Activities and Memories

I've been trying to find different ways to interact and play with Drea. Here are a few we have enjoyed.

Yesterday she taught me how to play hopscotch. Yes, my three year old taught me the whole throw the rock part of hopscotch...I thought you just jumped around on the blocks. She said to me "You half a find a rock." I had no idea why. Then she threw it and it landed on a square. She jumped through the numbers, picked up the rock and then said "you half a turn around and jop back." (You should see her hop - very cute - she never picks one leg off the ground. That must come at a later stage.)

We received a sample of the younger version of Highlights magazine called High Five. I was very excited to go through the book with Drea because this is one of my favorite childhood memories of going to stay at my Dad's. He ordered the Highlights magazine for us and our favorite part was the Hidden Pictures puzzle. So since there were five of us, Dad and Beth would put contact paper over the puzzle and they gave us wet erase markers so we could wipe it off after one of us finished it. Probably sounds like a weird special memory but I always looked forward to the next subscription. So the younger version magazine has "My First Hidden Pictures" puzzle and Drea loved it. She would light up everytime she would find the objects. It was great to watch her and do it with her.

I have this book for children that suggests games to do for Drea's age. Sorting and categorizing buttons was one of the suggested activities that I thougth both of us would enjoy. So I pulled out my sewing box - it was my grandmother's.

Drea's eyes lit up like I found a secret treasure! Then I took out the two top shelves to reveal the old box full of buttons...any and every kind of button you could ever imagine. I figured this would be perfect for our sorting activity. As we sat there and sorted I thought about how special it was that I have my grandmother's sewing box. As simple and ordinary as it sounds, it is like a treasure trove of hierlooms and antiques. Most of the thread in it were hers. Mostly all of those buttons were hers. Yes, I live in my grandmothers old house, I have her corner cabinet full of all of her china, I'm pretty much surrounded by old things of her and my grandfathers but there is something oddly special about this sewing box to me. I tried to explain to Drea that it was my grandmother's but I don't think she seemed to grasp how special it is. Oh well, one day she will. Of course, my little girlie-girl asked me to make her a necklace with some thread and a button. If you see it on her in public...I tried.

Random Pics, Video, and Thoughts

Stacey wrote about liking yard sales, she purchased this raincoat at one.....as soon as it rained Drea insisted on putting it on and going outside and playing in the rain.....she had lots of fun!

Drea loved splashing in the puddles while I tried to hide under the pine tree

I took this picture the other night....notice the picture of her little sis....she does love her!

Speaking of yard sales, this is what we purchased with our hard earned money from our yard sale. We needed to get a bigger tent with our expanding family....we better not out grow this one or we may need to look for better jobs or have more yard sales.

I told you this post was of random pics....this mug belongs to Ben....I borrowed it (actually I stole it, it's a game we play, which Ben isn't really good at, I have had it since football season)....I wanted to include it on our blog just to taunt Ben, by the way my coffee is much better when I drink from it, plus on game day it helps to guarantee a Mountaineer victory.

Drea won this at the beach, you would have thought she won a million dollars....it was priceless

This is our new temporary road to our driveway and garage....I actually like it and wouldn't mind if they left it there, but I don't get a choice and that is okay, too.

This is a very cute video of Charlotte doing a few tricks....my favorite is the smile....it is amazing how something this small already has me wrapped around her finger....it's not fair, I don't stand a chance, she is way to cute.

Finally, one last Drea story....we have been trying to get Drea to ask for things in complete sentences and not be so demanding when she wants something, anyway, the other day we were coming home from the ice cream stand and Drea starts asking to color on the way home. She was quite demanding and starting asking to color by just saying, "Color!" She kept saying color over and over. Stacey said to her we can't give you, your crayons and coloring book if you don't ask nicely. Still, Drea continued to say color. So I say to her, "Drea what do you need to say." Drea response, "Color, Sir!"

We made it.

We made it.

I know this sounds weird but this is what I was thinking the other night when Drea woke up screeching at the top of her lungs because she had a nightmare.

I was sitting on her floor by her bed holding this gigantic little 3 yr old (I say "gigantic" because after holding a 4 month old most of the time, Drea seems like this huge little person). And I just began to think... she's 3 1/2 and we've made it! Not that I ever thought we wouldn't make it but probably some of the times were questionable.

We made it.

We made it through - up all night teething, making it to the potty and not so much making it to the potty, throwing up, nightmares, first steps and bumps & bruises, our first dental cleaning & first dance recital and many, many other things.

We made it.

I was thinking as Charlotte is getting ready to start teething that we made it through one - we can do it again.

I know, I know, there is so much to make it through...first days of school, learning to ride a bike, trying out for some kind of team, and of course, the teenage years...but it made me feel great to be holding this gigantic 3 year old and think...

We made it.

