Breakfast with Santa

Mom & Ron took us out to Kishwaukee Country Club to do breakfast with Santa. They had a brunch, so we all got some good food, then went over to the main event. Andrew did just fine waiting in line, watching the other kids get their toys from this stranger. He watched them all sit on his lap and tell them what they wanted. When it was his turn...I think the picture explains it best!






We got him calmed down & gave him some of the toys out of his goodie bag to play with & all was good!

I elfed us!

I've been trying to elf myself all day today, what with internet problems and so on it's been crazy annoying! I figured out the internet problem, and finally got elfed! Check it out!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9630410257

Florida

Every year in October / November I go to Florida for John Deere training. Mom & Ron have a house very near the training site and they are there for the duration of training, so I am able to bring Andrew with & mom watches him during the day. This year I got to go with our friend Charlie who has been a friend of Mike's for a very long time and also works at Ehlers. The flight down went well - Andrew was awake but in a good mood & fell asleep when we landed - just like on our trip to Colorado! We got home & settled in before we headed to the beach to play in the sand and eat at the sandbar restaurant. Andrew had a blast playing with his toys in the sand, and I even let Charlie walk him into the water a little bit (even though he didn't have a life vest on!) I don't think I could say which beach event Andrew liked most - digging in the sand with his shovel, running up to the water, pushing his truck - every single thing he did made me wish I lived on the beach so he could have that much fun every single day! He was so cute when a wave would come in - he would stand sideways and put one foot up as if to stop it! We would pick him up and swing him out of harms way & he just loved it! The next day we got to go out on Ron's boat. We went to a restaurant on Cabbage Key (or something) which is the restaurant where Jimmy Buffett allegedly wrote the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" about. All the burgers were served medium, and you could only get cole slaw or potato salad as any side. And their kids menu - grilled cheese! It was a great lunch, but it was humorous how simple it all was (especially for me who substitutes everything!) Andrew loved the boat - every time we would move, he would crawl up into my lap, put his head on my shoulder and go to sleep. When we weren't moving, he was up and running around - as much as he could! The next day Charlie and I started training, and the next three days went by very quickly. Our last night there mom & Ron had some friends over & we played poker and other betting games all night. I got a great hand of pocket aces, but my poker face gave it away. I tried to bluff the same way a couple hands later, and Charlie called me on it and won. Once Texas holdem was over, we played some other games, and I somehow managed to win some money! Our flight back wasn't so easy. Andrew should have fallen asleep on take off and didn't so he was awake & fussy the whole way home except for about 1/2 hour when he did sleep. There was a nasty old guy in front of me who kept banging his seat back at me because my fussy toddler knocked the tray with his head a couple times. Oh well - you can't win them all, and the trip was a blast!

Missy

So, I know this seems to be the Andrew blog, but there is more going on around here than just him - briefly I know, but it happens. Mike & I noticed that our cat's bathroom habits were not normal (without going into a whole lot of detail). It actually started before we left for Colorado, so she was on an antibiotic for a UTI, and was supposed to be done with her meds the day we left, but they wanted to recheck her. Of course, there was still an infection, so our friend Sarah got to give Missy her pill twice a day (Sarah, who is allergic to cats - bless her heart!). So, we get home, finish up the meds, and she is still having problems. I made an appointment with her doctor because now this was 3 weeks worth, and she wasn't getting any better & I didn't want some doctor I didn't know to just put her on more antibiotics. He agreed with me that it was time to look at something else. That something else we needed to look at were BLADDER STONES! So, Missy had surgery a couple days before Andrew & I left for Florida. It was a pretty invasive surgery. I got to go visit her (and almost passed out in the room!) and she came home the next day. She wasn't supposed to jump or have that much activity. There is so much activity around here (especially with Andrew - he loves her!) that we decided to keep her shut in the 3rd bedroom. None of the furniture is tall & it is so nice and warm in this room. She wasn't too happy about it, but she was on kitty morphine most of the time, so she was pretty loopy and passed out anyway. She's back to normal now & is on a special diet for the rest of her life! I don't even want to say what the vet bill was! I know I could have had so many free cats for the amount....but they wouldn't have been my Miss!!!

HALLOWEEN!

