BACK TO ATLANTA...

Happy Birthday to....Gaga & Uncle Mark (and a VERY belated to Papa...oops!)

2012-01-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

Somehow in the craziness of Halloween, we forgot to wish Papa a proper Happy Birthday on Halloween via the blog, so here's to Papa who loves to get down and play with his grandkids whether it's building block towers or reading books. He's pretty great! Sometimes fights break out over who is going to play with him. Lucky guy?!?!

Papa, Grady, Drew, and Nonna on a fall visit to Alpharetta

(We always look so forward to these visits!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Now on to our most recent shared birthdays...that's right, my mom (Gaga) and Dave's brother (Uncle Mark) share the same exact birthday, and if we're going even further, Chelsea's mom (TuTu) also has a birthday on January 13th.

We celebrated with my mom on her actual birthday. She and Dad hosted us at their house for our favorite spicy, cheesy potato soup, cornbread, and yummy wine. We are so thankful to have my parents close by because the boys love to hang out with them. We also couldn't accomplish a lot of what we do on a weekly basis without them. Gaga is a true treasure...a master juggler of all 3 grandbabies, folder of laundry--thank you!, giver of advice, supporter of all we do, and favorite playmate. She always has a treat waiting for the boys especially glasses full of chocolate milk. Her birthday was a great success for all!

Drew, Grady, Gaga, & Hudson at the end of Gaga's birthday party...in jammies and headed home to bed.

Fun was had by all...

And then we must talk about this newly crowned 30 year old...Uncle Mark who is beloved by all of nephews and niece. He never hesitates to play with them or put them in their place. He'll throw a ball or chase them all around, and they love it! We were fortunate to celebrate early over Christmas with a traditional Carvel ice cream cake and some fun while in Tampa. Big changes are on the horizon for Mark as he leaves Michigan for the first time (this week, actually) in over a decade for a promotion in St. Louis. We are so excited for him as he embarks on this new journey in his life. Happy 30th Birthday--Uncle Mark!

Drew, Carmen, Mark, Grady, and Caal

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well, time for a Dave post. I figured it would be time for one of us to try and keep the blog updated and since I am the one taking the pictures I figured it would be best if I just went a head and posted them. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years.

The Yuhas Clan started the Holidays here in Atlanta, celebrating with Drew and Grady's School, and then enjoying Christmas Eve at Gaga & Pop's house with Kari's family. Christmas Day we woke up to find that Santa was very nice to the boys. It was quick morning of unwrapping presents and then we jumped into the Yuhas Family Truckster for the drive to Tampa. My parents and Mark flew from the cold north so we all could enjoy a warm Christmas in Florida. Thanks for Caci, Tia Jen, Caal and Carmen for hosting.
After a few warm days in Florida we returned to Alpharetta to enjoy the last few days of the school break before reality set in and we all went back to work this week.

Drew on Christmas Eve

How can Drew be so old? I blinked and 5 years has gone by!

Grady the Cookie Maker

Drew and Grady helping Mommy make Christmas Cookies. Red Hot's anyone??

Grady making sure the Fire Place is up to code and current on inspections prior to the big arrival.

A little brotherly fun on Christmas Eve Night

The delivery has been made. Thanks Santa!!

Thanks Papa for the sleds, now lets keep our fingers crossed for some snow!!

Nonna enjoying a litte quite time with Carmen in Tampa

Nonna and Papa with the grandkids!!

Unlce Mark and all the kids.

We had to celebrate Uncle Mark's 30th. How is my baby brother (can't call him little) turning 30 already?

View from the front of Carlos' family beach house in Indian Rocks Beach.

A Little New Years Fun by the fire, maybe too much fun, we almost missed the ball drop.

I think we had the fire hot enough

Grady singing "Away In The Manger" at the Open Arms Christmas Performance

Grady after the Big Show

Drew after rocking Silent Night

Little Cousin Hudson after show. We are love that Hudson goes to the same school as the boys.

Happy belated x 2...

2011-12-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

First of all...Happy Belated Birthday to Dave's sister, Jen. She celebrated her special day on November 4th. This is a special day in our family as it is my Sissy's birthday too. We were fortunate enough to spend time with Jen and her family on her actual birthday. That never happens, but we were in Tampa to meet our new niece, Carmen...what a special family and special weekend. Thanks to Jen, Carlos, Caal, and now..sweet baby Carmen for hosting us for a fast but fun weekend. We wish they lived closer; we always have so much fun with them.

Next...happy belated 5th birthday to Drewman. Wow---I can't believe that you are five, little man. We brought you home from Ft. Walton Beach Medical Center on a blustery December day in 2006. What a sweet blessing you have been to us?! You are full of energy; although, you love to veg out in front of the TV to watch a good movie or "show." You're a tender-hearted boy who is always looking out for others. You are desperate to learn to read, and we practice all the time. You love chocolate milk, all of your grandparents (who adore you as well), your brother, your cousins...Hud, Caal, and baby Carmen, watching football, playing with Legos, cars, and Transformers. You hate going to bed and taking a nap (well, most days you don't like a nap.) You love watching WordWorld, Power Rangers, and Transformers, but you are always willing to let Grady watch his show first...Elmo's World. You love to play with your friends in the neighborhood, and they love to hang out with you too. You're kind, smart, and funny. I love to see you laugh and smile, and you are the most ticklish person that I have ever met. We love you!

Drew at 2 1/2 years old...

And just now..at 5 with your little bro...holding his hand and protecting him as you do best...

Happy belated and happy early birthdays to...

2011-10-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Our sweet niece arrived on September 27th, 2011...Caal welcomed a baby sister, Carmen Louise. Yay...a girl! We are so excited. They are all doing well.

And Happy early 2nd birthday to GRADY JOSEPH! We're headed to Nashville for a wedding in a few hours, so I won't be able to blog tomorrow. How time flies....

Grady - You are a crazy man. We love to call you Gradymeister, and you love to keep us on our toes. You are not ready to give up your beloved paci yet, and frankly, we're just going to let you keep it for awhile. You are headstrong and stubborn..wonder where you got those qualities from?!?! (Can you say...your Daddy?!) Ha! You love Elmo, The Wiggles, any kind of ball, your potty time book, riding on your tricycle, cereal, MILK, yogurt, ice cream, anything sweet (that might be from your Mommy), and your favorite...your big brother, Drewman. You hate showers/baths, being away from Drewman, not getting your way, and eating dinner.

We are so thankful for the past 2 years of your sweet life...happy birthday, little man!

Happy belated birthday to....Jay-Jay, Nonna, & Pops

2011-09-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

So...what have we been up to since June?! Well --- We took a long drive to Rochester, NY via Leesburg, VA to see Dave's family, Marty, Jeannie, and crew; We dropped off Drew and Grady with Dave's parents then took a 5 day trip to NYC (just me and Dave--10 year anniversary); Drew learned how to really swim on his own; Grady learned to exercise his right to be either very happy or very mad (hilarious and painful at the same time); Dave is finishing our sunroom into another family room (since we don't have a basement); I'm training for the Atlanta half-marathon on Oct 2; We're waiting for baby Cisneros who will be born on Sept. 27th...yippee, and we're all back at school...summer is over, and fall is here. We're asking for prayers for my grandmother, Grams, as she is fighting off an infection in the hospital right now that has been taxing both mentally and physically on her and the family.

In the meantime Pops celebrated his birthday yesterday on Sept 16th. We celebrated with pizza and playtime with the three stooges...Drew, Grady, and Hudson. He wouldn't have had it any other way. They all love to play with him too. He's also a very good frozen yogurt date...or so we hear from Drew & Grady.Thanks for always making us laugh and for supporting us in all we do...we love you, Pops.

And to our sweet, Nonna, who celebrated a milestone bday (you do the math) on Sept. 11th. Nonna is a doting grandma who loves to play baseball, golf, and just about anything else with her boys. She's definitely not afraid to get down and dirty with them. They are so lucky to have her and so are we.

And a VERY belated to Uncle Jay-Jay who turned 29 on August 22nd...our boys love to wrestle with their Uncle Jay-Jay, and they really love cheering on his beloved Florida Gators with him too. He's got all three boys doing the Gator-chomp. We love having him so close, so all the kids can be together. Happy belated...little bro!

I'm not sure when I'll update again because we're busy fixing up the ol' homestead and watching college football these days.

Hope this finds you doing well.

Happy belated 4th Birthday to Caal...

2011-06-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Caal turned 4 yesterday, and we hate that we live so far away and can't celebrate in person. Caal is full of life and full of fun. He's also about to be a big brother...yippee! We can't wait to add another cousin to the mix. This picture was taken at the beach in April, so I know he's changed even more. He, Drew, and Grady are great pals and loved playing the few days we were with them. We can't wait to see him this fall and meet the baby. Sometimes Drew and Caal even talk on the phone...it's precious. Yes, I said precious, but it is.

This summer has been filled with playdates, pool playdates, lazy days, school days, playing, playing, and more playing. I'm wiped out for sure, and once again, I only have respect for the stay at home moms and dads who do this all year long.

We're headed to Rochester this week then Dave and I will be taking a short trip to NYC for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We can't wait...it's much needed for sure. The boys will stay with his parents while we are enjoying some time just to ourselves. That's a rarity these days.

I'll post some other pictures soon of all of our summer adventures.

Happy 91st Birthday to Grams....

2011-04-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a picture of my sweet Grams to post on her 91st birthday, but we are in Clearwater with Dave's family celebrating Easter weekend. As many of you know, Grams recently left the home she spent many decades nurturing her family in to be closer to us. She moved to an assisted living home in Roswell about 15 minutes from where we live. I am so thankful to have her this close to me at this point in her life; although, we talked on a weekly basis for most of my life, I have really enjoyed seeing her over the last few months and watching her enjoy this time with my children. She is an amazing woman who has endured tragedies beyond the comprehension of most humans. Her faith in God has never wavered through all that she has endured and continues to inspire those around her.

On another note, my hubby is becoming quite the photographer these days...love this shot below of Drew at sunset tonight.

Drew and his cousin, Caal -- They are about 6 months apart in age, and it's like they never miss a beat when they see each other every few months. We're in trouble when they are teenagers.

And sweet Grady....just trying to hang with the big boys....as always!

I hope this post finds you ready to enjoy Good Friday and Easter weekend with your friends and family. We'll head back to Atlanta on Easter Sunday and hit the ground running on our last few weeks of school. Enjoy!

Easter egg hunt...

2011-04-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood had an early Easter egg hunt on Sunday. The boys had a blast as usual with their friends. We hung out most of the afternoon with our neighbors...it's a great place to live. We head to the beach later this week to see Dave's family (minus Uncle Mark...we'll see him in May though). We're fully invested in this neighborhood for sure-I helped plan the egg hunt, and Dave is an HOA board member. Wow! --how things have changed?!

Drew with the Easter bunny

Grady and Drew - surveying the scene and not pausing for long to take this picture

Grady after his encounter with a mini cupcake. I think he liked it?!?!

Grady checking out the sights from the playground

Drewman - always on the move

Spring Break Picnics & Birthdays

2011-04-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Summer is in the air...ok, it's really just Spring Break around here, but boy did it get us ready for the real thing. We have about 6 more weeks until SCHOOL's OUT FOR SUMMER! So, in the meantime, we'll have picnics in the front yard, playdates in our culdesac and at Cogburn Park, and lots of late nights up with friends and family. Luckily, we have a trip planned to Tampa (the beach condo...) with Dave's family for Easter weekend to get us through the next couple of months.

We also have some birthdays to celebrate! Check it out!

Grady & Drew enjoying our front yard picnic on Thursday--the weather was perfect - sunny and NOT humid! We ate leftover stromboli, watermelon, and our new favorite treat, applesauce from a squeeze packet.

Our sweet nephew, Hudson, turned ONE yesterday, and his party is today. Chelsea and Jay were sweet enough to let us celebrate Dave's birthday last night on Hud's actual birthday..they rock! What a sweet little boy he is?! It's hard to believe that he is just ONE because it seems like he has been here forever. He, Drew, & Grady love to hang out and play. He's very independent though and can entertain himself with just about any toy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUDSON!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAVE!!--Our favorite daddy and husband! Below you'll see Dave with his biggest helpers and biggest fans. They love to play with their daddy and to "help" him with his chores like mowing, clearing the yard, cleaning up the kitchen, remoldeling our sunroom into an additional family room (his latest project...he really is amazing!--more to post on that in the coming months) and opening his birthday presents (probably their favorite thing to help him do). You can tell how much they love their daddy because Grady will literally stop whatever he is going (including chucking a toy across the room) when he hears his daddy is home from work, and Drew loves to hide, so Dave has to find him. Drew's new favorite game is hide and seek these days...just what Dave wants to do right when he walks in the door, but he finds a way to put on a smile and play with them even when he is VERY tired.

Personally, I am so appreciative of this amazing man that I call my husband and best friend. He continues to support me no matter what, and I can be a royal pain in the ass...ALL THE TIME!

Thanks to everyone who sent him gifts/cards and for my parents treating us to a great "healthy" dinner last night.

So...Dave - We hope you enjoy your birthday and more importantly, your Masters weekend. WE LOVE YOU! Drew, Grady, Kari, Tex, & Scout

Dave getting a little help with his new zero gravity chair from his parents....Grady really likes it!

We're back...

2011-04-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

At least for now...It's been a VERY long time since I posted anything, and we've been busy with school, work, and just playing. Here are a few pictures from our last few months. The boys have been playing in the culdesac on most afternoons with our neighbors. (even if it's freezing cold)

Drew & Grady riding around in their Jeep

I took a group of seniors from my school to the Capitol for Senior Day; we met the new governor.

