Scrapbook Saturday - All Time Favorite Page

I now share with you my all-time favorite page. This is the final look in Drew's first year scrapbook.

First of all - I took color photos I had and through photoshop I made them black and white. I think that adds a lot to this page even before anything else.

Because the photos were taken Labor Day weekend 2008 in a vineyard, I tried to go with a wine theme - which between wine & baseball - that's a lot of what my pages are dedicated to.

So the border is a wine color paper, with a black 2nd layer. The black paper I took a pair of designed trimming scissors and cut the paper, giving it some decoration. I then cut out the grapes using a knife - all free-handed. and placed some purple paper behind it.

The photos I rounded the corners and then sandpapered the edges to give it an all new look. I used the same purple color from the grapes for the border.

Stamps were borrowed from a friend - as was the silver ink. I believe even the "&" sticker was borrowed from a friend.

It think this page has a classic, yet modern feel. I just love this page!

TGIF!

Oy - what a week for this Mama.  Nothing spectacular to report, just one of those kinds of weeks, you know the normal craziness with work and being a wife and mother.  We have all had them, but it has wiped this Mama out and she has nothing to blog about today other than how thrilled I am it's FRIDAY!  And I mean I'm seriously excited about the end of the day!

To clue you in on how my week went, the craziness at work (it's been a wild ride there), then to come home to a child who pukes at the sight of a #2, wakes up multiple times in the middle of the night to go potty... and then the cycle starts all over again.  So needless to say everyone in this house is exhausted.  We're I'm hoping to get a lot of R&R in this weekend - at least one or two naps!

So that's why you get nothing of interest from me today!  TGIF!

Mr. Fix-It

Drew is striving to be like his GrampC, and become a Mr. Fix-It.  That's thanks in part to his Grandparents who got him a tool bench for Christmas.  It was a bit belated since the original unit was broken when we tried to assemble it.

On Sunday we put this one together - and man talk about a hit!

 

He sat there for a good chunk of time investigating all the tools and their purpose.  Changing out the bits for the drill.  Yeah, he's a man when it comes to his tools....

Doesn't that face make you want him to come to your house to hang pictures?  Um - NOT!

And then Dave taught him how to use the hammer.  He became quite good at hammering things in, and then removing the "nails".  Check out the face of concentration when it comes to hammering...

I'd say this was a hit!  Now to do some home repairs with GrampC.

Rain? What?

So the weather forecasters were predicting rain for the entire weekend.  Well on Saturday when the rain still hadn't arrived, Dave decided to let Drew exert some energy at the park while I went and did some Scrapping.

This was a big endeavor since we're at the beginning stages of potty training - well one week to the day since we started.

 

Drew did great!  Dave brought the potty chair since he couldn't remember the bathroom situation at the park.  I didn't have the heart to tell him it's a park, and there are kids there... there are going to be bathrooms - more than just for the dogs that use the dog run.

But it's the big potty - Drew's current nemisis.  Regardless, after playing for about an hour Dave took a potty break and pulled out the potty chair along side the cars.  Sure enough Drew went - and remained dry the entire 2 1/2 hours at the park.

Drew and Daddy also hit a few rounds of Tball.  And there was a strange encounter.  Apparently another father/son came to the park, and the first thing this Dad said to his approximately 4-year-old son "Max" was "Don't go take that kid's bat from him."  OK... who says that?  The kid wasn't even making a move toward Drew - that is until his Dad opened his trap.

Then the kid wanted to play ball too.  Dave let Drew finish his round, and then gave "Max" his turn.  Of course "Max" wouldn't let Dave put the ball on the tee, prevailing that "I can do anything I want" and continued to whack out of control.

When "Max" finished his round, it was Drew's turn, and "Max's" Dad said, OK you can have another turn when this little boy is done.

Um, there are a few things wrong with this picture.

A.) You never asked if your child could play with Drew's toys, just assumed

B) Since you never asked, one turn seems more than sufficient

C) Why would you think it's OK to invade on another father and son who were doing just fine before you showed up.  It's not like this was a community sport!

