21- 22 months

[11.28.2010]

I have been a super slacker lately and failed to do a 21 month post for Mr. Big so this is going to have to count for 21 and 22 months.  It's really ridiculous that I'm so lazy because now is the time that he is changing SO much each and every day, but oh well!  This will have to do.  

This little man is truly a joy!  It's incredible to think that he has already been in our lives for 22 months and yet, it seems like he has always been apart of our family.  Being Drake's mother has been the greatest blessing in my life and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to spend my days with him by my side. (even when he's whining and hanging on my legs!) 

Things to remember about Drake at 21-22 months:

* He is talking up a storm.  I looked at him the other day and thought to myself, "my little son legitimately talks!"  He can say pretty much anything, and does.  However; he still refuses to say Snipes and Lissa on a regular basis.  He'll say it under his breath or when they aren't around, but not when they are here and wanting him to.

* He loves to put rubber bands on his wrists.  I usually have one hair elastic around my wrist at some point in the day and he has obviously noticed and thinks he needs one too.  

* He has finally learned how to drink out of a normal cup and water bottle.  He still spills quite often but he's definitely got the hang of it.

* He has learned how to flush the toilet and he loves to say good bye to anything that may be in the toilet as he flushes it.  I'm afraid he's going to flush a car down or something that will certainly get stuck.

* He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse again.  He wants to watch "mickey and goofy" all day long.  I have to seriously limit the amount of mickey we watch because he really is obsessed.

* He really likes to eat his fishy crackers out of an empty Lifesaver Zours container.  It's really strange!  He found it in my diaper bag a long time ago and has hung on to it for months!  It will only fit about ten fishies at a time, but he loves to carry it around and snack.  

* He wants to wear his flip flops every time he sees them in his closet.  I have to hide them or else brace myself for a fit!  Sometimes I let him wear them around the house so I don't have to deal with the fit!

* He is just like his daddy and can fold his ears completely in half.  I managed to catch a picture of it the other day.  It's the funniest thing to see him do it too.  

* He LOVES Toy Story 3 and has a "favorite" part that he laughs at every time!

* He talks about Jesse from Toy Story all day long.

* He is very interested in the potty and all that goes on in the potty.  He is really good about telling me when he poops.  We're still working on getting him to the potty before he actually goes, but he's definitely starting to grasp the concept.  He usually tells me that he's farted right before he poops.  (I know... horrible that my child says fart!)

* He loves to take my cans out of the pantry and roll them across the kitchen floor.  He always says "coo" (cool) as he does it.

* He is getting better with his counting.  He understands the concept of having "two" things and is often not happy unless he has two of something.

* He likes to have his daddy rub his feet.  Both feet have to be rubbed at the same time.  If Chris tries to rub one and not the other, Drake will say "two foot" and put his other foot in Chris' face.

* He has been obsessed with his ball popper lately.  Unfortunately, he has lost most of the balls for it and he gets pretty fired up when the few balls that are left won't come out.  I finally taught him how to turn it upside down so the balls will fall out.  If that doesn't work, he'll drag it around the house whining, until I empty it.

* He loves to watch football with Chris.  He yells "run" or "go" when  the players are running a play.  How he knows to do that, I don't know!

* He was completely fascinated by the Wii Mario Cart game the other night.  He sat and watched B, B, Snipes and Lissa play for over an hour and would yell "go B, go B!"  He was pretty fired up when I made everyone come upstairs for dessert.  He came up stairs saying, "vroom, vroom."

* He climbs up and down the stairs without holding on to the wall or railing now.  Not every time, but most of the time.

* He loves, loves, loves the match box track at Pop Pop's house.  He wants Pops to play with him constantly.  Luckily Pops is a super good sport!

*  He loves to push the shopping cart at any store we're at.  He looks so dang hilarious doing it!  He holds onto the very bottom bar of the cart and pushes away,  He throws a super fit if I try to make him stop, so he usually ends up pushing the cart all the way from the store to the car.  

* He has learned to jump and tries to jump off of everything!  

* He has learned how to put the correct shapes into the slots of his shape matching games.  He especially likes the Hippo one.

*  He does not like to be touched when he is trying to do something.  If you do touch him, he looks at you, moves your hand, legs, foot, or whatever is touching him and says, "no!"

* He has discovered "cully." (coloring) He was so good in church today as long as he could "cully." He has colored pictures for Omie and Te-Te and tells me so every time I get the crayons out.

* He has learned how to unzip his "dammies." (jammies)  He hasn't figured out how to get them all the way off yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.  He likes to pick which jammies he wears and usually wants either his "mickey dammies" or his "jesse dammies."

* He loves to close the doors in our bathroom and say "bye mommy" or "bye daddy." He thinks he's so funny!

* He has started to throw everything out of his crib every time he wakes up from a nap or in the morning.  

* We are still working on getting rid of the binkie.  It's been a process and I'm sure I'm making it harder for both of us, but for now, he only has it in his bed.  

* He is still the world's worst eater!  He eats next to nothing.  I'm not quite sure how he is still as sturdy as he is because he eats like a bird.  I'm grateful he's not losing weight, but I worry about him getting all of the nutrients be needs.  His very favorite food though is still "nacks." (fruit snacks)  He would eat 20 packs a day if I let him. He has started to like "cakies"(crepes) though.  He will eat at least one, sometimes two at a time.  Oma, you would be so proud!

* He has been making the funniest faces lately.  For some reason he has started to put his hand over his nose when he's being shy or embarrassed.  It's really funny! 

