Hi, My Name is Sarah, {part 2}

Besides completely loving this guy, we also:

Had a summer for night games, they were thrilling. And may I just mention that no one ever found my super sneaky hiding place...nope, no one including Mr. Stealth himself.

We also worked hard on our diving skills....
still working.
Kelly & his partners built a new medical office, it's awesome. The process was long and at times extremely frustrating. But, in the end, his new office is tops...you should go check it out.

For their Grand Opening, the clinic hosted a successful Health Fair, complete with a 5k Run. Yes, local celebrities were there. Lizzy helped her Dad run his booth, and took her job very seriously.

We spent time enjoying our Beautiful Mountains.
It's safe to say, our kids are campers....to their mother's chagrin.

And of course, Summer would not be complete without a trip up north. Riding rides with our cousins proved to be a winner, again and again and again...

Coming soon, September.

Who's The Man?

Yes, Baby Drew turned ONE! When he woke up that morning, he seemed to know it was his special day. At his birthday party, he wanted one thing, and one thing only: a ball, given to him by his cousin Emily. He cried when we made him stop chasing the ball around yard for the candle blow. Drew is a man who enjoys simple things in life: a ball, wrapping paper, grass and frosting. He did however appreciate the one year movie his father created for him, pointing and laughing at the television screen. What are his accomplishments to date you might ask? Simply put, Drew is our sunshine; his sweetness overwhelms us and we feel so blessed. This last year has been delightful with his presence. Never have we had such an easy baby! Happy Birthday to our Baby Drew, we "LOVE YOU SO BAD" (Rosie)!

A Happy Easter!

Delight #2, DREW

Who gave Drew the licorice?
Drew's getting big. Case and point.

Drew met Sully, if only they knew their future destiny of BFF's and future college roommates

8 Months!

Drew, Drewby (all of us), Big D (Mom, Dad & Grandpa Hamblin), Drew Drew (Max, Nana), Drewy Cat (Rosie...who else?), Baby Drew (Lizzy, our cousin Emily & the rest of us),

Drewy or Drewy Drew (Lizzy, Rosie, Mom).

No matter how you say it, Drew is our Delight for sure. Can you tell we absolutely love this baby? As for his new 8 month old tricks: 1- he has a sweet tooth, and that is about it. He still doesn't care for baby food, but will put up a good fight for a little lick of licorice (of course, I as his mother would never ever let him taste anything with sugar in it, never). 2- He says Uh-Oh regularly and means it. 3- Drew is also working on his waving skills, he waves at himself mostly, which we all find hilarious. Baby D is the life of the party, and we love having him around.

Must Be Santa

6 Months!

29 Inches

20 1/2 Pounds

6 Teeth

Smiles, Coos, Babbles, Rolls Over, Sits Up, Giggles, Eats Baby Food, Smiles, Smiles, Smiles.

Drewby is such a joy, words can not express how much we simply adore this good natured happy BIG boy. He is most defiantly our present this Christmas!

Show & Tell

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4-

5-

Have you seen Baby D lately? I have. In fact, he is taking all of my time, in a wonderful way. I do plan on updating this blog, this week, so stay tuned. In the mean time, please help me choose. These are a few of my favorite pictures of Drew's six month photo shoot (I know, 6 months!). I get to choose one to have enlarged on a stretched canvas. Which would you choose? Now, come on, don't be shy, I need your (you, you and you) input. Many thanks!

4 Month Fun

Before My Drew turns 5 Months, I need to celebrate the month of Four. Much happened to Baby Drew this last month. He has stopped using a Binky and replaced it with his two middle fingers...it's to die for. He's our first baby who actually likes "tummy time". Our home is filled with that sweet baby babble which for Drew always begins with a long sigh. He prefers Mommy at night, and I'm loving it. Drew has also decided that the car isn't so bad, and has made new friends with the many toys that are offered to him regularly. He is starting to sit up unsupported for a few seconds, and the girls are positive he will be an early walker because of the continuous kicking motion his legs make. And, by the way, he's huge. At four months, he weighed in at 17.4 lbs (85 %) and 27" long (93%). Okay and one other minor detail, he now has 2 teeth. Yes, just like Rosie. WE LOVE this happy easy going baby boy!

GONE!

And now Drew, for exactly 45 minutes, twice a week, it's just you and me kid!

