Drew, Mikayla, and Dylan play in the pool! Look out world! In about 10 years these two will be driving cars!
Eating! Mmmmmmm
Drew opens his gift from Mimi and Papa!
Uncle Jonathan just got out of the "moon walk". Can you imagine that? Drew loved his Madagascar cake!
Lauren, Morgan, and Mikayla play in the sprinkler! Taking turns on the "slip-n-slide".
Dylan, Morgan, and Drew play with the "limbo" game that Morgan got him!
Mikayla, Lauren, and Carmen sit in the water on the "slip-n-slide".

Birthday Part II

*This is a continuation from the post below.

After playing with AJ, we went inside to get some things ready for Drew's party. Drew and Mikayla helped me make the center pieces to go on the tables. We are going to put small fishbowls at each table. We will put a goldfish inside each and tie balloons around the neck of each bowl. Each child that attends the party will leave with one of these (if it is okay with their parents, of course). Today we put the "gravel" in the bottom of each bowl and filled them with water. We will get the goldfish tomorrow night so they will be ready on Saturday. I wish I had gotten some pictures of Drew and Mikayla filling the bowls with "gravel", but I didn't have enough hands. They needed my help with the heavy bag. After we finished, Drew and Mikayla watched Madagascar while I cleaned the kitchen. We had made a mess with the "gravel", but the experience for Drew and Mikayla was sure worth it.

Drew also filled all of the bowls with water.

Once those were made, we played a little longer inside while we waited on daddy to get home from work. Then we went to Walmart to get a few things, went and got some supper, and came back home to eat. Poppi came over to enjoy a cupcake with us. We have ordered a birthday cake for his party Saturday, but we decided to get cupcakes for tonight. Poppi also brought over one of the presents that he and Mimi had gotten Drew so he would have something to open tonight. They got Drew the Power Ranger Megazord he had been wanting! Drew had to have it opened of course so he could play.

Drew, Poppi, and Daddy all try to figure out how to put the Megazord together. Mommy was the one to finally figure it out. Imagine that!

After playing outside more (Poppi wanted to see AJ), we came in and had cupcakes. It wasn't long after Poppi left and Drew was sacked out in the recliner. We have had such a busy day. We hope that you have had a great day Drew! We love you and feel blessed to have had 5 wonderful years with you. We look forward to many great things to come!!

Happy Birthday Drew!

Today, our "little boy" turned 5!! I can't believe it! Where has the time gone??

It seems like just yesterday we were awaiting his arrival. Our days were spent fixing his nursery, deciding on a name (once we found out we were having a boy), going to doctor's visits, and preparing for our lives to be changed forever.

Drew has definitely changed our lives. In fact, it is hard for us to remember our lives before he was born. He has brought us so much joy these last five years, and I know he will continue to bring us joy and make us proud!

We wanted to make this day as special as possible for him without going overboard since his birthday party will be Saturday. I planned to get up early and take Drew and Mikayla to the movies to see Curious George. I was going to let them sleep while I got ready, but Drew came into the living room shortly after I was awake. He said "we gotta get ready for my birthday". I immediately started singing Happy Birthday to You, and he was all smiles. Ever notice how your children love to hear you sing even if you can't carry a tune? It's like that in my kindergarten class too! He said "thank you mama", then proceeded to tell me "I'm five!" This has become a joke with us because for the last month he has been saying "I'm gonna be 5" to which I would reply "3, you have to start going backwards".

After several phone calls from family members wishing Drew a Happy Birthday, we were ready for the movies.

Waiting for the movie to start

Drew and Mikayla watch intently. Mikayla is imitating a face that Curious George made in the movie!


After the movies, we went and got lunch and headed to Craig's work to share lunch with daddy.

Once our bellies were full we headed home to play with our new puppy AJ. We got AJ yesterday and he is not really a puppy, but he is to us. Some friends of ours have had him since he was a puppy, and they just recently got a new puppy. They found it hard to care for both dogs, so they wanted to find a good home for AJ. We were very happy to provide AJ with a good home! Craig has been wanting another lab ever since I have known him (he had one before we met). Labs are also known to have good temperaments, which is a must around children. Drew and Mikayla (Craig and Alison too) have had a wonderful time playing with AJ these last two days. He is such a good boy, and we are glad to have him as an addition to our family!

Drew throws a plastic Frisbee for AJ to catch.

Look how pretty!

Best Buddies already!

