Crazy Cousins

I was so thrilled that Hayden got to come over and play while his mom and dad were moving into their new house (beautiful doesn't even begin to describe this house, by the way - we are so proud for Melissa and Walter!). We had our first sleepover at our apartment in matching pajamas supplied by Aunt Melissa. It was all so exciting that I couldn't get them still for many pictures, but I tried, dog gone it!

Davis checking out his Budda belly.

Precious nephew tired of silly aunt with camera!

Transfixed by morning cartoons.

Playing together. And, yes, they shared. Most of the time...

Hide and Seek

Yesterday, Davis was in, let's say, a less than happy mood. And, for some reason, the only thing that would make him happy was holding my watch. Normally, I would never let him hold my watch. Kevin bought my watch at Disney World before we could probably afford it and it's very special to me. It is such a cool watch - I have had it for 5 years now (I don't have many things for that long) and it doesn't have any scratches on the crystal. Anyway, it consoled Davis, so I thought that I would watch him until he dropped it and steal it back. Nope. My attention deficit took over and I was on to bigger and better things. Then, as I was getting ready to leave for lunch, I realized what I had done. I was still missing it this morning when I was picking up the den. I happened to look down and see something shiny...in the fireplace. I guess I should be thankful that it wasn't in the trash.

Birthdays, Shoes, and Potato Soup

I haven't blogged in a week or so! I thought I would try and catch you up on what has been going on with the Fleming Boys!

First, and most importantly, Papa Frank and Papa Tony both celebrated birthdays this week. They are both so handsome and Kevin and I are so lucky to have such wonderful Dads (it's never too early to start the "buttering up" process for Christmas!). We are so thankful for them both.

Even more exciting news for Papa Frank - he has a new hip! He's pretty sore and it's challenging to get around right now, but he's a great patient because he knows how much better he will feel really soon!

Papa Tony is also our hero because Drew can tie his own shoes. Now, you may wonder, why is Papa Tony our hero and not Drew? Because Papa Tony was Drew's expert teacher (he's had years of experience tying shoes!). The picture is of Drew (and Davis) in their new Converse All-Stars, which was Drew's reward for learning to tie his shoes. They just happened to have Davis' size, too! Precious, right?!

The last thing I wanted to share was a Potato Soup recipe given to me by Ali White. Ali is mom to Sadie Anne, the cutie in the picture that I just had to share - Sadie Anne is actually in Davis' crib! Ali is also mom to Carleigh who is pictured with Drew in the Fiddlin' Pig post. Anyway, we had the potato soup for dinner on Friday and I will definitely make it again. Really simple and really easy! I think it came from Paula Deen's magazine.

Potato Soup

1 package (30 oz.) shredded/frozen hash browns

3 (14 oz) cans of chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
Pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)

1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese

Combine all ingredients except cream cheese in the crock pot and cook for 5 hours on low. At the end of cooking time, add the room temperature cream cheese and stir (I also used my whisk) until melted. We added bacon, cheese and sour cream as toppings for our soup. Hope you enjoy!

Gettin' Piggy With It!

Kevin, Drew and I had a great time last night with lots of friends at the Fiddlin' Pig! The big kids got to come with the grown ups and the little ones stayed at home with Sarah. Thanks to Ali for the pictures - I forgot my camera...again. This is a picture of Drew with his friends Avery Arrowood and Carleigh White.

Drew was a dancing machine! He tried his best to learn to clog with Jamie and George Cowart! He also loved watching the band - he looked like a groupie hanging out at the stage.

This is Avery and Drew square dancing with Neil and Carleigh. I think Neil's quote was something like, "The things we do for our children...".

My Funny Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day to my three favorite boys! I tell them everyday how much they are loved, but I wanted to let everyone know today how much my boys mean to me.

I'll start with Kevin (because I've loved him the longest!). My sweet husband is such a wonderful example to my boys of what a true gentleman is. My children will grow up watching their Dad treat their Mom with respect and love. What a gift - although I really like my new bracelet, too!!

Drew is my 40 year old in a 7 year old's body. I love Drew because he is so kind and funny. He loves trying new things and is so brave. He jumped right into a new school this year and made friends in about 2 minutes. Other moms tell me that he is the classroom casanova (like father, like son!) and that their daughters tell them how sweet Drew is. I love watching Drew grow and learn new things. He's growing so tall. Kevin is excited that he meets all the height requirements for rides at Disney World now, but I'm a little sad that one day very soon he will pass me! Drew predicts that he will be taller than me by the third grade, but I'm hoping it will be more like the 5th grade.

Davis is my little sneak. I love that silly boy! He is so full of energy (good grief, I'm so tired!) and fun. I love to hear him looking for me in the apartment - "Mommeeeeee" - and call for Drew - "Deweeeeeee". He is loving learning new words and he wants to be just like Drew. Davis loves cartoons and climbing on things right now. My favorite times are when he brings me a book and we sit and cuddle and read the same book over and over. I love Davis kisses so much ("ooooh- wah") and the way he says goodbye to every customer in restaurants as we leave.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of our friends and family! We love you all!