Are we wrong here?  I mean common courtesy is to at least ask!

Green Eggs & "Ham"

Dave got creative this weekend, in an attempt to get Drew to try and eat eggs.  See, Drew's favorite story (and movie) is "Green Eggs & Ham", so when Dave made scrambled eggs on Saturday morning he threw a little green food coloring.  Hoping that would entice Drew to eat eggs again.  He hasn't touched the stuff since he was about 13 months old.

Well after a few tears and forceful parenting - a.k.a. withholding the bacon - Drew took 2 bites.  Once he nearly puked up the second bite, we let him off the hook and he finished eating his hash browns and bacon.
 

 

At least he tried it! But "I do not like them Sam I Am.  I do not like Green Eggs and Ham".

Preschool Here We Come!

We have the official word - Drew is going to Preschool starting this August!  The big hurdle we had to conquer is potty training, and we can pretty much check that one off our list.

I made the call on Friday when I hadn't heard "officially" to see what the scoop was.  And Ms. Kim, the Director, said "Oh yeah, you got everything in, we're good to go!"

Last thing I need, Drew's updated medical records - which I need as close to his attending as possible.  Can I tell you what a relief it is to have this figured out?

So the Preschool of choice is the same one Ms. Stephanie's boys go to (our Day Care Provider).  So Drew is going knowing a few people.

I had a few things on my list of requirements for a preschool - other than cost (most in this area are $300+ more than I pay now for daycare)...

1. I wanted somewhere that offered day care before and after preschool
2. A place that offered Bible Teachings and ministry
3. I wanted a good academic curriculum, as well as focus on the social/emotional development
4. Somewhere safe and clean (obviously)

We found all of that at this school.  I can't believe my little boy is growing up so fast right now.

 

(Photo from my phone at Bent Creek Winery)

Scrapbook Saturday - Title Page

Taking you back again down memory lane - this time I'm showing you the opening page of Drew's First Year scrapbook.

To give you a little background, my initial plan was to create a clock effect where for each hour, I'd show a photo for that month. Problem is, my photos were all too big, and that plan didn't work well. So here's what plan B turned into.

At the center is his newborn photo -well one that we took shortly before leaving the hospital. Then top right to left you will see Month 1 - 5, next row is month 6 & 7, and the bottom is 8 months - his first birthday!

Each tag is from a baby boy kit I bought while pregnant. Simple page, yet busy with each month's transition. I hope he'll really enjoy seeing all the changes when he's older.

Video: Somebody's Watching Me

First the PT Update: Drew is doing fantastic on the potty training front.  Yesterday he had only 1 accident at Ms Stephanie's (a #2) and a perfect record at home!  And the other night Drew woke up in the middle of the night for the first time to tell us he had to go potty... he did it again last night.  And we have had a first... he woke up dry.  That hasn't happened here since - well - ever.  Did I mention we haven't even been potty training a week yet?  Wahoo!

Now onto the fun stuff... I have a video to share with you.  Our kid is obsessed with commercials.  First it was the Pepsi Throwback, then it was the Super Freak Visa Debit, and now - well now it's Geico.

Here's Drew's impersonation of the "money eyes" that are Always Watching you:



That's our future American Idol right there! OK maybe not...

Our Little Manipulator

Sure kids are cute, cuddly (well they were when they were babies) and a whole lot of fun.  But they have a dark side too.  They learn at a young age to be manipulators.

It can be simple things like they whine ask for you to get something for them say juice late at night, and you say no.  So they go to their other parent to whine ask the same question.  If parent #2 wasn't observing the initial discussion, then the child is likely to get whatever they were demanding in the first place.  See little manipulator.

Another example, when they look at you with those big brown, puppy dog eyes and ask to watch videos on your computer, but you say no.  And then those puppy dog eyes well up with tears, and they say in the sweetest of voices, "but I want to".  You cave because you're now done with whatever computer business you were doing, and you just want to stop the inevitable tantrum.

Well our little manipulator is back at it again.  The target this time, our day care provider Ms. Stephanie.  The agenda - refusing to go to the bathroom on the potty. 

