Fist Bumps for Santa

Drake is at the age when Santa is a bit scary. He enjoys the idea of Santa and stuffed ones, pictures of Santa, and statues are good in his eyes. He will say Ho Ho (he forgets the third Ho) all day long but get the real guy in a room and Drake wants nothing to do with him.

We met Santa while we were at Epcot over Thanksgiving. When we walked up to him, Drake started to whimper. This past Saturday morning, the Clemson Recreation Department hosted a breakfast with Santa. As soon as Santa walked into the cafeteria, Drake started to softly scream. During the breakfast, I asked Drake if he wanted to meet Santa; "No". We walked over to the stage so Drake could watch the other kids talking to Santa but he still did not want to have anything to do with with the man.

Finally we waited our turn and got on the stage to meet Santa. I knew that it would not work, but I thought we should at least try. The whole time waiting, Drake was saying "No, No" while waving his hand. As we approached Santa, the whimpering began as we got within five feet of him. Sitting on his lap was going to be a no go, but Drake was willing to give him fist bumps and high fives (he does not give one without the other). Thursday we will have one more attempt with Santa, but it looks as if the fist bump is closest form of affection we will have this year.

A Disney Adventure

Over Thanksgiving, David, Drake, and I traveled with the Basketball team for the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, FL. Overall, it was a typical basketball trip (going 2-1 in the tournament), but we did get to get away and visit a few of the Disney parks. Going into the trip, we did not think that Drake was really ready for Disney and were actually surprised how much he enjoyed the rides and shows.

On Thanksgiving day, the team was not playing until 9:00, so we decided to go to Animal Kingdom. Drake loves animals and we thought this would be a good first attempt for an amusement park. We got to the park shortly after they opened and stayed until lunchtime (nap time) and then went back for a second quick trip in the late afternoon. Looking back on the experience, it may have been better to stay at the park longer and just do a late nap.

Friday was an evening game as well, so we had a lot of time to play during the day. We had already decided that we were doing parks on Thursday and Saturday, so we found a local playground and Drake ran around and played for a while.

David and I wanted to go to Epcot and we figured that Drake would not mind it this trip. Amanda, Jeff, and Ellie met us Saturday at Epcot to join in the fun. We stayed at the Disney Beach Club, so it was a very easy walk from our hotel to the park, which was a nice change from waiting for the buses for Downtown Disney and Animal Kingdom.

I would say that Drake is a couple years away from really enjoying the Disney experience. Unless we have another trip through work, I would not imagine that we would go more than once or twice more during Drake's childhood. It is something that is fun to experience, but not something that I need to do on a yearly basis. 

Big Bang Theory

Last week started off with a literal bang. It was already a busy week because we were working Monday and Tuesday and then Drake and David planned on driving to Jacksonville Tuesday night and then meeting up with me in Orlando Wednesday.

As we drove home from work Monday afternoon, as the passenger, I looked out of my window and saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk covered in blood. From my quick glance, she appeared to be a runner and clearly was in need of help. I told David that we needed to help, so he slowed down and came to a stop about 40 feet in front of her. The road has two lanes on each side and then about 3/4 of a shoulder before the sidewalk. Once he came to a stop and turned his hazards on, I jumped out of the car to run and help. As I was getting out, I could hear David yelling, although I was not really sure what he was saying at the time. What I heard was we're going to get hit and just as I closed the door, I heard the impact and felt the car slide along my pinkie. She hit us going about 40 miles per hour, with no attempt to stop, as she was looking back at the runner.

Really David was yelling for me to get back in the car because he could see that we were going to be hit. As it turns out, that would have injured me. In this case, I'm glad that I could not hear what he was saying.  The crashed pushed our car up the curve, over the sidewalk, and it started down a small hill. I was not sure if David needed help or the runner, but for some reason, I saw the runners face and started towards her. Just as I started walking to her, another woman stopped who happened to be a nurse. While she tended to the runner, I checked on David (who was out of the car at this point). I then called 911 and I'm sure they were confused because I was talking about a bloody runner and a car accident and they were not related.

Both of our cars were towed and the EMS checked on Lisa, aka the runner. We had already called her husband, so he was there to take her to the hospital to have the stitches she needed in her temple. In talking with her on Wednesday, I learned that she tripped, turned her ankle, and then fell to the ground. She had two parallel cuts to her head, which caused the large amount of blood. She does not quite know how long she was on the ground before she stopped but she does know that other cars passed her by. In running into the police officer that was on scene, we later learned that there had been a call placed to dispatch about a woman covered in blood prior to my call.

Lisa and her husband were so grateful that we stopped to help and have told us over and over that she feels so bad for the accident that occurred. If I saw someone in need again today, I would do the same. Just the look on her face showed the desperation and need for help. Lisa did offer to make me a pie, which I declined. I wish she had know that I am a chocolate girl!