* He loves to give "ooie" (Otie) cookies. He also gets very nervous when I let Otie out and he doesn't come right back in.  He'll stand by the door and yell for ooie until he comes back in.

* He LOVES all of the people that love him!  He talks about members of the family all day long.  

*  Whenever he has a phone in his hands and I ask him who he is calling, he always tells me "Omie."

* For some reason he doesn't sleep very well at night when Chris helps me put him to bed. It's really strange.  He still has night terrors occasionally and they seem to happen on the nights when Chris is in the room when I put Drake to bed.  We've been saying good night to daddy before I put him to bed for the past few weeks and it seems to have helped.  It's kind of sad, but if it works, its worth it.  Night terrors are HORRIBLE! 

  

Oh how I love my little Drake Weaver! He is such a sweet, funny, opinionated, stubborn, silly, entertaining, head strong, beautiful little boy!

Swimming

Hobble Creek

[11.06.10]

Today we decided to take a drive up through Hobble Creek Canyon.  We found a playground a ways up and stopped to let Drake play.  He is a park man!  He LOVES the park!  This park was geared more towards older kids but he managed just fine.  He is definitely less cautious now than he has been and was determined to try out every climber there.  The weather was absolutely beautiful.  Had we planned better, we could have stayed all afternoon.  It was a perfect spot for an outing and a perfect day with my two boys.

LOVE

.. Love these boys ..

Halloween

[10.30.10]

In keeping with the Musso family tradition, we had Dinner in a Pumpkin on the Saturday before Halloween.  Mom was here for the weekend so we decided that it was a perfect time to do dinner.  We added a new tradition this year... carmel apples.  Oh, they were so delicious and super easy.  Definitely a new favorite.  It was great to be able to have the sibs close this year to share our DIAP.

I was a horrible mom and didn't dress Biggie up this year.  I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it this year.  I knew he wouldn't know the difference so I used that as my excuse and I'm fine with it!  It was rainy and cold on Saturday night anyway, so he would have been miserable if we'd have tried to take him out.  I'll make up for it next year, promise!

** Aren't my green cabinets sweet?!?  They are a perfect match with the mint chocolate chip carpet.  A strange combination, don't ya think? 

Grammy came to church with us on Sunday,  Biggie is always much easier in church when Grammy is there.  If only she could come with us every week. Church just isn't the same when you're wrestling with a little monster in the chapel.  Why is it, that he is the absolute worst in church?  It's rough.  

Should I be worried?

This is my child's new favorite thing to do.
He gets the stool out of my closet.
He raids the cupboards in the bathroom,
and then proceeds to stack everything very strategically on the stool.
He does this almost every day.
It's really weird!
He is very good about cleaning up, though.
He puts everything back into the cupboard just as he found it!
I'm afraid he may be a little OCD.

Hee Haw Farms

[10.29.10]

Last Friday... Chris, Biggie and I, Bird & Bear, and the Eudis' went to Hee Haw farms in Pleasant Grove.  Biggie wasn't quite old enough to really enjoy all of the rides and festivities, but it was a cute little place and a fun way to spend a Friday night.

Out of all the fun things to see and do, Biggie immediately zeroed in on a little go-cart and would not let go of it.  He didn't want to ride on it or have anyone else help him move it around.  All he wanted to do was push it around.  He's obsessed with pushing things.  We did manage to convince him to ride on the little train.  He was super wary at first, but he eventually let us put him in one of the cars and cried when we took him out after three rides.

It was a fun night.  Perfect weather, good company, and a hay ride!  What more can ya ask for?!

The Zoo

Hogle Zoo
[10.21.10]

A few weeks ago we decided to introduce Biggie to the Hogle Zoo.  He has yet to really discover the world of animals, aside from Otie, but it was fun to take him somewhere new.  Grandma Weaver and Mike came along with us, which was super fun!  It's great to live close enough to do things with them.  Grandma was so excited to see the baby elephant!  The elephant exhibit was the first stop on our tour of the zoo.  Biggie didn't seem overly interested in any of the animals and definitely did not love the carousel, but he was a happy to be out and about.  Overall, it was a fun way to spend the day!  I'm sure the zoo will be become a favorite in the years to come.

And this...

...is why I win the "Mom of the Year" award, once again!
After three hours at the zoo without a nap, he was done.  He started to whine and all he wanted was his "inky" so I caved and gave it to him.  I really wasn't even planning to take it with us, but Chris slipped it in.  So, yes... I let my almost two year old ride out of the zoo with his ragged old blankie and a binky in his mouth.  (a binky that has been around since he was born.  It's WAY to small.  Not quite sure why he still sucks on it!)  Oh well!

The happenings

Holy cow, I hate my blog!  I don't know what my problem is, but I just can't get motivated.  I just keep putting it off and now hate myself because I am weeks and weeks behind.  We have had quite the month  with lots of celebrations, visitors, and much to remember!

The festivities began with Te-Te coming to visit us.  She flew in on September 22nd and stayed with us until October 2nd.  Life is always great when Te-Te is here but this time was exceptional!  Biggie, Chris and I had her here with us for ten whole days and wished it could have been longer.  We didn't do anything super special, but it didn't matter one bit.  It was so fun to be able to spend so much time together just hanging out.  We ran errands, played with Biggie, went for walks, hosted a bridal shower, and ate WAY too much.

After our ten days here in Orem, we packed up the car and drove to STG for Melissa's bridal shower and to spend the next week helping with the wedding festivities.  It was such a treat to be able to spend so much time with family.  (more on the wedding to come)

We have added a third B to the bed time crew!

