Chris and Whit

Obviously this blog is devoted almost 100% to Mr. Drake Weaver, which is just how I like it however; I decided it might be a good idea to jot down a few things about Chris and I for the 2011 book's sake.  So far, 2011 has been a good year for us.  It has been full of changes, another move and a new start at school for me, but all is well and we are happy!

 (This is solely for me, so anyone that may be reading this, please don't feel obligated to read the entire post!  It's long and journaly... beware!)

The quick re-cap:

Back in May, I found out that I had been accepted to the nursing program at Dixie.  It was a really tough decision to make, but in the end we decided to make the move back to STG so I could accept my spot and work towards my nursing degree.  During the same time, Chris was offered the chance to move back to take over the STG market for work, which kind of made the decision to move a no brainer.  We really, really loved living in northern Utah and were super sad to leave.  We loved living so close to the sibs and are seriously missing our Sunday night get togethers.  Luckily, my program is only three semesters long.  Hopefully as soon as I am done, we can move back north and still have the sibs around for a few years!

Going back to school has been bitter sweet for me.  I have known for two years now that this was what I needed to do and getting accepted so quickly confirmed that feeling for me, but man is it hard to leave my boy and be gone so much.  I absolutely love my program though!  All of my professors are amazing, the other people in my class are the very best and I am honestly excited at the thought of being a nurse someday.  I just wish that I would have done this ten years ago.  I know that at the time, it wasn't the right decision for me but I can't help but regret the time I spent pursuing my accounting degree.  Oh well though.  There's nothing I can do about that.  Because my program is pretty demanding of my time, I am constantly taking Drake from place to place.  Fortunately though, I have my family close to help me. I am so very grateful for all of them and truly could not do this without them!  None of them realized that they were signing up for nursing school too!  Mom, Dad, Pam, and Aubs help me with Drake every single week and have made these last few months wonderful for him.  He LOVES being able to spend one on one time with Grandma and Aubs and has the best time at their houses.  He cries almost every time I pick him because he doesn't want to go home! Mom and Dad have been amazing, as always!  They are more help to me and more supportive than I ever could have imagined!  They have always, always supported me in all that I have done but this time around I have really needed there help and they have been here by my side every step of the way!  I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for them, the Weavers and Aubie.  I absolutely could not do this without them!

 Although I feel guilty about being gone so much, I am so grateful that Drake is able to build such strong relationships with his grandparents and aunts and uncles.  I have always been so grateful for the relationships that I have with Omie and my aunts and uncles and I want more than anything for Drake to feel the same way someday.  He has been blessed with the very best grandparents and aunts and uncles and I want him to always have a strong bond with each of them!

Chris is still as hard working, loving, and sexy as always! He is always wonderful, but he has been especially amazing these last few months.  When I first started school, we all kind of had a rough time adjusting to my schedule and we even questioned our decision to move in this direction but after working through it, we're back on track!  Chris is the world's best dad and anyone that has been around my child for more than two seconds knows it!  Drake is still completely OBSESSED with Chris and absolutely cannot get enough daddy time.  I know he loves it, however; I'm sure there are times when he feels like he needs a minute to breath without the two of us in his face, but he never, ever complains.  He is so patient with both of us and puts up with our "bi-polar" moments, as I like to call them!  As much as Drake looks like Chris, he is still most definitely more like me in the personality department, which I'm sure is a bit exhausting for Chris at times!

Chris is so very close to being done with school.  He has one more measly credit that he needs to take during Spring semester and will officially graduate in May.  Luckily though, he is done with all of his major classes.  I can't even begin to explain how proud I am of him!  He has never been a school boy and had absolutely no intention of going to school after his mission, but he made the decision to go back and get it done a few years ago and I am so grateful that he did!  He did so well in his program and is now even tossing around the idea of going to Grad school.  I am really excited for him to be able to pursue what he loves in a year or so.  He has always worked so hard to make sure that we always have insurance and once Drake was born, to make sure that I could stay home.  I am so grateful for a husband that is willing to do that for me and for our child.  As Tet would say, "he's such a good man!"  I am so lucky to have him as my man and plan to hold on tight forever!  

Other than school, work, and being parents, there isn't much else to report about us!  Life is really busy and my schedule is kind of a nightmare right now but I truly am happy!  This year has brought about a lot of changes in circumstance for people that we love and as hard as it is to see things change in life, it has also made me re-evaluate how greatly I have been blessed.  I have a husband that loves me and still wants to be my man, even after seven years.  I have a beautiful little boy that makes my life complete, and I have an amazing family that is cheering me on and holding my hand through this crazy time in my life!  Even though life is never just as we think it should be, I am learning that it's most important to try our very best to just be happy with who we are and what we have been given in our lives.  As crazy as it is to be 28 and kind of up in the air with our plans, I am oddly okay with it because I know that the things that are most important in my life are still the same and stronger than ever.  Just this morning as my husband crawled back in bed with me for a snuggle for the third time, I reminded myself how truly blessed and happy I am.  It's really the littlest things like that that have helped me to realize that the bigger things that don't always go my way, aren't even important.  Life is what I make it, and I am grateful for the good and the bad times that have helped me to see that!         