We have a great track record at home now.  But it's a whole different story at Ms. Stephanie's.  Tuesday was the first day at her house in just undies.  He went 3-for-3.  I'd mentioned if she had to she should use the pull-ups we brought.  Well yesterday he was being a little stinker again - literally.  He went #2 in his pants before the "potty alarm" went off - and nailed a toy or two.

So Ms. Stephanie had to put him into a pull-up... pooping on the toys at a day care is a big faux pas.  And wouldn't you know it, Drew gets the pull-up on and starts to tell her when he has to go potty.  Thinking she was in the clear, Ms. Stephanie decides to put him back into his undies.  Only a short time later he stands up at the lunch table and proceeds to shoot a stream down his leg.

Little manipulator.

And it will only get worse as he gets older. *sigh*

The Gang's All Here

Really quick a potty training update - it was a rough day at Day Care for Drew on the Potty Training front.  He was about 50%.  I knew it was bad when Ms. Stephanie called and asked "what do you want me to do with the poopy undies...."

I've seen more of my friends from high school in the past 2 months than I have in more than 5 years!  Another member of the high school gang  (Jennie) was coming up to Northern California for a visit - and well that just means we have a reason to get everyone back together again.

After going round and round about where we should meet up, we decided on Skippolini's once again.  Not only was it centrally located for the out of towners, but no one else could come up with a better suggestion.  Getting a table for 9 people on a Friday night - Valentine's weekend, no less was interesting, but it all worked out. 

Around 10pm, two of us were forced to move their car thanks to Walnut Creek Parking nazi's.  So what do we do? We decided to snap a picture of all of us while they were gone (at least on my camera).  Sorry Jason & Heather!

 

 In all fairness there was a group shot taken with EVERYONE, but the busboy who took that shot had a hard enough time with a single camera (not mine obviously) that it wasn't worth having him snap away on the other four cameras that were lined up - I'm sure mine was #4.

But I tried to make up for it with a picture of Jenn & Heather.  If your curious they're fellow bloggers! 

 

Another great night, this time lasting until the wee hours of the morning - well that's what 1am is for me these days - but it was just like the 1994.  You know, when we'd go for a bite to eat at Lyons after a hard night of work at Brenden Theatres...

Only this time the ladies were talking about breast feeding, deliveries, kids and husbands - while the guys... well they just drank.  Probably to block out the talk amongst us women.

From Potty Training to Spring Training

What a great President's Day at our house!  Not only was the weather absolutely amazing - had to be low 70's - but Drew and I managed a late morning excursion to the grocery store, accident free!  Oh and we had our first #2 in the potty immediately after waking up yesterday morning (with a repeat performance today at 5:30am).  Well come to think of it, we had a perfect record on the potty training front - minus overnights and nap time. We will focus on the sleeping thing once everything else has clicked.

We had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather yesterday, and Drew and I went outside to play baseball while Daddy was working.  We hit several "spring training" rounds before Daddy showed up and was able to enjoy some father son time.

 

Bunting is such funny stuff

 

 Getting ready to crush it....

 

Team Photo

Oh... did I mention how great the weather was?  Yes that's a slam to all you cold country folks! :)

Operation: Potty Training - Progress Report

Oh my - today we're starting Day 3 in what I've dubbed, Operation: Potty Training. I had very low expectations and - well - it's been a whirlwind of a weekend on this front. Every night ended up in a shared bottle of wine with Dave.

Day One:
From the moment Drew woke up, he was put into underwear. We told him what was in store for him, and I set the alarm on my cell phone for every 15 minutes, at which time we'd sit on the potty regardless of whether he said he had to go or not.

After the first hour or so, Drew announced on his own "I go make water". So off to the bathroom we ran, and sure enough, he made "water". His victory prize a lollipop! He was thrilled. And Dave and I just looked at each other saying "It can't be this easy".

Throughout the day, Drew would announce on his own that he had to "go make water". He had a 70% hit rate (10 hits, 3 misses). I was amazed and thought - wow, we're going to survive!