Grady at the playground

Drew & Grady

We'll be enjoying spring break around here this week, and at the end of the week, we'll celebrate Hudson's 1st birthday and Dave's birthday. More pics to come soon...I hope!

Happy Birthday to Gaga & Uncle Mark...

2011-01-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day in the Yuhas-Blevins household because my mom, Gaga, and Dave's brother, Uncle Mark, share the same birthday. So...Happy Birthday to these two very special people! We are so lucky to have Uncle Mark around whenever we are in Fairport to play referee and playmate to the boys. He's always good for getting the party started and keeping it going. I'm not sure that I can really put into words what my mom means to me. I'm so thankful for the love and support that she gives to me and all of our family. She loves unconditionally all the time!

Gaga with her boys

On another note, we had some snow and some snow days this week. As I write this, we are on the eve of our 5th day off, and we won't be back at work until next Tuesday b/c of the MLK holiday on Monday. Ok, so what really happened for you northerners who are wondering why we can't go anywhere after 5 inches of snow fell...well, the problem in Atlanta is that we have VERY limited equipment to deal with the snow not to mention we had a layer of ice form over the snow. That ice decided to hang around for a few days making it impossible to get around anywhere.

Dave just went back to work today, and he worked limited hours. I ventured out today with the boys to Walmart just for a change of scenery. It was a BIG outing. Thanks to our awesome neighbors we survived. We alternated playing inside and sledding down "Horel hill" as we named it. The kids had the time of their lives, and some nights, we all got together at someone's house to change things up a bit. I barely got cabin fever at all. My advice if you're buying a house anytime soon...FIND A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD/STREET that has fun people on it. It will save your life! (or make you crazy...in a good way.)

Some of the kids sledding on our makeshift BIG sled compliments of Mr. Brian H. (a huge piece of masonite board)

We could fit 8-10 kids on it at a time, and they would FLY!

Drew suggested that we have a picnic one night, so we did. It actually turned out to be a great distraction. It wasn't a true "sit on the blanket picnic", but we busted out the Christmas tablecloth which was actually ready to be put away in the attic and used the plasticware from our picnic basket. Not bad...

All in all, it's been a fun week. It was really helpful to have Dave around to take Drew out sledding because it was just too cold for Grady sometimes. I'm not saying I want another storm this winter, but I could handle a 5 year cycle of this for sure. Watching the kids having so much fun in the snow is so worth it.

Sledding in NY...

2010-12-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we had some serious snow in Rochester, so the boys spent some time sledding with Papa, Daddy, and Carlos. The girls went along for the ride to check things out, but we didn't really get into the action like the boys (big & small).

A little pre-sled dancing by the boys in their snow bibs

Drew & Papa

The BIG hill...only Papa & Dave tackled this one, but the little boys went down an impressive one too. I was scared going down it, but I'm probably not the best judge since I'm a wimp.

And sweet Grady...no sledding for him yet. It was too cold for this little guy. He's having fun playing in the house though. He's looking pretty serious in this picture. Probably just woke up...

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we've decided to go the cheap (I'll call it practical) route and not send out a Christmas card this year, so here you go. We've started celebrating with my family on Christmas Eve, and we'll head to Dave's parents' house tomorrow afternoon to spend the week with his family. We hope this post finds you all enjoying time with friends and family. We are awaiting the telling of the Christmas story via Drewman Hoss...I'll tape it and post it for you later. Be safe! Merry Christmas!

Drew & Grady at our house

Grady, Hudson, & Drew - We tried to get a serious shot, but who were we kidding?!

Merry Christmas!

Happy 4th Birthday to Drewman...

2010-12-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's so hard to imagine that the sweet little one year old (in the pics below) has turned into a big, crazy (and still sweet) 4 year old. Drewman - You give us such entertainment on a daily basis. You are constantly talking to us (can't imagine where you would have gotten that trait), and you can be one stubborn little man (I'm throwing Dave under the bus on that one). You make us laugh all the time with the funny things you say and do. We love you very much.

Things you don't love as a 4 year old: going to bed, eating dinner, being left alone at the dinner table b/c you're a bit of a slow eater, saying a "long" prayer on the way to school, pants with a snap, sometimes sharing toys with your little brother...

Things you love as a 4 year old: magic shows, Spiderman, Black Spiderman, Batman, praying before dinner, candy, blue go-gurts, watching a show in mommy and daddy's bed, green ice cream, jumping on the bed, jumping on/off pretty much anything, playing with your friends, playing with Grady, running around the house with no clothes on, "shaking your booty", playing tricks on people, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, candy, cupcakes, your teachers at school, writing your name, dinosaurs, taking a shower with your swim goggles on, all of your grandparents, your big boy carseat, reading books on your own or with us, Christmas, playing in the cul-de-sac with your new friends...

Here are a few pics of our Drewman - (from a cute one year old to a cute big boy now...)

More Halloween...

2010-11-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been a total blogging slacker these days, but we've been busy just hanging out. Yes, we have newer pictures, but I just haven't had time or energy to get them up here. So, here are some fun ones left over from Halloween. We took a trip to Boo at the Zoo with our friends - the Parkers and the Burks.

Avery & Drewman - I went to high school with Avery's dad (Paul), and his wife, Mandy, is one of my closest friends. We love the Parkers!

Finley Parker (or Fin-uh-ley as Drew likes to call her) - This is Avery's little sister. She is such a cutie. (and yes, that's me texting at the zoo...we lost the Burks, so I was trying to touch base with them...I look like such a loser.)

Gradymeister rocking his Gator gear for our trip to the zoo
We decided not to do the whole Alvin & the chipmunks crew for this day.

Hudson Blevins dressed as the cutest skeleton pumpkin?!?! He is such a happy baby, and I love seeing him at the boys' school every morning when I drop of the boys.

We spent Thanksgiving in Atlanta, and my parents hosted us at their house. My dad cooked a 27 lb turkey...seriously! It was awesome. We have about 3 weeks until we head to RochVegas for Christmas with the Yuhas family. We will head out on Christmas day to what we hope will be a white Christmas. In the meantime, we're waiting patiently for Drew's 4th birthday to come in a couple of days. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving & are gearing up for the holidays too...

Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and of course, Dave...

2010-11-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

It was Drew's idea for us to go dressed as the entire chipmunk crew, so I think you get the gist here. We went to a great Halloween party before trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was so much fun, and we were home by 7:30, so Drew got to answer the door for the big kids who stayed out later. He loved that! (Check out below to find out who answered our door while we were out.)

Yep! Gaga & Pops dressed up for Halloween too. I love it that they got into the spirit of it all. Drew thought it was awesome and so did the kids in the neighborhood. We may have started a tradition here...

We were lucky enought to have Jay, Chels, and Hudson with us too. (Thanks to Chels for these pics, so that I could get this on the blog so quickly.)

PS= Happy Birthday to Papa - Dave's dad celebrated on Halloween!

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part ZERO

2010-10-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I spent some time blogging about Grady's 1st birthday and realized that I set it up really poorly, so this is really the LAST post, and you need to scroll down to Part 1 and read up from there...sorry! We had so many pics from this weekend that I just had to post more than one time, and Picasa only lets you post 4 at time to your blog from their software.

So check out our fun weekend for Gradymeister!

Day 1: October 15, 2009

Day 365: October 15, 2010

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part 5

2010-10-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mark and two of his nephews at the Pumpkin Patch

Papa and Drewman building a tower

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part 4

2010-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

The cake from Publix meets its match...the pictures tell the story!
(and yes, he had green-tinted poop today.)

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part 3

2010-10-17T15:58:00.001-07:00

Drew ready for his soccer game...it was COLD Saturday morning.

Grady hanging out watching the game

Drew and Caal playing with Grady's new pirate ship

Grady waiting for his cake

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part 2

2010-10-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Grady with some of his birthday gifts; Drew was a BIG help on getting these open.

Hudson, Grady, and Drew enjoying the gifts

Drew instructing Grady on proper cake eating techniques

The aftermath of Grady's attack on the homemade cake my mom made for him on his actual birthday...he loved it! Thanks to Gaga for cooking the ENTIRE meal for all of us on Friday night. It was awesome!

Grady's 1st Birthday - Part 1

2010-10-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have most of our dearest friends and family with us this weekend as we celebrated Grady's 1st birthday (Thanks to Jen, Caal, Mark, Fran, Nona, & Papa for flying to see us)...whew, what a year it's been?! Here is Part 1 of a few to get you through the weekend's festivities.
We're so thankful for all the people in our lives. Thank you for making Grady's day a special one.

Gradymeister "feeding" Scout

Gradymeister climbing on furniture

Big Brother, Drew, having some fun...Go Yankees!

Grams (Grady's Great Grandma) is now living in Roswell, so she was able to with us celebrate too!

Friends...

2010-10-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

The past few weekends have been hectic but fun because we spent them with friends we love. Before our unexpected trip to NY, I had the pleasure of entertaining two of my best friends from college, Heaney (Jill) and Griff (Christine). They made a special trip (from Indiana & Boston) to hang out, and they finally got to meet the boys. We mostly sat around talking & laughing, and we did some drinking too. I'm so thankful I got to see them; although, I always feel sooooo short around them.

This weekend I did the 2-day breast cancer walk in Atlanta with some other girlfriends...Katie, Mandy, Meredith, Michelle, Sydney, Sara, Aubrey, and Katie's parents. Katie's mom is a survivor, and we were honoring our friend, Sara Papp, who lost her fight with this disease in the spring. I also walked in honor of the memory of my friend, Paula Buchanan, who I used to teach with in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. She lost her battle a few years ago. I've been lucky enough to maintain a friendship with her sweet son, Drew. I also walked in honor of the memory of my friend Sara Tallent's mom, Ann Gibson. And I wanted to honor Melanie Salmon (a friend from Northview where I currently teach) and Suzanne Ullery (my mom's dearest friend in Destin). It was such an inspirational weekend, and I'm so thankful that I did it....even though my heels and toes have seen better days.

Dave and Paul made sure the kiddos got to greet us when we made our way into Centennial Park on Sunday around noon. At that point, I had walked about 22 miles between 2 days. The other team members were up to 30 miles...! I was in decent shape for the endurance part, but my feet have never hurt so badly in all my life. It was so worth it though.

Drew, Avery, and Finley waiting on the mommies

Avery...and a cool shot taken by Dave

Drew & me - after our "long" 24 hours apart from each other

An unexpected trip to RochVegas...

2010-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we woke up to a phone call from Dave's parents telling us that his grandmother passed away. We quickly booked tickets to join everyone in Rochester on Sunday morning for her service on Monday morning. We were very sad about her passing but relieved that she is no longer suffering from her illness. Cindy and Steve will hopefull get a little rest from the stress of the last few years. Thanks for all the well wishes and messages that you sent to us. We greatly appreciated them all.

Despite the dreariness of Monday, we woke up to a wonderful fall day on Tuesday...thanks to Grandma! The leaves were dancing all over the lawns, and the air was crisp. We were fortunate enough to spend a little time at Powers' Farmer's Market in Pittsford which was all ready for fall and Halloween. We were able to take a few pictures and enjoy some time together before we all headed back home. (PS- Uncle Mark - you own us some pics with the boys...2 weeks!)

More from Soccer Practice

2010-09-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from tonight,

getting ready for the first game this Saturday!!

Soccer practice and a parade...

2010-09-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

Drew had his first soccer practice this Wednesday at 5 pm. He is playing at Mt. Pisgah which is the same place where he played t-ball in the spring. He asked to play soccer, and he seems really into it. They play 3 on 3; it's hilarious. They have their first game on Saturday, so we'll let you know how it goes.

Grady watching Drew's first soccer practice...in his defense, he had close to a 102 temp when this picture was taken and the beginnings of a nasty viral throat thing. AWFUL!

We also went to the Old Soldier's Day Parade in downtown Alpharetta a few weeks ago with the Burks. This is Drew and Parker waiting on some more candy to come their way.

Drew showing his patriotism

As promised...

2010-08-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

Back to school...

2010-08-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

so I've been a real slacker on the blog lately. We have been busy getting back to school, but we had a lot of fun in the last few weeks of summer. We went to a parade in downtown Alpharetta, then we went to the Touch-a-truck event at a local park with friends where the kids got to climb all over trucks, buses, and trains. They were more interested in running loose on a field.

We've been to a Gwinnett Braves game; they are a minor league team for the Atlanta Braves and are located pretty close to us. We've been to birthday parties and had some playtime with Hudson too. Drew started in the private pre-K at his school, and Grady is pulling up on furniture, mostly Drew's train table much to Drew's dismay. Grady still prefers crawling as his major mode of transportation, but he'll take a free ride from his brother as you'll see in the picture below.

We have pictures of all we've done these last few weeks, and Dave is becoming quite the photographer. But...the pictures from our fancy camera take awhile to load on the blog, so I leave you with one of my favorite things we've been up to...watching Drew and Grady bond. They love each other, and it is so sweet! (PS - sorry you have to glimpse my legs too.--ha!)

Need a lawn boy...

2010-08-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

Drew is available. Drew literally followed Dave around our ENTIRE yard (front, both sides, and the back) with his bubble mower a few nights ago. It was so fun to watch. It didn't end well though as you'll see below. Drew was begging to mow with Dave, and we'll definitely remind him of this when he's a teenager and begging NOT to have to mow the lawn.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but Drew had to put on socks that pulled up high like his daddy's work socks. Normally, he wears no-show socks with his sneakers.

Drew was sad when we told him he had to go inside to get ready for bed...big crocodile tears.

A beach trip to...

2010-08-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

Seaside! My parents rented a house in Seaside (about 20 minutes from Destin) during the third week in July. Unfortunately, Dave was busy finishing up one of his school projects, so he couldn't be there with us. I hated this for many reasons...selfishly I missed him and sadly I wished he could have been there to hang with his boys at the beach.