As for our car, the saga continues. When the appraiser looked at the car last week, he estimated $7700. We did get a call today saying that he had thought the exhaust system could be repaired but it now looks like it will need to be replaced. If that is the case, it may be a total. We should know for sure tomorrow. In the meantime, we have a Ford Fusion as our rental. Hopefully we can have this all resolved in the next could of weeks and that it does not cost us too much.  In the end, I am just glad that no one was hurt and that David and Drake were still able to join me in Orlando.

Falling Leaves

This weekend we had two projects that we needed to work on: painting the outside of the house and raking leaves. The painting is an ongoing project and we now have it primed and first coat painted. The raking is a bit of a project as well, just because we have almost two acres on a wooded lot.

Lucky for us, our friend dropped his daughter off to babysit Drake so we could go to some of the football game and he offered to come back and blow the leaves in the front yard. This saved us hours of raking and created a nice pile of leaves for Drake to play with.

Please note the cozies on Drake's arms. He found those in the cabinet and decided that they would make excellent wrist bands. He put them on himself and wore them for about two hours.

Visit to Mammy and Granddaddy

I started this post a week and a half ago and am finally getting back to it:

This weekend (now two weeks ago) we took a little drive down to Florence to visit David's parents. We had not seen them since the end of August and it was a great weekend to spend time with them. Drake had a great time playing with his Mammy and Granddaddy, making music on the piano, and sleeping in a big boy bed (with a side rail). Mammy and Granddaddy also gave Drake a Cozy Coupe, which he loved!

It just so happened that the weekend we were in Florence was also the weekend of the Annual Pecan Festival. This was my first pecan festival experience and really I was not sure what to expect. One thing that I was sure we would find would be pecans. Other than the three stands, we saw no pecans. I think that the city of Florence should consider changing the name of their festival to the Turkey Leg Festival, as I think every other stand was selling said legs. Drake had a great time at the festival, especially once he was given a balloon.

We had a great visit and look forward to seeing Mammy and Granddaddy again soon.

Formal Saturday

Drake had a new babysitter on Saturday that he wanted to impress so he decided to deck himself in his formal wear. I think she was quite impressed...

Happy Anniversary

Four years ago, David and I were married during a wonderful ceremony in New Orleans. We were joined by so many of our family and friends, which made the day so special. I am so lucky to have married my best friend and while not everyday is filled with bliss, I have such an amazing life partner. Our love continues to grow and hopefully we are sharing with Drake the true meaning of love. Life is not always easy, but I am lucky to share all the ups and downs with David.  

We had the best reception that I have ever been to!

Busy Week

This was a busy week in our house with a lot of evening activities surrounding Halloween. It started with a Halloween party at the Episcopal church in Clemson. The event was for kids younger than 5th grade and it appeared that the older (junior high) kids were running the party. There were some games and activities, although I thought that Drake was a little young for what they had to offer. I do think that he had some fun at the party though and did enjoy placing (not throwing) bean bags through holes.

After work on Monday we drove all over looking for a pumpkin. Drake was not quite old enough to get involved in the festivities or a corn maze and pumpkin patch; we're saving that for next year. I guess we waited too long to buy a pumpkin in a store and thought we were out of luck. The Montessori school around the corner from us selling pumpkins as a fundraiser in their "pumpkin patch" but, having bought one there before, we knew they were overpriced. In the end, that's where we ended up. Because it was so close to Halloween, we got a huge pumpkin for 50% off, so from now on, we just need to continue to procrastinate.

Tuesday evening was the night for carving our pumpkin and Drake was very interested in helping with that process. Then Wednesday was the big Halloween night. Clemson hosts a downtown trick-or-treating event from 4:00-6:00, but after attending last year and seeing that it is pretty much standing in line from one merchant's door to another, we opted out. I was interested in going there simply to see the costumes of all the kids that we know. 

David hoped that if we took Drake to Chick-fil-A dressed as a cow that he would be given free goodies. Unfortunately the Chick-fil-A employees did not feel the same way, so I guess we will have to wait until Cow Appreciation Day. After dinner we hit the streets of our neighborhood. We went to a few more houses this year than the four we went to last, but it was still a pretty tame Halloween night of trick-or-treating. Drake still managed to be given quite a bit of candy. I guess that is what happens when you have so few trick-or-treaters coming through a neighborhood, people tend to give each individual more.

Then on Thursday night, Drake got his second haircut. I would say that this haircut was much more of a big boy haircut then the first one. She used the clippers this time and really shaped his hair. Drake did great with the whole thing and we were told that he did better with sitting still than many adults do!

Today we head to Florence to spend the weekend with David's parents and then next week, basketball begins. Hopefully Drake is ready to attend some games.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night was pumpkin carving night. I really do not remember carving a pumpkin last year, so this was Drake's first experience. David is the artist in our house, so he did all of the pre-drawing and carving work while I just cleaned the pumpkin out. Drake seemed to have fun and wanted to get involved in the whole activity.

