The countdown to {1}

{30}

I had the easiest labor.

12 hours start to finish.

I had the very BEST nurses and doctor.

15 minutes of pushing and out came my 8 pound 3 ounce little giant!

I have never been more elated and in love in my life!

{29}

My babe was a wild man my entire pregnancy.

It was no surprise to me that he was born with a knot in his cord!

Luckily, it didn't cause any problems at all.

Mr. Big was as healthy as a horse!

Eleven

Holy Smokes! This little trike bike rider is 11 months old! This really is unreal to me! This little toothy grin makes everything alright in my world! I am so very grateful for this boy!

Things to remember about Drake at {ELEVEN} months:

* He's a crawler... finally! He started out moving like a little inch worm but has figured out that the knee method works a whole lot better.

* He has three teeth. Two bottom and one fang.

* He loves holes. He will find a hole in anything and try to fit his chubby little finger in it.

* He prefers crackers, over pretty much anything else. He is still a great eater, but he sure does LOVE his crackers.

* He still doesn't love the sippy cup but will drink out of it when he wants to. He drinks way more when his dad or grammy gives it to him than when I do.

* He is one limber boy! He maneuvers himself into the most awkward positions and doesn't seem to care at all.

* He has learned how to throw all of his binkies out of his crib at night. I have to move his crib every night before bed to retrieve them.

* He can sit himself up from any position now.

* He loves medicine and opens his mouth as wide as he can when he sees the dropper coming. I really don't drug him, I promise! It's just one of the very few sweet things he eats, I guess!

* His feet are growing again and he is now wearing a size four shoe.

* He likes to play fetch with himself. I wonder if he learned this from Oty??

* He is still very dramatic and still whines when he doesn't get what he wants!

* He is down to one bottle a day.

* He loves his baths and has learned to move all over the bath tub.

* He DOES NOT like Santa Claus

* When I hand him a truck or car toy, he makes the funniest grunting noises. I tell myself that he is making the car sounds, but he probably isn't! It's still cute though!

* He knows how to give mommy kisses!

* He hurt himself getting into things he shouldn't have for the first time the other day. He pulled a decorative tile onto himself. Oops! Might have to put that one up for now!

* He is a little leery of people he doesn't know. He is much more clingy when there are new people around.

* He loves his daddy and always reaches for him whenever he is close by!

* He survived his first year of Coins for Kids and was a fabulous "mascot!"

* He is a super wild sleeper. He flails all over the place right when he falls asleep. It's amazing to me that he can even sleep how he does. Watching him do it, you'd think he was awake and playing around! It's crazy!

* He HATES to have his nose suctioned and screams bloody murder during the process.

* He has his first little cold. No Fun!

* He is truly such a joy to have in our home. Chris and I are amazed all the time at how blessed we are to have such a wonderful little son!

The countdown to {1} is on! Ahhh!!

Oh no you don't...

This will NOT continue!! I agonized over this crib for WAY too long for it to be covered in little teeth marks! Luckily for me, he can't stand up by himself in the crib yet, only when I help him, which will not be happening again! Why is it that this was his very first instinct and obviously he thought it was hilarious!?! Oh, I just love this little man, but I really don't want him to ruin his crib.

Coins for Kids

Every year, my dad and I, along with hundreds of other volunteers from around the community, participate in providing christmas for children in our area that would otherwise be going without. Coins for Kids was started 19 years ago by a handful of employees at the KONY radio station and has continued each year since. This year was our biggest year yet! We had 900+ families in need, 2400+ children to provide for and $125,000 to raise... and WE DID IT! Along with help from Toys for Toys, Wal-Mart, local businesses, and members of the community, we were able to help all of those in need!

Each year I am amazed at the generosity of those in our area and every year, I am SO grateful to be a part of such a wonderful organization. The magic of Christmas is truly something special and every year as I watch our volunteers come to shop, wrap, and deliver, I am humbled by their willingness to give of whatever they have in whatever capacity they have to give it.

Being able to witness and help provide this type of service to little children in need is what truly makes my Christmas. My parents have always been such amazing examples of service for our family and I can only hope that as I continue to raise my little one, that I will be able to teach him the importance of service also.

{Pre-Shopping}

All of these toys were donated to Coins for Kids and Toys for Tots.

{Wal-Mart Shopping}

We take the money that is raised and go to Wal-Mart to shop for each child.

