And the results are in...

We are having a BOY, three boys! I am still in shock but surprisingly very excited. I feel amazingly prepared and can't wait until I can hold him in my arms. I am sure the rest of my pregnancy will feel very long. It always seems finding out the sex of the baby makes it that much more real that we are going to welcome another special little person into our family.

We have decided to name him Gavin Mitchell, Mitchell after Eric's cousin, Todd Mitchell, who passed away in March after battling cancer. The doctor said little Gavin is doing really well, measuring five days ahead in size (go figure, both of our boys were five days early). I really hope he is not an eight pounder like Ethan, but what can I do? The tests for genetic/neurological defects came back negative and all his parts are in place. When the doctor looked at the ultrasound picture that confirmed he was a boy she said "yeah this one is not really debatable, he is definitely a boy." So all I could do was laugh all day. But I am in a really good place and just hoping that since Micah knew it was a boy, his prediciton that we are having a girl next comes to fruition as well (that's for you honey). ;)

On the Home Front...

If any of you were wondering things are going much better here. I haven't posted in a while because I actually have energy and feel well enough to clean my house so I've been playing catch up. My migraines were at an all time worst, and I was getting one almost every day. They have been at bay for over a week now, thanks to Xango Juice (a mangosteen supplement), which Eric's Dad is newly distributing since experiencing it's healing properties for himself. Seriously, you'd have to try it to believe it but I've never been able to fight off migraines before like I have this week so hopefully it will keep up. And the best part is I have no side effects that I experience with medications, which weren't working anyway. So life is good.

My house is getting back to an acceptable state and we are preparing to leave for our first vacation since visiting my parents in D.C. last Christmas. Ironically we are headed back there for a week but we are taking Eric's parents with us this time to enjoy the experience of our nation's capital. So we are really excited for the overdue R&R and to be with family. We fly out on Sunday.

Eric is also taking a week off after we get back to burn some excess PTO. We are planning to use the time to finish the final touch ups in the basement since we passed all of our final inspections today after three long years! Yeah!

Some other exciting news, we are having our ultrasound on the 16th of October, just 4 days after we get back from vaca. Hopefully the baby will cooperate and we'll be able to share the news with all of you.

So lots of exciting things and pics to come. Just wanted to update everyone and let you know where I've disappeared to this time.

Micah's Baby Lincoln

So just a little update on the baby front...the other day Micah and I had our typical conversation, if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl. Just to give you a little background, Micah refuses or is unable to entertain the possibility that the baby might be a girl. He has even named him Lincoln, which I can only assume is due to that being the name of one of his church friends. Our conversation goes something like this...


Mommy: "Micah what should we name our baby?"

Micah: "Lincoln"

Mommy: "But what if the baby is a girl?"

Micah: "But it's not, it's a boy named Lincoln."

Mommy: "But wouldn't it be nice to have a girl since we have Daddy, Micah, Ethan - three boys, but Mommy is the only girl?"

Micah: "Yeah, we need a baby mommy."

Mommy: " So maybe we can have a girl next?"

Micah: "No, after baby Lincoln comes then baby mommy will come. We're going to have three boys and then a girl."

Micah is so adamant about this that he almost has me completely convinced. We are having an ultrasound done in mid-October so the wait is on until then. What do you think? Is three times a charm for a girl or will Micah prevail?

Ice Cream!

This summer we've enjoyed Baskin Robbins $1 scoop Tuesday nights a few times. The boys absolutely love it and it's fun to watch them enjoy one of my favorite treats.

"Cheese...is the ice cream here yet?"

"Oh I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!"

"Yum, chocolate!"

"This place is packed! Good thing I'm not the one waiting, obviously."

In Daddy's Shoes

For as long as I can remember Micah has wanted to be just like his daddy. Everyone says your son will be "Mama's boy" but not the case with Micah. He will follow Eric to the ends of the Earth just to see what he is doing and try and "help" him. There is nothing he loves more than being with his dad and when he isn't with him he is trying to be like him. On this particular day, like many others, Micah has decided to try and fill Daddy's shoes but this time he included his socks as well, too bad they are leggings on Micah but who doesn't love a black legging with a khaki short?