Day Two:
And then Day two hit. For bedtime overnight we opted to put him into a pull-up. (I was thinking of just putting rubber undies on over his underwear). But because of his "ookiepook" troubles and the fact we haven't had a dry night since birth, we decided to just do the pull-up. He woke up wet, but he didn't wet through - so that's great!

Well, we started out with an accident because I made the Mommy mistake of not forcing him to sit on the potty immediately after waking up. Instead I thought I'd let him overcome his morning grumpies. That resulted in a puddle in front of his DVD player not 2 minutes later.

Then while I was getting out of the shower, he flooded his little chair, and in the afternoon.... well you get the picture. Our record for Day two... 4-4. So much for the rockin' start. I guess this was more of what I expected.

Day Three:
Well let's see what day three brings - I'm not expecting miracles, but first thing this morning I put him on the potty.  I knew he was soaked, but surprise, there was a little.. um... surprise also in there.  Well while he was on the potty #2!!  We were doing the happy poo-poo dance while Drew just stared at the "pile" and well, he started to gag. About 30 seconds later it turned into the real thing (he puked).

What we're doing:
While we're in the house Drew's not wearing pants. We went outside for a bit yesterday (Drew played out front for about an hour) and he wore pants without any accidents. So that was something positive.

The good news, I think we're going to stay out of diapers - permanently! The real fun will be on Tuesday when Ms. Stephanie gets to share in my "joys".

Scrapbook Saturday - Wagon Time

Another edition of Scrapbook Saturday. Today I take you down memory lane with a page from Drew's first year - the only fully completed scrapbook I own.

Because I did this page more than a year ago - I don't remember all the specifics, but I'm pretty sure it was based on a layout I spotted in a magazine.

The paper was a gingham style, and then I placed a layer of blue over that. My favorite photo from Drew's first real wagon ride was placed large and center, and then I cropped 3 other pictures into 3x3 squares (I think that's the size) and then matted them in white. I also used the handy dandy corner trimmer to round the edges of the photos.

The title I painstakingly cut out the letters with a knife from a stencil (this page was created before I had a lot of the tools I do now.. like a cricut or stamps, or even stickers).

The journal was just a sheet of paper I cut down and Drew lines on. Wagon embellishment happened to be a sticker someone else had the day I put this page together. Again.. this is one of my favorite pages in Drew's first year album. It was done without a lot of the tools I currently own, which makes it extra special.

Operation: Potty Training

You've read that right. This weekend we're starting a new chapter in our parenting skills, Operation: Potty Training.

Commencing tomorrow morning we will see if we can get the potty thing to "click" with Drew. Right now he enjoys wearing his underwear, but will come and tell us he has to go potty AFTER he's already gone.

I'm not expecting miracles, like going #2 or staying dry at naptime or bedtime. That I know will take time.

But my goal is to load Drew up with liquids, set the timer for 15 minutes and make him sit on the potty - regardless of whether he has to go. And see how long that works for us. From there I will stretch it out to 30 minutes etc.

I plan to have the mop and Resolve carpet cleaner ready to go. I expect a VERY long weekend and a lot of wine by the end of the night - for the parents of course.

Expect plenty of horror stories by Monday!

Rocky vs. The Dragon

Lucky you - it's a double post kind of day...

The boxing gloves are coming out at night lately and there's a new battle brewing, and well... "Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!"

That's right, Drew now has temporarily put away "Green Eggs and Ham" and is now focusing on two new items.

First he has a new book he likes to read - or rather sing to. He calls it a few things including "Honalee" and "Lived by the Sea".This was a Christmas gift, and took a backseat temporarily to Dr. Seuss, but after "hiding" Green Eggs" we've finally gotten several reads in. He's also asked to listen to the CD as he falls asleep - it's great with a few songs on it.

Although, the other grown-up in the house has had his influence lately. See, Daddy introduced Drew to the soundtrack for Rocky. So what does Drew say when he hears the first song "Eye of the Tiger"?

That sounds like Mommy's phone. Yes, that's my cell phone ring tone for Dave. Clearly Dave calls me a lot.