This year we were able to spend $75 per child

{Wrapping}

Once all the toys are purchased, every single item is wrapped.

We have hundreds of volunteers that come to wrap on Thursday.

{Delivery}

Each family's toys are hand delivered by a volunteer on Friday.

Most people borrow our Santa suites and dress up like "Santa's Helpers."

This year we had 168 routes that had 1-5 families in each route.

This will only take a minute...

Hey everyone that happens to look at this blog...

I just got an email from my aunt yesterday about a little boy in Ohio that has a unique Christmas wish. Here's the email:

Nathan Elfrink is a seven year old little boy who lives in West Jefferson, Ohio with his mom, Dode,dad Tod, and little sister Ellie. Nate has been fighting brain cancer since he has been 20 months old.After many years of surgeries, chemo, and radiation treatments, he has been sent home from St Jude Hospital in Memphis - this will be Nates' last Christmas.

When asked what he wanted this year for Christmas he said he wanted a million Christmas cards from people from all over the world. He received 40 yesterday, but he would like to have a lot more.

Without the effects of the radiation and the chemo Nate feels pretty good right now and he's even going to get to ride with Santa Claus in the local Christmas parade. He's really tickled that he doesn't have to go to any more doctors or hospitals. Nate knows all about his condition, but had a question for his Mother - "Do they have chocolate in Heaven"? He's really,really happy that indeed they do!

Please take the time to send this special little man a Christmas card.

I know that everyone is probably rushing around trying to get their last minute shopping and baking done, but if you can spare a few extra minutes, a card, and a stamp, I'm sure it would mean the world to this little guy.

Here's his address:

NATE ELFRINK

2415 TAYLOR BLAIR RD

WEST JEFFERSON, OHIO 43162

Funny Baby!

This is Mr. Big's newest trick!

He must think the binky tastes better this way!

He does this ALL the time!

1st Annual Gingerbread House Party!

This year, I decided to carry on the Musso Gingerbread House tradition and invited some of our awesome friends to come make houses too! It was a bit messy and there were a few sketchy moments (Kalli's wall caved in a bit) but all in all, it was super fun and we are definitely doing this again next year! Thanks so much to everyone that came!

The moms

The dads

The kids

Presli, baby Tage, and baby Simone were also there but they were asleep during the picture taking!

We missed everyone that couldn't make it, but there's always next year!

All they want for Christmas...

is their two front teeth!

My baby son has decided that he wants to just like little miss Scarlett and has sprouted a "Fang!" He has his two bottom front teeth and now his one right Cuspid. It's still working on coming in completely, but I'm sure in a week or two, it will be there in all it's fang glory!! I've been told that the fangs are really hard on the little ones, so if this is as bad as it's going to get... I'm one lucky momma. Mr. Big hasn't been perfect, but he certainly hasn't been all that bad!

Love these two!

Dessert

Last night for dinner, this baby ate peas, pineapple, chili and an oreo cookie for dessert. Can you guess which one was his favorite?? I am so thankful to have such a good eater! I promised myself when he was born that I wouldn't give him junk food because I didn't want to spoil him, but I've obviously caved. Everybody needs a little dessert, right!?!

Maybe next year!

So this wasn't exactly the picture I had hoped for, but I still love it! Too bad Mr. Big was so scared because this really was a darling Santa! He was not surprised at all that Drake bawled! He even had a little plan to try to trick the babe, but it obviously didn't work. Oh well... better luck next year!

The Nativity

My mom and I just finished our second quiet book, just in time for Christmas. I know Mr. Big is really too little for it this year, but we couldn't help ourselves! We had to make it! I think it turned out pretty darn cute!

Ten

Last night as I was writing in this little man's journal, I became seriously depressed! I just realized that I only have two more months before my little son is one and officially on his way to becoming a kid! At 12 months, the big kid stuff begins. I'm not ready for him to drink out of big boy cups and go without his binky. Can't he just stay little for a few more years?!? Don't get me wrong... I am SUPER excited for him as a toddler, even knowing that it's going to be rough, I am just not quite ready to let "Drake as a tiny baby" go!

Things to remember about Drake at {TEN} months:

* He finally has two little teeth. They both popped up within a week of each other.

* He still has NO desire to crawl. I'm beginning to worry a bit!

* He has had his first ear infection and tiny flu bug and was really a champ through it all.

* He points at everything and loves to wave his arms around.

* He knows his Grammy's house and starts to wiggle in his car seat when we pull into the driveway.

