Ornery Drew

I am very sad to report that my "baby" turned three this month! I cannot believe it. I've begged him to stay little, but it just doesn't work.

It's not very often that I get a picture of Drew laughing, so I just had to post this one. A friend of mine, Pam, hosted a "combined" b-day party for her five year old, Michael, and for Drew. There were two set of candles on the cake -- one set for Drew to blow out and the other set for Michael. Michael hesitated to blow out his candles so Drew seized the opportunity and proceeded to blow out all of the candles! We told him not to do it, lit the candles again, and once again Drew blew them all out. This is why Drew, my little sinking, ornery child, is laughing. He loved every minute of being a meanie.

4th of July Parade

In 1976, when I was a very young child (cough, cough), my mom planned a neighborhood parade to celebrate America's bicentennial; this year I did the same for my neighborhood. I invited the entire neighborhood and was thrilled to have about 30 children participate. At the end, we all met in the park where Ben was handing out popsicles. I hope we created a memory our children will always fondly remember.

The Art of Coercion

Last Sunday I told Ben that I wanted a bicycle. His response, "We'll get you one eventually."

Me: "I want one today." (I want to be able to ride around the neighborhood with Joel.)

Ben: "I don't know where our budget stands."

Me: "Earlier you mentioned you are going shopping for fireworks this week and you never mentioned 'budget' then."

Ben: "Kids, get in the car, we're getting mom a bike."

I am now the proud owner of a beautiful new Schwinn bicycle! Thanks Ben, I love it! (So if you see me walking funny, that's why -- my butt is killing me!)

The Three White Boys

Here they are, the three White boys, ages 7, 4 1/2 and 2 (almost three).

Home Makeover

Our house enjoyed a makeover this past week with every single wall on the first floor getting a fresh coat of paint. Even the deck got "prettied up." Check out the new look! Anyone want to buy a house?

"Strawberry Superheros"

We took a literal "field" trip on Tuesday to a strawberry patch to pick berries. I wasn't sure how long the picking would last, but I thought the boys would enjoy it -- and they did. Each boy wanted his own quart basket to fill. All three were very tenacious, but Drew was the one who just sat in one spot and silently picked as many as he could. At one point I saw him stomping what I thought was a bug, but it turned out he decided to stomp several of his strawberries! After I told him we could go home and dip some in chocolate, he decided saving them was better than stomping them.

I told the boys they could eat a few while they were picking, but Evan replied, "I'm a hard worker and hard workers don't eat while they're working." Who only knows where he came up with that idea?! It certainly wasn't from his mama! When we got in the car he commented, "I was a hard worker, now I can eat some."

At the end of picking I told the boys to smile for a picture with their berries. It was Joel who directed this shot, telling his brothers to hold the berries above their heads, but it was Evan who said, "We are the Strawberry Superheros!"

Drew's Helicopter Outing with Mom

Drew got to ride in a REAL helicopter at the airport near Grandma and Grandpa Heibel's house! This was a special "Drew only" outing because Drew loves helicopters so much -- he has told us for about six months now that when he grows up he wants to "drize (drive) helicopters." When Grandma/pa heard about the opportunity to ride in a helicopter, they knew Drew had to try it. He was very quietly excited and only nodded his head quickly up and down when asked if he wanted to take a ride. He absolutely loved it and silently took in every minute of the brief 5-minute ride. (Grandpa and Mom accompanied him and we loved it too although Mom wasn't quite as silent! ha!)

After the flight, the people at the small airport gave drew a little airplane for him to play with. The kid played with that little toy for over an hour all by himself (after some aerodynamic flight tips from Grandpa of course). Drew was completely in his element; it made me smile just to see him so happy -- and without any older brothers bothering him. Recently someone asked me what energizes me as a mom. My answer: spending time with just ONE child. Yesterday's outing with Drew re-confirmed that with me because I found myself falling in love with Drew all over again. (The honeymoon didn't last long -- this morning he was spanked once and in a time-out twice!)