Our Little Tadpole

For the past week, Drew and I have been taking swimming lessons. (Well, they are lessons meant for Drew but Mom gets to come along!) For Drew's age, the "tadpoles", it's more like introduction to water play than introduction to swimming. Swimming technique, not so much. Swimming fun, oh yeah! He especially likes to watch all the other kids swim, but he will pick up the rings from the bottom of the pool and tolerates it when I dunk him under water. He doesn't understand the concept of kicking or making arm circles yet, but we'll get there. Dad came with us today and snapped some pics. Take a look at our water adventures! :)

17 Months Old

Milestones this month...

1) goes backwards down the stairs (with supervision of course!)
2) imitates a dog when he hears one barking
3) says "mine" "hot" "uh oh" "boom" (as in "kaboom" which is what we say when he falls down) "night, night" "Abby" (as in Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street) and supposedly he says "Oscar" but only Grammy & Papa have heard that one!
4) had his first kiss (ooo la la)
5) as of this week, goes to bed without paci, and lays down on his own for naps

New Pictures

I think Mom got a little carried away with the bubbles!!

Best buds

Peek

a

boo

Drew!

"My mom's Number 1!" (I'm sure that's what he means...)

"Hmm...I know I hit that ball around here somewhere..."

"Luci, have you seen it?"

"Night Night"

Oh golly

The Great Wall of Campbells meets the Leaning Tower of Healthy Choice

Poor Luci...

...she just can't get away!

First Kiss...

...not including mom, dad, or any other relative!

WHO: Drew and Annika (she made the first move!)

WHAT: a kiss on the lips, and a hug to boot!

WHEN: tonight, around 7pm

WHERE: the park, during Dad's softball game

WHY: apparently Annika took me seriously when I told her she and Drew should hook up!

It was so cute! Annika, about 20 months old and one of the cutest little girls I've ever seen, walked right up to Drew and laid a big one on him! She is the granddaughter of some church members, so she and Drew "know" each other. She came up to Drew with her lips puckered, placed her hand on his shoulder, and smooched him right on the lips! It was followed by a little side hug, as if to say "love you." I only wish I would have had my camera with me! I'll be sure to bring it with me from now on!

Grandparents Galore!

We said good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa C (affectionately known as "Grammy" and "Papa") this morning after spending the weekend with them. They arrived on Friday afternoon (after having to take a detour through Iowa to get through the flood waters) for a weekend of work and fun! Papa helped us do some yard work (which included two trips to Menards) while Grammy was on Drew duty (I don't think she minded!). We laid landscaping plastic, edging and mulch on the north side of our house where a hodge-podge of plants/flowers/weeds used to bloom. We also picked up some fencing at Menards to enclose our backyard (Drew has learned how to get off the patio so time to baby-proof our lawn!) and to complete the outdoor renovation, Grammy & Papa celebrated our 6th anniversary with us by giving us patio furniture!!! (Thank you so much!) Brad and I have yet to assemble it, but once we do, our backyard is going to be the place to be! Especially considering that our new patio table is bigger than our dining room table! I guess I can't say much to what Drew did this past weekend; I got the weekend "off" with help from Grammy. We did swim in Drew's backyard pool for a while Saturday afternoon, and Drew experimented with his new Elmo sprinkler that he bought with some of his birthday money. He's not real wild about it yet, but we'll keep working on it.

Brad celebrated Father's Day, with a new shirt and tie and an electronic sudoku game.

I noticed this weekend how much our picture taking has dwindled the past few months. We don't take near as many photos as we did when Drew was younger. Here are just a couple that I took...I'll have to get the rest from Grammy's camera!

That Grammy makes the BEST chocolate frosting!

Someday, these will fit!!

In the BIG chair, ready to draw.

4 Crazy Cousins, 2 Goofy Grandparents, 1 Wild Weekend!

What a weekend it was! When Grandma and Grandpa VW came for a visit this last weekend, they brought along with them four of Drew's cousins. When we lived in Denver, Brad's parents brought the four oldest nieces and nephews out to visit us, and now that the younger four are old enough, they got to do the same. We had a great weekend of fun and adventure. We played games and mini golfed, went swimming (well, Drew, Brad and I napped, but the others went!) and visited the Peoria Zoo. And, of course, all of our fun was captured digitally! :)

OK, so mini golfing wasn't that exciting for Drew!

Lauren & Alison baking cookies...

DJ & Lewis frosting them.

Umm, I don't think this pool is quite what they had in mind when we talked about going swimming.

Drew thinks they're pretty funny!

Outdoor games in the parking lot.

And this is what happens when Drew's forehead meets the parking lot.

Some more smores, Drew?

Zoo Crew

"There's the wallaby, Daddy!"

Some of Drew's faves... the tortoise...

...the camel...

...and Rosa, the seal.

But this guy is probably Drew's absolute favorite!!