A Few Firsts and then some.....

Where does time go? Seriously, I have so many memories to share just from September and October and it seems like I never have enough time to share them. The last few months have been wonderful. We have again spent many weekends with each other and family. Our little man has also done a few things that he has never done before like the circus, Halloween Hay ride, and a professional baseball game! He has also done a few things that he has done before like going to the zoo and making the newspaper!

Here we are at the circus:

Pony ride at the Halloween Hay ride:

Halloween Hay ride with dad:

First professional baseball game with Peepaw and mommy:

And here comes the then some part....

Here is our little man making the local newspaper! The first time he made the paper he was hunting for Easter Eggs, this time his Mema Alberts sent this photo into the newspaper. Looks like Papa and the little man made the cut!

Nana came to visit at the end of August-beginning of September. We spent some quality time together and even had a chance to go to the zoo together! We loved seeing you Nana and we already miss you so much!

Idlewild Park

August 8th and 9th we took our first family trip. We couldn't have picked a better first place for a family trip. Idlewild Park was everything I hoped it would be and was completely and totally toddler friendly. As a matter of fact, Eddie could go on most of the rides and even tried one of the adult slides in the water park section. He also went in the WAVE pool, which he absolutely loved. Thank god I brought his life vest because he charged right at the waves without an ounce of fear. I was more of a bystander and caretaker on the trip but that was okay because my two guys had so much fun together! We played games, rode roller coasters, swam, climbed up big giant spider nets, jumped in balls, walked through storybook forest and we all enjoyed each other.
Here is a picture of my two guys riding the coaster:

After our first day at the park, we went back to the hotel to get some well needed rest. It was Eddie's first stay in hotel so you can imagine how excited he was. He check over the room very thoroughly to make sure everything was good to go. He kept checking every nook and crannie until it was time for bed. He was so cute! We will definitely be going back for some more fun next summer!

Here are a few more pictures of our trip:

My personal favorite:

Yes! Eddie went down this water slide with daddy!

Eddie made it around the whole track using just his arms:

Bumper cars. Need I say more?

Hanging with dad:

Jumping monkey!

My what big teeth you have!

Jack and the Bean Stalk:

Daddy as the Little Engine that Could: "I think I can!"

Favorite Family Moments of Summer 2011 so far.....

The summer weather has been so hot and humid that there are only two places the little man and I have wanted to be and that is with family or in the water! Eddie has had so much fun in the water that I even bought a pass to the city pool even though we have are very own pool in our backyard (he has more fun in water he can stand in!). Anyway, below are a few of my favorite family moments of summer 2011 so far......

At the water park with Peepaw and Grandma Mueller~ We had so much fun. Eddie was not afraid to swim and even went under the water with Peepaw!

Fishing at Peepaw Mueller's house-- Now when we go out to Peepaw's we have to ride the tractor and fish!

Me and all of my Mueller cousins- We had a Mueller family reunion this summer. It was great to see all of my cousins. We had a blast in the sun and Eddie loved playing with all of his cousins and is beginning to understand that all family is special and important!

Eddie is fishing with cousin PJ and Zack:

Playing with cousin PJ in the pool~ Eddie definitely bounded with cousin PJ to the point where this mommy actually got to sit down and visit with the rest of the family~

Fourth of July weekend: Eddie"s first time fishing in Peepaw's pond with Daddy!

The three of us being silly at the Fourth of July fireworks~

One of my favorite pictures of the summer:

Cruising around in the paddle boat with dad!

And Yes! My parent's (Peepaw and Grandma Mueller's) house has been the place to be this summer when it comes to spending time with family! And what a great time we have had! There is only one person who we have missed dearly this summer and that is Nana. Nana Dresp moved to N.C. in early May so it has been a couple of months since we have seen her. She will be coming to visit at the end of August and I know there will be a couple more pictures to add to my favorite family moments of summer 2011 so far......

BBA (Bad Blogger Anonymous)

Hi, My name is Danielle and it's been almost two months since my last post. I am writing today because I cannot believe I let that much time go by without even posting a simple picture of my beautiful three year old son! I could probably come up with thousand and one reasons why I haven't been able to update this page but I am not going to. For some reason, I just haven't been motivated. I am here today to change that motivation problem.
So much has happened in the last two months including scary and sad moments. My hubby (insert scary moments here) went through two surgeries. One hernia surgery and then a neck surgery to remove some strange infection that there was no explanation for. He was down, as far as physical labor goes and being able to lift anything, for the entire month of May. Since the surgeries he has recovered without issue and is now healthy and back to his usual self! In between my hubby's surgeries, my mom went through a tough time of her own and had to move out of her house. I went over to her house to help her pack and move stuff when I could. Needless to say, the month of May was busy and tough for this mommy. My mom ended up moving to North Carolina right after the little man's third birthday party and in between my hubby's surgeries. We did get to spend mother's day together which was wonderful but sad at the same time because it was super tough to say goodbye. We miss you Nana!
As for the little man and I, well we tried to help daddy out during the month of May, finished up our year at school and daycare, and have been having a blast so far this summer together. We have gone to birthday parties of friends and cousins. We all went up to the cabin in the mountains and our little man even caught his first fish at peepaw Mueller's house. The little man is tearing up his new bike, catching tadpoles like crazy, and just enjoying life and being three. He is such a bright little boy and has so much personality. At the age of three he already knows his mommy's phone number, can count to at least 12 without mistakes, and can sing his ABC's when he wants to share that he does in fact know how to sing the song!Sho.... I am glad I finally got motivated to update this page! No more BBA for me!

