Easter 2011

Easter 2011

These are flowers that Drew got for Kayla for Easter. He was so cute about it!

Kayla

Kayla is just getting bigger and bigger. She is as sweet as ever! We have really enjoyed this little girl!

Working

Working

Drew loves to work with his Dad, or work at anything he has seen his Dad doing. He loves tools and will spend a long time "working" on his "projects". Here are some of our favorite moments that we wanted to share!

Andrew's Third Birthday

Three years have gone by so fast. So many things have changed since the day our little Andrew was born in Mesquite, NV. We have moved three times to three different cities in two different states. We have recognized that Drew has an amazing drive to succeed. It drives him to learn. He already knows his alphabet and is excited to be in preschool. I am constantly amazed at his determination, which also gets him in trouble sometimes. We are very grateful to have him in our family. We love to laugh and play. He has a wonderful sense of humor! We love you Andrew, Happy Birthday!

Drew had a dinosaur themed birthday part for his friends. We had a great time playing games! We went on a dinosaur hunt and even were able to dig for dinosaurs in our back yard!

Thanks to Grandma White for helping to make this cake for Drew's birthday! It turned out so cute!

This is classic Drew, he is blowing out his candles on his birthday cake! He always makes us laugh!

Kayla's first ponytail

Kayla's hair fell out everywhere except on top, so I decided to take advantage of that. I thought she looked pretty adorable.

Christmas

Christmas 2010

We went to Bass Pro Shop and got pictures with Santa and then took the kids over to the Mesa Temple to look at the lights. We really had a great time! Shawn and Angie, and Travis were able to be there with us. Drew was so excited to hang out with them, he really likes to hang out with his Uncles and you too Angie!

Christmas morning was exciting, we even had Grandma and Grandpa White with us. It took us forever to get an ok picture of the kids under the tree, they weren't really cooperative. Drew had a blast opening all of his presents.

Drew's favorite gift was his "real" tool set. He got a tool set to work out in the garage, it came with all the safety gear. This is Drew with his safety gear on!

Family Pictures

Whitney Family 2010

Halloween 2010

We all worked together to carve the pumpkin that Grandma Whitney got for Drew. He still asks if we can carve another pumpkin because he enjoyed it so much!
Drew dressed as a fireman this year! He had a pretty memorable experience after he set off the fire alarm at the Goodyear City building! He was able to go on the fire truck and meet the firemen. At first he was worried they would take him away because he had done something bad!
Our little Pumpkin!

Trip to Utah

My Grandfather passed away in October after struggling for a long time because of multiple strokes. On October 13 we drove from Buckeye, AZ to Camp Verde AZ to stay at my parents house so we wouldn't have to make the whole trip with our two little one. It was a long trip to make and really wore the kids out. Drew fell asleep after he put his little stuffed monkey around his neck!

One of the highlights of our trip is that we were able to spend some time with family that we do not see often. This is Drew and his cousin Micah!

We attended the funeral in Spring City. It was hard to realize that Grandpa Strate really isn't with us any more. I will really miss him. He has been a very influential person in my life. Drew was able to ride with Grandpa White as the horses pulled Grandpa Strate to the cemetery.

It was so good to see so many people who I love so much. It was a hard trip on the kids. But I am grateful that we were able to go.

Diamondbacks Game

My cousin Kyle is in the military and was going through some training in Arizona, we were lucky to be able to see him a few times while he was around. One weekend he came up and we went to the baseball game! It was really fun to take the kids!

Kayla Jayne Whitney

We are so excited to add another special child to our little family. Kayla was born the morning of the 8th of July. I have been amazed to see the differences between her and Drew. They really are sent to us with their own personalities. I am grateful she is so easy going and happy. She was amazing as we were packing up and trying to move when she was just a few weeks old. Drew loves his little sister. He always loves to give her hugs and kisses. Sometimes he forgets he has to be gentle because she is still little, but he wants to play with her so much! I feel very blessed to have these two children in our home!

Kayla's Blessing

On September 4th we were able to have Kayla's blessing. We were grateful to have so many family members with us. Grandma and Grandpa Whitney came down from Alaska, and even my cousin Kyle was able to attend from Germany! It was a very special occasion for us!

