Hilton Head Vacation

We returned on Saturday evening from our "annual" family vacation to Hilton Head Island, SC. Drew got to spend a week with, not only mommy and daddy, but also Nana, Grandaddy, Aunt Celeste, Jay and Amelia. Uncle Mike was able to be there for the first few days as well. Here are a couple of photos of our trip...I will figure out a good way to post more soon! (Yes, I know I said that with the Disney photos...) One of the greatest outcomes of the week was Drew's enhanced vocabulary and language skills. He is speaking in short sentences now and daily reviews what we did at the beach. However, he does miss his cousins a lot!


Drew LOVED digging in the sand (and flipping it in the air!)


A rare moment with the sun hat actually on Drew's head...


"Me go bike ride!" was frequently heard from Amelia - it was a big hit!


Morning dancing with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse


Our little family...

Monday's Adventure

Before Drew got sick this week, we had an adventure on Monday. Drew and mommy went on a "cow trip" with Lora and Elizabeth. We drove down to Athens to see the Mayfield plant and have some ice cream. Then we headed back up and stopped at the Sweetwater Valley Farm to eat lunch, see cows and have some cheese. The kids were great and had a good time at both places. It was the hottest day so far this summer (great planning on our part, huh?!) but they still trooped along. Here are some cute photos of the day - I'll get some cow pictures from Lora to post as well. Drew liked the baby cows and the horses the best.


Touring the Mayfield Dairy plant...love the hairnets!

Drew and the Mayfield cow

Drew's first "car movie" adventure...he was captivated!

Update on our week...

Well, we have had another family week of illness. Monday, Patrick came down with the stomach bug that Drew and I had earlier. It's just no good! Then Tuesday morning, Drew woke up with a fever of 102.5. This isn't too high but unusual for him as even an ear infection usually gets about a 101. We went to the doctor and were reassured that nothing was systemically wrong (no ear infection, no chest congestion, etc.) and to watch the fever. Well...it progressively got worse. Tuesday night he hit 105 during the night, Wednesday he hovered at 102-103 all day. We thought we were out of the woods Wednesday night as he was down to 99, then Thursday morning he woke up at 105.9. Yeah...high... So back to the doctor we went for blood work and another system check. Everything came back ok and we agreed it was most likely some nasty virus (read: nothing we can do about it). So yesterday was another day of Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever down. Our wonderful doctor called us 3 times after we saw her that morning just to make sure he wasn't getting worse throughout the day. Today he woke up at 102 and we were back at the doctor to recheck blood just to be sure. It still appears to be a virus and he has started getting a nasty rash all over him. The doctor says that we should be at the end of it as a rash usually comes as the fever ends. The good thing is that he has been sleeping like a champ over the past few days which seems to really help. He is a little dehydrated and not wanting to drink much but we're trying creative ways to help with that.
The greatest part about this all is that we are supposed to leave tomorrow morning for our family trip to the beach...yeah...not sure about that right now. As long has he has a fever he is contagious and can't be around Amelia, and I'm not going to subject him to a 7 hour car trip when he doesn't feel well. So we'll see how today goes and make a decision tonight on whether we'll leave in the morning, tomorrow afternoon, or wait until Sunday. Ahh the joys of a toddler!

Tunnel

Drew LOVES tunnels. When you drive under a bridge, he says "nunnel...whee," which is adorable. Patrick will often make tunnels out of couch cushions for him to crawl through. Well, we got him a wagon as a "mid-year" birthday present (it's hard when your birthday and Christmas are so close together!) and while the wagon is a hit, the box has been an even bigger one. Here is Drew in his new "nunnel".

Happy July 4th!

Swimming with Daddy

It's so hot...I just want to relax on the "big swing!"

Amelia's "adie bug" cake

The princess and her new car! Too funny to watch this driving adventure!

