Pretty Cheesy

When Drew looked at this picture, he said "Pretty cheesy" which is a pretty correct description. However, I think he meant that he was saying "cheese" when the picture was taken, not that he is wearing a very cheesy smile. He's wearing his new shirt that Grandma bought him when she was here--we had a very warm day yesterday so we broke out the short sleeve shirts and shorts.

We needed to pull out the spring clothes anyway, since we're heading to Florida to see Great-Grandma Gloria tomorrow. I hope that Drew does OK on the plane. Luckily Southwest is not known for tossing unruly kids off their flights (yet). Thank goodness for the portable DVD player and headphones!

Movin' Out

It seems such a waste of time

If that's what it's all about
If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out

Billy Joel

Drew decided that he was leaving home yesterday. He told me in the car that he was going to the 100 Acre Wood with Maisy, and he'd be home for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Later, he decided that he would come home for Easter as well. I don't know why he thought Maisy would want to go the 100 Acre Wood, because, to the best of my knowledge, she doesn't even know Winnie the Pooh. Anyway, he didn't seem concerned that his parents would miss him if he was gone all that time.

When we got home from our running around (including picking up our new living room furniture), Drew got his tent, some books and stuffed animals, his briefcase and a bag with about 7 pairs of pajamas and took everything outside (in the rain, mind you). Then he had an incredibly difficult time getting everything down the stairs because he couldn't carry everything all at once.

He tried to get me to help him, but I told him that if he was leaving home, he'd have to get used to doing these things on his own. He was really trying hard to figure out a way to get everything together, and he even gave me a few things to put back in the house.

Finally, I reminded him that it was Parents Night Out at the YMCA, and he was going to miss playing with all of this friends (not to mention a Happy Meal from McDonalds). He decided that he could stay home one more night, and we brought all of his stuff back in the house.

He's still planning on leaving, though.

Top of the Mornin' to You!

Adam took Tom to the airport early this morning. The weather turned nasty last night, but the sleet and snow had stopped by this morning and flights were taking off from BWI. I bet Tom doesn't plan anymore wintertime trips to the East Coast -- Spring is much better!

Drew wanted me to make some vanilla pudding this afternoon, and he offered his assistance as well. He made sure to put on his protective gear first, though. He likes to stir for about 30 seconds, then he gets bored and wanders away. I tinted half of the pudding green in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

We had planned to go back to Andy and Carole's this evening for Carole's annual Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, but I was just too tired so we made our own corned beef and cabbage (mostly so we can have corned beef hash later in the week) and watched Because of Winn-Dixie which was very cute. It was a very sweet family movie which is in stark contrast to Borat which we forced Tom to sit through on Thursday.

The next picture is Drew showing off his Nemo tattoo which Adam's friend, Tracy sent home for him.

We had to take the next picture because Drew looked so sweet snuggled up to his blue dog. Adam looked at him and said, "This is why people keep having kids." Not that we don't love him ALL the time mind you, but he is an angel when he's asleep.

Circus Morning

Well, the warm weather didn't last. It started raining last night, and it continued pouring all day today. Adam and I planned on making a trip to DC while Tom was here, but that just didn't work out weather and schedule-wise.

Since we wanted to go on some type of outing on Tom's last day here, we decided to go to the circus since it was in town for another day or two. It was the one activity that I could think of that would appeal (at least somewhat) to all of the ages represented in our little group. Adam was shocked that I suggested going to the circus since I had previously rejected the idea (he called me a week or so before to say he could get tickets from work). Anyway, we all enjoyed the show, and it was much less stinky than I remembered it to be. We had one scary moment during the show when a big yellow dragon came out and stopped right by our seats and blew steam out of his nostrils. That freaked Drew out and he started to cry, but we got him to calm down by telling him that the dragon was just like the one in Thomas and Percy and the Dragon. Of course, the dragon is all he wanted to talk about later.


After the circus, we headed to Canton and had lunch at Mama's on the Half Shell. Tom was very happy to get oysters since they're not big on menus in Michigan, and he had both oyster stew and broiled oysters with various sauces.

Dinner was at Andy and Carole's. Carole made her delicious baked salmon which even the kids ate. Needless to say, we didn't eat on the deck this time. Tom managed to get a great picture of the kids together. Drew is getting plenty of use from his Buzz Lightyear costume.

83 Degrees Today

It was Ladybug Day so Drew had to wear red and black to school today. He came home with his antennae and his wings (you can't see the wings in the picture, unfortunately), and he looked very cute. I'm glad we got any sort of photo since he absolutely would not let me take his picture--only Grandpa Tom was allowed to take his picture.

After school, Tom, Drew and I went over to Andy and Carole's for a visit and wound up staying for dinner. Andy made his oh-so-delicious chicken on the grill, and we got to eat outside on the deck. It was an absolutely beautiful evening. Adam managed to get there just as we were ready to eat so he didn't have to miss out, although Carole was at Sip and Knit so she did miss out. The kids played (and screamed) on the playset while the adults tried to ignore the noise.

2nd Time's A Charm

Tom finally made his trip to Maryland, exactly one month after he originally tried to get here. This time Mother Nature cooperated, and he had a very smooth trip without spending the entire day in the Detroit airport. The weather was beautiful when he arrived today, so after Drew left to go to school, Tom and I walked around Ellicott City a little bit and had lunch at the Tiber River Tavern. I hadn't been there in years so I didn't know what to expect, but we both liked the food (and probably ate too much--what a surprise).

When Drew got home from school, he and Grandpa Tom went in the backyard and played a little soccer which Drew tends to confuse with basketball. It makes for a very interesting game.

A Walk in the Park

We're trying to get outside a little bit every day since the weather has been improving. We walked part of the way around Lake Elkhorn today and went to the playground which was crowded with lots of other people trying to escape cabin fever. Drew was hoping for a bike ride because he could just relax and enjoy the view, but we made him walk. We're very mean parents.

Lunch at the Cozy

Today, we went on a family outing with the intended destination being Gettysburg. We first drove to Thurmont (which is near Camp David) and had lunch at the Cozy Restaurant. I'm not usually big on buffets, but we all managed to find something that we liked (the fried chicken was a hit with all three of us).

After lunch we drove through the mountains and criss-crossed the Mason-Dixon Line. We drove by Pen Mar Park which was closed and then stopped to take in the view from High Rock Overlook in Cascade, Maryland. My fear of heights kicked in big time when we walked to the edge, and I had a death grip on Drew, but we managed to get a picture before we left.

By the time we got to Gettysburg, Drew had fallen asleep and it was getting late anyway so we just headed home. We'll have to tour Gettysburg another day.

I've been thinking a lot about Heidi and Scott today. It's certainly been a rough week for them. You're in my prayers, guys.