Our Fourth of July

We spent the morning of the fourth relaxing as a family. It was nice having Craig home with us during the week.

We were also able to get a little done around the house. Craig trimmed our shrubs and worked outside getting ready for Drew's birthday party this weekend, and I did some laundry.

After we napped (so we wouldn't fall asleep before the fireworks), we got ready to go to Family Fest. My uncle's church has been having this for the past few years, and it is great for families. They have rides, food, entertainment, vendors, etc. Then at night they have a huge fireworks show. We have gone to this for the past four years, and our family always has fun.

The first thing our family does when we get there is hit the rides. Drew loves these, Mikayla is not as fond of them. Drew walks across the bridge in the "fun house".Riding on the back of the roller coaster.
Drew peeks over the side of the pirate ship. He rode with a little girl that I had in my class two years ago and her sister.
This is the only ride Mikayla rode all night but she still had a ball. Check her out with her hotdog.

Drew has to get his fixed perfectly before he can enjoy!

We've ridden rides, our bellies are full, now we wait for the fireworks.

The first time we watched fireworks this year, Mikayla ended up watching them from our van (she didn't like the noise). By this time (we also watched fireworks Monday night), she was watching them in our arms without even covering her ears!

Daddy and Poppi Swim Too!

We went to Mimi and Poppi's house after supper tonight, and we got in the pool for a little while. Craig, the kids and I were all in the pool when Mimi and Poppi got home. Mimi started watering her flowers, but Poppi went in and put his bathing suit on and came swimming with us. Craig says its the first time he's ever seen him in the pool; it's amazing what you'll do for your grandkids! As usual Drew was ready to jump right in; he reminds me of my brother. Mikayla was still a little hesitant, but she didn't cry like she did yesterday and warmed up a little faster.Drew loves to swim with daddy! They would race back to the steps every time Drew jumped off the diving board.Mikayla sits on the steps while mommy takes pictures. I tried to get her to jump to Craig so I could get a picture, but she wouldn't. She wouldn't swim with daddy either. I was quicker with this picture as Drew jumps off the diving board (see post below).Mikayla "cruises" along the side of the pool. She's getting pretty brave! I still couldn't get her to jump off the diving board to me, but she probably will by the end of the summer!Drew swims with his Papa! It has been a long time since my dad has been in the pool. By this time, Drew had switched to arm floaties. Poppi helps Mikayla float on her back, as Drew gets ready to float on his.

Drew does a flip in the water. Poppi did a flip first, and then Drew had to learn how to do one. He had to take his floats off before he could try. It took him about four tries before he was able to do one. Once he learned, he kept doing them over and over!

Swimming at Mimi and Poppi's

Yesterday, I took Drew and Mikayla swimming for the first time this season in Mimi and Poppi's pool. They had to have the liner replaced this year, and since it was special order, it took awhile to get it in. My daddy also spent the time waiting on the liner to stain the concrete deck around the pool and the concrete pool furniture. My daddy has been a very busy man as he also added a seal coat to their wooden deck that leads down to the pool. Now that it is all completed it is just beautiful! Drew, has hardly been able to wait for the pool to be ready! I must admit it has been a hard wait for me as well.

When we first got to Mimi and Papa's yesterday afternoon, Drew was so anxious to go outside that he said "we will go outside, then put our bathing suits on, and get in the pool". I had to remind him that we would put our bathing suits on before we went outside.
Once we got our bathing suits and sunscreen on, we headed out to the pool. Drew went straight to the steps to stand on the first one. Mikayla was a little more hesitant. I did get her to stand on the first one without me so I could get a picture.

Drew did not waste any time getting in and going under the water. He is like our little fish. Mikayla on the other had was still not comfortable with her whole body in the water, even with me holding her. She has never been crazy about pools or the ocean, which I always find funny because she loves the tub and their little pool in our backyard. We sat on the steps, her in my lap a long time. Her crying and me assuring her that I wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Finally, she got calmed down and demanded to sit on the top step by herself. By the time I got ready to get out of the pool last night, she did not want to get out.
By this time, she was "swimming" around the steps by herself, swimming in the deep end (8 ft.) with me and Drew, and jumping off the side into my arms. She even loved laying back to get her hair wet and putting her face in the water to blow bubbles.

