The World's Cutest Boy!

Today, the world is a cuter place. Drew got to fulfill one of his dreams. For weeks now, he's talked about riding to the IGA, his pockets stashed full of change and buying an ice cream treat, all by himself. We attempted it a couple of weeks ago but a call from Daddy waylaid us, something that Drew was careful to take into account today.

He came bounding down the stairs after naptime, reminding me that he pooped in the potty today AND he had taken a nap. "I could ride my bicycle to the IGA and get some ice cream but sometimes I try that and Daddy calls us and we have to go back home and see him but I want to go to the store today so I should call Daddy and then I could tell him not to come home and see me right now because I'm busy!!!!" After this mouthful, I willingly handed over the phone for him to make the very important call.

After Jesse and I both got done laughing at the amount of animation in that one little face and voice, Drew and I set out for our trip. (I have to throw this in there, he is getting soooo good at his bike...he's even learned how to stand up on the pedals to push himself over a bump! ) The ride to the store was without incident, except for a near collision with a brick wall when he saw another little boy on a bike...it was, however, thankfully averted.

He carefully parked his bike and took his helmet off and then very business like headed into the store, "Thank you" he said as he nodded to the automatically opening doors. Once inside he drug me to the ice cream cooler and informed me that as a special treat, he was going to let me pick out something too. After deciding that we should get fudge bars, he carried them up to the counter to pay for them.

This is where things went slightly awry. You see, in order for a little boy to get the full pleasure out of an experience like this, you have to have a cashier who will play along. Our mistake was in choosing one who was too busy talking to the checker across from her. Her loss, because apparently she failed to realize that the world's cutest boy was standing in front of her, digging in his pockets for the right amount of change (carefully counted out by Mommy ahead of time) and chatting to her about how her day was going. I'm pretty sure she also missed his parting call as we walked past her counter, "Thanks so much for youwr help! Have a good day!"

Fortunately, he didn't seem to be too concerned by the cashier's lack of involvement because he quickly got back on his bike and we started our trip back. We took a break at the park, where, as my monkey would say, we "enjoyed" our "tasty treats" enormously! It was there though that I realized I didn't have my camera with me to document this new level of cuteness...something that I'm still kicking myself for. Self satisfaction was painted all over that adorable face (along with quite a bit of melted fudge bar) and to top it off we had to pull off his shirt and use it to wipe him down with. It was a very content little man that rode the rest of the way home, sticking his bare little chest out and waving happily to the neighbors as we passed.

Yes, my friends, I'm a very blessed woman...I have the world's cutest boy for a son!

What Did You Say?!?!

Its time to write down a few more Drew funnies...the boy never ceases to amaze me with his intelligence, sense of humor and verbal antics.

As you may be able to see from the picture, he recently had a haircut. The conversation that followed was certainly something for the books. The entire time I was cutting it, I kept having to dodge small hands that suddenly shot up and grabbed it. This was inevitably followed by, "Mommy! What are you doing?? Where is it going? Are you going to cut it ALL off!?!?" When I finished, he sat there with a sad look on his face, "Oh Mommy!" he cried, "am I still handsome?" Of course, I told him he was very handsome but when he still seemed upset, I told him if he wanted to he could grow it back out again when the weather cooled off. To which he replied, "Oh good! I like it better longer." Is this a normal conversation to have with someone who isn't even 3 yet? I'm thinking its probably not...

Speaking of his age, he told me a couple of weeks ago that he is going to be 3 in August (which is true) and then proceeded to tell me who I was to invite and what exactly he wanted to have happen at his party. I thought I still had a couple more years before he dictated birthday parties?

He is very focused on his approaching birthday; at the park this morning, he started playing with some 5-6 year old girls. Finally, they asked him, "How old are you anyway?" To which he responded (in a very condescending manner, I might add), "I'm going to be 3 in August." As if this fact makes him quite a man.

Bedtime prayers continue to be an exercise in restraining from hysterical laughter on my part. After overhearing my friend Ashlee and I discussing that Baby Gracey probably needed a change of clothes since hers were wet, Drew began to pray every night, "Deawr God, thank you for Baby Gracey but please get hewr a new outfit." Trust me, the girl has plenty of outfits!

He still prays for a baby sister of his own every night too. A few nights ago, we were talking after he prayed and he said, "If I have a baby sister then when she gets scared at night, I can go to her crib and sing 'I'll take care of you, don't be sad, don't be blue!'" Talk about adorable...by the way, he's learned the whole song and now he sings it with me when I tuck him in.

I have to constantly remind myself that he picks up on everything. A couple of weeks ago, he heard a cricket and wanted to know what it was. I explained that it was a bug and that it made that sound by scratching its legs together. Earlier this week, he heard some again. "What's that Mom?" he asked. "What is that?" I responded (a game I plan with him often to teach him to answer things for himself). "Its a cricket," he answered. "And its rubbing it's legs together to make music," I continued. "Oh no," he said, "its SCRATCHING it's legs together." Of course, what was I thinking...

