Memorial Day Weekend

We just got back from a really fun weekend!
We drove down to Pensacola on Friday to visit Brett, Kelly, and the kids. We left bright and early on Friday morning fully prepared for the slow trip and lots of stops that were going to be necessary with a potty training toddler, a fidgety five year old, and a pregnant mommy on board. Dan and I both have tendencies to get into "trip mode" and really hate slow going and lots of stops, but getting into the right mindset before the day even started made it sooo much better. Everyone stayed nice and calm and the kids were surprisingly so good in the car thanks in large part to a portable dvd player and stacks and stacks of activity books.
When we made it into town, we officially felt like we were on vacation. Kelly and Brett had everything planned out and we just showed up for all the fun!
First, the kids got to go and wake Kate up from her nap. She was so surprised to see them and they picked up right where they left off. They all three got along so well all weekend long! Andrew and Kate really played well together for the first time. Usually Will and Kate are inseparable, but now that they are getting older, Andrew is a better match for Kate. She had Andrew dressing up in tutus and beads and going to "the ball." And, of course, Andrew was happy to oblige...well at least the first couple of days. :)
After a while, the dads and kids headed to the park to play while I helped Kelly make Chicken Lettuce Wraps for dinner. Yum!!!
The next day, we got up and headed out on the boat for a full day of fun and sun. It was such fun and the hours just seemed to slip by without anyone noticing. The weather couldn't have been better and the water was just beautiful.



That evening, Kelly and Brett arranged for the adults to go to the Blue Wahoos AA baseball game while the kids were being watched by Brett's sister, Mary Kathryn. It was a great night out!

Sunday, we headed out on the boat again for more beaching, swimming, and hanging out. On the way out to the sandbar, we passed by a large group of dolphins swimming all around us. It was amazing how close we were to them. These pictures don't really do it justice.





Sunday evening we watched the Bulldogs win the SEC basebal championship which was just the icing on the cake for the weekend.
It was such a great weekend and a great last hoorah before baby girl gets here!
The only downside to the whole weekend was the realization of just how much we miss Brett, Kelly, Kate, and Luke. We are all so close and more than just family, we consider them to be our best friends too. I am so glad that we got to spend this weekend with them and I can't wait for the next time we get to see each other.
Thanks for the great weekend, Aldridges!

Our Big (little) Boy

Andrew has made some huge steps in the last couple of weeks.

First of all, (drum roll, please)
He is POTTY TRAINING!!! What I thought was the impossible task has been underway for the past couple of weeks and with great success! The first couple of days were awful, but once he got, he has been 100%.
Now here are the asterisks:
*We must carry around the froggy training potty in the car with us at all times because he is not always keen on public restrooms.
*He will not stand up to pee yet...which makes public restrooms a pretty gross issue anyway.
*#2 has not been quite as easy and that is still a work in progress.
But, with the way things looked a month or two ago, I am calling what we have happening a HUGE SUCCESS! There for a while, I was pretty sure he was going to kindergarten in diapers. :)

And ironically enough, since he has been potty training, his vocabulary has also opened up. He speaks in complete sentences all the time now and can actually answer a open-ended question without a ridiculous response.
For example:
Before, I would ask him what his favorite color was and his answer would be: "um, milk!"
Now, he seems to actually be listening and comprehending what we are asking him.
Again, may be a coincidence or it may be that he just needed this push to become a "big kid."
Either way I will take it. It could not have come at a better time since we are now on countdown to baby girl's arrival!

And...
He got a new big boy bed this week!
We finally moved the crib to the baby's room and got Andrew a twin bed just like Will's. He is pretty thrilled with his new digs!


All these little things just add up to the fact that our littlest boy is really growing up. We are so proud of him and I think he is pretty proud of himself too! :)

Soon to come....pictures of baby girl's room!!!

Muffins with Mom

Last week at Will's school, they invited the moms to stay for a few extra minutes at drop-off time to have muffins with the kids and celebrate Mother's Day. Will was really cute about the whole thing. He wanted to keep it a surprise(I didn't have the heart to tell him that Mrs. Tamar had sent home a letter about it.); he also wanted to "wear something that looked nice" to school; and he was so proud to have his mommy and brother there in his classroom for a visit. Will never fails to surprise us. He can act like such a tough guy sometimes and has become a very independent little kid, but days like this remind me just how he is still my sweet little boy. And as if all of that wasn't enough, he also came home with this note.

Just melted my heart.

America's...(well, at least the Whatleys') Favorite Past-time

T-Ball!! T-ball is just so much fun! We are a sports enthusiasts filled family for sure, so it should be no surprise how much we have all enjoyed the newest sport in our life. I am just surprised at how I look forward to the games almost as much as Will does. It may sound silly, but I guess it is just one of those "being a parent" things that you just don't get it until you experience it. For Friday night's game, we had some very special visitors. Gigi and Jabo made the trip over just in time to surprise Will before the game started. He was so excited to see them and got to give them a big hug before getting into game mode. And Gigi got some really great shots of our little man doing his thing...

Andrew is even the team mascot or manager or ball boy or whatever you want to call him. He just loves being a part of it all and feels really important wearing the team uniform. :)

And, of course, Will and Jabo even squeezed in watching a little baseball on tv together Saturday afternoon before they headed back home.

We had the best time visiting with Gigi and Jabo and cannot thank them enough for coming. It really meant a lot to all of us!