Drake Turns 1!

Drake's Birthday was Tuesday and we celebrated with Hostess Cupcakes (Grandma Crockett will make a fun birthday cake for him when we are in town this weekend) and a few gifts. Neither of my boys have been huge cake fans. I am sure that will change someday, but for now, it's more about messes than anything else.

All three of my wonderful boys. I need more pictures like this...

Then we did gifts. We had a $5 dollar budget...we will be living like paupers for the next 40 years thanks to a moving, a new house, and a new car. Drake got, a couple of balls. He LOVES balls, in fact, that is his only word other than "mama" and "dada". He also got toothbrushes and a fun truck.

I don't know why we bought anything in the first place...immediately after "opening" his gifts, he went straight for the cup and played with it for quite a while. This picture cracks me up because he has managed to fit his entire face into a very average sized cup.

Drake also had a doctors appointment this week. I have learned that I really do love my doctor but feel that her nurses/assistants are incompetent. Every time I come away, I wonder about how/why they did something a certain way, I question their measurements, and just overall knowledge. Just yesterday they asked me if I had started potty training Drake; I found that odd. Allow me to demonstrate my doubts through stats:

9 month appt:

23 pounds 2 ounces
31 inches
19 inches (head circumference)

1 year appt:

24 pounds 12 ounces
31 inches
18.75 inches

WEIGHT: so....in the past three months Drake has managed to gain weight AND thin out...hmmm. ( I say this because he clothes are all baggier and shorter by far than they were three months ago. And wouldn't you think I could tell if my baby put on two pounds and for how short (compared to me:) he is?? Also, the baby scale they weigh him in is TINY and he won't sit still. Yesterday he kept opening the cupboard that was behind the scale, and grabbing at the scale itself, pushing buttons, etc. The nurse finally got tired of trying and finally wrote down the weight she saw next. (If I had to guess though, I would say he IS somewhere around 25 pounds... I don't think it was THAT far off)

HEIGHT: like I mentioned above, Drake supposedly hasn't put on any height in the past 3 months. I could go on and on about why he seems taller to me but whatever.

HEAD: according to them, his head has shrunk...nuff said.

The stats aren't important to me except for fun/journal purposes. I wasn't even sure I should include them on this post since they don't seem accurate. Oh well; still fun I guess :)

In the past year with Drake, we have discovered:
-He is fairly mellow
-He will keep himself entertained MUCH better than Carson ever did
-He has an awesome belly laugh
-He is very affectionate and loves to snuggle
-Our home is incomplete without him
-We are lucky to be his parents

FHE - Carson the Lamanite

Check out the righteous Carson the Lamanite upon the wall! He did not fear the wicked Nephites even though they were "booing" him and throwing rocks (socks) at him. He boldly professed, "I am Samuel, Jesus Christ is coming soon, Repent!"

Carson took his turn throwing sock rocks as well; that was pretty fun stuff and he couldn't help himself.

I don't think the wicked Nephites get any cuter than that...

Sprinkler Boy

Check out Drake's face. Does it not scream Pure Delight??
I was hand watering a couple of dry spots on the grass with Drake in the carrier. At first he left the water alone, but then he couldn't help himself and started batting at it, eventually it turned into a full on spray fest. He would wrap his little hands as tightly around the nozzle as he could while the water sprayed every which way, drenching both he and I. It wasn't exactly a warm day, but I couldn't help but let him play.

Mommy Carson Date

Carson and I went on a date last week. I got ready, left the house, and then came to the front door to pick him up. Daddy had him ready and waiting, his hair was done, he was in his best outfit, and he even had cologne on :).

At the door I presented him with a baggie full of coins for him to play at the Nicklecade with.

He played ski ball...

...we played air hockey...

...and we played and played and played and played this car game. It was free and gave you unlimited life you just had to select the continue option whenever it came up. Carson was too short to reach the pedals so I had to sit in the seat with him in my lap while he crashed into everything possible on the screen. No biggie right?? Well, the seat moved and every time you would crash or even bump anything, the seat would catapult you in the corresponding direction. Carson had a nice cushy ride, but I was literally beat by the end. The only reason he quit playing was because he managed to flip the car on it's side in the game and it wouldn't correct itself anymore (like it had a billion times before).

While we were playing the eternal car game the worker at the Nicklecade came up and gave Carson and I a slip of paper with 1000 written on it. Some man had left us 1000 tickets so Carson could get something nice. Wow!
When we were done with the Nicklecade, we hit up DQ for some blizzards.