As we walked by a truck with some sort of machine in the back, he wanted to know what it was, I responded that I wasn't really sure. To which he answered, "Oh that is a pulley. You can use it to lift heavy objects." ?!?!?!?!?! Suddenly, I remembered that there had been an episode of Sid, the Science Kid a couple of months ago that was on pulleys. Is there anything he doesn't remember?

I think I'll stop here for now...the truth is, I could probably go on all day. Besides, this afternoon we're going to play on the slip n slide and tomorrow is the Freedom Festival in town so I'm certain there will be much, much more tell by the end of the weekend!

Baby on the Brain

For those of you who actually read my blog (yea, the 6 of you plus my family), you're familiar with Drew's interest, ummm I mean OBSESSION with having a baby sister. I realized as the arrival of his best friend's little sister was rapidly approaching that the situation was only going to get worse. Now that Gracey is a week old, I can assure you, my little monkey is determined not to be left out of this wonderful experience of having a younger sibling.

Many of you know that Drew's quest for a little sister started about a year ago when he would inexplicably cry as we left Target or Wal-Mart. Finally, I asked him what was wrong and got the answer, "My wan baby sistewr" (this coming from a child not yet two). We realized he thought that you could go to Target or Wal-mart to buy a sister; which, considering the fact that we bought everything else there, was not an unusual assumption.

Slowly, he began to get more and more persistent. He would ask me for a baby sister, he would ask Jesse, at night he would take his request to God. Super cute and super determined.

Last week, he took his petition to a whole new level. As we would meet new people, he would introduce himself, "Hi! My name is Drew. I'm two and my birthday is in August AND I don't have a puppy OR a baby sister yet." Clearly, these poor people were slightly at a loss as to what they should say (I know I would have been). Just as clear, was Drew's certainty that if Mom and Dad wouldn't listen to his wishes then he would take his case to the streets. When Ashlee and Jim came over and brought Gracey with them, Drew looked down enviously at that sweet girl and then informed Ashlee, "Its ok. I'm having a baby sister very soon too." We laughed, tried to explain that it wasn't that simple and hoped it sunk in. However, today he decided to take it a step further. While checking out at the library and catching up with a friend, Drew loudly announced, "I'm going to be a big brother! Mommy is going to have a baby and its a girl!" I quickly had to correct the staff and my friend as they offered their congratulations. If a person could talk something into existence, this kid would be a pro!

I'm hoping that he will have a sibling on the way at some point in the near future (we'll deal with the whole baby sister vs. baby brother then) and our plan to adopt a puppy at the end of the summer may serve to temporarily distract him. In the meantime, if any of you receive a phone call from a certain precocious little man informing you that I'm going to have a baby, think nothing of it. He probably stole the phone and started calling people in his determination to make his wish come true...at this point, I wouldn't put it past him.

Small Town Pleasures

As summer is timidly trying to make its appearance here in Columbus, I'm realizing more and more just how blessed we are. Aside from the fact that our adorable little town is most definitely North of the Mason-Dixon line (which I am slowly adjusting to), it is very much the place I've always dreamed of raising children.

Today Drew discovered the small town joy of the ice cream truck, driven by a sweet old lady that ohh-ed and ahh-ed over him as he picked out his treat. Those ice cream trucks use to creep me out beyond belief...perhaps it was the sleazy male driver vaguely resembling someone I had seen on the 6:00 news, combined with the 15 passenger van providing a prime opportunity for the kidnapping of unsuspecting children. Columbus is completely different though. In part, due to the sweet old lady and the fact that her truck is a converted golf cart with coolers on the back certainly doesn't hurt.

Of course, Columbus in general feels such a wholesome and simplistic place. This is the town where almost no one locks their house (even when they aren't home) and where 6 year olds bike to the park on their own and play for hours. A friend and I joke that you could even leave your car windows down, keys in the ignition, doors unlocked and in the event of a rain shower, someone would come along and roll the windows up for you (another friend recently confirmed this to be true). Cyclists and pedestrians abound here and the majority of the town seems to be on a first name basis.

So, while I may not be in my beloved South and while I may occasionally have to do battle with less than thrilling temperatures (today's high is somewhere around 60), we have found a place we call home and can only hope to be so blessed as to raise our family here.

Little Rascal meets Sesame Street

For the past few days, Drew has been basking in the glory of a new house with a front AND back yard, sidewalk and tree lined streets, dirt piles waiting to be landscaped, landscaping to "help" with and a multitude of other new things to discover. As he rides his bike around the block at ever increasing speeds, exulting in his torment of fenced in neighborhood dogs, he looks (and sounds) ever bit the part of a Little Rascal. When he careens to the park, taking turns that make training wheels a mute point and meets up with a crowd of preschoolers to play with, I half expect him to start talking like Spanky. Then suddenly, he tilts his head back and sings, "Its a sunny day and it is warm! I'm riding my bike and we're going to the park." He turns and says, "Oh Mommy! Isn't it a pewrfect summer day to ride my bike to the park?" Wholesome goodness that falls nothing short of Sesame Street! Of course, then it becomes necessary to rub ample amounts of dirt on his body and into his hair in order to insure a bath in his gigantic clawfoot tub. There he can splash and make waves while he tells serious tales about the day's, "Abentures".

