Pistorius Family

House Hunting...

2012-01-19T11:46:00.003-06:00

After the whirlwind Christmas is, January is so much slower.. and I like it. I have not been planning adventures, we have just been having normal weekends running errands, being together, and house hunting. Yes, we have began the search. And we realize, it may take some time. So, as I think about he biggest accomplishment of this year, 2012, it will be to get a new home, settle in and settle down. And if you know us, that is huge. I've also been taking time off from our adventures because we have family coming into town soon and wanted to save some fun for them. :) Currently, I am in the middle of taking my blog from 2011 and making a book out of it. I am half-way through so I am hoping to get it done in the next few weeks. Also, I just got called to be the Relief Society Committee Meeting Coordinator so I've got some events to plan!

One thing I have started this year is children's journals for each of my kids. I realize I do a lot of pictures, video, and even keep up this blog pretty well documenting as much of their lives as I can but the everyday occurrings as to the little things they do or say are now on my mind as well. I don't have to write everyday, but I am training myself to look for the one little thing I can put in their journal to show them who they are in their young lives. I am really diligent in keeping a pregnancy journal for each pregnancy and for their whole first year of life, but then it fades after that. So, I've committed myself and the journals are taking shape. I just bought composition notebooks: Drew's is black, Dilan's is pink, and Drake's is green. I wrote a letter to each of them on the first page that was very personal to how I feel about them individually, why I was doing it, and what I hoped they get from it all.

I am also going to challenge myself to write my personal history this year... don't worry I've challenged myself before a few years ago and I started but never really got a routine down and I think we lost it on the old computer anyway.

So, I am not off the grid afterall (even though this might be the longest time I haven't blogged). Just nothing too much to report... until next week. :)

Drake at 14 months

2012-01-03T17:57:00.005-06:00

Drake cracks me up - he is a funny and adorable thing. The kid looks like I picked him up off the shelf somewhere and that he didn't actually come from my body with those blue eyes and blonde (somewhat curly) hair. He has started to wave to people after already knowing how to flirt with them for months now, clapping a lot lately for what I'm not totally sure, throwing his hands up in the air and saying, "Go!," and best of all, he willingly gives us open-mouth kisses when asked to. They are quite "yummy delicious" as Dilan would say. He likes to stand at the open refrigerator and point to things so you will tell him what they are. The kid is still holding onto his bottle even after multiple sippy cups have been offered to him. He will drink from the sippys with encouragement but eventually pushes them out of the way and won't take them anymore. We are continuing to work on that. Drake still likes to be sung to and rocked before going to bed so I willingly snuggle him and challenge myself to take the extra time to put him to sleep (not think about the millions of things to do after he goes to sleep). He is a precious little boy who is loved very much!

Donuts and Bikes

2012-01-03T13:46:00.003-06:00

David took Drew to get donuts on New Year's Eve. They were all devoured by the evening and couldn't even stay around for New Year's Day morning. :)

Dilan chose the one with sprinkles

And the big news was that David got a bike! The back story is that Drew was somewhat afraid to ride his bike because we tried to teach him in Maryland which has hills and inclines and stuff so it didn't go very well. David had told Drew once he learned how to ride his bike that the whole family would get bikes to go riding with him. Well, David took the kids to the park to ride their new scooters Santa gave them and took Drew's bike along. It took all of about 30 seconds for Drew to take off on it all on his own. He did great! So, David and Drew went out and bought a bike so David and Drew could go on bike rides together. They are loving it. The next step is to get all of us our own bikes so we can go on a family bike ride!

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-01T13:58:00.004-06:00

We decided to have some fun for New Year's Eve this year. I really want to make it a special memory for my kids and not just another ordinary day so we bought some fun supplies, decorated a bit, had some friends over, cooked some chili and cornbread, and enjoyed the last day of 2011. Upon reflection with the kids, we talked about 2011 being a good year for us as a family because we moved back to Texas and closer to family as we had been hoping for. As we look forward to 2012, we are excited about David's job at SWA becoming permanent in March, getting flight and health benefits, buying a house and finally settling down! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our table

Me and the kids celebrating with blowouts, hats, tiaras, leis, and horns!

Dilan loved the toys

Drew getting his Dad right in the face like only a good kid does

Drake trying on a tiara

With the stroke of midnight approaching, we toasted to 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Pistorius Family Christmas

2011-12-31T15:29:00.002-06:00

We were able to see David's grandmother and two of his sisters and their families for Christmas this year. We decided to do a traditional Christmas dinner and it was SO good! Every family pitched in and made something to contribute to the meal. David even carved the turkey!

Here's David with his older sister, Lisa, on his left, and then his grandmother, and Wendy, his younger sister, on the right

Drake even got his own special seat at the table

The table was beautiful and the kids all sat together in the kitchen while the adults were able to sit in the pretty dining room by ourselves. It was so nice!

Can you see Drake upset in this picture? He was getting fussy so Aunt Wendy took him after that and let him eat off her plate. He was happy about that.

All of us - Pistorius family on left, Lucas family in the back, Saenz family on the right, and grandmother in the middle.

David and his grandmother listening to Christmas songs Lisa was playing on the piano. This was the biggest smile I saw his grandmother have on her face all night - you could tell she loved the music.

"the boys" as I call them - all born within the same year.

Drew is in the middle and he is the oldest by almost four months.

Dilan with her gift to open

Showing me what they got in the cousin gift exchange. Drew with a new Thomas movie and Rosie train, Dilan with three new Strawberry Shortcake movies. She would not let them out of her hands the rest of the night and she kept asking to go home so she could watch them in the car.

Christmas Train in Alvin, Texas

2011-12-31T15:18:00.004-06:00

We met my brother and his family in Alvin, Texas, to ride the Christmas train. It was a lot of fun, especially for the cousins to be together. We watched the model trains, ate popcorn, and walked among the lights before getting onboard. But once we were on the train, it was worth the wait as the lights were beautiful and the message was centered on Christ.

Drew was loving the model trains - he could watch them for hours

Our walk outside with all the lights

On board the train - me, Drake, and my mom

My two oldest with my brother's kids on the train

Sea Center Visit

2011-12-31T15:02:00.005-06:00

While in Lake Jackson for the week before Christmas, we visited the Sea Center. Lots of big fish to see there plus they have an aquarium where you can touch live crabs (de-clawed), sea anemone, and fish.

Me and the kids by their fishing statue

My mom and the kids once we were inside

This fish came up to Dilan and would not leave. And if you look closely, it has teeth! Either it wanted to kiss her or eat her but it also could have been that she was very close to the glass considering she completely ignored the ropes intended to keep her away. :)

Looking at the big fish

This lady introduced herself as "Janet Jackson" which I had to giggle at and then began to tell Drew and Dilan about the "state shell" of Texas. I didn't know we had one but here it is: the lightening whelk.

Dilan enjoying the turtles

Drew lost his first tooth!

2011-12-29T13:08:00.005-06:00

On December 28, 2011, Drew finally lost his first tooth! It's been loose for a while now but he wanted it to come out on its own. Yesterday, he told me that his tooth felt weird. Sure enough, I looked at it and part of it had come away from the gums - it was definitely coming out. So, I just worked it back and forth (mostly back) and it bled a little bit until eventually I stopped. Knowing it wasn't going to come out unless we took a jab at it real fast and Drew not wanting to do that (can't blame him!), I let it be. When David got home, he saw that it now was half-way hanging out and offered to pull it for Drew. Drew didn't want to so we moved onto dinner. David remarked that eating would be a whole lot easier if he pulled the tooth out. But this still didn't convince Drew. Suddenly, with Drew's first bite, tears came. We rinsed his mouth out, I took a look at it, and then I pulled on it to see how much farther we had to go. Luckily, that was it! The tooth was out and Drew just looked at me with a mild "ouch" and was surprised to see the tooth was out of his mouth. He was so happy! He went on to eat dinner with no pain and kept saying how weird it felt not having that tooth there. We joked about how Drew is starting to lose his teeth and Drake is still getting his in!

The funniest part is that we put the tooth in a plastic bag to hide under his pillow and Drew woke up this morning telling us that he was holding onto the bag all night until he couldn't anymore. Then, he felt the dollar under his pillow! The interesting thing is that the tooth fairy reported this being a bit of a hard job because Drew did in fact have the bag clutched in his hands. He had to be rolled over and woken a bit to disengage the tooth. So, we are now on to the journey that has become Drew losing his baby teeth and getting his permanent ones in!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Drew's holiday party

2011-12-14T16:37:00.004-06:00

Drew had his holiday party at school and we were able to go to it. Drew's school has a tradition where they dress their best on the day of their holiday party so Drew wore his Christmas tree tie. He was the most handsome guy there and the teacher even made a comment to me about how nice he looked. They enjoyed a lunch from Chick-fil-a, made a holiday card, and played bingo. Dilan ate multiple candy canes, Drake pulled things off the wall, and Drew simply enjoyed us being there. In fact, when I asked him if it was okay that we leave, he didn't want us to quite yet. So, we stayed a bit longer and I didn't mind it a bit. :)

The three people I love most in the world! (and david of course!)