Things he says.

I just pulled out my blog books from the last two years and am now kicking myself for being such a slacker.  I wrote down WAY more things about Drake last year than I have this year.  I was faithful about my monthly Drake posts but for some reason just stopped when he turned two.  It's pretty unfortunate really.  I guess the thousands of pictures I have will have to suffice.  Today however, I do want to write down a few of the funny things that he has been saying lately.  There's no way that I'll remember them all but at least its a start!

Lately he has been saying, "I are" instead of I am and he usually says "I nare."  He'll say things like, "I nare going to watch Mic," or "I nare going to play with Dylan."  He also says, "I nem" instead of I am when he's using I am correctly.

One of his new favorites is, "those are not the rules."  He likes to tell me this when I tell him, "those are the rules," typically when I'm telling him no.  I have to bite my tongue in order to not laugh back at him.

Yesterday he told me, "You don't talk to my Gram like that!" Nice!  Obviously he's been told that a few times.

Usually when Drake gets "in trouble," he has to have a "talk" with me.  He very rarely has to go to time out anymore but he does have to have talks when he is doing something naughty.  Typically when he has to have talks, I end the conversation with asking him if he understands.  A few weeks ago I told him to climb off of the elliptical machine and he told me, "I not get down...understand!"  I about lost it!  I had to fight with all I had to not bust up laughing!  It was really one of the funnier things he has said to date!  Obviously he was being bratty but it was hilarious, non the less!  He has said this to me a few times since then and every time I have to turn away so I don't laugh at him.

Another new development is the use of "cause" at the beginning of every sentence.  He says things like, "cause I need it," or "cause I want to..."  The other day he told me, "Cause I need my black jeep, cause I want it, cause Santa Claus is going to bring it to me if I'm a nice boy."  He has also been saying, "cause why," a lot lately.  He'll usually ask me "cause why" 20 times when I tell him or ask him to do anything.

Today he has really been on a role and has said quite a few funny things.  The very best though was, "don't say that kind of crap!"  Horrible I know, but when I told him that we didn't talk like that, he proceeded to tell me to, "chill out mom!"  Oh dear!  And then... later today he started running around telling everyone to, "shape up!" Ya think he's heard that a time or two!?  I think I might be in trouble with this little boy!  He remembers EVERYTHING!

Drake was seriously the easiest kid in the world to potty train!  I need to write a post about that for my memories sake but in this one I just want to write down what he now says.  Whenever I ask him if he needs to go potty, he quickly answers with, "no, I need tell you," and he always does.  I am so dang proud of him and can't help but smile every time I hear, "I need tell you!"

Recently, he has also started telling me that he needs either one more thing or one more time.  He'll stand right in my face and tell me, "just one more time mom," or, "just one more mom."  This is usually accompanied by chuckling from the peanut gallery (mom and Chris) which doesn't ever help my cause!  My child has us all wrapped right around his little finger and loves to let me know it!

Every night he tells whoever is nugging and putting him to bed, "just one more minute."  He'll try it three or four times and usually gets a few extra minutes out of us.

He loves to chase the dogs around the house but he loves bossing them around even more.  If they're outside he'll run out yelling, "get in the house."  If they're in the house and barking he'll chase them and yell, "stop that barking!"  Again... he's obviously heard these way too much!

Another favorite phrase as of late is, "you sneaky bugger!"  Chris told him that the mice in his prophet book were sneaky buggers and the phrase has just stuck.  He now calls all of us at home sneaky buggers and loves to say, "you sneaky bugger momma," or, "you sneaky bugger Gram!"

Funny Drake pronunciations...

- sool (school)
- recsue (rescue, as in buzz lightyear to the rescue)
- imponey (infinity, as in to infinity and beyond)
- noke (milk)
- beeu (blue)
- egular (regular)

Well... that's all I can think of right now.  I need to be better about keeping a running list so these posts will be better and easier to get done.  Drake is honestly at the best age!  He keeps us laughing constantly and has such a sweet and yet super funny personality!  He is also as Te-Te would say, "such good boy."  I know that I am biased as his mother, but I have to say that my little man is a well behaved child.  He has his moments, just like all kids, but for the most part, he is an incredibly easy child.  I have been so blessed and am extremely grateful to have him as my little son!

