The LA Drews

Happy Halloween 2011

Rowan's been talking about his costume for this Halloween since the day after Halloween 2010! He was going to be Batman and his best friend, Charlie, was going to be Superman. He never wavered. Then, a few months ago, we were going through a magazine and he changed his mind just like that! I guess he decided Captain America was just cooler.

So, Rowan was Captain America. He decided Daddy would be Batman. And, he declared that I would be Spidergirl.

The weekend before Halloween, we found a festival at the elementary school where Rowan will go next year (assuming we don't move before then.) We thought it would be a great way to get him excited about Kindergarten and let him check out the layout of the land. We decided to get more bang for our buck (these costumes + accessories can get quite pricey) and wear costumes. Rowan was set! Greg...well, he decided that he didn't need to buy a Batman costume. He was going to pull together the best Batman costume ever from "things he already had around the house". The only thing we bought was the cape from the $.99 Store and that looked like a trash bag! Not bad for spending only $.99, but still...poor thing! 

  
  
  

(pics taken October 29, 2011)
 

To be fair, Rowan thought Greg's "White Trash Batman"costume was amazing. And, noone knew us at the elementary festival. But, wifey was feeling a little embarrassed for her (Bat)man and decided we would not show up at Rowan's pre-school Halloween party or go trick-or-treating without the proper costume. As you can see...much, much better!  And, it was really cool to see some of the younger kids interact with Greg. They really thought it was THE Batman. One little guy ran up and gave him a huge hug. Really super cute!

       
  

Oh...and, I talked Rowan into letting me go as a "Pregnant Lady!"

After trick-or-treating, we headed to the Walter residence for our annual yummy taco soup night (thanks Mel!!). So so good! Rowan, Charlie and Luke had a great time passing out candy to the trick-or-treating stragglers while watching a movie (see the candy bowl in Rowan's hands).

 

We had a fun & very happy Halloween season 2011! Wonder what costumes my boys will don next year...my bets are on the Superheros coming to life again! And, I can guarantee I won't be a "pregnant lady!"

(Pics taken Oct. 31, 2011)

 

Pumpkin Carving Sunday Funday with The Moons

After all that fun at the Pumpkin Patch, we headed over to The Moons for a Pumpkin Carving Party, complete with pumpkin decorating & carving, bobbing for apples, dinner & amazing desserts, moustaches, and a viewing of It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

     
  
   
          

Thank you Izzy, JP, Lilly & Hank for such a fun, amazing Sunday Funday Night! Love you guys!

(Pics taken Oct. 23, 2011)

The LA Drews at The Pumpkin Patch

We took Rowan back to the same pumpkin patch we've been taking him to from the beginning. This year it was so much better - the set-up, the props, the photo opps. Rowan really had a blast this year...

...showing off his how strong he is and how huge his muscles are by picking up every single pumpkin there. The larger the better, of course.

 

...giddily running through the hay maze

    

...happily using the photo props (mom & dad too)

   

...allowing for some really great pictures in the midst of pumpkins

   
 


...posing with Casper and The Great Pumpkin

  

...and, being transformed into Batman.

 
 

(Pics taken Oct. 23, 2011. My belly at 19 1/2 weeks.)

Expanding Belly - 19 Weeks

Me and my expanding belly at 19 weeks.

 


Plus, Rowan getting one past me (of course!)

   

 (Pics taken Oct. 19, 2011)

Playing Hookie

Greg decided it was time to teach Rowan how fun it can be to play hookie from school. So, he picked him up early one afternoon and took him for a bike ride to the beach park for some daddy/son bonding on the monkey bars. Plus, we were having a a heat wave in October, with temperatures in the 90s. That's the best excuse I've heard for skipping out of school (and work) early!

Can life get much better for a 4-year old? Based on the huge smile on this happy boy's face, I think not!

       

After getting just the right amount of sand in all the cracks and crevices, it was home for a little rinse  in the sprinkler (and pee in the ferns). Again people...90 degree weather in mid-October!

        


(Pics taken Oct. 13, 2011)

Let's Go Cardinals!

We do love the occasional LA Dodgers live baseball game,but we're not really a TV baseball watching family. If you know us, you know that soccer RULES our roost. However, when the  Playoffs came around and the STL Cardinals were in the mix, we jumped on board since the man of the house is a former St. Louisian. Daddy even bought his little buddy an official STL hat!

 

Rowan really got into watching the games, learning the players names, figuring out the rules, cheering for homeruns and swinging a white towel after a win. The day after he watched his first game, he insisted we buy him a real and official batting helmet! And, he's become quite the slugger!

Way to go Cards!

(Pics taken Oct. 12, 2011)

Beautiful Boy & Beautiful Belly

Here is my beautiful boy posing with my beautiful growing belly at 18 weeks.

  

(Pics taken Oct. 12, 2011)

 

Whale Watching Adventure! ("adventure" being the opporative word!)

The LA Drews, the Walsh clan (Parrish & Brendan, Carol & Bob) and Jonathan went for an exciting afternoon of whale watching off the coast of Long Beach. It was said that the great Blue Whale...yes, the largest creature on earth, were feeding off the coast and that we had a chance of spotting them.

I'm not really fond of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean, but this is not something we have the opportunity to witness when living on the east coast. And many people go an entire lifetime without ever seeing a blue whale. Plus, one of the books we're reading with Rowan is all about fish and whales, so I thought it would be a great family adventure.

And, it sure was...for many reasons!

It was a beautiful day! We sat in the front of the boat on our way out to the feeding grounds.

Once we got out there, we did see a blue whale that was feeding and were able to follow it for a couple of hours. We even got to see the baleen a few times as the whale "jumped" out of the water to get the food into it's mouth. We also saw Minke and Fin whales. It really was amazing.

 

About 45 mins into the trip, Rowan said he had a bit of a headache and he did not want to be on the boat anymore and wanted to go home! Since we were stuck, I sat down with him and was able to get him to take a nap.

By this time, the boat was stopped and just rocking back and forth as we watched the blue whale. Not a great thing for seasickness! Greg was in the back of the boat trying not to yack. Luckily, I had some nausea medication on me for my awful morning sickness and gave him a pill, which definitely helped keep the contents of his stomach down.

Rowan woke up from his nap and, although sadly not really interested in the blue whale, he was happily coloring and drawing pictures of whales for me. Greg came inside to stay with Rowan while I went outside to get some fresh air. I was out there for 2 mins when I was called in by one of the ship's crew members...Rowan had managed to projectile vomit all over his daddy, himself and the boat. We were now THAT family! (How Greg managed to not yack at this point is a wonder to me!)

To say the least, The LA Drews will not be participating in another whale watching excursion for quite some time...or maybe ever. But, since we've now seen the largest animal on the planet, I guess we won't need to!

(pics taken Oct. 9, 2011)

 

 

 

Rowan & His Buds

The dads organized a playdate and we had a great afternoon in Santa Monica with some of Rowan's buddies playing soccer and on the playground. Here are some pics of Rowan with Charlie - his BFF, Luke - Charlie's little brother, and Luc - one of his school friends:

  
    
 

(pics taken September 18, 2011)

Our Soccer Stud(s)

Rowan loves Jonathan and can pretty much talk him into 2 things when he comes to the westside: 1. playing soccer in the front yard and 2. reading him a book at bedtime.

Here are some soccer pics (please ignore the ratty goals in the back. I've been begging Greg to throw these away, but I guess they do sort of serve the purpose.):

         

Thanks Jonathan for always finding time for our little guy and for always humoring him when he asks for your attention!

(pics taken September 2, 2011)