Excuses

Well migraines are a frequent event in my life and I'm just getting over a terrible cold that has lasted for over a week. Of course both the boys got it and this is all in the midst of us trying to finish our basement. We are just doing the finishing work on the stairs and paint. So we are really excited and anxious to say the least. There will be a great post once that project is complete.

We all went to the doctor yesterday. When I told Micah the doctor was going to check on the baby he said, "but the doctor can't see the baby." So he was pretty blown away when we got to see and hear the baby on the ultrasound, the baby is still too small to hear his heartbeat othewise. Everything is going well except that I've lost 4lbs! My sister-in-law really cracked me up when she replied "lucky!" to the news. I guess all the headaches and work have really caught up with me. I'm sure I'll make up for it in the long run though. :)

Ethan's Prayers

Ever since we taught Ethan to pray he has folded his arms like this...

I'll be really sad when he starts to pray like the rest of us. Ethan really is so sweet. As soon as we mention prayer he folds his arms, bows his head into his hands and gets really serious; we're still working on closing his eyes. I just had to post these pictures before he grows out of it.

Here is Micah's impersonation of Ethan...

Migraines...YUCK!

Well two 36 hour migraines in one week is probably a lot for anyone to manage so that is where I am at right now. Luckily they both hit on the weekend so Eric was here to help but I feel like I have lost so much time. I seem to be behind on everything, including my blog. So I'll try to crank out some stuff soon...

"I'll rescue you!"

Our sweet Ethan has found himself, how ever difficult to believe, in the grasps of the "terrible twos." His tantrums, seasoned with blood curdling screams, occur when he is unable to communicate the ever pressing desires of his 20month old heart that we "unjustly" deny him. Like many mothers I struggle to know how to manage my child when he acts out, especially in public. But behind closed doors I callously put Ethan in his crib for a timeout. I have relinquished to such torture since he won't stay in a timeout anywhere else and instead follows me around the house screaming. After one such episode I placed Ethan in his bed and left him to do some other daily duties when I heard Micah yell reassuringly "I'll rescue you!" This is what I found...
Luckily I got there before Micah tried to dump Ethan over the crib railing if that was even his intent. It appeared that he just wanted to keep his brother company and that melted my mother heart. I am so blessed and grateful to have two boys who, despite their endless antagonizing entanglements, love each other and share so many moments of togetherness. I pray that they will continue to rely on and love each other all their lives. The following slideshow is a few recent pictures of them enjoying time together.

Masters of Disguise

My boys have really enjoyed going to Aunt Crystal's for play dates this summer. One of Micah's favorite things to do is dress up as a super hero. Never mind that Caden's costumes are two times too big for him, something so trivial is not going to stop "Super Micah" from saving the world.

As for Ethan, he has a true love affair with hats. The reason is a mystery, but Ethan has an emotional connection to his hats almost like he does to his blanket. If he sees a hat he has to put it on. Here Ethan is wearing the newest fall fashion trend, flight inspired attire - I know, cutting edge!

Diagnosis: Blog Comatose

A good friend recently apologized on her blog for being "blog lazy" only after a few days of neglecting to post, so that must mean that I have been in blog comatose. Never fear, I have been awakened to my blogging folly and plan to redeem myself.

I'm sure most of you believed I had been swallowed in the woes of early pregnancy and that I was reluctant to eat my words of yore. Alas I have, as of yet, still been spared from morning sickness and everything is going fabulously. I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday and the doctor said both I and the baby are right on track. To my delight my doctor actually has an ultrasound done on the first appointment to make sure it is a viable pregnancy and to assess the risks of miscarriage. So it was so reassuring to see our little "peanut," hear his strong heartbeat and know that my body is supporting his development. Once I get the ultrasound photos scanned by someone gracious enough to let me use his scanner, i.e. Eric's dad, I'll post them so our small fry can be seen by all to enjoy.

Now if you haven't noticed I have been referring to our baby as a him. Here is my theory: if I expect a boy I will be prepared and excited to welcome him into our family of testosterone. And if it is a girl, I will be overwhelmed by surprise and joy to say the least. It's a win win really. But if any of you believe that a little girl isn't in the back of my mind clawing to get out (in a very feminine and girly way of course), you are definitely just as delusional as I am.

