Our Growing Family

Silly boys!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

He said "I'm a reindeer!"

Owen - age 4 1/2

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

playing "Bro. Stan"

I came around the corner one day and found Owen doing this. Typical Owen!

These two pictures certainly sum up what Owen is like at 4 1/2. He is hilarious and growing like a weed!

The following are things I want to remember about Owen at this age:

He still has an unhealthy obsession with Bro. Stan. We have to play "Bro. Stan" often which results in me being the choir and he directs me. He is always finding things to use to direct his choir. Maybe a future Minister of Music?
Owen is a little Macgyver. He is always finding ways to rig something up, tie something together, etc. We considered getting him some rope and various kinds of tape for Christmas knowing that it would thrill his soul. I'm still thinking we should've done that.
He LOVES building things. Legos, Lincoln Logs, wooden blocks, etc. are his most favorite toys and he is so OCD about how things look. He stresses over everything being perfect.
Owen loves to sing and remembers words to songs he's only heard one or two times. We find him singing songs that he heard on the radio weeks before and he remembers most of the words.
Of all the cartoons currently on tv, Owen prefers to watch Tom and Jerry, Gumby, and Fat Albert. Cracks me up!
Owen has changed a lot during his 4 year old year. He's gotten taller and looks more and more like a kindergartner every day.
His language skills continue to improve and he's asking lots of questions these days.
He loves to learn and loves to look at books. He's majorly into drawing and writing words these days. He spends lots of time wanting to draw people and wants to know how to spell lots of words.
He is very loving and has been going through an extra loving stage at the moment. He tells us he loves us at least 25 times a day and wants to give hugs and kisses constantly.
Owen still doesn't eat a lot and mealtimes are a big struggle but it's getting better slowly but surely.
At age 4 1/2, Owen weighs 42.5 lbs and is 43 inches tall (just 10 lbs heavier than Aiden).

I'm enjoying this stage and his eagerness to learn. While I'm definitely sad that he'll be going to kindergarten next year, I'm excited to watch him go through those big changes that I know he's more than ready for. We sure do love our sweet Owen!

Happy Birthday Aiden!

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

Aiden turned 2 on December 18th and we celebrated with a "Milk and Cookies" themed party.

I wanted to upload the video of everyone singing Happy Birthday but it didn't work. As expected Aiden didn't care for all of that attention and ended up asking to go watch "mousie in woom". Bless his little heart! He doesn't like being the center of attention for very long. I can't believe my baby is 2!

Aiden - age 2

2012-01-03T20:26:00.001-06:00

I'm so behind on blogging but I'm determined to catch up tonight. Here is the first in a series of posts I need to catch up on.

These two pictures completely sum up Aiden at 2 years old. He is the happiest kid I've ever met. He exudes joy and you can't help but be happy when you're around him. He never misses an opportunity to say "cheese!" and has been known to say it if I'm holding my phone to check email or text and he thinks I'm taking his picture. He is starting to climb more and turning into more of a big boy. He is the complete opposite of Owen which is honestly a little refreshing at times. I can sum Aiden up in a list of adjectives:

shy
sweet
joyful
easygoing
cautious
cuddly
loner
loyal
mama's boy
baby

Aiden is just our baby that's the only way I can put it. We aren't pushing him to the next milestone like we did with Owen and so we just let him be the baby. That may come back to bite us later but for now it's just fine. He is rarely seen without his "banks" that he's holding in the second picture. He is the biggest fan of Mickey Mouse I've ever met and sees them as comforting. When he's upset or just needs to be alone he begs for "mousie in woom!". He loves to go in our room and lay on the bed with his banks and a milk and watch his "mousie". He plays well with Owen, adores him, and can often be seen copying his every move but he really likes playing alone. He doesn't seem to like a lot of commotion and attention. He'd rather just be doing his own thing. He is VERY verbal and we're always amazed at the sentences that he puts together. We are working on potty training and he's doing fairly well. He's highly motivated by Mickey Mouse stickers (no surprise there!) and has made a lot of progress in the last few days.

That's about the only milestone we're pushing forward on. Other than that we just let him be the baby. We have no plans to move him to a toddler bed anytime soon and we let him drag his banks everywhere we go and always have milk on hand.