[10.26.11]

This morning when Drake went to pick out what cereal he wanted for breakfast, he grabbed his box and said, "this is perfect!"  I say "perfect" all the time and I guess he's gonna hang on to that one too!  While he was eating his cereal, he wanted me to look at him so he could show me that he only had one more marshmallow left.   To get my attention and have me look at him he said, "mom, open your eyes!"  He's been saying that one for a few weeks now and always says it when he wants you to look at him.  I guess he thinks if we're not looking at him that our eyes are closed.  Funny kid!  

Seven...

Today we celebrated SEVEN years as Mr. and Mrs.  

Sometimes when I think about seven years, it seems like a really long time but when I look back at the last seven spent with my sweet man, I am amazed at how fast the time has gone by.  We have surely had our ups and downs but as cliche as it sounds, I really and truly love my Christopher Weaver more today than I did the day I married him and honestly, I love him more than I ever imagined possible.  Although neither of us are perfect, he is perfect for me.  He makes my world wonderful and I am so grateful to call him mine!  

Due to other activities this month, we decided to keep things low key and stick closer to home.  We celebrated by going to dinner Saturday night in Springdale.  Dinner was delicious and the weather couldn't have been better.  We ended the night with ice cream and a peaceful drive home.  It was a perfect night spent with my man, just how I like it!

Unders continued...

Early this morning, little Mr. Weaver woke me up to tell me that he had to go potty. We made it to the bathroom, striped down the jammies and then were able to add a potty sticker to the chart, all at four in the morning! Pretty good, if you ask me! He has also been waking up from naps and in the morning with dry pull-ups. Never thought that would happen! We're definitely making progress!

Unders

Today marks day nine of Mr. Drake Weaver wearing unders and I think it's safe to say that he is in fact, potty trained! Hallelujah!  I have been putting this off for months for fear that it would be a complete nightmare but my little dude was a champ and made the process super easy.  He has had four accidents in the last nine days, which seems pretty good to me.  We still have to remind him to go and sometimes have to haul him into the bathroom while he protests, but all in all, it hasn't been bad.  I do have to give most of the credit to my mom though.  She was the one that finally put her foot down and said "he's ready," and put him in the unders.  She is amazing and has helped me more than I ever could have imagined with this and pretty much everything else I have going on in my life right now.  (more on that later)  

Bye-bye diapers... hello big boy unders!  

Dear Te-Te and Oma...

Last night I was thinking...

I have been the worst niece and granddaughter, ever!

I know how much you love to see pictures and read about Drake's adventures.

There is really no excuse for my complete lack of blogging other than pure laziness!

No excuse... no excuse!

Keeping this thing up to date so you can see your baby is the least I can do!

You both bless my life on a daily basis.

I can definitely do my part to bring a smile to your face!

All of us here in Utah love you ladies so very, very much.

I hope you enjoy this massive update! 

** These aren't exactly in order.  I was just trying to get them on here and didn't want to take the time to order them by date!  xoxo

In June, we all got together and took Big to Cars 2.  We had been waiting for the movie to come out for months and were all excited to see it.  Big of course wore his Cars shirt to the show and made sure to bring his "Lightin'" too.  After the movie, Big and I went to Costco for a hot dog, per his request.  He sure does love a good hot dog from Costco!  As for the movie... it was okay.  Definitely not as good as the first, but Big liked it enough to sit still so I guess it was a success. 

After a chat with my playgroup girls, I decided it was time to take the plunge and potty train.  The very next day, Biggie and I headed to the Dollar Store to pick out "potty prizes."  Letting him pick whatever he wanted was one of the most fun things we have ever done!  When we walked in, I handed him a basket and told him to go to town.  It took him a few minutes to understand that he could choose anything he wanted but he got the hang of it and before long we had a whole basket full of prizes.  When we got home, we unloaded our bags into his basket and laid out all the unders.  Oh was Big excited!  He couldn't wait for Dad to come home so he could show him his prizes!  It was adorable and was definitely an afternoon with Big that I will remember always.  We had so much fun!  As for the actual potty training... that only lasted three hours the next morning.  He ended up peeing three times in three hours and didn't seem to care one bit.  I could tell I was going to get frustrated with him so I bagged it and have yet to buckle down again.  He has been wearing unders for the last few days and is more than ready to be completely potty trained but I've been lazy and haven't wanted to make the transition yet.  We'll see how he does this week.  Maybe I'll stick with it, maybe I won't! 

This it typically what I get when I ask him to say cheese and smile for the camera!