Smile

I was trying to take pictures of Drew with his uncle Ryan, but he kept messing around and making funny faces. I thought it was so funny I had to record it, that is why we keep telling him to smile!

Camp Verde

Camp Verde
On the 8th of May Angie and Shawn invited us to go to Camp Verde and spend the day because Dave was spending the weekend in Utah with his brother Chris. We had so much fun going to the river. Angie's parents were so sweet, they took Drew for a ride in the canoe. Drew didn't like the water so much, he didn't want to touch it, but he loved throwing rocks, sticks and dirt clods into it!


Shawn and Drew saw this snake in the tree house. Camden and Drew were excited to see the snake but didn't want to get near it!

Drew enjoying his ice-cream.

Thank you Shawn and Angie for a great day! We also appreciate the hospitality of the Andersons. We always enjoy spending time with Camden and Dawn! Congratulations on your house Mom and Dad! It is beautiful!

Children's Museum

My friend Hannah took Drew and I to the children's museum. We had so much fun! They had a fire drill about 10 minutes after we arrived and Drew was up in a maze of tunnels and I couldn't get to him. It was a little crazy!

Drew shopping with Eleanore

Drew riding a motorcyle

Drew and Connor playing with the washers. It is amazing that something so simple could be so entertaining.

The Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo

I was asking questions about what the zoos were like in the area at playgroup and I was really excited when my friend Amy invited us to go with her to the Phoenix Zoo! It was extra special because Grandma and Grandpa White were able to meet us there! Amy had tickets to go on the Carousel, Drew loved it! He must have rode on the carousel at least 7 or 8 times with Grandpa. Thanks for being such a good sport Grandpa!! He loved seeing the turtles, the zebras, the lion, and the rhinoceros!

We were able to pet the sting rays! Drew wouldn't touch them but he loved having the opportunity to put his hands in the water!


Drew showing Grandpa the Rhinos.

Goldfield Ghost Town

Goldfield Ghost Town
We had a great time going to Goldfield with Dave's parents, Rich and Sharon! It is a little town on the east side of the valley that was settled multiple times to mine gold, but was flooded out. It was fun to see the old buildings and even to ride on the train!

Drew found this hat in the gift shop and fell in love with it! We thought it was kind of cute so we had to get it for him!

David and Drew waiting to go on the train.

Dave, Drew, Grandma Whitney, and Grandpa Whitney on the train.

Could it really get any better? We rode a train and found an old tractor! Drew was so excited!

The town jail.

Easter

Easter Morning 2010

Drew has been waiting all week for the Easter Bunny to come! He agreed to let the Easter Bunny take his bottles to a new baby because he didn't need them anymore. He is really growing up! All he really cared about were the jelly beans, it was hard to get him to focus on anything beyond that. We had the awesome opportunity to take one of the missionaries and go to the Easter Pageant over at the Mesa Temple. That really helped us remember what Easter is about. We are very grateful for the gospel in our lives and the knowledge we have of Jesus Christ! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!

Flying to Alaska

The night that Sharon left Drew ran and got his shoes so that he could go with Grandma on the airplane. One of his favorite things to play now is that he is "flying to Alaska". Sometimes it is to see Grandma or Grandpa and the puppies and other times it is to see Tae, Kai, and Maddox. For some reason he always tips the chair over for the "airplane."

Andrew's Birthday

Andrew's Second Birthday

I really can't believe that my little boy has already turned two! We had such a fun day. Drew found his presents first thing in the morning, we really didn't have the heart to make him wait to open them. We started the morning off with pancakes and opening presents! He enjoyed every minute of his day. It is sad to be so far away from everyone, we would have loved to have more of you celebrate this special day with us!
We are very proud of the little boy that Drew is becoming. He has a very sweet side to him and enjoys sharing and is concerned about those around him. We are so glad that he is our little boy!

Drew loved having Grandma Whitney here for his birthday! She really made him feel special!



He has been talking for the last few weeks about how he is big enough to blow the candles out by himself this year. He was pretty proud that he was able to do it!