What a fun day! Mike, Laurie & I started out trick or treating with Andrew the Monkey & Liam the fireman at Grandma & Grandpa Sambrookes's house. It has been a tradition of ours to stop there with the boys before heading out, and I think everyone enjoys it. From there, Mike & I went to his parents house so his mom could get some pictures. We were only there for a few minutes. She was dressed as a very scary witch & Andrew cried everytime we took a step away so she could get a picture! So, back in the car we go to come home - Laurie & Liam met us - and we were off to trick or treat around our neighborhood. Liam did great going door to door, asking "trick or treat" and saying thank you. Andrew did a good job of walking - made it to a couple doors by himself, but had trouble leaving the houses! He was more entertained with sitting on everyone's steps! We tried to get him to say something that sounded like trick or treat, but he wouldn't. At one point, Mike & I walked him up to a door, said trick or treat, got the candy and left. At that point I decided we were just asking for candy, so if Andrew didn't go up to a door, we just stayed back! The boys got a lot of great candy, and had so much fun!


Liam the Fireman

Andrew the monkey

Oooh...candy!!

After a long day of trick or treating!

Pumpkin Patch

Laurie and I decided to take the boys to the pumpkin patch this year. We had an absolutely beautiful day! There were lots of activities for the boys - straw maze, a wooden John Deere tractor, sand box, straw climing hill, and a hay ride! I think the highlight of their day was the sand box, but I'd hate to say I paid money to get into a place for a sand box! They got to run around plenty though. Liam did great going through the straw mazes, though I couldn't draw Andrew away from the tractor long enough to see if he would go through it! The hay ride was short, and not quite as eventful as we thought it would be, but I think both boys liked seeing the tractor. Out in the field we got to see lots of pumpkins. I tried to stage a picture similar to last years with Andrew & the pumpkins, but everytime I tried a picture, he would cry. Even a kiss from Liam didn't cheer him up! All in all the boys had fun, and so did we, so it was a successful outing!

Johnson's Mound

In early fall I decided I wanted to do something a little different with Andrew than our normal walks to the park & playing inside. What could I do? Then, I remembered a beautiful forest preserve park called Johnson's Mound in Elburn. So, I packed up Andrew & Holly and off we went. Andrew loved it! There is lots of walking and exploring to do & Holly loved to be outside running around off leash (for the most part!) Of course, her leash was on her in case of other people or cars so I could grab her quickly...plus Andrew thinks it's a riot to walk her! Andrew loved looking at EVERYTHING - leaves, sticks, rocks - and he loved being able to run around not having to hold my hand the whole time so that he could climb on things and explore the forest floor. We did this twice & had an absolutely wonderful time. It is definitley on my list of things to do when the weather turns nice again!

Andrew walking Holly

She got away - SO SAD!


Having a blast!


Climing on a fallen tree!

Long time no post!

Yes, I'm still here, for the few of you who read this blog!!! We've been crazy busy & been having major internet problems which makes posting very difficult. Stay tuned though, and I will have updates on nature trips, our trip to Florida, Halloween & probably Thanksgiving...everything to catch up the last month and a half! Hopefully I'll be able to get to it this weekend, as long as the internet cooperates!

New Robe, Please

Okay, so this is just funny...I was getting Andrew ready for his bath & found a robe hanging in his closet, so I decided to put it on him just to see how it fit. It was one of the cutest things! I think it's time we buy the boy a new robe!

Scarecrow Fest

This weekend was Scarecrow Fest in St Charles, and we thought it would be fun for Andrew to go. We found a relatively close parking spot & went to walk around and look at the crafts. I decided I must not be too crafty as I, with money in hand, could not find anything to buy! Maybe we were looking at the wrong booths! Andrew was already getting fussy & he was red because he was so hot! We went in search of a sno cone for him to cool him down & give him a little treat. Success! And, he (and Mike) absolutely loved it! We walked over by the rides to see if there was anything he would be big enough to go on. We were wishing his cousin Liam was with us, because there were quite a few I think he would have enjoyed, but we weren't so sure he'd remain seated...hence the "big brother" would have been very handy! We opted for the carosaul, because Mike was able to ride with him. My motion sickness has crippled me on such rides! I stood on the side to take pictures of the first carnival ride (and even just watching the thing go round and round was almost enough to do me in!). Andrew loved it so much he didn't want to get off! We then made our way up to the pumpkins to look around, but by this time - after spending an hour and a half in 90 some degrees & humid, Andrew was done, so we bypassed the pumpkins, got a couple caramel apples & headed home. Kind of a quick trip, but at least we got that carnival ride in!

