One Sweet Year

Happy Birthday, Drew!

ok, seriously, i heard Topher say the words, "no way, dude. i have a one year old..." and this totally sent me reeling. (it was in response to a late night inviation to dinner, by the way, which was not the part that took me aback.) if Toph has a one year old, that must mean i do too. whoa nelly. where did she come from? because, I have a baby, don't I? not an almost toddler! I suppose i'll get used to this growing up business at some point.

nah. no, i won't.

alright, here's how we celebrated:
one of our dearest friends, Kaleigh, came for a perfectly long visit & was able to help us party it up all week long! So, we started Tuesday with a special birthday breakfast & a couple of presents. One of them was a float for the pool. So, after the special birthday lunch, (mac n cheese) we went for a swim.

mmm, i love mac & cheese!
is this drew showing us she's one? she has also learned to point to her nose when you ask her where it is...perhaps with all the slippery cheese...well, you know. yuck.
pretty girls at the pool

So, after a special breakfast, special lunch and pool time, we went out for...a special dinner! we all love japanese hibachi & drew has been a few times, but this time she actually cried when the chef made the big flame. too bad i have no picture of that.

finally, right before bed we opened a huge gift bag full of tons of great stuff for the birthday princess. thanks to "momma Gail" who is topher's assistant at church. the gift bag included her special princess "1" tiara, and a precious baby doll that drew loved to kiss, plus lots of other great stuff. so awesome!
when we said we celebrated all week, we meant it. drew got some great gifts that came in the mail from wonderful friends & family in oklahoma, tennessee and texas. wow, we feel loved! thank you so much!

finally came the party on saturday! Mamaw & Papaw from Alabama, Nikki and Kaleigh from Tennessee, and Whitney and Kelsi from Oklahoma were all here for the weekend. we had so much fun! Mamaw Delena made this adorable cake & we had a rubber ducky theme...and lots of pink!

She wasn't really sure about the cake. she does love making a mess with her food, but this was so new that Dad had to help smash her hands in it. she also loves to clap her hands, especially when someone says "good job", so that, plus the icing equaled much fun. we just had a blast the rest of the weekend spending time together. we played & played, and we ate & ate.

drew was certainly worn out by the time everyone went home. but guess what? she can't wait to do it again next year! happy first birthday, baby girl.

Georgia On My Mind

Well, guess we'd better post something now before Drew turns ONE...next week! I simply can't believe how fast time is flying. Someone tell me what i can do to slow things down.

Well, here's our place. Isn't it cute? We've been working hard to paint & get unpacked. There's only so much we can do at a time with the little one always on the go. Here are also a few cute pictures of our gal in her new house:















That's actually her standing up on her own, but every time i grab the camera, i miss the shot. Then, you see her dad is making sure she only drinks the healthy stuff. Plus, notice the great shot of those 2 top teeth. She cut another bottom one last week, so we're up to 5. Finally, i just liked this sheepish little grin she gave me in this picture & notice all the boxes in the background? That's my world these days. No, really those are unpacked by now...mostly.






And, Drew would like a word...

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to share about my first 4th of July experience:


Mom & Dad took me to the local community celebration at our church. There were lots of nice people (who really like to hold me) & some yummy food, too. Look, Grambee, i wore the cute dress you gave me & i looked so fabulous & patriotic (not sure what that means yet).





See my close up...
And, you know that yummy-ness i mentioned? Well, here's a picture of me getting to "nibble" on a brownie. I got to nibble almost the whole thing, which made my mom a little nervous. Then, someone gave me Gatorade in my sippy cup. Yay for sugar. All that sugar might have made me crash, or perhaps it was the terribly long wait for those wonderful fireworks. I had some fun snuggling with my daddy & was getting very sleepy when mom & dad decided it was time to leave and go to bed--fireworks or not. Then, luckily, just as we were heading for the car...BOOM! The fireworks began. What fun. Since Daddy was holding me, i didn't even flinch. I can't wait to do it again next year.



















Hope you all are well... come visit us in Georgia!

so much fun!

well, hello all! you guys need to see some cute pictures of me, yes? well, good news...i have some to share! Here's a fun one of me, my mama & daddy on Easter. we continued our "tulsa tradition" of having lunch at the Connors, who are Aunt Bethany's incredible parents (that'd be Uncle Trent's in-laws). They are so great & treat us just like family. we love them so much! and, they even gave me my very first Easter basket, complete with a soft plushy bunny, who was so cute...until Angel got ahold of it! but, that's ok, i don't mind sharing. and, i'm not naming any names, but uncle trent definitely stole the M&Ms that were meant for my mom. she, however, does mind sharing, when it comes to chocolate.











then, i had a great month in April when my Mamaw came to visit from AL. here she is being so silly with me! And, she also bought me a fabulous activity center!!! it's a blast. here's a picture of me loving it. Thanks to my Papaw, too, who knew i'd love this exact one. it's perfect for me!





