Drew sitting at the red table having lunch

Drew is cracking up laughing because Drake is pulling the table cover off and all the kids are acting like he is a monster.

Drew showing me his name on Santa's nice list - it is written in pencil right at his eye-level but hard to see

Dilan's Dance Recital

2011-12-14T10:50:00.009-06:00

Dilan had her very first dance recital today. She dressed in her recital costume, and we put her hair up in a bun. She looked absolutely beautiful! Dilan really enjoys her dance class and she did great. She added some funny moments as she chose to show us what "not to do" kicking her legs up and stomping on the ground when the teacher was asking them to do it quietly. She also had a few altercations with some friends when they were trying to get in a single file line. And when one friend tried to get closer and closer to Dilan, Dilan finally told her to stop, and Dilan moved to a different spot on the floor.

Overall, she did really well and participated in everything. She loved doing the stretches on the floor and twirling around in her dress. She tiptoed quietly across the floor with her hands on her hips and when it came time to do her "teddy bear" dance, she paid attention and did a great job of following her teacher. We are very proud of our little girl!

Before we left for the recital

Close up

Having so much fun dancing in a circle

Doing her stretches on the floor

Arms above her head

Walking on tip toes quietly

Dancing with a stuffed animal

Dilan and her teacher, Ms. Lynsey, and her friends

Daddy even came to watch his little girl dance

and a picture with mommy too.

The North Pole Express

2011-12-11T12:30:00.003-06:00

The Pistorius family has Christmas traditions like everyone else that we've continued from both of our families and passed on. But we've created new ones as well for our little family. The one that is most important is riding a Christmas train every year. It started in Georgia when Drew was 3 at Stone Mountain Park, on to Wisconsin to ride the Christmas Express at the East Troy Electric Railroad, and last year we rode the Christmas train at the historical B&O Railroad in Baltimore, Maryland. This year, we rode the North Pole Express in Grapevine, Texas.

The kids have been looking forward to this train ride with Santa and the day finally came! They did a little entertainment show before you boarded the train that was actually not very entertaining. It was kind of like a bad Thomas the train movie, but luckily it was just supposed to warm the kids up for the ride. As we boarded, there was fake snow in the air and Christmas trees everywhere. The train itself was awesome. The kids sat on one side and we changed the seat to go backwards for David and me to sit across from them. Drew sat by the window of course because he loves to just look out the window at everything passing by.
The train conductor came by to punch our tickets and then Santa made an early appearance. He gave each child a bell with "North Pole Express, Grapevine Railroad" on it. They are so nice and the kids loved ringing them the whole way there and back. There were teenagers who preformed and hosted our train car. We sang many Christmas songs and each person was asked what they wanted for Christmas. Dilan said "presents," Drew said, "Thomas trains," we answered "more teeth" for Drake, I said, "new boots," and David said, "a new gun." The person asked David if he hunted and David answered "no." Later, we discussed that he should have said, "yes, I hunt zombies." (if you know David, he's obsessed with zombies and may or may not think they are real. And he dreams about killing them too. And yes, he watches, The Walking Dead.)

While on the train, the conductor came by to give each child a ticket for a free hot chocolate afterwards. A perfect ending to carrying on a Pistorius Christmas tradition!

Drew getting ready to exit the entertainment tent and onto the train!

Here we go!

David and Dilan in line to get on the train

Me and the kids in line

Getting on the train

Dilan, Drake, and Drew all in their Christmas pjs on the train

The conductor punching their tickets

Santa Claus visited them and gave them bells!

One of the young entertainers singing to Dilan and Drake

Here is a great picture of our precious boys!

Drew took a picture of David and me

Me and my boys

Trying to get a picture with David and the kids - didn't turn out so well!

The Pistorius boys in front of the caboose

Funniest picture ever! Dilan was definitely starting to melt down after the ride was over. She was upset that she couldn't hold Drew's ticket for hot chocolate, that she could only hold hers. It was so sad and unfair.

Drew in front of the Grapevine clock

The smile says it all and makes it all worth it.

A train ride followed by hot chocolate afterwards... how could this kid have a more perfect day?!?

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-10T13:45:00.002-06:00

We went to our ward Christmas party Friday night and not only was the food great but they hired a professional Santa and Mrs. Claus! I was most impressed with the backdrop than anything but we were one of the first families to sit on Santa's lap and take some pictures. Afterwards the kids got candy canes and as always, Drew gave his candy cane to Dilan and she ate both of them. (Drew is my chocolate kid and Dilan is a pure candy girl - it is important to not get that mixed up as you most likely will have a child spitting something out if you do.) Now, every time we see Santa Claus without Mrs. Claus, Dilan asks where she is???

Drake not being too impressed or a.k.a tired

Dilan actually sat on Santa's lap and smiled!!! She's getting used to him I guess.

Another attempt at a family photo

1st Grade Fun Night

2011-12-10T13:35:00.003-06:00

Drew had his first "lock-in" Thursday night. The first graders were doing a fundraiser where they could come for a fun night and spend it with their teachers and their friends. They wore their pajamas, brought sleeping bags, blankets and pillows and played games, ate pizza and ice cream, and watched the Polar Express. The cost was $25 and Drew wanted to go very badly. I told Drew that this was a great opportunity to choose to spend some of his own money if he really wanted to do it. He insisted he would pay all of the $25 to go! So, we negotiated on him spending $10 and us contributing the rest.

I took the opportunity to praise his choice of spending his money on experiences and memories in life rather than on toys and things. This kid totally gets it. I was very proud of him that he spent his money this way, and I was happy he partook of such a fun event. When I went to pick him up, he looked so tired, but when I asked him if it was some fun, a lot of fun, or WAY fun, he answered, "WAY fun, Mom." :)

Drew with all of his stuff on the stage at the beginning of the event when I dropped him off

Moving right on to coloring and playing games

Community Nativity Celebration

2011-12-03T16:06:00.004-06:00

Our stake does a really nice Nativity set up with Christmas programs all weekend long. Drew's primary performed this morning, and it was great to hear them sing. I thought various Nativity sets would be around the room but this was so much more than that. Over 700 different Nativities with lighted trees and poinsettias all over. It was just beautiful and took your breath away. They had a live Mary and Joseph with a babe in a manger setting on the stage and they really tried to recreate the time of Bethlehem and Jesus' birth. It was very pretty.

Santa Picture 2011

2011-12-01T08:21:00.005-06:00

We went to the big Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine where they take your picture with Santa Claus for free and even have a free carousel ride too. It really can't be beat. David mentioned that it felt like Disney World for us - so much to see and do! I dressed the boys in their Christmas tree ties and Dilan wore her Christmas dress from Mimi (Thanks, Mimi!!!).

There was only one family in line to wait on and when it was our turn, Drew went and sat on Santa's lap even though he told me he felt "shy." When Dilan saw Santa, she immediately wanted to be picked up, carried, and kept putting her head down closing her eyes. I told her she didn't have to sit with Santa but just stand beside him, take the picture, and she would get a candy cane. But it wasn't working until Santa gave her the actual candy cane and then we got this great smile! It looked like Drake got sleepy right when he sat on Santa Claus' lap and we couldn't get him to smile but eventually he grinned a bit. All in all, the picture captures our precious kids and I was very happy with our experience.

After the picture was taken, Drew started telling Santa Claus all about what he wanted for Christmas including a blue scooter, Thomas trains: Belle, Flynn, Den and Dart, a new Thomas t-shirt, the new Thomas movie...). He was so nervous he would forget to tell him something on his list. But we reassured him that he would be writing a letter to Santa as well. Dilan told Santa (from a distance) that she wanted a Minnie Mouse scooter and Strawberry Shortcake and then she ran off to eat her much-deserved candy cane!

Me and my kids

Dilan, Drake, and Drew on the carousel

Dilan loved riding the carousel...

...Drew loved the ride as well...

... Drake not so much.

Drake had enough so I held him the rest of the time

The shark almost ate them!

Coca-cola Polar Bear

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T18:33:00.003-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving going home to Houston. It was our first Thanksgiving there in 4 years! Great food, awesome Texas football game, fun Black Friday shopping, and so much to be thankful for!!! Here are just some of the photos taken during our holiday break:

Bath time at my mom's house can be pretty fun - Drake loves to splash as you can see.

