We live in Kansas

So this big map is in Drew's room above his bed and we started by just showing him where we live. The yellow state - Kansas. I love the way he says it. He also knows that Uncle Bryce and Aunt Tammy live in Kansas too. Then we moved on to where Nana, Papa, Uncle Brett and Aunt Anne, Grandma and George and Grandpa Corky live. Most days he will say Missouri. He also know Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas (that is where mommy lives). Andy told him I used to live in Arkansas and now Drew says that is where I live when he means use to live.

The other day Drew said "mom come to my room quick" which would make you think some sort of urgent matter, but he just wanted me to watch him jump on his bed. Yes, I let him jump on his bed and my bed. I think it scares my mom to death, but Drew knows to be careful. He will say "be careful, it is quite a drop." Any way I am playing with Jilli on his floor and watching him jump and he says "we live in Kansas, actually it is called Kansas City." I called Andy in to hear him say it and Andy says that he has told him we live near Kansas City so that must me where he got it. I was pretty impressed and it made me laugh.

First Day of School

So Monday was Andy's first day back to school and I had this big plan to take the kids picture with daddy and their new Washburn shirts. Well things didn't go as planned, image that These little ones have been sleeping in later and later. What used to be a 5:00 - 6:30a wake up call has become most days between 7:00 - 8:00a. Yes, they still go to bed between 7:00 - 8:00 p. Most night they sleep about 12 hours straight. Amazing from where we were a year ago with Jillian. The whole sleeping more will probably make this year a little easier for Andy than last. So the kids were just getting up as Andy left for school. So once we actually got out of the pajamas I decided to take some pictures of the two of them together. Drew was being super sweet with his sister and following my instruction for some reason. So I am taking all these pics and I go back and look through them and they are all blurry. Funny because I asked Andy to fix the camera for me a couple days ago. So even though they are blurry I still thought they were cute enough to share. Jilli looks a little scary in a couple.

This would have been the cutest picture if it didn't look like mommy the photographer was drunk. Drew giving Jilli a smooch and squeeze.

If you can imagine these were the least blurry pictures. The other ones would have had to come with a warning label - "looking at picture may cause vertigo and nausea."

Tib-uh-low Days

After rekikling Saturday we went to Tiblow Days in Bonner Springs. It is their founding father festival thing. We parked by the carnival, so that was the first stop. It started bad, when I asked if he wanted to ride the rides he said yes, but didn't want to wait to get tickets or wait our turn in line. Poor guy, it is a hard concept to get. Drew and Andy rode the carousel first and Drew repeated over and over "get me down!" Obviously not his fav, but then he rode the plane and he really liked being a pilot and he got to choose the green plane. (you will notice a theme for the day).

Then we found the pirate ship and for those of you that don't know Drew loves pirates! I was a little leery of it, because all the kids walking through this obstacle course were older than Drew. But he met the height requirements and the pirate carni collecting the tickets didn't say anything about his age, so in he went.

He went through some tunnels and under some rope obstacles.

He had to climb up a ramp and jump into the balls, then make his way to the other side of the ball pit. Making his way through the balls was the difficult part, but he did it. Then it is a big climb onto another ramp that takes you to the upper deck. I didn't see it going smoothly, so I am asking an older boy to help him up and as I am talking he puts hands up on the platform and then straightens his arms and lift himself out of the balls onto the ramp. I was completely amazed, what a strong little guy.

At the top you walk across a bridge then...

down a big slide. My big boy made it. He had the choice to use his last 3 tickets on the planes again or the pirate ship and of course he chose the latter. The second round didn't go as smoothly and there was a lady helping her two year old through and she helped him across the ball pit and onto the ramp. When he was done he wanted to do it again - not a chance. That caused a small fit. Jilli was content to watching all the action from the stroller.