Buzzy came to join us when Te-Te arrived.  When I pulled up to the curb at the airport and rolled down the window so Drake could see Tet, the first thing he saw was Buzz!  Tet was ready and waiting to give it to him!  He was a little hesitant at first but can't live without Buzzy now.  He is a fixture in the crib and is usually drug around the house during the day.  It's pretty darn cute!

Omie came to STG for all of the wedding festivities on October 7th.  We were are so excited for her to arrive and had been telling Biggie for weeks that she was coming.  Oh how Biggie loves his Omie (and his grammy and Tet).  He is one spoiled baby!  He has so many people that just love him to pieces and it couldn't make me happier to see how much he truly loves all of the ladies that I have adored my entire life! 

While Omie was here, she taught Biggie how to work the "Power Drill."  He loved it!  I have such fond memories of Opa and wish more than anything that he could be here to play with my little man.  No one can do the Power Drill quite like Opa could, but Omie is a very close second! I am so grateful that I have her to teach Drake all of the wonderful things that she taught me as a child!   

This little man LOVES his Te-Te and has her completely wrapped around his little finger!  He was so incredibly spoiled while Te-Te and Omie were here and he went through some serious withdrawals when we got home and he was stuck with just me again.  What a lucky boy he is to have a great auntie that loves him SO much!  I am so grateful that my little son has Te-Te in his life and know that he will truly be an incredible person from having her as an example!

While in STG, Tet decided that Biggie just HAD to have this Cozy Coupe.  Even though Christmas and his birthday are just around the corner, he NEEDED it now and oh how he loves it!  He hasn't quite figured out how to make it go by himself yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.  For now, he loves to be pushed and to crawl in and out.  Our garage has become quite the storage area for all of this boy's outdoor toys.  

Six

[10.16.10]

On Saturday, Chris and I celebrated our sixth anniversary.  It's really hard to believe that it's already been six years!  I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to spend the last six years and many more to come, married to my sweet man.  I am grateful each and every day to be Chris Weaver's wife!  

Love you, love you Babe!

To celebrate our six, we headed to Park City for a quick over night getaway.  Mom and Omie drove up from STG to stay with Big, which was so very, very nice of them.  Thank you both so much!  We had a great day shopping in PC and eating delicious food.  Sunday was spent eating more incredible food, in PC and at home, visiting with the fam, and watching hours upon hours of football.  What could be better?!  It was quite a wonderful weekend! 

20 months... going on four years old!

[09.28.10]

Today my little son is 20 months old.  It seems kind of strange to still be counting his life in months, but I guess that's what you do until they're two.  It's also kind of strange this month to say that time seems to have slowed, just a touch.  The days and weeks still seem to fly by, but I feel like I am able to enjoy Drake more and more each day without feeling like he has changed too quickly.  This last month has been a really funny one with this little boy.  Some days it's weird for me to think that he really is only 20 months because so often I look at him and he seems like such a big boy.  I watch him play cars and use his lawn mower and catch myself thinking that he looks so much like an older child.  I think I just didn't realize until now how quickly little ones learn to do all of the things that they see those around them doing.  I guess it really shouldn't surprise me that Drake knows exactly how to "get ready in the morning" simply from watching his daddy do it time and time again, or that he knows how to get EVERYTHING he wants from his daddy and now his Te-Te!  Sometimes it's frustrating how much he does comprehend and how often he fights me when he doesn't want to do what I am him to, but I am very grateful for my strong willed, stubborn little boy.  He will need that strong will and stubbornness as he gets older to help him be the person he should be, so now even when it's a bit tiresome, I am grateful for who he is and love him more than I ever dreamed possible!

Things to remember about Drake at [20] months:

*  He knows how to put on deodorant, cologne, ad Gold Bond and loves to show off his new tricks!

*  He loves being outside right now.  He has always liked being out and about but lately, he cries and throws a fit every time I have to bring him in, unless I bribe him.  Sad, but true!

*  He loves to throw things off the deck.

*  He LOVES his Te-Te!  He has her wrapped around his little finger and runs to her every time he isn't getting what he wants from me.  

*  He is still such a picky eater.  He has a new found love for hot dogs though, and wants to eat them for every meal.  I love a good dog myself, but my child will not be eating hot dogs all day, every day, so we battle about that almost every day!

*  He still has night terrors occasionally.  They are the strangest things and stress Chris and I out when they happen.  I really hope he out grows them soon.

*  He doesn't really like to be played with.  Having someone close by is okay, but don't try to touch his stuff!

*  He has taken to "driving" his cars all over the house, and particularly likes the walls.

*  He still goes to bed fairly early (8:00 ish) but if we do keep him up too late, he gets very deliriously happy.  He runs around like a crazy man and laughs hysterically at everything.

*  He is talking so much these days.  He still doesn't like to repeat things and will only do so if I ask him to "tell me about" something.  He definitely prefers to just talk on his own.  His new words this week are nice, cool, Tet (Te-Te), Two, goose, sit, and park.

*  Te-Te has taught him how to "goose."  When you tell him to come here and get a goose, he comes running up, turns around and waits for you to pinch his little bum.  It's the cutest thing!

*  He is now wearing size SEVEN shoes!  The kid's feet are huge!

*  He likes to but his binki and blank in his "spot" in the car.

*  He has been sleeping with his Buzz doll since Te-Te got here.  He loves it.

*  He still likes to be sung to at night before we put him into his bed.  We usually sing three songs every night.  Most nights, after the last song, he leans towards his bed and is ready to be tucked in.

*  He is constant entertainment.  I find myself watching him all throughout the day and wondering how such a little dude can be so thoroughly entertaining!

