family time {& more "andrew-isms"}

Last weekend we went to my family reunion.  It was fun to take Kerigan and introduce her to everyone!

We all got such a kick out of her because she just loves her Papa.  If she gets fussy, we just give her to him, and he walks around with her and she just gazes up at him so sweetly.  He has a calm about him, and she senses that.  

These are pretty much all my mom's cousins and their kids/grandkids.  The sweet lady in the pink shirt in the middle is my grandpa's sister.  She is the one remaining out of 9 siblings that are either living, or able to make it to the reunion because of health issues.  There are also a lot more cousins that couldn't make it.  Andrew was so cute, he loved playing with the two boys in the front.  He kept calling them "those bigger boys!"  So funny.

This is my beautiful niece, Mary (any single guys out there??  Ha!)  She is a fashion designer in New York City, so we don't get to see her too often, but she was in town for a wedding so she came by to see her cousin Kerigan.  She is Andrew's godmother, and we just love her so much!  It was great seeing her.

Wish she could have stayed longer.  Better yet, I wish she lived closer so she could help me babysit these two monkeys!  Ha!  (Please excuse me in these pictures.  My only defense is that I just gave birth 6 weeks ago!  Ha!)

As for our Andrew... I have more funnies I need to write down.  This kid just keeps coming up with the funniest stuff, I don't know where he gets it all!  He just talks our leg off now, we can't get him to be quiet!  Ha!  He'll say something and end with "would you like that mama?"  or "okay mama?"  He is starting to ask more questions like "what's that mama?"  or "what did you say mama?"  or "why you do that mama?"  (Do you love how he ends everything with "mama?"  That is not an exaggeration, and he asks these questions or says these things over and over until I respond, barely taking a breath in between!)

•  He'll get mad if he wakes up and daddy is already gone.  He's talked to daddy very seriously about this.  Daddy explains that he doesn't want to wake him up.  He says "But I didn't get to give daddy a hug and a kiss" and he has the saddest expression I've ever seen!  When I tell him daddy already left for work he'll say "but I wanna love him!"

•  He also says this about Kerigan if I want him to stop bugging her while she's eating or sleeping! ("But I wanna love her!")  But then whenever she's crying he'll say to her "oh Kerigan!  You're FINE!!!!!!!!"  Ha!

•  When he's in time out for something he'll cry and try to hug me and he'll yell "But I LOVE you!!!!!!" across the room.  He lays the guilt on thick.

•  The other day we were in Walmart and he's already making out his Christmas list (because that is the only way I can get him out of the toy section!!)  He keeps picking things up and saying, "we'll have to get this another day" or "we'll have to ask Santa for this....... would you like that mama?"  He'll continue to look at things and he'll say "Andrew would probly like that!" It just cracks me up.  He wants everything he sees!  Santa is going to be busy this year!  Ha!

•  He's been bugging me about these toys from Walmart that he wants.  He'll keep asking me for them and I tell him he can't have everything- he has to choose some for his Christmas list.  He'll keep saying "I'll have to get that ____, _____, ____ (lists about six more things).... okay mama?  Would you like that mama?"  I start getting annoyed and my tone starts to change.  He says to me, "Talk nicely... and say YES!"  Ha!  I laughed out loud at that one too.

•  When he does something I don't approve of, he'll say "It was a accibent!" *yes, I meant to type "b" not "d". :)

•  He informs me that he doesn't want milk anymore because he wants his nails to stop growing (I told him that it's good he drinks so much milk because it makes his bones and nails strong!)

He's quite a character.  He's growing up so much.  Sometimes I just look at him and he looks so BIG to me.  When did that happen?  I think sometimes it is because Kerigan is right next to him, but wow.  He's such a big boy now.  I'm not sure how I'm going to tell him we have to go back to the hospital (cath on Sept 16).  He'll be devastated.  I think he thinks that he doesn't have to go to that place anymore, after his surgery (we kinda had hoped that too, buddy.)  Thanks for all the prayers for things to go as planned and that the interventions performed will help decrease the pressure in his heart... once and for all!

parade and drive in

I am way overdue for an update!  I can't believe now that school has started, I'm busier than I was before and I'm not even back to work!  Ha!  I guess that just shows how helpful my husband is because I seem to get so much more done when he's home!  I miss him!