So while this music is playing Drew is busy strutting his "Rocky arms" in the mirror in his room. And if you've seen Drew's "guns" you know it's quite "impressive". (note sarcasm)

Drew has asked to have "Rocky" sing him to sleep at night too. Dave was so proud. I think if we have more kids, I need a girl. I need someone on my side.

Cans for Comments - Update

As I explained in yesterday's blog here - you helped me raise 23 non-perishable items in my Cans for Comments Food Drive. All simply because you stopped by here and left a little something on the blog.

Well my cousin offered to match my donations.... and last night she sent her update.

All of this is going to feed families in Wisconsin. Thank you from families across the US! And thanks Jodi for offering to match me.

Souper Bowl Cans for Comments Recap

Another great big thank you to all of you who commented on this blog last week. I was turning each of your comments into a non-perishable food item for the local food bank - in a Cans for Comments Souper Bowl food drive.

Here's the result.
Twenty-three items in all - and I will be delivering this to the food bank donation site later this week. My cousin also offered to match my donations, so more food will be distributed food banks in Wisconsin. That's 46 food items for families in need.

And not only did I raise 23 comments, but my friend Helen who started this drive raised more than 60 cans.. which was matched by some of her readers. And other followers held drives of their own.

So here a small contribution to a big problem faced around the country. Hopefully this small step will lead to big things - well happy tummies at least.

Super Bowl Festivities

We broke tradition and decided not to host a Super Bowl Party this year, instead we headed over to my brother Matt's house to enjoy the big game. This is the first time since I've met Dave that he wasn't hosting the Super Bowl - so it was a big deal. It was a great low key afternoon, of food (not exactly friendly on the waistline) and adult beverages. Which is the recipe for a perfect game and afternoon!

Drew was living it up with Adrina (Matt's girlfriend's daughter). He had a blast running after her and her friend for the afternoon. For only taking a 30, minute nap he was in a fantastic mood. I mean who wouldn't be if you're chasing after a 6 year old and they're playing patiently with you.

Every once in a while, he'd come back looking for some attention - or to watch the game. Of course the commercials were his favorite. Especially when he saw a cameo from Yo Gabba Gabba.

Drew made himself at home after jumping on the "mountain" of pillows, he pulled up and parked it right in front of the TV.

By the end of the evening, Adrina & Drew were best pals.


Thanks to Matt & Rana for hosting this year - it meant no work or clean up for me! Those are the best parties EVER!

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

First - thank you to everyone who left comments on my blog this past week. I am turning all 23 comments into 23 non-perishable goods for a local food bank. I even had someone to match my donations and will have a separate post on this later this week.

It's no secret. My child has some odd tendencies. Case in point what we found him doing Friday night.

Picture it, Dave and I sitting on the couch watching a movie, when suddenly these muffled giggles are emanating from where our child was supposed to be eating dinner. I turn around to discover this:


Yes, that's Drew inhaling from the coffee can. Only it's no longer coffee inside, but his markers and crayons.

Easy entertainment for about 15 minutes as he's shove his face inside and make silly noises and laugh contagiously at the muffled sound it made. For the record, it's this behavior that makes him Dave's child. :)

Scrapbook Saturday - Autumn

I share with you one of my favorite creations - at least one of the most recently created.

I created this one completely from scratch over the Christmas break. The "Autumn" was an embellishment I found at Michaels (on clearance I might add) and really wanted that to be my focal point.

I started with the green background and then cut my next layer to an 11x11 size... and my third layer was 10x10. I then took my favorite photo and matted it with an orange paper.

The other two pictures I cut down to the same size and then matted them as well with the same orange paper.

Next to the "Autumn", I used stickers to add the year, and then found an embellishment that said "just patchy". At this point I was stumped. I was looking for more embellishments and nothing was quite right. I then started playing with a few scraps I had from my 11x11 layer.

I meant to take the 11" scrap and trim it down to 10", making it the same length as my "cream" layer, but apparently I trimmed a little too much. So I cut it down to about 9", and used it as a divider of sorts.