Watering plants is also fun at my mom's house, especially with a little girl that eventually strips down to nothing!

Drew and my mom making the cherry pie...

...and the fruit salad - Drew was pretty proud of himself!

David at the kids' table for Thanksgiving keeping them entertained until the food was ready!

David volunteered to carve the turkey this year and did a great job!

My dad with the kiddos

Me and David on Thanksgiving day

Uncle Lars and Drake

After all the festivities, we drove through the north side of Houston to see David's grandmother. The kids call her "Gigi" because Drew could never say 'grandma,' and she always has yummy chocolate milk in the fridge for them. It is nice for the kids to see their great-grandmother. Drake was meeting Gigi for the first time and he's a year old!

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-27T17:48:00.004-06:00

Drew had a choice to dress up as a Pilgrim or a Native American for his Thanksgiving Feast at school. He chose to be a Pilgrim and we made his costume for the occasion. The costume included making his hat, cuffs and bib, making belt buckles for his shoes and Drew wearing all black with long white socks. We put it all together and it turned out great! The only thing was that I told Drew to turn his shirt inside out so his clothes were all black when it was time to get dressed. But he didn't want to and ended up kind of being a skeleton pilgrim! :)

Dilan and I attended Drew's feast and we were the only family there besides the two class moms. The teacher even made a comment to me about it. She said that when her children were young (they are both teenagers now), there were only a few kids without parents at school functions. Now there are only a few kids with parents actually there. I felt very fortunate that I could be there for Drew and enjoy his 1st grade Thanksgiving feast!

My Pilgrim

Dilan was a guest who also got served a meal

Drew's official Pilgrim outfit

Drew and me at the feast

Dilan and Drew, the pilgrim.

Drew's School Fun Run

2011-11-17T15:47:00.006-06:00

Drew's school did a Fun Run* as a fundraiser this year, and Drew was so excited to participate. We emphasized him running because it is fun, good exercise, and a great experience to set a goal and accomplish it. If you know Drew, he loves to run! In this Fun Run, the kids could run up to 36 laps (2.25 miles) in 30 minutes, and Drew finished well before the time was up. He was so excited - the kid never slowed down, kept a steady pace, and when all the other kids were walking, he was running his heart out. All in all, it was a very fun time, and I was so proud of him!

Drew and me after the race was over

Drew before the race began

On the back of his t-shirt, there were 36 numbers and you had to stop and get a mark every time you finished a lap.

Drew running his heart out

Drinking some water and running at the same time

Go Drew!

After his 36th lap!

Drew and his friend/neighbor, Belle

*Side note about the fundraiser: I did not agree with the spirit behind this fundraiser. I do not like the idea of begging people for money per lap, getting prizes depending on how much you raised as it's a materialistic motivator, getting those prizes even before you run the laps so it promoted you doing nothing but asking for $ to earn the prize, and finally those prizes being handed out in front of other kids in your class so everyone would know how much you did or did not raise. Not to mention that a first grader thinks he has to run 40 laps to get the ultimate prize, an Ipod, and does not understand that he actually has to raise $40/lap, which computes to over $1000 for the Ipod.

I've been at odds whether to let the school know how I feel because it was a lot of fun for the kids, but I think it can be done in a better way. We had some tears and major disappointment at our house because I did not let Drew ask people for money (pledge so much money per lap he ran) so he could get some cheap toy - instead I told him how proud of him we would be if he set a goal for how many laps he could run and he then achieved them. You should have seen his face when he completed all of his laps. It was not because of some ridiculous toy but because he truly accomplished something for himself.

Josh's Graduation (5 months later)

2011-11-17T08:48:00.002-06:00

So, what happens when you finally download the pictures on your smaller camera that you never use? You find pictures from your nephew's graduation that your husband took! It was great to see the pictures of the special event that David was able to attend in Utah with his family (I stayed home with the kids). Josh is our oldest nephew and he graduated from high school back in June. He also earned his Eagle Scout award, and we are so proud of him! Pretty soon in the next few months, we will be hearing where he is off to serve his mission. :)

David, two of his sisters, and David's mom

David and his oldest nephew, Joshua, on his graduation day.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T08:33:00.006-05:00

For Halloween night, we went to a friend's house in our ward to trick or treat in their neighborhood with a few other families. David dressed up as a pirate (His group at SWA chose to dress as pirates this year), I dressed as a strawberry in for Strawberry Shortcake's (Dilan) strawberry patch, and of course, we had our big Thomas the train (Drew) and our little Thomas (Drake). The kids loved going trick or treating with their friends and Drew was so fast that Dilan chose to take her time, hang back with Dad, and hit each house methodically. It was a great Halloween, lots of candy, lots of fun, and staying up way too late. Still my favorite part of Halloween is hearing my sweet kids say "thank you" enthusiastically when they get candy from people. And I'm glad David and I chose to dress up this year - the kids really liked it.

My little Thomas the train (the hat didn't make the pictures)

My beautiful Strawberry Shortcake

Dilan loved the hat with this costume!

Strawberry and Little Thomas

Strawberry Shortcake, big Thomas and little Thomas

My big Thomas the train - he has worn this costume since he was 3

Little Thomas and Pirate Daddy

Drew and his 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Baker

Let the trick or treating begin!

"thank you..."

Dilan taking her time with Daddy and Drake

Drake just relaxed in the stroller

Drew excited about the candy

Waiting for the person to open the door

Entering a "haunted house" in someone's garage

Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry

and finally, some creepy mask guy that Dilan didn't even freak out about. She just got her candy, said, "Thank you," and moved on.

Trunk or Treat 2011

2011-10-30T10:42:00.004-05:00

We had our Trunk or Treat last night and David was the MC and one of the people in charge of the event. He did a great job - the chili, cobbler, games and trunk or treating was a lot of fun. The best part is when you hear your child say "trick or treat" but then say "thank you" with even more gusto. Dilan and I won runner-up in the costume contest with me being a Strawberry in Strawberry Shortcake's strawberry patch! :)

Dilan picking a duck with a number out of the pond.

Drew after playing a game and getting some candy

Fishing for candy

Dilan getting her "big fish"

Drew with his primary teacher

Drew and Drake - Drake was so tired that the costume didn't last

David in his referee outfit with the kids

Me in my strawberry costume to match my little Strawberry Shortcake and the kiddos

Me and Drake at the end of the night

The rest of Mimi's Visit

2011-10-30T08:58:00.005-05:00

We loved having David's mom here with us this week. I really enjoyed having her around as we always talk and talk. Also, I think the kids better behave when someone else is around and I seem to have more patience with them too. She was here for Drew's scare crow parade, Drake's 1st birthday, bought Drake's first pair of shoes and Drew a new bed, went to Drew's school for lunch, and stayed up really late to help me make my Halloween costume. We wish she was here longer but hopefully now that she is semi-retiring, we might see her even more!

Drew reading to Mimi

Mimi at Drew's school for lunch

David's oldest sister, Amy, flew into Dallas on Friday night and she helped Colleen drive to Utah this weekend. Colleen is moving into Amy's basement. It's been a plan in the works for a year now and it finally has come time to make it happen. Amy stayed up late with us and helped us make my costume too. With six kiddos, I can tell she's had so much practice making things and she was a pro with the glue gun! We loved having her here even just for one night and we sent them off with a southern breakfast done right at the Waffle House!

Happy 1st Birthday, Drake!

2011-10-27T13:12:00.006-05:00

We had a small family party at Chick-fil-a for Drake's 1st birthday. David's mom was here to celebrate with us which made it even more special.

Mimi and Drake

We always do party hats for the kids' first birthday and now I remember why - they love them!

Cutest picture of the birthday boy!

Dilan trying on a party hat

Drew sporting a party hat too

Me and my birthday boy along with the other kiddos - I actually made Drake's cake because I had already bought one for the party in Houston and I thought I could pull off a number 1 cake. It turned out pretty cute.

David with the birthday boy and his mom

This time Drake ate the icing off the cake by using his pincer grasp. He was getting into it but never got into the actual cake part. And let's just say the icing did come back up after he was through eating it.

Then, he just took the whole thing and tried to eat it

Us with our little boy who is not so little anymore

Drake riding home in his new big boy seat!

The kids giving Drake a birthday present

Drew and Drake with his new helicopter

Drake also went to the doctor for his 1 yr checkup: Length was 75%tile, Weight was 51%tile and his head was in the 90th %tile! He is a happy and healthy boy - we love this kid so much!!!

Scare crow Parade

2011-10-27T12:43:00.003-05:00

At Drew's school, the whole first grade dressed up like scare crows and put on a parade. We spent last Saturday making his costume from his plaid shirt, to the "hay" everywhere, the hat and what he loved the most was finding the crow to put on his shoulder.