Not to mention, we've been super busy the last couple of weeks.  I have about 4 updates I need to do, but for the sake of keeping things in order, I'm going to back up a bit.

(Trust me, he's not as innocent as he looks!  Ha!)

We kicked off the famous Iowa State Fair by going to the parade the night before it started (kinda sad that the fair is now over and I'm just getting around to writing about the beginning of it!)

We went with our friends, the Grylls family.  Andrew just loves playing with their boys and we are super excited for them because they have baby #3 coming in January! 

Andrew and Landon just hammed it up at the parade.  They were dancing every time a group of dancers came by.  They were really funny.

We were so lucky because it was just a gorgeous evening- almost like fall!  I loved it!  I am so looking forward to more of that kind of weather coming soon!

Our sweet little girl just loved the parade.  It is the happiest I had seen her in a long time (we're still having reflux issues and formula switching...nothing seems to be helping!)  She was just grinning and holding her head up to look at her daddy.  So sweet.

I just love her little facial expressions in these pictures.  She was just so sweet and alert and happy!

I actually think she looks like Craig in this picture!  It is so fun to see who she's going to look like.

Daddy was having fun playing with her and making her arms go up and down, which she seemed to enjoy! Ha!

Here's our monkey doing gymnastics!  When the girls came by doing flips, the boys jumped right in and tried it too!  We were just cracking up at them!

We actually did make it to the fair this past weekend... but like I said, it's about 2 updates behind this one!  But I'll get to it!

We have so much fun with the Grylls' that we decided to hit a drive in movie that same week!  Ha!  They were showing Smurfs at the Drive In not far from where we live.  (These pj's are way too small but they were the closest thing to a smurf I could find!  Ha!  They were blue, that counts, right??) 

We actually went to the drive in with the Grylls' in Wisconsin Dells too, it was Andrew's first time.  So Landon and Andrew were very excited to go again.  Andrew couldn't wait to see the Smurfs!  Can't you tell?

We loved the movie!  Drive In's are so fun!  I just love how you can pack a cooler with drinks and as many snacks as you want!  We even brought popcorn!  (A nice break from the theater where you have to sneak snacks in your purse!  Ha!) I keep thinking soon drive in's are going to be a thing of the past... I hope this one sticks around for a while!

Have any of you been to a drive in?  I have so many memories of going to them as a kid at the lake in the summers.  That one is now closed, but I am so thankful there is still one I can take my kids to!

More updates coming soon...

snakes, snails & puppy dog tails

I thought it was time for an update on our little man!  He's been quite...um... busy lately (to put it nicely! Ha!) and I think we will all be ready for him to go back to school next week (he included).  I've been taking him to day care about one morning a week to go on fun field trips or to water day, and he has had so much fun seeing his friends and getting outside.  I have been feeling guilty lately because when I'm home alone with both kids, it is so hard to get him outside to play.  I mean really play.  And he needs that.

See exhibit A...

Um, yeah.  See what I mean?  

This happened before I was even out of bed in the morning and Craig had just left for work.  I heard Andrew downstairs and was about to get up to feed Kerigan when I heard him say "uh oh!"  However, it's not really an accident when he actually went to all the trouble of finding a brand new container of snuggle, unscrewing the lid, and dumping it out all over the bathroom and laundry room floor (yes, it went under the washing machine too).  

Needless to say, he went to day care that morning so I could clean up.  Plus I needed a "time out" from him!  Ha!  And I took all his movies and TV away for the day.  More of a punishment to myself, but that's what hits him the hardest.  He loves TV.  He cried so hard about it, and he came over to me to tell me "I broken... I have to go back to hospital" and put his hand on his chest.  As mad as I was at him, that broke my heart, just a tiny bit.  I think he knew that would hit me the hardest!  Ha!  His little heart was broken too.

Thank goodness when daddy gets home it is much easier to get him outside to play.  I am happy to say, he is an expert pedaler now!  Ha!  It only took about 2 years to get it figured out!

Well, that and his new McQueen bike.  

Daddy got him a T-ball the other day.  Andrew loves it.  "Coach" daddy had fun teaching him how to hold the bat and hit the ball correctly.

