we'd like to introduce you to

Anderson Cruz Drew

4.16.10

9:20 AM

7lbs, 7oz, 20.5 inches

and the first time his big sisters saw him, they thought he was amazing!

oh, yes oh, yes it's springtime!

we love spring...and it's especially fun this year knowing we're so close to 'the condo.'  i'm sure many of you have big plans for the weekend, as do we.  the warm weather seemed to come at just the right time, as if the Lord would have planned it any other way :)

we're excited about celebrating His life with our new church this weekend and are so excited to have my sister and her family joining us.  i don't get to see her as often as i'd like, but we talk just about every day.  it will be nice for her to get to see our new world rather just hear about it.

the weekend kicked off with avery's easter egg hunt at school...we had to send 12 prize eggs with their name on it, as each child would have to find their own eggs.  that also allowed the parents to fill the eggs with things their child would love and could eat!  i asked avery to name some of her favorites....and she said the my little pony washcloth (you know, the kind that is so shrink-wrapped you have to put it under water for it to expand??), my little pony stickers, lipgloss and bracelets, the stuffed monkey and the candy - so all of it.  :)  i guess we did well!

we don't put emphasis on the whole bunny side of easter, but we do have easter baskets, candy, egg hunts and we dye eggs. 

anyway...

here are some pictures of the egg hunt today.  the weather was fabulous and we all had a great time. 

sack races

i'm sure there will be lots of new pictures to show you next week too...stay tuned!

can you believe it?

yes it's true...it's the third time i've posted this week.  not really sure why, other than that i feel like i've left you out of some major life events at our house. 

there's always something going on, somewhere to go...school, church, errands...but we've been having a great time!  the girls are really fun to watch together and even though they argue and fight and scream like little girls, they really are best friends.  i wish i had video of addison trying to cross her arms and stomp across the room.  i shouldn't laugh because it's not funny.  wait, yes it is. 

allen and i were supposed to take a quick 4 day trip to NC last week.  he was asked to preach at a church friday-sun night and we were really looking forward to one last getaway before the baby arrives.  an added bonus?  some friends of ours live there and we would get to spend time with them...and we never get to spend time with them (seriously, like once a year)!  however, after my dr appt last week we decided it was probably best that i stay home.  we were bummed. 

however, my more than wonderful mom was already scheduled to come down for the weekend so she came anyway and made it another girls weekend! 

that meant, even though i missed out on a weekend away with allen, i got to enjoy some things here i would have missed...like avery losing her first tooth.  allen tried one last time to pull it before he left, and it wouldn't come out...by the time he landed in atlanta, she had pulled it herself.  he was so sad to miss it and she wanted to call him immediately. 

i also got to take the girls to their big sister class at the hospital.  it was really fun and they make a really big deal about siblings and their responsibilities.  both the girls had fun, but avery really took on the 'biggest' sister role and oooohed an ahhhhed. 

they had fun learning how to hold the baby, change the diaper, feed the baby and some things they can't do with the baby.  they also got to see the nursery and the room i would be in.  avery vividly remembers when addison was born so she remembered that i'll be gone for a couple of days.  she's not really excited about that so we have lots of fun things planned for them during my 'stay.'

i might squeeze in one more post this week and make it a record week for posts.  we'll see.  my dad is coming in today with all of our guest room furniture.  who cares that we've been in this house since september with no guest room furniture??  it's coming today and the girls are so excited to spend some time with their pop!  can't wait for you to see pictures! 

andersons baby shower

i spent a wonderful weekend "in town" (as avery calls it) with my family and had the best 'girl' days with my mom doing all the fun girl things she knows we love to do.  we hit downtown homewood, shopped, ate, went to 2 bakeries (and left with treats from both), found a cute consignment shop, went to toy stores, shopped and ate a little more...and we had the best time! we also got some much needed play time with some dearly missed friends. 

to close out the weekend, and the very reason i went, some of my very best friends insisted that anderson could not be born into this world wearing pink...and to be quite honest, he was coming close because i have not done much boy shopping.  the clothes just aren't as cute, but that's another post.

no doubt the world looks different in blue ~ and we were so very blessed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of everyone who came to celebrate anderson.  i don't know a group of people who "know me" better than these girls and it showed in every little detail. the only thing that would have made it better was if my sister stacie could have been in town too!

 

like that painting?  we did too!  thanks abby!

jennifer latham made this amazing quilt and the picture just does not do it justice

and, i wish i could show you all of the scrapbook allen's aunt made for me.  it is gorgeous...and 100% complete.  all i have to do is take pictures to fill in the pages.  she's so creative and talented!  i'm a lucky girl!

all in a few days

lots to catch you up on...it's been a busy busy week at the drew house!  and, without any further delay, i must announce that.....