Random Thoughts (from Stacey)

• You know how a baby's skin is super soft - have you ever noticed that first thing in the morning baby's skin is really extra soft? Wonder why? Well, whatever the reason, this is my favorite. (Has anyone else ever noticed this or am I really making it up?)
• I love yard sales...Going to them and Having my own. I've been really into yard sale-ing the past couple years. It's fun and I love the treasures I find for not much money. Our yard sale was today - we made a lot of money.
• When I'm an old woman I'm going to wear a do rag all the time. For a few reasons...I will be tired of doing my hair, I think old ladies in head rags are adorable, and maybe people will think I'm hard at work cleaning my house or something. (I told you these were random thoughts.)
• Being positive isn't easy. I'm doing a study at church and this week we are focusing on replacing the negative with the positive. I feel like I'm learning a lot...and I've definitely learned being positive is hard...but I guess that's why we're supposed to rely on God's power to help us with positivity.
• I love when my house is clean...it just doesn't seem to be that way often enough.
• I bought my Andy Phillies tickets for Father's Day and it signed me up to get email updates of what is going on with the team. This sounds dorky but I love it because I feel like I have this secret way to connect with something my husband loves. He knows this is where I get my information from so it's not really a secret in that sense but a secret in the sense that I have never thought of it before. So Andy will come home from work and I will be like "Did you see the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez to a one year contract today?" And I think I get an automatic free "I love you" you look from Andy because he feels like he can talk to me about something he loves!
• Hope everyone has a wonderful week! Take some time to love your family a little extra this week - I bet they will appreciate it!

July 4th and the Phillies

Every Fourth of July for the past seven years we go to our good friends Paul and Christe's house. We enjoy getting to spend time with them and our other friends and this year was no different. Here are some pics from that event. Missing are pictures of me playing washers, which I did alot of....I think I may be good at it again....time will tell.

Drea playing with a sparkler

Drea was so tired she fell asleep sitting up watching Cinderella. She never falls asleep watching movies, let alone sitting up.

Charlotte enjoying her poolside seat

Quin, Lily, Drea, and Owen fighting to stay awake



This is Paul and Christe. On Sunday, after the fourth we all went to the Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. This was a belated father's day gift for me. It was the first time any of us had been to the Phillies' new stadium which is now 5 years old. It is very beautiful. Not only that the Phils beat the hated Mets 2-0. The girls must have been good luck.

By the way, it's not a belated Father's Day present when you get the tickets before Father's Day. The present was on time - the game was at a later date. Just to clarify - Someone might think I forgot about Father's Day! - Stacey

Daddy and his girls

Our seats were pretty high up, but it kept us in the shade and there didn't seem to be a bad seat in the entire place.

Drea's Phillies' tattoo

Drea and Charlotte's first Phillies game

Final Beach Pictures 2009

Well, this is the last of the beach pictures (Not really I just limited the number that I was putting on the blog). For you facebook people Stacey put most of them on there. Anyway, here they are in no particular order.

The family at the music pier in OC

Drea enjoying her Ice Cream

Swimming in the ocean



Charlotte just relaxing with Dad

Our Girls


The family sitting on the beach

Here's Drea in the flip-flop. She wanted to get her picture in this everytime we walked by it. I think we walked by it 10-15 times in the 3 days we were there. She really loved it, to say the least.

Mommy and Drea's turn to wait for pizza. By the way, pizza at the beach is amazing. At least, it is in Jersey. Well, pizza in Jersey is amazing everywhere, but the beach pizza is the best. Next year, I'm taking a picture of it so everyone can see how awesome it looks.

Drea enjoying the beach

Daddy and Drea digging a hole

• By the way Charlotte is 4 months today....she had to get shots at the doctor but she is tough she cried just a little....she weighed in at 16 lbs 10 ounces and 25 inches long.
  

Sports Thoughts

• Lebron James is a punk! I have never really liked him or his game and this was only enforced when after the Cavs lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals he refused to shake hands. He said something about, I'm a winner and you have to understand as a winner, that is something I can't do. I'm sorry...you're not a winner you a loser. The latest from the King is he was dunked on by a college player at his basketball camp. Well, some media types were there filming. They filmed all day and nothing was said to them...that is until Lebron was dunked on and it was captured on tape. That is when the tapes were taken from the camera men. We can't have Lebron look bad...too late...he is a punk.

• My friend Paul hates baseball....he tells me all the time. He also hates that I like to know if the Phillies won or not. He says, "There is 162 games it doesn't matter if they win or not." It does matter....I get just as excited about game 1 as game 162. I'm happy if they win and mad when they lose. I think Paul is just bitter because he is an Orioles fan.

Beach Pics

Charlotte, Me, and Stacey swimming at the hotel pool

Stacey and I still swimming

A beautiful picture of the pool water

Waiting for pizza at Preps

Charlotte at the beach

The beach

The ocean and beach

Charlotte and Mommy

Charlotte trying to stay cool

I don't know if you noticed that Drea wasn't in any of these pictures, that is because she was too busy taking them. She did a really good job considering her age and this being the first time using the camera. I was also happy she didn't drop the camera in the pool.

Coming Soon: More beach pictures...this time with Drea.

Music

The pastor at our church was recently talking about learning scripture. He suggested that it was easy to learn bible verses...just think of them like music...then he played a variety of music and had us sing the words to prove his point. This got me to thinking about music. I know this wasn't the point of the sermon, but it is the point of my blog. I have a wide range of music that I like and listen too. Most songs take us back to some point in our lives and we remember what happen or what was going on. Though the years I have listen to many different types of music, Hootie and the Blowfish, Sublime, Fugees, Beastie Boys, George Clinton, Bob Marley, Toby Keith, Barenaked Ladies....just to name a few....right now I have been listening to the Davisson Brothers Band, with most music I like, I wind up listening to it like it is my job. If you want check them out on the web at www.davissonbrothersband.com.

Coming Soon: Beach stories and Pictures