Say What!?!

I have said for a while now that Drake says Mama & Dada. Now I am not claiming he understands what he is saying, but when he gets sad he says both of them and sometimes just when he is jabbering. I finally got him on video. Maybe I'll get a better one soon, but in this one you can kind of tell. It seems every time I get the camera out to capture it he stops doing it. Stage Fright I guess:)




Also, if you turn up your sound when you are on my blog the first song on here is Somewhere over the Rainbow. This song has become a favorite in this house. When Drake is upset & is hard to soothe we simply turn this song on & he automatically stops crying. It puts him right to sleep.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops thats where you'll find me oh
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can't I?

Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, I...I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
Than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Someday I'll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top that's where you'll find me
Oh, Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I?

Riley is 8!

8 years ago today I gave birth to our first child. I can't believe it has really been that long. It has just flown by. I really didn't know I could love someone this much, unconditionally, until the day I had Riley. Every day has been an adventure I would never change. Riley has grown in to such an amazing boy. I can't even describe how proud Jason & I are of him. He is extremely smart and athletic. He makes us laugh every day. He is the most caring boy I have ever been around. He is such a joy in our lives and everyone he is around. We are so blessed to call him our son. Happy Birthday, Riley. Enjoy your day! We love you soooo very much!

My nephew...the dancing machine!

This is my nephew, Will, dancing on Christmas Eve. He is so much fun and quite the dancer. Just thought I'd share. Once again, the video is sideways. Sorry!

4 months

Yes, Drake is 4 months old. He is still a laid back baby. Nothing really bothers him much. He is trying to stand up all the time, rolling over, jabbering constantly, and playing like crazy.







He had his 4 month well baby check up. He was 12 lbs 2 oz. and 23 3/4 inches long. He is in the 5th percentile of weight and height. His doctor was not concerned and said he was growing just right. He did say he was ready for some cereal whenever we were ready to give it to him, but said there was nothing wrong with waiting because breastfeeding is always best. We were curious as to how he would take the cereal, so we tried it out last night. He was hilarious. At first it seemed like he liked it. Then he started making these grunting noises and got mad. Needless to say, we stopped the cereal and gave him what he really wanted. haha! We will try again
soon. The video below is of him eating cereal. Sorry it's sideways. I'm still getting used to using my camera for video purposes. Listen for his grunting noises. Funny!!!

New Year Surprise!!!!

Jason & I had planned another low key New Years Eve at home with the kids. When Courtney & Matt decided to come back home and spend it here we changed plans and went out to my mom and dad's for festivities. It was still pretty laid back. We ate Monical's!!! My FAVE!!! We played games and toasted the New Year. The best part was the surprise we all received from Courtney & Matt. As you may know from a previous post they are having twins. Matt came in with two gymboree boxes and they gave one to my mom and one to my dad. My mom opened hers first to reveal a pretty little lady bug outfit/blanket and a bib that said "Little Lady". WOOOOOO! They are having one girl. Now on to the next box. My dad opens his and boom....another lady bug outfit etc....Oh mY GOSH...No way! TWO GIRLS!!!! My mom and I were screaming and Stella was jumping up and down. More girls in the family!!!! SO EXCITED:) THat was a great New Year's surprise. So here is to a great 2009 and 2 more beautiful girls in the world!

It's Christmas...and we're all in misery!

Ok, Christmas is always a crazy time for us. Not only do we have my family and Jason's but we also have all the great-grandparents as well. Not too many kids can say all 4 of their great grandmas are still here with them. WOW! Through all of this we still missed one this year. We just now finished Christmas on Saturday at my Grandma & Grandpa Anderson's. I am still trying to get back to normal.













We had another great Christmas. The kids were blessed this year and Santa showed up once again. He brought them a Wii and Wii games. Riley got a personalized Ohio State football jersey. Stella got her first American girl baby. That is just a few things. I won't bore you by going on. I was very impressed with them this year. With all the craziness and presents that just kept coming to them, they still understood and remembered why it is we celebrate this holiday. Stella loved telling all her family the story of how Christ the Savior was born. It makes me feel like Jason & I are succeeding as parents. I hear parents talk a lot about kids not being grateful for what they have and just wanting more. Riley showed us this year how thankful he was for what we had given him and what God had given him. Of course he is a normal almost 8 year old and is already telling me what he wants for his birthday, but he made me quite proud of him. Drake was a lot of fun. I was glad a lot of my extended family was able to meet him and get to know him. He just laughs and plays all the time. Such a great baby!!!


All in all, it was a fantastic holiday. I was able to spend some much needed time with my family. My husband was home for almost a full two weeks. Now on to a New Year!

Stella's Christmas Program

Stella had her Christmas program at Pre-K. She looked so beautiful and she did an awesome job. She is learning so much there. Not only is she learning how to write and such but she is learning about God and the stories in the Bible. I am so proud of her. She is an amazing little girl.