Zero Gravity Birthday Party

The Zero Gravity birthday party was a success! There were a few bumped heads and a couple of tears but overall the kids had a fantastic time jumping around in the bounce houses. They also enjoyed pizza, cake, and watching Eddie open his presents too! Eddie is so blessed to have so many family members and friends that love him so much. Thank you everyone for making his day so special!

Here are a few pictures of the group:
Our baby (okay big boy) getting ready to blow out his candles and make a wish!Blowing out his birthday candles. The look on his face before, during, and after blowing out his candles were absolutely precious!

Happy Third Birthday!

How can you be three already? It seems like just yesterday you were born. You have brought so much joy to mommy and daddy's lives. You are the most amazing little boy, so smart, so determined, so strong, and so loving. We have had so much fun together this third year of your life. We have gone to live shows like the Wiggles, Barney, and Disney on ICE. You have learned how to play soccer and swim (well sort of). You have climbed to the top of bounce houses all on your own and fly down the driveway on your tricycle like a mad man. On nights that it is nice out, your daddy takes you for wheeler rides which is by far one of your favorite things to do! And we have spent many nights just watching movies and playing at home together as a family. We love you so much and are so very proud of you. When you look back at these pictures just know that mommy and daddy cherished each moment with you and will always hold these moments close to our hearts. Happy Birthday! Love, Mommy and Daddy

Palm Sunday

Every year its tradition that the Alberts side of the family gets together for East dinner on Palm Sunday. And we did, but only on Saturday this year because two out of the three (boys) grandchildren have an important Boy Scout event to attend today. Good luck at the car derby boys!!! Anyway, our get together yesterday was very enjoyable. Eddie is now at the age where he can play with his cousins and actually have a lot of fun. He is also able to run around the house to find Easter eggs just as well as his cousins (with some help)! We eat some great allergy friendly food (one of the cousins has many food allergies), enjoyed each others company, hunted for eggs, opened Easter baskets (AND CANDY- Eddies favorite) and even played outside for a little while.

We also took a group photo that has been a long time coming.

Here is the normal bunch:

Here is the goofy bunch:

Easter Bunny

Here is our Eddie with the Easter Bunny:

With Easter only a week away, let the festivities begin! We are off to Mema and Papa Alberts today for an Easter celebration with the Alberts side of the family, Easter morning brunch with Nana and then off to Peepaw and Grandma Mueller's Easter afternoon. We are looking forward to coloring eggs, egg hunts and Easter baskets galore!

Spring Break

Spring break has come and gone once again. This year it was just Eddie and I for the whole week. All grandparents were either working or out of town and Eddie's cousins and friends had school because their spring breaks fall on different weeks then ours this year. So, Eddie and I took advantage of our time together this week. Each day we did something fun (and exhausting)! On Monday we had a breakfast play date with Eddie's buddy Anothony that turned into a lunch date as well. We ended our date at McDonald's play land.

Eddie and Anthony at McD's:

On Tuesday, Eddie and I went to the Natural History Museum. We walked the museum to view the many exhibits from dinosaurs to the extreme animals and then finished our tour in the discovery zone for kids. Eddie discovered the same fossil for an hour and loved every minute of it. When he was not discovering the dinosaur fossil he was holding turtle shells and petting the furs of a coyote, beaver, and possum. Here are a few pictures of our day:

On Wednesday, I took Eddie for a birthday haircut. Or at least that's what I kept calling it. And I think calling it a birthday haircut worked because he actually sat in the chair and let the stylist cut his hair.

After Eddie got his haircut we went to the mall to buy his Easter outfit and had a lunch date. We were having such a good time and such a good day that we decided (Eddie) Chucky Cheese should be our last stop of the day. So, of to Chucky Cheese we went. 60 tokens later we were back in the car and on our way home.

Thursday we went to the zoo with our friends Amy and Chloe. At first, Eddie was not thrilled about going to the zoo but eventually he warmed up and ended up having so much fun with Chloe! Here they are together:

We finished our spring break activities on Friday at a bounce house. Eddie conquered the mountain and the big boy slide all by himself. He was so proud and so excited that I could barely get him out of the establishment to come home with me. The minute we got in the car I heard, "Mom. Please we go again?" I said, "Of course we will honey but not right now. Mommy is tired." And I was after our full week together but I wouldn't have wanted our spring break to be anything other than what it was. We had a terrific week together.