*  He is the light of our lives and the best part of our worlds! 

Dear Grammy and Pops...

My mommy says that this is all your fault!

Well, maybe not all your fault, but you definitely helped create the problem!

Today, mommy went to the gas station to get daddy a treat but I decided it should be my treat instead.  As soon as mommy walked in the door and I spied this huge cup, I yanked out the bink, chucked the blank, and was ready to chug. 

After I took a few very large swigs, I made sure to push in my bubbles.  

Can't forget to do that.

I really did think about sharing with daddy, but decided against it.

64 ounces is just not enough to share!

Mommy says that she loves you dearly, Grammy and Pops, but she sure wishes that I hadn't been introduced to Pepsi!  She says that half of a 64 ounce Pepsi being chugged by a baby, is just NOT OKAY!  Good thing I have you two and  daddy that will give it to me, cause mommy says that I shouldn't have it anymore!

Love you and miss you!

xoxo Biggie

Handsome boy

[09.13.10]

A few months ago I bought this little shirt and vest ensemble for Drake.  He is now big enough to wear it so I put it on him for the first time the other day.  I can't get over how grown up he looks!  I tried hard to get a really good picture, but obviously that didn't happen, so this is all I've got.  

He is truly a boy!  His cars and trucks keep him entertained all day long.  He picked out this fire truck a few months ago and has played with it non-stop.  He drags it everywhere.  The funniest is when he tries to carry it up or down the stairs with him.  He hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet and usually gets pretty frustrated.  I find him on the stairs whining for help, multiple times a day.  Just yesterday he got stuck trying to carry his bink, blank, and his barrel of monkeys up the stairs.  He even tried putting the monkeys in his mouth so he could hold everything.  Funny baby!

Love my handsome little man!  

Jammies

[09.23.10]

This little boy loves anything Cars related.  He can't get enough of Lightening and Mater.

On Thursday, Te-Te and I took Drake to the mall and he managed to make it out of that place with quite the stash of Cars and Toy Story stuff.  No doubt that he pointed to everything in the Disney Store and Te-Te just couldn't say NO!  These jammies were part of his loot and he was pretty proud of himself and extremely cute in them!  And of course, the "balls" (play dough) made it into the pic too.  He is obsessed with his "balls" now.  I really need to teach him to call it play dough instead of balls, huh?!  Oh well!

The Sand Box

Because we have no yard here in Orem, I resorted to putting the sandbox on the deck.  It actually works really well and Biggie loves to play in it as long as his feet don't have to touch the sand.  I have to put a dish towel down in the corner so he can sit on it without touching the sand.  It's really weird!  He also hates to have his hands dirty.  He likes to play in the sand or in dirt but as soon as his hands get dirty, it's game over.  He starts to whine and is instantly done.  The funniest thing about this quirk, is that Chris was the same way when he was little.  Honestly... could my child be ANYMORE like his daddy?!?

Ears

Last Sunday, B & B came over for dinner and football watching.  At one point in the afternoon, Biggie, Bird and I went outside to let the dogs out and Big just happened to bring along some Q-tips.  He has always loved to have his ears cleaned and has recently started trying to clean them himself!  He still needs a little practice, but he's pretty good at getting the Q-tips to stay in all by themselves.  Bird snapped this pic.  I think it's hilarious! His facial expression is priceless.  Silly little boy!    

Labor Day

Instead of staying home for Labor Day, we decided to head to Mammoth Creek to meet the fam.  Biggie LOVED running around and was perfectly happy to play outside and explore the yard.  Grammy was excited to show Big the fire trucks but he ended up not being too interested.  Maybe next year Grammy! We had a great weekend with the fam and hope to be able to use the cabin more next year! 

New Park

One afternoon while at the grocery store, we asked a lady where to find a good park.  She was so sweet and told us about a great park in Pleasant Grove.  It's called a Discovery Park and is really super cool!  It is completely made of wood and reminds me so much of a park we used to play at when we were kids.  Biggie is still a little young to really enjoy all of it, but he loved to run around and explore.  We've been there a few times since that first day.  I'm pretty positive that it will be one of our favorites!  

Biggie's hiding spots...

Biggie has great toys at Grammy's house.  I'm pretty positive that he likes his toys at Grammy's better than the ones he has here at home.  His new favorites are his match box cars and the track that Pop Pop ordered from e-bay.  He loves to put his cars down the track but he loves to hide his cars even more!  I just happened to find a bunch of his favorite spots as I was gathering our things to leave before we moved.  The funniest part about this situation was that after I cleaned up all of the cars, I caught Biggie looking in his spots to see if his cars were still there.  Funny little boy!

Old, but still good!

Back in June we decided to head up to the cooler weather in Brian Head.  The Shaw's were able to come with us and we had a super fun little trip.  We just relaxed and hung around the cabin and then took the kids for a ride in the Rhino the next morning.  The weather was beautiful and the kids absolutely loved their Rhino ride.  Both Drake and Scarlett thought they were pretty cool sitting in the back all by themselves!  

The little Dude!

This last month has been a month of "firsts" for everyone, this little dude included!  He has learned so many funny and adorable things over the course of the last few weeks.  I had to start a memo in my phone the other day so I wouldn't forget everything.  Not only have I slacked big time on the blog, but I have completely stopped writing in his journal and feel really horrible about that.  I need to get back into the journal writing asap, but for tonight, this will have to do!  

Things to remember about Drake from [18 to 19.5] months...

