Sweet

Dear Andrew,

Today we had a bit of a rough day, didn't we? You had a stuffy/runny nose and couldn't nap very well. That meant that you were pretty tired and grumpy all day. And that can be hard for mommy! But tonight, you fell asleep in my arms after we read "The Big Red Barn" and my heart melted after the long day. With your head on my chest, soft breaths on my chin, and arms draped on either side, I couldn't help but let a few little tears slide out while I enjoyed the sweetness of the moment. You are growing so fast and I try to be still in the moment and realize the smallness of you just yet. For soon, that won't be the case! I love you, my son, and all the things that make you, YOU! Any other time you need to close your little eyes in my arms, I will be there. Sweet Dreams.

Love,

Mom

Mowing with Daddy

I came outside the other day, and this is what I saw....

Needless to say, I had a good laugh, then ran and got the camera to capture this funny yet oh-so-sweet moment.

I thought it was so cute that he was holding on to the ear-muffs (dad put those on to protect from the noise!) Andrew was just as relaxed as could be, but you could tell he was thrilled to be right there with dad, pushing the big machine!

Caught you yawning! Hmm, maybe a bit too relaxed! Well lets just hope he doesn't expect this to happen when he is 9 or 10 years old.

Fall Festival in Ohio

We visited the Apple Butter Festival at Roscoe Village this past weekend when Mom and Dad came to visit. It was a perfect day filled with crafts, history, blacksmiths, apple fritters, flowers, antiques and the list goes on! Andrew got a little wooden toy truck with animals, which he loves! We all enjoyed the quintessential fall atmosphere, not to mention the good food and sights. It was just a special time to spend together as a big family.

Dancin' a jig with Grandma!!!

Libby, this one is for you! :) We missed you and Gabe!

Andrew loves Grandma and all of her silly voices! He also loves it when she feeds him puffies!

Leaves

We took a few pictures last Sunday as we were cleaning up the yard. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is jump in the pile of leaves that was just raked up...and so I introduced Andrew to the same tradition. He is not so sure what to think...(and might have just eaten a leaf, here.)

We have to thank Grammy and Grampy Brown for the CUTE Oshkosh overalls!!! They make Andrew look so handsome :)

A few happy moments with the Hughes'

Bubby fell asleep on a wagon ride at Grammy Brown's house...shhhhh.

And again on a bike ride with mom and dad (there is a shirt wrapped around him b/c it started to rain in the middle of our ride. Yikes! But he was a trooper, and didn't seem to mind.) He loves to just jabber all throughout the bike rides...we think he likes the wind in his hair :)
And here is a picture I took one morning when I went in to wake the little man up...all curled up on his blanky. Going in to get him in the morning is one of our favorite times...he is either still sleeping, and looking sweet, or he is peeking out between the rails of his bed, pacifier in is mouth and just a grin'in. His eyes give away his smile. That is something I just love about Andrew.
And then we have the days that we run around in pajama tops, non-matching sweatpants, and hats that we wore when we were but a wee thing. Wait a minute, you still are a wee thing, Andrew.
Andrew loves to eat. Anyone who has fed him, knows this! And he especially loves to eat with his daddy. Dad makes all sorts of neat sounds, funny motions with the spoon and even sings camp songs. He also loves to style Andrew's hair after he gets wiped off. Andrew loves this, too.

Photo Shoot, 8 months

Okay, this one is just hilarious. I love you Andrew.

Giddy-up!

Look out cowgirls! This little man is a rootin' tootin' wrangler! We found this cute little horsey at Johnstown Swappers day, a huge flea-market on Labor Day weekend. He can't really sit up on it just yet without help, but so soon he will be rockin' away.

Bathrobe

Andrew just hates getting OUT of the bathtub. So this makes any pictures kinda impossible. But I wanted to capture his cute little ducky bathrobe. He didn't really like the idea so much at first....

but then he calmed down enough to get this cute little shot. Don't worry bub, we will take another bath tomorrow night.

Catawba Island 2011

Will you have freckles, baby boy?

Joshua, Ellianna, and Caleb wanted to building sand castles. They weren't complete with out the "drippy" towers! My legacy will live on....

Andrew loves watching and interacting with his cousins! A good thing, since there are 9 of them, as of now! Here is Josh with Andrew, after he woke up one morning.

Catawba Island 2011

We enjoyed another relaxing and fun vacation at the Hughes' lake cottage on Lake Erie this summer. We couldn't have had more perfect weather. Andrew had his first swim in a BIG lake, and he loved it! Waves would splash in his face, and we would stop and look at him, to see what his reaction would be. Just a huge smile! What a trooper. Our niece Ellianna is shown here, helping Andrew get into his floaty.

Fun in the sun! You love swimming with daddy, Andrew. You hold on tight as he walks out into the waves. I smile and look on as you two giggle and splash together. You are safe in your daddy's arms.

love.

Big boy in a little bucket

I forgot to post these pictures from earlier this summer. It was so hot out, and we didn't have a kiddy pool. Plus, Andrew wasn't sitting up the best, so I thought that this little container would help him sit up, plus cool him off!! Fun immediately ensued.

Aaaaand we almost fell over on this one! Geesh, mommy...what are you thinking? Regained balance in no time though!
Look at those little belly rolls!
Yet again, an almost tip...but Andrew must have really great balance. He stayed this way for a while! We had fun together, none the less. I can't wait for more adventures with this little man. I love you, bubby-do.

7 months! and growing

This photo is a bit late, considering Andrew will be 8 months in a few days! This is one of my favorite little outfits, not to mention the PURDUE sweatshirt! The picture below is a wonderful comparison of the changes Andrew has gone through in the last 5-6 months! We had better be careful to not blink too many times!

2 months