* He had his first weekend with daddy all by himself and was great! Both he and daddy survived and managed to enjoy it!

* He likes to watch football... really, he does! He will sit and stare at the TV forever.

* His feet haven't grown in awhile. He is still a size three.

* He is wearing his 12 month pants because he needs the length. He has some long legs!

* He loves medicine and opens his mouth when he sees me coming with the dropper.

* He loves to mimic coughing and sneezing with his fake cough.

* He can point to my nose if I ask him where it is.

* He has become quite the little chatter box. He "talks" all the time, especially while we're driving.

* He doesn't love to drink out of the sippy. He can do it, he just prefers not to! Taking the bottle away will be easy because he doesn't really care about it anymore but I'm not sure how I'll get him to drink anything.

* He reaches out when he wants someone to hold him.

* He still loves the remotes and my phone.

* He LOVED his first Thanksgiving dinner and probably ate more than I did!

* He is still such a good eater! He is not picky at all and will eat pretty much anything I give him.

* He may be developing a real problem with sharing. He cried yesterday when a little girl at church walked away with one of his toys that he wasn't even playing with!

* I think he is starting to look a little bit like me. Not noticeably to most people, but my mom and Te-Te can see it! He is still mostly his daddy's son, but there may be a hint of Musso in there!

* He is so darn fun at this age and is truly the light of our lives!

Oh... I just love this baby!!

Seriously!!!

Okay... so I am not typically one to rant and rave on my blog but tonight's events

warrant a bit of a rant.

Chris and I decided that it was high time to finally see This Is It.

We met up with the Shaw's and ended up having the theater almost completely to ourselves...

for a minute.

Ten minutes into the movie,

two mom's come tromping in with four or five little kids,

none of which could have been over seven.

Although the entire theater was empty, they of course, had to sit right behind us.

After many bumps to the back of our heads and bashes with the ever so large purses,

they managed to get situated and we all sat back to watch the movie.

The little guy behind Chris had a hard time settling down and ended up kicking his seat for a good half hour, but he eventually feel asleep.

Obviously, even though the movie was rated PG, it's not exactly a movie that a three year old would enjoy. DUH!

Anyways... like I said, we all managed to enjoy the show until the very end.

Right as Michael was getting ready to rehearse Billy Jean,

I felt a sudden stream of fluid come splattering on my face and all over my clothes.

Completely caught off guard, it took me a minute to realize what was happening.

The little boy that was sitting behind Chris must have woken up and had to pee

and the Mom's of the Year that he was with obviously weren't watching him as he dropped trow and went to town all over us!

Yep, that's right... he PEED ALL OVER US right in the theater! Unbelievable, right?!?!

Naturally, we were a bit irritated with the situation, but of course it wasn't the little boy's fault so we just left the theater and went to the bathroom to try to clean up a bit. Pretty much pointless, but we at least washed our hands and faces.

Now, you'd think that if you were the mom of this child that had just peed all over strangers in a movie theater, you'd be completely mortified and try to do everything possible to make the situation okay. Offer to pay for dry cleaning, offer to buy their movie tickets, offer to help them clean up, or at the very least, SAY SORRY for the love!! You'd think that would be the very first thing that you would say to the couple standing in front of you dripping with your son's urine!!! But... do you think she did that??? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE! She didn't even say sorry! Are you kidding me?? Really... who does that!?!

After our attempt at cleaning up, we decided to try to catch the last of the movie, thinking that Mom's of the Year would surely say SOMETHING to us after the show ended however; I did find it odd that they even came back into the theater and watched the end of the show after what happened. If it were my kid, I would have hauled out of there as fast as I could as soon as I made sure everything was okay. But... they didn't. They decided to stay until the end.

When the credits began to roll, the crew packed up and headed out, walking right by me and still not saying one word. So... being the hag that I am, I decided to walk out right behind them, just to see if they were really and truly going to leave without apologizing. I know, I'm immature, but I couldn't help it. I was so dumbfounded that they hadn't apologized, I couldn't help myself.

I followed them out to the parking lot and ended up being parked right next to them. I even walked uncomfortably close to the mom right as I walked up to my car, just to see if she would make eye contact. And what to you know... she didn't. I honestly COULD NOT believe it! Now maybe I'm making a WAY bigger deal about this than I should be, but I honestly cannot understand how someone can be so completely rude and inconsiderate. Like I said, we all know it wasn't anyone's fault, exactly, but that doesn't mean that the mother isn't responsible for making sure that everyone involved is okay. Some people!!!