*  Two weeks ago we made our very first trip to the library.  He was not as impressed by the selection as I was, and was definitely more interested in pushing his stroller around than he was in the books, but we managed to grab a few before he threw a fit and have been back twice for more.  (the library here is huge and great!)  I am really looking forward to when he is old enough to go to story time and to be excited about picking out his own books!

*  Two weeks ago he also discovered a new found love for Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story.  He has been obsessed with Cars for a few months but all of a sudden one morning he realized that he could say "Buzz" and it has been game over (for me) since then!  He asks for Buzz at least twenty times a day and would honestly sit and watch Toy Story over and over all day long.  He still doesn't really sit and "watch" it for longer than a few minutes (which I'm grateful for.  He's way too young for long periods of tv watching!) but he always wants it on in the background.  I really try to limit it to once a day, but sometimes he gets lucky and has it on twice.

*  A few days after he figured out Buzz, we were at Target and he heard the movie playing in the toy section.  He immediately started saying, "ah Buzz, ah Buzz, ah Buzz," while pointing to the toys.  It's so dang cute to watch him recognize things that he likes and to hear him verbalize it.  Of course, at that point, we had to make the rounds of the toy department and Drake rode away with his very first Buzz Lightyear!  He was thrilled and so was I! 

*  Because we spend so much time at home here, I decided that it was time to buy a few things that we could play with together.  To date, Drake doesn't really like to play with other people.  I think he's still a little young.  He loves to have you sit by him and he thinks it's great to be able to hand you different things here and there but as far as actual play time goes, it doesn't happen yet.  Realizing this, I decided that I would try something other than playing with toys so I bought him some play dough.  I have to admit, I was pretty excited about it!  Oh how I loved play dough when I was a kid!  Opening the jars and smelling it brought back loads of memories!  Anyways... we started out making just balls and snakes and now all he wants to make is balls.  He even calls it balls.  It's pretty cute!

*  Last week, before we left for STG for Labor Day, I was packing him up to run some errands.  He had been playing with his Buzz and a Lightening McQueen car at his little table and when I told him we were ready to go and went to grab his hand, he insisted on bringing Buzz and Lightening in the car with us.  I had to make sure to put one on each side of his car seat.  I couldn't help but smile at the sight of my little boy with his action figures, knowing that they would be the first of many to ride along with him in the car.  

*  Recently, he has really increased his vocabulary.  He still will not exactly say things on demand and is not a parrot, but he rattles new words and phrases off all day long.  Some of the new favorites are:

- there he is (when Mater comes on for the first time during Cars)

-  ooce, ooce (juice)

-  hanies (handies/hands)

- Buzz (of course!)

- cars

-  Shaney (Shandon)

-  Gooie (Goodie/Tobie)

-  kk (he makes the k sound twice when he wants his bink and blank)

- nack (fruit snacks)

-  shookies (shoes)

-  my daddy

-  boogies

-  hi mom

-  awa (water)

-  pooh pooh

-  bum bum

- tum

* He now recognizes everyone in the family in pictures.  I bought a little photo album and put pictures of everyone in both families in it and we look at it all the time.  He loves to carry it around and point to different pictures.  (thanks to Kristen for the idea!)  He has also learned how to point to people if you ask him where they are.  He especially loves to point to Tobie and say, "gooie!"

*  He is completely fearless in the pool and around it.  He is a wild man with his wings on and loves to jump off the edge and go down the slide constantly.  I am so grateful that he loves the water and isn't afraid, but it makes me extremely nervous too.  I am hoping to find some swimming lessons for him asap!  He needs to learn how to doggie paddle quick!

*  Speaking of tantrums... my little man can let them rip when he wants to! He is naturally a pretty stubborn little guy (thanks to the Musso genes) and he definitely does not appreciate being told NO.  He's really not horrible, but the two of us do butt heads on occasion!  It's unfortunate for him that he has a momma that is even more stubborn than he is!  I have learned that sometimes its just not worth the fight and I end up giving him what he wants, but it doesn't happen very often.  It's just not okay to throw toys, eat 27 packs of fruit snacks or walk around the house with a bink and blank all the time!   Lately, I have started talking with him more about things and have been trying to reason with him more instead of just saying no.  I realize that he is still super young for reasoning, but surprisingly, he is picking it up really quickly.  He chooses to be a nice boy multiple times a day instead of going to time-out or to bed!  

*  He is the pickiest eater these days.  He actually has been for awhile but I think he may be getting worse.  He doesn't seem to care much at all about food other than cheese and fruit snacks and I absolutely refuse to give him those all day.  So, some days all he eats is cheese (cottage cheese and cheddar) and maybe some fruit.  The other day I think he may have eaten two pieces of cheese, a few crackers and a little bowl of cantaloupe and I was lucky to get him to eat that much.  I know it's probably just a phase and he'll most likely outgrow it, but it's kind of a pain right now!

*  My little man is the ultimate daddy's boy right now!  Oh my goodness, does that boy love his daddy!  He asks for "my daddy," all day long and as soon as Chris walks in the door Drake is all over him and won't leave his side.  Poor Chris can't even use the bathroom without Drake screaming at the door.  I love that he loves his daddy, but sometimes it becomes a bit a problem, like at night when it's time for bed and he won't go to sleep because he needs "my daddy."  It's heart breaking to hear him cry out for his daddy.   Hopefully that gets a little bit better.

*  He loves to walk up and down stairs now.  He still needs a hand to hold onto but he is getting pretty stable all by himself.  We usually play the counting game while taking the stairs and he is getting really good at that too.  He knows that two comes after one and he usually manages to say eight and nine at the right time.  He obviously is just repeating what he has heard me say, but it's still cute!