Helping with the design

Dinner break

Fall Fun

Fall has to be my favorite season of the year. I love to see the leaves change colors, I love the brisk mornings and evenings, and I love that it is not too hot during the day to be outside. Fall also brings a lot of events and activities. This weekend was packed full of fun.

We started the weekend with an event called Rock the John. This is Clemson's attempt at midnight madness although it is not at midnight, not mad, and actually a week after the office start of basketball season. I enjoy it because it is the publics first introduction to the year's basketball team. We decided to take Drake this year, even though it was a late night for him, and he did great. I'm hoping this will be a good sign for basketball season and that the constant activity, music, and timeouts will keep his attention.

Saturday morning I had to meet golf recruits before the football game, so we decided to Take him to his first football game of the season. Going into it, I knew that we were not going to stay at the game long; noon games just don't work for a 20 month old that needs to nap! In the end, we stayed one quarter and Drake fell asleep in the car on the 3 minute drive home.

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to have a fire in the fire pit and cook dinner outside. This helped us clean some of the falling limbs from the woods around us while spending time outside. Drake knows that the fire was hot and stayed away, although he did want to try and throw some wood in as well. Our neighbors joined us toward the end of the evening for some s'mores.

After an afternoon of yard work on Sunday, we headed to Greenville to go to Boo in the Zoo. I know, it is early to start Halloween celebrations but, the event started this weekend and we already have two Halloween events to attend next weekend, so we decided to stretch it out some. I think it was a good decision because Drake was not too into the whole thing yet and, I imagine, the crowds were thinner this weekend. Next year, we will play to go a little earlier in the evening (we went at 6:45) in hopes that more of the animals will still be outside/awake. Our little cow did moo...

Birthday Celebration in New Orleans

It is very convenient that my mom's birthday and Fall Break often fall on the same weekend. I was worried that we would go from the beginning of August until the end of December between Drake seeing his Nana and Papa, which I thought was unacceptable. So, Drake and I planned a trip to New Orleans to visit for a long weekend. As a surprise to my mom (which ended up not being a surprise), my sisters decided that they would visit also.

Nana, Papa, Drake, and Ellie

We went on a few outings while in New Orleans. During the day on Saturday, Jeff, Amanda, Ellie, Drake, and I went to the Audubon Zoo to visit some animals. This was Ellie's first zoo visit and while she slept through the majority of it, I think she had a good time. Drake is enjoying zoos more and more with each visit and each new animal that he has learned.

This lizard ran in front of us, grabbed a caterpillar, and took it back to the fence for a feast. Drake was very interested in watching it eat and even offered it a rock (it ran away at that point)

Watching the giraffes

On Sunday evening, everyone had left but Drake and I, so we decided to take him to City Park to ride the carousel. His first carousel ride was about a month ago while we were in Jacksonville and at first he was a little scared but then really enjoyed it. I thought it might be the same this time, but he really only enjoyed about a minute of the ride. I think he wanted to get off the whole ride, but we were committed to the ride once getting on. After the carousel, we took Drake on the train around the park, which he loved! He now keeps saying choo-choo. We also visited Storybook Land where he was able to jump into some famous nursery rhymes.

Nana and Drake on the train

We had a great visit and look forward to going back in December for Christmas. I love introducing to Drake to things in New Orleans that I always enjoyed when I was young. It is so great to be able to experience things for the first time all over again with him.

Drake with the Roman Candy Man at Audubon Zoo

Aunt Genevieve, Drake, and Ellie

Meeting Ellie

This past weekend we were finally able to go to Jacksonville to meet our niece/cousin Ellie and help Amanda and Jeff. Ellie was born on July 14 and while we wanted to go earlier, we could go too early because I didn't want to expose Ellie to any crud that Drake might have and then school started and home football games (which we haven't gone to, it just means I have to recruit those Saturdays). Finally we had an away football game, so off we went!

With the healing problems Amanda has had from the c-section, my parents were also in town helping Amanda and Jeff. It was great that they were able to see both of their grandchildren together. Drake loved Ellie and wanted to give her kisses. We also learned that when he hears "shhhhh", he puts his figure to his lips and says "shhhhh". On Monday we asked his teacher about this and she said it is from "The Wheels On the Bus". He knows all kinds of hand motions from that song!

Drake and Ellie

In going to Jacksonville, Amanda and Jeff had asked that we help them install wood floors in their family room, so this was out big project for the weekend. I was able to help a little, but for the most part, my help was with distracting Drake from the activity. David was the floor installer with Jeff and my cousin Zach assisting. While there is a little work left to be done, the floors turned out great.