We made the road trip with Pops, Gaga, Chelsea, Jay-Jay, and Hudson..what a crew?! We had great weather everyday and enjoyed taking walks/jogs each morning, heading out to the beach almost every day with the boys (who all did very well there), and walking into the Central Square of Seaside every evening. What an amazing place?! I highly reccommend it.

Thanks to Pops and Gaga for making it possible for us to stay in such a wonderful place and house and for your help with the boys especially at the beach. Thanks to Chels for keeping me sane with the little ones and to Jay-Jay for playing with Drew a lot!

This is the sign on the fence to our house...Villa Whimsey. It was a cute 3 bedroom house with a wrap around porch. We realized quickly that the boys and I would not be able to crash out in the upstairs loft b/c it was open to the family room and kitchen. My parents graciously slept in the twin beds and in the heat for the full week, so their kiddos could be comfortable, and we were.

Hudson and Grady playing in the early morning

Gaga (Drew's beach buddy) & Drew - They logged several hours in this spot working on castles and digging for who knows what.

Chels and Hudson - Our first day on the beach

Hudson and Jay-Jay hanging out in the house

Pops & Grady hanging in the shade

We were lucky enough to see lots of old friends on this trip...

1. Mom and Suzanne and new grandbaby, Stella - Suzanne and her husband, Mike, are some of my parents dearest friends from Destin.

2. Chels, Missy (Suzanne's daugher in law), and Hudson

3. Gracie (Suzanne's other granddaughter) & Drew

**We saw the rest of Suzanne's family too--her son, Bill, and daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Michael, and of course, Mike, but I didn't get great pics of all of them.

4. Gus & Drew - Gus is the son of my friend, Linsey Outlaw. He was Drew's age when I first met him, and now he's such a big boy.

5. Abbigail Heck - My friend Michelle's sweet little girl.

** We were lucky enough to have Beth host all the moms and babies at her house in FWB mfor a playdate...Bef, HECKSTER (She gets all CAPS because I forgot her in the first post...ugh!)Ashleigh, Payton, Anderson Baby #2, Tyson, Jordan, Vivian, Jane, Sawa, Tallent Baby #1, Jeannie, and Thomas. What a fun crew?!

Overall, the trip was so much fun. We ate, ate, and ate...at Pickles, The Pizza Bar, The Great Southern Co, Modica Market, Gelato ice cream, etc...The food was great too. I can't wait to go back, and we lucked out seeing old friends too.

We were also lucky enough to have my friend, Drew Buchanan, take some family photos that I'll post soon.

Happy 7th Birthday to...

2010-07-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

Scout & Tex. These two dogs have provided hours and years of entertainment for us. They were our first babies, and they've been so good to our new babies...most often playing third and fourth fiddle to Drew and Grady. They still wag their tails and follow us everywhere though.

Here's a little tribute to their 7 years...

This is one of my favorite pics of all time. Scout, Tex, and Drew at our house in Florida. These dogs spend countless hours in front of windows...waiting for anything and barking at everything.

Scout - our regal puppy - she pretends to be serious, but she is usually the first to bark at passers-by and to instigate a play fight with Tex.

Tex - our goofball puppy - Tex loves the water, the trash, the turkey bacon paper towel from the trash, our bed, and many other things that he shouldn't like.

At our house in VA

On our deck in VA...watching traffic

Their first snowfall in VA...look how little they are. They aren't even a year old in this picture.

Tex - getting a better view of the traffic in VA

Their first days at our house in VA

Scout - this summer

Tex - this summer

Happy Birthday to our two favorite hounds!

Roadtrip to Rochester...

2010-07-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

On the first of July, Dave and I packed up my car with the boys, and we headed to Rochester to see his parents. It was a 2,134 mile drive...to be exact from door to door. We were lucky enough to have a place to stay on the way and on the way back...with my dear friend, Marty, and her family. We traveled in the late afternoon, so the boys would sleep. Dave and I were pretty much exhausted, but it was so worth it. It took us 10 hours to drive to Marty's house in VA and then another 7 to get to Rochester. Here's a look into our vacation...

Drew and Sadie (Marty & Jim's oldest) - She and Drew are 6 months apart and had not seen each other in awhile, but you never would have known it. They played so well together. They spent a lot of time on the deck watering Marty's plants. Thanks to Marty and Jim for hosting us...they also have a daughter, Carson, who is 2 months younger than Grady, and they had fun too..but somehow I didn't get any pics of them that turned out well. We were also very lucky to see our friend, Jeannie, who spent part of her anniversary with us. Thanks, Jeannie! (and her husband John for letting her hang with us)
Williamsport, Penn - This is where the Little League World Series is played, and we go right by it on our way to Rochester from Marty's house. We had to stop and snap some pictures. This does little justice to explain how "out in the middle of nowhere" this town and stadium are. It's down a really steep hill too.

And now to RochVegas...we packed a lot into 1 week. We've all decided that next year, the boys and I will stay for 2 weeks like Dave's sis, Jen, did with our nephew. Dave will fly home in the middle to work then fly back to drive us home. We basically spent 4 days in the car and 6 days in NY.

July 4th - Steve's (Dave's dad) family came from Auburn, NY to cookout with us. We spent a lot of time under these trees that day because Rochester was experiencing a heat wave (the entire time we were there..seriously, it was 90+degrees the whole time and 80 degrees on the day we left.).

Grady in his play pool...he desperately wanted to be outside with the big boys, but he couldn't do all the fun stuff they did. He seemed pretty content here though.

In the middle of the week, our nephew, Caal, arrived with his mom and dad to hang out with us. He and Drew had a blast...they exhausted each other and us (ok, mostly Papa though).

Caal, Grady, and Drew

Papa playing baseball with Drew & Caal

Papa helping Drew and Caal climb the inflatable water slide that we were able to borrow from the neighbors. This was a favorite of theirs (not Papa's though). We ALL kept Papa pretty busy. If he wasn't busy with the boys, he was busy making whiskey sours.

Drew feeding the ducks at Abbott's frozen custard down by the canal

Papa covering Grady's ears at the 4th of July parade...there were a lot of loud fire trucks. Dave and I ran a race that morning then headed to the parade with his parents and the boys. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday.

Nonna with Grady playing in his pool --she was always quick to take the little man wherever he needed to be, and sometimes that was inside the cool air away from all the action, but she never complained.

We had such a great week with Dave's family. Mark, Dave's brother, brought his girlfriend, and we loved meeting her. Nonna and Papa cooked for us, made sure we had comfy beds, and all of our favorites...cinnamon bread, many things from Wegmans, whiskey sours, and lots of time in their beautiful backyard. Looks like this trip will be a family tradition...(they even watched all 3 boys, so the big kids...me, Dave, Jen, and Carlos could go to see Dave from DMB play with Tim Reynolds. It was an interesting evening to say the least. Thanks for Nonna and Papa for being such great hosts.

Happy 9 months to...

2010-07-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Grady! We went in for his 9 month check this morning...no shots, thank God. He weighs 18lbs, 8 ounces (25th%...would hate to see the kid in the 75th%), and he's 28.5 inches long (50-75th%). I don't know where Drew's measurements are, but I included a picture of Drew at 9 months below to compare. Grady is crawling all over the house to catch his big brother, and he has nasty calloused feet and knees to show for it. He also will have nothing to do with baby food anymore, so he has 4 bottles everyday and 3 meals. For instance, yesterday he ate a breakfast bar and turkey bacon for breakfast, then had a little baby food (from Miss Angela at school...he will only eat baby food there) chicken nuggets and cheese toast for lunch, and for dinner he had lima beans and ham. Yes, that's what he is eating at 9 months old...crazy!

Drew at 9 months in August 2007
Grady at 9 months in Rochester this past week

Need a unique baby gift...

2010-07-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

check out this cute onesie with a nest and eggs. I know the artist (she's family...), so let me know if you want to know more about how to buy one or 100. They are awesome. Check out how happy Grady is wearing it. She can paint many other images too and can play around with color requests.

P.S. - Many vacation photos to post later...just need to find the time, and we're headed to Seaside on Friday. Be patient, please!

9 years ago...

2010-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

today, Dave and I got married on the beach in Destin, Florida. We were lucky enough to have dear friends and family travel from all over the United States to celebrate with us. It was quite a trek for many people, and we are so thankful they were there.

Dave and I met in the fall of 1996 in Owen Hall at Purdue University. I was 18, and he was 19. We didn't start dating until the fall of my junior year though...my fault on that one, but maybe it was better that I waded my way through a few jerks and fun semesters with my girlfriends before we finally got together. I kept him close though by setting him up with many of my sorority sisters...ha!

Well, I must say that after all this time, I am more thankful for him today than I ever knew I would be on that warm August day in the dorms at Purdue. He is really an amazing dad and husband...and truly my best friend.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAVE!

This pic is a little old (from 2008, I think)....sorry, we're on vacation, and I don't have access to all of our pics, but it will have to do for now.

Happy 4th of July...

2010-07-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

We're in RochVegas...finally! It took one 10.5 hour trip through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and a stop with some dear friends in Virginia then what was supposed to be a 6 hour (but ended up being an 8.5 hour trip) through Maryland, Pennsylvania, then finally into New York, but we are here.

Nona and Papa were waiting with open arms, clean sheets, and lots of hugs and kisses for the boys. We're so happy to be here for the week. Dave's sis and her family will be here in 2 days, (making the road trip from Tampa...with a 3 year old and their dog...are we crazy or what?!) and his brother and his girlfriend arrive just in time for us to hang out before we head back to the Deep South.

Dave and I ran in the FireCracker 5 yesterday morning. It was a 5 miler through the town he grew up in, and it was a blast. The course was great...just a little hilly but nothing like the Peachtree Road Race which my brother is currently running in as I type this entry. I do not envy him at all...a 10K in the Georgia humidity...ugh! After our race, we enjoyed a 4th of July parade in Fairport. It was full of fire trucks and candy. Drew loved it.

I'll post pics of our adventures later this week.

Happy 4th of July to all of you! I can't go without a thanks to those who served in our military to gain us this sweet independence and to thank those who are currently serving away from their families to keep us safe. A special thanks to the Tallents, Outlaws, and Hecks...families who epitomize selfless sacrifice!

Happy Father's Day to...

2010-06-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

four of my favorite dads. (Let me do a minor disclaimer here: I did not do an official Mother's Day post...we were traveling back from Texas from visiting my grandmother. So...please forgive me - Mom, Cindy, and Chels). My dad is on a golf trip in NC with some buddies, so we had an early Father's day celebration with him on Thursday night then today my aunt, Fran, treated us to a great breakfast.

First of all, thanks to my dad who is soaking up some humidity but having lots of fun on his golf trip. Dad - Thanks for loving the grandbabies and the big kids too! You always make us laugh A LOT, and we appreciate your guidance! We missed you at breakfast today.

To Dave: Thanks for dealing with all the craziness that is our life right now. Whew! It's exhausting, but I'd be clueless and REALLY stressed without you. You're an amazing dad.

To my little brother, Jay, on his first Father's Day: Enjoy and Congrats! You're such a natural with Hudson, and it's awesome to watch. Drew and Grady are lucky to have you as their uncle.

To Steve-o (Papa): Happy Father's Day to you too. We can't wait to see you in a few weeks in NY. Drew and Grady will be ready to play...they love playing with you. Get ready!

Jay, Chelsea, and Hudson on Jay's first Father's Day

Chels and Gaga at breakfast today

Hudson and a quiet & gentle (for once) Drew

Fran and Hudson

Drew helping Pops open his Father's Day presents

A new family photo...

A new camera, more summer fun...

2010-06-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Dave and I got a new camera because our old one took a dip into a cup of coffee. It was TOTALLY my fault. I was on the computer, and Drew was trying to get my attention...I kept telling him to wait. He said, "Look, Mommy" as he dropped it into my VERY FULL coffee cup.

We've mostly been going to playdates, the park, and the pool which has been great. They both love the water, and Drew even started jumping in from the side of the pool to Dave...huge accomplishment for us. He's still wearing water wings much to my dismay...we're working on it.

I'm busy working on some lessons for a new software my county bought (getting paid...yippee!), tutoring a little, and teaching the first 3 weeks of my friend, Todd's, online summer American Literature class while he's in Europe (getting paid again...yippee!), and Dave is driving all around metro Atlanta (his office in Midtown, jobsite in Decatur, jobsite in Marietta) most days to check on his jobs. He's found time to do some stuff around the house though...

And yes, I got strep throat AGAIN! Seriously...what am I, 5 years old?! Apparently, I reinfected myself through my toothpaste...really?!

Anyway, Dave took most of the pictures below. Enjoy!

Dave took this picture of an old oil can from his grandparents' farmhouse which we have sitting next to flowers we planted this spring.

We are lucky enough to have two amazing hydrangea bushes on the side of our house. They are amazing right now. I've had a vase full of them for several weeks. This picture just doesn't do them justice.
Grady in his usual state...happy...seriously, this kid wakes up from every nap looking like this, and whenever he gets any attention thrown his way (which is a lot as you can imagine), he smiles like this. It's the best thing ever!

Drew and Grady hanging out in the kitchen with their drumsticks. They actually play together quite a bit. Grady is always entertained by Drew and his antics, and Drew is always happy to have an audience. I wonder where he got that from?!

Grady crawling around the family room - He started a few weeks ago...at 7 months. I don't think Drew was crawling this early, but Grady has to keep up with Drew who he adores, so he had to get moving to do it. He does more of a Navy Seal drag, but he's pretty fast.

