Birthday Celebrations Continue

Sunday was Drew's official birthday and he was able to celebrate by starting his first day of Sunday School!  At our church we have Preschool - Kindergarten in one class - so it's quite an age spread.  For the 3-year olds they require a parent to be there with him.

It being Drew's Birthday and all, both Dave and I wanted to see how this Sunday School thing works. I of course went through Sunday School until I began working weekends in High School, Dave never attended.  So it would be new to him, and he wanted to see the routine and everything. 

Drew was Mr. Bashful and wouldn't participate much - especially when they realized it was his birthday.  He was asked to go first for everything (duck, duck goose).  He finally warmed up a bit and helped carry the garbage can around with Ms. Barb when it was time to clean up from snack.

After church (yes Sunday School is before services) they had a "Rally Day" to celebrate the start of Sunday School.  Drew's favorite game... the water balloon toss!

Of course Drew wasn't much into the "tossing" part as much as just throw as many water balloons on the lawn as you can.  Eventually I had to give him a Time Out from the balloon toss so the other kids had balloons to play with.  But not before some other kid nailed a balloon right under my skirt... nice.  I had a wet butt the rest of the afternoon.

Daddy was playing too - his partner.  Pastor.  See how "not-so-innocent" he looks?

After the toss - this is what Pastor looked like...

OK admittedly this was not caused by my husband, but all the older kids who were playing and saved their balloons to soak him.  But it's not like Dave came to his rescue or anything hehe.

Afterward we headed home, changed and made our way to Livermore to pick up a few of our wine shipments and to give Drew the opportunity to see his favorite "spinners"!  We didn't taste except at the final winery where we needed to determine what we wanted in our shipment.  I mean you can't go to wine country without tasting at least a little bit... right?

For dinner Drew had his 2nd favorite meal (next to chicken and french fries which of course tops his list) and had pizza. He was quite proud to go with me to pick it up too .

So it was a wonderful birthday for our little sweetie who loved telling anyone who would listen that it was his birthday and that he was 3 - while he proudly displayed 3 fingers. 

Turning 3 - The Party

It was a big weekend in our household... not only did a certain little guy turn 3, but he also had a party in his honor!

If you couldn't tell  - it was a Hot Wheels Themed Party.  It was either that or "spinners" and well a windmill themed party wouldn't be so easy to coordinate - so, yes I took the easy way out.

For a second year we attempted  to have it at the Park (last year it rained and we went with plan B at the house).  This year we had a minor panic attack when we realized Memorial Park was so renamed in honor of the 9/11 victims (one who was from our town).  Um, our party was planned on the 9th anniversary of the attacks.... YIKES.

Thankfully the memorials were moved a few cities up, so we lucked out with our park day.  Drew had a great time!!  And it seemed most everyone else did too - despite it being a little warm.

Singing Happy Birthday....

Blowing out his candles...

The Guests...

(The softball crew and their kids - well some of them)

The Family - L-R: Grammy, GG, Uncle Doug, Aunt Connie

GrampC, Uncle Matt & Cousin Kady (she was in love with the sand box)

As well as the party favors and cake!

Of course the big hit was the presents!  Everyone wants to help open them.

L-R: Grammy, Mason, Adrina, Drew, Troy

L-R: Grammy Mason, Troy, Elijah, Drew

One of the big hits this year - the states puzzle
L-R: Me, Grammy, Mason, Adrina, Drew, Troy

The other big hit... the Math Mat.  Drew LOVES anything where he learns through fun.
L-R: Troy, Drew, Mason

Despite the heat, it was an awesome day and Drew couldn't stop talking about it - he literally had dreams about it that night... we can tell because of his sleep talking.

Mommy's Birthday Letter to Drew - Age 3

Punkin',

How many more years am I going to get away with calling you Punkin' or sweetheart or baby boy.  You're now three years old and more independent than ever - hardly what I'd call a baby.  But you'll always be my baby boy - whether you're 3 or 33.

Three years ago today I met you for the first time.  Now I can hardly remember when you weren't a part of my life - it's like you've always been there.  Perhaps it's because life didn't mean as much until I became your mom or that you've always been a part of my life - just not in the physical sense.  It's like life was preparing me for these very moments - the moments where you're a part of my everyday existence.