Drew walking in the parade

David's mom, Colleen, has come for a visit before she moves to Utah so she was able to attend this fun day for Drew.

My kiddos on scare crow day (also Drake's 1st birthday)

Me and Drew

Library Halloween Storytime

2011-10-25T20:31:00.004-05:00

I took another opportunity to take the kids to something fun for Halloween. The local library was having a special story time tonight so I took the two older kids in their costumes. There was singing, there were stories, games, crafts and candy! A great way to spend our evening.

Ring toss

Bean bag toss

My Strawberry Shortcake and Thomas the train made ghosts too

Dallas Arboretum

2011-10-25T13:47:00.005-05:00

My best friend growing up lives here in Dallas and we try to get together with our girls as often as we can. So, today we went to the Dallas Arboretum and it was a beautiful day. The theme was Cinderella where they had different pumpkin houses like the fairy godmother's house, Cinderella's kitchen, and the castle. It was very creative and fun for the kids because they also had a lot of activities to do there.

Dilan and her friend in Cinderella's carriage.

A closer shot of the happy toddlers

Dilan climbed up on this hay stack and struck a pose for me! (notice the no-shoes)

Dilan and her friend on another haystack

In front of a pumpkin house

The petting zoo - these goats were babies and very cute

Petting every single one - not leaving any of them out

Chilling in the stroller

Now on to pet the bunny

I wasn't sure if Dilan would get her face painted or not. But when I asked her, she wanted to and we went for it. I suggested a butterfly and she chose the color pink. She literally sat there like the lady was doing her makeup for a special event. It was darling and so fun to watch.

And this reaction was priceless of her looking in the mirror.

Onto coloring a picture and gluing cotton balls as clouds on the paper.

The Texas Pioneer part of the Arboretum had a mud hut. Dilan is looking through the window.

A covered wagon with a tepee too - Dilan was scared when we walked into the tepee because of all the "skins" hanging there. I admit it was kind of creepy.

And to top the morning off with a special Kindermusik class outside. Dilan loved it! She's making her bird wings here.

OakFest 2011

2011-10-19T13:38:00.002-05:00

Our community puts on a festival celebrating the big oak trees in our area and they call it OakFest. It is totally free but of course the lines are long to do any of the activities. But we went with good friends on a beautiful evening and it was well worth it. We first had to ride the train and then get balloon animals. David bought an old-fashioned root beer that tasted SO good, and it was a fun night!

Pistorius family at the OakFest

Drake and me on the train that went around the lake

Yummy old-fashioned root beer

We thought this coyote was pretty funny - definitely something you'd see in Texas!

Balloon animals for all!

Drew got a blue elephant, Dilan got a pink puppy dog, and Drake got an orange giraffe.

Discovery Flight

2011-10-17T13:07:00.005-05:00

David's birthday gift this year was a Discovery Flight at Monarch Air in Addison, TX. David has always loved airplanes since he was little which led him to the Air Force Academy right out of high school (along with playing football there). Once he was disqualified from flying planes because he is allergic to nuts, he left to serve his mission and moved on from his flying dreams. But he still wanted to get his private pilot's license someday. So, since we've settled down a bit here, I thought it was time to re-introduce him to his dreams.

The weather was so beautiful for his flight and all went well. The pilot let him fly for a good portion of the flight too. We've decided David can start scheduling his flight lessons once we get into a house after the beginning of the year. But it was fun to spend a Saturday morning at the airport seeing all the neat planes going out and coming in. Definitely a good way to celebrate his birthday!

David with Drew and Dilan in front of the plane he is about to fly on

Drew in the pilot's seat and Dilan not so happy about it

Now it's Dilan's turn and she's pretty excited about it

David with all three kids and the plane

On the runway

Up in the air! David's favorite part was "that he didn't die." :)

Happy 34th Birthday, David!

2011-10-17T12:59:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday, David turned 34! We had celebrated with my family over the weekend in Houston so we had a small celebration when David got home from work on his actual birthday. We went to Cheddars for dinner because we had never tried it before and then some friends came over for David's traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. David bought himself some new Nike running shoes and then we gave him his first discovery flight at a local airport. Notice the airplane on his cake too as a representation of his gift and also working for SWA. It was a nice birthday being able to spend it with family and with friends. :)

Partial family photos on David's birthday:

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-10T22:43:00.008-05:00

On Columbus Day, Drew was out of school and I couldn't resist taking all three of my bunch to a pumpkin patch. We had so much fun just us enjoying our morning surrounded by orange pumpkins and play time. It was cloudy and muddy from the rain the day before, but my kids didn't let that stop them. This is why I stay at home - to create these memories because I can! and I loved it and needed it.

Best picture of the day - Drake at his first pumpkin patch. I was huge and pregnant last year when we went to the pumpkin patch in Maryland, and I had Drake two days later.

Our first stop was Handy Manny

and then the pumpkin patch

No sitting down because the pumpkins were "wet"

Our hay ride which was a really good one

My oldest - love him!

The maze which was a huge hit - they went through it over and over!

At the end of the maze, the kids slid down a slide

Bounce houses with very muddy socks at this point

On to the train...

and the jail house where Drew is showing his face but Dilan is hiding...

...to being a sheriff...

and then, we discovered they had Strawberry Shortcake which is Dilan's Halloween costume this year!

TX/OU weekend - Drake's 1st birthday celebration

2011-10-10T22:06:00.005-05:00

If you are a Texas football fan, TX/OU weekend is big, really big. So, we decided to travel home to Houston to be with family for the game and to celebrate 4 October birthdays in the family. Drake is one of those October birthdays now (and David too!) and so we had his first birthday celebration with my side of the family. It's great to be able to do that - have I mentioned how happy I am to be back in Texas? :)

We are so grateful to have Drake in our family. Ever since we had Drew, I knew we were going to have another boy and his name would be Drake. Dilan came along in between (and knocked our socks off) but when it was time for Drake to come, boy did he ever! He came out at almost 10 lbs with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, blue, and not breathing for almost a full minute. He made his entrance memorable and he's been a joy ever since. A very happy baby, cuddly, our first pacifier baby, and one who loves to follow his brother and sister around. He loves to dance and it's hilarious to watch him stand up and start bouncing to music.

For Drake's first birthday, I went with a longhorn theme. It turned out fun and very cute. Here were my party supplies:

Us with our birthday boy (2.5 weeks until his actual bday)

Dilan and Drew with their cousins and my mom eating fajitas for lunch

The "boys" - Drew, Drake and cousin Landon

Oh boy! cards!!!

Drake opening his presents - he did pretty good with the wrapping paper!

Got me a lawn mower...

and a cool lady bug...

... and cookie monster (and lots of much needed fall clothes and pjs).

Our family with Drake and his cake

Drake was more interested in the helmet on his cake than the cake itself

Got sticky fingers and wasn't interested - just like my other two!

Ice cream? Now, that is more my style.

I ate all of that and now, I'm a happy kiddo!

Our picture with Drake after his ice cream and before his BATH!

Texas State Fair - Games and Rides

2011-10-03T09:07:00.007-05:00

We played many games and rode many rides at the state fair.

Here's Drew trying his first game out

Drew won a sword for his efforts

Riding the sky high

Drew and Dilan looking at the view

Sam, Drew and my mom on the first ride of the day

Drew doing the bumper cars

Dilan's first ride - the swing. She loves to go high when she swings but this swing got a little intense for her...

...to where she covered her eyes. It was actually pretty funny and when she got off, she told David and me that "it was scary." No tears though and she moved on with ease.

Drew riding a car ride

Dilan's next choice - this whale and she had a lot of fun - it blew bubbles!

Trying to pop the balloon with this ball

David's turn - he nailed each one...

... and won all three kids a prize!

Texas State Fair 2011 (an overview)

2011-10-03T08:48:00.005-05:00

It's been 10 years since David and I have gone to the Texas State Fair in Dallas. We went together the first year we were married. And now that we live in the Dallas area, we had beautiful weather and family in town, so we couldn't pass it up. It was a lot of fun!

The fair is on the grounds of the Cotton Bowl

This is Big Tex and he talks to you and waves his hand. He is an icon of the state fair of Texas and the ginormous ferris wheel in the background as well.

Our family photo with Big Tex - we had to strategically use him to cover up the sun in the picture.

Drew, David, Sam and my mom walking the fair grounds

Here we were listening to the international music

This one is for my brother - we had CORNY DOGS!!!

my mom and Drew massaging their feet

David and Drake watching the bigger kids do the rides

Special Friends Lunch

2011-10-03T08:10:00.005-05:00

My mom and her husband came in town to see us this weekend. It was Special Friends lunch on Friday and my mom really wanted to be there for Drew. He was totally surprised and didn't even know how to react. It was too cute how happy he was that they were there just for him. We picked up McDonald's happy meals (being a special occasion and all) and brought them with us for his school picnic.