The rest is just a few facts I want to remember for later:

weight: 32 lbs

height: 34.5 inches

things to remember: Aiden drinks a gallon of milk per day that we're home....should've invested in a dairy cow!

*struggles with some probable environmental allergies and excema

We just can't imagine what our family would be like without our sweet Bubba!

The misadventures of Eli the Elf

2011-12-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

Our Elf on the Shelf Eli has been very busy this year. Here are just a few of the places we've found him:

{ making snow angels in sugar}

{playing with stickers}

{having a little fun with marshmallows}

{he even colored our milk red}

{having a little fun coloring}

Owen loves running around the house every morning looking for Eli!

Black Friday continued

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-06:00

Our Black Friday shopping extravaganza included a trip to Dallas to see Chris' beloved Toronto Mapleleafs play the Dallas Stars. We had a great time and it was funny to see so many Canadians in Texas!

We continued shopping in Dallas and were able to find Aiden's coveted Mousie...aka Mickey Mouse. I'm so excited for him to see this on Christmas morning!

We had a great time together but were glad to get home to our boys. Owen is so into Christmas this year and had been begging to put up our Christmas tree since well before Thanksgiving. When we got home we put up all of the Christmas decorations and got the kids little trees for their rooms. They had such a good time decorating their trees and it has definitely kept their hands off the big tree in the living room.

Owen had to pose his big animals beside his tree for a picture.

I went crazy with the deco mesh this year and have a little bit everywhere.

I was in the kitchen washing dishes and when I came back Owen had done a little decorating of his own.

To round out our busy Thanksgiving weekend we enjoyed one last turkey dinner at our neighbor's house. The boys had a great time checking out their piano.

Black Friday 2011

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-06:00

I'm very blessed to be married to a man who likes to shop....especially when shopping involves a challenge. Chris and I are hardcord Black Friday shoppers. We started our Black Friday tour at our local WalMart for the 10 pm sale. After we survived that we came home and slept a few hours and then went to Shreveport to continue shopping and finally drove on to Dallas to shop some more and stay overnight. We had such a great time and have such great stories to tell of our experience!

Below are a few pictures of the mania at WalMart:

We emerged successful 2 1/2 hrs later after an interesting experience that involved Chris sprinting across the crowded store in a race against 100 other crazed shoppers. The things we do for our children!

The boys...an update

2011-12-07T14:13:00.001-06:00

It's been awhile since I've updated on both boys and what they're up to these days.

Starting with the random. I'm hoping someone in blogland can tell me what's wrong with my Aiden. For more than a month now he's had this situation going on with his cheeks. They have red bumps on them that are very red at times and other times just bumps. They never go away though. It doesn't seem to bother him but it's kind of strange. He goes for a well baby visit in a couple of weeks and I intend to ask the doctor then but I was just hoping someone had a similar experience and could give me some insight before then.

Moving on....Owen is majorly into drawing these days and will just sit and draw in a notebook for a long time. I just love looking at all of his pictures.

This one is a dragon

I believe this was an ant....or a donkey!?! He continues to write the "N" backwards in his name just for kicks. When he writes other words he always does it the correct way. He's just quirky like that.

Owen with two of his favorite people in the universe....his beloved Miss Brooke and his BFF Landon.

Owen wrote a letter to Santa the other day. All he wants is a sailboat and he seems to think Aiden needs a game. He's very excited to go mail his letter on Friday.

a lion and a tiger

Aiden is very into coloring and especially loves to color in his Mickey Mouse coloring book.

We had another Pinterest weekend last weekend and had the best time making different things. We made the cinnamon Christmas ornaments but they didn't turn out so great. Notice the hole in Owen's jeans. Every pair of jeans the child owns have holes in the knees....life with boys!

Our Pinterest koolaid popcorn...so good and so addictive!

Our Pinterest Santa pancakes...a big hit!

Someone ate every bite!

Owen made a Santa with stickers on the table all by himself. Look closely and you'll be able to see it. I was very impressed.

We went to a fun birthday party at an indoor pool over the weekend. The kids had a great time and the place was really cool.

My little swimmer boys. Owen is still swimming so well after being on swim team last summer. We're already looking forward to next season. Aiden did really well too and was just swimming like a little fish around the steps.