Drew swimming like a fish
Mommy, Grady, and Drew at the pool

Drewman at my parents' house - They had a get together, and this is at about 10:30 pm...VERY LATE for our little man, but this is pretty much how he looks ALL the time...running, happy, and smiling (a 3 year old who is FULL of energy)

Grady - a mess after eating squash, applesauce, and baked beans (yes, baked beans...he loves them! He fed those to himself.)

Drew - Smiling for his daddy (who I think he is starting to look so much like...) As you can see, Drew has a nice little tan from the pool, and we decided tonight on the way home from the pool that he can probably get by without the SPF swimshirt I've had him wearing. He has a nasty farmer's tan.

As always, we hope this post finds you and your family doing well. We're so thankful for all of you in our lives...the ones we see daily and the ones we wish we could see more often. This week, I got to see my friend, Tracy,(1/2 marathon buddy) who moved away to Nashville recently, and it reminded me how it just really sucks not having all the people you love close by. We're looking forward to our trek to upstate NY via northern Virginia this summer and some beach time to see some old friends too.

On another note, we have dear friends from several different walks of our life whose lives have steered down a path of uncertainty, and I want them to know that I continue to pray for them daily.

Keep cool in the summer heat!

A busy Sunday...

2010-06-07T11:39:00.001-07:00

We did a lot yesterday, so check it all out below.

This is a picture of Grady just hanging out in the family room...happy as usual.

We started the day at the park. Dave and Drew flew his Spiderman kite, and they did very well.

Grady hung out in the swing

Check out Drew pushing Grady in the swing

Drew got a haircut - BEFORE...

DURING (there were a lot of tears & candy.)...

AFTER...

Drew decided he wanted to have a picnic dinner, so we got out the old (never been used) picnic basket and headed out back. It was a lot of fun! Great idea, Drewman.

Dave built a new shelf for the garage (with some help from Drewman). You can see the BEFORE space right above Dave's head.

Drew hard at work

AFTER - a great place for all of our swim/pool gear (They also built a shelf for the laundry room...those will be posted soon.)

Strep, poison ivy, teething, crawling, playdates, and the zoo...

2010-05-31T12:12:00.001-07:00

We've had a busy week since I last blogged. I got strep; Dave got poison ivy (he's super sensitive to it). Grady has a tooth and started crawling. Drew had a playdate and went to the zoo.

I woke up last Saturday morning and couldn't swallow. Dave and I decided that I better go to urgent care to find out what was going on. I quickly found out that I had strep throat. Unfortunately, I missed graduation for my seniors that night, but I've heard from many of them on facebook. I'm feeling better now, but it got me good. Ugh!

Dave has been working in our yard to make it look amazing, and he found some poison ivy in the process. He toughed it out for almost 2 weeks, but he finally went to urgent care himself and got a painful steroid shot and some meds to help clear it up. He's still working in the yard as you'll see in this post.

Grady has a tooth breaking through on the bottom, but you would barely know he's in any pain. He's still so happy all of the time. He also started crawling for real this week. We have baby gates up at the top and bottom of the stairs and have to watch him closely. He is really doing more of a Marine type crawl where he drags his body behind him, but today he did do the real thing with his little butt in the air until he did a face plant on the bathroom floor. It wasn't pretty.

Drew helped me to host some of my friends (Denah & Amy) from school and their babies (Brayden & Luke) on Thursday morning. We had a fun playdate where Drew entertained the little ones most of the morning. It was awesome because we actually got to talk. I was worried that Drew would be bored because his friend, Parker, is out of town, but he did great. He'll be happy to have Parker back though.

I also took the boys to the zoo with my friend, Leah, and her girls (Daisy & Ella) on Friday. We had a blast as you'll see below. It got to be pretty warm and crowded, but the kids were such troopers. We rode down together, and that made the day even more fun.

Also, congrats to our sis in law, Chelsea, who graduated from her Masters program with a 4.0! Yay!

And finally, all of the boys and adults are happy because Pops and Gaga are back from 2 weeks in Europe. Yippee! We missed them.

Drew at the zoo

Daisy, Ella, and Drew eating cotton candy at the zoo (Drew wanted the pink one...)

Ella and Drew checking out the giraffes

Drew & a rhino

Drewman & Gradymeister

Drew sitting on the new flower beds he helped his daddy build - They are awesome! Dave planted perennials in them too, so they'll keep coming up each year. I'm so excited about them.

Grady, Brayden, and Luke at our playdate

Drew taking a break from entertaining the little ones

Summer is here...

2010-05-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today was my last official day of work for a little while. Yippee! We have playdates, trips to the zoo, school (1 day a week for Grady and 2 days for Drew), house-cleaning (fun, huh?!), trips to the pool, a serious road trip to D.C. and Fairport, and a beach trip with my family for me & the two boys to Seaside planned. Let the fun and relaxation begin for us; although, Dave will be slammed at work because his two new jobs are summer renovations for schools. But, we're happy he is busy.

Grady, Drew, & Hudson

7 months old, Bubbles, Texas, and Tampa...

2010-05-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

I have lots of pictures that you'll probably like better than my usual ramblings. Enjoy!

Drew (who can hardly take a picture without closing his eyes these days), Me, and our nephew, Hudson

A big boy and his bubbles...

leads to a little boy and his bubbles.

Grady enjoying the grass and fun with bubbles too - 7 months old!

Drew at 7 months old - 2007 (I love comparing their pictures.)

We were fortunate enough to travel to Texas to check on my Grams who turned 90 and celebrated Mother's Day with her great grandsons.

Don't we all have to have one of these pics at some point in our lives?!?!

Nona, Caal (our nephew), Grady, Papa, and Drew in Tampa after a little swim

Caal & Drew "sharing" a noodle in the pool

Papa and his "big" boys at the beach

Caal and Drew "watching" a show

Thanks to our great hosts in Tampa - Nona, Papa, Jen, Carlos, & Caal...(and to Frank and Louisa for letting us use their condo). We had a blast!

Thanks to Gaga & Pops for making it possible for us to get to Texas to check on Grams!

1 more week until summer vacation starts....

PLEASE CLICK ON CHELS & JAY'S BLOG TO THE RIGHT...There's a great post with a picture of Drew, Grady, and Hudson from last night, and there's a post about the AMAZING onesie's that Chels' mom, Kathy, creates!! They are amazing! I have a pic of Grady in one somewhere...check them out. They make AMAZING baby gifts for boys and girls...and especially for your friends who don't know what they are having. THEY ARE ONE OF A KIND!

Good news...

2010-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

My job is safe. I realized through all the text messages and emails lately that many of you wanted to know about my job, and we found out Friday night that I am safe for next year. There is no guarantee that I will remain at my current school, but at least, I am safe in Fulton County. I can't remember who I texted or emailed and who I may have missed, so thank you for the prayers...they worked! Dave's job is looking better and better too! I have pics from Tampa and Texas to post in the next few days.

Grady @ 6 months...

2010-04-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have pics from Tampa to add to the blog, but they'll have to wait until later this week. We drove 8 hours to Tampa on Thursday night then got back last night at about 9:30. We had a blast. Drew and Caal loved the beach and pool, and Grady was so happy to be around everyone despite his nasty cough. We were lucky enough to stay right on the beach in Carlos' parents' condo, and Nona, Papa, Jen, and Carlos were great hosts treating us to all of our favorites.

I thought I would post a bit of a different 6 month picture of Grady and Drew...

Which one is which? (I'll post the answer below.)

On another front, Dave's company landed another project, so his job is looking great. I still don't know about my job. Supposedly they'll be done with the Language Arts numbers at the end of this week, so I'll keep you posted.

Ok ----so Grady is in the first pricure, and Drew is the second one. This picture is from Jen's house, and it's taken in a chair from Dave's grandparents' farmhouse. We even have one of Caal, our nephew, in the chair too. It's become a family tradition.

Happy Birthday to...

2010-04-09T15:40:00.001-07:00

Dave! Dave is 33 today; it's hard to believe that he was 19 when we met, and I was 18. How things have changed?! We're celebrating tonight with takeout from Chili's and some SweetWater 420.

Hudson Will Blevins...

2010-04-09T05:24:00.001-07:00

is here! He is 7 lbs, 4 oz and 20 inches long. Chels did it without drugs because he was ready to make a quick entrance into this world. She is my hero!

They are all doing well...pics to follow!

Happy Easter & Spring Break...

2010-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

I first have to mention that my friend Michelle's husband should be home from his LONG deployment in a matter of days. Check out the link to the Heck family below to hear more news about this. THANK YOU TO BRIAN AND THE ENTIRE HECK FAMILY FOR WHAT THEY SACRIFICE TO KEEP US ALL SAFE!

We are at the start of our spring break, and much to our dismay, we had to cancel our long planned trip to Destin. There were many reasons why, and I'll spare you the long version. The main reasons we decided not to go were because we also are going to see Dave's sis and family in Tampa in 3 weeks (we haven't seen them in a VERY long time, and Jen just came out of surgery this morning and is doing well for those of you who wanted to know.) and couldn't afford both trips because (the other reason we're not going) Dave and I are both facing potential job loss. It's a very long story, and lots of prayers are constantly going out. We pray for peace about the situation versus praying for jobs..although, I doubt peace will pay our mortgage and put food on the table. I'm still leaving it up to the big guy right now. This economy really sucks!

On a lighter note, we're happy to be headed to Tampa to get a little beach time and much needed family time with the Yuhas' and Cisneros'. Caal and Drew should have a grand reunion...fighting and screaming over toys. I can't wait!

We had a great Easter weekend full of Easter egg hunts and family time. I asked Drew what Easter was all about and was pleasantly enlightened by this:

"Momma, Easter is about Jesus. He died on the cross and rose again."

Simply stated but full of truth...I love little kids.

Grady in his jumperoo...

He looks like he is ready to walk out of the room in this picture.

Drew petting a bunny at his school's Easter egg hunt

Drew's Easter egg hunt at Gaga & Pops' house

Drew showing Grady "their" Easter eggs

The four of us...

PS - Congrats to the "Baileys" and "Heaneys" on the arrival of their two little girls...ok, Chels...any day now! (ideally before the metro Atlantans get back from spring break...)

T-ball...

2010-03-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tracy for some great pics of Drew and her daughter, Sophie, playing t-ball. They speak for themselves; it's a cluster of 3 year olds running around trying to follow directions. We are loving it.

2 hours, 16 minutes...not just a pipe dream!

2010-03-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you for the well wishes and congrats on the half-marathon, but more importantly to Dave (who encouraged me to do it from the beginning - I mean how else was he going to get that 55+ pounds off his "used to be" skinnier wife), to my parents (the best babysitters ever! - especially Mom for getting up at 4 am to come over to stay with the boys this Sunday morning), to Michelle (the first running buddy post-Grady) & her hubby, and to Tracy (the running buddy who got me through mile 11, a groin pull, a head cold, and some other "body issues" that are too graphic and disgusting to post on my blog...even for me!)

We did it! Dave ran an amazing race and came in at 2 hours, 11 minutes! That is an amazing feat for anyone but especially for Dave who has always claimed to hate running. He was a champ! (Please ignore my mullet-like hair. It drizzled on us for most of the race, and if you're a fan of the mullet, well, there you go! Enjoy!)

Me & Tracy - a great running buddy and an even better friend

Right on track...

2010-03-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

As usual we've been very busy with life in general. Grady started rolling over this past week, and I caught it on tape (not the first one...check it out below). He turned 5 months today...wow! Drew is thankfully out of his "sharting" phase. Yes, that's right; I typed sharting, and don't act like you don't know what it means. All I'll say is that we've spent the better part of the last 3-4 months cleaning dirty underwear...ugh! I've been so desperate lately that I sometimes throw them away with the dirty wipes I use to clean him, but I can't really afford to do that every time. With the help of MANY people (and a new cushy toilet seat & Spiderman toy), he stopped sharting (for the most part).

Dave and I continue to train for the half-marathon that is THIS Sunday...wow! Dave ran 10 miles this Sunday as part of the training. Not wanting to sound like the drama queen that I am....my training has been awful lately. I had a groin/hamstring pull then a head cold, so I only did 5 this week with my friend, Tracy. We're still planning on running it, but we may walk some too. The race is through downtown Atlanta and starts at 7 am Sunday. It should be a challenging course, and I know we'll all be glad when it's done. I think we're sticking with 10Ks for a while. We usually train 2 days during the week. One of us goes once the boys are asleep (8pm or so), and then the other one goes on the other night. It's a little hectic and tiring, but it's been a heck of a weightloss plan for me, then we take turns going on some Saturdays. We do our long runs on Sundays after church....speaking of, read below...

Other than that, we still await the arrival of Baby Blev. He's due on Dave's birthday - April 9th. Chelsea is teaching until the end and trying to finish up her Master's degree too...whew! She's a busy woman. We're not hearing such great news on the teaching front for next year. My job is one of those "on the bubble" ones, but people are telling me not to worry yet. That is obviously easier said than done. I continue to pray for peace about the whole situation instead of for a job. I know I'll be taken care of and worrying will get me nowhere.

I'm starting to make contacts for tutoring if that becomes something I need to do next year. I'll keep you posted. I've been told that April 15th is "THE DAY," but who really knows?! And what will I do if I get that dreaded "pink slip"?...I'm sure I'll cry a little (not much in public if I can help it though...)and then plan for a new future, but I'm getting ahead of myself on that one; although, if you know anyone in the North Fulton/East Cobb(Roswell) area who needs a tutor for English, SAT prep, College Entrance Essays, or College Applications...let me know.