AVERY LOST A TOOTH!

she was so excited...and she pulled it herself.  no tears, no hysteria, no freaking out about the blood.  she just did it and was so proud of herself!

we've also been having lots of fun around the house...one of our favorite things to do is have sack races in pillow cases.  you'll notice addison doesn't always keep her pillowcase on. 

lots more to come...hope you're enjoying this spring weather as much as we are!

primal

what would your relationship with the Lord look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possible?

that's the question that was posed this morning as allen started his first series, entitled Primal, which focuses on the rediscovery of Christ within us.  he took away all of the things and excuses we use that complicate christianity and broke our responsibility down into one simple thing: we have to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  and for many of us, that means rediscovering what it means to love God in these four ways...because they are all entirely different. 

i know it was challenging for me.  i spend a lot of time being me-focused...thinking and planning church and its events around what works best for 'me.'  that might surprise some of you, but for most of you that know me...it doesn't.  in fact, when allen showed me this video, i was glad i saw it early.  somehow being convicted in my own home seemed better than the conviction from sitting beside the pastor on the front row!

centered around ezekiel 36:22-28, allen focused on how God doesn't want a quick fix for our heart, He wants to create a work that changes us from the inside out.  probably my favorite thing that he said today was that God doesn't do what He does for us...He does it for Him and we are just sometimes the beneficiary of it.  a good reminder for a me-focused person like myself.  does God want to bless us?  sure.  but first He wants to restore a love relationship with us. and when we begin to live for the glory and fame of God, we begin to die to ourselves. 

our story, our church, has been a journey.  and sometimes when I think I should be closer to God than ever before, I've felt the farthest away.  i was reassured this morning that God is indeed closer than I think.  He never left...in fact He followed me when I went away.

i was definitely challenged to go back to that primal place where loving God was all that mattered.  i don't know about you, but i want to position myself so that God has an opportunity to move and work in my life.  i want to purify my heart with true repentance and i want my actions to proclaim and glorify Him.  

we've been busy

i love dogs.  hate cats, love dogs.  we've had many dogs...toby, molly, montana, bear (sniff).  we're big dog people - labs, goldens.  and as much as we love big dogs, we don't want one inside - we hate dog hair on furniture.  it's gross and no vaccum really cleans it up properly.  and we don't spend enough time outside to make the dog be a part of the family (because why else would you have one??).  so while we still love the big dogs, we've decided we are non-shedding, hypoallergenic, small dog people...which makes me laugh.

this weekend (and into this week) we've embarked on a new adventure - puppy sitting.  not that the drew team has a lot going on right now...other than trying to get a church off the ground...so we thought we could easily manage a 2lb (i kid you not) inside, non-shedding, hypoallergenic dog.  meet bogey.

within the first couple of hours we learned a few things.

1) i still love dogs
2) allen loves small, inside, non shedding dogs
3) avery loves dogs.  even if it's a snake dressed like a dog.
4) addison hates dogs...or really anything that isn't human.

now, we definitely  kind of already knew this but thought that since he's so so so small she would overcome and conquer her fear.  she hasn't.  she stays on high ground and screams at us calls out to us for anything she needs (food, water, bathroom, a hairbow, to change the movie), for fear that the dreaded 2lb monster that she could kick to the moon with her little toe will be in hot pursuit of her.

 

 

i will give her a small bit of credit in that he nips at your feet and pants leg....or really anything he can reach because it's not much.  i will also say the above picture does not correctly display her emotion and lack of love for the dog.  not even close. 

avery, on the other hand, has loved having a baby puppy to take care of.  but he doesn't really go after her like he does addison...probably because he's always being pursued by her.  in fact, this is what most of the day is like for him.

 

or

i know it drives him crazy to be carried, pulled and chased all day long...which is why most of the time he's trying to get here....

 

if you're wondering where "here" is...it's my lap.  he's discovered i'm the only low-key one around this house so he is always under my feet.  in fact, i stepped on him yesterday and thought i broke his little foot, which is the size of a peppermint.  i didn't, so don't tell his other family that there was an injury.  there may have also been a couple of vomiting instances, but we won't share those with them either. :)

and if he's not "here" he has to be here 

because i can't make addison stay on the couch, in a chair, her bed, in the car, on my bed, or in the bathtub all day long for 5 days.  

pitiful, i know.