My little first born

So I finally figured out how first born kids always get their way(or at least one way). Drew will say "Go outside!" then have a short pause and say, "Okay!" as if that was my answer. Now that I have "fallen for it" so many times he says it much quicker, "Have snack! Okay!" "Read books! Okay!" "Call Grandma! Okay!" Sometimes the "okay" is quiet and tricky but definitely still there. He sounds so cute it is very hard to not go along with his idea. He somehow makes me believe that his idea was really mine all along. That is why my mom always tells me, "Be like Laura, just tell your dad what to do!" Well it just doesn't work for me because he hasn't been trained for years to follow my orders like he has for his first born. This is also the case for Logan too of course with his parents. Don't get me wrong, I love first born kids the same as any other, obviously I'm married to one. I just realize that there are certain advantages of being the child to new and not as experienced parents.
Logan is also shocked when I don't always follow Drew's little "commands" even if they are super cute (from one first born to another). Basically I don't always follow him, even if he is just asking me to sit next to him or walk upstairs etc. I don't want to be bossed around by yet another first born in my life! haha, just kidding. But really, my sister made me BUY her old kaboodle when I was little as she convinced me that even though it was broken and had no mirror it would be great to store barbies in. I'm not falling for that again! She does always seem to have great ideas though, that's what makes her so fun to be around. My mom jokes that when Laura and Corbett (also firstborn) visit it is a "First Born Party" since my parents both are and also my twin first born niece and nephew. That makes six great ideas all going against each other with one really cute easy going baby Clara :)
I love allowing Drew to enjoy being the first born but I also want him to know that my ideas are not to be ignored. He is still at the stage where he likes most of my ideas, but he does NOT like when I don't go along with him. He also hasn't started saying "NO" yet, as he just screams his disapproval at an ear piercing pitch. Not sure which I would rather have, I will let you know when he starts saying, "NO". I took classes about this in college, but nothing compares to actually seeing it from the beginning.
Oh and another side note about middle children: it amazes me how my sister Sarah controls the mood of the WHOLE family (even though she will deny this with her whole heart) If she is in a good mood, we all are. If she is not, we ALL attempt to fix it or stay away. And then there is me. I love being the baby of the family and all that goes along with it, but big sisters are a lot to live up to that's for sure! At least I've got great ones, so I have always wanted to be like them. Well, Drew just said, "Play Momma" so I better go :) Don't want him to be mad at me, right? We all know his screams are the worst and probably always will be in our family even when he is older!

Sayings of our little guy

Drew had some cute quotes from this past weekend that I think give a good example of his life and growing vocab at 18 months old. My parents were visiting so that is why some quotes include them :)

"Grandma says, 'Bye bye honey!'" -she does :)

"Eat Grandpa's chicken bread...cherries all gone" -report told to me about him eating out with them by himself at Panera. He obviously liked my dad's sandwich and dried cherries. He also mentioned "lettuce" which he loves from my mom's salad.

"Pretzels almost all gone" -the very specific status of his pretzel snack, "almost" sounds like "alMOST" (so cute)

"Momma change diaper...got stinks" -about himself of course.

"Cold outside!" -after touching the glass on the back door

"Here comes! Train bridge... Thomas!" -while playing with his new train table from Grandma and Grandpa

"Oh no!...Happened?....Fix it...*scream*...Help! Oh no0000...Percy too big(stuck in tunnel)...*scream*...no cry!"
-while playing trains too
(I just wrote this down exactly as this is happening while I am typing and being a bad mom ignoring him and not jumping up fast enough)

"Read stories, Grandma" -cute because we always call them "books" but he picked up that she calls them "stories" this weekend. He said this sadly after they already went home.

"Like it song...again!"-a silly song request from his daddy

"Help dad change. Help dad shave" -morning routine, don't know how Logan did it alone all those years haha

"Got find Pooh Bear" --while reading a book and looking for Pooh

"Hind you!" --he was "behind" me haha

Of course he also will copy ANYTHING you say, but these are just ones he said himself. I can't believe he is already a year and a half!

Cabooses, Diesels, and Open Cars!