Back to the church thing...we've been pretty "religious" (pardon my pun) about going to church lately; Drew and Grady go to Waumba land (cool kids preschool/nursery time) while we attend the service. Now, I'm not about to get all preachy and holier than thou on anyone, but I love this church and our minister. This week he talked about the Christians who are good people (love God, follow God's law, open our Bibles occasionally, try to be good - I, personally am constantly working on that one..still have my sailor's mouth from time to time) but keep our religion very personal, making it all about ourselves, and not thinking about what God wants us to do with our time and talents in terms of His global perspective. Anyway, it made me think...and one of the things I know God wants me to do is to get over my fear of people looking at me as a Bible-beater b/c I love Jesus or as a hypocrite b/c I'm not perfect. Wow! Did I just write about two of my biggest fears...oh yeah, I did. And now I begin praying for perspective about what to do with my time and talents...I want the answer to be something like, "Oh, you're right on track...keep teaching and loving the children." But for some reason, I doubt it's going to be that easy...I think he said something about not being judgemental and instead to be compassionate. I hesitated even fretted over posting about this, but it's where I'm at right now, and I know the people who read this blog love me no matter what, so that's what I got for now. (and you probably won't hear for a long while the diarrhea of the mouth about faith/religion stuff...is it appropriate to use the word diarrhea in the same paragraph with Jesus?! Oh well...the big guy knows I thought it, so why not write it?!)

Here are some "much anticipated" photos: ENJOY! )I'll try to have a video of Grady rolling over next time, but it was taking forever to upload.

Grady's 4 month pic - I forgot to post it.

Drewman feeds Gradymeister who is loving rice cereal, pears, squash, and bananas. He grunts for more.

Happy Grady - He is always smiling.

This is actually Drew at 5 months below in the high chair...I thought it would be fun to compare. I always feel badly that I'm not as good about taking pics of Grady as we were with Drew, but Grady's first year will play out on this blog unlike Drew's, so here's a little baby time from Drew's first year. I'll try to post a few as I post some of Grady, so we can compare.

Grady @ 5 months - TODAY~! (Check out the difference between this pic and the 4 month one..can you say double chin?!)

Drewman showing off his new Spiderman toy...keep the sharting away, please!

Just Grady...

2010-02-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Nonna and Pappa for these great pics of Grady! They were in town from NY to visit for the weekend, and we actually had great weather for them. They played and played with the boys...and worked around the house too. The boys had a blast, and we loved the extra hands!

4 month stats...

2010-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I see other people doing this on their blogs, and in theory, I think it's a great idea. But let's be realistic; I'll probably forget to do it again.

Grady is 4 months old TODAY! (pic to follow) Drew and I took him to the doctor for his 4 month checkup. On our way to the doctor's office, I watched the temperature fall from 40 degrees to a balmy 35 degrees (Ok, midwest and northeastern friends, that's cold to me...). We hauled ourselves into the office with snacks, diaper bag, car seat, and toys in hand and settled in for a long wait.

Here were the results:
Height - 25 1/4 (50-75th percentile)
Weight - 14 lb, 12.8 oz (50th percentile)
Head - 42 cm (25-50th percentile)

3 shots!!!!!! ugh! Awful! Worst nightmare for any parent!!Better than them getting the disease you're vaccinating against...I guess?! Still sucks!

You ask me how does this compare to last time...I don't freaking know. Do you think I really have his stat sheet hanging around anymore?! It's probably stuck somewhere between CandyLand and a stack of essays that I need to grade.

On a lighter note, being the mom of two boys is pretty awesome. Grady is just starting to be able to "play" with Drew by grabbing at his face, and although Drew pretends to hate it, he usually squeals and laughs like crazy. They are pretty cute together.

Dave and I had a nice V-day. We each ran separately (7 miles...we're still in training), played with the boys, then we shared some take-out sushi with cold beer and a movie - Role Models (hilariously inappropriate). My friend, Marty, texted me that a year ago yesterday we were in Charleston with our moms and my friend, Teri, having a girls weekend. I had just found out I was pregnant. Mom pointed out that today was the day we drove home, and I started feeling sick which lasted until May. Wow - what a difference a year can make. In that year, Marty and I each had our 2nd child.

Snow day...

2010-02-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today was a holiday for me from school anyway, and we're off on Monday too for Presidents' Day. We were lucky enough to enjoy some awesome snow that started falling around 1:30 pm and still hasn't stopped.

You'll also see the pics I've been promising of Gradymeister. That's what Drew called Grady today when I came down the stairs with Grady after his nap. Maybe it will stick like Drewman Hoss.

Grady and Dave

Some of you already know how handy Dave is, but this is a before picture of a dresser he refinished and turned into a new entertainment center for our family room. We wanted something funky, and we got it! Dave sanded and sanded the dresser until it was ready for paint, then we picked out this cool blue-turqoise color. It looks awesome in our family room. This was a dresser that went with the bedroom set my parents bought when they first got married. We still have the other pieces in our guest bedroom...ready to be refinished now too.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Grady at 3 months - He's much bigger than Drew was at this age, so we've had to buy him a winter wardrobe in 6 month sizes.

Grady and Drew playing before we left for church last Sunday...notice Grady's admiration of his big brother, and please notice Drew's #9 jersey. We love Drew Brees!

Happy Gradymeister!

Drew and the snowman he made with his dad - He then spent almost an hour in the front yard with the neighborhood kids who are all at least ten or older. He was the only "little kid" out there, and he held his own quite nicely.

Drew getting up from making his Snow Angel for Gaga...she suggested this a few weeks ago when we got our first snow of the season, and she held up her end of the bargain by having my dad take her pic as she made a snow angel earlier today. Hilarious!!

Drew's school pics...

2010-02-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, we do have another son, but his pics are unfortunately hiding out on our old school camera...see previous post. I think I'll be able to post them this week from Dave's laptop, so for now...here's Drewman Hoss. These were taken at his school in January.

We're all doing well. Life is busy but good. Dave's sis and her family are coming into town for the weekend on Friday, so it will be a reunion of the little cousins. I'm sure Drew and Caal will have a blast. I'll post on that later. Nonna and Papa will be here the following weekend. Drew is very excited about all of his visitors.

Grady is sitting up in his bumpo seat, and I just tried him today in the exersaucer (spelling?...who cares?!?!), and he did pretty well. We'll definitely have to prop him up if he stays in there for long.

Dave and I continue to train for the half-marathon on March 21st with our friends Brian, Michelle, and Tracy. We're running on alternate nights when the kids are asleep and on Sundays when the kids are napping. It's definitely helped in the weightloss process for me, and of course, Dave looks great. I hate men and their weightloss!

We're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest nephew in early April!

Thanks to Fran...

2010-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

for the pictures for this post. Fran downloaded her pictures from Christmas, my mom's surprise 60th, and Chels' baby shower to my home computer, so I would have some pics to post. Check them out!

Grady and Aunt Chels - She's going to be the best mommy!

Fran hugging my mom at mom's surprise 60th

Gaga & Drew getting ready to blow out the candles

Drew and Grady

Some of the favors from Chels' shower

Some of Chels' friends at the shower

The hostesses and Chels

I'm a blogging slacker...

2010-01-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

So, life has been incredibly busy, and I honestly haven't had the time to post anything. Not to mention, about 2 weeks ago, when I was being "the best mommy ever" and trying to work on the computer while really putting Drew off, he dropped our digital camera into my cup of coffee. It was my fault! So now, I need to find the cord to our old camera that I've been using, and post some pictures.

This will be a picture-free post, so if you don't like those...stop reading here.

What have we been up to? Grady turned 3 months (here's where I would insert a picture if I had the ability to do so...sorry!) Drew is regressing a little in his potty training, but I think it might be our fault. We've been putting 1/4-1/2 cap of Miralax (a stool softener ---sorry for those of you offended by my need to write about my son's stool softener) in his sippy cup each morning, and it's really working. He can't make it to the toilet to do #2, so we're working on that one. Don't worry...we stopped the Miralax. Drew also had a big night last night...he spent the night with my parents. They offered to watch him since they don't see him as often now that we're on our own. Dave and I had grand plans to color my hair, clean the house, grade papers (me), and eat sushi out. We had Grady with us, but at this point, he still falls asleep in the car whenever we're out, so we knew we were good to go...well, Drew took a ridiculously long nap, so we got to my parents' house late, then we hit up Whole Foods for sushi and ended up eating it at the coffee table watching football. We were in bed by 8:30. It was actually a good night in my eyes. Poor Dave got up to feed Grady his last bottle at 9:30, and I had no idea anything went on outside of my own sleep.

I think Drew had fun with Gaga and Pops...when he got into bed with my parents, Pops started snoring, and he told Gaga that Pops was snoring. Gaga told him that the snoring was a song, but Drew told Gaga that he wanted the song to stop. Drew finally fell asleep, and my dad's ribcage took the brunt of his sideways kicking. Thanks guys!

Grady is full of smiles and coos. He is such a happy baby now thanks to the Prevacid he's on for his reflux. He's sleeping from about 10 until 6 each night;although, we've had a middle of the night wake up call the last few nights. Hopefully, that will end tonight!

Dave is working hard to finish a dresser that he is turning into our new entertainment center. It's amazing how he is doing this. I'll post pics of that later too.

In other news, we had a surprise 60th for my mom last weekend. She was surprised by friends from Destin, Nashville, and her sis, from Texas along with friends and family who live in Atlanta. We had a blast surprising her!

Jay and Chels' baby is due in 12 weeks, and we can't wait to meet the little guys. Drew is set on his name being Brooks, and we like it too. They haven't made anything official, so we'll see.

We also watched the news as I'm sure many of you did about the earthquake and were saddened and shocked by what we saw. The images of the children continue to be the most disturbing to us. On a sad note, my aunt Fran's friend, Jean, lost her life as a result of injuries she sustained during the earthquake. She made a last minute decision to join a mission trip to Haiti and suffered internal injuries when debris fell on her while she and others were helping patients in an eye clinic. The other 11 members of her mission trip returned safely to Dallas. Jean walked with Fran in the 3 day breast cancer walk in Dallas several years ago and worked for Texas Retina (where Fran works) for 25 years. I know Fran, her family, and her other friends would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Finally, thanks for all of your prayers...some of them have been answered. Keep them coming!

"A long December, and I've got reason to believe this one will be better than the last..."

2009-12-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

To say it's been a long December is the understatement of the year. As my friend, Marty, keeps telling me..."You have to slow down." For those of you who don't know...over this month, we've celebrated Drew's 3rd birthday, we closed on a house, we moved into the house, I went back to work, we unpacked boxes, we decorated for Christmas, Drew had a birthmark removed from his bottom, Grady moved out of our room and into a crib in his own room, and we celebrated Christmas with my family and await the arrival of Dave's parents on Tuesday evening to finish out the festivities. Ok, so it was a lot to take on at once, and in hindsight, I might not have gone back to work so early if I had known what this month would look like, but who knew?!?! As we close out 2009, we are so thankful for our wonderful friends and family. We hope 2010 will be better than 2009 for many reasons, and we ask for continued prayers for friends like Brian Heck, who is serving and protecting all of us in the Middle East as I write this. He's due home to his sweet family in the spring. Finally, there are many who read this blog who in their own private way might need a prayer for a refreshed mind, body, and/or soul...you know who you are...! I'll keep saying them and ask you to do the same. Happy New Year!

A rare family photo before Drew's Christmas program at school

Drew being wheeled out of his hospital room after his surgery at Scottish Rite this Monday

Grady hits a milestone

You are NOT seeing double; this is Drew in the same outfit Grady is wearing in the previous picture when he was just 3 weeks old (Christmast 2006).

Drew helping me put icing on the cookies for Santa. He got carried away with the powdered sugar, and please don't knock my pale, dirty appearance. I just got back from a 3 mile run on this one. Dave & I are currently training for the Atlanta ING Half-Marathon in March. Yes, Dave is going to run a half-marathon.

The boys...need I say more!

Grady and his great-grandma, Grams

1 Month old & 3 years old...

2009-12-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

We had a few milestones in the last few weeks. Grady turned 1 month (although now he's 7 weeks), and Drew turned 3 on Wednesday. Here are some updated pictures of the boys.

Little Grady is full of smiles...

I stole this idea from our friends, Mandy & Paul; they took pictures of their girls in a little chair each month until their 1st birthday, so they could tell how much they were growing. He looks like a little old man.

Drew helping to make his birthday cake for our family to eat on his birthday.

Drew's cupcake birthday cake at his school

Drew's best friend at school, Ava, covered in the black icing from Drew's McQueen cake

Drew's class enjoying the cupcakes

We made it again...

2009-12-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

Check out the link called "A Tribue to UGA" because we made it again. We love that website, and it's love of all things UF and Tebow. ATL is in full SEC Championship mode, and it's hard not the be nervous and excited about the game tomorrow night.

On another note, did anyone want to tell us that going from one child to two can be a nightmare, and we even have help from my parents on a seriously regular basis...we live with them.

After Drew's nap, we decided to run a few errands which included going to our local Kohl's to find him some new pants. It's not that his other pants don't fit; it's more a texture issue with him...he doesn't like tight pants or rough pants as he calls them. He's a sweatpant kind of kid, but I am too "snobby" to let sweatpants be the only part of his wardrobe. Well, I thought we could find some elastic-waisted "slacks" at this great sale; well, we found them (they were too big), but we also found out that we (ok, I) are the kind of parents who have to spank their child in the middle of a shopping exursion, but not because he was screaming his head off; instead, Drew was running around the store in his Thomas the Train underoos while I tried to get him into about 8 different pairs of pants. He seriously was doing this dance out of a movie that I know he has never seen, but it was hilarious and miserable all at the same time. Meanwhile, Dave and I are trying not to laugh, cry, or run out of the store, and Grady was deeply asleep in his stroller.