Bonner Springs Fire Department had the trucks and equipment out for everyone to look at. I think Drew would have like it more if he still wasn't mad about leaving the carnival. He did calm down when we pointed out the ladders stretched out on top. The other day we were at a red light and a truck had a ladder on the back and Drew asked if it was a fire truck. The reasoning of a 2 year old is amusing. Firetrucks have a ladder on top, so a truck with a ladder therefore is a fire truck. It makes some sense.

We started walking the streets of booths and the walking ducks caught Drew's eye. $4.00 to make my little man happy was worth it. He had the choice - yellow or green and he chose green. He was so adorable walking that duck down the streets. Andy took a great picture, didn't he.

The high school choir was doing fundraising by face painting, so we gave it a shot. Drew was a crack up. He was leaning into her and was holding very still and the hammed it up when he was looking at his star in the mirror. Everyone got a kick out of him.

My Star-Cheeked Sneech

Jilli got a pink heart that was almost immediately smeared. Oh well.

After lunch Drew had his first snow cone and he had the choice of what kind. Guess which kind he picked. GREEN!! I don't know if it is his favorite color or favorite color of the day or if it was because we rekikled that morning. Who knows?

Drew had such a good time. On the way home he said "I want to go to Tib-uh-low days AGAIN." The way he says it is so cute.

Rekikling

One of our summer projects was to begin recycling (or as Drew calls is - rekikling). Sadly it has taken having children and wanting to instill certain things in them for us to be consistent recyclers. It is amazing the difference in amount of trash that we put out each week after we started this project. Imagine the difference the day the Roberts family goes diaperless. If Jilli is anything like her brother, that day is far far away. Drew likes throwing the things in the dumpsters. The volunteers there get a kick out of Drew too.

Little Boy Bryce and Baby Reese

Friday after I got off work we went for a road trip to Walnut Grove to visit my friend Shelly and her two little ones. I have been wanting to visit for a long time. I just kept debating if I could do it by myself on a Friday after being up all night, so when we found out Andy had two weeks off before school started I emailed Shelly to see if we could come for a visit. The last time I saw Shelly and Bryce it was a couple weeks before Jillian was born. Her little boy, Bryce is 3 month older than Drew and her little girl, Reese is 3 month younger than Jilli. If only we lived closer, they would all be the perfect playmates.

We are so jealous of a room that's purpose is a play room. We have a name for that at the Roberts' house, it is called the living room. Drew calls the downstairs the play room. That kid loves to play down there, I guess it is just different toys that he plays with all the time.
On the way Drew and I were talking about where we were going, I told him the day before and we looked and Bryce and Reese's picture. So we are riding along and he ask where we are going, I say "to visit Bryce and Reese" and Drew says "yeah and Tammy (Uncle Bryce's wife)." So I we started calling Bryce Davis, little boy Bryce to keep him separate in Drew's little mind from Uncle Bryce.
Little boy Bryce had some very cool motorized vehicle in his garage. The problem is that Drew doesn't have much driving experience, so Andy had to stay close to him to make sure he didn't crash into anything.

Jilli was following Drew and as soon as she was about to reach him he would take off. Once she made a reach for the back of the gator and he took off and she fell, Andy said it was like a cartoon scene. Drew was not being ornery on purpose just trying to learn how to drive.

Drew and Jilli cruisin. Andy looks distressed in this picture, imagine what it will be like when he is sixteen, yikes!

We when first got there Reese had just woke up from her nap and then all these new people were in her house. She was clinging to her mommy and then once she sat down to play, Jillian came over and took her binky out of her mouth. That caused a small meltdown. Very confusing for the bean, they have the same kind of binkies. After Reese woke up and had some lunch she warmed up to us strangers.

Bryce and Drew playing.

