A new camera...finally!

Things have been very quiet on the blog front around here. Mostly because our family camera bit the dust. Back when Andrew was about 3 months old, a bottle of milk was in my purse for an afternoon feeding. The beauty of Avent Bottles - they leak. The milk turned over in my purse and soaked our camera. It still worked - for the most part - for almost 2 more years. Although, to see your pictures, you had to look through a very cloudy screen of old milk. It was gross - but I was not going to spend several more hundred dollars to get a new camera when the one I had would work just fine. Well - those days are done. The camera gave up.

I bought a new camera and it should arrive today. I'm thrilled!

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of my kiddo from my mom's camera.

Halloween 2011

 Happy Halloween! We had a fantastic time trick-or-treating last night. It was a beautiful night, the weather was absolutely perfect and the kiddos had a blast.

To address his costume - typically, Andrew is allowed to watch 2 shows - Sesame Street in the morning before school and Yo Gabba Gabba in the afternoon. Andrew's Costume is one of the characters on Yo Gabba Gabba, a robot named Plex. I was not overly thrilled to dress my child as a character from a tv show but that's what you get when you shop for costumes 3 days before Halloween. We were lucky to get something that sort-of fit and after 2 trips to the same store - had all of the pieces and parts.

We decided yesterday afternoon that our neighborhood was not the best for trick-or-treating. There are not many kids on our street and historically, we've never had more than 10 knocks on the door in the past years. So, we wanted Andrew to see what it was like to be around tons of kids and a big neighborhood with lots of decorations and candy opportunities. Mission Accomplished. 

We, along with "Aunt" Jennifer, met up with our friends Mendy and Joe who live across the street in a much larger neighborhood. Their son, Carter, is a month older than Andrew and so we figured the boys would have lots of fun together.

It started pretty slow for Andrew. He was nervous and was not comfortable saying Trick-or-Treat. We had been practicing door knocking, trick-or-treat saying and thank-yous all week. But, at go time - my kiddo was a bit shy. That shy behavior lasted for the first 5 houses and then he really embraced his role. So much so that we had to tell him kicking the door to get them to open it was not necessary...neither was helping them open the door or actually walking in to their home to find more candy. It was tons of fun to watch and I was beaming with excitement for my baby boy.

Andrew mastered the Trick-or-Treat pretty quickly, but the Thank You usually came about 3 seconds after they closed their door and we were turned around to leave. But, hey - the sentiment was there.

We trick-or-treated for about an hour and a half. We found ourselves a bit further from the starting house than we anticipated so we were out a little longer than Andrew was prepared. But, he was still a trooper. He had so much fun.

It could not have been more perfect! It was an amazing Halloween and it makes me absolutely adore even more being his mom. I can't wait to watch him get to experience more holidays.

 P.S. - Pictures are terrible quality - my camera broke and I'm using my phone to capture moments. It is not a good alternative and this will be remedied very soon.

Andrew And The Hat

My parents came in to town this weekend to spend some time with us. And, when I say us.. I mean Andrew. They are so enthralled with him and are amazed at how much he grows and learns in the short time they are away from him. As much as they told me that they did not want to leave, I don't think I could have paid them to stay. They were absolutely worn out from my kiddo. He is a handful and has non-stop energy. He is obsessed with them and insists that they are involved in all aspects of his day. Hard for them - but a vacation for me!

At one point in the weekend, my dad gave Andrew his hat to play with. Well, this started a bit of an obsession with "the hat". Andrew adored wearing it and running around with it covering his eyes.

A few pics from the hat moments...

This is when it began... at the park.

 The next day...it started again.

He thought it was hilarious!

We will miss Granny (pronounced nannneee by Andrew) and Pappy very much. Can't wait to see them again! I have a feeling it will be sooner than later - they are as obsessed with him as he is with "the hat".

Andrew -- My baby is a boy

As the time continues to fly by, I find myself so wrapped up in life and work and marriage and the wonderful time that I get to spend with Andrew. I almost did not notice how much he has become a big boy now. We have full blown conversations and he understands everything that I say. We talk like we are buddies. We negotiate to satisfy each of our needs and wants. But, mostly we have a lot of fun together.

This stage that he is in is overwhelmingly amazing to me. I understand most of his words and how he communicates. What seems like gibberish to others is very clear to me. That's how I know our bond. We are thick as thieves and I absolutely love it.

I still continue to miss and long for the times when he was a little tiny baby and he would be so calm and quiet and we would just stare at each other. But, I would never trade the little guy I have now who races me to the mailbox, throws a ball with me and gives me genuine hugs and kisses.

Being a mom to that amazing boy is the best experience ever.