Wow..life with two kids; it's somewhere between the feeling of getting too drunk, too early in the morning and feeling hung-over before 9 am (can we say breakfast club at Purdue?) and getting a root canal (yes, I had one this week). On the other hand, it's also the greatest thing that ever happened to us. Grady is smiling and cooing now...priceless, and Drew is playing CandyLand with us. Life is exhausting but very good too.

A roadblock...

2009-12-03T04:51:00.001-08:00

So we've had a temporary roadblock in our move...paperwork on the sellers' side is holding us up. It looks like we'll close on Monday at 2 pm instead of today, then we'll make the big move next weekend.

It's a...

2009-11-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

BOY! We add another boy to the Yuhas/Blevins clan. Baby Blevins is due on April 9th!

And we're waiting...

2009-11-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We're eating at my parents' house today at 5:oo, so we are just hanging out waiting for my mom to bring my aunt, Fran, to the house. Jay & Chels will be here soon with Chels' mom and sister too.

So, Jay & Chels found out the sex of their baby on Tuesday, and we still don't know yet. We're all trying to be patient...some of us more than others. They will be revealing the big surprise to us later today, and I can't wait. As soon as I know and can get to the computer, I'll let you know too, so be on the lookout for an update here and on Facebook. I don't have a feeling either way to be honest with you. I'd love a little niece, but we are turning into quite the boy family, so that would be awesome too. I can't believe they've kept the secret, and Chels didn't even budge when she and I went to a movie yesterday. (We saw New Moon...AMAZING! Team EDWARD all the way!)

Here are a few updated photos...

Drew & Grady on Thanksgiving morning

Grady at 6 weeks - my guess is that he weighs just around/over 11lbs...

Dave & I on the way to a gala for his work a few weeks ago

December 3rd...

2009-11-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

So we have a busy few weeks coming up...Drew will turn 3 on December 2nd, and we close on our new house on December 3rd. We're very excited about the new house, and many of you asked to see pics, so here they are...

The house is located in Alpharetta and is about 2 -3 miles from the highway that Dave takes to get to work. We're about 15 to 20 minutes from my parents and my brother and his wife. my commute will be about the same....25-30 minutes, so it's in a great location. It's in a great neighborhood right off the Alpharetta square. Our lot has a creek going through the front yard, so the boys are sure to have fun out there. It's got 4 bedrooms and is located on the edge of a cul-de-sac. We won't have to change much...just a little paint. Dave's sister, her husband, and their little boy, Caal, are coming to help us out on Thursday, Dec 3rd, and that will be great. Plus, my parents offered to help out with our boys when we're moving, so we should be able to get things done quickly. We'll be ready for visitors in the new year, so come on down, up, or over anytime...

Watch your mouth...

2009-11-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

because kids say the darndest things, especially when they are repeating what they hear their parents say. So on the way home from school today, Drew informed me that he is not a baby, and I am not to call him a baby anymore.

Well, that got me laughing so hard that I was crying because he was just so matter of fact about it. That's actually not the funniest part. While I was laughing about this comment, someone cut me off as I was turning, and I proceeded to yell at this person..."You are a retard." Yes, I said it, and yes, I'm sorry about it for many reasons. Mostly I'm sorry because Drew proceeded to tell me that he is not a tard, and he's going to tell Gaga (my mom) and his Dada that I called him a tard. This makes sense to me because I told him that if anyone was mean to him at school to tell the teacher or another adult...little did I realize he'd have to use this tactic on his own mother, and how did he know I was calling the other driver a retard when I distinctly said, '"You are a retard."

We quickly had a lesson in name-calling and how what mommy said was not nice, and that I am in trouble because I said it, etc...I was still laughing and crying when we called Dave to tell him over speakerphone because Drew said he wanted to call Dada to tell him that I called him a tard. I guess I will have to watch my mouth...luckily he didn't repeat me when I yelled, "You suck, you S-O-B" to Tex as he pulled an entire pack of crackers off the kitchen counter last night. I was due for one of these moments in my life; let's be honest, I'm known for my sailor mouth...well not anymore unless I want my kid to spend every day at school in time out for calling people S-O-B's and tards. So, I'm headed to TIME OUT right now because that's where I belong.

The Yankees win...and more.

2009-11-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

It was an exciting night in the Yuhas/Blevins household last night as the Yankees won the World Series. Dave was the only one who made it through the entire game, but they boys were up and ready with their new Yankees gear this morning. Thanks to cousins, Colleen & Courtney, for their new gear.

Grady asleep as we carved the pumpkin

Drew eating as Dave carves the pumpkin

Dave & Grady catching a nap "during" the Purdue game

Kari, Dave, Drew, & Grady (in the stroller) on a cold, rainy Halloween evening

Drew - The Fireman as he calls himself

Drew with one of his new teachers, Miss Jackie...she is awesome!

We had a great and busy October with Grady's arrival, parties at school, and Halloween. In other news, we have a contract on a house in Alpharetta and are set to close on December 3rd. It's a bittersweet time for us as we move on to our own house, but we've so appreciated the hospitality and support from my parents. It's truly amazing how well we've all done; at least, from our end, it's been really nice for all of us. Drew is going to be very sad once he realizes that Pops and Gaga aren't supposed to live with us everyday, but I'm guessing he'll get some special time with them too.

A tribute to the Gators...

2009-11-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

So, I happened to check to see if I had any new comments on any of my recent postings, and I found this..check it out. We made an apperance on a great blog that I refer to on my own blog as a "Tribute to UGA." Am I happy that they posted a picture of me that makes me look enourmous?...ok, it was the picture we took as we headed out the door to the hospital, so I guess I need to cut myself some slack. Enjoy!

http://tebowseyeblack.com/2009/10/back-to-atlanta.html

And life goes on...

2009-10-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Grady had his 2 week check-up today, and he weighed 8 lbs, 11.6 ounces and was 21 inches long, so he is growing. He's pretty much in the 50th percentile for everything. The doctor asked us a bunch of questions about his eating and sleeping habits and his overall temperment. I must say that it was easy to answer these questions because, knock on wood, he is an easy baby just like Drew was. My guess is that we'll pay for this in their teenage years. I suppose I can live with that. His pediatrician even told me that I can let him sleep once I put him down after the 10 pm feeding...yippee! I've been waking him up at 2:30 am to feed him, but we'll just see how long he can go or my boobs can go...

We're gearing up for Halloween now. We'll carve our pumpkin tonight, and we might even roast the pumpkin seeds. I haven't done that in a very long time. Drew has a party at school today, and he's wearing his "fireman" costume as he likes to call it. He used to call it his firetruck car, so we're getting there. We'll head over to Woodstock tomorrow evening to watch the GA/FL game and trick or treat with friends. I'll post pics of that later.

I hate to admit this, but I've been watching and enjoying lots of Yankees baseball lately. It's nice to watch when I'm nursing late at night. Plus, it's been keeping Dave awake for that late night feeding, and I do love the company; although, Dave's been pretty amazing each night by running downstairs to refresh my water or bring me a bottle if we need it. I'm a lucky girl to have such a supportive husband. We also realized the tremendous value of having my parents right here last night (as if we didn't know...), but Dave came home with a migraine, and I'm just now able to get up and down the stairs throughout the day. Anyway, with Dave out of commission for awhile last night, Pops and Gaga were an integral part of getting Drew to eat his dinner, and they read to him, so I could feed Grady.

Drew with his new Thomas the Train shaving set

Drew holding his "Baby Grady"

The first few days...

2009-10-21T13:11:00.001-07:00

We've had a great first few days home with Grady. It's been very helpful that Dave has been here too. I really couldn't take care of Grady and Drew without him...ok, Dave is really the one taking care of Drew these days. He takes him to school, picks him up, gives him a bath, and puts him to bed. Since I'm still in some pain, the best I can do is read to him or watch him play baseball in the backyard with Dave. And as always, my parents are a tremendous help. They have been cooking some great meals lately. As I type this, my mom is cooking a roast in the oven.

I wanted to share a couple of stories about Drew that are too funny. He switched classes about 2 weeks ago to the 3 year old preschool room. He is by far one of the youngest in this class. There are kids in his class that are turning 4, so the pressure was on to get potty-trained. When we went to get him yesterday, his teachers, Ms. Jackie and Ms. Faye, told us that Drew came to them complaining that he was "hurting" yesterday and pointed to his stomach. They thought he was cramping b/c we've had some issues with that in the past in Drew, so they sent him to the potty to sit. Ms. Jackie went to check on him and realized that the hurting he felt was b/c he had his male member stuck in the band of his underoos...poor guy. We really practiced pulling them up all the way last night, so hopefully he was pain free today.

As you can see from that story, Drew's teachers are called Ms. Jackie and Ms. Faye...emphasis on Ms. for this story...Drew started calling Chelsea (my sis in law) and my mom, Ms. Chels & Ms. Gaga. Well, last night he really wanted Dave's attention at the dinner table, so he yelled out Ms. Dada, Ms. Dada, Ms. Dada until he got his attention. It was hilarious.

Grady continues to grow and eat like a champ. He is sleeping well during the day and pretty well at night. He has a witching hour from about 8 until 11...we're working on it, so say your prayers for us.

Drew loving on "Baby Grady" as he calls him

Drewman Has (That's what he has nicknamed himself...pretty clever.)

Mama & her boys

Drew & Grady with Drew's new singing Handy Manny toolbox from Nonna & Papa

Grady is here!

2009-10-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

So here we are on our way out the door to the hospital...looking rather large and in charge. I'm retaining some serious fluid in this picture. That's also why you won't see me in many pics from the hospital. I was so puffy and begged everyone not to take my pic. I'm looking "better" now, but you'll just have to wait.

About 4 hours after the above pic,and Grady is here! It's hard to believe.

My parents, Gaga & Pops, with Grady

Drew meeting his baby brother for the first time. He was instantly hooked. He is always asking for Baby Grady as he likes to call him.

Dave's parents - Nonna and Papa

Dave..

Most of you know by now, but Grady Joseph arrived on October 15, 2009 at 12:30 pm via c-section. He weighed 8lb, 10z at 20.5 inches long. We are home now and doing well. Grady is a name that Dave and I liked; it happens to be a great uncle's name from my mom's side too. Joseph is a tribute to Dave's grandfather who he was very close with.

Thanks to Nonna, Papa, Gaga, & Pops for taking care of Drew while we spent 3 days in the

hospital. We came home yesterday around noon. Gaga and Pops continue to help us with the dogs and feed us some great food. We had a great dinner last night and survived our first night of feedings with relative ease. I really have to give them special thanks because of all they do for us. It's amazing!

I had a minor hormonal breakdown this morning as to be expected...a few tears were shed. As I look back a few hours later, I'm not sure what it was about, but I guess I don't need a reason to cry right now. They are just going to flow out of me right now. I hope the 30 lbs. I have to lose will flow out of me too; although, looking at Grady, each and every pound was worth it. Except when I think back to the loads of ice cream, blonde brownies, and Chick-fil-A shakes I consumed, I kind of want to puke right now. I indulged with yogurt and grapes lately...quite a change. Sometimes when I catch sight of my "gut" or my pancake ass, I feel the need to go for a 10 mile run, but I know that will happen in due time.

The dogs are adjusting well to little Grady. They want to follow anyone who has him in their arms, and he's been bathed in kisses from all of them. In fact, Sally and Tex took turns kissing him and then kissing each other almost as if they were saying to each other, "Doesn't that taste good?!" It was hilarious. Scout is more into checking him out than actually touching him, and they held a vigil outside our door last night when he was crying. Sadly, Tex and Scout are now sleeping in their crates in a guest bedroom. We figured Grady didn't need nose, ear, and mouthfuls of dog hair at such a young age.

Many people have asked about the adjustment from 1 to 2 kids...well, so far so good at approx 5 days in. We definitely have to be a team since we don't want Drew to feel left out. And by team, I mean relying on my parents to help out too. It doesn't appear that Drew will suffer much from a lack of attention. He also seriously scored big time in the toy department this week. I think Dave and I both feel a little more relaxed this time around which is so nice. Again, thanks for all the well wishes. We greatly appreciate all of you.

A final post...

2009-10-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, we're 2 days and counting. I can't figure out if it's more daunting that I know exactly when the baby will be here or if it's worse to not know. I really can't tell you how I'm feeling about that. I can tell you that I am ready to give birth and meet this baby; although, I could hold off on the middle of the night feedings that are about to enter back into my world. Dave's parents arrive tonight, and I'm excited that they will be able to be a part of this experience with us. Drew will be happy to be spoiled by both sets of grandparents over the next few days.

Drew is now potty trained thanks to the peer pressure in his new classroom at school. His teachers, Miss Jackie & Miss Faye, are amazing. They even sent home his pack of pullups for naptime saying that he didn't need them anymore. YES! This is beyond exciting. Of course, I've been warned that he might regress once the baby is here, but these are also the people who want to have in depth conversations with me about what sex the baby is based on how I look and feel...just wait people, we'll all know on Thursday! I know everyone means well, but I need a sign that reads..."C-section, noon, Thurs 10/15, don't know sex, have gained close to 45-50 lbs (I stopped looking at the scale once I knew I outweighed my brother.), 2nd child, 1st one is almost 3 years old, live with parents, so they will help with baby, going back to work full-time in Jan." Maybe I should invent something like that for other moms-to-be; although, maybe I'm the only bitch in the world who doesn't want to answer these questions anymore??!! I'm betting that I'm not the only one.

As I type this, the baby is moving all around. Ok, maybe not all around b/c he/she is soooo big, but I'm getting some serious jabs in the gut and bladder. It's funny to think that the little one will be in my arms in a matter of days. I can't wait!