So, the moral of my story... women that don't apologize when their kids pee on people are HAGS!!!

What a Week!

Mr. Big and I spent this last week in Arizona with the Colburns. Charlotte needed some extra help with the kiddies so Drake and I flew down on Sunday to stay and play until Saturday. Although the week was filled with a few more surprises than anticipated and a bit more puke than any one really wanted, all in all, we made it home safe and yes, Brinton and Char... we definitely still love you!

I called Drake and Nixin my "twins" for the week. Even though Nixin is 3.5 months older, Drake has her beat by three pounds! She is such a tiny little thing! She is definitely her mother's daughter! Lucky for us, the cute Owen's family only lives a few miles from the Colburn's so we managed to meet up for some park and zoo time. Brexton and Ryan had fun whipping trees with their pretend whips made out of yucca plants and the two baby boys enjoyed themselves and the shoes they pulled off Nixin's feet. It was a good time!

Ruckus the kitten was one of the unexpected surprises of the week. The poor little thing was abandoned at the neighborhood park and Charlotte's pain meds got the best of her, which is how this little thing ended up becoming the newest member of the Colburn crew. He really is darling and Brexton and Cote are in heaven.

Thursday we met up with Kristen and the boys and Emily and Adam at the zoo. Mr. Big had never been to the zoo before and was really still too young to care about most of the animals, but he did enjoy the squirrels and birds that were close to where we ate lunch. He also had fun sharing toys with Adam and watching all of the other people that were there.

Unfortunately, in spite of the fun we had, there were a few rough times. Poor little Nixin ended up with an ear infection on Wednesday, Charlotte got the pukes on Thursday, Brexton got the pukes on Friday, I got the pukes on Friday night and had to fly home on Saturday morning feeling like I would have been better off dead! Seriously, what are the chances of that! So far, Mr. Big hasn't started with the pukes, but we did make our first visit to the instacare tonight because he decided that he really wanted to be Nixin's twin and now has his very first ear infection! Unbelievable!

All in all though, even though all of us spent some part of the week feeling crappy, we all survived and I got to spend an entire week with some of my most favorite people! Thanks so much for having us Brinton and Char! We love you and can't wait for Polar Express!

Oh, and one last thing... this is what I came home to!

For anyone that knows Chris Weaver, this is a demonstration of true love! My babe hates to put up Christmas lights but he did it this week, all on his own, to surprise me when I got home. What a good love I have!

Dear Bird's the Word,

Your nephew and his "brother" Reggie are best friends.

They have learned how to keep each other entertained for quite some time.

Reggie still can't understand why Mr. Big can't actually throw his toy,

but he seems to be satisfied as long as he can shove it up underneath Mr. Big.

Mr. Big has learned how to pick Reggie's toys up and likes to show them to him.

He doesn't get them very far, but he has learned how to wing them away from him.

Mr. Big also thinks he is the coolest little roller ever born!

He rolls all over the place now.

Most babies do this at six months.

We're at nine and a half and I think it's great!

So what, if I have a lazy baby!

Next step... learn to crawl. Will he ever?!?

Now that he has figured out how to roll everywhere,

he seems to have no desire to even scoot.

Are we going backwards??

Oh well... I'm sure he'll do it soon and then I'll be wishing he would go back to just sitting!

Tonight, bed time was rough.

Amber, Dylan, and Ashley were here and there was just too much commotion.

He cried and cried and when he did finally fall asleep, he ended up on his belly.

He's never slept on his belly.

He's always hated it.

I'm a little nervous to leave him like that.

I know he can roll over, but what if he gets stuck because his bumpers are too big.

Ahh... the things you worry about as a mom.

I may have to flip him over before I go to bed.

Shoot!

Tomorrow we fly to AZ to stay with the Colburn's for a week.

I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to the airport and plane ride with the Big all by myself.

I'm a baby, I know, but it gives me anxiety to think about.

Hopefully he's good and I don't get sick or have to pee.

What do you do with a baby on the plane if you have to pee?

Leave him with the person next to you...

HECK NO!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Well Bird, that's all for this post. Sorry I don't have more pics or anything more exciting to tell you! I do need to do a little catch up, but that will have to wait until I get back.

Love you!