A couple weekends ago we went on a little trip on the Hockey Valley Scenic Railroad. It has a cute station & gift shop, a whole train of cabooses (we didn't ride that one), and a sold out 2 1/2 hour trip with a diesel engine! We of course rode in the open car and got to see some pretty scenery mixed with some dumpy views. I was amazed that this train ride has sold out trips! I mean it was fun, but I must be spoiled by all the amazing steam engine rides I have been on in my life. No real rail fan would be happy seeing trash and tied up dogs etc. on their open car excursion while having to put up with stinky diesel smoke the whole time...
But anyway, Drew was SO excited to be on a train. He loved every minute of exploring the cabooses and seeing the engine. He got a little nervous when we first started out with the whistle and stuff, but settled in nicely once he realized it was kinda fun to be riding without being buckled in. The train did cross some rivers and then ended at a cute/dorky "Old Fashioned Village" with candle makers and a general store etc. We rode in the double decker car for about 10 mins on the way back for fun. He liked seeing dogs, excavators and junk of course so this was a perfect trip for him. It is always nice to get to see some "mountains" (Ohio style) for an afternoon too. All in all it was a fun day that ended in some yummy barbecue. Here are some photos from our fun trip:

"CabOOOse"

"Drivin' Cabooose"

Checking out the "diesel"

Bald and huggable!

I think this photo is hilarious because Drew really does look similar to my two favorite dolls from when I was little! Bald and huggable!

Teacher note: Now I know

When I was a preschool teacher without kids of my own, there were certain things I thought along with the rest of the teachers that I have now changed my opinion on. Some of them I knew were wrong, but I still would gripe about as a teacher. Here is my list:

1. We were annoyed when kids came in with runny noses week after week. Now I realize that kids get runny noses but aren't necessarily really sick. Now some parents did cause all kinds of outbreaks, but some I realize might have just had allergies or seasonal minor colds.

2. We were annoyed when there was a snowy day and we wanted to go home early and the stay at home moms and dads still brought their kids in to school. Now I realize that every penny spent on a one person income needs to be well spent! Of course they should bring them in (but maybe come pick up early??)!

3. It bothered us when we saw parents in casual clothes that usually worked because we knew they must have the day off and still brought their kids in. Now I realize parents need days off too!

4. It bothered us when parents would argue and defend their child when it was "obvious" to us that they were wrong. Now I realize that kids can be completely different with their own parents compared to when they are at school. I knew this was true but I often felt like parents didn't think I knew their kids well when I felt like I saw them more than they did!

Basically I feel embarrassed writing these, but they are true! (Summir can verify for me if she reads this) If you have kids in preschool you should know how most teachers feel about you :) I can see both sides of the story now. Teachers need to feel valued and not just treated like babysitters all the time, especially preschool teachers. So when parents act in these ways it makes them feel like unappreciated. When Drew goes to preschool someday I know to bring his teachers treats and give them gift cards at Christmas (must know them well enough to know what they like) :) Those two things will cover up all the times your kids were sick. Sad but true. It truly is the little things that make a big difference. Not that I would ever treat a kid badly for my view of their parents, but I might not be as excited to see them in the morning. Basically if you treat a teacher like a babysitter they will act like one. This also was why I chose to never babysit kids outside of school because I wanted to maintain that feel of teacher not babysitter. Of course I love babysitting too, but once you babysit the kids in your class become "pals" instead of students and you loose your ability to teach in some ways. Overall I really loved being a teacher, but these little annoying things were common complaints by me and my friends.

"Way way way up high!"

Drew has mastered the slide. All of the sudden one day a couple weeks ago he just sat down all by himself, scooched to the right spot and has been doing it ever since! He even did a twisty one by himself while I was at the bottom (a little scary for me since I didn't know if he was going to go face first, or too fast etc.) It is funny listening to his comments as he approaches the slide as he always says some variation of "Big big BIG slide!" or "Way way up HIGH". He is just about the cutest sliding guy I've seen in awhile, not that I'm biased or anything :)

And a couple other cute ones...

