7 months old!

Drake is 7 months old today. He is such a sweet baby and smiles ALL the time. Not only is he precious but just plain beautiful. I could stare into his eyes for days. In fact, when I am rocking him to sleep, I make it a point to do just that - look into his beautiful blue eyes until they slowly drift off to dreamland. He still likes his pacifier and for us to rock him to sleep. For the most part, he is sleeping through the night but on occasion will wake up for a bottle. He eats his solid foods like a champ and is just now figuring out he likes fruits better than veggies. Drake is sitting up by himself, but he does still fall over at times and it doesn't seem to bother him. He is lifting himself up on his belly pretty high and has just started to get his knees underneath him a bit.

All in all, this boy loves to be tickled and cracks up with such laughter, that we just love to hear it. He loves hugs and kisses and cuddling too. Drake is a special part of our family and he's getting so big!

For real, look at those blue eyes! I can't believe I have a kid with such blue eyes!!!

Playtime with my older sister

Cutie pie

Dilan loves to make Drake laugh and smile. She always makes a point to tell me when he's crying and tried to give him his pacifier or one of his toys when he does.

On another note, Drake's "bump" or hemangioma has gotten bigger. Here's documentation from last time that it indeed has grown. No one has ever told me they actually notice it but of course, I know it's there. He's still beautiful to me no matter what, and I have to be grateful it's on the back of his neck than anywhere else. Hopefully, in due time, it will heal and he won't have to worry about it in the future.

When he turns to his left, it's not that noticeable.

Profile view, it's not that noticeable either.

Only really noticeable, when he turns to the right.

One last thought: Did anyone watch the Real Housewives of New York City a few weeks ago when one of the housewives (Jill) hosted a charity event on standing up against bullies? Her stepdaughter spoke and when she did, she talked about having a hemangioma on her face, actually in her bottom lip (which she defined as a benign tumor) that she still has today into adulthood. It was not colorless like Drake's either and it deformed her face. Very sad and honestly, very scary. She talked about being different and being bullied for it. It really upset me. My fear is that this hemangioma could impede Drake's future, but I really decided to try and be thankful that Drake doesn't seem to be bothered by it, he's healthy and in most cases, it does go away. We are praying for that for sure.

Primary Activity - The future Elder Pistorius!

Cutest primary activity ever - seriously. I loved this invitation and I loved the name tag Drew received which stated, "Future Elder Pistorius." Drew said he had so much fun at the activity. He said they pretended to fly on a plane to Latvia, learned the word, Labdien, which means, "Good Day!", ate some good food and learned about being a missionary. He did come home with a letter he wrote home to me (Dear Mom, I went to Latvia. I learned the word Labdien. I had a great time, Love, Elder Pistorius). Very cute.

Thanks to the Primary for putting on such an important activity. For some reason, thinking of Drew serving a mission makes me tear up now as a Mom - not because I would miss him but because I would be so proud of him. And thinking of Drew going on a mission and leaving me for any given time breaks my heart but thinking of him not going would break it even more. I hope he has the desire to go when the time comes and that he has the faith to serve. What a transformable experience for young men and women who make the choice to serve a mission. I know it changed David's life, and I look forward to calling my son, "Elder Pistorius," one day.

the future Elder Pistorius

Professional Race Photos

Here are the race photos the photographer took the day of the big race!

Philly

At the last minute, we decided to take a quick trip to Philadelphia. It was supposed to be a little over 2 hours to get there but with some rain and some traffic, it ended up taking about 3. We got there in time for a good ol' Philly cheesesteak for lunch. David likes the show, Man v.s. Food, and looked up where the guy went in Philly to get an awesome cheesesteak. It was called Tony Luke's. Of course, we drive up and it's completely outside. They did have a place to sit down outside but not even any bathrooms. We ate our cheesesteaks which were pretty good but not anything you couldn't get anywhere else honestly. But it's all part of the experience, right? :)

Then we headed to Independence Park where we saw the Liberty Bell and got tickets for Independence Hall. Of course, with great intentions to go and see where the Declaration of Independence was actually signed, the kids started to melt down and we just headed home instead. It was a quick trip but we have very limited weekends left to explore this area (assuming we are moving this summer even though we still don't know where and when that is happening). We'll have to go back again another time but at least we saw some of it!

In line at Tony Luke's

Drew took this picture of us with our cheesesteaks!

No, we did not participate in this even though I'm sure David was longing to do so!

Independence National Park

Kids playing outside - at least the weather didn't rain on us and it was a beautiful park to explore.

Liberty Bell Center

Museum of what the Liberty Bell was and meant to us - not that I read any of it!

The Liberty Bell - with it's crack and all!

Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed and a statue of Washington outside - just imagine the inside like we had to do. :(

Kids climbing the statue of Barry - the "Father of the American Navy"

Milk Run

Drew's school hosted a Milk Run which was a 1/2 mile and 1 mile race for students and their families. We signed Drew and David up for the mile run. Drew does a lot of running for soccer and it's his favorite part so we thought he could do it. I ended up running the half mile with my neighbor and her two kids because she had an extra spot open. The event was a lot of fun - they had vendors out and a DJ playing music. It was called the "Milk" Run because the school is surrounded by what used to be a dairy farm and there is a Mooseum on the premises.

Our family chose to wear our Texas shirts as to appear as a team. It worked out great because we could see each other while racing very well. Dilan did not have a shirt but all of us were decked out in burnt orange. Drew did awesome in his race - his and David's goal was to not stop but to run the entire thing. They exceeded expectations as Drew ran the race very fast and kept up with a lot of the older kids. He loved receiving his medal and eating his banana afterwards. It was such a fun family event that we all truly enjoyed.

Drew with his best friend, Bree, and their kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Putonen.

Our family at the event

Me and Dilan before I raced.

Dancing at the event.

Drake enjoying the festivities!

At the start line early per Drew's request!

Getting ready to go...

At the finish line - look at Drew's relief!

Celebration time with Drew and David.

After the races, the Pistorius family landed some medals!

Walking home from the event, Drake got a ride on Daddy's shoulders!

Mother's Day 2011

My mother's day was wonderful! I got a 90 minute massage on Saturday, booked and already scheduled (which was the best part!). And I got to choose lunch with my family on Saturday at Cafe Rio - my favorite place ever. I also was able to go to Drew's soccer game that evening and then Chick-fil-a with all of our friends from the team. On Sunday, I woke up to all of my kids crawling in bed with us, and I was showered with homemade gifts from Drew. My absolute favorite was a booklet he made at school. Each page started a sentence and Drew filled it in. He also drew a picture with each page. It went like this:

My mom is special because "she is great."

I like it when my mom "laughs."

My mom can do many things. I think she is best at "reading."

My mom has a pretty smile! I like to make her smile by "tickling."

My mom is as pretty as "Dilan."

My mom is smart! She even knows "how to ride a bike."

I loved that he notices my laughter (who doesn't? It can be loud!) and that he thinks I'm as pretty as his sister. That just melts my heart.

I think the best part of this mother's day was how excited Drew was to celebrate me, his mom. It was truly a special day. And thanks to David for the uninterrupted sleep, the yummy omelet he made me, and the fantastic grilling he did for dinner.

Strasburg Railroad

On our way to Strasburg Railroad, we drove a lot through Lancaster County. We wanted to see the Amish and even ride on one of their buggies. But upon seeing the buggies up close, I noticed how enclosed they were and thought it was not ideal for the kids (nor us) to be cooped up inside. It was better to just watch. So, we headed to the train station!

Strasburg Railroad is one of the oldest train stations in the U.S. We had to come see it and take a ride especially because Drew loves trains so much. It did not disappoint. It took us through Lancaster County where we even saw an Amish school and kids outside playing. When the train blew its whistle, the horses started running in circles and you could hear the echo through the small mountains around us. It was a gorgeous day for sure and we even paid a little extra to sit right up front in the open air car. Drew was in heaven. Even though the train whistles were way loud, we enjoyed the trip. When we got to Paradise, Pennsylvania, the train engine detached from our end and went to the back of the train which then became the front. We then became the caboose which was the best part of the ride. You could even turn your seats around at that point.

After the ride, Drew was able to choose a souvenir and he picked out a new suspension bridge for his tracks. I picked him out a t-shirt as well. He was desperate to come home and play with his trains so luckily we headed home, the kids all napped on the way, and all in all, our trip went so smoothly!

In front of the train

On a Thomas "ride" outside of a store we found all sorts of Thomas the train stuff in.

On a Caboose car.

Trying to keep the kids happy until the noon ride.

Drew in front of a real water tower.

All aboard! This is us getting on 20 minutes before we departed because Drew could not wait any more. He also wanted to be in the first seat on the first car.

Our car also had a balcony to go out onto.

Here comes the train to couple up to us - Drew loved watching that part!

Before we depart, we took some pictures - notice Dilan already standing up on the train - no worries, it's not moving yet!

Love my husband and he was looking so good, I had to get a shot of just him!

Drew took a picture of us on the train. :)

The train engine is moving to the back of the train now.

Drake fell asleep after all the noise.

Dilan looking out the window.

Drew looking out the window.

Dilan is sleepy and we are riding back as the caboose. This was the most peaceful part of the ride.

Drew and me riding the train. I think this was one happy kid.