Where do I begin with how much you've changed in the past year?  The biggest milestone in the past 12-months was hands down, potty training.  You were a rockstar (even though we're experiencing a few hiccups recently).  But when you have a goal - you go after it.  I like to think you inherited that from me.

You're developing quite the personality and it's wonderful to have regular conversations with you about how your day was, what you did, about the friends you played with.  I know beginning preschool is just the beginning to a great foundation in your life.  I'm honored to watch it play out, hold your hand along the way and get a few hugs as well (at least while it's still cool to do in front of your friends).

So what have you taught me in the past year?  Where do I begin?

• Sleep is over-rated.  Who needs sleep when your child is in the throws of a nightmare.
• Nothing can calm you down from those nightmares other than just holding and laying with you until  you fall back to sleep.
• You are so much your Daddy.  I'm in awe to see just how much you look up to him.  (I'm still trying to figure out whether all the traits you've picked up from him are a good thing or a bad thing).
• "What the Turtle?" - there are ways to disguise potty mouth
• Sometimes timeouts don't work and spanking is required - although it hardly hurts anything but your pride. 
• It is possible to survive the terrible 2's!!
• Some of the sweetest moments with you, are when we're laying in bed at night, and you grab my hand and hold it.
• The only way to end the "Why?" game is to ask the question back to you and have you figure out an answer
• It's ok to make up our own rules to games like Memory and Elefun
• There is no such thing as "Mommy Time". Everything is done on "Drew Time" including getting ready in the morning and getting in/out of the car
• You can test my patience like nobody's business, but yet when you see I'm sad or mad you do everything in your power to make me laugh at you and "be happy".  Our happiness is important to you.
• You're a sleep talker and the things you dream about are quite entertaining! 
• Flashcards can be fun.  So many times you'd prefer that to any toy in the house.
• While you may be more independent, you still like to know that Mommy's around just in case you need something

Everyday is a wonderful adventure with you.  Well, some adventures are more... shall we say challenging... but overall it's a great ride. One of the things I'm most proud of in life, is being  your Mom.  I look forward to the next year to see how much more you'll grow, learn and develop into my handsome "baby" boy.

Love you Always,
Mommy

Another Late Night

Oh man the past week has been a bear!  Since coming back from camping I've been battling a sinus issue - not quite an infection, but a pain in my rear none the less.  So I had only 3 hours of sleep on Wednesday night.  That lead into a long tough day at work, only to rush home to get Drew and head to Concord to meet my parents and siblings and their families for a chaotic evening.

Imagine 11 people in one room trying to snap professional photos!  Whew!  Here's a preview of what we captured....

Sorry the pictures aren't the full sized... these are just the thumbnails from the CD.  And I'm not sharing with you the 'real' photos until I have time to sort through them.

Mr Cheese-face (as seen in this blog header) was Mr. No-Smile tonight.  He refused to smile!  We've never seen that happen... so that lead to a lot of tickles from us to try and get him to cooperate. 

All the fun and chaos... was for Grammy's birthday present.  For years she's wanted an updated family photo - the last one was circa 1991.  So nearly 20 years!  I'd say we've changed a bit.....

OK time to get back to the cupcake baking.  Drew needs to bring something to school tomorrow to celebrate his birthday.... *yawn*.  Needless to say it was another late night.

Labor Day Camp Out - Part II

Since yesterday's blog about camping was getting rather photo heavy I'm going to wrap up our weekend here.  On Sunday after breakfast we made our way to Drake's Beach for the Annual Sand Sculpture Contest.

Uncle Matt loved this baseball theme for the Giants saying Beat LA - Dave not so much.  Even the hotdog had some real ketchup and mustard!

We thought this one paying tribute to the OctoMom was rather creative!

After braving the whipping winds on the beach we made our way toward the warmer campsite, but not before making a pit stop at a nearby Oyster Farm.

Dave was on a mission to BBQ some oysters!  They were actually pretty good - at least that was the opinion from most of the adults.

That night it was rather nippy and we enjoyed the last evening around the campfire. 

