Hockey Game

Daddy took his students to a hockey game one night and Mommy and I came along. Uncle Andrew joined us too. Jump, Jump Jenny came with her mommy and daddy and we played in the box. We watched the skaters and all the crazy people. Uncle Andrew shared his popcorn with me and explained hockey to me.





I had fun and can't wait to go again!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Grownup Things

Hi there and welcome back! I have really been expressing my independence lately so Mommy and Daddy have let me do some things they like to do. Daddy showed me how to dance in the kitchen the way he does with Mommy. He even dipped me!





We started a tradition of going to look at Christmas lights during the holiday season (I was looking for Mickey Mouse and reindeers). After we looked at lights we went to the grocery store to get cookies and chocolate milk. Mommy and Daddy let me drive the shopping cart. I thought I did pretty good navigating through the store. Mommy wants everyone to know that if you shop in our area, watch your knees because I drive full speed and stop only when I hit something. We took the cookies and chocolate milk home to end our fun evening. Let me tell you that Mommy and Daddy have been holding out on me and have only let me drink water and regular milk. I almost didn't eat any cookies because the chocolate milk was so good. We haven't had it since and I need to remind them.



Stay tuned..

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Christmas is Coming (a month or so ago)

So all this stuff started appearing around our house: trees, bells, greenery, shiny stuff, Jesus', candles...Mommy and Daddy said Christmas was coming and were we celebrating Jesus' birthday. I wish we started celebrating a month early for my birthday too. Anyway, Mommy let me help decorate a tree. We put the ornaments up and then I would move them around every day to new spots. I also put window stickers on our kitchen window that Memie had given me. I loved playing with the snowmen, gingerbread house, and christmas tree stickers.





One of the best things about the Christmas season is all the parties. I went to a gingerbread house party in my neighborhood. Mommy was so excited about helping me make my first gingerbread house. She sat me down at a table and picked out a house and all the supplies we would need and placed those in front of me. I just assumed we ate the decorations so I started shoving marshmallows, gumdrops, chocolates, icing in my mouth. I did not understand why it needed to go on the house. Mommy was frantically icing the house and taking candies out of my mouth and putting them on the house. I did go home with a decorated house in the end. Every day after that I proclaimed that "I eat that" and pointed to the house. But Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me.



Now that Christmas is over, I am sad about the following story, but at the time, it was the highlight of my day. In our neighborhood, we had some reindeers (my word) and a large blow up mouse that Daddy called Mickey Mouse. I loved looking for these as we drove down the street. I didn't understand why they weren't lit and blown up during the day and why everyone didn't have them, including us. I would get so upset when we would drive the other way out of the neighborhood and would cry "Mickey Mouse this way!" (Mommy says its amazing how obsessed I have become about this addicting creature and I don't even know there's a whole land of this mouse out there!) The reindeers and Mickey Mouse have now gone away. Daddy says Mickey is back in a place called Orlando. Does anyone know where that is and have the phone number?

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Where has the time gone?

Hello friends! My, my. Time has gotten away from me again. The end of fall and Christmas was a busy time around here so I will try and catch you up to speed.

Mommy left me and Daddy just before Thanksgiving to go visit her dear friends in Arkansas. She and Abby and Perry (Pury) went to see Jamie, Emily (Em Lee), Emma, and Winston. She had a good time away with her friends, but we all visit each other. Daddy and I played hard while she was gone. We are sure glad she came back.




Thanksgiving came and went with food and family. I got to see all my cousins and aunts and uncles. Mommy and Daddy ate a lot and tried to get me to do the same, but I wasn't buying it. So I stuck to the desserts. That's the point of Thanksgiving, right?!? More to come...

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Changes in November

November has brought more changes. I am getting so big according to my parents. My legs dangle so long when Mommy carries me that sometimes she has pronblems climbing the stairs with me. I am repeating so many new words. The other day I said "Blah, Blah, Blah" like Mommy does. I also have refused any music but mine in the car. I like for my baby doll to dance to the music or sometimes I "bump" up and down to the music. Daddy has been gone a lot this month so Mommy says she is tired at the end of the day trying to keep up with my conversations.