My mom and Dilan outside McDonald's while we were waiting for them to start serving lunch

Popo and Drake

Around the fountain we go

Our special friends lunch

My mom and Drake

Drew and me

Ft Worth Zoo

2011-09-26T22:30:00.008-05:00

We took the opportunity of the great weather and got outside to the Ft Worth zoo on Saturday morning. It was beautiful and walking around alone was well worth it. We knew right when we got there, we had to ride the train (or we'd be asked over and over again all morning) so we hopped on the Yellow Rose Express. A fun ride and fun to be back in Texas at a zoo where everything is named after the things of this state. Seriously, sometimes I have to pinch myself that we are here.

Boarding the train

The boys riding the train

Me and my kiddos on the train

Drew and the engine

Petting zoo with the goats - the kids just looked, they didn't care to touch

Dilan and me in a stage coach

Disembarking the stage coach

This alligator was a little freaky - when you walked into the gator exhibit, he looked real at first.

Beautiful bald eagle

Loved this saying about Texas I read while Drew was getting a drink

Looking at the giraffes

Our tradition of getting a souvenir penny wherever we go

Black Rhino - never seen one of these

Who me?

Dilan was obsessed with reading the zoo map

Drake and David with a rhinoceros in the background

The chimps

Drake and me in front of the monkeys

Abby the Guinea Pig

2011-09-26T22:24:00.002-05:00

We were fortunate enough to take Abby, the guinea pig, home for the weekend. Abby is the first grade pet at Drew's school. We signed up and we got her the first weekend she was available. She ended up being a lot of fun for the kids but a lot of work to take home and bring back to the school. Abby came in a big cage with a lot of supplies, and I even had to purchase some new bedding for her. But it was all worth it as we created some great memories which included feeding Abby lots of lettuce and carrots.

Not sure why Dilan is making this pose lately for pictures but she sure is a cutie

Petting Abby - each morning the kids would wake up and talk to her while eating their breakfast.

Drew was one happy camper having Abby at his home.

Dilan does Dance!

2011-09-21T14:15:00.006-05:00

We heard about an opportunity last week to get Dilan in a dance class. A woman in our church does the class at a friend's home. I thought at first she'd be on the wait list but I got a call that Dilan was welcome to join this year. The classes are once a week until the end of the school year. I drop her off (so no parent-watching) and then in December, the parents can attend a class to see how much their little ones have learned. At the end of the year, Dilan will have a recital with a costume too. The best part was going to the dance store. The teacher told me to let Dilan pick out her own leotard, it didn't matter the color and to get her pink ballet shoes too. Dilan immediately picked out this purple ballerina outfit. I had her look at all sorts of things but she saw this first and that was it. It has some bling at the top and some roses on the skirt. She was fitted for ballet shoes (size 7.5) and $50 later, we were out the door. David was kind of complaining that Dilan was too young to start dance and that we were going to spend a lot of $ on this adventure, but when he saw how happy Dilan was, he could not stop smiling. It was precious. So fun to have a little girl!

Dilan's first day of dance class went well. I brought her in and only once did she look teary-eyed. But when all the other girls came in and began to dance with the teacher, she joined right in. She's the only one in purple too (that's my girl!). After I left, the teacher said she did great on her first day!

Dilan spinning around so I caught a picture of her hair. The teacher said it has to be up and out of her face. How could I not put it in a bun? :)

My little ballerina reading a book

Dallas Temple

2011-09-11T10:36:00.004-05:00

Our Primary had an activity at the Dallas temple Friday evening. The kids sat on the steps of the foyer and sang, "I love to see the temple." It was beautiful to hear and quite a special moment for the kids to be inside the temple and meet the temple presidency. As we went outside to the grounds of the temple, things changed quickly. The kids began running around and it was hard to get control of them. We didn't last too long, only time for a few quick pictures and then we went to eat dinner at Chili's with some new friends!

Drew in front of the temple (shirt untucked already)

David and the boys

Drake is crawling like this when upon cement or grass, his knees won't touch at all.

Dilan would not rest for me to take a good picture of her so I had to catch her as she was looking at the temple.

Our attempt at a family picture in front of the Dallas temple!

10 months!

2011-09-07T13:15:00.003-05:00

This kid is 10 months old now which really is no milestone per say BUT the fact that he's only two months from his first birthday. I'm looking forward to it already, especially because we can celebrate with family this year.

Drake is pulling up on everything, trying to stand on his own, still has only two teeth on the bottom, eating table food, has developed an outrageous gut-wrenching scream when he's mad at me, still likes his pacifier and STILL doesn't sleep through the night! But Drake's a happy baby and we love that he is growing a mohawk all on his own too! His newest development is grabbing a train and moving it back and forth on the floor to play with his brother and sister.

Labor Day Picnic

2011-09-06T09:34:00.004-05:00

Labor Day here was a gorgeous day - high of only 86 and quite the breeze to go with it. So, we had to get outside and we chose to have a picnic at the playground with the kids. Drew kept asking if we could do it again soon and that's when you know you've had a fun day!

David and Drake on our picnic blanket

Eating some watermelon

Playground time

Eating green beans by the handful

Drake had fun playing with Beva's leash

Trying to get some family shots of our picnic

Baseball Season 2011 - GO YANKEES!

2011-09-04T09:38:00.006-05:00

Drew is playing baseball this season! Technically, it's t-ball still because Drew's birthday falls in the summer and the cut-off was April. But that means he's one of the older kids on his team and that's good for a change. Soccer was actually full by the time we moved here, but I have also wanted to get him exposure to baseball. We know many people who are obsessed with "America's game" but we just aren't. We are football people, a football family, and baseball is just a little too slow for us. That being said, I want Drew to make up his own mind about what he likes and we want him to try many things. As a rule in our family, you have to be involved in something athletic each fall and spring (to teach the importance of exercise, team work, making new friends, winning/losing) and even though kids Drew's age are playing flag football, David thinks he is still too young.

Drew did ask to play football because "it looks like they run a lot." And when I asked what Drew liked about baseball the most, he said, "running bases." This kid just likes to run and he's pretty good at it. While other kids focused on hitting the ball and casually getting to first base, Drew was in an all-out sprint, nearly running into the kid in front of him running from base to base. He may end up being interested in track and field one day but for now, we'll focus on the team sports.

We had a lot of fun at Drew's first baseball game, but it was hot! I got a lot of pictures because David was in the stands with me (instead of busy being the soccer coach) and it was kind of nice. There are three innings in which each kid gets a turn to bat and field a different position. Drew hit the ball on the first time all three times he got up there and he fielded the pitcher's mound which got him some action catching and throwing the ball.

Drew was assigned the number 3 - his Dad's old football number.

Before the game, the kids got in their dark blue and gray clothes in support of Drew and smiled for me. Dilan got this pink Texas Rangers hat at the store today. She's excited to wear a baseball hat! Drake kept taking his hat off.

David and Dilan playing catch outside the fields. Dilan is so ready to play sports!

A precious baby drinking his bottle at a very hot game!

In the stands watching the action.

Drew in action

My number 3

In the dug out

Dilan decided the bleachers were a great place to lie down.

Literally jumping up and down on first base so excited to hit the ball and run there.

so hot outside and Dilan's hair had had it.

Picking up the ball...

throwing to first base.

Drake's snack time.

Drew is ready to go!

Hitting the ball...

running with a smile on his face...

scoring a run! (no score is kept)

End of the game

My Sister's Visit

2011-09-02T22:11:00.005-05:00

Keely came to visit us for a few days before Labor Day Weekend. She's on her way to Minnesota to visit her hubby this weekend but made a stop to see us in Dallas first. We loved having her here - she is seriously the easiest of guests and nothing bothers her - even Drake waking up multiple times in the night, the power getting shut off, Dilan not letting her sleep in, me getting sick one day, and even trying to shop with the kids in tow. But we did get a chance on Thursday night to go eat sushi by ourselves and do some shoe shopping. Thanks so much for coming, Keely!!!

I got sick the first day Keely was here so we took it easy and when Drew got home from school, Keely took Drew and Dilan to the pool to go swimming.

Definite highlight - eating lunch with Drew at school. We brought Drew a happy meal and he was so excited to have visitors. Funny part: TWO teachers came up to us and said Drew looked more like his aunt than his own mother - I think that made Keely's week!

