SURPRISE!

Drew turned the big 3-0 while away in Africa. He joked that because he was out of the country, it wouldn't count. Well, once he got back, I made sure he didn't forget he was turning such a monumental (aka OLD) age! He had thrown out clues to me that he'd want a big to-do party...well, we're working on a budget here, so, I decided to throw Drew a SURPRISE Mask-erade party.

The party was scheduled for the Friday night after he returned. The premise was that I was taking him out to dinner for his birthday. I blindfolded him so that he wouldn't see cars coming our way as we were leaving Richmond Hill. As we got closer to downtown, my mom called and said that Kellan, who had just busted his lip a few days prior, had again, busted his lip and she thought he might need stitches. The ploy to get us back to the house was successful...and the picture will tell the rest of the story...

Some of the masks awaiting the guest of honor

Scary man!

It was a H-O-T day, so thankful to all of our friends who waited out in the heat for us to arrive!

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting..

Here HE is!

SURPRISE!

The first to run and wish him a 'Happy Birthday!'

And the best mask goes to...the Sullivan family! They all had a different "Drew" as they came in!

What would we do without all of these wonderful people?

Friends

But wait...the surprises weren't over...we asked Drew to come out back so we could sing him 'Happy Birthday', but there was one more surprise out there...

Mom and Dad drove down to get in on the surprise!

30 candles wouldn't fit on the cupcake...

Whats the party without games? This was "Pin the Microphone on the DREW!"

Kellan has a girl-fran, don't tell her husband though...

And the last game, "Drew impersonations". Only one person got in on the fun, but it definitely was worth it. Dear ol Sean Reeder had lines and all. His outfit was Drew's and he even fixed his hair like Drew's to complete the fun.

What a night! It couldn't have been pulled off without the help from our family and friends. I am so thankful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. Most importantly, "Happy Birthday" to my best friend! I love you Drew. The words I spoke on our wedding day still remain true... one of the things I love most about you is your joy, and love for others, no matter what. You teach me new things every day. I'm so happy to be here on this Earth with you.

Welcome Home Daddy

Yesterday evening we got to go get daddy from the airport! We were super excited all day because we thought that he was coming home that morning. Although he was delayed a few hours, that gave us time to make some fun signs to welcome him home. We had just gotten home the night before from our trip up North to see Gigi, Papa, and Mo! 

Welcome HOME daddy!

We love you!

The dramatic run and hug. It was so sweet!

KB gave his daddy a sweet hug. They were so happy their daddy was home again!

While daddys away...

While Drew was gone on his mission trip, I decided to take the babes to Indiana for a chance to visit with their Gigi, Papa, and Aunt Mo. I thought it'd help break up the week especially for Kerrington, and it was a success! It definitey did that!

Thankfully, I had my brother Aaron to ride up with me. If he hadn't been there, our trip would have been 24 hours rather than 11.5. We had a great couple of days and lemme tell you, we.were.spoiled!

Just a warning, lots of pics ahead!

First things first, babes needed a bath after that looong ride! Compliments of Gigi and Mo!

Mo had her very own hair stylist while we were there!

Zoo day!

K and Aunt Mo!

K and her buddy...she has met this guy before, she tried to offer her sucker, he wasn't thrilled.

KB was givin Gigi an lil lovin'

Checkin out the fishies!

Thank goodness for splash parks at the zoo!

Um, he's cute. And he knows it.

Spoiled again....Gigi bought K a 'taptoo' right after she bought her an icee

K loved meeting her cousin Maddie!

KB and K with Dobbie and Mae, two of their favs!

Saturday was pool day at Robins!

K and her buddy, Mal!

Mal, K, KB and Conner enjoying a snack.

KB hitched a ride!



We had such a fun time! It went by so quickly but it sure was great!  We left Sunday for the drive home and Aunt Mo came with us, so I had extra help on the way home! Yay!