Daddy showed me how to paly this game on the computer with ABCs and animals and animal sounds. I love it and I can bang on the keyboard and not mess anything up. Whenever I see a computer I want to play it.


Ms. Kelly invited us out to her farm this month. I sat on the tractor and saw the horses, doggies, and barn. I even got to feed the baby horse. She neighed at me. She was soft. The doggies were fun too. I really liked Knuckles, her small dog, but Cona her big puppy kept licking me which made me cry. I am learning how to say "Down" to the doggies. Kelly made me homemade mac and cheese which was Yummy. I completed my meal with cookies. I hope I get to go back to Kelly's again.


I have been enjoying the beautiful weather and playing outside as much as possibly. I love to go to the palyground after school and "swing high". Sometimes I go "Whee" down the slide but mostly I "Swing high". I also have been taking my car out for a spin or two. I like to fly down my driveway wth my feet up and let Mommy or Daddy catch me.


The best treat is to play in Mommy's big bathtub. She took this picture recently to see how much hair I had and how long it was. I love to eat the bubbles now and am not afraid when the bubble blower comes on like I used to be. I do lose my toys in the bubbles but I always find them in the end.




Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Retakes of Halloween Outfit

Hi. Mommy wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the Halloween outfit pictures from the night of Halloween so I got to dress up one more time as a lion and roar and this time Bear dressed up too. He has become my buddy. I want him to come upstairs with me and give him kisses before I go night-night. I have even said "No" and "Stop Feet" (stop licking your feet)the way Mommy does. He probably would deny it, but I think he likes me too.










Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Halloween

Treat! Halloween was so much fun! There was lots to see: rocks, houses, pumpkins, dogs. Oh yeah, there were other kids and candy too. Mommy and Daddy were SO excited to be in a neighborhood full of kids that would trick-or-treat and were so excited to take me trick-or-treating. Mommy got us outside at 5:00 but no one was out yet so we waited an hour and then made it to a few houses. I was a little hesitant going up to the houses but got excited once I realized they would give me something.

We made it back to our house where Papa Nick and Memie waited for us with dinner and were handing out candy. We ate and then sat on the porch watching people walk around. I enjoy playing with the fake candles and digging in the candy and waving at people. I had a good time but haven't seen my candy I collected since that night. I wonder where it went?







Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Jump, Jump with Jenny

I went Jump, Jump with Jenny. Mommy kept telling me that we had been invited to go Jump, Jump, with Jenny. Since I had no idea what she was talking about it, I was excited. It turns out that a friend of Daddy's (dad of Jenny) had won a session at a Jump Place (where there are lots of blow-up activities). So we went. Mommy and I jumped and threw basketballs for a while. And then I motioned that I wanted to go down the BIG slide. Mommy had to carry me to the top in one arm while rockclimbing with the other arm. Then she balanced us at the top and then slid down the slide. Mommy screamed the whole way down which scared me and I started crying. We also slid off the slide at the end because there was nothing to stop us at the end. (She later told me that she was scared of the height of the slide and was afraid she would drop me.) Daddy joined us later and we played tee ball. The ball magically floated and I would hit it. It was fun! Daddy took me down the slide later but I protested the whole way up and down and was not happy about it. So I had fun for the most part and will occasionally say that I "jump, jump with Jenny".




Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

My how we've grown!

Pumpkins, Patches, and Festivals

Hi. October continued to be filled with lots of fun events. Since Daddy missed our annual trip to the pumpkin patch this year, we visited another one near our house. There were lots of animals at this farm. I even got to pet one!