Happy July 4th to everyone! We had a very busy day today and we are all so tired! We kicked off the day by supporting the economy and purchasing a new mattress for mommy and daddy's room - a much needed investment! We then all went to Steve & Sharon's for some swimming, eating, relaxing and an early birthday party for Amelia. It was a good day, but the little man did not take his afternoon nap - which, combined with his teething, refusing to eat and general grumpiness these days made for a cranky afternoon! But all is well tonight and mommy is off to an early bedtime!

Summer Adventure

Today was Drew's first day of Summer Adventure at church. It's a 5 week mother's day out program, 2 days a week for 4 hours. It is a great time for him to burn off some steam and for mommy to get things done! Amelia is in his class this summer and so is Elizabeth, mommy's friend Lora's daughter, so he has friends already. He had a great first day (after a tearful goodbye this morning) and came home in a great mood!

Let's Dance!

What do you see down there Maddie?

Raisins...

Drew has a minor obsession with raisins right now. It's pretty much the only food he will consume without bribes! Today I stuck them in the pocket of his overalls so they would be readily accessible (and somewhat protected from Maddie). He thought that was good stuff!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Daddy!


Playing around...no time for photos!


Delivering cards to Daddy...


And Uncle Mike...


Grandaddy with his presents...


Horsing around with Daddy...Drew's balance is getting better!


Daddy/Uncle Patrick being the big kid in the family!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, grandfathers and fathers-to-be out there! We hope you all had a wonderful weekend and were able to enjoy some good time with your kids!

Catching Up

Hello from our little world. We have had a very busy week here. We finished up VBS today and Drew loved it. He got to catch up with friends from preschool and made lots of cute crafts. He did managed to bust his mouth open today, twice, which was a lovely experience. Luckily his Nana was working in the room next door and was able to go right over and help. Popsicles are great for stopping both the crying and the bleeding! He has a beautiful top lip now - I'll try and catch a photo of it tomorrow.
The lip is just the topping on our interesting week. On Sunday evening I started having some pretty strong contractions that only stopped with me sitting down. Patrick was out of town so my parents were able to come over and help out with Drew. I felt better Monday morning and was able to assume my duties as a 5-year old VBS teacher. In the midst of all this, we noticed a strange rash on Drew. After thinking through the past couple of weeks and a visit to the doctor on Tuesday morning, we believe Drew has Fifth Disease. He is at the tail end of it, which is good for him as he is no longer contagious (that was when we were at Disney - sorry folks!). I, however, had to go to my doctor for blood work to ensure I did not catch it from him as it can be dangerous to an unborn child. I haven't heard back from that so we are assuming no news is good news.
After that crazy day, Wednesday was turning out to be ok. That is, until we go home from VBS and a very sleepy Drew did not want to walk up the stairs for bed. I carried him up and by the time we were at the top I was in serious pain. After going back and forth with my doctor's office, I was instructed to rest for 24 hours and to not lift anything for 2-3 days to see if my pains were muscle or baby related. So I spent a very boring couple of days in the recliner and now I'm just irritated that I can't pick my baby up! Poor Patrick had to cut his trip short to come home and help out and my mom has spent more time at my house than her own over the past few days. I am feeling better, though anxious to get back into my normal routine to see if the pains will stay at bay or come back.
I'll try and post new photos of Drew as soon as I can - and I know I still haven't gotten our Disney photos up yet. I really am working on it! Oh well...Happy Friday to all!

Mickey Mouse!

Drew got to meet Mickey Mouse on the first day of our Disney vacation. I was scared to death that he would cry or run away or have some other horrible reaction. Much to my relief, Drew smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen and ran straight to Mickey for a hug and kiss. He didn't want to leave and kept putting his head over for a kiss and holding on tightly. Mickey loved him too and signed a special note for him (that yes, I will frame and keep forever!). Overall it was the perfect Disney experience and I knew whatever happened the rest of the trip...it was all worth it! (Yes, I cried...what can I say? I'm emotional!)

More Disney photos to come...I'm trying to figure out how to do a slide show or something else so that I don't have to post them individually! At last count there are 375 photos, and that's not counting the grandparents'!