*  He loves to wash his hands and brush his teeth.  He is tall enough now to get into the top drawer in the bathroom and always hijacks our tooth brushes!  I found him on the deck the other day with my tooth brush down between the wood slats.  Nice!  Good thing I had a spare.  Whenever he sees someone at the sink, he comes running saying, "ah hanies, ah hanies."

*  My mom and Chris think that he sounds like he is either German or Jewish when he says certain things like hanies.  It's kind of our fault because we started calling his hands, handies and his shoes, shookies, but that's what Oma and Opa used to always say and it just kind of stuck.  So my son sounds like he's speaking Yiddish, big deal!

Well,  that's enough for now.  I know I am missing so many things, but this will have to do for tonight.  Oh how I love my sweet little boy!  We definitely have our good days and our maybe not so good days, but all in all, I am the luckiest momma alive to be able to spend all of my days with Drake.  

I'm horrible!

** Disclaimer... long and boring to be sure!  Don't feel obligated to read.

Yet again, I have seriously slacked with this silly blog and I am now hating myself for it.  So many "worth remembering" things have happened in the last little while and I have neglected to write about any of them.  Ahh!! I have got to get it together.  This is surely a sorry excuse for a journal.  I KNOW I am going to look back and be extremely sad if I just skip over this last month and move forward so here goes...

On August 18th, we picked up our U-Haul, parked it in our driveway, and packed it up as "tetris" like as possible (with the help of some amazing family and neighbors, of course!)  On August 19th, with Chris in the U-Haul and me in the truck pulling a 14 foot trailer that was also packed to the max, we made our way to our new home in Orem.  It was a momentous day.  After sixteen years of living in beautiful St. George, I finally moved away.  It was a bitter sweet day for me.  I had been anticipating this move for a few months and was actually excited for the opportunity to experience life somewhere new, but I was devastated and still am, to have to leave behind our incredible parents.  I cannot even begin to describe how blessed both Chris and I are to have the parents that we do.  They have been more help to us over the last little while than I ever could have imagined.  Not only did they help me pack my entire house and clean it better than any cleaning service could dream of, they all made the drive to Orem to help us unpack and get settled.  I'm pretty sure that we had our boxes unpacked, everything put away and incredibly organized and even had most of the decorations hung in record time!  By Saturday night when everyone left, I looked around and was completely amazed at how much we had accomplished in two short days.  And... only because our sweet parents were there to help with everything.  Even now, weeks later as I type this, I'm tearing up thinking about how grateful I am for their help and support.  Thank you, thank you, thank you parents.  We love you and appreciate you so very much!

On Tuesday, following our weekend of unpacking, Chris, Biggie and I headed back to STG to pick up the car and the dogs.  We decided to leave them behind on our first trip so they wouldn't be in the way while unpacking.  (And it was a good excuse to go back home for another few days!)  Because I really had nothing left to do in Orem, I decided to stay in STG until Friday when mom and dad were driving up to spend the weekend painting with Snipes.  We had a great few days just relaxing and even got to spend an evening with the Adams family swimming, and watching Biggie try to drown himself multiple times. (note to self... don't forget to write about that at some point.)  On Friday, Biggie, the boys and I packed up the car and headed back to Orem.  It was a rather long drive with Tobie panting uncontrollably in my ear the ENTIRE time, but we made it and I can honestly say that I was glad to be back to our little house.  Friday night and Saturday were spent at Snipes and Melissa's apartment painting with mom, dad, B & B and Snipes.  Even though we were working the whole time, it was fun to be with the fam and having mom and dad there definitely helped ease the initial pain of being away from home.

The following weekend (Labor Day) we decided to pack up, once again and head to Mammoth Creek to meet up with mom and dad at the cabin.  We debated about going, seeing as how we had already driven so much in the few weeks prior, but in the end, we decided to go.  We spent Friday night and all day Saturday at the cabin, enjoying the beautiful weather and fresh mountain air and then drove to STG for the remainder of our stay.  Again, it was so nice to be with the fam but by the time we arrived home on Wednesday morning at 2:30, I was really glad to be home and to know that we were staying there for more than a few days.

This last weekend was our very first full weekend at home here in Orem.  And honestly, I was kind of excited!  On Saturday the tree of us drove up north a little ways to shop, grabbed a bit to eat at JcW's and  relaxed for the remainder of the day.  Sunday we headed to Stake Conference and spent the rest of the day at home with B & B, Snipes, Tae, Nick and our friends Issac and Amberlee.  It was super fun to have a house full for dinner and football treats.  Having the siblings close by as definitely helped make the move way more fun!

All in all, I have to say that so far, even though it hasn't even been a month, I really do love it here!  Because I really don't have much to do during the day while Chris is at work, Biggie and I have started taking drives around Provo and Orem

Anyway... it really has been so fun to live in an area that has so much to offer shopping wise too!  I have only ever lived in STG while old enough to care about shopping, so to have everything I could ever want within five minutes of my house, is such a treat! I know it probably sounds so silly, but I really do get so excited every time I see a new place that I haven't been before.  I feel like I've been to every store in STG a hundred times so the possibility of new places is great!  Not to mention the fact that we have fruit and veggie stands on almost every corner! Ahh... love the fresh peaches and watermelon.  I feel like I should be writing about some super fab place because I think it's so great here, but nope... it's just Orem!  Who knew that little ol' funky Orem could be so cool!  Not me!  I have been sweetly surprised!