Halloween Festivities

We had quite a fun Halloween this year. Our week was full of festivities and Mr. Big was the cutest little Harley Man around!

The week started off with the fun kids party that Amber planned. As I was getting the babe in his costume the afternoon of the party, Chris informed me that the party was really not for the kids because none of them are really old enough to care, but hey... we needed all the excuses we could come up with to dress these little dolls up! The picture taking was pretty much a disaster, like always, but hopefully between all the cameras we caught a few with all of the kiddies!

On Halloween night we carried on the Musso tradition with the annual "dinner in a pumpkin." The Fatty's and the Shaw's were good sports and came to join us for dinner and some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We decided that we didn't really want to take Drake to the doors because he obviously wouldn't be eating the candy, so we just strolled along with the crew for a bit. He was a little cranky by this point and wasn't a huge fan of the stop and go, but we managed to get a few funny pics to remember his first Trick-or-Treat!

And last, but certainly not least... the Halloween Party!

Kalli and Kristi planned an adult Halloween party and it was a blast!

I didn't catch all the couples, but there certainly were some great costumes!

If you can't think of anything better, there's always the old man and old lady to fall back on! I have to admit that I got some really good laughs out of these get-ups! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! Thanks for being such a good sport babe!

What a week! Lots of fun and lots of great pics to laugh at for years to come!

Nine Months

Nine months... really!?! I can't believe that I am a mother to a nine month old! Nine months sounds so old and yet sometimes, I swear this dude thinks he's two! The nine month well-check with the Doc was great. This little man is as healthy as a horse! He received the Seasonal Flu shoot and had his Hemoglobin tested. The homemade baby food must be paying off because his Hemoglobin level was a 14 and normally they like to see them at at least an 11. Hooray for a healthy baby!

Things to remember about Drake at {NINE} months:

* He has decided that rolling from his back to belly isn't so bad after all and does it all the time now.

* He prefers to scoot backwards as opposed to forward and typically gets pretty frustrated when his toys keep getting farther and farther away.

* He HATES when I try to put him on his knees. He flattens out like a board and cries. Doc says it's normal and to not worry. He'll crawl when he wants to. Hmmm...

* He is still a dream when it comes to sleeping, now that we have the binky thing figured out! He still takes two good naps a day and sleeps for 12 hours at night.

* He had his first non-grandparent babysitter last night and was great!

* He has started to roll over in his crib and wakes up on his tummy, a tad frustrated about it!

* He has rolled off the bed once.

* He is still more entertained by things that he really shouldn't have. Remotes, keys, cameras, etc.

* He still loves the dogs and is content on his tummy if Reggie is close trying to get him to play ball.

* He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Boo! I don't know why, but I hate that show.

* He loves crackers. Graham crackers, Ritz, fishy, and saltine.

* He doesn't cry when he's hungry unless he sees me getting his food ready and then he whines until it's in his mouth.

* He is not a fan of the bottle anymore. I'm lucky to get him to drink 16 ounces a day. He doesn't love the sippy either. He'll only drink out of it if I give him juice.

* He loves to play with the toys at Grammy's house but not with his toys at home. Grammy's are way better apparently!

* He loves to play "peek!"

* He loves to play with hats but hates to wear them.

* He curls his toes up every time I try to put shoes on him which makes it super hard to get the shoes on.

* He cries every time I lay him down on his changing pad and acts like I am torturing him when I change his diaper.

* He has learned that he can push my face away when he doesn't want me to kiss all over his face!

* When he's really mad at me and I have him laying on his changing pad, he grabs my arm and clenches on to it. What nine month old does that!?!

* He loves his daddy and always has a big grin waiting for him when he comes home from work.

* He loves to sit in the carts at stores and he bounces his legs up and down the entire time. His chew toy of choice in stores is my wallet. Gross!

* He is happy to lay in his crib and play with his binky and blankie for how ever long. Sometimes I wonder how long he really does sleep for because he never fusses when he wakes up and is usually completely quiet until he sees me peeking in.

* He is SO ticklish and has the most adorable giggle!

* He is still toothless!

* He needs a haircut.

Oh how we love our Mr. Big! What a blessing it is to be his mommy! I couldn't ask for a more perfect baby to have in our home! Sure we have our rough moments, just like everyone else, but I really am amazed every single day at how lucky we are to have this little dude as our son!

While Omie was here...

Mr. Big partied it up!

He chowed down on lots and lots of yummy Michael's Bakery bread.