I did want to take the time to thank my parents and Dave for putting up with me and my immense amounts of crap the last 9 months. I have been a pain in the butt, and let's be honest, the next few weeks could be hell for them too...hormones and sleep deprivation! What did I do to deserve parents who cook, clean, do laundry, and love me & my family (+2 dogs) unconditionally?! And what did I do to deserve a husband who tells me to eat what I want and that I'm pregnant, so not to worry about the weight gain?! I am so lucky because you should see my ass, double chin, and swollen ankles/feet/toes.

Until next time...

8 lbs, 15 oz...that's the estimated weight right now! Holy crap!

2009-10-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

My doctor is estimating that the baby CURRENTLY weighs 8 lbs, 15 oz., so that's one big baby. He's thinking the baby will definitely be over 9 lbs when he or she arrives. I would like to think I'll lose a good 30 lbs at delivery since the baby is soooooo big, but let's be honest...I've eaten my way through brownies, M&M's, ice cream, and various other sweets. Enjoy this pic! Hopefully, baby Yuhas will be here sooner rather than later...NOON on 10/15/09.

More lake pictures...

2009-09-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

My friend, Amy, did a great post on her blog about our trip to the lake, so I thought I would steal her pics and post them on my blog. She also did a great job expressing what a great group we have. I feel very fortunate to have these women/moms in my life. Those of you who have been wanting to see more pics of my belly....here you go. It's hard to avoid in many of these pictures.

A great collage of the trip...

L to R: Amy & Brayden (3 1/2 mo), Denah & Luke (5 mo), Michelle & Parker Jane (16 mo), & Kari (due Oct 15) & Drew (2 1/2 yrs)

One last trip...

2009-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took a short (1.5 hour) trip to a lake right over the state line in North Carolina with some friends from my work. It was a great getaway. Here are some pics.

Dave, "Baby" Parker as Drew calls her, & Drew

Drew on the boat right before he fell asleep

Drew taking a nap on the boat after we got back from an hour boat trip where he slept the entire time

Last day at the pool...and a belly pic!

2009-09-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

Dave and I took Drew to the pool today for the last time; it closes tomorrow. It was a little chilly, but he jumped right in with Dave. It's hard to believe that he was hardly swimming at all when summer started.

Dave gives Drew a haircut! He does a great job.

Ok, so I really want to post a picture of me as I'm headed out the door to work with makeup and a better outfit on, but this is the reality of what I look like most days with just over 5 weeks to go. Fat, tired, and very pregnant! Enjoy! Is that a double chin?!?! I think so.

Drew and his machinery

2009-09-06T03:58:00.001-07:00

Drew, Dave, and Pops (my dad) took a little Saturday morning trip to the Alpharetta Farmer's Market, and for some reason, Drew had it stuck in his head that he would see some tractors or Bob the Builder equipment...(Scoop, Muck, & Roley), so the men obliged and drove around the area on their way home to find him some equipment. As you can see, they were successful.

In other news, we continue to pass the time until baby #2 arrives. Luckily, college football is here to make the weekends fly by now, and we're loving it! Today and tomorrow will be filled with going through old baby stuff and getting organized...just in case. My mom and some others swear I won't make it to October 15th since my belly is already so big, and yes, I will post a pic soon. I can only hope this baby decides to make an early appearance...I'm hoping for Homecoming weekend!

Can't feel sorry for myself...

2009-09-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just when I start to feel overwhelmed and ready to complain (Ok, that might not stop) about life, I am reminded of sweet friends like the Heck family. If you get a chance, there is a link to their blog posted on this site for you to check out. This amazing family is being separated again because of Brian Heck's deployment to the Middle East. He is an enlisted member of the United States AirForce and headed back overseas for the second time since I have known his family. He just got back in September from an 11 month deployment and is gone again for the same amount of time. My connection to Brian is through his AMAZING wife, Michelle, who JUST GAVE BIRTH to their 4 week old daughter, Abbigail, and she already has a 2 year old, Thomas, to take care of. Michelle is one of those people that you just want to be around because she loves life and treats her friends and loved ones like gold. Never once during Brian's previous deployment did I ever hear her complain. She got out of bed early every morning to get herself, the house, the dogs, and her son ready for the work day...drove 40 minutes to school and started her day as a teacher with a smile. I am feeling sad for their family right now and wanted to share their story with you. If you pray, say a prayer for Brian's safety and for comfort for all the Hecks as they endure this time apart from one another. Thank you - Brian, for keeping our country safe! & Michelle, for being an inspiration to everyone who knows you!

Dave's Sprint Triathalon & back to school...

2009-08-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we made a short trek to Chattanooga, TN, so Dave and our friend, Paul, could compete in a sprint triathalon. They had to swim 1/4 mile, bike 8 miles, and run 2 miles. Dave finished in 58 minutes and 17 seconds. We were very proud of them!

School started this Monday, and I've been exhausted, but I must say it's been nice to get back into a routine. I will work right up until my c-section which is scheduled for noon (not 7:45 am as originally planned) on October 15th; I should be on maternity leave until the second week of December. I'll go back for one week before Christmas break and then full time again in January.

Paul, Avery, Dave, & Drew in Chattanooga

Drew & Avery at the Children's museum in Chattanooga

Dave within 20 yards of the finish line

Dave running on the bridge during the race

Drew's cousin, Caal (Many of you ask about him, so here he is...growing like a weed.)

It's official!

2009-08-01T04:15:00.001-07:00

Baby Yuhas will arrive on October 15th at 7:45 am unless he/she decides to come early! We are very excited and know the time will be here before we know it.

I go back to work this Tuesday, and the kids will be at school on August 10th. It's hard to believe that I'm starting my 10th year of teaching, and I'm so thankful that I still love my job. I will work until the Friday before my c-section and head back during the last week of the semester for exams. My parents will be watching the baby until sometime this spring....Thank God for them!

Many of you have asked about Dave's job, and we really appreciate your concern and support. As of today, I don't have an update. August is supposed to be a re-assessment month, so we'll see what happens. They are bidding work constantly, and as soon as they get a project, they should be in a good spot. We're still on hold with the house hunting as we wait for jobs to stabilize, but as many of you have pointed out to me (even though I know it), we are really lucky to have the extra set of hands in my parents as we add another child to the mix, so you won't hear any complaints from me.

Drew's 1st MLB Game - Braves vs. Mets

2009-07-26T17:40:00.001-07:00

My Aunt Fran came to visit us from Dallas last weekend, so we decided to go to a Braves game. Here are some photos from the night.

Dave & Drew walking into the park...yes, they're both wearing madris plaid shorts.

Drew in his new Yankees hat

Drew eating Pops' popcorn

Dave, Drew, & Me as we were leaving the game

Gaga, Aunt Chelsea, Drew, & Aunt Fran

Pops, Drew, Dave, & Uncle Jay-Jay

We've been busy...

2009-07-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

Somehow summer is steadily coming to an end in the Yuhas/Blevins household. We have two weeks before we head back to school. I know that I shouldn't complain since I've been out since the last week of May, but it's been a great summer. Drew finally got over his fear of swimming and is now a little fish. He has to wear water wings, but he loves those too. We've spent a good portion of the summer at the library and pool. I've perfected napping for 2 hours every day when Drew naps because I'm just so tired. I'm a little nervous about how working full-time is going to play into my nap routine. Thankfully, my parents have been so helpful in keeping Drew occupied during the long summer days when he is not in school, and I'm not at my best.

Dave, on the other hand, is seriously in the best shape of his life. He's training for a mini-triathalon on August 9th in Chattanooga, TN. He'll be completing this with our good friend, Paul, and he's been training like a maniac. It's been so awesome watching him turn into a swimmer and a runner. Little does he know, but I'll be counting on him to be my running partner this winter and spring as I try to lose the baby weight. Of course, I had all intentions of eating really healthy this pregnancy and not gaining as much weight, but I've already gained 20 lbs. with 3 months left to go, and sweets of any kind are my best friend. I'm trying to walk 4-5 days a week for about 45mins, but I'm going to gain what I'm going to gain, right?!?! Oh well! I'm planning on doing a half marathon in April of next year as an incentive to lose the weight. The plan is for my friend, Griffin, to meet me in Nashville for their amazing half-marathon. Any and all are welcome!

Finally, we took our annual trip to RochVegas over the week after July 4th and had a blast. Nona and Papa were the perfect hosts and gave us a much needed break from chasing after Drew. We got to see Uncle Mark (0r Joe as Drew liked to call him). The weather was great by our standards...in the 70s. Drew transitioned to a big boy bed on this trip...thanks, Nona! He's now in a toddler bed at home, and we thought we might get him potty-trained too, but he wants no part of it. We'll try again later! I'd like it if I only have one child in diapers come October, but Drew may have other plans. I'll keep you posted on that front.

Father's Day 2009 - Dave, Drew, Kari, & Baby #2 at Cracker Barrel

Father's Day 2009 - Pops & Drew

Drew at the Perinton Park Playground by Nona & Papa's house

More playground fun...

Nona, Papa, Dave, and Drew at the fish hatchery

Papa & Drew reading books - This is Drew's newest obsession which for me is a good one. He made Papa read him 11 books when Dave and I went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. I don't think Papa minded that much.

Drew & Izzy VanCamp - Her dad is one of Dave's best friends from high school. We spent a few hours with them at their lake cottage while in NY.

Drew in Dada's shoes & Dave in Drew's shoes - Drew thought this was so great. I also have to point out the Handy Manny jammies that Drew is wearing. These were a gift from Gaga, and he wears them ALL the time.

Papa, Nona, & Drew

More summertime...

2009-06-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics and even a video of our summer so far.

Drew, Daddy, & the dogs lounging on the floor. Yes, Drew has on a pair of "jorts" and no shirt. We're just getting him ready for his Halloween costume. You'll have to wait until October for that one.

Drew eating his new favorite fruit, cantelope, while watching baseball with Daddy
This kid has a rough life, right?!?!

The Purdue girls at Bailey's wedding over Memorial Day weekend in South Bend, IN. Yes, all of us except for Amy Folta (not pictured) wore black to the wedding, including the bridesmaids.

Drew counts to 10...pay special attention to the number that comes between 3 & 5!

Summertime

2009-06-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a blogging slacker, and more than one of you has called me out on it. Well, I don't have any pictures to post today because I am kind of lazy, but I will give you some updates.

Drew and I are enjoying the summer together. He's going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We spend the other days going to the pool, the library, and other random places where kids can have fun for free.

Dave's company did make some cuts, and he's down to a 4 day work week through the end of July. They'll re-assess the situation then if they haven't gotten a new job. Please keep us (and our many friends and family members who are dealing with the same situation) in your thoughts and prayers right now. We're trying to keep our spirits up, but it can be difficult.

Our house search is on hold as we wait for the economy to stabilize...Ha! Luckily, my parents are fine with us staying as long as we need to stay...at least that is what they have said, and I do believe them.

We had our 20 week ultrasound appointment a few weeks ago, and that went well. We did not find out the sex of the baby, so you'll just all have to wait until October. My c-section is tentatively scheduled for October 15th.

We head to Rochester on July 4th for a week with Dave's parents. Drew is very excited to see his Papa, Nona, and uncle Mark.

I'll do my best to post some pics. I have a few good ones from the summer.

Spring 2009 & the emergence of Drewman

2009-05-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy couple of weekends because we are closing on our house in Florida. Dave and my dad (Thanks again, Dad for helping us out!) went to Destin one weekend and packed up the house with our friends, Chris and Sara. My dad, my brother, and Dave unloaded a carload of junk into our storage unit, then Dave and I went back to Destin last weekend for Kendra & Andrew's wedding and to pack the U-haul. Ok, I didn't pack anything. I spent most of the morning talking to our movers, our friends, Chris & Billy. Dave was not amused. We headed back to Atlanta and met our friends, Brian Rawlin, Doug, Brian Burks, and of course, my dad at the storage unit to empty the contents of our house from the moving truck. We would be lost without the help of our amazing friends and family. I also need to thank Felicia, Leah, and Michelle for allowing their men to help us on Mother's Day.

Even though we had to drive back from Destin on Mother's Day, I had a special day with my boys. They got me a beautiful pair of earrings from James Avery, and heart paperweight from Drew's school, and some sweet cards.

Finally, I have to tell the story of the Drewman. A few weeks ago, my mom and I took Drew to the mall. When we were in The Gap, a salesperson asked Drew what is name was. Very matter of factly, he stated that it is "Drewman." I quickly corrected him because you should have seen the look the salesperson gave me, but did she seriously think I named my kid, Drewman?!?!Mom and I got a big laugh out of this and didn't think much of it until Drew started referring to himself in the 3rd person as Drewman. "The dogs have Drewman's golf balls." "That's Drewman's car." I know it's our fault b/c that is what we all call him, but it is too funny. One day this week when I dropped him off at school, his friend, Shaelynn said, "It's Drewman." I think it might stick.

Also, people have been asking how Drew is adjusting to the idea of the new baby. I think right now he is just starting to understand it. He points at my belly and says "My baby." Last week he wanted a girl baby and liked the name CeCe, but today he told me that he wanted a boy. Who knows how this will turn out?!?!

Here's a photo tour through our spring...

Drew's tree - We planted this maple tree when we brought Drew home from the hospital. It was bittersweet to leave that house, but we're ready for a new adventure as we start house-hunting in Atlanta. Say your prayers that jobs remain stable and that we can save, save, save for a down payment. (Thanks again to mom and dad for saying we can stay as long as we need to!)
Drew eating M&M's from his Easter egg hunt we had in the backyard

Drew & Daddy hunting Easter eggs

Drew and his school girlfriend, Sophie, at his school's Easter egg hunt (Is she making a move on my little man?!) - She is the sweetest little girl, and whenever she wakes up from a nap and her mommy asks her who she dreamt about, her answer is always Drew.