His tractors have some serious landscaping work on their hands!

He's convinced (and won't take no for an answer) that this tree has been struck by lightening.

He watched Daddy build this swing for the backyard. He kept telling us, "I get a swing all my own self!"

Look out Columbus!

A (little) Man of Many Words

Jesse and I were exchanging Drew stories the other night and I realized it was time to blog a few more, before they are forgotten. I put this picture in because it gives a visual of the most recent Drew funny. It went something like this: I was putting in a movie for background noise while we're doing some packing. Suddenly I feel his little body snuggle up close to me. "Mommy," he says, "I'm fweezing!" I offer to put something warmer on him (which he proceeds to pick out). Each article of clothing results in, "Oh Mommy! That's so much better! I so comfortable now; I so warm." Adorable, isn't it?

Equally adorable (and yet inappropriate to laugh at to his face) was a recent discussion on consequences. Drew was experiencing a "teaching moment" after having mouthed off to me. Jesse was explaining to him what consequences are. At first I was unsure if he was understanding when he suddenly retorted, "The consequence is that Kelly the Crane is going to knock this house down!" (Obviously, like his parents, he has a difficult time being told what to do.) I had to excuse myself because as much as I wanted to laugh at the intense face and serious eyes coming from the little monkey, I knew I shouldn't.

I guess one could say that he's becoming quite good with the come backs. I went to "remind" him that it was naptime a couple of days ago and once again he didn't like the direction the conversation was taking. All of the sudden he stood up and pointed at me and said, "Well I think that's quite enough TV time for you. Turn it off and get quiet!"

Along that same line, it was about 10:00 on Saturday night and Drew was still playing in his room. Jesse went in and told him that it was very late and that he would be too tired to go to church in the morning. To which Drew responded, "You're going to be too tired" (with an amount of attitude that one so small should never posses).

Just in case the amount of smart-aleckness is a cause for concern, I thought I would throw in a couple of moments that showcase mere cuteness (without the sarcasm and attitude).

This morning we were on the couch talking about dogs. He announced that he wanted a big dog. "I want a big dog," he said "and I want him to sit on the couch and then I will get him a great big bone because he will love me and I will love him." I asked him what he wanted to name the dog, to which he responded, "I don't know....ummm, how about someting like Clifford?!?!" Ummm, I love big dogs but I wasn't planning on one the size of the house.

After busting in on Jesse getting out of the shower (he's so exciting that we're going to have a second one soon!), Drew shook his head and informed him, "Dad, I can't be like you...I can't just be naked." I keep telling Jesse to lock the door...

Early today Drew was eating a frozen Go-gurt when he spotted the Shrek characters on the side. "Mom!" he yelled, "This girl has sword and that could be very dangerous!"

Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I did. I only get concerned with his verbal acrobatics when I realize that if he's like this at 2.5, what will he sound like in a couple of years...much less a teenager!

A Dream Realized

I've posted this picture on facebook and talked about it some there but it occurred to me that I wanted to put it in the blog as well...if nothing else, for the sake of continuity. The 29th of this month will mark our 6th anniversary and for six years, we have patiently moved from apartment to apartment always hoping for more but trying to be satisfied with what we had. Then, we moved up to Montana in January and while I secretly dreamed of a yard for Drew to play in and a second bathroom (potty training with 1 bathroom is no fun), I was thoroughly pleased with the most recent reincarnation of apartment living. This place is huge for an apartment and right in the middle of our small town, where everything is a short walk away.

A few weeks ago though, I had some friends at Bible Study ask me how I was liking our apartment. I responded that I loved it and then (as sort of a side note) mentioned that it would be nice to have a yard some day. My friend Lynn quickly responded that another friend of ours owned the two houses next door to her and was fixing them to rent this summer. I smiled and thanked her for the information, all the while thinking that there was no way that we would be able to actually rent a house. I put off talking to Amy (the friend who owned the houses) for weeks. When we bumped into her at a fundraiser though, Jesse brought up the houses. Things happened fast (for a small town anyway) after that and last week we made an appointment to go and look at one of the houses.

We were prepared to turn her down from the beginning. We were prepared to see not enough house for the money. We were prepared to come back to our apartment, thankful for being able to call it home. We weren't prepared to be wrong on all accounts and to fall head over heals in love with this little green bungalow. Perfect in almost every way (aside from some much needed landscaping and yard work, which actually makes it even more perfect), it has all the charm of an older home with just enough modern update. Add into that a second bathroom (praise Jesus!!!), a front AND back yard (yet another praise Jesus!!!) and the possibility of getting a furry friend in the future...what more could a little family ask for?

So, after packing up my entire apartment in TX in a week, driving for days across the country and declaring that this job better work because I wasn't packing and moving again for YEARS, I find myself packing yet again. Seriously though, this apartment has been a huge blessing and was exactly what we needed when moving up here. I am so thankful to have had it. However, I cannot wait for June 1st when we can start moving into our little family home. Oh, and did I mention that it is on a tree lined street and is about 500 yards from the park and community pool? Yep, for us, its pretty much perfection!