When you wish upon a star....

Walt Disney World.....the happiest place on earth.
We were able to take Drew on his first Disney vacation this past week. I know he has probably already forgotten that he was ever there, but Andy and I will always remember his first trip. The way he was on sensory overload our first day in the Magic Kingdom. The way he wouldn't let Pluto go when we met him for breakfast at Chef Mickey's. The way he LAUGHED at the Wishes fireworks display over Cinderella Castle. The way he stayed up WAAAAAAYYYYY past his bedtime every night, taking in the sights and sounds of Epcot. The way he fell fast asleep on our first ride in the "big ball" aka Spaceship Earth. The way he had a total and complete meltdown our second day there, in the pouring rain, at the end of the day:-) The way he road Pirates of the Carribean like a champ. The way he jabbered excitedly the whole time we road Dumbo. We had an amazing time. I'll post more pics later!!

Almost Summer

It's been pretty warm this past week...almost summer-like. So, I decided to treat Drew to a Popsicle on the back deck. He really enjoyed his frozen treat even though most of it ended up on his clothes and on the deck:-)

Icky, Sticky, Orange Mess!!!

Everyday Drew and I go out and water my flower pots. He has seen me do it so many times, that the other day he picked up the empty watering can and tried to "water the flowers". It was more like he smushed the living day lights out of them, but he had the right idea:-) So, at Walmart I found a Little Tykes gardening set. He has a green thumb for sure! Except for when he's eating popsicles...then they are orange, purple, red, etc.

We have been getting ready to go on vacation this week and Drew wanted to pack his own suitcase. Apparnetly, all he needs are Cheerios and his griaffe:-)

Splish, Splash

So.........this picture about sums up Drew's first swimming experience. When Mom and Dad were here, we decided to take Drew swimming for the very first time. We went to a new aquatic center in the area. It was really nice and not very busy. Poor Drew. I think this big pool was just too overwhelming. He loves the tub, but this was just too much.

Still not too sure...but maybe it's not so bad...

Do I have to go back in?

A Perfect Day & Pizza

We had a perfect day for lunch outside at the Mellow Mushroom. Some of the best pizza I've ever had.

Drew was all about this eating outdoors thing. He is an outside boy!!!

Party Time!!

Drew had a great birthday party this past Sunday. We had both sets of Grandparents here and Aunt Miriam. Uncle Jamie and Lillie were supposed to come, but poor Lillie broke her collar bone the night before, so they stayed home. Drew was spoiled rotten with wonderful presents and cake. He got his very own cell phone from Granddaddy and Grandmama Liles and Grandpa along with some other great toys to keep him busy. Grandma and Grandpa Dankert got him a new red wagon. He LOVES it. Grandpa took him for lots of rides while he was here.

Yummy puppy and pawprint cupcakes. Thanks, Mom, for helping and thank you Aunt Dee for the great ideas!!!

Our family...God has blessed us!!!

Playing toys with Grandpa Dale. They had great fun together:-)

I LOVE Balloons!!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Nebraska are here!!! We all went to church this morning and ate at Red Robin for lunch. It was yummy. Drew absolutely loved playing with the balloons. I think this was balloon number 3. The other two decided to make a trip to the ceiling. We had a wonderful birthday party with both sets of grandparents this afternoon. Pics coming soon!

Birthday Cake

Drew's First Birthday - Wall to Wall Coverage

This won't be the first birthday post. The Nebraska g-parents will be flying in on Saturday and the partying will just be getting started all over again. This is breakfast and as you can see in the birthday pancake pic above, Drew knows how old he is.


Katie loves the pic below. She thinks he's trying to "get down with his bad self"!

As the morning progressed, we got a surprise present from Aunt Mary in the mail. I decided to try to immediately dress Drew in the newly arrived duds. This was my attempt:



Tada!

Eater Basket Time

We got Drew an Easter basket to open yesterday. Apparently, all we needed to get him was the basket, full of grass. He LOVED pulling out the grass, strand by strand. He liked his puzzle and the light-up egg and his new tub toy....could take or leave the clothes:-) But over all, the basket was a success!

Drew's First Easter

Drew, in his new shirt, after church on Easter Sunday. He had a good time in the nursery...when we came to get him, he wasn't crying:-) If you didn't know, he has had quite a time getting used to being left in the nursery. A couple of Sundays I've had to go get him because he was "outta control". Not in a bad way, in a sad way. He misses his mommy and daddy! BUT, he is getting better!!!!! Praises!

Happy Easter!

Hope you all had a very Happy Easter. He is risen!!!

Outdoor Adventures

Now that winter has turned into spring, we have been able to venture outside. Drew loves being outside and tends to throw a small fit every time we come in(we are experiencing sin nature at its best these days!). He loves to go on walks with Mommy and Gracie. And we have been playing in the yard too. If anyone remembers what our yard used to look like, you will understand why this is such an accomplishment...this playing in the grass thing. We used to have a huge patch of dirt/sand/gross in the middle of our yard, but thanks be to Andy, it is now full of lush green grass, perfect for little boys to crawl around in. Andy has been on a mission to get some nice grass to grow and it looks way awesome!!!

Come on Gracie!!! Let's go explorin'!

Drew riding on the tractor with Daddy. He loves tractors and it's one of the few words he can say...it's the Nebraska in him:-)

Purse Snatcher

"Mom, where do you stash your cash?"

The Big 3-0!

Andy's 30th birthday was March 27th! It was kind of a weird day since both Drew and I were sick. I had planned a really fun day for all of us, but had to cancel it all:-( Saturday I was going to have Andy's family over for supper and cake, but Drew and I still weren't feeling well enough for company. But, Sunday we rescheduled and had a really fun party. Andy's parents came, Miriam, Jamie and Lillie. As you can see in the picture above, Drew was still not feeling 100%. Poor baby:-(

I had everyone bring Andy 30 of something to commemorate his 30th. We didn't tell him that's what was going on, so when he opened his first present, which happened to be 30 pieces of raw broccoli...he was a little confused:-) Jamie got him 30 golf balls...hence the golf ball in Drew's mouth. Drew gave him 30 of his goldfish crackers, Gracie gave him 30 pieces of her dog food and I gave him 30 kisses:-)

Hockey Day

This morning Andy, Drew and I went to the RBC Center to watch the Carolina Hurricanes practice. The Canes have practices that are open to the public, so we decided to take Drew for his first hockey experience. Drew loved watching the "big, giant hockey mans" fly by...notice his wide-eyed expression. Apparently, he was just as interesting to the "big, giant hockey mans". We were sitting right up by the glass and Chad LaRose, one of the Canes lead players, started making faces at Drew through the glass. Then he picked up the puck he was about to shoot, slapped it on the glass, nodded his head to Andy and lobbed it over the glass wall. After Andy caught it, Chad gave Drew one last "boo-ga, boo-ga" and skated off. So Drew is now the proud owner of an offical NHL hockey puck and Andy is the proud father of a son acknoldeged by a player on his favorite team:-)

One Man Band

Mommy's Little Helper

Drew has become quite the little helper:-) He was "helping" me with the laundry the other day. He was unloading the dryer...but didn't quite grasp the concept that wet towels go IN the dryer and not out. But, he was working so hard and was so determined to empty the dryer, I gave him a big hug and told him "thank you"!