Then I trimmed even more scraps and added it at the bottom. Giving it a great finishing touch.

Cans for Comments ends tomorrow - I had 28 total posts my first go-round, and this time I'm only up to 17. That means I need 11 to at least tie for the Thanksgiving food drive. That's 11 by tomorrow. Show some love. Leave a comment on any post you find on this site. Help me feed the hungry.

The Juggling Act - Otherwise Known as Motherhood

I'm out of fresh material about Drew - so you have to wait until next week for new updates on his crazy antics. I'll spare you the torture sessions about his whining talents. Instead, we'll focus on an issue many of you understand - the juggling act known as "Motherhood".

Before I was a mom, I heard stories from friends, family and acquaintances about how much your life was going to change. How you never get time for yourself, how you're everything to everyone. When I was pregnant, I welcomed that change and challenge. And frankly I was annoyed hearing "your life is about to change". Well DUH!

Now 2 years later - yup, everyone was right! While I LOVE being a Mom, it's not always peaches and cream.

I mean you get pooped on, peed on, puked on (numerous times in my case - often at church). You always have to have dinner on the table (no more help-yourself-dinners when you don't feel like cooking), you're the one who wipes their butt, gets them dressed, makes sure they brush their teeth, don't have dirt on their bodies when you send them out lest someone judge you. You pull the all-nighters when they're sick, you heal their hurts, hold them when their fussy and solve all problems big and small.

Forget about having an uninterrupted conversation on the phone, watching a TV show in it's entirety (what did Moms do before DVR?), having an uninterrupted conversation with your spouse, have privacy when you shower or use the restroom and... well you get the picture.

Oh and then when they're napping or down for the night - you're working on doing the dishes, cleaning up the mess they've made (or your husband made), throwing laundry in the wash, folding the laundry, getting the next meal planned or prepped, paying bills, or whatever endless list of "to do's" are on the agenda for the day.

During the week, I'm lucky enough to send Drew to day care so I can go to work and get tugged into another direction doing things for other people, and well... make money to help put food on the table, a roof over our head, pay for child care etc. (I love my job and I know I'm not cut out to be a SAHM -stay at home mom- so work is a good thing and a "break" for me. But it is just another item in the juggling act).

So when do Moms get a break? It's a constant tug of war - pleasing the kids, the husband, the business associates (and for the Stay at Home mom's it's harder because there's no "escape"). Where is our time?

Sure I get to go out once and a while to scrapbook, visit with friends get dinner out, play or chat on the computer to unwind - but the freedom is gone. The spontaneity, isn't there like it used to be before kids came along. Sure we do things as a family on a whim from time to time, but it's just different.

I long for the day all the chores are done, the family is out of the house and I can just stay at home and do what ever I want for as long as I want - without interruption. Or perhaps to just lay down in my personal cabana on a beach, having umbrella drinks served to me by a gorgeous barely clothed man... but I digress.

While I miss this side of my life, I wouldn't change my current situation for anything in the world. I work well under pressure, always have. I love this challenge, and the family Dave and I have made. And while motherhood is a bit trying at times (just as it is being a wife some days), I love this juggling act otherwise known as motherhood.

I mean - I have earned every smile from my beautiful boy, every giggle, every hug, kiss, squeeze, smirk and cuddle. Today I'm his hero - and that's what matters. It's the hard and trying times that make you appreciate all the good stuff that comes with the "job". There's no better sound (or paycheck) than at night when you tuck your child in, and they say "I love you Mommy".

Cans for Comments - runs through Sunday evening. So please keep those comments coming! You can help feed hungry families simply by commenting on any blog past or present. I'm far from reaching goal - so comment away.

Wiggle Dance in Your Undies

So many momentous milestones in our little 2 year old's life in the past few weeks.

A) He gets a big boy bed
B) We turned in the paperwork for preschool (not sure if he's in yet)
C) Drew finally puts on underwear for the first time

So what does Drew do? He hops on top of his toy box and starts dancing and wiggling in his Wiggles undies! Of course that's the pair that we actually get him to wear. The past few weeks it's been massive screaming fits just suggesting he put on his underwear. Offer up his beloved "Johnny" and voila.