So I give my deepest regrets that I have not kept current on my blogging, but I will try and make it up with a number of posts to follow. The succeeding posts are what we have been up to this summer. Nothing too eventful but things I want to remember nonetheless.

Fun Quizzes

With nothing new or funny to report I thought I'd post these quizzes for your enjoyment. Do they sound like me? Which flavor and/or princess are you?


You are passionate, creative, and inspired. Black raspberry ice cream is an unusual color and flavor, so some people might consider it strange, but your exciting personality is what makes you so delicious. You bring a juicy burst of flavor to everything you do, and your life is packed with one memorable experience after another.



Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.
Which Disney Princess Are You?

Here's to less trips to the Porcelian God!...so far...

I'm most definitely going to jinx myself but I haven't experienced any morning sickness yet with this pregnancy. I was starting to get worried that there may be something wrong. But after doing some research online, I found that many mothers have enjoyed nausea free pregnancies and had healthy babies even if they had terrible morning sickness during a separate pregnancy. In my reading I found that morning sickness can start as early as week two but starts most commonly between week four and six. I started week five on Wednesday and so far so good. I was really sick with both my boys. I didn't loose my cookies too often but I constantly felt like I was going to until the end of my first trimesters. So I guess I'll just count my blessings for now and hope my nausea free bliss continues. Not having morning sickness has definitely made it easier to try and keep up with my boys, if that's possible. Maybe I'll enjoy being pregnant more than I expect this time - knock on wood!

My Man and Our Van

I thought I'd take this chance to brag about the love of my life. Eric is a real car connoisseur, especially of sport and exotic cars. Cars are definitely one of his loves in life and he has owned 13 since high school! So, Eric has always wanted a "dream" car. We actually had a cherry red Corvette when we got married and that was not his pinnacle dream car if that gives you any idea. Little did Eric know how drastically his life was going to change.

To put it plainly, Eric swore to himself that he would never own a minivan. Well, since we were planning to have another child we were faced with the cold hard fact that we would not all in fit in our BMW 325xi sedan. So reluctantly, and I say very reluctantly for Eric, we sold the BMW and relied solely on our commuter/beater a 1999 Civic EX - which by the way is getting over 50 miles to the gallon! Google "hypermiling" and you'll see how. :)

So the search was on. Originally we were looking to get a crossover or SUV for our family vehicle, but after researching vehicle costs, mileage, and seat configurations Eric came to the conclusion that his worst nightmare was inevitably going to come true - We were going to purchase a minivan. We found our minivan and paid cash for it, so everyone felt good about that. But that didn't mean Eric would drive our new BMW, "Big Mormon Wagon." We have owned the van since June 3 and now the reason for my post...Eric drove the van for the first time this past Sunday! I didn't pressure him to drive or even ask him to. He just calmly, but probably screaming inside "please someone kill me," got into the driver's seat and said let's go. I think the amazing news of our impending addition just the day before fired him up to bite the bullet...or he was just getting sick of my driving. ;)

Luckily destiny was on my side and I had my camera with me so I could document this momentous occasion. He commented during the picture taking that ironically he was wearing a Lamborghini t-shirt and driving a minivan. I reassured him that our van was just his way of getting his family around, the family that he loves so much and that loves him more than he'll know. He said, "just keep telling me that." So I think it made him feel a little better.

I am so proud of my sweet husband. He is such a strength to me and I know that his family comes first no matter what the sacrifice. Don't worry baby someday we'll be cruising in your Lamborghini, or maybe just a Ferrari. ;) But for now here is our before & after...

And along comes number 3!

Wow, this has been a very eventful month. So my suspicions, or premonitions (lol!), have been correct. I am pregnant and we are expecting to welcome our third child into our family mid March next year! We are really excited and can't wait to find out if we will be having another sweet boy or hopefully an even sweeter girl. We will be happy either way and pray to have a strong and healthy child. Being a mom is a super difficult job that challenges and tests me every day. But there is nothing like the innocence and love of a child and being able to foster goodness and happiness in him. I am so grateful to be a mother and that I have two beautiful boys to call me mommy. Sorry to be so corny but this is truly a special time for us and I wanted to share it with you. So I'll keep you posted on the baby's progress and my growing belly - hopefully the other parts of me won't grow as much. :)

The Ping Pong Bandit!