Carson (and I ) can't wait to go on another date!!

Carson's Candids

Drake Update

- Now has 12 teeth. He has finally cut all four molars which has been a feat.
- Is a MAJOR grabber/poker. He will jam his finger up your nose or in your ear or eye or mouth if you give him ANY opportunity to do so. He pulls my hair relentlessly. He smacks Carson on the head if he gets close enough. It's not my favorite form of affection from him.
- Loves to dance. Put on music or sing a song and the kid starts bobbing and swaying.
- Has been a very difficult nurser the ENTIRE time. I am in the process of weaning him but he doesn't like cows milk. He likes it warm and sweet from the momma even though he tortures me in the process.
- Has been crawling for a couple of months. Can stand alone if he isn't thinking about it, but won't if you try to encourage it.
- Is extremely mouthy. Everything he gets in his hands goes in his mouth...everything.
- Pulls himself up on EVERYTHING and cruises around the furniture but I predict he won't walk for a while longer.
- Says "mama" Dada" and "ball". This has been his vocabulary for a few months and we haven't picked up anything new. I think by this time Carson was editing papers and writing speeches.
- Is VERY strong.
- Laughs easily. It is SOOOO cute. Carson and daddy get him going the best.
- Is HORRIBLE in church. This drives us nuts since he is so good the rest of the time. The kid has a 6th sense I guess.
- Likes veggies much better than fruits.
- LOVE olives. He is adorable when he eats them. He puts them on his fingers just like a little kid would do...except he isn't even a year yet?!
- Does better with a sippy cup than Carson did at this point. Now if he would only take to cows milk...
- Got a funky fever and rash called Roseola. Poor kid was miserable. Glad that is over.
- Has started sucking his thumb. Dave can't stand it but I think it is one of the cutest things ever. He never took a pacifier (I didn't try terribly hard), so we are kind of baffled that as of two weeks we have a thumb sucker. He doesn't really suck, but he puts his left thumb in his mouth, and rests his right arm on his head.
- LOVES LOVES LOVES to crawl up the stairs. He can't crawls back down though and has fallen once. I can't wait till we are through this one.
- Is a biter. Sorry everyone!
- Is a great snuggler.
- Makes a GREAT wookie noise. People comment on it EVERY time he does it in public.
- Is a momma's boy.

Carson Update

- He is POTTY TRAINED!! We aren't quite there at night yet, but I don't mind.
- LOVES baseball. He will go out in the backyard and set up "bases" that he will run every time he gets a hit. It's pretty stinkin' cute. Every hit is a home run :).
- LOVES swimming. He has become quite brave and learned he can dunk his head under the water. I don't think he has ever tired of swimming, it's always been me pulling him out of the pool after and hour...sometimes two.
- Prefers to dress himself. Things usually don't match and his shirt is usually on backwards, but I am grateful for the independence.

STORY: So one morning at 4:30 am Dave wakes up to the hallway light. He gets up to see what was going on. Carson was not in his room....Dave shortly discovered that Carson had awakened. Gone potty, dressed himself, unlocked the house and left out the front door to go find some big construction trucks (our water lines were being replaced). After getting his fill, he had returned, gotten some milk, put on a movie, and was watching Enchanted on the couch. Um, yeah, I still don't know what to think.

- LOVES wearing shoes. He can't seem to go anywhere (inside included) without his socks and shoes on.
- Sings a ton and beautifully. He can sing songs off of our musical movies (High School Musical, Enchanted, Hairspray, etc.), he sings in the car, at church, for FHE, for Drake when he is upset, in bed, on the phone. The boy REALLY likes music.
- Weighs about 40 pounds.
- Likes to hold Drake and give him hugs.
- Says GREAT prayers.
- Hard to keep in bed. Getting him down for nap or at night is always a feat.
- Tells some awesome stories. Here is a good example, "Once upon a time, I had a big birthday party. And I played at the birthday party and had a big cake. And I shared my milk with my friend. The end!"
- Likes to tell jokes and make up words. One of his jokes is:
Carson - "Ow!"
Mommy - "What happened?"
Carson - "I bonked my Enchanted!"
Lots of laughing ensues
- Waddles when he runs...SOOOOO cute!!!
- He loves to take pictures. And he does a good job of capturing his subject.
- Likes his hair done.
- Went camping with daddy and he loved it.
- VERY social. Loves to play with friends. Can't get enough of nursery.