Names & Blessings

Last Sunday Baby Drew was blessed. What a wonderful day it was, one that has left me pondering this week as I reflected on my feelings of the day. A few recurring thoughts:

1- How names shape us. Looking back on each of our children, I'm confident we named them correctly. Elizabeth-kind, courteous, "Ms. Manners", Rosie- cheerful, happy, full of life, Max- strong, determined, charming. And now, our Baby Drew. How will his name define him? I love to say his name; I love the special meaning behind it. I think of the sweet boy he was named after and feel honored to raise Drew David's namesake. When I talk with Kelly's Mom Sylvia, it seems that Drew David was a very active, energetic mama's boy who accomplished the baby milestones in a hurray. Perhaps Baby Drew will be the same way?

2- How lucky Kelly and I are to live where we do, surrounded by our family. Many of my extended family not only came to Baby Drew's blessing but helped prepare for it. I feel buoyed up by them. Most of our siblings were there, it's so fun to raise our children together. Kelly blessed our baby to grow close to his siblings and family; I pray he does.

3- How much I really love our backyard!

4- How much I completely adore our Baby Drew. He was perfect the entire day, letting anyone hold him and kiss his chubby cheeks. The day was definitely baby bliss!

Sunny Days

Life is Rosy with the Rosies'


Baby Drew is filling out quite nicely and is getting very use to being
the center of attention.



Rosie can't help but get a little irritated when she has to share
holding time with others, but Great-Grandma's trump.


And, there is a new hotspot to eat around our house,
on the floor....next to the baby.

Life has been full of sunshine this summer both inside and out. Kelly and I were concerned that our kids would be bored this summer because I'm not up to all of our usual activites....wrong....thanfully. It amazes me how our children seem to be satisfied with less, given the opportunity. They have fun playing in our backyard (instead of playing on trips), enjoyed simple walks around the block (instead of hikes) and get totally excited for a library trip which involves new movies to "buy for one week" as Max puts it. As always, I'm trying to keep it simple and enjoy the dog days of summer. Baby Drew is making this summer special, and I'm so grateful for a more relaxed time of year. Happy Summer!

Getting to Know You

Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me.

Drew has very large feet for a newborn, and it's impossible

to keep any kind of socks or booties on them.

Our most alert baby ever, Drew is awake more than most newborns

and is so engaging with his bright possibly blue (but still early to tell) eyes.

PS- no, he is not laying on rough wood with chipping paint...its a mat!

Baby Drew loves his hands tucked up close to his face when he is falling

to sleep. In fact, his favorite position is to have one hand against his cheek and the

other holding on to mine......melts me every time.

Baby Drew is a mommy's boy through and through

and I couldn't be more pleased as I am a Drew's girl.

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?

Because of all the beautiful and new

Things I'm learning about you Day by day.

(The King And I)

And now to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions:

1- How are you feeling?

I feel really great, actually. I believe this has been my easiest recovery and I have been blessed with so much help (thank you thank you thank you), I have been able to rest way more than I originally anticipated. Although, I must admit that I haven't gotten into the full swing of housework, cooking, and caring for the 3 older children yet, so we'll see how I fair in the not so distant future.

2- How is Baby Drew doing? Is he a good baby?

Drew is a Dream. He truly is. He still has that sweet sweet spirit about him. He is patient with his adoring siblings but, lets us know when he needs some down time with Mommy. He loves his new stroller (and so do I, thanks to our Family) and being outside. He seems to be most content where we are, which works well since his siblings want to be constantly near him.

3- How are the other children doing adjusting, particularly Max?

They are doing so great, we couldn't be happier. The girls are in heaven, needless to say. Max is so proud and protective of Drew. He hasn't shown signs of jealously, but is wondering when we are going to be able to push Drew in the swing, send him down the water slide, feed him fruit snacks......you get the picture.

4- Were you surprised he was a Boy?

No and Yes. All along Kelly and I both felt like it was "probably a boy", but there were times that I talked myself out of those feelings and thought we were having a girl. But, for the most part, I would have been more surprised if we had had another daughter. We definitely feel lucky to have 2 boys and 2 girls, if feels perfect for our family.

5- Are you getting any sleep?

Drew is a great little sleeper! He usually eats and goes right back to sleep at night, so, no complaints here, but, I still feel so very tired, and at the same time, I'm happy to be near him and hold him during the night.

Special thanks to my new favorite photographer, Wendy Carter who was so kind and patient to Drew and I and got such amazing shots of our newborn.