Where's My Truck?

I think Luke is going through truck withdrawal. Luke has a large Tonka tough and might dump truck that evidently he loves more than I thought. He uses it a lot around the house loading it with whatever he finds. He's been known to fill it with books, toys, clothes, Hannah and probably a few other things. Anyway, in light of our pending move, we decided to send it to Grandpa & Grandma's house so they can bring it to Luke before his other toys arrive with the movers. However, he has not let us forget that it is missing. He's been asking us several times a day where his truck is. We keep telling him that it is at Grandpa & Grandma's house & when they come to our new house they would bring it. That is not going over very well, though, since he keeps asking. Thankfully, there have been no break downs, but it is quite obvious that he's missing his beloved truck.

On the other hand, we also packed a toy for Hannah as well. She has been oblivious to it being gone. She wasn't as attached it. Makes me wonder if we packed a toy that will occupy her later. We'll see!

Special Visitors

We have loved all of the friends and family that have been able to stop in to visit no matter how long. However, one set of visitors was quite special - my sister, Karen, and her husband, Joe. Many of you know that they do not live close to us and we don't get to see each other nearly often enough. It's kind of long story as to how this all got to work, but they were in the "area" (if you can say 5 hours from us as in the area, but it's much closer than their home). Anyway, they got to come one late afternoon and were able to stay until the next morning. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see their kids, but we did enjoy our visit with them. I just enjoy visits with my sister, but it was even more special that she got to see Drew as a newborn. She wasn't able to see my other two as newborns. Anyway, thanks for the special visit Karen & Joe!

Hannah and Drew

You may remember that when we first brought Drew home from the hospital, Hannah wasn't really sure about the whole thing. Over the course of the last several days, she has definitely warmed up to her baby brother. She often checks on him when he's eating. I've seen her sneaking peaks of him through the side of the pack-n-play (the crib is not assembled and will stay that way until we get to our new home). She's also quite willing to share with him things that are "valuable" to her - her sippy cup, her "baby" elephant that is only hers, her kisses. She was even giving him her toes this afternoon in hopes that he would tickle them. It's so fun to watch them interact with the little guy.

Luke has always had a special place for Drew. I love this picture below. He often wants to "hold" Andrew and often gives him kisses.

Some Rambling

Over the last 10 days or so, we've had some visitors - they were the special grandparents of Luke and Hannah. They were such a huge help to us in a variety of ways. They gave tons of help with Luke & Hannah plus helped with some of the cleaning that needs to be done before we move here in a couple of weeks. So, as of today, we are now a family of five.

We really haven't been doing too much. In fact, before Drew was born, I felt like I was sitting around just waiting for him to arrive. It was too hot to really do anything outside and there really wasn't much to do inside. So, we waited. I kind of feel like we are now in that same holding pattern. The packers are scheduled to come just 2 weeks from tomorrow. Yes, we still have some of our things to gather up (thankfully! thankfully! thankfully! the Air Force packs and moves us - I can't even begin to imagine doing all of that on our own right now) and we do have cleaning that will need to be done, but none of it can really be done too much before we leave. So, again we wait.

Life will return to "normal" at some point!

First Outings

Drew has already been out and about a bit. Monday, I took him to the pediatrician for a check up. He had already gained back his birth weight (he only lost 4 oz in the hospital, but it sounds good when you say it that way). Anyway, I really liked her because she answered my questions thoroughly, but didn't go into so much of a description that it was too much info or just not enough info.

Yesterday, we took Drew to the mall for a little while just to walk around. Basically, we went just to get out of the house for a little while. It was quite uneventful and Drew slept the entire time.

However, today was the most drama we've had on an outing. Now, it really wasn't horrible. I would put it more in the class of a learning experience. We went to the grocery store. I've been trying to figure out how I was going to do it before Drew was born - how to configure 3 kids in one cart along with the food. Thankfully, my mom joined me or the tiring experience would have been a little much for me. First, we got off to a bad start. The plan was to feed Drew and then head out. We did that, but Drew did not eat well at all (he actually doesn't do too badly with feedings. He just had an air bubble that wouldn't come out. Anyway. . . ). So, after the first aisle he was crying. Mom ended up carrying him most of the time. Needless to say, he got fed shortly after we got home. The cart was the other obstacle. I got a "car cart" and seated both Luke and Hannah in it while Drew rode in his car seat in the cart (for the short time he was in it). I think that may have been the last time I'll use it. It was the hardest thing to steer! It was horrible & not worth the entertainment value for Luke & Hannah. In fact, I think I might need to separate them the next time. As you know Luke is very into cars/trucks, so he wanted the entire seat to himself. I also couldn't see them over Drew's car seat so I had no idea what was really going on. Plus, did I mention that it was nearly impossible to maneuver around people and turn in tight spaces (yes, there are plenty of those in our grocery store). Anyway, I think the next time I plan on making sure Drew is better fed and we get a regular cart. Luke is going to have to walk, but we've done that before and he does fairly well for a 2 year old. At least I hope those solutions work. Most likely, I'll be by myself the next time unless Chris is able to join us. We need a system of some sort :)