(a family tradition for all the Mitterholzer grandbabes and now great-grandbabes!)

He experienced the park and swings for the first time

(and was not too impressed!)

He played and watched lots of shows with Omie Om and even gave it up and fell asleep in her lap which is a very rare occurrence these days.

Only for his Omie!

And... while Omie was here, this is what I did.

I decided to try making Mr. Big's baby food instead of buying it.

He will eat ANYTHING so I decided that it was worth a try.

It took a few days of destroying my moms kitchen to get it all done

but it was well worth it! I have all of this and then some in my freezer and the best part is...

it only cost $45.00 for everything!

I have enough food to last me for months and a lot of it is stuff that good ol' Gerber doesn't have.

Call me crazy, but I am pretty darn happy about this!

All in all, it was wonderful (as always) to have Omie here. I miss her so much and wish that I could just pop on over for dinner all the time! I am so, so thankful to have such an amazing grandmother. She is my angel! My life has been so richly blessed by her and I hope that she will always remember what an incredible lady she is!

I love you Omie!

Thank you so much for all you do for me and for everyone around you!

A new post for Bird!

Bird's the Word...

while you were teaching your funky little middle school kiddies this morning,

this is what Amber, Kristi and I did.

We packed our "survival kits"

(movies, sandwiches, treats, toys, bottles, sippys, etc.)

Loaded up the kids

and headed down to the Dixie Center to wait in line for the

Swine Flu vaccine.

The Health Department was holding a "Shoot out"

in the parking lot of the Dixie Center.

It was the weirdest, most efficient thing I have ever seen!

They had five lanes set up for people to pull up in their cars to get the shot.

It was supposed to start at 1:00 so we planned to get there early

but luckily, dad was a super champ, (like always!!) and he went at 10:45 and got

a sweet spot in line, only 30 or so cars from the front.

We were in and out of there in only about 1 1/2 hours as opposed to

the 3-4 that we had planned on!

All three babies were troopers and hardly even cried when they got the shot.

Afterwards, we decided that all of our efforts definitely deserved a treat,

so we stopped by Cracker Barrel for some delicious Mac' n Cheese!

What a funny morning it was!

I have to admit...

it was pretty strange to have my babe given a shot in a parking lot

BUT...

you do what you gotta do for your kids!

** And yep... I let me 9 month old child ride forward facing! Bad, bad mom, I know. We were planning on hours in the car and I knew movies would entertain him, so forward facing it was!

The quiet book

Now that I have told pretty much everyone I know about how excited I am to have made this little quiet book, I thought I would post some pictures.

I realize for most moms out there, this is really nothing too special, but for me, the ultimate "non-sewer," this is huge! I managed to do most of it by myself with my mom as the supervisor! Usually, it is the other way around!

I know it's super cheesy, but I am so crazy about this silly little thing! I can't wait to make another! I hope Mr. Big actually likes it when he is old enough to use it!

While we were away...

Mr. Big had his very first sleep over with Grammy, Omie, and Aunt Bird! What a lucky guy! Talk about being spoiled rotten. This little man partied it up all weekend. I'm sure he didn't even miss us one single bit! How lucky we are to have such wonderful people that love our babe so much! I didn't worry about him for one second, I just missed him like crazy!

I stole these pictures from Bird's blog. Thanks Bird! I love all the funny little faces!

Things to remember:

* He has learned how to turn his little car toy over to make the horn honk constantly. Every time it is set in front of him, he immediately flips it over and presses on it to get the horn going.

* His feet and toes are always moving. He constantly curls and uncurls his toes and bounces his legs up and down, especially while sitting in his high chair.

* He loves Ritz Crackers

* Bananas make him throw up like crazy. It's really too bad because he loves them.

* He is not too interested in his bottle these days. He wouldn't even drink it tonight before bed.

* He has learned to throw his toys around and manages to get them pretty far out of reach however; he still can't crawl to retrieve them!

FIVE

This year for our big {FIVE} year anniversary, we decided to stray from our usual getaway to Park City and went to Brian Head instead. It was our first time leaving Mr. Big and I was a little hesitant to be five hours away so we switched things up and had a fabulous time!

Our weekend consisted of bike rides, site seeing, funky restaurants, pedicures, LOTS of junk food, and some good ol' relaxation. It was a much needed break from the every day however; a tad bitter sweet because we both missed our babe so much!