Weekend in Knoxville

This past weekend we went down to Knoxville to visit Nana and Pops. It was a short but sweet trip. Drew was so excited to go he kept crying, "Pop's house!" during the days before we left. When we got down there he was surprised with a slide that Nana got for him and spent the next half hour showing off how he can do it by himself. Another highlight was getting to ride on Pop's "tractor" mower around the yard. He also likes Pops' fishing boat or "sailboat" as he calls it. Then he got to explore all of Logan's toys from when he was little including cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Logan's parents' neighbor recently introduced three beautiful adopted horses to their quiet street. Drew was really amazed by the horses and kept saying, "Horse(haoss)! Neigh neigh!!" He also cracked up Logan and his Nana when he grabbed the horse's nose and said, "Honk!" ('what a clown' as Nana says)
When we went to visit friends at church, Drew started shaking and screaming when we walked by the nursery. He recovered when he realized he wasn't being left there (such a little stinker). We went out to lunch with long time friends of Cotters' that used to babysit Logan all the time. We also went to eat at Aunt Joan's house and Drew had a blast getting so much attention all weekend. Drew has lots of fans in Knoxville that's for sure! He is still talking about "NanaPops house" and all the fun we had together.

Having fun on the slide!

Checking out the "sailboat" and talking about birds with Nana (he said he heard seagulls haha, I guess he remembers fun at Grandma and Grandpa's beach house!)

'Little Man' riding with his Pops

Peanut Gallery

So my sister Sarah encouraged me to write a post dedicated to Drew's common sayings. He is turning into a little copy cat lately or "peanut gallery" as I like to call him. He seems to think it is hilarious to copy new words he doesn't understand like "preferably" or "about" just to be part of the conversation. It makes talking to Logan a lot of fun when he is piping in with some word and then lots of giggles about it. Oh Drew. Anyways, he also has some favorite sayings.

Here they are:

"Shut Da D-ar" (Irish accent sometimes) meaning "Shut the door" which is says when he both opens something and closes it although we are working on "Op da d-ar" to help his frustration when he really wants it open not shut. He will shorten it to "shut da DA!" when he is being funny or lecturing his animal friends about door shutting policies when they leave his car door open etc. He has rules about no open doors in our house, so he will be locking me out of the house in no time I'm sure. This is his most used/favorite saying for a long time now.

"Bye bye saba" meaning "Bye bye, say bye" This took us a long time to figure out. I thought he was saying "saba" to just make up a subject since he doesn't always know the word we are saying bye to. On vacation last week Logan discovered what he was saying after listening to us say, "Bye bye! Say 'bye', Drew!" When we were saying bye to the Schimming gang + Livy. Now it is super cute because I realize how he really does copy exactly what we say! Usually his "saba" sounds kinda sad because he doesn't really want to say bye.

"Aaaalll done"and "Aaaalll gone" He will use "all gone" when he isn't "all done" which is a very helpful distinction!

"Did it!" (Grandma taught him this new favorite!)

"Aaaagain!" when he wants to hear a book for the hundredth time or for you to tickle him again.

"Dada bruumm" meaning "Dada's truck" he uses the bruum part to describe the sound it makes even though he can say truck too.

"Lax" meaning "relax" which I taught him on vacation and he has used this week when snuggling in his crib or tent. My personal new favorite :)

"Whoops!" when he drops stuff or trips, he is such a clown.

"Ocgagone" meaning "octagon" which he uses to point out each and every Stop sign (can get a little much when on a long car trip!)

"Amen!" he has started saying little prayers and they are super adorable. They are usually in a very serious voice and sound like this "fistbitsurb gagaturb fisherish fuzz mishuzzizz AMEN!" :)

Now I'm getting into just words and that will get too long of a list because he is a little sponge of vocab lately. I will try to get a video of the famous "shut da dar" even though most people reading this have heard it :)

My Snuggle Guy

I treasure my snuggle moments with Drew. So much of life with kids is on the go and it is nice to be able to enjoy being quiet with him. He loves reading books and I read about 25 a day with him usually so we get a lot of lap time. I especially love rocking him since I know it won't be long before he is too big to rock. He is such a sweet boy and I just love to watch him sleep, snuggle, and wake up playing with his animal friends. His crib buddies are Lion, Eeyore, Giraffey, three musical elephants, two rattle monkeys, and one bunny. Oh and his new alligator or "agawaweah" we got at the zoo this week. He is so cute giving them lots of hugs and kisses when he wakes up. I hope I never forget how I felt in this photo with him hugging me. One of God's gifts to us was definitely hugs, don't you think?

