4th of July!!

We had such a wonderful holiday that I am so sad to see it go.  Thankfully, we have our first family vacation coming up in a few short weeks and I think all three of us are so looking forward to it!!

As for this weekend, on Sunday, we got to invited to pretty much the biggest 4th of July party I have ever seen and we had a blast! Little man did really well even though it was so hot.  One thing that we did learn is that Drew has absolutely no fear of the lake.  We are going to have to keep 20 eyes on him when we are on vacation, that's for sure!!!

A sea of humanity next to Wolverine Lake:

 The dudes showing off their tattoos.  This party sure did have quite the set up to entertain.  Cotton candy and ice cream tables, face painting and tattoos, dj's, etc.  Lots of fun!

Family shot!

Drew trying to pull cousin Tyler's hair.  Sheesh, whenever Andrew is around kids, that's the first thing he tries.

At least Tyler thinks it's hilarious!

Chillin:

Love the lake behind us!  It was a beautiful day!

And on Monday, we decided to lay low and headed over to nanna's so Andrew could swim in his pool and play with his water table.  It was a good, low key day and again, couldn't ask for better weather!!

And daddy decided to get in on the action.  LOL, he had been talking about this all day!!!

At 16 Months...

At 16 months, Drew:


• Is walking up a storm and causing general chaos every day. He loves to play in the cabinets and open and slam them shut on a regular basis. He also loved to play with the blinds cord. Of course, we watch him very closely with these and don’t have any in his room within reach while he is in the crib. Very excited for this phase to pass!

• Loves to turn the light switch on and off as many times as he can, especially when he is in his crib.

• Still has only about 6 words but he is understanding so much more. When I say, “Let’s go brush your teeth” he runs and sits on the bathroom floor. If we ask him where is mimi (owie in Maltese) is, he can point and tell us. He knows his hair, feet, shoes, socks and raises his hands and shrugs when he is all done.

• Loves to be outside either walking around the backyard or playing in his pool. He also loves going for walks in his stroller.

• Favorite foods are fruits. He loves all kinds and can eat them all day. He also likes baked potatoes, barbecue chicken, and macaroni and cheese. He’s not a fan of veggies but I can still get him to eat a green puree every once in a while. We do consider him to be a really good eater though. Hopefully, that continues!

• Cracks himself up on a daily basis. He honestly thinks the things he does are hilarious and it makes me laugh every time he does.

• LOVES to be snuck up on and be scared. He screams with delight and tries to run from you! He also loves to be chased and tickled.

• Is a pretty good sleeper but is definitely just now dropping one nap. He usually goes down between 7 and 8 and will sleep until 7 or 8 the next morning. He will usually take a 3 hour nap in the afternoon as well.

• Is an amazing kid and I am so happy to have him in my life. :)

Walking his Dog

Well, someone has to do it.  :)

Drew's Newest Toy: Play Kitchen

When Drew and I visited our good friends, there was a play kitchen that Drew just fell in love with.  He loved opening and closing the doors and playing with the pots and pans.  So when we got home, I immediately started looking for one to buy him.  The trip involved 3 trips to Walmart (oh how I hate that store!!!) and lots of shopping online but I finally found what I wanted for a good price!!

It took daddy and I a few hours to put together but I am so happy we got it for him!  He loves it and I hope against hope that he plays with this kitchen instead of going into the real kitchen and banging mommy's cabinets open and closed a million times!!!!  Probably not, but it's worth a try!

Here's a video of Drew seeing his kitchen for his first time.  These moments are the best!

First Trip to the Zoo

Steve, Drew, mom, dad and I have been dying to take Drew to the zoo and when the weather finally got good here, we took him and he had a blast!  He was very interested in seeing the animals that moved but I think his most favorite part was taking the train ride.  To say he loved it is an understatement.  Like father, like son??  I believe so!!

Such a serious boy for his first trip to the zoo!

Family pic!

Hold daddy's hand, Drew!

What do you see, little dude?

Ahhhh, he's coming for you!

What a face!

This is what he does when you stick your tongue out at him.  He hasnt quite figured out how to do it back yet!!

Riding the train with dad!

Drew's Favorite Show?

Wheel of Fortune.  Who knew???

And yes, I know.  He's way to close but he never watches TV so it's ok.

I Love You!

Drew has this learning toy that he loves playing with.  It identifies various body parts and sings while teaching.   One of the songs that it sings goes a little like this:

I love you, I love you

Morning, noon, and night...

I love you, I love you

It makes the world so bright!!

Drew immediately took to this song.  It was the first song he started dancing...ummm, swaying...to and after a while, he started trying to sing.  We've spent afternoons walking around Target singing "I la, I la"which is how it comes out when Drew says it.  I LOVE IT!!!!

He's gotten a bit better since the video but it melts my heart every time i hear it.  :)  It's about 47 seconds in to the video.  

Momma's Rocking Chair...

...being passed on to her favorite boy.

Drew and Tyler Hang!

Jeff and Julie brought little Tyler over to hang out with us and we had a really good time!  Thankfully, the weather cooperated and we were able to get the boys out in the pool.  Drew loved the pool instantly and I think Tyler did too!!!

Hey Tyler, come on in!  The water is fine!

Hey buddy, lets pee in the pool!  hehe!

Getting ready for bed:

Fist bump...pow!

Walking!

Drew started really walking at around 14 months old!  It's so fun watching the little dude progress and in the few months :( it took me to update the blog, the kid is a walking pro.  In fact, he is running everywhere now!

Who in the Heck Dressed Me Today??

DADDY!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Drew watching daddy oh so close.  Both playing on their computers!

Our First Family Vacation!

We decided to take Drew on his very first road trip to Traverse City at the end of May (15 months) and he did as well we possibly could have imagined!  He got a little antsy on the car ride up but once we got up there, he did so well!

We decided to hit the town and walk around the city and then the boys went swimming in our hotel pool.  After we got Drew cleaned up, it was time for bed.  We were a little nervous as to how he was going to do but he did great!!  Slept through the night!!

All in all, we had a fabulous time and Andrew even got his first taste of a McDonald's chicken nuggets.

Some pics:

On the ride up totally passed out in his seat:

Walking around the city:

Whatchu lookin' at momma???

Pool time with daddy.  How he loves his little dude.

Daddy and Drew:

And yep, my only pictures with the dude and he wasn't happy.  Par for the course!  We still had fun though!

He Looks Like A LITTLE MAN!!

Where did my small baby go????

Let's Go Red Wings!!!!

From a future player!!