For The Love Of Paci

We've been concerned lately about Davis' love of his paci. The love seems to grow stronger everyday, making our plan to take the paci away at some point harder and harder.

I don't know why we worry. I'm sure everything will be fine. No struggle at all. Not a problem. I'm sure he'll adjust just fine.

The Morning After

We had a great time watching the Super Bowl with Nana and Papa and the Whites last night! It was a really exciting game and the right team won!

But, it was a long night, and Davis apparently had an apple juice hangover this morning. He just has to learn how to drink responsibly and to know when to stay when. At least he wasn't driving.

Capture Eden

This past summer we found a really great photographer here in Asheville. The pictures turned out to be so much more than we could have imagined (I literally cried when she showed us the pictures for the first time). We had the boys photographed at the Botanical Gardens at UNC Asheville. It was a crazy, busy day, but Miss Michelle was there to help and the boys couldn't stop smiling at her!

Anyway, I know that was a LONG time ago. But, this morning I was checking out her updated website - http://www.captureeden.com/ - and a few pictures of my handsome boys made the site!! Davis is in her Gallery with the "Discovery" group of pictures and Drew is on the Info page. So cool!

I also wanted to share a few pictures that Kevin and I took at Falls Park in Greenville this past weekend (definitely not as impressive as the Capture Eden photographs, but we're learning!). We had a really nice walk on Sunday morning experimenting with our new camera.

Cowboy Spaghetti

We had the most fun at dinner tonight! I tried a new Rachel Ray recipe for my little cowboys and Davis was still practicing his new spoon/fork skills. Messy doesn't even begin to describe the scene at our dinner table!

Needless to say, we had a bath immediately after dinner. Never a dull moment at the Fleming house!

Here's the recipe for Cowboy Spaghetti. It was very simple and really good!

1 lb. spaghetti

1 tbsp EVOO

3 pieces bacon, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup beer

1 (14 oz.) can chopped tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, then remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add beef and crumble as it browns. Add onions, garlic and stir into meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and Worcestershire. Add 1/2 cup beer and deglaze the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Add hot spaghetti to meat and sauce and combine. Adjust seasonings and add grated cheddar cheese.

He'll Always Remember This Day

Drew had a big day today. This morning, we met his new guitar teacher. Her name is Anne (she's the arm holding up the guitar in the picture above) and she is completely understanding of how excited and impatient Drew is about learning to play the guitar. He wants to know everything NOW!!

Then, in the afternoon, we visited Musician's Workshop and picked out a Baby Taylor. I have to admit that his new "baby" is beautiful (it's the one in the second picture). He sat down and strummed on a few and picked out his first guitar - a pretty momentous occasion according to the other customers in the shop. Everyone was congratulating Drew and telling him that he would always remember this day. I, of course, started tearing up. He's in his room right now playing his new guitar and, by some miracle, is not watching TV. I love that guitar already.

So, who knows what will come of guitar lessons? If Drew gets his wish, he'll be playing in a band very soon. He tells us that, along with a few of his friends, I'll be his best groupie, Kevin will be his manager, Davis will be playing piano, Miss Brooke will be his sound engineer, Walt will be another groupie, and Neil will be his agent. Drew is looking for fortune and fame at 7 years old, but it's my hope that he learns to play an instrument that brings him much happiness through the years.

New Stuff in the New Year

Davis Fleming is some kind of kid!

I am so excited to see what he is learning everyday. I wanted to post some pictures of some of his new stuff.

Let's see...he's learning to use a spoon, but prefers a fork; he is learning not to stand in chairs; he really loves brushing his teeth (he makes the "ahhhhhh..." sound the entire time); and he has learned that when he smiles (much like the one above) he has his mom wrapped around his chubby little finger.

Happy New Year!

What a wonderful holiday season! We had so much fun being with family and friends! We are so excited about what God has in store for us in 2008.

Santa was so generous this year! Drew loved his ipod and his Power Tour Electric Guitar and Davis had fun playing with his new piano and sitting in his very own chair.

But, as big as our holiday was, the snow that we just got is the really big news at our house! It was barely an inch and it was so cold, but we just had to go outside for a few minutes!

We hope you and yours have a wonderful 2008!

Just Like Drew...

Davis wants so badly to do everything that his big brother does. And he wants everything that his big brother wants (we had our first fight over a toy this week). I feel like I'm living in the middle of one of the old "Just Like Mike" Michael Jordan commercials. It's just so sweet and funny to watch a one year old try his best to do the things that a 7 year old does!

I got a picture of the boys today after Davis followed Drew around begging for the hat that Drew was wearing. Drew is learning fast, though. He got Davis his own hat to wear backwards!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas...