So, to end this extremely long post and to sum up these last few weeks, I have to say that I miss the parents and the Weavers terribly, there are a few funky things about our place (more on that later), I'm thrilled to be close to the siblings, I LOVE having a husband again, and I honestly feel like we made the right decision by moving.  Everything about our situation right now seems right.  We're kind of still in the "in-between" stage with few things, but I really do believe that we are supposed to be here until we get all the in-betweens sorted out!

Better extremely late, than never!

On August 3rd, this amazing lady had a birthday!  This last month has been super hectic which is why I am just barely sitting down to post about my wonderful mother.  There really are no words to describe what an incredible person my mom is.  Just sitting down to write this makes me tear up because I am so grateful to have the mother that I do.  I know all daughters are biased, but I have honestly never met a more selfless, caring and compassionate person than Kathy Musso!  

Happy belated birthday Momma!

We love you more than you'll ever know!

[50] interesting or little known facts about my mom...

(she may or may not be older than 50 but anything over 50 doesn't count!)

1.  She is the oldest of three children.

2.  Her maiden name is Mitterholzer.  Try spelling that in Kindergarten!

3.  She has four children of her own.

4.  She has one grand baby and loves him more than anything.

5.  She was born in Ohio and lived there until college.

6.  She moved to Utah and went to BYU before she joined the church.

7.  She met my dad at BYU.  They dated for a few weeks, got engaged and got married within a few months.

8.  She was married in the Manti Temple.

9.  Her family never even met my dad before they got married.

10. She has a degree in Biology and Medical Technology.

11.  She is a 7th grade Science teacher.

12.  She is a fabulous cake decorator.

13.  She LOVES the mountains and would love to live on a ranch someday.

14.  She is a wonderful sewer!  She can make pretty much anything and always loves a good project.

15.  She gets a little carried away in the fabric store and always ends up buying fabric for another baby blanket!

16.  She made almost every single blanket Drake had as a tiny baby.

17.  She was almost more excited than I was when I told her I was pregnant!  I was most excited to tell her.

18.  My dad had to put her on a baby budget when I found out I was pregnant so she wouldn't get carried away!

19.  She has two dogs and always tells me to remind her to not get another dog when these two are gone, but she's said that five times before and she always ends up with another dog!

20.  She thinks Tobie Keith is pretty sexy!

21.  She has tons of clothes but always thinks she has nothing to wear.

22.  She says she doesn't know how to fix her hair and do her make-up but when she does it, she always looks fab!

23.  She almost missed the birth of Drake.  She was in California at a school conference and had to race home.  She made it with only ten minutes to spare.

24.  She LOVES Pepsi but doesn't think that she drinks too much.  Only one a day she always tells me.  However, one a day consists of one 64 ouncer! :)

25.  She loves a good chip and dip session with Chris.

26.  She has been converted to Nascar by my dad.

27.  She loves to hang out with my dad and I can honestly say that my parents are each other's best friends.  You can tell so quickly, just by watching them for a few minutes.  

28.  She loves all children and is the neighborhood aunt/grandma.  There have always been toys for all ages at my parent's house.  Drake has way cooler toys at grammy's.

29.  She wanted to be called a cuter name than grammy, but grammy just stuck!

30.  She LOVES Oma's liver dumplings and will fight anyone for the last one

31.  She will do ANYTHING for her children including packing up a house on her birthday and re-painting an apartment on her Anniversary.

32.  She will drop whatever she is doing to help me, no matter what.  

33.  My child prefers her to me, hands down!  She's way more fun!

34.  She used to go to Education Week at BYU every year.  

35.  She had me when she was 25.  I was born six days early.  I had Drake when I was 25 and he was born six days early.  Both of our due dates were only within a week of each other.  Drake's due date was my birthday.  

36.  She refuses to be a "work-sheet" teacher.  She doesn't believe in just handing out worksheets to her classes instead of really teaching the kids.

37.  She supports us kids in anything we do.  She never misses an important event.

38.  She loves Christmas nativity sets and has many.

39.  She loves to watch Rudolph, Frosty the Snow Man and the Grinch at Christmas.

40.  She has a loud laugh and she laughs easily!  Her laugh always makes Chris laugh!

41.  She can't wait for Drake to be old enough to take to run errands on Saturdays.  

42.  She loves being the bishop's wife and ward mom.  She says it makes having all of her kids grown and gone, a little easier.  

43.  I can call her for ANYTHING and she almost always has an answer for me!

44.  She has been by my side through all of my surgeries, radiation, chemo, hundreds of doctor's appointments, CT scans, MRIs, etc.  She has never missed any of it.  Even when she has had to completely re-arrange her life to be with me, she has done it without even hesitating.  

45.  She can get along with anyone and makes a point to be nice to everyone she meets.

46.  She is a fabulous mother-in-law and makes our lives so easy!  

47.  She is a slipper wearer even in the summer sometimes.

48.  She never has a bad thing to say about anyone.

50.  She is the most amazing mother any child could ask for, she is an incredible wife, and she is my best friend!

xoxo

Weavers

[07.30.10]

The Weavers

(some of us)

A few weeks ago we were fortunate enough to get to meet up with the Texas Weaver's, Grandma Weaver, and Mike for breakfast.  Chris and I were in Provo house hunting, Rhys and Pam were in town for a wedding and the Texas Weaver's were in Utah and Idaho for their "best week ever!"  I am so glad that we were able to catch up for a bit and grab a quick picture with everyone.  We missed those that weren't able to make it to breakfast, but there's always next time.

Love you all!

I am so grateful to be a Weaver!

