Thankful

We spent some time this weekend with our friends Jen and Mike. As you may recall, Jen is a talented new business woman, photographer, and owner of Jen Soares Photography! She and her equally talented husband were gracious enough to capture a few moments with our family. Here is just one shot, and you can see more at http://jensoaresphotography.blogspot.com/.



It was a great time for us to be with good friends after receiving news that members of our family had been in a car accident. We are prayerful for a full recovery for Susan's sister MJ. For our faithful blog followers, please keep the Fanning/Carrier family in your prayers as well.

This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for precious moments together.

Colorado, Croup, and Crawling

It's been a very busy week for those of us Living with the Langners! We were fortunate enough to travel to Denver, Colorado where we got to spend some time with our great friends the Franklins. Susan has been friends with Kerry since 7th grade, and we've waited a long time to introduce our little boys to one another. Imagine our excitement! Well, it was quickly tempered by Drew's Friday diagnosis at Urgent Care: croup. (Crap.)

So much for our grand plans to take adorable pictures of Drew and his new friend Matthew (who just turned 1 year old!) in the tub together, playing in the yard together, and giggling side by side! We kept them separated as much as possible, which was made easier by their very opposite nap schedules. But we did manage to get a few shots of the kids together.

Thankfully, we prepared well in advance for the possible cold weather in Denver, and had Drew adequately bundled up! We did NOT, however, prepare for the 5 inches of snow that blanketed the city on our last night there. Imagine our surprise to have to shovel the car out to get back to the airport!

We enjoyed plenty of the great outdoors as part of our "steam in the shower - then stand in the cold" remedy the doctor prescribed for Drew's symptoms.

Drew didn't help much with the shoveling, but who could blame him? He found a whole new world of toys inside the house - and his buddy Matthew showed him how to rock out in the exersaucer (complete with a few patented dance moves!)

All in all, it was a great trip to one of our favorite places, and time well spent with some of our closest friends! Many thanks to Kerry, Adam and Matthew for their awesome hospitality, laughs and late nights. Granted, these were not like the late nights we spent together B.C. ("Before Children"); these late nights were spent taking care of sick little boys instead of sipping wine until the wee hours and playing endless games of ping-pong. Swaping stories about diapers, baby-proofing, and bedtime routines is a different kind of bonding entirely.

While we were in Denver, Drew not only gained a new buddy, but learned a very important lesson....how to crawl!

As soon as we got home, Drew decided it was time for some independence. Check out his moves.

We're looking forward to the next few weeks - especially Thanksgiving in Ohio with the grandparents where this little mover and shaker can show-off for the family. And we're hopeful that we all get healthy and stay that way for a LONG TIME! After all, there are new corners of this house to explore.

BOO!

A bee by day and a dinosaur by night, Drew was all set for an exciting Halloween full of Tricks, Treats, and LOTS of candy (at least, Mom and Dad were counting on him coming through with a Snickers Bar or two.) Unfortunately, bed time came long before the door to door fun began. But we still had a great time dressing him up and spending time with the family on his first Halloween!

Drew was a good sport - and got some ideas for next year from his cousins!!

The best part of Halloween weekend (selfishly, for mom and dad) was that it included Drew's first night with babysitters! Drew lucked out and had his Uncle Jim and Aunt Wendy (seasoned grandparents!) babysit him for the evening. All went well, and we are pretty sure fun was had by ALL!

This gave us the chance to sneak off for the night (literally!) and surprise Susan's sister Laura with a party in celebration of her 35th birthday! The biggest surprise came in the form of Susan's mom - who flew all the way from Florida to attend the party and be with us for the weekend!

Drew was QUITE tickled to see his Mimi , and he insisted on showing her his favorite things about going to grandma's house - great views and a show tune on the piano!


Jen and Susan had some quality mother-daugther time over the weekend, too. Yes - those are matching shirts. Nothing says Happy Birthday like seeing your mom and sister wearing matching halloween shirts, right?

The Birthday girl, Aunt Laura, with Drew and Melanie.

The other big surprise for Laura was her best friend Beka! Freshly flown in from snow-covered Denver, Beka finally got to meet Drew. This little guy knows a mommy when he meets one... and Beka is a mom four times over. They became fast friends!


After he mastered piano with Mimi, Drew thought he'd try his hand at the drums. Forget the battery-operated toys, and bring out the kitchen bowls! The music and laughter were loud at Aunt Laura & Uncle Dennis' house. And then things got turned upside down as the Burgin cousins taught Drew a little something about Halloween and dress up... the best costumes are homemade.

Drew says, "HATS OFF to a great weekend and wonderful memories!"