Disclaimer

It seems like I need to clarify my last blog a bit. No, I didn't go to church on Sunday although I was ready to get out of the house. Instead, Drew and I stayed home. We listened to a message on line, I sent a few e-mails and then it was rest time for the both of us. I'm hoping to be able to go back to church next week though.

And Then There Were Five

This morning before church, we made our first attempt at a family picture. Notice I said attempt. After several tries and some pouting and funny faces from those that will remain anonymous, we got a somewhat decent picture that will work for now.

Andrew at four days old. I think he's already growing up!

Some Luke Quotes

Luke has recently started to really begin speaking in sentences and we can even understand most of what he is saying. That means we get an inside peak occasionally about what he knows. This week has been no exception. Here's a couple of conversations we've had with him.

This first one took place on Luke & Hannah's first visit to the hospital to meet Drew.

Chris: Luke, where is Mommy tummy?

Luke: (Doesn't say anything, but shows where it is)

Me: Yes, that's where it is, Luke.

Chris: What was in Mommy's tummy?

Luke: Andrew out

OK, I have admit that somewhere along the line Luke figured it out. We'd told him little beyond the fact that that was where baby brother was. From this Mom's biased opinion, he's a smart little one!

The next conversation has occurred on more than one occasion.

Chris or Me: Is your baby brother's name "Drew"?

Luke: ANDrew (yes, he does emphasize the beginning to correct us and he has yet to call him Drew)

Luke and Hannah's Thoughts of Drew

It's been really fun to see how Luke and Hannah have reacted to their baby brother, Drew. Here are my observations so far.

Luke thinks Drew is the best thing ever (ok, maybe the best thing ever behind his beloved trucks). I think he will soon realize that he doesn't do much more than eat and sleep at this point, but that's ok. As soon as he met him yesterday, he started giving Drew love. He gave him kisses and gave him a gentle touch several times. He even held his hand for a few minutes. Today, he was excited that Drew was at his house. I asked him if he could stay at his house until he grew up and Luke said yes. He's also been willing to share his toys. We'll see how long that lasts :) All of that to say, Luke is in love with his baby brother!

Hannah has been a bit of a different story, but she's warming up to the idea of having a baby brother. When she first saw Drew, she just looked at him. She looked and looked and eventually sat by me, but when I asked her if she wanted to touch his toes, she said very sweetly in her little 17 month voice, "no". It took her some time, but she did get to the point where she let Chris hold her and Drew at the same time so she was "holding" him and decided it would be ok to kind of touch him. When we brought him home, she was still somewhat hesitant. However, when he was in his bouncy seat this afternoon, she would interact with Drew just the way Luke did. She even gave him a sippy cup and her doll for a few minutes. I think she'll warm up to him and love him. At the same time, she's just going to need an extra amount of TLC.

You may wonder what Drew thinks of them. Well, the verdict is still out, but all the activity around him including the toys in his bouncy seat and even in his face didn't seem to disturb his peaceful infant sleep.

Andrew David

Drew joined the family @ 8:43 pm Wednesday night. He weighed in @ 7 pounds 12 ounces. Both mother and son are resting comfortably. More pictures can be found here.

Baby News

No the baby has not arrived. However it looks like we are headed towards the hospital after the kids get up from their nap. To keep yourself occupied you can always go view the family pictures from last month, our mini vacation to Jekyll island, or the house we are trying to purchase.

May Pictures

Jekyll Island

House

"I Swim"

Finally, it cooled off a bit so we could enjoy a bit time outside on Father's Day and go to the pool. (Yes, for me right now, 90-100 is just a little too warm for me.) Anyway, we loaded up the stroller and were off. We have little float outfits for Luke and Hannah to wear. Luke has been a bit tentative in the water, but yesterday, he figured out he could float without hanging onto anything. The entire time he moved his arms and legs and would say "I swim". He also recently saw Finding Nemo so he also let us know that "I swim like Nemo". After that, he was little mister independent. He only wanted to "swim" on his own. He would even get in from the side of the pool.