Art Workshop

When I was a teacher I did painted hand prints ALL the time with my class. If Drew was in daycare he would already have a bunch by now, so I felt a rush to get him caught up! We went to the store and got paint and some new makers and crayons for Drew's first "Art Workshop". He has colored with crayons before but not with paint. I took off his clothes and let him free with the markers that were shaped like paint brushes. He mostly did his own knee and the floor, but he did manage to get some on the paper. Then I got out the paint and did his hand prints on the paper that he did crayons on. The store was out of paint brushes for kids so I let him use a real one of Logan's. He kept wanting other colors and it was fun to see him get into it. Now he points to the basket of crayons and knows he sits on the floor to color. I realize we need to get him a little table or something to do more stuff on. But he is still only 1 and has plenty of time to explore his creativity. I call this his first "Art Workshop" only to be silly since it was his first time with paint, but maybe his second one will be exploring with play dough or chalk of some kind and I can just continue calling them workshops for fun :) Now our fridge looks much better with room for lots more of his masterpieces!

Happy 15 Months Old Drew! I'm so proud to be your Mama!

Weekends in Ohio

This weekend Drew got to see his Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Heather, Grammie Kris, and Grandpa Tom Tom! He got so much love and attention poured on him he will be so "sad sad" to not have company after they all leave. We had fun hanging out with McGrails and went to a park this morning. He also enjoyed eating Grammie Kris's homemade bread for breakfast, running and hiding from Tom Tom, and lots of conversations with Heather :) Later in the afternoon, after McGrails left for IN, we decided to check out the Ohio State Fair. It was a great choice! Drew loved seeing a huge cardinal statue right from the start and we knew it was going to be a fun adventure. The next thing we saw was a GIANT tractor, I mean it was the biggest one I have ever seen. Then we went to a nice model train exhibit (hmm wonder whose idea that was :) We went to a petting zoo and saw the usual farm favorites and even a zebra and water buffalo! He kept saying "bray bray" for the zebra because that is what his book and his Nana taught him :) Next we saw a classic fair pig race and Drew and I sat right up front! Then my favorite part was Drew and I went on his first ride.....the elephant ride! He was excited when we first got on and promptly did his elephant impersonation. But as the ride went on he got a little nervous but still managed to wave at Grandpa and Daddy! He shared some lemonade with Daddy and corn on the cob with Grandpa. Even as we were leaving (and we were all super tired) he was still pulling with all his energy to get Grandma to go towards another tractor. It was a great day and I'm sure we will be talking about this for weeks to come!

Last weekend we also had a great time visiting Aunt Becky, Uncle Mark, and Great Grandma in Cleveland. It was nice to enjoy being outside with an almost a cool breeze! Drew of course loves their dogs and enjoyed helping Wendy eat her dog food. He had a blast picking and eating blueberries by the fist full in their front yard. He didn't get to go to the Indians game this time, maybe next year! Weekends like these make me love living in Ohio!

Tough Trucks!

Today Drew and I went to a fun thing called, "Touch a Truck" at our Rec Center. We went around a loop of awesome huge trucks and tractors and Drew was amazed. He checked out everything including the tires, bumpers, steering wheels, scoops & diggers. There were firetrucks, ambulances, big rigs, trailers, tractors, school buses, bucket trucks, loaders of all kinds, moving trucks, and even a helicopter! The kids had freedom to do whatever they want and kids were running wild! When we got to the tractor he was super cute in his little "tractor pull" shirt and a photographer asked if she could take his photo sitting in it! It made me proud that he can stand out in a crowd just for being himself and loving tractors :)

Exploring the scoop and sitting in the bulldozer shovel!