Lots of pictures, of course! And... I'm not quite sure why my dear husband let me walk around with this ridiculous bandanna on my head but all I can say is... watch out Brett Michaels, here I come!

Just a quick note to my love...

Thank you, thank you, thank you Christopher Weaver for wanting me forever! What an amazing year this has been and how lucky I am to have so many more to look forward to!

I love you

Nothing of great importance, but worth remembering!

I love to spy on this munchkin!

He does the funniest things when I leave him alone

and don't pay attention to him for a few minutes.

Right now he is making noises and scooting all over the living room.

As soon as I make eye contact though, he gives me a super grin...

but then starts to fuss!

What a funny little one.

Gotta love this belly and sweet hair pic!

Caught him laughing at Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

As soon as he saw me around the corner, he cried!

Let it be known, that I am officially married to an A+ student! Not just an A student, but really and truly an A+ student! And this beauty is on our fridge as a reminder! Chris has ventured back to school and I am so darn proud of him! Although he's away from home more than he is here, Mr. Big and I are so impressed with his hard work and definitely think he deserved the A+! Way to go babe! Keep up the good work!

Yesterday we had a bit of a mishap at our house involving a man, our attic, and a big hole in the ceiling. Yesterday, Chris' boss came over to use our attic to shoot a commercial for their sales division here in St. George and unfortunately the nice camera man missed the truss and stepped right down onto the drywall, creating a big hole in the ceiling. Then, while they were trying to clean up all the insulation that fell through the hole, the bag slipped off the vacuum and all the insulation blew all over the place! It really was quite comical, a bit sad for the guys that were trying so hard to make things okay, but overall, I'm glad it happened here instead of at a customer's house! Really though, what are the chances that something like that would happen?! Luckily, three very nice men have been here all day patching things up and by tomorrow afternoon, we'll never be able to tell it happened!

Tonight, my Oma is coming! Hooray! Having my Oma come visit honestly makes my entire year! I can't wait for her to see my babe. She hasn't seen him since June so I'm excited for her to see how much he has changed. Oma's visits always mean: the very best food you could ever ask for, trips to the grocery store everyday, nights spent watching "made-for-tv" movies, especially if close to Christmas, walks around the block, egg with a hole in the bread breakfasts, baby snuggles, and lots of hugs and kisses. Oh how I love when Oma comes to stay! Now if only I could convince her to stay here with us forever. Wouldn't that be grand!

How did I get so lucky??

This guy seriously cracks me up everyday! Lately he has been making the funniest little laughing sound and this morning he has done it non stop. Every time I leave the room, I hear him doing it to the dogs or just barely to the TV. It busts me up every time. I tried to catch it on video this morning but it isn't the best recording. It is the sweetest thing in the world to have a baby that will grin at me, every time I even glance his way! Oh, I just want to eat him up!

Isn't this beanie adorable?! Drake was given it as a gift before he was born and I just love it. It's just barely fitting and it still isn't cold enough outside to wear it, but we like to practice wearing it in the house. Well, I like to make him practice! Mr. Big wasn't too sure about it, as you can see, but he's going to have to get used to it. It is way too cute to keep in the drawer!

I am just so crazy about this little one!

These pictures melt my heart!

More to remember

I've decided to switch things up a bit with my Drake documenting. Instead of recording things about him once a month, I am going to try to do it more often because he is changing so much every day. Sometimes I think I forget the little things when I sit down to write his monthly list. So here goes...

* He thinks he's pretty cool with his bottle these days. He loves to pull it in and out of his mouth and wave it around, spilling milk everywhere. If I ever leave the room while he's drinking away, I can always tell when he's playing around because he either gets really quiet or he giggles. It's so funny and cute but my carpet is definitely paying the price!

* His socks DO NOT stay on. It doesn't matter what kind of sock it is or what size I try. Nothing works! I remember my mom always saying that my brother's socks never stayed and now I am saying the same about my little man! It's so strange!

* I think he's a lefty! My mom has been saying it for months now and I've always just laughed about it, but I watched him all day today and it seems to be true. This little boy is SO much like his daddy!

* He is way too cool to lay back in his stroller anymore. He sits straight up and holds on like he's ready to off road! He means business when he's in the stroller!

* He loves to grab a handful of whatever is on his tray and hold onto it in his right hand for as long as I will let him. He never puts his right hand to his mouth. He just saves the goods for later!

That's all of the cuteness I need to remember for today!