I have to admit that it was neat for me to see him become more independent and less hesitant in the water, but I'm more scared then ever as well. We took his float outfit off and tried to explain that he had to be with Daddy when he didn't have his "blue suit" on. However, the first thing he did was to go to the side of the pool and get in sinking like a brick. Thankfully, Chris reached him and quickly pulled him out. We'll have to see how he continues to do in the water and be very watchful of him as well.

Too Quiet

Well, if you guessed the picture above was hair, you are right. It is a chunk of Hannah's hair to be exact. Here's what happened. Sunday, I mentioned to Chris that Luke needed a haircut. He usually does it so it really wasn't a big deal that I mentioned it basically in passing. Anyway, I didn't even notice, but Luke disappeared and shortly returned with the clipper set we use for haircuts. We told him we weren't going to do it at that moment so he was to go and put it back where he found it. I'm sure you're catching on as to where this story is headed. Luke and Hannah then disappeared and I went back to emptying the dishwasher and Chris continued whatever he was doing. Then I realized what every Mother has come to recognize, things can definitely be too quiet. I then went to check on them. Luke had the set laid out and ready for use except for the fact that it wasn't plugged in. Still didn't see anything out of the ordinary. However, just a few minutes later I took Hannah to lay down for her nap and when I removed her bow a nice sized chunk of hair came out as well. I then realized they had been up to something. Luke was already in bed and I asked him if he cut Hannah's hair and he affirmed my suspicions. Yes, it was a lot and I even found a bit more later, but thankfully, Hannah has a nice head of hair and it isn't too noticeable where the chunk came from. Needless to say, scissors won't be used for awhile and not much gets past our observant little boy!

Ladies' Bible Study

As we prepare to say good-bye to the east coast, there is one group that I will miss. That is my Monday evening Bible study and thankfully, several of them are even neighbors. It makes me a bit sad because these ladies are much younger than myself, but we are very much in the same life stages. For example, there are about twelve of us in the group and all have young children and the ones that don't are pregnant (make that 6 of us). Plus, we are all military wives and several of us even are pilot's wives. I'm thankful for their insight, care, servant's heart and watching my precious little ones more times than I can ever thank them for. They will be missed, but God has a plan and will once again provide those necessary friendships.

Our Night Out

This past Sunday evening, we got a night out with a few friends from our small group at church. It was really nice because the church provides childcare about once a month through the summer for small groups to get together. They even feed them. Anyway, our small group got together for dinner. It was a nice time of fellowship, but it also turned out to be "say good-bye to the Robeys" combined with a baby shower. We are thankful for this group and the fact that they provided familiar faces and a time of fellowship each week during our short stay here.

Hannah's Lazy Days of Summer

Hannah rarely allows Luke to outdo her. So, here are a few ways of how Hannah has spent her summer so far.

On a few of the cooler days, we were able to get outside a bit and play in the water. They like to take the little sprinkler parts and just spray items. Here, Hannah is filling a little truck and really getting herself wet.

I don't remember what we did this morning, but it certainly wore Hannah out. So much so that she fell asleep almost mid-sip through her lunch.

Hannah enjoying the beach. Finally, some beach appropriate attire.

On another of the cooler afternoons, we did walk to a local park where they both enjoyed running around. Hannah was pretty fine with just hanging out in the shade and later going down the slide with Daddy.

Luke's Lazy Days of Summer

As many of you know, it has been quite hot here lately. So, we haven't been out and about a whole lot. We haven't even really been out too much to just play. Unfortunately, I'm the one that really can't take the heat right now. Maybe one day it will cool off and we will once again venture outdoors. Here are a few things that Luke has been up to over the last few weeks.

Luke has enjoyed working this floor puzzle. Of course, it has a variety of trucks on it. He can even put a few pieces together himself, but to complete the process he needs a little help.

Here he is "fixin' the car". When I picked him up from a friends house one day after a doctor's appointment, this is what he was doing. (sorry you can't see his face)

Before it got too hot, we did make it to the pool. It took some getting used to, but he enjoyed swimming around with Daddy.

He loved the beach. This was an unscheduled beach stop. That's why he still has his shorts and t-shirt on. He loved it, which was evidenced by the fact that he was soaked by the time we left.

Washables

Crayola has a washable line of paints, makers and crayons that I just love. Yes, they cost just a touch more, but they do come out of things at least the few things that have bore the mark of my children. Today, Luke decided to experiment with writing on himself. Yes, it all came off. Hannah was not to be outdone. She had also written on herself. It all came off - yeah! I have even gotten it out of clothes and off of furniture. Now, I wouldn't just try this to test their product, but when there is no other option, it has come off.