Andrew had so much fun playing with his daddy.  He is becoming such a daddy's boy lately.  He almost cries when daddy leaves for work, and he races to the door yelling "daddy!!!!!" when the garage door goes up.  When daddy isn't home and one of his toys breaks or won't work, he'll say "we'll have to have daddy fix it when he gets home!"  He has a little "pile" of things for daddy to work on in a spot on the counter.  Ha!  It cracks me up because I will offer to fix it for him or put batteries in something, but he wants daddy to do it.  He's willing to actually wait for him to get home!  Too funny.

I just have to document a few more funny things the little man has said lately:

•  The other night he spent the night at Ga Ga's and I was talking to him on the phone before bed.  My mom told him to tell me he missed me, so he did, and then he said "And I miss daddy too."  So sweet.

•  He'll come over to one of us and ask us a question and finish it with "or sumpin (something)?"  For example, he'll say, "You wanna watch a movie or sumpin?"

•  He'll say "Oh Kerigan!  You're so cute!"  And the other day as we were leaving the house she had her little bow in her hair and he said "You're pretty!"  It is just precious.  I hope he always will treat girls that way!  I guess he's learning early.

•  When Kerigan is crying, he'll come running over and say "Oh, what's the matter?"  Like he's so concerned.  Ha!

He really is the best big brother and he just adores his sister.  I am so proud of both my kids and I pray that they will always have a good relationship and be close friends.  Kerigan just watches him and loves to have him around.

•  The other day I was feeding Kerigan on the couch, which reclines, and it was blocking his path as he was walking around our coffee table.  He wanted to walk where the recliner was out, so he asked me to put it down.  I did so he could walk by, and as he went on to play with other things, I put it back up and continued to feed her.  Pretty soon he came back around the table again, noticed the recliner back out and said "Hey!  What did I just say???"  (Yeah, I laughed out loud at that one.)

•  Lately when he looks guilty of doing something naughty (reminder: the snuggle incident!) I'll ask him what he did, or what he is doing and he'll say "I'm not doin' any nothin!"

I could seriously write a book about all his funny comments and things he does.  I try to write it down when it happens, because there are so many I easily forget.  His vocabulary and communication just amaze me more every day.  This is a kid with hearing loss who barely spoke when he was 2.  He's come a long way.

One afternoon I decided to brave it and take both kids to our favorite park in town after Kerigan finished eating.  I brought a picnic for Andrew and I and we had a great time.  There were some kids there collecting frogs, and Andrew got in on that fun!

Andrew loved his little frog.

He never wanted to put it back in the water.  

He is and always has been ALL BOY!  Some things never change!

The whole time, little miss just hung out in her car seat.  She was fine not seeing the frogs!  Although believe me Andrew wanted to show her!  Ha!  She loves being outside, too.  It has been such beautiful weather lately, we are getting a break from the heat and loving it!

I can't believe it, but it is already time for school to start next week!  I took Andrew to his open house at preschool last week.  He just looks so old to me!  I cannot believe this is his last year of preschool.  I imagine I'll be a basket case at this time next year with him starting Kindergarten!  Oh my.  I can't even think it because I'll make myself sad thinking that this will be the last year I take him to preschool!  While really I'm grateful for one more year of it.

He and his little bestie Nicholas acted like they had never been apart.  They just picked right up where they left off!  Nicholas is so stinkin cute and is such a good friend to Andrew.  He really missed Andrew when he was gone for his surgery.  He even sent Andrew a little video message via email when he was in the hospital.  It made Andrew's day!

Andrew was also super excited to see Lilly (my best friend's daughter).  Lilly is starting Kindergarten this year at the same school Andrew goes to preschool!  It will be so nice for them to be there together, just like they were at day care.  Lilly is such a big girl now!  I cannot believe she is already a kindergartener.  I held this little sweetie when she was just born!  How does time go so fast??

Andrew made a letter for the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" tree in their classroom.

Just for fun... Last year's picture from open house night... He looks so much bigger to me this year!

* We got a call from Iowa City last week- our doctors discussed Andrew's lung profusion scan results (which were 30/70% of blood going to each lung) and the decision was made to perform yet another cath to try to make improvements on those numbers.  So we will once again be heading off to Iowa City on September 16 for his cath.  We aren't sure if they will be placing a stent, or just trying to balloon the left PA, but I am assuming they will try to balloon first, and after no success, they will stent it (this is what happened the last time).  Thanks for your prayers for a successful cath and that things can be improved.