Me and Dilan at Drew's lunch table

We had to try and get a picture with Dilan and my sister here

Irving Splash Park

2011-08-26T13:32:00.005-05:00

For our first playgroup, we went to a splash park in Irving. Both kids really enjoyed it in this hot weather. Some of it is even shaded which was nice. Only a few other women and their kids showed up but that was good enough for me because we had a lot of fun.

Dilan could not get enough of this place

The girl would NOT stop running around either no matter how many times I told her she was going to fall but she kept going and ended up not stumbling at all.

At first, Drake didn't know what to think...

then he conquered the lady bug/frog thing

and then it conquered him.

Her attempt at smiling at me but really she was focused on playing with all the other kids there

Sitting on the bumble bee

Lunch with Drew

2011-08-25T12:02:00.002-05:00

We wanted to come eat lunch with Drew during his first week of school and today was the day. Although I took more pictures with him smiling, I had to post the first picture I took of Dilan's sweet affection for her brother. When I told the kids I was going to take this picture of us coming to eat lunch with Drew, she immediately put her arm out to touch him like she was so proud of him. She loves to come see Drew at school and when we leave, she is waving and making sure to say, "Bye, Drew!" even when it's totally quiet in the lunchroom. I love these three kiddos and even more, I'm so glad they love each other!

School Bus

2011-08-23T13:40:00.002-05:00

Drew made it onto the school bus this morning. And he has a new friend riding with him! It's a smaller bus (more like a big van) but hopefully, he'll enjoy riding it as much as he did riding the school bus last year.

Drew's First Day of First Grade

2011-08-22T09:06:00.003-05:00

Drew is off to his first day of first grade! He had to be woken up at 6:30 a.m. to be ready by 7 a.m. to walk out the door. He is supposed to ride the bus BUT no bus came for the 15 minutes we were out there (we will have to get this problem fixed). So, I gathered up the other kids and we all took Drew to school. We even parked and walked him in which worked out great because I could make sure he knew where he was going. He was so excited that he felt like he was going to throw up but he didn't. He also shed a few tears over his cereal this morning sad that this last week of summer had to end. But I reminded him about how much fun school will be and the friends he was going to meet. I think he's ready for the first grade!

waiting for the bus that never came

outside his school

outside the classroom

Putting his backpack in his cubby

Sitting in his seat!

Last week of summer and Waffle House breakfast

2011-08-20T13:52:00.006-05:00

To wrap up our last week of summer, we had movie day on Thursday as we headed to the library, did puzzles and checked out lots of books and movies. Drew got to pick the movies we watched, we ate popcorn, and had a lot of fun. (by the way, I did offer to take all of them to the movies but Drew prefers watching them at home).

On Friday, we went to the Sun Valley Aquatic Center. It has a lazy river and little slides in the water. We waited for David to get home so we could go around 5 when it cooled down a bit too. We also finished the night off with cheeseburgers and french fries from Whataburger!

To cap off the finality of the summer, we went to Waffle House this morning and ate breakfast. This is simply Drew and David's favorite thing to do so they were in heaven! Then, we drove to the temple and showed it to the kids. Goodbye summer, hello school year!!!

Eating breakfast at the Waffle House

Yummy!

Meet the Teacher, Mrs. Baker!

2011-08-19T08:04:00.005-05:00

We were able to meet Drew's 1st grade teacher last night. Her name is Mrs. Baker, and she was very nice and friendly. We think she's going to be great for Drew! He was able to sort his school supplies, pick out his cubby for his backpack and things, sign up for his "assessment" (why does this make a mother nervous?) and get a lot of information.

Drew is actually not going to the school we are zoned for but one a little further away from us. He was "wait-listed" (who has heard of such a thing?) because there are so many 1st graders and not enough teachers. So, he is going to another elementary in the district that did have enough room for him. The positive side is that the school is a mile further which means Drew can ride the bus and that was his favorite part of school last year. What boy doesn't like riding the school bus? Since we are temporary here, I have no idea what school Drew will be attending next year so it really doesn't matter as long as he has a good experience which I think he will.

His school is called Cottonwood Creek Elementary and they are the Colts! We already bought him a school t-shirt too.

Mrs. Baker and Drew in his classroom

Took Drew and the kiddos out for blizzards afterwards

Drake had bites of his first mint oreo blizzard - he liked it and kept screaming for more

Last week of summer and Lunch with Dad... and some cool airplanes

2011-08-17T19:10:00.005-05:00

We are having a non-stop party the last week before Drew starts school. Right when we moved here, Drew did soccer summer camp, then went to stay a week with my mom, then a week in summer baseball camp, and now for the week before school starts, we have something planned every day just for him!

On Monday, we went to the Ark (massive indoor playground) with some new friends, Tuesday we went to Going Bonkers which is also quite the indoor play complex, and on Wednesday, after registering Drew for a bus pass all morning, we were able to visit David for lunch! The kids had not seen where David works yet and it was quite the experience.

Drew outside Southwest Airlines where Daddy works now

Inside the main office - tons of those airplanes hanging from the ceiling - the picture could not capture them all but it did capture David and his kiddos

Walking down the halls to his office

At the cafeteria eating lunch with Dad

Drew took this picture but it's a bit blurry

Right outside the window where we were eating, you could see planes taking off an landing. We went out on the upper deck to see it all take place.

Here is just a view of the planes and notice a sand volleyball game going on - yes, those are SWA employees!

Taking off with the Dallas skyline in the background

Plane coming in to land right in front of us

Just as the wheels touch down - you can see the smoke!

SWA is a very cool place to work - just such an ideal job right now for our family. I'm so glad the kids got to see it, especially Drew before he starts school this year. They print out these fancy name tags and there is plane memorabilia everywhere. The kids had a lot of fun being there and now, we're off for our last two days with Drew before school starts!

Pics of the kids

2011-08-16T20:59:00.003-05:00

Today, I just went outside in the morning and took some pictures of my kids. We all lasted about 5 minutes but I chose to put a shot or two that I got up.

This little one was so tired so I couldn't get a full smile but he did show me his teeth and his ever-growing mohawk.

So hard to get good pictures of this little girl. But I did buy her a new outfit with sparkly shoes so I wanted to try and see what I could get.

My handsome boy wanted to be an army ranger today so he dressed in camouflage and brought his gun outside too. The gun at least got to rest on the grass while I took a few shots.

Summer 2011 Pictures

2011-08-12T18:02:00.002-05:00

Once again, we got family pictures done because Drake needed some 6 month pics taken. It was a hot summer day in Maryland and we didn't last long with the mosquitoes and the heat. But some good ones turned out! Thanks to Chantell for her time and talent!

Family picture where Dilan is once again not smiling

(we are kind of used to 2 year olds not smiling for pics around here)

Sibling shot: Drew, Drake, and Dilan

Drew - right before his 6th birthday

Dilan - 2 years old

Drake - 6 months old

Daddy and his little boy

Mommy kissing the sweet baby

Train Tracks

2011-08-08T21:04:00.003-05:00

Drew rejoined our family after being gone an entire week at my mom's house and we were back to making train tracks. Dilan missed playing trains with her brother and Drake likes to crawl and climb over the tracks. It's a win for all three of my kiddos! Plus, I get to use a creative side of my brain, help make the track itself, and enjoy the play time.

I have to admit my blog and life are pretty boring lately - we aren't doing much but trying to settle in here in our new place. We've been able to see old friends who live here (from high school, college, graduate school) but not really making any new friends in our area yet. I know it will come but I feel there is more pressure to connect with people this time because it's a permanent move. At least we aren't in a permanent place yet and things can still change if we want them to (although I really like the area we chose to live in). It all just takes time... for life to become interesting again. :)

The Tubes

2011-08-03T12:42:00.002-05:00

We heard about The Tubes from a friend on FB and decided to try it out last week. It was like a McDonald's play place but bigger. Eventually, I had to leave because it was so loud in there but the kids liked it and had fun. We had already played at Chick-fil-a and McDonald's this week too. :) The Tubes is at a local church in Irving and it's completely free so that was nice.

Soccer Camp

2011-08-03T12:35:00.003-05:00

Right after we moved here, I signed Drew up for soccer camp at an indoor athletic facility I found here in Coppell. Literally, I looked up sites on Sunday night and signed him up for Monday morning at 9 a.m. He got the last spot and we were in!
Drew loved soccer camp - every morning of the week from 9a.m.-12p.m. was perfect. He met other boys his age, played and played, learned how to play dodge ball too, and came home sweaty every day. In fact, as a coincidence, two boys from our ward were in this soccer camp too so it worked out well. And I didn't hear, "I'm bored!," so much anymore.

This current week he is at my mom's house for his first week by himself and next week, I signed him up for baseball summer camp to have him try baseball. He is on the wait list to play soccer this fall and so we signed him up for the baseball season. We'll see if he likes it! :)

After a hard day's play at soccer camp

for some reason, these pics came out blurry but here is Drew playing in the scrimmage

After soccer camp with his teammates and the coach

9 months old!