Girls Night Out

On a rare occasion, I get dressed up and head out on the town with a few girlfriends. Just a few weeks ago, Lauren and I decided to go see Horrible Bosses and then find some live music. I am a huge fan of Horrible Bosses. I thought it was a fantastic movie and it had me laughing the entire time. It's raunchy humor for sure, but I found myself sad to see it end. Now, seeing a movie at the "Drinking Theater" always has a way of making things funnier so I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed it without the wine.

We met up with Jennifer after the movie and went to a bar to listen to some live music. We had more fun people-watching than actually listening to the band. Seems to be the case as I get older.

Night ended with the girls at around 1am and I could not resist a 'late-night Taquito run' at Whataburger. I brought home Taquitos for me and for Jeff (in case he was still awake). Turns out he was which is a really good thing because if he had been asleep, I would have completely devoured his Taquito as well. Saved myself about 20 minutes of an additional guilt-trip.

I love Girl's Night Out!

Sprinkler Fun

While we were visiting my parents, my mom bought Andrew a little kiddy pool and a sprinkler that shoots balls in the air. We were really happy that he liked it. It took a bit to warm up to but once he got used to it, he had a great time. I feel confident that the babbling and screaming with joy was accurately translated in the captions.

"Why is this water hitting me on the head? Make it stop!"

"Wait a minute - this thing shoots balls in the air? I guess a little water in my face is ok."

"Bravo! - Clap, Clap - This is my new favorite toy!"

"I've never been so happy in my whole life. This Sprinkler Completes Me."

"Ok, I'm done. Daddy go get this ball while I jump in the pool."

"Ahhh, this is the life! I love retirement."

Roar!

Pappy and Andrew having some fun.

Retirement Surprise

My mom retired last Friday, July 1st after 37 years of working in Education. She started as a teacher and worked her way up to Assistant Principal, Principal and then finally for the last several years has been working in a position reporting directly to the Superintendent. She has had a wonderful career and had a hard time making the decision to hang up her hat and take a break. The road to retirement has been emotional for my mom and the send-off she was given by her colleagues was so touching to her and made such lasting memories.

In that same spirit, I decided that I wanted to surprise her on her very last day by showing up at her retirement dinner. Jeff and I moved things around and I worked with several people to ensure child care, a middle of the night hotel arrival and increased reservations at the restaurant. We managed to plan the entire thing without my mom ever getting wind of it.

As she arrived to the restaurant in Baton Rouge with my dad and my aunts and uncles, Jeff and I were sitting at their table. Her reaction to our surprise was priceless (not to mention my Dad's shock and awe as well). It went off without a hitch and we got to spend the entire weekend with them to kick off her new 'easy life'.

Congrats to my mom for such a huge accomplishment,  a great career and a chance to relax a little and enjoy a much needed break!

And then there were two

I made a decision today. Hands on hips.

No drum roll is necessary because it's rather boring. 

Basically, I've decided that I'm starting another blog.

My reason for starting this blog was to have something that Andrew could look back on and see our family and life as he was growing up. Pictures of him, updates on him and fun stories of our family and what life is like with us as the years go by. Kind of a 'baby book' for non-crafty people like myself.

I will continue this. I love writing this blog and posting pictures and updating friends and family on my favorite people in the whole world.

But, there is an entirely 'other' side of me that tends to want to ramble on and on about things that have nothing to do with our family. I have held off time and time again on putting these types of things on our family blog because it has nothing to do with us as a whole.

In true Sesame Street fashion, my new blog is called TwinkleThink.blogspot.com. For those of you who don't have the pleasure of watching Sesame Street 5 times a week, Twinkle Thinking is from a segment called Abby's Flying Fairy School. Each episode the group is called on to solve a problem and to do so they must put their heads together and Twinkle Think.

The SesameStreet website says: During each "twinkle think" moment the characters use logic, reasoning, and a helping hand as they think out loud and analyze information to find innovative solutions to their problems.

I can't promise logic or reasoning but maybe a few innovative solutions.

For those people (like my mom) who think I'm already entirely too open about my life, this new blog may be the very last thing you want to read. I will likely use 'creative language, self-deprecating humor, make fun of people and pick on my husband."

For those of you who are just here to look at the pictures...here is a cute picture of my kiddo using chopsticks. :-)

Cute Pic From Tonight

Andrew came home from school today in yellow bloomers due to "another" blow out of his diaper at school. So, by dinner time, we were in diaper only watching Yo Gabba Gabba. He was having a ball and I could not resist taking some candid photos. Just for a split second - he stopped all the jumping and dancing and posed for mommy. I think it's pretty darn good.

Where did the time go? 18 Months Later...

Day 1

 Andrew hit his 18 month mark on May 25th. It's amazing to me that it has only been a year and a half since we met this amazing baby boy. At the same time, I can say that it feels like time is flying by and just yesterday he was this tiny little baby. I remember his first smile, his first bath, his first time with solid foods like they were all just yesterday. I remember when I realized that I have an extremely happy baby that could spend his entire life laughing and never get tired of it. I also remember when I realized that my very happy baby was going to be extremely independent with a strong personality. We are so blessed to have the child that we do. He is a very good baby. He is lovable, playful, intelligent and has, by far, the cutest round belly that he sticks out when he walks.