Seeing my baby!!

I suppose there always comes a time when a mom misses seeing her "baby" as this child is growing older by the second! Andrew is turning into such a little boy as he loves to show us what he has learned, what he can do, and tries to imitate new things. A couple weeks ago some friends of ours had a couple & their baby stay with them. To save them the trouble of bringing down baby things, I offered Andrew's things he no longer uses for them to borrow for the weekend. One of the things I dug out was his bouncy seat, which he loved as an infant. We put it away when he was starting to try to sit on his own & about falling out of it. Once the seat was back home, he had a newfound love of his old toy...and I got to see my baby again!

Our Trip to Denver

This year, Mike & I took Andrew to Denver, Colorado to meet our friends Katie & Jesse and their two kids Siven and Adelane. We haven't seen Siven since he was 11 months old, and it was our first time meeting 5 month old Addie. It was so wonderful to see them, and Andrew had a great time! It would have been a little better if only Andrew would have slept a little for us, but the days were fun despite his exhaustion!

Day One:

Andrew's first plane ride since he was 4 months old! We thought he would be so excited, since he loves to point out every airplane that flys by in the sky. Who knew the highlight of the airport was going to be the moving walkway? Andrew did wonderfully on the plane, though he did not take a nap until we landed! We made it off the plane and to baggage claim until he finally woke up, which gave him about a 45 minute nap. This was my first experience of the high altitude. I couldn't figure out why I was winded until Katie reminded us of the thinner air! I thought it was just because I haven't carried a sleeping baby for that long in quite some time! We got to Katie & Jesse's, and were able to get settled into our room & spend some time outside talking before Jesse got home from work with Siven and Addie! It was my first time holding the sweet baby girl & I didn't want to let go! Andrew didn't seem to mind as he was quite entertained meeting his new friend, Siven, and getting to play with all Siven's toys which he was so nicely sharing!

Ooohh...the moving walkway!

Katie & Addie ............................Andrew on Siven's Trike

Day Two:

Andrew got up at 4:30 (I think) and was up for the day...it may have been 5:30...I can't quite remember. I was needing a little caffine, so Mike and I walked to a coffee shop and down to a little park in town so Andrew could play on the playground. We got back to Katie & Jesse's, had some lunch & put the kids down for a nap. When everyone was awake, Katie, Siven, Addie, Mike, Andrew & I walked to the Denver Zoo. Jesse got off work early & met us there. Since it was 4:00 on a Friday afternoon when we got there, there were hardly any people & we were able to let Andrew walk by himself most of the time we were there. We got to see some very exciting things, since it was a beautiful day & most the animals were awake. We got to see two lion cubs playing, a tiger pacing by the glass, the giraffes running around, some wierd animal trying to jump the little ditch thing to eat some leaves and got to hear a cheetah voice his opinion. At the inside monkey exhibit, Andrew got scared when one of the little ones kept jumping at him through the glass. So funny! It was way more activity than we got to see at the overly crowded Brookfield zoo when it was so hot all the animals were sleeping!


I think those are zebras......... Big bear, little bear!................ The Cheetah voicing his opinion!

Tiger Walking! ..........................We think he wanted Siven! .........Cubs Playing!

"This way Guys!"

Day Three:

Saturday night, Katie was able to score some amazing tickets to the Avalanche game (hockey). The seats were 7 rows back from the ice. How cool! We took the beginning part of the day & drove the kids up into the mountains. We stopped in a little mountain town (the name escapes me) and did some shopping, and had a fabulous lunch at the rudest German restaurant! "He hasn't carried apple juice in 10 years!). I think Jesse made him mad when he ordered his brat without sourkraut & then I ordered the all American Chicken sandwich (which they jokingly refered to as a chili cheese dog!). We continued up the mountains and got to see some fabulous views. At the top of where we went (again, the name escapes me) we were going to get out and do some hiking, but the temperature had dropped from 80 some degrees in Denver to 52 degrees & windy. We decided to leave the kids in the car, but I was still able to get some great pictures. At some point while we were there, Siven decided to call Andrew "Connor". Katie kept trying to get him to stop, telling him that calling someone by another name is rude. But, when Siven kept saying "bye-bye Connor" to which Andrew would bust out laughing - it was hard to tell him to stop! Anyway, we continued on our journey to the town of Conifur where Jesse's parents live. They very graciously agreed to watch all three kids for us so we could have a night out at the hockey game! We got Andrew & Siven set up with dinner and snuck out of the house. We got to the hockey game & it was amazing! This was the first pro hockey game I had ever been to, and it was so exciting. Jesse explained to me the whole blue line thing, which I started to understand by the time the game was over. It still kind of looks like there are always people everywhere. We didn't get to see any fights, but it was still exciting!