Walk a little slower Daddy

'Walk a little slower Daddy' said a child so small. 'I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall. Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see; so walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me. Someday when I'm all grown up, you're what I want to be; then I will have a child who'll want to follow me. Annd I wouldn wan to lead just right, and know that I was true; so, walk a little slower Daddy, for I must follow you.'

Happy Father's Day Daddy! We love you!

Skirtin around

KB just follows his sister around all day. He often will follow exactly in her footsteps and do what she does. Hence the pictures above...sissy put on a skirt and like any loving sister would, she got one out for her brother for a little dress up fun!

Tent Fun!

What do you do with two under 3 to not get them bored? Make a tent...inside! The attention span of these two didn't last too long but it sure was fun while it lasted!

Kerrington at The Zoo 2010/2012

Our girl riding the Carousel. There is a little over two years difference in these pictures. How does time fly so quickly!?

Happy 18 Months Kellan

Kellan! You are 18 months old today! Half way to 2! What?! I just can't believe it! You are becoming a toddler, and doing what most toddlers do. You run, laugh, pull the toilet paper off the roll, play in Ollie's water bowl, dance, fall, and much more! I definitely have noticed a difference in your disposition from your sisters. Let's just say, you're less strong willed than she is. Don't get me wrong, you've got a bit of a temper at times, but not quite near what she did at this age. You follow your sissy around where ever she goes, and (try to) do everything she does. I hope you remain this close throughout your entire lives. You have a special bond with her that's like no other.

Here's what you've been up to lately:

• You weigh about 26 pounds.
• You stopped nursing between 16 and 17 months. You had only been nursing before naps and bedtime for a few months, and after your 15 month check-up the doctor nixed the nighttime nursing, so we worked on that and then naps, you didn't put up too much of a fight.
• You eat what most toddlers eat, pretty picky about the veggies, but we can slip a few in every once in while.
• Here are some words you say, "Hi", "Bye", "Dada", "Momma", "Papaw", "Sissy", "Ollie", "Gigi", "Ball", "Book"
• You sure have stolen your mama's heart (shh! don't tell dada). Often, when I pick you up, you'll lay your head on my shoulder for a solid minute or so. It melts my heart every time.
• You also hand out kisses often, open mouthed even!
• You will say 'hi' and 'bye' to anyone you meet, sounds like your daddy.
• You smooze papaw out of a few malted milk balls whenever we stop by his house. You know exactly where they are kept and point them out or go get them yourself.
• You do really well at church. You get a little sad whenever you're dropped off to class, but once you're back there you forget all about that and have fun!
• You love the pool and are fearless....like your sissy. Thank goodness for flotation devices!
• You pray...it's the cutest thing ever. We ask you to fix your hands, and you clasp them together. This only lasts for a few seconds before you're ready to eat, but at least you've got the concept!

We love you sweet, precious boy! You're a gift from above! We pray that God will bless you and keep you, that His face will shine upon you and be gracious toward you, that He may turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Jacksonville FUN!

We decided to take a weekend trip to Jacksonville since Drew had the weekend off! It's Saturday night and we've had a blast so far! This weekend together with just us as a family has been heaven sent.

Our first stop (and our most important in my opinion) was to Chipotle. To say that it is my favorite, it an understatement. After lunch, we were searching for a museum to take the kids to. One is the searches we made brought us to the 'Hands On Children's Museum'. It was a bit creepy. Thank goodness we found MOSH. We spent the afternoon at a real children's museum.

Our dinner choice was The Cheesecake Factory. After dinner we headed to our hotel and took a quick dip in the pool before bed.

Saturday's agenda: The Jacksonville Zoo! It was such a fun day packed full of birthday parties for gorillas, train rides, lorakeet feelings, stingrays, carousels, elephants, Mr. Kevin from kids church, and much more! We ended our day with another favorite: California Pizza Kitchen. What a day. This weekend has been packed full of memories. My kind of weekend!