Micah's current favorite TV show is The Backyardigans on Nickelodeon. One of his favorite episodes is "Blazing Paddles" featuring the Ping Pong Bandit! It is essentially a western in which they have ping pong showdowns instead of gun fights. The bad guy is the Ping Pong Bandit, and Micah loves to pretend to be him and do his signature move the "Bandit Slam It!" Micah dresses up in Daddy's cowboy boots and hat; we bought him a cheap paddle and ping pong ball to complete the look. He has a grand ole time playing ping pong in the wild west. Micah is actually really good at serving the ball and can volley it once in a while. It's really fun to watch him and hear him say "Tarnation!"

Micah's first movie!

So we were brave this weekend and took Micah to see his first full feature film in the theatre! We went with Crystal, Bill and Caden so the boys could experience their first movie together. The film of choice was "Kung Fu Panda" and it was quite an adventure. The boys did really well. They didn't sit the entire time but were quiet for most of it. Luckily there were only two other families in the theatre. They probably got a kick out of the boys if the paid any attention to their antics. Lets just say that they brought new meaning to "making out" in the movies. Micah is very affectionate when he is excited, so in the middle of the movie he would turn to Caden and they would commence to hug eachother in a huge embrace and then plant a smooch right on eachother's lips. It was very cute but I'm sure it'll be good leverage for when Micah is older; no teenager likes their mom to share a story like that one. When the boys weren't exchanging tokens of love they were practicing their Kung Fu. Eric thought..."now that's more like it!" So it was a really good time. Definitely a mile marker to remember.

Celebrating the 4th of July

It was so nice to have a long weekend and commemorate our nation's independence. We celebrated with Eric's family at his sister's home since the landscaping is all finished. Hooray! The kids played baseball and got soaked playing in the water table; they really had an awesome time.

On this holiday I want to say that I am so grateful for our freedom and for our country. I sincerely thank our servicemen and women who give their lives so that we may live and believe as we desire. We are so extremely blessed to have so much. Thank you to both my dads and my brothers - Josh, Brandon and Bill - for all your service and dedication to our country, past and present.

Splish Splash!

Buds forever!

The Lil' Diva - "This heat is insufferable!"

Micah & Mommy

"I'm going pro for sure!"

"Did you see that hit!?!"

Cousins and Landscaping

Eric's sister Crystal and her family are moving back home after being away for over five years. And we are so excited to have them close! It will be so fun to watch the kids play and grow together. Her kids are pictured here, Caden who is 3 and a half and Hailey who is 15mo. Well they have purchased a beautiful new home and Eric has put in a lot of work there installing the sprinkler system and helping build the new patio and fence. Unfortunately I got to play the mom card and didn't help out enough. But I did get some cute pictures of the boys while I watched them play in the dirt and kept them out of the way.

Best buddies

Cutie pie

"Peace...I mean cheese!?!"

"Like my ride?"

Ahh...dorable!

Lets get going!

Well I suppose I should start "blogging." I've been having a lot of fun getting my "playlist" together.

I wanted to start this blog so I can share everyday special moments about my life and my family. I figured it would be a good way to keep people updated and document the life of the Drews.

Currently our family is made up of Eric, Rachel, Micah and Ethan.

Eric and I met in 2001 after I returned from my mission, la gran mision de Buenos Aires Oeste, when I was still Rachel Stoker. We dated for a year and were married in 2002. The following year we were sealed in the Laie Temple in Hawaii for time and all eternity. Those were two of the happiest days in my life.

Now as Micah says, "we're all Drews!" Micah is 3 and a half and Ethan is 19 months old. They are both all boy and really keep me on my toes. But they are the most amazing blessings in my life.

We are loving life here in Colorado. Eric has been with Wells Fargo for 10 years now and is currently working for them as an analyst. I enjoy my days at home with our boys and hopefully have a hand in helping them to grow into happy, righteous, and productive men.

Well, the coming posts will include all of our adventures. So sit tight...