Mommy finished my costume just in time for my school's Fall Festival. I was a lion this year. I loved my costume because it had a tail. I invited my friends Travis and Taylor (dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss) and Perry (dressed as Elvis), and all my friends were there too. Mommy did not get a picture of all of us together but find one and will post one at a later date. We rode a train, and there was a petting area with real animals. Mommy helped me ride a pony. I wasn't real sure about it at first but then I didn't want to get off. The best part of the night was jumping in the jump cage with Travis and Taylor. Perry even slid down the slide while we jumped. We all had a great time.


The next day I met the boys (Travis and Taylor) at the Pumpkinfest to play again. We hit golf balls and jumped in the jump cage again. I just laughed and hung on to the rope window while the boys jumped. This cage was much bigger with bigger kids in it, but I still had fun. We held hands walking through the crowd looking for something to eat for lunch and stopped traffic, can you tell? I enjoyed a basket of fries and Daddy had a turkey leg; we love street vendors.






Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Aunt Michelle's California

Hello again. In the middle of October, Mommy and Daddy took me to California to visit my Aunt Michelle. We had so much fun seeing San Francisco where she lives and traveling out of the city to Yosemite and Santa Cruz. I experienced many new things: a plane ride, new sleeping arrangements, food, noises, animals, people, places, scenery. I have so many stories and pictures that I can not possibly share them all here. But here are a few highlights:

Aunt Michelle drove us around the city the first day we got there and we stopped in a park by the Bay to enjoy the view. I was glad to be out of my car seat! I did great on the plane (thanks to the DVD player and modern medicine). Mommy wishes she could have taken pictures of how she had to change my diaper since there are not changing tables in the lavatories.


Aunt Michelle showed us all of San Francisco, and we got to ride a bus, street car, and a cable car to see it all. We left Cisco (what I called it) for a few days to see one of Aunt Michelle's favorite places - Yosemite National Park. It was beautiful, and we got to see a lot of it as a we hiked.




Once we made it back to Cisco, we enjoyed more of the city and celebrated Daddy's birthday at an Italian restaurant. As some of you know, I do not appreciate the taste of pizza and pasta which makes Mommy and Daddy very sad. So as I was eating only bread at the restaurant, I asked for some of what Mommy and Aunt Michelle were eating (Lobster Ravioli with Vodka sauce). I loved it! After the ravioli, the waitress brought out a plate of cookies and gummy bears - a tradition of the restaurant. This was the best part and I had a hard time leaving the rest of the gummy bears there.


We saw so many things while in California, and my Aunt Michelle taught us so much about the bugs, trees, animals, water, etc. She is so smart. I can't wait to go back again and learn more. She is the best! Thanks Aunt Michelle for such a memorable trip that made a lasting impact on our family!


Muche Love,
Carlisle Drew

Fun in October

Hi all! I hope you are well and enjoying the fall color that is finally here. October and November have gone by so fast that I am just now slowing down to update you on where I have been.

At the beginning of October, I celebrated my friend Lindy's second birthday at the pumpkin patch. Can you believe she is two years old?!? Neither can I! It was a hot day, but I enjoyed the hayride, tire swing, and playing in the corn. I did cry when I had to leave the baby cows. I didn't understand why they couldn't come home with us. I wrapped up the day by trying to pick out a pumpkin from the patch, but decided I didn't want one after I fell face-first in a rotten pumpkin. Yuck!

Look how tall I have grown since last year!




This is me with the Martin Girls (Aspen, Oakley, and Linden) and the Hickman Girls (Kiley and Corinne).


My vocabulary is really coming along. Starting at the first of October, Mommy quit trying to keep up with the new words I was saying because I repeated everything she said. At mealtime my favorite word is "Yogart". I guess you can see why, huh?


Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

More fun with Little Me

Hello all,
I have a couple more adventures to fill you in on. You know I love my Daddy and he is gone sometimes so I look for him when he is gone. When we are driving I look for his car and ask "Daddy car?". He and I also hide from Mommy on their bed under the pillows and then scare her when she comes in the room. Sometimes I giggle too much and give up our hiding place. I also like to throw a blanket we have over my head and hide from Mommy which Daddy also taught me. I walk around with my arms out wide and then say "Boo". I have been working really hard lately on jumping. I can do it on my bed and Daddy has helped me do it on his bed. We are working on doing it on the floor. Mommy will count "1,2,3, Jump" and we try and jump standing still. Later she hears me say "4, Jump".



I wanted to share this picture of me with my glasses on because I love Mommy's glasses and then she reminded me that I have my very own set of glasses. I wore them all during breakfast one day.



This last picture is of me at our church before a friend's wedding. Mommy thought I was pretty special with my bow and white dress. The wedding was not as fun for me as the reception was. Come to think of it, I really just enjoyed trying to jump in the narthex of the church. I don't understand what the big deal was in the church. There was more fun to be had outside!



Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

New Toys

Hey there everybody!
It is consignment sale season here and Mommy has been hitting them stocking up on clothes for the winter and toys. Some recent purchases that were made were my new coupe car. It came all the way from Jackson! Mommy noticed that I liked playing with it at school and at my friend's house so she had been on the hunt for one. I was so excited when I saw it in our house one morning that I didn't know what to say. I climb in and sat babies next to me and was real quiet. I had to retire my first car because I had outgrown it. I was sad.


I also really like my Little People Farm so Daddy and Mommy got me a Bus and Noah's Ark from a sale. I love all the animals and the kids on the bus. Mommy keeps them in this box which I climb in and sit on top of all the Little People. Let me know if you see a missing blue toucan from Noah's boat. He seems to have flown away.


Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Fun in the tub

Bath time is still on of my favorite activities of the week! I love the water and can't out splash Mommy and Daddy now. I love to eat the bubbles the soap makes. I line my ducks and water creatures up on the side of the tub and then make them go "Whee!" into the tub. I also like to spell words with my bath letters like "FKRY" and "SLEH". I can point out the letters "Y" and "F" which Daddy taught me. He's so smart. I hope you have fun in your soap bubbles!




Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

New School Year

Hi! I have some more to tell you. I started school one month ago. These pictures were from my first day. I was so excited about going and love my new teacher Ms. Kathleen. I go to school two days a week this year. I get to see my old teacher Ms. Linda a lot too. She comes to visit my class room. I have 2 boys and 2 girl in my class and we sleep on cots! Ms. Kathleens' has the best toys and even has a baby that I have attached myself to since my Babies can't come to school with me. We have done several art projects and play on the palygraound with teh big kids.



I had my 18 month checkup with my doctor and he said I am growing and growing. I am still pretty tall and my weight is finally starting to catch up to my height. I have started to know when I am in the doctor's office and scream when I see my doctor's nurse (she's the one with the shots).

I am saying so much these days and try to repeat everything Mommy and Daddy say. I am also putting words together like "Bear barking" and "Daddy running". I like talking while we are driving. Mommy points out all the animals near us like the horsey, moo, oinks and I get to see the big trucks on the big roads. Mommy will point them out and I will say "Ohhh! More Horsey" or "More Truck". Recently I have been following Mommy into the little room with the sink and potty. I like to watch what goes on. I even get to help her get the paper and flush. Sometimes my Babies needs paper and wants to help flush. Since I have become interested in boidly functions Mommy has been asking me if I have gone "Tee-Tee" or "Poo-Poo" to which I say "No" and then ask "Daddy Poo-Poo?", "Bear Bear Tee-Tee?". I know how to distract her!

As I have mentioned in the past, Babies (my baby doll) and I are pretty close. I take her everywhere and am in distress if she is out of sight. Because she is with me all the time, I have started letting her enjoy things I get to do. I share with her, let her dance in the car, give high-fives, flush the toilet, give kisses, play with my toys. I think she likes being my friend.

I hope you have a great day! Much Love,
Carlisle Drew