They got really cute treat bags that had make your own ornament kits in them. So they went to work as soon as we got home.

I had to throw in one last shot of Owen in the lazy river. This place was too cool with two olympic sized pools and a lazy river in the middle. They had two great water slides but the kids were too small to go on those.

All in all a fun but busy weekend!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-07T13:12:00.001-06:00

I'm just a little behind on the updates. We had a great Thanksgiving with the family. Everyone came to our house and we had food spread out on every surface.

food as far as the eye can see!

the dessert table

We had a lighter crowd than usual but everyone visited and had a great time!

Owen got his hands on my phone and wanted to take pictures of everyone. The rest of these pictures are from him...not bad if you ask me!

Missy and Josh

Grandpa

Baby Keira

Zach

Nan

We ate lots of food and enjoyed good fellowship! Thanksgiving was the start of a very busy weekend for us. More updates to come!

The Latest

2011-11-24T03:22:00.000-06:00

While I was rounding up pajamas these two jokers dumped an entire bottle of shampoo in the bathtub and had quite the bubble bath!

I had lunch with Owen at his Thanksgiving feast at school last week and this is his "nut" pose. He loves that song "I'm a Nut" and he keeps doing this every time I try to take his picture!

Owen is majorly into drawing these days and every week he gets better and better. These are donkeys.

Every year Owen's school has a turkey decorating contest. This year Owen wanted to make an Optimus Prime turkey and he won a prize. He was so proud!

Owen's going to be in the Beginner Choir Christmas program in a few weeks and is excited to be a sheep. He wanted me to take his picture when he tried his costume on.

Finally, a picture of Aiden! He just doesn't demand that I take his picture all the time like Owen does!

We babysat our cousin Keira over the weekend and the boys cracked me up trying to get her to play with them.

We're looking forward to lots of family time and lots of good food this week! I'm sure I'll have plenty of updates after our fun weekend.

My Pinterest addiction

2011-11-23T03:12:00.000-06:00

I'm here to confess that I'm a Pinterest addict with nearly 2000 pins and 17 boards. I need an intervention! Here's my latest Pinterest work.

I made 50 of these turkeys for the boys Thanksgiving feasts at their schools. I don't want to see a piece of candy corn for a long time! {This was the first one I did so it looks a little sad but they did get better!}

Cayenne rubbed chicken with avocado salsa....it was delicious!

We had a Pinterest food weekend this past weekend and ate some great food! If you're an addict like me, you have to pin Paula Deen's banana pudding recipe. It is heaven!

A few random updates

2011-11-22T03:05:00.000-06:00

Aiden has shown some interest in using the potty so we have started casually working on potty training. He is so proud to wear Elmo underwear and has actually done pretty well so far. His fat little legs just make me laugh in this picture!

One day Owen was at the table coloring and I was off putting some clothes away. When I came back I found that he had discovered where we hid the Halloween candy and had laid out quite the spread for himself!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-21T14:56:00.001-06:00

I'm so far behind on blogging so I'm just now posting our Halloween picture. The boys went as Darth Vader and Yoda this year. A lot of people thought Aiden was Shrek if he wasn't standing next to Owen. They had a great time going to the church Trunk or Treat and walking around our old neighborhood. This was the first year Aiden went to the door to get candy and he was all about it if someone else would go with him. By the end of the night he was laying over on our shoulders with his milk and banks (the infamous security blanket). All in all, a great night!

Weekend Recap

2011-10-17T15:42:00.001-05:00

Weekend recap from iPhone photos:

Aiden is such a ham! He just craacks us up every day. I just can't get enough of this "cheese" face!

Reed came over Friday night and they had an intense game of Hungry Hungry Hippos!

Chris took the kids to Mulegating Saturday for SAU Homecoming while I worked at a Carseat Check Up Clinic. They had a blast!

I joke all the time that Aiden is my girl. He is so sweet and funloving but if you make him mad....watch out! Here's a couple of pictures of him in full "attitude mode"!

Back in silly mode again!

Saturday night we went to some baseball events at the university. Chris played in a Homerun Derby for Alumni and had a great time. The kids loved watching the action!

Chris up to bat. He hit one over the fence! Not bad for someone who hasn't played baseball in years!

Aiden loved watching daddy play!