Drew & Daddy opening Daddy's bday presents

Drew & Daddy at PLAY activity center - We went with the Parkers this spring. Is that a serious move or what?!

Drew & Avery Parker - They are great buddies, and Avery told her parents that she wants to marry Drew someday but still live at home. Hey, I'm all for that...

and baby makes 4, or 6, or 9 if we're getting technical...

2009-04-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

So that's why I haven't posted anything since Feb.9th...I am 15 weeks pregnant and have had a rough go for the last few months. This baby is kicking my butt. The numbers in the post title refer to if we count our dogs and then of course my parents and their dog all living under the same roof.

Despite the way I've been feeling, we do have some photos from the last few months, so I'll get those posted soon. The baby is due October 22nd, but I'll have to have a c-section sometime before that. We are not going to find out the sex of this baby either, but I'm thinking it might be a girl since it's been so different from my 1st trimester with Drew. I have to give a serious shout-out of thanks to my parents and Dave. I would have been SOL without their help the last few months because I have been so worthless.

Drew is doing well. He still loves school along with singing his ABCs and counting to 10. Dave is doing well too. We're praying that his company can land another project soon, so that stress will be out the window. We currently have a contract on our house. This all just happened this week, and we are supposed to close on May 11th. We're hoping it will all go through with ease.

I hope all is well with everyone! I'll try not to be a blog slacker anymore.

Drew plays football & "Bob the Builder"

2009-02-09T17:25:00.001-08:00

We signed Drew up for a class called Lil' Allstars, and they work on skills for basketball, football, t-ball, and soccer. It's really just a fun gym class for 2 year olds that Dave and I get to watch on Saturday mornings. We've met some nice people through the class. Below you'll see Drew prepping for football. The other pics are from tonight when Drew and Daddy were on the phone with Bob the Builder. He gave them strict orders about building their tower and taking a bath.

A pictureless post...SORRY!

2009-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little crazy this month, so I've been lazy yet again. Drew is in a gym class on Saturday mornings, so I will get those pics up this weekend for your amusement. They spend 2 weeks on a specific sport; they started with basketball, then football, soccer, and t-ball. It is comical to say the least.

On a more serious note, we, along with many others, are just waiting out this economic storm. We continue to hope and pray that someone in the Blevins/Yuhas clan will sell some real estate, and just recently, several of my teaching friends were notified that due to their part-time status with the county, they will not be receiving a contract next year. There are many others that we know whose jobs are uncertain, and it will continue to be a trying time. I am hoping I will be safe with a job next year, but you never know. We also continue to pray for our troops overseas wherever they may be. (As of today, my friend, Kendra will be separated from her new husband who is in Japan until May.)

On a lighter note, we hear of babies being born (The Edwards family) and babies on the way (Hecks and Parkers)...maybe there are more that I don't know about yet. Keep the emails, texts, and Facebook updates coming. No news on that front from the Yuhas'...yet.

Sorry to make this post so serious, but the reality in our lives right now is that people we love are hurting, and I just wanted them to know that we continue to pray for them.

Parties, Christmas, December, Snow, and Family...Enjoy!

2009-01-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to wish all of our friends and family a Happy New Year! I was lazy and cheap this year and decided not to send Christmas cards. This post will just have to do. We've had a very busy December with Drew's Bob the Builder birthday party, a trip to the aquarium with mommy & daddy, Christmas with my family, and a trip to Rochester to see Dave's family.

Drew & Mommy at the aquarium with the gators. GO GATORS!

Drew & Daddy in the tunnel at the aquarium.

Daisy & Ella at Drew's birthday party

Claire, Avery, and Drew getting ready for the Bob the Builder cake.

Drew & his great-grandma (Grams) making her special rolls together.

Pops, Drew, & Gaga (my parents) making the stuffing for Christmas dinner.

Drew & his cousin, Caal shredding the toilet paper at their great-grandma's.

Drew, Nona, & his great-grandma (Dave's mom & grandma)
Drew & Caal on the coffee table thanks for Nona

Caal, Nona, and Drew reading their favorite Thomas the train book.

Drew & his Papa at the Children's musuem in Rochester

Carlos, Jen, & Caal on Sesame Street
Drew enjoying the snow in Rochester from the warmth of the kitchen. It was freezing!

This one is for Heaney

2008-12-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Some of my college friends, the Heckster, and my family have been getting onto me about the fact that I haven't updated the blog lately, so here are some pics from the last few weeks. We went to Destin to see some old friends in mid-November. Thanks to Chris and Sawa for being such great hosts. We spent a lot of time with friends and family over Thanksgiving break, and we celebrated Drew's 2nd birthday today! We had a great web chat with Dave's parents, and we're gearing up for our trip to NY for Christmas to see Drew's cousin, Caal. Thanks to everyone for all the calls, emails, cards, and gifts for Drew's birthday. You were very generous!

Some of the F-Dub teaching crew -
(Me, Sawa, Kendra, Jordan, Ashleigh, & Addy)

A night out in the ATL over Thanksgiving break
(Chris, Sawa, Dave, Me, Jay, & Chels)
Sorry....Jay! Send me another pic to put up, and I'll change it

Drew's new train table & possible last wearing of the infamous Gator jersey
(It's size 12 months...need I say more?!)

Drew "helping" make the cupcakes for his classmates

Drew's 2nd birthday - TONIGHT

Drew in North Carolina

2008-11-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

We drove to North Carolina this weekend to see the leaves. Drew had fun in the leftover snow, and Dave got some great shots of the little guy.

Elvis is in the building...

2008-10-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

I had to share this picture of our nephew, Caal, in his Elvis costume. He is such a cutie! We are all so excited to be together for Christmas in New York. Drew and Caal will have a blast. Hopefully, they'll get to see some snow.

A few Fall days...

2008-10-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy few weekends lately. Yesterday we went to the Fall Festival at Drew's new school. Drew went as Drew Brees. We really wish he was still the Purdue quarterback. Thank God for Gator football! We're hoping the Dawgs will be Gator-bait next weekend...sorry, Chels! (Well, kinda sorry...)! We had a cookout with the Parkers last night; it's probably one of the last ones before the weather really makes a turn here. We are loving the fall weather though. Last Saturday we drove to Athens in the morning to see the Wherry and Vogeltanz family. I have known them since I was just a little older than Drew. Last Friday night, Dave and my parents took care of Abby Edwards. She is the daughter of Blake & Rebecca, our friends from D.C. They were in town for a conference with Dave's old company and asked us to keep Abby for the night. I was at the Homecoming parade and football game, so I had to miss out on the fun.

Drew & Daddy at the Fall Festival

Drew & Mommy

Drew feeding the animals

Avery Parker & Drew

Jack & Owen Wherry with Drew

Drew & Abby

Drew @ the zoo

2008-10-13T18:12:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we met Paul, Mandy, Avery, & Dora/Frinley (AKA Parker baby #2 - due in Feb) and headed to the zoo. Drew and Avery love to hold hands because we made them over and over again. We just loved seeing them do this. After the zoo, we headed to Buffalo Wild Wing at Northpoint for dinner. We didn't know it until we sat down, but it's the LSU football hangout. We tried to play it low-key and even met some decent LSU tiger fans sitting next to us who were great with the kids, but all hell broke loose once Florida scored that first touchdown. Ok, maybe I'm embellising a little bit (Ha, Dave), but Dave and I did jump up and scream...briefly!

And yes, we are still Purdue fans, but what's there to be so happy about on that front?!?! Boiler Up & Go Gators! Drew has "Choo, Choo" down, and we're working on a solid Gator chomp.

Fun with Grammy and Papa

2008-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Dave's parents took care of Drew a few weeks ago when we went to Pete's wedding. I had to share some of the fun they had. Enjoy!

Drew with his backpack, blanket, & Spunky (his stuffed dog)

Grammy & Drew eating ice cream

Drew & Papa climbing on the fence

Papa catching Drew as he runs down the hill in the backyard. This is a favorite game for him.

Some "new" things...

2008-10-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's hard to tell from these pictures, but Drew got a new pair of shoes and some balls to play with this week. He played hard, so he had to take a nap on his Thomas ball AND his soccer ball.

Drew walking around before church in his new brown Chuck Taylors.

Drew working on some calculations in his new shoes.

Drew asleep with a death grip on his Thomas ball and his soccer ball.

A happy boy & a sad boy (or grown man, you decide...)

2008-09-27T13:18:00.001-07:00

Earlier in the week, Drew and his daddy had some fun time in the backyard with the dogs. We had a little family reunion when my parents came back from the mountains, and we all watched football together today. The last picture pretty much sums up the day...Jay...alone in his chair in the backyard after Florida's loss to Ole Miss. I think the quote of the day was when he said, "This (meaning Florida football) defines, (then he proceeded to re-phrase his statement as to not sound completely ridiculous) defines a part of who I am." It was classic. Those of you who know Jay and his love for Florida football also know that this was a tough loss. He threatened to body slam someone and give someone a rug burn. Sad, but true. Perhaps, this is why my brother eventually needed a hand therapist after a Florida loss to LSU where he and his hand had a not so happy encounter with his kitchen countertops.

Drew, Daddy, & Scout

Jay, minutes after the Florida loss to Ole Miss...(enough said...)

Pete Horsfall GOT married...Dave & Kari get a weekend sans Drew!

2008-09-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Dave's best friend from college got married at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin this weekend. It was an amazing weekend. The wedding was on Friday night (I highly recommend this.), and there were about 115 people there. It was a great size for a wedding, and we had a blast as you can see from the pics. We reconnected with some old friends and made some new ones too. We also got to meet and spend a lot time with Pete's wife, Stacy. We love her and wish they lived closer to us. We're planning on a spring visit from them where we're going to host a "Garden Party" in their honor. This is a random request from Pete who envisions that all people living in the south must host this kind of party...Yeah, right! Being with Pete and our Purdue friends brought back a lot of memories...Enjoy the pics!

Also, we were lucky enough to have Grammy and Papa Yuhas come from NY to stay with Drew. My parents are in NC meeting with some of their Texas friends. Drew had a blast and was spoiled rotten. I'll post pics of their weekend later this week.

Pete & Stacy

Me & Dave (Isn't his bow-tie cool? It was a hit at the wedding.) We have to give props to our friend, Jim Ryman, on this one.

Dave, Kari, Katie, & Mo (Mo was Dave's roommate at Purdue; he and Katie have 2 little boys.) We haven't seen them since 1999; it has been way too long.

The crew

Pete & Mo doing their Fat Boy Slim dance... It was like being back in the Waldron Square apartments, circa 1998.

Pete, Stacy, Me, & Dave at the Tiki bar on Elkhart Lake

Thanks to Pete, Stacy, and their families for a great weekend!

Wii & Gator-time

2008-09-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

The first few pics are from Jay's 26th bday party. Jay and I had a little boxing match on the Wii; I would like it known that I did knock him down at one point in the match. Truth be told...he knocked me out!

Here is a day in Gator-town with Drew and Uncle Jay-Jay! They had a blast.

The Wiggles - A post for Carlos!

2008-08-31T10:36:00.001-07:00

The Wiggles update is long overdue, but it's been a busy week. I've been sick with a sinus infection. Surprise, Surprise! I actually went to one of those "minute clinics" in CVS b/c we don't have a regular doctor here, and it was awesome.

We had a blast in Charlotte, and as you can see, so did Drew. Enjoy! Drew is starting to talk more and more. He loves to shout out "ball" & "car" when he sees one of these. We can interpret pointing at his mouth to mean food, drink, or paci. We're working on only having the paci at nighttime...it's going pretty well. He's thrown some major fits lately, but we're dealing with those too. Ignoring him seems to work the best.

Grammy and Papa are coming to visit in two weeks, so Dave and I can go to Pete's wedding in Wisconsin. Drew can't wait to see his grandparents; he's been kissing their picture all week. We enjoyed some Gator football yesterday, and we're gearing up for Purdue football next weekend. Aunt Chelsea took some great pics of Drew in his Gator jersey, so we'll post those soon too.

Check out this video! Drew sees The Wiggles...priceless!

Drew realizes that The Wiggles are here!

Sam, the newest Wiggle, came right up to our seats.

A Wiggles weekend

2008-08-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are taking Drew to Charlotte on Saturday night to see the Wiggles. Yes, we are driving 3.5 hours for this which he will not remember. I am convinced that seeing his reaction when he realizes he is in the room with the Wiggles will be worth the money spent.

I'll let you know on Sunday if that is true.

I will also post pics of the Yuhas clan's new hair cuts (pending Dave gets one tomorrow), and I'll post pics of Jay's bday party which is tomorrow. I tried with all I could to grow my hair out for Locks of Love, but I couldn't handle it taking an extra 20 minutes to dry it every morning. It was a nightmare. I cut off 3.5 inches last week. I'll send those pics too.

Love and miss all...

Back to school

2008-08-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

The kids came back to school this Monday. I literally feel like someone beat me senseless this week. I am so physically exhausted, and I really have nothing else to say. Ok, that is a lie.

I love my new school...great kids, great teachers, etc...I do miss the CHS crew though. I had a Honor Code violation on one of my summer reading essays. It is a huge deal at this school, so I was at school late on Friday talking to a parent. I got to eat breakfast with some of the other English teachers at a diner before school on Friday because school starts sooooo much later than it did in F-dub.

Drew got a cold on Friday and stayed home with Gaga and Pops; I think they all had a great day.

Dave is doing well; although, we haven't seen each other that much b/c I've been grading papers and doing lesson plans. And, to Marty...No, I am not planning out my entire year this week, but I do keep moving my piles around from place to place. (Jeannie, do you miss that?)

I will write & post more...when I get my life back...in May or June of 2009.