Dave Drew and Adrina (sans her two front teeth).

The one thing about camping is that it always seems to come to an end so early.  Monday morning it was time to pack it up and head out.  Another great adventure with family and friends.

Labor Day Camp Out - Part I

You know how it is, you go camping for a weekend and take a crapload of pictures.  So that means I can bore entertain you with plenty of snapshots over two days of blogs! 

This past weekend we ventured back to Olema where we used to camp all the time as kids growing up.  For those of you not familiar with California it's north of San Francisco near Pt. Reyes.  Beautiful area, but boy can it get cold.... I remember one year when my mom forgot the sleeping bags and the 5 of us were huddled up together, never so close as a family as that summer night in Olema.

But enough about 1990-something, let me tell you about this past weekend.  Dave, Drew and I were the first to arrive around 2pm and Drew was ever so helpful (I'm serious) in helping us put up our tent.  Something that normally takes 3 people was successfully put up with 2 1/2!  He held a pole - put some real muscle into it sometimes - but managed to really help his parents out.  What a kid.

Next to arrive was Uncle Matt, Rana & Adrina.  Matt was "armed" and ready to go....

Courtesy the belated birthday present from my parents.  For all of us once we settled in, it was time to relax!

L-R: Rana, Grammy, Me

Drew was content playing behind the trailers on Mollie's rug (my parents' dog) playing with all the toys Rana's Mom brought up.  He pulled every one of those toys out of the bag, and then put them back in the bag.

The next morning I ran for more than an hour along the quiet roads (a feat that will come back to bite me in the butt later that night, but I'll fill you in on that in a bit) and then afterward we headed toward the Earthquake Trail and snapped a few photos...

Drew at a tree near where the fence split by 16 feet during the 1906 quake...

Grammy & GrampC

Drew and Adrina, sitting in a tree.....

Our Family Tree....

Rana, Uncle Matt & an unhappy Adrina. (she pouted for all group photos).

A bit later we ventured out for some wine tasting in the area.  I mean we are camping near wine country and all!

L-R: Dave, Rana, Matt, Mom & Dad  - Adrina & Drew are in the far back

Here's a close-up of the two of them who were staying out of trouble at the winery by coloring.  When they weren't coloring they were apple picking!

Enjoying the "fruits" of his labor - hardee har har

After wine tasting (we went to one more winery - where Rana was stung by a bee) we headed back, but that's when it hit me.  My allergies.  In hindsight I think they flared up after my hour long run through all of Pt. Reyes' natural best... but I was MISERABLE.  I stayed in Grammy and GrampC's trailer with Drew who was trying to settle down for the night - and I needed a few zz's as well.  I woke up around 8pm when Dave came in to check on us, with no voice.  Zip. Zero. Zilch. 

I decided to sleep in the trailer instead of our tent for the night to see if I can kick the worst of it.  Thankfully it worked, while I woke up at first without a voice, it gradually returned.  For a while there I was trying to figure out how to convince Dave that we needed to go home a day early.  Whew, crisis averted.  I'll deal with a few sniffles and sneezes.  Not the achy, no voice miserable feeling I had a few hours earlier.

As for part two of our camping trip... you'll have to wait until tomorrow!

Lemonade Out Of Lemons

So what's worse than coming back from a long weekend of camping with several loads of laundry?  Having your child pee through his car seat.  Walk in the house and the same child pees on the floor.  And then he pees again at the foot of the toilet 30 minutes later.

The best part is you only have enough laundry detergent for about 4 loads - and you just had about another 2 loads added to your already 5 loads of laundry.  Oh and the dryer is broken!  After having Dave attempting to play Mr. Fix-it with the dryer, we gave up and I came up with a plan B so I could avoid the laundromat.

That's right I strung up some rope in our mini patio!  I managed to phase out the dry laundry as the next load finished.  Thank goodness for the really hot temperatures yesterday!

So much for a "labor day".  But I was able to make lemonade out of some lemons.  The good news I didn't heat up the house with the dryer AND I could save a little on the electric bill.  Now if only I can keep this up until the end of the month when we can try and buy a new dryer.