His Face

It's not possible for me to love this face more. 

 Period.

Birthdays and Beans

On Saturday morning, Drew and I attended a birthday party for my girlfriend's little girl. She turned 3 years old and is such a doll! Although it was a bit frigid and rained a little, Drew still had a blast with the other kids and, of course, devoured a piece of cake. (I might or might not have also done that)

Despite that huge playground in the back of this picture, the volleyball sand and net was entertainment enough for a good 30 minutes at one point. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of playgrounds and was A-ok with my guy hanging around the other areas. His clumsiness combined with slippery steps and ambitious climbing goals generally make for at least a few falls each time we go to a playground. I think I have about 39 mini heart attacks each time we go to one.

On another note, my brother will begin residency in Detroit in a couple of months meaning he'll be only TWO hours away from us!! I'm beyond excited to have him so close and so is his little shadow. Drew loves his Uncle Bean something fierce and I know he'll enjoy seeing him so often.

The boys enjoyed a bit of time together this weekend while he was up here for a quick visit.

(Sorry for posting pics with sweet bed hair Bean!)

Bowling with Belly

On the last day that Derek's parents were in town, it was a bit chilly/rainy to do any outdoor activities. We do have tons of default indoor places to visit, but there's only so many times I can go before I'm totally sick of them. When thinking of something else fun, bowling came up and off we went.

The problem? Bowling pregnant isn't that comfortable. Especially at almost 7 months along.

Hence, the toddler method of bowling taken up by muah. MUCH more comfortable, yet totally not sexy and really hard to make strikes.

Somehow, though, I still beat both my in-laws. #ubbercompetitive

Drew's improving his game and is almost able to do it by himself. Can't wait for more Friday nights at the alley with my fam.

Somehow, someway, I was actually able to get Derek to pose for a cheesy picture. This guy isn't a fan of posed pictures anyway, let alone cheesy ones, so this was a HUGE win in my book. I'm glad I made him do it though, as I think it turned out quite cute!

I'll also leave you with this little clip of some videos I took. Too bad I didn't realize the Derek's dad wasn't in any, but he was definitely there taking his turn bowling with Drew and playing right along with us all!

Goodbye April

I'm ready for warmer temps, flowers and sun!

Thanks JT for the perfect April 30th gif.

Back to Life

People always say it's nice being back to a normal routine once family leaves town and while I do feel that to a certain extent, it's always nice having people up here. Although Drew is a fairly simple toddler, it's nice having a few days off of bath and nighttime duties along with some free babysitting! I always take some PTO time off and generally it feels somewhat like a mini vacay!

We had lots of fun with Mimi and Grandpa in town this last week and it's an odd thought that the next time they, as well as my parents, will be in town, we will be a family of 4.

The guys constructed the crib after my in-laws painted the nursery and Drew enjoyed making cookies two times with Mimi!

Mimi never turns down reading a book and I think she read every.single.one in our entire house.

On their second to last day in town, we decided a trip to the bowling alley would be a great activity but more on that to come later this week!

Can't wait to see you both again after Deuce is born!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

My parents brought up a couple kites for Drew when they were here in March, but the weather didn't cooperate enough to get them up. Fortunately, we've had some decent weather this week with Mimi and Grandpa in town and we were able to get one up for a few runs at a local metropark. It's hard to see, but he has a huge grin on his face in the picture below and was laughing his head off.

While there, Drew even raced daddy a few times which made for a good sleep later.

YEAH! Finally a picture with his good smile instead of his cheeseball smirk!

It's been a long time since I've seen my little guy in shorts and a tshirt and I absolutely can't wait for more park trips over the next few warm months!

Royals vs. Indians Take 5

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I'm a sucker for traditions. One of our many spring traditions is going to see the KC Royals when they come up to play the Cleveland Indians. We've lived here 5 springs and this year marked our 5th time in attendance. Luckily, this year the in-laws were in town and treated us to some fabulous tickets!

For the last 3 years, we've gone from staying only the first few innings to staying almost the entire game this past Monday night. The little man did awesome and thanks to ice cream and other snacks, he sat in his seat like a champ.

Love the far right picture below where Derek is explaining baseball and he's intently listening.

I do love a good Royals game, but I absolutely love when there is 'special' entertainment. Take, for example, a squirrel that got onto the field that wouldn't leave. They attempted many times to capture this guy and the crowd kept cheering him on each time he ran free. It was quite hilarious. (Sorry - phone videos don't make for the best quality blog videos)

And now for your viewing pleasure, each of our former years put together...

2010 (barely preggo with Drew)

2011

2012

2013

2014 (preggo with Deuce)

Can't wait to have our daughter join in the tradition next year as well as not looking/feeling like a hippo.

