew, until Drew started crawling. Drew's favorite thing to do is crawl and chase the dog, a game Kobe is not a fan of. We had made great progress on getting Kobe and Drew to pose together, but all bets are off now and Kobe is back on opposite corners for the blaket pictures again.