...........The beautiful colors!.......................... "Bye Bye Connor!"

...........Cute Boys!...............................


.............Views from the top!........................

Day Four:

Getting to wake up in the mountains has got to be one of the most breathtaking things I have ever experienced. I don't think my pictures can truely capture what it looks like to have the sun reflect off the mountains to make them look like they are absolutely glowing! Dottie (Jesse's mom) cooked us an amazing breakfast, and we hit the road shortly after to head home. On the way back, we stopped at red rocks, which is a concert hall that has been formed out of natural rocks. The acoustics are amazing! There were a lot of stairs to get to the top & Jesse convinced me it would be worth it in the end to make it all the way up to get to see the views...he was right! It was such a clear day, you could see downtown Denver & the Denver airport, which I'm guessing were at least 30 miles away (correct me if I'm wrong, Katie!). Andrew got to ride in Siven & Addie's backpack on the way up & Mike was lucky enough to carry him. He loved being outside though, and it was totally relaxing. We got home & cleaned up quick before Katie & Jesse's friends came over with their son who is about 1 month younger than Andrew. We had a bunch of finger foods & got to watch the Broncos win! The Rockies won their game too, which forced a 1 game tie breaker on Monday!

..............Waking up in the mountains!.........................

Andrew in the backpack! ....................Views from the top of Red Rocks!.........


Red Rocks........................... Family Pic............................ How do I get that ride?!

Day Five:

Katie & Jesse had to go to work, leaving Mike & I on our own for the day. We took our time getting going in the morning, and went to the Denver Aquarium in the afternoon after Andrew got up from his nap. We got to take the bus into downtown Denver & walked the 16th street mall, which was very cool. It is a road that is only open to pedestrians and shuttle busses, so you can take your time walking the strip with all kinds of shops and restaruants. A couple parks later (which were so beautiful and peaceful) and we were at the aquarium. Once again, not a lot of people are there at 4:00 on a Monday afternoon, so we really got to take our time looking at all the tanks! Andrew didn't quite know what to think! I had to show him that there was glass between him and the fish, because they were really freaking him out. Their tropical display featured a live tiger which was moving around a little bit. It also had a fake orangatang, which Andrew was entranced with! We got to see some otters which were doing backflips off the glass for about 5 minutes! When we got to the end - a huge tank with sharks & fish - there was a 13 month old baby girl who had no fear going up to the glass. Andrew saw this & immediately followed suit, and ooohed and ahhed over the sharks swimming by. Our day at the aquarium was over & it was dinner time so Mike & I ate at a little restaurant outside. We ended up having to run for the bus to get back & got there in time to see it pulling away. We called Katie before we tried to get on another bus...good thing! Apparently, if you need to go East, you can't just get on the Westbound bus & wait for it to loop around! We would have been half way back to Conifur if we had gotten on that bus! A half hour later, we were able to catch the right bus home. We got to Katie & Jesse's, put Andrew down, and watched the Rockies win their tie-breaker game. We did get to sit outside for a little bit and talk some more. What a great day to end our trip! We forgot our camera this day, so believe it or not NO PICTURES!!

Day Six:

Home we come! Katie dropped us off at the airport & Andrew was finally excited to see the planes! The little guy was so exhausted, he fell asleep before we were even fully in the air & didn't wake up until after we landed in Chicago. We had dinner with mom, Laurie & Liam, did some laundry & went to bed. We were all tired! After 6 days of that much excitement, who wouldn't be!

Boys in the bath! ................................. "Da!" (plane...da is everything!)

Thank you again, to Katie & Jesse for opening your house to us and letting us stay with you. We loved spending time with you and your family & can't wait to make the trip again! Good luck in the next couple weeks getting everything put together for Siven's 3rd birthday & Addie's baptism!