**Yes... my child still has a binki.  He's only supposed to have it at night and for naps but when daddy is around Drake gets WHATEVER he wants.  Hence the binki and blankie out in public.  Sick!

Lounging

Dear Oma and Te-Te,

I have lots of catching up to do, but not today!  Here's just a few random pics for ya.  I promise I'll get back on track soon!  

[07.25.10]

We found this little chair a few months ago and thought about waiting to give it to Drake until Christmas, but I caved.  I knew he would love it, and wanted to see him lounge in it.  

18 months

[07.28.10]

It's hard for me to even begin to wrap my head around the fact that my little son is already 18 months old.  This last year and a half has been incredible.  Sure, we have had our ups and downs, just like everyone but honestly, I can say that I have never been happier!  I feel so unbelievably blessed to have the opportunity to be a mother and to spend every day with my son.  He really is my greatest joy... even on days like today when he threw multiple fits and insisted on walking around the mechanic's shop barefoot!  I truly am so grateful to be this little one's momma!

Things to remember about Drake at {eighteen} months:

*  He LOVES the movie Cars and repeatedly asks to watch "show" all day long.

*  He points to Lightening and Mater on his Cars blanket.

*  He has finally notice all of the pictures I have around the house and likes to point to the family when I ask him where each one of them is.

*  He is not the best eater these days.  In the beginning, I remember feeling sorry for parents whose kids didn't eat anything and now I am one of them.  Drake went from being an eating champion to eating next to nothing. (the 27 packs of fruit snacks that Chris lets him have every weekend does not count and most certainly does not help the situation! :)  No... I do not approve of this!)  He still eats the very best for Grammy.

*  He loves the body part game and points to his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, head, tummy, bum, and footies.  We are working on arms, legs and hands but he doesn't seem too interested!  

*  He is beginning to discover that he is a boy!  He can't quite see down there though, because his belly is too big!  He bends over as far as he can in the tub and almost falls over.  It's hilarious.  Luckily that's as far as he's gotten with the interest.  Phew! 

*  He is obsessed with getting in the shower while we are in it.  He doesn't ever want to get in the water he just wants to play with the scrubbies and the squeegee.  

*  Any time you say, "bye-bye, love you," he blows kisses.

*  He is the ultimate daddy's boy and wakes up wanting daddy every morning.  He usually makes the rounds of the house to see if daddy is home.  Kind of sad, but pretty precious too.  I love that he loves his daddy so much.

*  He talks in his sleep and is always saying "go" for some reason.

*  He has learned how to wrestle with the dogs and thinks it's hilarious to chase Tobie around on all fours and rub his head all over him.  Poor Tobie!

*  He has learned how to climb into and out of G & G Weaver's pool and has mastered the slide.  Very scary, might I add.  The kid is fearless when it comes to water.

*  He loves his Winnie the Pooh car at G & G's house.  He wants to play with it all the time and would drag it into the pool if I would let him.

*  He can successfully open any door that has the pull down handles.  Both grandparents have those kind of handles, which is also very scary.  He has absolutely no problem letting himself out whenever he feels like it.

*  He still talks in his gibberish all the time.  He can say all kinds of things but he is definitely not a parrot.  If you ask him to say something, he will completely ignore you.  His vocabulary to date:

I want that one

I do it

I want cheese

I going

I blow it (bubbles)

Is it hot 

(I don't think he knows that its a question.  He just heard me say it once and now says it all the time!)

I did it

Show on

water

hot 

cheese

fishy (sounds like shh shh)

ca ca (cookie or cracker)

go

momma 

dadda

bowing (ball, weird, I know!)

out

uh oh

NO! (of course)

uh uh (no)

uh ha (yes)

book (sounds like gook)

shoes

*  He is obsessed with shoes of any kind really.  He especially loves Chris' shoes and has to bring them to him to put on.  His favorite are Chris' brown work shoes.

* He says "dadda" whenever he sees a Sunroc truck driving around town.

*  He will only "talk" on the phone to daddy.  He will carry on a pretty long gibberish conversation.  It's hysterical to watch!

*  He loves to help with anything.  Carrying laundry, taking his diapers out to the trash, putting things away, etc.  He always wants in on the action.

*  He loves to brush his teeth.  He thinks it's a game and loves to bite my fingers and his little tooth brush.  He also still has the two biggest front teeth EVER!  His "fangs" are finally working their way in. Hopefully they will even things out a bit.

He LOVES watermelon.  He shoves it in his mouth so fast he always chokes at least once per sitting because he tries to swallow too much without chewing.  He then spits out whatever is in his mouth and hands it to me.  Nice!

*  He is a total climber.  He tries to climb on EVERYTHING.  He puts his little leg and foot up on everything to test it out to see if he can make it.  I caught him trying to climb into my bathroom drawer the other day.  Mind you, he can't even see into the drawer so there is absolutely no way he'd be able to get his little footie in there, but he sure tries!

*  He is getting more and more stubborn with each passing day.  He is such a strong willed little boy.  He has been pretty much since day one, but as he gets older, it is definitely more apparent!  He knows exactly what he wants, when he wants it and if you are in his way, watch out!  This stage is a little tough, simply because it is impossible for me to understand everything that he tries to tell me.  If only I spoke gibberish too!  The way he looks at you when he is telling you something in his Drake Talk is priceless.  He knows EXACTLY what he's saying and you can just tell that he expects you to know too.      I think this little man of mine may very well give me a run for my money, but I am grateful for who he is.  Even though he is still so young, I can tell that this boy is going to do great things someday!

Happy {eighteen} months baby son!

Love you to pieces!