Not only was Drew swimming all around the pool like a little fish, but he also jumped off the diving board by himself for the first time (Drew tells me I have to be faster at taking the picture so I get more than just his splash into the water). He has been jumping off the diving board since he was 2 years old, but I would sit on a noodle and "catch" him. Of course he also has his floats on the whole time; notice their bathing suits. These are the greatest things ever made when it comes to water. They have the floats built into the suit, and they are U.S. Coastgaurd approved so they can also wear them in Uncle Jonathan's boat. Of course, we still have to watch our children at all times near the water, but we like them better than the little arm floaties (especially for little children). Drew will probably start using the arm floaties more this year (in the pool). He knows how to swim, but we still aren't comfortable with him being in the deep end without some floatation device, especially when it is just me with the two of them.

At times I could tell they were getting tired. Drew would climb on one of the floats and lay back, while Mikayla would say "oh Lord, I'm tired" and lay back in the water.
We played a little while longer in the pool, and by the time we got out of the pool, and got some supper it was 7:30. Directly after supper, both Drew and Mikayla climbed in Mimi's recliner and fell asleep. We carried them home and put them to bed and they slept all night. Water really does wear you out!

First trip to Kanpai

I wanted to take Drew and Mikayla to Kanpai of Tokyo for lunch after our movie yesterday, but I didn't get reservations in time. They had never been before, and I thought they would love to see the chefs cook our food right at our table. Since we weren't able to get a reservation for lunch, Craig called and got us dinner reservations there!

Drew and Miki were so excited about going there. We had already told them about the chef cooking at our table so they would be prepared for that.

They couldn't wait to get in and see it for themselves. I'm not sure what the face is that Drew is making. For some reason, he has started making funny faces when I'm taking pictures of him.

Once seated we could watch chefs at the other tables cooking. I took this opportunity to get a picture of Craig, Mikayla, and Drew.

Mikayla was not sure about this at first; she is always very cautious in new situations. They both liked the taste of the soup and salad (Mikayla more so than Drew). Then when our chef got there they both got a little nervous. He assured them that he wouldn't do a big "fire" and I think this made Drew feel more at ease. He also made this Mickey Mouse head out of our rice, and they both liked that.

The more they watched, the better they liked it. We all enjoyed the food! They shared a child's shrimp (our server let them since they are 4 and 2), Craig had fillet, and I had fillet and shrimp.

Drew's favorite part was when our chef bounced an egg all around on the spatula, even bouncing it in his face. For some reason, blogger is not letting me upload that picture. I may try again later to upload it

Our family had a wonderful time at Kanpai, and we can't wait to go back!

Movies (again!)

Enjoying popcorn while they wait for the movie to start!

Since I had to take Drew and Mikayla to day care at the beginning of this week, we went to the movies yesterday instead of our usual Tuesday. There were many more people enjoying the movie yesterday. In fact, we saw two other teachers from our district and their kids there!

The movie yesterday was Hoodwinked. I had never seen this movie, but from the pictures could tell that it would be a variation of Little Red Riding Hood. It was an animated version of the story with a "twist". Drew sat on his "booster" as usual and I was surprised that Mikayla even sat on hers for awhile during this movie; I think all the music in the movie helped her feel more comfortable!

Mikayla rides Nana Gale's Bus

I had to go to school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week for a class so Drew and Mikayla got to go play with their friends at day care. I was worried about how they would take having to go, but they both did fine! Monday morning, Mikayla kept saying "I can't like school" and Drew seemed excited about going it (he has missed his friends). When we got to day care though, Mikayla went straight to Miss Paulette, and Drew hid behind me. They both did have a good time, and never cried not wanting to stay.

Since Miss Heather, Mikayla's teacher, knew that Mikayla would only be there three days she wanted to take the three's on a field trip one of those days so that Mikayla could go. (Mikayla will not be three until the end of August, but they moved her into the three year old class at day care in March because she does so well. She is very mature for her age, and she has a large vocabulary. She can spell her name, tell you her birthday, her phone number, and name several letters and numbers. Just looking at her or listening to her talk, many people mistake her for being almost four or older.) Miss Heather said they have been on at least one field trip a week all summer, but since I keep Drew and Mikayla with me during the summer they don't get to participate. She decided to take her class to MacDonalds for lunch on Wednesday. So yesterday, for the first time ever, Mikayla got to ride on Nana Gale's "mini" school bus. Drew was so excited about this and he had to tell Mikayla all about it.