2011-08-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

Drake is 9 months old now - we can't believe it! He is adorably cute and still such a happy smiley baby! In this picture David took of him, I can almost see what he'll look like when he grows up. Something in his little face has gotten older. He's just a beautiful baby, almost toddler, and one that started crawling a week before he turned 9 months old. He is loving being able to go forward as he had been crawling backwards for weeks and getting stuck in corners. He is also pulling up on his knees and when you stand him up all the way, he laughs and laughs.

He is still loving his gumdrop pacifiers but finally gave way to his wrap (because of a massive heat rash) but still has to be wrapped in his blanket to sleep. At least now he can get out of it on his own and put his pacifier back in his mouth. He loves to play with Dilan and the dog and just gets a kick out of being with others. I think he'll be a social guy. We adore and love this little boy and can't wait for a few more months when he turns 1!

Made it to Dallas!!!

2011-07-23T08:41:00.003-05:00

After 22 hours of driving half-way across the country, we made it to our final destination, our new home in Dallas. It wasn't easy but we did it. On Thursday, we packed the biggest truck you can drive full of our stuff and still had a lot left over. So, David had to get another truck on Friday and we filled that one too. Friday morning we had the last minute idea to call my Dad to see if he could come help us drive the second truck to Texas. And he dropped everything to do that for us. My Dad was on a plane that night and we left Maryland Saturday morning. I drove the van with the kids, my Dad drove the smaller truck while pulling the trailer with our second car on it, and David drove the monster truck.

About 2.5 hours in, a tire on the trailer busted and we were stranded at a gas station in Virginia for 3.5 hours waiting for someone to come fix it. Not ideal at all considering we didn't get into Knoxville, TN, until midnight! The next day went okay until lunchtime when my Dad said he wasn't feeling well. He had 102.5 fever! Once his fever broke with some meds, he pressed on and we made it to Little Rock, AK, that night. Monday was easier as we drove into Dallas around 4 p.m., got our keys to the new place, and David started unloading. The problem was that my Dad got worse at that point and plain old Tylenol was not bringing down his fever. By the evening, his fever shot up to 104.5 and I was off to the ER with him! Luckily, it was a viral infection and not anything worse. We left the hospital at 1:30 a.m. and went home. David has some great friends who came to help us unload the truck - we could not have done it without them that night - they also watched our kids while I was gone.

On Tuesday, David hired some guys to unload the rest of the stuff into storage, and I (and the kids) drove my Dad back to Houston so he could rest at home. Then, I came back to Dallas on Thursday to get more settled into our place. I actually really like this smaller place - I don't mind it like I thought I would. Something about simplicity.

Finally, to top off the week, my best friend from middle and high school lives here in Dallas and she came to visit us on Friday. She brought this awesome cookie cake which we loved that read, "Welcome Home to Texas!" that about said it all...

Moving Day

2011-07-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

My mom was very sweet to have a celebration for David's new job. She bought balloons, cake, a card and we all congratulated David on this new opportunity in his career. Currently, we are packing and getting ready to move this weekend. It has been stressful needless to say, it's going to be expensive to do all of this on our own but we will make it. We always do. We have kept saying to each other positive things when we get stressed or tired; trying to motivate each other that this is what we asked for (for a job closer to family) and just because we are getting what we want, doesn't mean it will be easy. But we are making these sacrifices because long-term, this job and location are ideal for us. We hope it ends up as good as we are imagining because we are on our way to Texas! The computer is being packed up tonight so there won't be any posts until the Pistorius family is relocated - wish us luck!!!

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-11T20:16:00.003-05:00

Fourth of July weekend was full of fun - we took Friday to go up to Dallas for the day, meet with David's new boss and some coworkers for lunch, see where he'd be working, and look for a place to live temporarily. Saturday we had boiled crabs which are a tradition in my family to do over the holiday and they were delicious! Drew took personalized swim lessons at my mom's house while we were on vacation and by the time David came, Drew was swimming! YEAH! We were excited he met this milestone in his life. (We had countless group lessons that have gone nowhere - the personal lessons although more expensive are totally worth it.)

David and Drew in the pool

Brothers: Drew and Drake

Pistorius family in the pool

Eating our boiled crabs - Keely and Lars were in charge of the boil and did a fantastic job!

Family picture taken with this camera on a timer - we thought it turned out pretty professional!

My sister-in-law, Amy, has been running many races lately and invited anyone who wanted to do the four miler on the fourth of July to do the race with her. Well, I've been walking 3+ miles with my neighbor for 6 weeks now (and have lost 13lbs!) and thought I should do the race. Of course, once running the race, I didn't like this idea at all, but when we were finished I was glad I did it. Also, the kids did a fun run too and Drew did awesome. He ran so fast and got second place! I know he was very proud of himself and I think we have determined he is definitely his father's son in the speed category. :)

Me and Drew at the race

Drew running his race so fast!

Proud second place finisher!

Amy and me before our race... I finished the four miles (no stopping) in 38:20 which was much better than I was expecting. I got fifth place in my age group (30-39). Of course, I was sore the next few days... :)

My three kiddos on the fourth or the Patriotic Pistorius'

(not the best picture but good enough)

Time with David's family

2011-07-11T13:21:00.002-05:00

We were supposed to go see David's mom and sister and a lot of nieces and nephews for a few days while we were home but the morning we were leaving to see them, David got a call from his mom saying she had broken her wrists. She was walking David's sister's dog and got pulled so hard, she hit the pavement and shattered and dislocated both her wrists. So, we changed our plans to visiting her in the ER, going to a quick lunch with David's grandmother, and then going back to David's sister's house where we could take care of 11 kids while David's sister went back to the hospital. It was a fun day for the cousins to be together but stressful to try and figure out what was going on with his mom. We enjoyed the time we had but we continue to wish David's mom a speedy recovery!

Drew with a lot of cousins!

David's grandmother meeting Drake for the first time

my poor mother-in-law

Time at the Lake

2011-07-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

My dad's side of the family got together for a crawfish boil and then we headed to the lake for a day.

My grandmother with my three kids and some cousins!

Me, Drake and MawDee (stands for Mama Drouet)

MawDee and all her great-grandchildren (Dilan was not cooperating)

Crawfish time!

Keely, me and our two cousins on my dad's side

Drake and Uncle Lars at the lake house

Me and Dilan and Drew on the boat

Couldn't resist this picture of Dilan on the boat

Drew and my dad on the boat

My birthday with my sister!

2011-07-11T13:01:00.005-05:00

Keely and I turned 35! And we did it together which is the way it's meant to be. I am so happy that there should be no reason why we don't spend our birthday together in the future. Insert here a very happy noise about moving back to Texas! We chose to go to a Hibachi Japanese restaurant for dinner and all of our family joined us. Even though we were both husband-less (because they were out of town), we had a great celebration! And then the next day which was a Friday, we were able to meet up at a spa and give ourselves facials and enjoy the sauna and spa for the morning. It was fantastic and totally the way to go!!!

bday girls

great picture of my mom and Sam with Dilan at our bday dinner

me and my kids on my bday

me and my Dad on my bday

a great picture of my dad and Drake

Keely, Damon (our older brother) and me on bday

My mom's tradition of getting us a birthday cake with a surprise theme - this year was Texas because we will both be in Texas now!

Summer Vacation to Texas - Father's Day

2011-07-11T12:55:00.003-05:00

We went home to Texas for a few weeks and celebrated many things, one of them being Father's Day.

Drew giving Popo (my mom's husband) a fish tie with all of his grandkids' names on it

My Dad with Drew and Lacey (my brother's child)

Cousins playing together

My Dad and his three kids - Keely is claiming Drake in this picture :)

The Pistorius family is moving to...

2011-06-27T13:41:00.008-05:00

Dallas, Texas!!! David has accepted a new job with Southwest Airlines in Dallas! We are so thrilled for this new opportunity. We will be closer to our families and we will be somewhere permanent from now on. Best part is we get flight benefits in about 6 months and we will be able to visit all of our friends we have made over the years with our traveling. The move will take place in just about 3 weeks we can't wait!

8 months!

2011-06-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Drake is 8 months old! I had to include these pictures I took of him putting his pacifier in upside down. It's just what he does - he loves to curl his bottom lip over the bottom part of the pacifier too. He is also getting up on his knees and trying to learn how to crawl. He has his two bottom teeth and has taken his first airplane flight to Texas!

Last day of Kindergarten

2011-06-17T13:39:00.002-05:00

Last day of school includes an ice cream treat - Drew picked oreo shakes with Dad at Chick-fil-a!