Although we had to scale down Christmas decorations this year (due to our scaled down living arrangements), we had a great time decorating! We did, however, leave the stockings off of the mantle so that we could hopefully (knock on wood) avoid the emergency room with a certain one year old this holiday season!

I've been having the best time planning and shopping and decorating and shopping and wrapping and shopping and shopping and shopping...

We've really enjoyed seeing the holiday sights in Asheville, too. We visited the Biltmore Estate to see the enormous tree and we saw the gingerbread houses at the Grove Park Inn.

And it's only just begun!!

Our Trip to the Dentist

We took our first trip to the dentist in Asheville last week. Although we had a good experience, we really missed our very own, personal dental hygenist (aka, Nana). They took pictures of the boys, so I thought I would share.

I was really jazzed to see Drew's x-rays. I think it's so cool to see all of his grown up teeth just waiting to come in. Dr. Jackson said that she thought the top two will be next. He might be asking Santa for his two front teeth!

Davis had a ball - except for the teeth cleaning part. He just roamed all over the place and climbed on the chairs! I think his favorite part was the giant toothbrush, though.

Drewy Poo

As just more proof that my baby boy is growing up so fast, here is a snip-it from a conversation that Kevin and I had with Drew yesterday...

Mom: But aren't you going to stay with me forever?

Drew: What about dating, Mom?

Dad: Why are you worried about dating Drew? Do you have a girlfriend?

Drew: I don't want to tell you.

Mom and Dad: Well, now you have to..

Drew: There are two.

Mom: TWO girlfriends?! (small fainting spell) What are their names? Are they in your class? Do they do drugs? Who do they hang out with? What are their parents like? Do they go to church?

Drew: MOM!!!

Dad: Tell us about them, Drew.

Drew: Well...one is nice and I like her. The other one just thinks she's my girlfriend. I don't like the name that she calls me.

Mom: I wouldn't be her girlfriend either if she was calling me bad names.

Drew: It's not a bad name, it's an icky name. It's so embarrassing!

Mom and Dad: Now you have to tell us...

Drew: (after much bribing) She calls me DREWY POO. I hate it.

Mom and Dad: (crying so hard that we can't respond)

Drew: I knew I shouldn't have told you!

If you ever wonder why I love my family so much, this is one of the reasons! We have so much fun together! Also, Drew received a cookie at the mall in exchange for his confession. He has also begged several times for us to stop calling him Drewy Poo. I've stopped, but I've started to try and teach Davis how to say it!!

A New Recipe

I found a really easy recipe that Kevin, Davis and I really like. Drew doesn't like anything I cook, so his opinion doesn't count on this one!

I found a "Fake It" recipe in the October issue of Real Simple for Shepherd's Pie and thought I would share...

Easy Shepherd's Pie
serves 4

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until no trace of pink remains. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish. Mix the cheese with the potatoes in a medium bowl. Spread the potatoes over the beef and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Easy, right?! Hope you enjoy! Also, Davis is not actually eating Shepherd's Pie in the picture, but I was so proud that he was actually eating off of his little plate and not dumping it out, that I had to take his picture!

Autumn in Asheville

We got to enjoy Autumn in all of it's splendor (Kevin's word, not mine) on Saturday at the Biltmore Estate. We decided, since it was such a nice day, to take a carriage ride.

The trees are just beautiful this weekend and I was so happy to be outside. Drew was really jazzed to see wild turkeys on our ride through the woods, but he was disappointed that we didn't see any coyotes (I, for one, did not mind missing that one). Both the boys loved petting the horses. The ones pictured are Willie and Waylon.

All in all, a pretty perfect Saturday for me and my boys.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year! Drew, Davis, and I visited Daddy at work and Kevin and I got to show off our precious ones. Then, we headed to Greenville for trick or treating. When we finally headed for home, the boys were asleep in the car in less than 5 minutes!

Davis was Mickey Mouse this year. He wore Drew's first Halloween costume!

Drew was the most handsome Dracula! His favorite part of Halloween is handing out the candy - he loves seeing all of the other kids in their costumes. And, he's already started planning his costume for next year!

Our Trip To Philly

Kevin and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Philadelphia! Kevin went for a conference and I went for the shopping! We visited Independence Hall (pictured above). I just got goose bumps thinking about the history of that building - we saw the chair that George Washington sat in as he presided over the Second Continental Congress! What really struck me as we listened to our tour guide was the amount of arguing and fighting that went on to form our nation. It took a long time for these men to reach many compromises. It makes me think about how frustrated I get with our politicians from time to time...

We also saw the Liberty Bell (or, as Drew calls it, the "Bell of Liberty") and took a really cool tour of the city. But, most importantly, we had several really great, romantic, fancy schmancy meals ALONE!! We're already planning our next trip...