Easter Recap

Couldn't go without recapping yet another fun holiday with family in town! It's always nice to have people visiting, but for some reason having family around when it's a Holiday is even better.

When we woke up on Easter morning, it was time to see what Drew got from the bunny...

And then it was off to church where we let Drew sit with us for the first time ever. He was an ANGEL and although I'm sure it's taboo to snap pictures in church, we did.

Then it was off to a delicious brunch at Brio. Seriously, if you haven't been you need to go and try their cream cheese stuffed french toast! 

After church, Drew found that the bunny had hid some eggs in the backyard...

And of course, we had to check out (and attempt to eat) everything in the eggs.

After nap, it was such good weather we couldn't resist a trip to the park. More on that to come later this week!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter as well!

Nature Center Egg Hunt

First of all, thanks to everyone who participated in the Easter Basket showcase! 

I looked at every single one of your baskets and have some great ideas for next year. 
You guys ROCK!

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Now for another egg hunt post! I doubt you'll remember, but a couple years ago we took Drew to his first ever egg hunt and it was just plain Cray Cray. For some reason, I thought that a city-wide 100,000 egg hunt would be fun. Um... nope. Between the obnoxious parents crazily collecting eggs themselves and the fact that there were thousands of people, it was too much for my taste. Then last year a friend told us about a local nature center that holds a smaller egg hunt with limited spots and we jumped on that bandwagon. The $7 fee includes a guaranteed number of eggs, some crafts, and the best part; touching a real bunny! Drew had a blast last year and we knew we'd be back this year.

Mimi and Grandpa are in town for the week and were able to watch Drew enjoy the hunt with a little exploration of the nature center beforehand!

When it was our turn, the kids were given a short nature lesson and then were released to find the eggs.

Once the eggs were all gathered, it was time for some inside crafts...

... and bunny petting.

My child might or might not have hogged the thing and petted it about 7 times despite other kids waiting for their chance. I secretly hope that someday he'll beg for a little bunny and we'll just have to oblige.

More of our Easter recap later this week, but for now I have a fierce sunburn to attend to. Who knew you could get fried in 67 degree weather. #ohioproblems

2014 Easter Basket Blog Hop

I don't generally go crazy for Easter, but love putting together some goodies that I know Drew will love. This year, grandparents sent a bunch of gifts including books, small goodies and wayyyyy too much sugar meaning the little guy was plenty spoiled. 

Here's a look at a few of the gifts Drew got in his basket....

Sperry's are something we get him every spring and my kid loves a good whoopie cushion (in which we undoubtedly will break within a couple months). And the peeps? I'll probably eat them all, but hey, they looked good in his basket. :)

Can't WAIT to see all of your baskets!

An InLinkz Link-up

Pancakes with the Easter Bunny

This was our second year of going to meet the Easter bunny and enjoy some yummy pancakes with our good friends, the Greulochs. Last year, Drew didn't like the bunny and wouldn't go near him, but this year it was MUCH better. I think having his girlfriend there helped as well as the fact that he was able to watch the bunny while we ate and see that he was harmless.

The problem this year was quite different and not what you'd expect. We literally had the weakest Easter bunny in history. I'm pretty sure it had to be an 85 year old woman or at least a drunk 60 year old with no muscles. Either way, this bunny could not lift my 3 year old onto its lap.

Can you see the struggle?

I mean we're talking 35 pounds here people, it's not like I'm wanting you to pick up an 8 year old. The poor kid kept smiling throughout the entire thing and even tried to climb up onto the bunny in that last shot!

Ultimately, the final picture isn't that bad and at least the old ballz bunny waved.

Then it was on to picking out his bribery tool; an egg filled with candy of course!

Once lunch was over and tummies were filled, it was time for smooches and family pictures. Charlotte, however, was playing a bit hard-to-get that afternoon.

My feet were beyond excited to be in sandals and I just love my stud in a button down and Sperry's. 

Can't wait for our tradition to continue next year with an extra kid in tow!

Five on Friday

Linking up with the ladies listed below for a sunny 5 on Friday!

{ONE}
The little man had a PJ day and a superhero day at school this week so I couldn't resist a picture opp where Bailey would, undoubtedly, photo bomb.

{TWO}
I'm 25.5 weeks today and feeling great... except for this cough and sore throat that's been off and on for 3 weeks now. Peeing a little every time you cough is so much fun... said no one ever.

{THREE}
A friend posted this saying on facebook this week and I'm thinking of using it on a canvas when baby girl arrives. I'd love to get a picture with me holding Drew and Deuce and put this caption on the bottom. Swoon.

{FOUR}
I want need a baby Geep... like now.

{FIVE}
I love a good donut, but Dunkin has officially raised the bar. Peeps donuts people. Probably the best invention ever. #preggofatty

Have a wonderful weekend!!