I also wanted to get a picture of Drew on his last day of Kindergarten by his school sign. Even though Drew will not be attending the same school next year (we are moving in July), this school is where he learned to read and he learned that he was very good at math! We loved Mrs. Putonen and all she taught him. Bye Kindergarten at Matsunaga, Hello First Grade at ???

Drew's 6th Birthday!

2011-06-16T11:59:00.007-05:00

Click: Drew's 6th Birthday Pictures! to see ALL of the pictures!

We had such a fabulous day yesterday for Drew's 6th birthday. We started a new tradition of waking up to a room full of balloons the morning of a birthday. I chose light blue balloons for Drew because that is his favorite color and David and I blew them up the night before and put them in Drew's room while he was asleep. I kept thinking I wanted to do something special so he knows right when he wakes up we are celebrating him and thinking about him. It worked because he came running into our room in the morning saying, "Mom, I saw all the balloons!"

My mom fixed Drew his favorite breakfast - eggs and biscuits - and then he was able to open family gifts from us and her. He got his Nintendo DSI he wanted, Mario games, and a Thomas pillow. Then, he went off to school where they mentioned his birthday over the morning announcements and we showed up for lunch with his favorite - chick-fil-a!

After school, he came home with a birthday crown and he was so excited for his miniature golf party. We actually had the whole miniature golf place to ourselves - they only opened just for us! Drew and his friends played a round of golf, ran around the place like it was a playground, had pizza, cookie cake, and Drew opened all of his presents. They had a blast. After the party, we went home, gave baths to the kids, put Dilan and the baby to bed, and Drew got to open and play with everything until late into the evening. A very memorable 6th birthday for sure. :)

okay, so I put these in from last to first accidentally so sorry about that!

a tradition every year for Drew to take a picture surrounded by his gifts

Family photo - we also try to wear the favorite color of the birthday boy on his special day

Drew prefers cookie cake to regular cake

Drew and his friends after they played golf

Eating pizza

I got a lot of golfing pictures but chose the one where you can see his light blue ball going into the hole!

Gifts and favors (Water bottles with Drew's favorites in them: granola bars, gum and fruit snacks)

Drew and his massive #6 balloon - I had no idea how big it was when I ordered it!

Drew and his birthday crown he got at school

Eating chick-fil-a at lunchtime with Drew at his school

Morning family photo - imagine Dilan throwing a fit on the floor not too far from where we are taking this picture. It was her way of saying she didn't want to get in this photo opportunity.

Loved this gift - a Thomas pillow he asks for every time he sees it.

Balloons filled Drew's room in the morning!

Happy Father's Day, David!!!

2011-06-13T09:17:00.003-05:00

Since we are leaving this weekend for our summer trip home to Houston, we are missing actual Father's Day with David. And David has not been letting me forget it! So, I decided we would celebrate early with cards, gifts, singing, breakfast in bed in the morning and breakfast for dinner per his request, and a great picture of all three kids with their Dad. It actually turned out well! The boys in blue and our little girl picked out a pink dress for the occasion.

David is truly the best Dad I know. I picked the best for our children, I know that for sure. He loves his family and he loves loves loves our three kids. They are so fortunate to have him as their Dad because they come first (and me as well) and we all know it and feel it. Nothing matters to David more than being a good father and example to the kids. It's the best part of the day "when Daddy comes home" in our house. We love you, David! Happy Father's Day!!!

And we are still looking forward to taking David out to breakfast (see a theme here?) Saturday morning before we leave for Texas!

Beach Day!

2011-06-09T18:17:00.003-05:00

Drew had Beach Day at his school today. You would think this would mean sand and such but it was mainly arts and crafts. Still, the kids loved it and thought it was a lot of fun. We were able to be there in the morning and then eat lunch with Drew. It was a special day for sure. Drew's favorite part was playing at the "new park" which meant the kids got to play at the playground that they never get to play at. This was definitely the highlight.

Drew's making a lei

Dilan eating a snack in Drew's classroom

Lei completed, sister still eating snack

Drew gave Dilan his lei and she then immediately took it off.

Making fish picture frames with is favorite friend, E.

Making summer journals. I loved his use of "DC" on his journal.

Bath time

2011-06-07T06:42:00.003-05:00

What mother doesn't want to get bath-time shots of their kids? Now that Drake is sitting up on his own, we had to snap this one of the three of them in the tub. Cutie pies!!!

Nannie and Uncle Lars' Visit

2011-06-07T06:33:00.002-05:00

My sister and her husband, Lars, came into town last weekend to visit us. We didn't do anything touristy, we just hung out at home, went to the park with the kids (twice), saw Drew's last soccer game of the season (painful), ordered sushi takeout (favorite thing to do together), went to the pool, played some football, and watched the NBA finals. It was a wonderful weekend and the kids were SO excited they were here that Drew had a meltdown when he had to say goodbye Sunday night even though we are going home to Texas in a few weeks. I only took pictures at the game but here they are!

Nannie and Drew at the soccer game

Nannie and Uncle Lars with the kids - Drake is in the back

Dilan keeping Drake occupied

Me and Drake at the soccer game

Lars and Drake

Six Flags Maryland

2011-06-01T09:12:00.008-05:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we decided to do the norm - bbq and swimming but we also had to include something fun and adventurous too! So, we took the kids to six flags Maryland on Friday and had so much fun. They were supposed to have an entire Thomas town with rides geared towards Thomas characters and such but when we got there, we were informed the rides were the same but the names had changed. It was a bummer to not see Thomas but they just painted over everything so we still got to do it all. I was surprised how long the kids lasted and it turned out to be a warm but nice day. No real lines anywhere and overall, a great family day. Many pictures were taken but we wanted to get as much out of the day as we could! The morning started out with breakfast at IHOP and then onto the park...

Drew and me at the entrance

The kids once we were inside the park

Ready to ride our first ride - the Great Race - old antique cars

Drew still wasn't tall enough to drive so David had to take over!

After the drive was over

Whistlestop Park (or once known as Thomas town)

Riding the helicopters

Waiting in line for the train ride

All aboard!

Drew and I rode "Cranky"

David and the kids on "Bertie the bus"

Waiting in line to ride more trains

On our next train ride

David rode the fastest roller coaster in the park - Superman!

Playing in the water - Dilan loved this part!

The big playground was a big hit

Lunchtime!

David kicking the soccer ball into the hole - I can't believe I captured it on camera. You can actually see where the ball is going in. He won a zebra stuffed animal for the kids!

Yeah for prizes!

Riding the canoes - David said it almost made him loose his lunch.

Dilan playing in the spray water they had around the park. Look at Drake - he's so happy!

Waiting in line for the big train now

Best picture of the three D's so far!

Daddy and Drew playing "switch the hats"

Me, Dilan and Drew riding the tea cups

Drew and David riding a mini-roller coaster seated in the last car

Final stop - the carousel ride

Field Day 2011

2011-06-01T08:56:00.002-05:00

Field Day for Drew was basically a long P.E. day. That is what it was described as and that is what it was. Gone are the days of old-school field day, I guess, or do they still have it like that back in TX? You know, where you are actually on a team, and you wear that color to school. And you actually race and do track and field activities and you actually compete! I have to say this field day was totally lame. Good thing Drew didn't know what to expect because he liked it. I was out in the hot sun with the little kids trying to take pictures of Drew doing the various activities... let's just say if we were here next year, I'd know not to go to field day. So not worth it and if you read my blog, I go to everything Drew has and does so that tells you something. I should have known when I showed up and they were doing the limbo... on field day! Anyway, here's hoping "Beach Day" next week is something worth going to! :)

This activity was to bounce the ball within the hoop. Where was the 50 yard dash?!?!?

7 months old!

2011-05-26T11:04:00.004-05:00

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!

2011-05-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

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

2011-05-17T18:41:00.001-05:00

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

Philly

2011-05-15T19:12:00.005-05:00

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

2011-05-15T18:31:00.007-05:00

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

2011-05-08T16:09:00.003-05:00

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

2011-05-04T10:10:00.006-05:00

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.

Hotel Swimming Pool

2011-05-04T10:02:00.003-05:00

After our Hershey's adventures, we checked into our hotel and took advantage of the hotel pool. The kids loved it! Drake and I really sat on the steps most of the time because it was a little cold for him but the older kids loved every minute of it.

David and the kids bringing back our luggage rack and on our way to swim - notice how thrilled Drake is in this picture.

Getting in!

Drew who still doesn't know how to swim all the way yet holding onto the edge - no worries, he could touch the bottom.

Laughing at David's antics.

Jumping in!

Did this over and over!

Dilan was so happy in the water with her Daddy.

Drake got in for just a little bit for his first swim.