Drew's Dedication

Our little Drew Isaac was dedicated on November 21st! We belong to a non-denominational church and do not practice infant baptism... instead we put the responsibilty on the parents and the dedication service is designed for the parents to make a promise to God, themselves and the congregation that they will raise the child in a Christian home and teach the child all about God and then when the child is old enough they will choose baptism for themselves. (this was the way I was raised as well, and our first child to be dedicated versus baptised, so this was a pretty special moment in our lives).

Nina & Papa Hamann, Nina Wilson, Uncle Matt, and our immediate family were all there to witness this special occasion for Drew and Mommy & Daddy.

We had the service Sunday morning and then followed it with a little brunch at our house! My friend Sarah made the cake and it turned out BEAUTIFUL! - - not to mention YUMMY!! :) - - Thanks Sarah!

The Cake...

The Service...

Debbie Spidle, the children's minister at our church did the service. We got a rose and a certificate for Drew! They showed photos of Drew on the large screens in the background and then played a message I recorded for Drew. The message was as follows:

Drew,

You have brought SO MUCH JOY to our lives. The sounds of your coos, the twinkle in those BEAUTIFUL blue eyes and that smile!

You are a gift from God and we love you so much!

Your big brothers adore you! Your Daddy can’t wait to cuddle you when he gets home… and I TREASURE every minute I get to spend with you!

We feel SO BLESSED to know this kind of love… and we want you to not only experience THIS love…but also the love of our wonderful GOD. It is because of Him that we can share this love with you.

Today we are dedicating you, our precious baby boy in hopes that you will grow to know the love of our Father.

We love you more than words, Drew!

your Mom and Dad

Brunch...

We came back home to continue the celebration and had a brunch with the family!



We love you Drew... and know that God has a special plan for your life on this Earth... and we feel so lucky to get to be a part of it!

Parker's 7th Birthday!

We rented a park shelter for Parker's birthday this year... since Mommy was too late to book the bowling alley! :( - - I felt horrible that Parker didn't get to have his party where he wanted, but this was a GREAT aternative! :)

The decorations...

These were little picks to stick in the bowls of m&m's at each table - - these I printed and laminated!! - - LOVE MY LAMINATOR! :)

Shirts...

Candi made the shirts for the boys... we gave these out as party favors along with their goody bags! :) THANKS Candi!! :)

The Cake...

I made Parker's cake this year! I have to admit, it was FUN but VERY time consuming! It was my first fondant cake! I added the little figurines to the cake and they were part of his birthday present too! :)

The less messy version... cupcakes! ha!

The Pinata!

Perry the Platypus! The boys helped me paper mache the pinata... and then I had to take over and finish it off - -I'm a little OCD! It was such a FUN project... but again time consuming! It was great having it at the park... we just hung the pinata outside on the play equipment and the boys had at it!

The FOOD...

We ordered pizzas for lunch and had veggies and dip to go along with it. And it isn't a party without my favorite yummy punch! :)

The Presents...

Parker got so many presents! He is a lucky boy!! THANK YOU everyone!! :)

The Balloons...

My Mom's friend makes balloon animals/characters and she made these AMAZING balloons of Phineas and Ferb for Parker! I was so impressed.... aren't they GREAT??? :)

Happy Happy Birthday to my baby boy! I can't believe my little punkin pie is already 7 years old! The time has just flown by!! I THANK GOD everyday that I get to be a part of your life! You are such a blessing and I am proud to be your Mom! I LOVE YOU Parker Matthew!!!

Bath Time!

Our chunky Monkey is getting SO BIG! He is 6-1/2 months old here... and is having a good time in the bathtub! :) He LOVES getting baths!

Poor little guy looks so rolly in the first picture!



Tucker's Training...

We signed up Tucker for puppy classes in Adel for 6 weeks. He learned SO MUCH! He knows: sit, place (time-out), shake, down (lay down), stay, free, etc. He did so well... he was one of the smartest puppies there! Now if he just wasn't so hyper! ha! We got some pictures on his last week - - they had a hotdog bobbing contest and Tucker WON!!! :)

Here is Tucker bobbing for hotdogs!

Parker and Owen playing with Tucker's new friends! :)

Tucker playing with his friends...

Parker's drawing of Tucker bobbing for hotdogs!! :) SO SWEET! :)

HaPpY HaLloOwEeN!!!

This year the older two boys wanted to be MARIO and LUIGI for Halloween! We had to order their costumes online, because it was imperative that they have the inflatable bellies and those couldn't be found in town! :) Oh those boys!! :)

This is little Drew's FIRST HALLOWEEN so it was EXTRA special! He was a little lamb and a super cute one I might add! :)

The weather cooperated this year so we were all able to get out and do some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and the boys got TONS of candy! Nina Wilson came to see the boys and their costumes and even went out with us!

Halloween Jammie's

Nina & Papa Hamann always get the boys cute Halloween jammies in their goody bags and here they all are showing them off! :)

Drew having some dinner in his Halloween bib!

Blank Park Zoo

This year we went to the zoo for Night Eyes with Nina & Papa Hamann and the Edsen family... we had never been and Kim suggested it, so we thought we would give it a try! It turned out to be pretty fun!! :) The kids got to collect candy along the way and see the animals... although I think we may try going next time in the evening so we can see the lights as well... I heard it's better in the dark! - - Either way, it was fun and I am glad we all went together!!

My little PUMPKINS... :)

Racing TRACTORS! 

Visiting Mere & Jonny

It has became an annual tradition to stop by Mere's house for Halloween and this year was no different! We swung over and spent a little time with Mere and Jonny before heading out to trick-or-treat! :) It's always great to get to visit with Mere and Jonny... maybe one of these times we can get together without our boys! We could use a night out! :) 

Presents from Nina Wilson

Nina came for Halloween and brought the boys presents... here they are opening them up! :) Thanks Nina!


Halloween Craft...
I got some ceramic tiles and my kids (and my daycare kiddos) made spiders with their hands and paint! They turned out super cute!! :)

We hope everyone had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! :)

6 Month Check-up

This may not be in order... but I wanted to share the stats from Drew's 6 month check-up!! :) He is growing like a weed and all is well with his reflux and his development - - we are so blessed! Here are the stats in comparison with his big brothers at 6 months old:

Parker (at 6 mos)
Weight: 20.8 lbs
Length: 28 3/4"

Owen (at 6 mos)
Weight: 21.2 lbs

Length: 29"
DREW - 6 mos
Weight: 23 lbs
Length: 28-3/4"

Oh our baby is BIG! :) We love every last little bit of him too! :)