Drake the Helper

One of my distractions for Drake was taking him to the Jacksonville Zoo. I was hoping to fit this in before nap time on Saturday but Drake fell asleep about 5 minutes after leaving the house, so we turned around for his nap. After he slept and ate, we headed back to the Zoo to see some animals. The zoo is so much fun with Drake now because he really is interested in seeing the animals and making animal noises. This zoo had a carousal, which I wanted to take Drake on. This was his first ride of any sort and he was very apprehensive at first. He rode a jaguar and wanted to get off as soon as I put him on. Once he started moving up and down, he loved it!

We are so happy to have Ellie as part of our family and look forward to seeing them again soon and watching Ellie grow. This trip started our four months of a monthly, alternating trip between Florida and New Orleans.

18 Months

So I am a little delayed here in posting Drake's 18 month vitals as he is turning 19 months today. But, we had a doctor's appointment that was scheduled for 18.5, which was right at the start of the school year. Ok, enough excuses...here we go:

Height: 34.5 inches (91st Percentile) - I think this could be slightly off since they still measure him laying down in the box, which he is too long for. She had to get an extra tape measure to get his full length
Weight: 25.5 lbs (62nd Percentile)

- As your doctor said, you are what everyone wants to be, tall and skinny

- You told me you loved me for the first time on August 30th at Columbo's pizza while giving me a hug

- On Monday, August 22nd, you switched from staying with Margie during the day to Playtime Learning Center. Right now, you are the youngest person in your class of five, although you are not the smallest. There are three girls and one little boy. You and the little boy play a lot, but play hard and he has now bitten you twice.

- Right now you are really into animals and everyday we go through a couple animal books, learning new animals, the sounds they make, and how to say their name. You can say dog, duck, and bird but can make numerous animal sounds: Woof woof, quack quack, moo, and roar (lion, tiger, bear).

- Everyday you are saying more and more words. You are still using your sign language for the important needs while incorporating new words. It is amazing to watch you grown and learn everyday. I think being around other kids everyday now is really helping with your speech.

- You have now visited 10 states (South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky), the District of Columbia, and driven through/had a layover in 3 additional states (Alabama, Mississippi, and California). Quite the traveled boy!

- You smile, blow kisses, give high fives and fist bumps to everyone you meet. You have so much personality and people just love to be around you.

Drake, you have given your Daddy and I so much joy and happiness in the 18 months since you were born. I love your grin and the face you make when you about to do something that you know you are not supposed to do. You are so smart and everyday you perform a task that surprises me. We are so thankful to have you in our lives.

Drake Goes to a Music Festival

Each year Clemson is home to a music festival called Spittono the first full weekend in the fall once students return. This event is "hosted by the Redneck Performing Arts Association, Inc. Funds that are generated from the sale of beverages and other merchandise are distributed among local charities". As long as we are in town, this is an event that David and I have always gone to. It is held at the Clemson Armory, so in walking distance from our house and admission is free. I just wish that Clemson hosted more events like this one.

We took Drake last year for a short time, but I knew he would be much more into it this year. He really loves music and somehow has inherited a dancing gene. He uses his own made-up sign to indicate that he would like to listen to music and starts to jam. He really is not too into children's music, he likes blues, rock, and music with a lot of beat.

This year we headed down on Friday and Saturday evenings for some music and dancing. Drake was into the dancing from time to time, but there was so much other stuff to look at that the stage was had pressed to keep his attention. I think a fun time was had by all and we look forward to next year's festivities.

First Haircut

On Friday, August 19, Drake had his first professional haircut. We had trimmed his bangs and around his ears a little, but his mullet was in full effect. On typically days, the mullet would curl and it was very cute but on days that did not happen, it was not a good look.

Drake did great with his cut. Was sat very still, only trying to turn his had on occasion to see what was going on at the back of his head. Elizabeth, the stylist, did a great job with him and danced along with him as he got down to the music. I was surprised that it went as smoothly as it did and am very happy with his new look. It really is amazing how a little hair cut can make someone now look so much like the little boy that he is. The baby is all gone in this 18 month old!

Tough to get an after shot because he was very interested in playing with the shampoo tub while David was getting his hair cut.

Duck, Duck...

A couple weeks ago, we went to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson to feed the ducks. Lately, Drake has been very interested in animals and is starting to make a lot of different animal noises. He has a book that it about farmyard animals and has done a great job with identifying them, even saying a few. Ducks have become one of the animals that Drake has become very interested in and points them out in whenever he sees one. He can even say duck and quack, quack.

Drake had a great time feeding, watching, and chasing the ducks around the pond.

While we were at the Gardens, we took Drake over to a stump that was used in November for our family photo shoot. I like to try and recreate pictures of Drake in an effort to really see how much bigger he has grown over time. Please note that one was taken and edited by a professional while the newest one was taken by us. The photos still really show his growth!

November 2011

August 2012

Having a Ball