Springtime Fun

I've let too much time pass since the last post but the weather has been so nice that we've spent all our time outdoors and away from the computer these last few weeks. We got Owen some sunglasses a few weeks ago and he actually wore them for a long time outside one day. He lost that pair when we went for a walk but we got him a new pair yesterday in Texarkana. Doesn't he look cool!?!


We've enjoyed the beautiful sunsets from our gliding bench in the yard. We have the best view from that bench in the evenings.
We had to get Owen a new bathtub because he had long outgrown the other one. We ordered this one online thinking he wouldn't be able to stand up in it but it didn't take long for him to prove us wrong. All the child wants to do is stand up these days. I think he won't be content until he can walk! He does like sitting in the "big tub" and splashing around in all the water but we're constantly saying "Owen sit down!". He stands up and steps out of the seat and just stands there smiling in all his naked gloriousness like he's so proud of his accomplishment. So, we're still trying to figure out what to do about this new problem and we're open to suggestions people!
After weeks of searching and many arguments between Chris and I, we finally settled on this outfit for Owen's official "Easter outfit". The hat was Chris' idea. It's still too big but Chris puts it on him every chance he gets. Needless to say, Owen was the coolest dude in Sunday School this morning!
We're still shopping for an appropriate gate that will fit the area between our living room and kitchen (and that doesn't cost 90 dollars) so in the mean time Connie (the nanny) devised this setup. Here's Owen setting up for his latest trick....throwing anything and everything over the chairs and into the kitchen! I actually caught him going to the trouble of picking up Emma's bone, crawling over to the chair barricade, standing up, and launching it to the other side just to make her go fetch it. For those of you who were wondering, Emma crawls "mission impossible" style through the chairs to get to the other side...or when she's in a big hurry she just jumps over them. Owen stands at the chairs for a long time (when no one's even in the kitchen) talking to his imaginary friend who apparently spends a long time in the kitchen! So far, his "friend" hasn't taken over preparing our meals, but we're still hoping for the best! Notice the pillow protection in front of the fireplace. Our living room has become an obstacle course of pillows and chairs to keep Owen out of trouble!

We attempted to transition to Stage 3 foods over the weekend. Unfortunately, this did not go too well........
Owen has been having a snack in the morning and the afternoon of "crunchy foods" like crackers and all the Gerber graduates products (wagon wheels, Crunch 'Ems, etc.) and he loves his crunchy snacks. We've also been giving him bites of table food like mashed potatoes, chicken and dressin', macaroni and cheese, etc. He's done so well with all the new things he's tried but somehow when we tried the Stage 3 foods it all went horribly wrong. The foods have chunks of meat, veggies, noodles, etc. in them and he seems to have a hard time with this mix of puree and solid together. So, after several days of fighting him over it we called a truce. So, now we're giving him Stage 3 foods that we know he'll like (squash, green beans, etc.), table food, and Stage 2 food to fill in the gaps. So far, that's been a success!

This morning when we woke up we discovered that the Easter bunny had made a stop at our house and left a little basket of treats for the little guy. He got so excited and promptly dumped the basket onto the floor to check out his goodies. The Easter bunny brought him new Gerber Dippers that he can use to learn to self-feed and eggs filled with all his favorite snacks that make a fun noise when he shakes them. He loves shaking the eggs so much that I have a feeling those eggs will be all over the house for months!

After lots of fun with the Easter basket, we all got dressed and headed off to Sunday School and church. Chris and I look weird in this picture but Owen looks cute so here it is:

The weather was so nice on Friday that we got out of the house and headed to the park. Owen had his first fun day on the playground and seemed to love all the attractions. Here he is hanging out in the swing:

He loved being pushed in the swing and especially loved watching his shadow on the dirt.
Next, he "drove" the firetruck and bounced around in it. Then, we checkd otu the playhouse and peeked through the windows and door.
We capped off a perfect day at the park with his two favorite activities: playing with pine cones........................
and examining the contents of the diaper bag!
We've had lots of fun on Spring Break and Easter weekend and we're sad that it's come to an end! The weather is supposed to be nice this week and next weekend we're heading down to Louisiana for the annual crawfish boil so stay tuned for more adventures!

A normal week in Arkansas

So, here's how a typical week goes in Arkansas this time of year:

Here is Owen on Wednesday..........

and here is the weather today.

It was 72 degrees on Wednesday and today it's a balmy 34. It snowed most of the day but it has stopped now. Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 50 degrees. Gotta love the south!

Owen finally grew into his Luc Leafwalker ride on that his Grammy and Papa got him way before he was born. He's had a great time riding it all week and trying to eat his antennae.

We've instituted an evening snack time to introduce him to more crunchy foods and to allow me a free moment to clean up the kitchen and living room while Chris plays his stinkin' XBOX (can you tell I'm about to throw the thing out the window!?!). Owen loves snack time and as of yesterday...so does Emma! I caught Owen reaching down and sharing his snack with Emma last night. I've been giving him the Biter Biscuits which apparently dry into concrete on his face, hands, the high chair tray, his clothes....you get the picture. I have to sit him in the sink to hose him off after he's finished which he finds amusing.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend! Stay tuned for a new post at the beginning of next week!

ready for spring!

The weather was so nice over the weekend so we took Owen outside to experience grass, dirt, leaves....all the "boy" things he's been missing out on since it's been cold. When I first sat him down in the grass he gave me a dirty look but once he realized he could pull the grass out of the ground that was it....he fell in love!

venturing out across the yard

Lots of people were out walking the farm road and people did a double take when they passed out yard and saw Owen just crawling like there was no tomorrow across the grass.

Rocking my new hat that we got on Saturday in Shreveport

You can barely make out the bruise he has under his left eye in this picture. Since he thinks he's able to do more than he actually can, he's taken a few falls and he hit his face on the coffee table. We have since removed the coffee table from the living room because this is the second bruise in the same spot from that table.

Drinking from my new cup

Nonnie and Papaw bought Owen this rather large green frog for Easter. They decided to give it to him early since he likes to lounge on the floor so much. It's perfect for taking a break and having a drink!

Owen discovered the air conditioning vent in the hallway and that's his new obsession. Whenever the mood strikes him, he stops what he's doing and crawls down the hall to play the "accordion" on the vent.
Daddy put him in his "cage" a.k.a. the play pen to keep him occupied and he was playing his great escape using the two teeth that he has now

Demonstrating his pulling up powers before his mean mommy and dady took the coffee table a.k.a. "the iron table of death" out of the living room
rocking his new sunhat during a very brief break from destroying things
Our poor child has had thousands of pictures taken of him in his short 8 months so every time he hears the camera beep on he smiles and crawls toward it resulting in lots of pictures with this pose!
Driving his "boat"
This kept him occupied for quite some time. Notice his mouth is open in lots of the pictures.....he's quite the motormouth and has taken to squealing at things and people. He rocked back and forth in this basket for a long time until he eventually turned it over. He didn't even cry. He just laughed and kept going...I think he's gonna be a tough guy.

So, to sum it up. Owen is quite the ham these days. Chris and I are running ourselves ragged trying to keep him out of things and I'm starting to worry that his first word is going to be "Owen no!" because that's all we seem to be saying! It's so fun to watch his little personality come out. Stay tuned for more great adventures!