Drew's 2nd Birthday!!

We can't believe our little booshie is 2 years old! October 30 was the special day. The old saying that they grow up fast is hitting us hard:) But, what a fun age!! WOW!! An active and curious son is so exciting. We had his 2nd birthday party at a park near our house. We were so blessed that so many family and friends attended the party to celerate his birthday with us. We had a Veggie Tales themed party, complete with a Bob the Tomato cake and French Peas cupcakes. After slaving away :) on those, I was a little disappointed that the cake melted in the HOT HOT sun that day (only in southern California can it be near 100 degrees on Nov. 1). The mouth and nose melted off by the time we got to the cake, but Drew had seen Bob before and knew exactly who it was, so that was good. Here are some pics from his special day...

Birthday in August?

Grammie Trish decided to give Drew an early birthday present...and I am so thankful!! We'll call it his 22nd month birthday present. She bought him an outside wooden picnic table!! Something I have been looking to buy for a VERY long time. This one even comes with its own umbrella!! Or as Drew would say, "blah-blah-blah-blah" (said really fast). It is so darn cute. He also calls bananas, spatulas, belly buttons, and his cousin Brynnly the same thing. Like I said, so cute. Here are some pics of him with his new table after I (mama) put it together last night and of him painting this morning on it.

Kylene & Doug's Wedding

So this past Saturday my sweet and beautiful cousin married a wonderful man, Doug. The wedding was down at Mission Bay (at a hotel) and was so pretty. Jason and Stephen and their families brought the kiddos and we had so much fun dancing the night away.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Friday we went to Disneyland with our family. Stephen, Beth, and the girls had planned on taking Taylor to Disneyland to celebrate her 3rd birthday. Beth's family was going to be joining them and they asked if we would like to tag along too (thanks guys!). We had a blast. Eric took the day off of work and we ended up staying pretty late to see the fireworks. Drew, Aiden, and Taylor were so sweet playing together. They enjoyed dancing to music and watching the parade as well. Aiden and Drew walked around holding hands for part of the day; so precious. They also found a little fountain in Toon Town and stood over it on the bench splashing in the water. They soon figured out the best way to cool down would be to lean over and dunk their heads in - they got soaked, but it was priceless to watch. Here are some pics...

Surprise!!

Stephen, Beth, Taylor, and Brynnly surprised my family by coming into town on Thursday. They have been planning this for months and had kept me in the loop, trying to figure out how to surprise my parents and Jason and Michelle. I had my family up for pizza Thursday evening under the context of showing Jason and Michelle pics from our Michigan trip. Unfortunately, Jason had to work late, and couldn't make it. We pursuaded Michelle to bring Aiden and Carly, even though they had their shots that day and were a little cranky. My parents were here when Stephen and Beth walked into our house with the girls and were so shocked!! The looks on their faces was priceless and will forever be etched into my mind. Michelle was equally surprised when she showed up. We had a great time hanging out with them!! They are here for 10 days for a vacation and to visit family and friends before they head back to Montana.

The Rest of the Trip

Okay, so I don't want to go day by day so much...I guess I am too lazy, or I just don't have the time. Eric flew in Thursday and was set to arrive in the afternoon in Detroit, so my parents took Drew and me to Greenfield Village (http://www.hfmgv.org/) for the day. It was so much fun - very hot and humid, but great. We rode on a train and had frozen custard. Drew enjoyed himself so much. We headed back towards the airport to go get Eric only to find out that he had been bumped (he was flying on a pass thanks to my wonderful cousin who is a pilot for Southwest). He didn't end up getting in until 11pm! But, it was fun just hanging out with my parents at the airport. We then drove to Port Huron that night and got into bed around 2am!! Long day, but Drew did marvelous. Friday was full of sightseeing around Port Huron. Seeing the homes where my parents grew up, their high schools, the house where I was born, all that fun stuff. Saturday and Sunday we spent time up at the lake house that my aunt and uncle had rented for them, their kids, and their grandkids. It was a beautiful log cabin right on the lake. It was so awesome to see family and spend that time all together. Monday was my Grandma's memorial service, which was beautiful and a wonderful celebration of her life. We all went to eat at Coney Island afterwards and had coney dogs in honor of her. Thankfully, Eric was able to fly back with us the whole way home and Drew once again amazed me. I think it helped that the flight wasn't full, so he had his own seat right between Eric and me. He slept some and played with his Play-doh. It was a wonderful trip, but it is so nice to be home as well. Yesterday was consumed with laundry and unpacking...and Drew took a four and a half hour nap. He was just plain tuckered out after traveling. Thanks Mom and Dad for a memorable and amazing trip back home.

Last Wednesday

So, I'll just do a sort of day by day of our vacation in Port Huron, MI. Last Wed started with Drew and I leaving San Diego airport with my parents. I was especially anxious about flying because I had no idea how little Drew would do on the plane for that long. We had a VERY small layover in Chicago, so I knew he would be able to get off the plane and stretch his legs for a bit, but it was only enough time to get something to eat to take on the plane with us and then rush to the next gate. He did wonderfully!! He was awesome. Play-doh was a hit!! I didn't even have to reach into his toy bag to get out too many distractions for the long flight. Thankfully, my dad's friends let us borrow their little dvd player, so I started a Veggie Tales for him when he was getting antsy, and it actually put him right to sleep. He only slept for a little while, but the flight did not seem as long as it really was. Once we got into Detroit, we picked up our rental car and checked into our hotel. Our small hotel room seemed so much smaller with all of our luggage in it, but we were only staying there for one night, so it worked just fine. We went to dinner at Chele's (don't even know if that is spelled correctly), a sports bar and restaurant in Dearborne named after some Detroit Red Wings hockey player. The food was great, but Drew was falling asleep in the high chair as he ate his chicken fingers. It was so cute!! We made it back to the room before the storm hit, thankfully. It was the biggest and loudest rain, thunder, and lightening storm I have ever seen or heard. I know that isn't saying much as I have grown up in southern California most of my life, but it was so neat. The "crib" we had requested for the room was actually one of the oldest and ricketiest pack-n-plays that I have ever seen, so I opted to just have him sleep in bed with me. He slept great - sideways and upside down. That boy moves in his sleep!! The pic is of Thursday morning leaving the hotel. Drew was actually pushing the cart and my dad was just steering it. He is such an independent person. Thursday was the day Eric was flying in, so I was looking forward to picking him up in the afternoon!!