Update on The Papa

I know I promised updates forever ago, and I really did write them up on a piece of paper, but am quite tardy getting them on the computer. Dave's updates:

-Recently took a trip to DC. Decided at that time that he/we don't want to live on the east coast.
- Continues to enjoy work. Especially the Nerf Hoop Competitions they have held. I am the proud wife of a Nerf Hoop Champion.
- Has been a member of an intramural softball and baseball team. I hope he always wants to play. The boys and I LOVE going to watch him and cheer him on.
- Threw up for the first time since high school. I had never seen that in the 13 years I have known him. He figured since I hadn't seen it, he would make it the best he could...poor guys was pretty miserable.
- Likes to tackle home improvement projects. He is a great homeowner.
- Up that same vein, Dave has become a GREAT cleaner. He is AWESOME at helping out and Saturday chores are always done really well.
- Has become pretty interested in nutrition and wanting to be/feel healthy. This means I can make some pretty "healthy" meals and he eats it with a smile...he even likes barley :).
- LOOOOVES the shows Human Target, and Leverage. We make a date night out of these every week. Even though these shows portray some pretty tough people, nobody compares to my manly man :)

Update #1...the Momma

I am committing myself right now to updating on each member of our family this week. Why not start with myself. The last couple of months have been fairly busy and here is a bulleted list detailing why, and some personal discoveries:

- I have been called as the 1st counselor in Young Womens. I work with the MiaMaids. LOVE IT
- I was released as the Primary Chorister which I also LOVED (I love the calling, not the being released part :)
- I love skinny jeans....never thought I would say that...ever
- Carson, far and away has the ability to test me more than anyone can
- I make a horrible single parent. I learned this while Dave had a week long business trip to DC
- I LOVE to sing, but don't sing as well as I would like. Dave and I sang Lead Kindly Light in church a few weeks ago. It was fun to do. I love Dave's voice
- I am perfectly okay with my body. I am actually more content with it now, after having two kids and everything than I was in high school
- I love to work in the yard. We have spent a couple of months ripping out 15 30-year-old, overgrown, hideous juniper bushes, covering 800 square feet. Raking out 25 garbage cans full of pine needles, moving even more lava rock that was a couple feet deep when all was said and done, laying sod, getting sod webworm, and spending a gazillion dollars doing it. (This was only a portion of the front yard by the way)
- We've had lots of family/visitors in town
- I think I have the perfect birthday (June 21st)
- I like junk food WAAAAAAY too much
- My knee has been a little hot and cold lately...never sure what the pain means
- Learning that Drake is extremely difficult to nurse
- Realizing Carson is one of my favorite people to hang out with. I am always so proud to drag the boys around with me. Carson is EXTREMELY well mannered most of the time. The kid is a crack up and is so loving
- Learning that I really love holding Drake. He isn't quite as heavy as Carson was and thus, I feel I can hold him all day long. Those few pounds make a HUGE difference
- I've realized how much I love Dave's laugh. Sometimes he really gets going and his laugh gets higher and higher. You can't help but laugh right along with him. If you ever want to hear it, watch Wipeout with him
- After having kids I am now a brunette and I do NOT like it. I will not get my hair done for sake of money, but someday I want to be blond again.
- I can't wait to own a king size mattress
- I love to read
- I love Dave's hugs
- I am extremely blessed

Excerpt from my letter to my missionary brother...

...Wow, what a week, I don't even know where to begin...how about...TEETHING!!! Drake is cutting not 1,2, or 3 new molars...but 4!! Holy Moly (or should I say, Holy Molar-y) and Heaven Help Me is all I have to say. It has been the most miserable week with Drake BAR NONE!! He is in a lot of pain when he teethes. He is a little young to be getting molars which is even worse. The poor kid has been running a temperature of 103 for about a week. It finally broke yesterday. I have even had him on meds pretty much non stop. His gums are totally swollen and he is even bleeding. In fact, on Sunday at church, Drake grabbed one of Dave's finger and put it in his mouth and started chewing on it. When Dave pulled his finger out of Drake's mouth there was blood and flesh from Drake's gums on it. Two of the molars have started cutting so are partially through but the other two haven't quite yet and are miserably swollen still. When he isn't screaming which isn't often, he is whimpering and groaning. He won't eat, won't drink, and wont sleep.I was up four times with him last night. He has broken out with a rash due to the high and prolonged fever. And to top it all off, Dave is out of town and will be till Friday. SO not my idea of a good party...