Also in April, my new friend Crystal came up from Texas to meet me face to face for the first time. i've actually met her before, but i was still in my mom's tummy. Crystal & mom took me to the park & took lots of pictures of me. they put me in my adorable Easter dress and let me pull grass & pick flowers. it was pretty fun, but i sometimes made them work very hard for a smile. take a look:

finally, i had my nine month check-up at the end of last month. guess what? i measured 29.5 inches! that means i've already grown 9 inches...one each month! and, i weighed just over 20lbs. wow, i'm getting so big. since i've mastered this crawling thing, i try to go everywhere i possibly can in our little house. and, i've figured out how to pull myself up to my feet all by myself. it's especially fun to do in my crib, and boy did i surprise my mama. this week, i'm feeling brave enough to try to "cruise" around the furniture. i've got a few bumps and bruises from this adventuring, but it's so much fun, i don't even mind.

see you next time!

month of milestones

February was a big month for us. As we rolled into the beginning of it, our little "slug baby" (Uncle Lamar & Aunt Jill's phrase for the infant stage) learned to sit up on her very own. She'd been a supported sitter for awhile, but it was so cool to see her manage it steadily without help. And, it makes for many more photo ops. How cute are naked babies?!

We took off on a long road trip to great state of Alabama to visit Drew's Mamaw & Papaw and Uncle Jon in Hunstville. She traveled great and had an incredible week. And, even though she started cutting teeth, she wasn't fussy at all!

Those 2 teeth, which popped through one day after the other, led to her first Biter Biscuit. Lots of fun...and mess.

She's also learned that rolling can be used as a form of locomotion. I can't capture that in photos very well & don't even want to begin to deal with uploading videos, but trust me it's a blast & it's changing the way we live. Who knew rolling could be such a fast way to get from one room to another? So, she had her 6 month check up (almost 2 months ago now) and weighed in just under 18 lbs & 28 inches. I wonder where she gets her height...

As we're approaching the 8 month mark, she really changes every day, all the time. I've been saying that for, oh about 8 months, but, it's still true. She loves to "talk" & her favorite babble is "da da". Does that makes daddy's heart melt or what? Who cares that she doesn't quite know it's his name she's saying.

Well, this is my afternoon off of mommy duty, so i better get on with enjoying it. Let me leave you with a few of our favorite faces as of late:

Drew's First Christmas

Yes, I am just now posting our Christmas pics. My apologies, but i have come to grips with the fact that i may never be "caught up" on things in my life again. And, i'm ok with it, at least in the blogging world. (clearly) Thanks to great-grandma Lou for outfitting Drew with all the adorable "First Christmas" gear. It doesn't get much cuter.




We really do have friends, and here they are. After much coaxing & face making from Trent, i think Drew's almost smiling in this one.

Now, let the games begin...

We got to spend Christmas with Grambee Beth. She drove up from Arlington with a load of gifts for all of us. Mostly for Drew.

Presents are really only good for one thing...munching on.

And, the gift wrap's good for snacking, too.Yummy...


Grambee hooked us up with some new clothes, cool books & fun toys. Thank you! And, Drew's Mamaw & Papaw (or is it Nana & Papa??) in Alabama sent us some much needed gift certificates. Drew's already spent hers & says they were also good for chewing on.

Poor Angel must have been lamenting over not being the baby in the family anymore. She's still so cute, though. And, don't worry, she & Coy got chewy bones for Christmas.

Toph's Dad, Mr. Bill, & his wife, Sandra, came up a few days after Christmas to celebrate together. Drew once again enjoyed both the paper & the toys! While they were here, we all went to church to share in the Lord's Supper. Topher (wearing a suit!) got to lead us, and it was just our family praying & celebrating in the Lord together. I can't really describe how special it was.

We got a surprise in the mail, too. Our sweet Gossett friends sent us (me, and i'm not sharing) a super-snuggly blanket & a cool phone for Drew...

hmm...what's this?the chew test...and...i love it!

well, i guess we'll be back in June to post our Valentine's Day pics.