When I picked Mikayla up all I heard about was the school bus with seat belts! She got to ride beside Conner, and she buckled the seat belt by herself. It is so funny when she tells stories because of the expressions. That's one of the things I love about children at the toddler stage. She also let me know that she did not go on the "baby" slide, only the big slide. When I asked if she ate all of her nuggets or if she saved some for me she replied "I saved you some". So I asked where they were, she replied "In my mouth, in my belly".

I wish I had some pictures of their trip, but I know she had fun!

Fireworks!

Drew and Mikayla wait for the fireworks to begin.

Tonight was our cities annual Red, White, and Boom festival! We've never been, but I really wanted to take Drew and Mikayla this year. So, after church, we went to Walmart to pick up a few things, then headed downtown. We didn't really want to get in all the crowds at the festival (especially with it being so late), so we parked on the side of the road with many other onlookers and waited for the fireworks to begin. They were scheduled to begin at 9:30, and we were a little early, so I tried to think of games to play with Drew and Mikayla while we waited. The one they enjoyed the most was looking for different color cars as they drove by.

Once the fireworks began, Drew didn't take his eyes off of them. He was so afraid they were going to end that he kept asking "is that it?" Mikayla (who has never liked the loud noise) went to watch from our van with Craig. After it was over, she kept saying "I like fireworks; they are pretty!" They both seemed to really enjoy the fireworks show. Drew was so worn out that he fell asleep on the way home. He didn't get a nap today at daycare. Mikayla was asleep not long after we were home.

I was able to get a few pictures of the fireworks with my new camera. It has a setting for fireworks, but you are supposed to put the camera on a flat, level, surface, or a tripod. I was holding it in my hand, aiming it toward the sky, so they probably could have been better! But I like them!

Missy prissy

Mikayla loves pocketbooks! Grandma Nell got this pocketbook for Mikayla and immediately she begin digging through it. I asked her if she was looking for money.

Learning to Tie Shoes

Drew has been practicing to tie his shoes for awhile now. Today, when we got home he sat in the floor with one of Mikayla's shoes and started practicing again! He is almost able to completely tie his shoes on his own now. I have to help him with pulling th loop through, but that's the only part. He is so proud of himself when he gets it!

Cook Out with Friends!

Tonight, we had our friends Rick and Angie, and their daughter Morgan over for a cook out. They had us over for a cook out at their house last time, so it was our turn to have them over at our house. Craig was especially excited since he would get to cook on his new grill, yet again! He grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs, while I made chili, baked beans, and potato salad. We also had chips and two different kinds of pies (store-bought of course) for desert.

We all have such a good time when our families get together! Angie and I talk non-stop. In fact, I overcooked the baked beans tonight while we were outside talking (imagine that). Rick and Craig talk and watch a little T.V. Morgan, Drew, and Mikayla have so much fun playing together. They played on the swing set, in the moon walk, and rode Drew's jeep and bicycle. When it got too dark outside to play, we came in to talk/play more. The kids even watched part of the movie Madagascar. I am upset that I didn't take my new camera outside to get some pictures of them playing, but I did get some pictures inside. It was after 10 when they left and Drew and Mikayla didn't want them to leave! We reminded them that we would see Rick, Angie, and Morgan in the morning at church.

Drew and Mikayla sit with Angie and Morgan.

The girls sit in the chair as Drew moves on to watch T.V. from the floor.

Craig and Rick continue to talk even as they are getting ready to leave. Angie and I would never do that (Ha!).

Early Birthday Present!

Craig surprised me this morning by telling me that we were going to look at digital cameras. I had told him that I would like to have a new digital camera for my birthday. I had also told him that I would like to have it in time for Drew's birthday party. My digital camera still works, but it is technologically outdated since we got it when digital cameras were first introduced. I have a hard time taking pictures of good quality because it doesn't have an image stabilizer, and the pictures are blurry whenever the subject of the photo is moving (ie baseball game, dance recital). To take quality photos of these events I was still having to use my film camera. This camera had 2.0 mps and only a 2x digital zoom.

My new camera has a 12x optical zoom, plus a digital zoom if needed. It has 5.0 mps, an image stabilizer, and many photo modes to choose from including sports mode to use when the subject is moving. It also has the ability to record video. I have been so excited reading about all of the neat features! It is just what we needed since our kids are becoming involved in sports activities. Craig has always called me "photo queen" because I always have a camera in my hand. I feel like a "photo queen" when I am taking pictures with this camera!

Happy "early" birthday to me! Thank you Craig, Drew, and Mikayla for my wonderful birthday present!