6 Months Old

I've never loved anything the way that I love Andrew. It's so pure and unconditional. He is the light of my life. I can honestly say that the decisions I make for my life today revolve around whether I'd be proud for Andrew to know I made that decision and be proud if he made the same decision as an adult. That type of accountability is good to have and it keeps the message to him strong and consistent.
 

1 Year

As I watch him grow and evolve in to the boy and then man that he will be, I am so filled with excitement for the future. That being said, I want to freeze time to stop him from getting so big so fast. He is ready to take on the world and ready to do it on his terms. I am going to have to remain strong and consistent in my lessons and teachings to him because he is a sponge just taking it all in and waiting for his chance to experience it.

18 Months Old - Still Laughing!

I thank God every day for this boy. He changed my life at the core and I can't be more grateful for that. He is my love, my inspiration and the key to this family. He keeps us strong, keeps us working towards a better life and he keeps us focused on what matters most. We are a family.  A family that keeps laughing, keeps learning and keeps wanting to enjoy even the smallest and most sincere moments together. That is the priority.

Mommy and Daddy are very proud to be your parents and we can't wait to see what each new day brings with you in our lives.We love you Andrew Grayson Walker!

Our Anniversary

Jeff and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on May 11th. We had great plans for how we were going to spend our day together. It was going to be a wonderful day where we slowed down a bit and actually celebrated us. I was very much looking forward to our day and then our evening at Steve Fields for a good steak and wine. Andrew, on the other hand, had absolutely no intention of letting this day of love and fun occur. He was sent home on Tuesday from daycare due to being sick and managed to hold on to the funk through Wednesday, the big 5 year anniversary day. Our day of fun was actually spent taking care of him and trying to make him feel better. He slept a lot which tied us to the house, but we made the best of it. We napped, watched tv, relaxed and were still able to spend the day together. So, actually, it was perfect!

By the evening, Andrew was feeling better and Jennifer came over to babysit so that Jeff and I could go to enjoy our big dinner. We started our evening at RA Sushi for an "appetizer/lunch" sushi roll and a happy hour beer. We left there and went over to Steve Fields for our 7:30 reservation. We enjoyed a wonderful bottle of Italian wine, crab cakes, fish, a pork chop and dessert. We had the SAME waiter and table as we did the year before when we went to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. We thought that was pretty ironic.

At the end of our meal, our waitress informed us that our friends David and Sandi had called prior to us getting there and asked them to wish us a Happy Anniversary. They paid for our appetizers and dessert. It was so unexpected and we were so grateful to them for thinking of us on our special day. We are truly blessed to have such great friends in our lives!

All in all, it was the perfect day. Even though it did not go as originally planned, it was still great!

Jeff and I don't get to spend as much time alone together as we used to - whether it is his school demands, my work demands or the Drewster's demands, we are constantly on the go. Often, I get these great reminders of how much we have been through together, how much we love and support each other and how blessed we are as a couple. We have a connection that many couples don't get to experience and I look forward to where our lives are going. No matter what, we are going together.

I love you Jeff! Happy Anniversary!!

The Confetti King

Easter Sunday was fantastic and Andrew had so much fun playing with Granny, Pappy And Uncle Matt that he may not have even noticed the Easter Bunny's surprises without some set-up from us. While they went on a walk, Jeff and I set up his hunt for eggs and his basket from the Easter Bunny at the front door so that he could not miss it on his way back inside.

Granny and Andrew walking to the park.

Andrew attacking and taking down Uncle Matt

Back from the park to find that the Easter Bunny has left a surprise!

Realizing he is surrounded by eggs and has a lot to do.

Not wanting much to do with Mommy right now - he was way too busy.

Once we got back inside, Andrew wanted to open all the eggs and get all the candy out of them. He does not really eat the candy, but seems to enjoy throwing it around. It was then that I realized I made a huge mistake with some of the eggs. You see, Aunt Jennifer had brought Andrew an amazing personalized Easter Basket and Backpack full of goodies the day before. Part of those goodies included Confetti Eggs (the kind we used to make in elementary school that was an egg shell full of confetti with a piece of paper taped over the top). Well, in an effort to make the yard full of eggs, the 'Easter Bunny' used those eggs too and so they ended up in the "open-to-empty" pile. Here is what ended up happening...

This was early in the process - it is already in his hair.

He is having a great time.

It has started to spread all around him.

The emptying of the confetti - in action.

I'm still sweeping up confetti and found it in his hair hours later. But, I can say that he had a wonderful Easter weekend and has a new found love for Egg Hunts and Confetti.