Drew was absolutely hamming it up watching himself in his new attire. What really had us rolling was when he was "shake, shake, shake... shake, shake, shake, shake your booty" in the mirror!


So we put him in his undies while we were getting him ready for bed - and he stayed in them until bedtime. No accidents.

Last night I put him in them shortly after we got home from day care, and we had our first accident about an hour later. Despite my asking him if he had to go "make water" every 15 minutes, I guess he was too distracted playing with his hot wheels. Our 2nd accident... at dinner.

It's a work in progress, but at least we're making progress! He put on his undies. No one told me how adorable the tushie would be once the bulky diapers were off. Now the big question will be - how to make the pants that barely fit around the waist fit with a diaper... fit without the diaper.

Keep the comments coming. You can help the local food bank simply by leaving a comment - that's it! How hard is that? Right now I'm up to 9 comments - so keep them coming. I have one person offering to match my donations as well, so please show some love. All the details are here - and you can comment on other blogs as well participating in the Cans for Comments Drive.

Homerun Hitter

We finally had a break in the rains this past weekend - after nearly 2 weeks straight of rain. Poor kid was getting a little stir crazy not being able to go play outside and get the wiggles out. So on Sunday we took him to the park to hit a few rounds and play on the playground (to be read as... wear Drew out so he takes a VERY long nap).

We started on the soggy baseball field and hit a few rounds both from the tee, and pitched balls.


This was a lot of fun, until Drew's hitting got really good... even planting one right center on the camera! I managed to snap a picture at that very moment. This is what a wiffle ball at about 30 mph looks like.


Thankfully neither the camera or the Mommy behind it were hurt in the making of this photo. Strangely though the videos I took of one of Drew's homeruns disappeared. I'm going to blame the ball to the lens for that... it couldn't be operator error or anything.

Dave counted the "home runs" the number of times Drew knocked the ball over the fence (approximately 20 feet away, and the 5 feet high). There were three of them... and Mommy got to chase every single one.

It was a great afternoon! And yes - Drew did take a nice 2 hour nap afterward. We did have a few tears shed as we walked away... but I managed to snap this picture shortly before the tantrums....


A much more pleasant way to remember the afternoon!

Remember you have until Super Bowl Sunday to submit your comments which I will turn into canned goods for our local food bank. Leave your comment on this entry or any past posts. See how you can make a difference in my neighborhood or around the country here! I'm looking to reach a personal goal of at least 30, so I need your help!

Not Just Another Day at Day Care

If we haven't mentioned it before - we LOVE Drew's day care provider, Ms. Stephanie. Drew can't wait to go bye-bye every morning and go to her house. Which in this day in age is a great thing, finding the perfect day care provider (there's so many scary stories out there).

No two days are ever the same when you're dealing with little ones. About two weeks ago, Ms. Stephanie had to share what they did that day. I got the pictures last night...


Aren't these pictures stinking adorable?! Of course Drew only kept them on long enough to take the pictures - he's not really into the whole dress-up thing.

Ms. Stephanie's also working with Drew on teaching him where he lives (he now knows the name of the city we live in, the state and that it's in the United States - but I don't want to share that for security reasons). But here are a few of the clips Ms. Stephanie took that I CAN share:



If you had trouble hearing he said: hold your friend's hand, you go outside, you sit down on the ground and you say 'Call 9-1-1'"

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Hamming it up for Survelliance

Big Brother is everywhere. Including right as you walk into most stores,
survelliance cameras tracking the ins and outs of the customers.

But look at those cameras next time through the eyes of a 2 year old - who of course loves to see himself on "tv". (As I mentioned last week here.) That's right, we walk into Target, and he spots the camera, stops and begins waving and laughing at himself.

Quite entertaining to the folks walking into the store, not so funny to the Mommy who is trying to make a quick Target run.

I do have to say that a few weeks ago when we were at Kohl's and he was "performing" for the camera... it was a great way to keep him entertained while Daddy stood in a LONG line to pay.