One Sunday in July, B and Bah came over and brought Biggie some poppers.  We weren't so sure that he'd like them but as it turns out, he thought they were very cool and blew through both bags within a few minutes.  He especially liked the multiple pop approach and would throw three and four at a time.  It was fun to see him get the hang of it.  I'm sure that poppers will be a new favorite in July!

One weekend while Mom and Dad were in town, we all headed up to SLC to go to the soccer game.  I was a little nervous bout how Big would do with the crowds but surprisingly, he did great!  It was s fun night spent with the fam!

For playgroup back in July we went to Color Me Mine in Orem.  I wasn't so sure about taking my two year old to paint ceramics but it actually turned out to be so much fun.  Big LOVED painting and made Grammy a beautiful plat for her birthday!

While mom was visiting in June, we were able to meet up with Nick and Melissa for dinner.  It was great to be able to see them both, even if it was only for a few hours.  We love them both and wish we got to see them more often.

Bah is such a good sport and is always willing to play with Big.  Big LOVES Bah!

One night while mom was visiting, we met B and Bah at BYU to see Bah's senior project.  He had been working so hard on it and it definitely showed!  His concept was so cool and the display looked awesome!  We were all so proud!  Bah even let me keep some of the awesome shadow boxes!  We love you Bah!

Because we didn't have a backyard in Orem, we spent lots of time in the front.  Our neighbors hated us, I'm sure, but you do what you gotta do when you have a two year old!  One of the favorite activities was squirting things with the squirt bottle.  On this particular day, Big discovered that he could squirt water into Dad's tail pipe.  He was pretty proud of himself and loved "washing Dad's car."  

Playing at the Provo pool was definitely a favorite summer activity.  It is right across the street from B and Bah's house so we often times met them there after work and played for a few hours.  This was our first time there and it did not disappoint!  Big had a blast and would have stayed there all night, had we let him!  He is truly a water baby!

One Sunday during the summer, we decided to take church vacation and drove up to Deer Creek for the afternoon.  We had such a good time!  We just sat on the bank of the lake and let Big throw stones.  The weather was beautiful and the scenery was too!  We truly loved living so close to the mountains and really do miss being so close to so many fun places.  

This was our last trip to The Eating Establishment in Park City.  We LOVE that place!  They have the absolute best breakfast and we made sure to take advantage when we could!

On the 1st of August, we celebrated Grandma Weaver's 80th birthday!  Rhys and Pam were in town, along with Dan and Ellen and their family.  It was so fun to see everyone!  We spent the day together and had a great time!  Big loved being with his Grandma and Grandpa and Bachie all day and was such a good boy.  At one point in the day, we all ended up Cottonwood Canyon at a nature reserve.  It was pouring rain outside so Big and I stayed behind and waited for everyone else while they walked around the lake.  While we waited, Big discovered the art of taking pictures.  I have over 100 pictures on my camera of the floor, his pants, my feet, his eye ball, and the chair.  It was pretty funny to see what he captured!  After the nature walk, we all headed to one of Grandma's favorite restaurants for lunch.  It was such a fun day spent with the Weaver family!

 When we arrived in St. George from Orem the weekend that we moved, Grammy and Pops had a huge surprise for Biggie!  They built him a dirt box and had boxes and boxes of new trucks waiting for him!  It was better than Christmas, it really was!  He was so excited to see all those trucks and all that dirt! He LOVES to play out in the dirt box and especially loves it when Bah plays with him.  Biggie is one spoiled little dude!

 Before I started school in August, I decided to take Big to the dentist.  I was kind of nervous about how he would do but he was actually perfect!  All the girls kept commenting about how well he did for never having been before.  Luckily, he was cavity or "bug"free and still talks about going to the dentist.  Phew!  So glad that it wasn't a nightmare!

 Playing with "Minnie's softy."

 Feeding the ducks was a huge hit!  Big LOVED throwing the bread to the ducks and still talks about getting bread for the ducks.  We definitely need to go back, especially since the pond is right down the street.

 After watching Big constantly wipe water from his eyes while swimming, I decided that we should try some goggles.  We took him to the store and let him pick out which ones he wanted and tried them out.  He didn't wear them the whole time but he definitely like them and looked adorable wearing them!

 Another trip to paint!

 Pops and Big have discovered "bammin'" at Lowes!  The first time they went, Big built a little school house picture holder and kept calling it bammin' so now we all just refer to going to the Lowes workshops as going to bammin'!  I''m pretty sure that Pops looks forward to it even more than Big does!  The goggles and apron are by far my favorite!

 

Phew!  That was a lot of catch-up!  Hopefully this was a good little "Drake Fix!"  I still have lots more to do and will work on it more this week.  Love you two so very much and hope to see you soon!

xoxo