Before we left that morning we dropped the girls off at the vet to be groomed. We had to pick them up by 5:00, which seemed like plenty of time. But we had so much fun at the Davis' that time flew and before we knew it, we were running behind. We made it to the vet right at 5:00 and the girls had to ride home in the car with us. Bailey rode between the kid's car seats and 90 lb Lucy rode on my lap. I am sure we looked ridiculous, oh well. We had a wonderful visit and I hope that they will come up to see us sometime. The next morning Drew said "I miss little boy Bryce." :)

Shopping and T-Rex

Last Thursday we went to Legends to do a little shopping. Andy needed some shorts, girls at work had birthdays, Kyle's birthday is coming up and we had to get a baby gift for Reese who is going to be one in October (better late than never, right?). The Legends is a out door shopping area and in the middle of all the stores is a very cool fountain that both of the kids loved. Jilli got out of her stroller and was walking around squealing in excitement. There were tons of moments when I wished I had my camera, I think I should just staple the thing to my butt. Although that could make for difficult picture taking and camera charging too. We stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to pick up some chocolate for the birthday girls at work and Drew was in heaven. There was glass display case and I told him he could pick one thing and he said "CHOCOLATE." Easy enough, I picked out a white chocolate covered marshmallow with sprinkles on a stick. As you can tell he enjoyed it and it took two rounds at it to finally finish it. Andy got carmel covered marshmallows - I am sure that his orthodontist would not approve. I love the look on Drew's face in the picture below!
After all of our shopping was complete we went to T-REX Cafe for some lunch. We went there for the first time on Drew's 2nd birthday to visit Santa. I don't know if it was his age or if there was a lot going on the last time we went, but he was totally amazed by everything in this place this time. We ordered and then Drew and I went around and looked at all of the animals and dinosaurs. He got upset when it was time to sit down and eat, he just wanted to keep walking around looking at dinos, mammoths, jelly fish, grasshoppers, the list goes on and on. I recommend this place to anyone with little ones. He absolutely loved it. His hat in the pictures above is a dinosaur explorer hat with a working light on it. He also got a dinosaur swirly straw. Jilli got a dino sippy cup and a little triceratops stuffed animal. None of this I was necessary, but then I just can't resist.

Finger Lickin Good!

Drew has been wearing the dinosaur explorer hat to bed lately to read his book. We used to read Drew a book and then turn off his lamp and he would go to bed, now he wants the lamp to stay on so he can read the book when we are done. Andy turns off the lamp and dino hat light when he checks on him before bed. What a cutie!

Ba Ba Ba Ball

For the past couple of weeks Jillian has been saying ba ba ba when she is holding a ball. Andy and I decided that was her first word, besides mama and dada. Drew's first word was meow. That should have been my first clue that he was a funny man. Today when I went to the dentist, Jillian waved and said bye bye (a first I think). So in this video Jillian was watching her new birthday DVD - Baby Einstein's Baby's First Sounds and she see balls on the TV and tells me all about it.

Jillian Thanks You

For her birthday Jillian got lots of cards in the mail and with her money and gift cards she bought some very girly toys. She got a new Baby Einstein's DVD & a laugh and learn purse that included keys, a bracelet, lipstick, money and a mirror. She also got another baby doll and a stroller for her babies. Thank you to everyone for celebrating my baby's first birthday!

This little monkey is climbing more and more everyday.

Beautiful Girl!

She is obviously excited about her new baby doll.

So Happy!

Everyone was helping me take the toys out of their boxes. Drew helped me put together the stroller. He was using daddy's screw driver. Drew looks like he is up to no good in this picture.

Jillian with her lipstick and mirror. She carried that mirror around all day. She likes looking at the pretty girl in the reflection.

Putting her things back in her purse.

Monkey climbing again.

Taking baby for a walk.

I just thought Drew's expression was funny in this picture. He looks like such a little boy, where did my baby go, where did my toddler go?

Watching her DVD.

Later that afternoon Andy walked into the living room and found our monkey standing backward in the stroller watching TV. I see more bumps and bruises in our future. Notice that Drew told that baby doll to go take a flying leap - she is mid air.

P.S. Jillian finally got her 6th tooth. She hasn't had any new teeth in 4 - 5 months.