Sunday started off great with a great sermon at church and a fun lunch where all the kids actually behaved. Once we got home we got bad news about Chris' aunt and found out there was a major fire blazing in area. The fire claimed over 200 acres and several structures and county equipment were claimed in the fire. The highway was actually shut down due to the fire jumping the highway as you can see in this picture.

We're so thankful that rain is in the forecast tonight!

Distinguished Speak Series

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Chris and I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to hear John Walsh speak at the Distinguished Speaker Series held at the university. We were able to meet him during a Meet and Greet and hear him speak about how he came to where he is in his life. He was very interesting and definitely made me go home and hug my babies a little tighter! On a lighter note, he was much shorter that I expected!

Go Panthers!

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Panthers have their big Homecoming game this Friday night. The boys have been showing their team spirit every Friday!

I took Owen and his friend Grant to the last home game and they had a blast!

......and then they crash!

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

After a long day of playing and running around, these boys crash!

Silly Boys!

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Our days are filled with dirt, markers, trucks, and lots of little boy giggles!

Weekend Recap

2011-10-10T10:49:00.001-05:00

Last week was the week of the stomach virus. Poor Aiden was the one who got it at our house. He was sick from Tuesday through Friday. Before the end of the weekend, Nonnie, Papaw, Missy, and Reed all got it. Lots of hand sanitizer and prayer kept the rest of our house from getting it.

Poor Aiden spent the week like this....

I had the boys plus Reed on Saturday since it was spreading through the rest of the family. Little did we know that Reed would get it later that night.

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada so we celebrated over the weekend. Here's a glimpse of the 23 pound turkey that we'll be eating until the US Thanksgiving!

Our neighbors came to help us eat all that food. Aiden and Caroline spent a lot of time playing on the IPAD.

Sunday afternoon we got out and enjoyed the warm breezy weather by getting blizzards and visiting the animals at the SAU farm.

So glad this guy was finally feeling better!

It's impossible to take a normal picture of Owen anymore.

We came home and the boys kicked their boots off and ran barefoot through the yard. Aiden spent a lot of time watering the flowers.

Partners in crime!

Aiden spent a lot of time running through the waterhose until he was good and soaked.

This picture was taken after Aiden ran through the water hose and was good and soaked. He took his buddy Reed for a ride in the tractor. Too cute!

We had a fun weekend enjoying the beautiful weather and eating too much turkey! We've got a busy week ahead with another fun-filled weekend to round it off.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2011-09-26T15:31:00.005-05:00

We want to wish Grammy a Happy Birthday today! From two of your favorite Arkansans!

A Table of Cuteness

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

We're still having days of blazing heat and temperatures near 100 or higher but we've had a few cooler days mixed in to help us through this last heat wave. Last Friday we had a cool day which was perfect timing for a playdate. We had the best time playing at a friend's house all afternoon with some of our friends. The boys were all too cute having their lunch at the picnic table. Little brothers on the left...big brothers on the right. Loads of fun!

Silly Boys!

Pinterest Fun

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Pinterest and am totally addicted! I spent the entire weekend making new recipes that I have pinned.

SPICY cilantro lime shrimp with cilantro lime rice...it was AMAZING! Chris declared it was the best meal I had ever cooked.

Saturday morning I made Hootenanny for breakfast. It's another Pinterest find and everyone loved it.

Saturday night I made Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin that I cooked all day in the crockpot with lemon asparagus and sweet carrots. I also made Pumpkin muffins from Pinterest that were awesome. Sunday I made Homemade Pizza Rolls which were also a big hit!

I don't know how to post the link to each recipe so follow me on Pinterest to check them out. They were all delicious!

Revenge

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Look who got a taste of his own medicine.....

Fair

2011-09-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

I'm just now checking out some new Blogger updates so it's taking some getting used to. I definitely like being able to upload more than 5 picture at a time but I was used to having to upload them backwards to make them appear in order. Now, you don't have to do that but I didn't realize it until I uploaded these pictures so bear with me!

This past week was the county fair. We had a great time but were all fair'd out by the end of the week!

Working backwards here....Saturday night we took the boys to the Ultimate Bullriding Challenge. We all had a great time and they loved watching the cowboys. Chris took Aiden home after the bullriding and I stayed and let Owen ride a few more rides before we called it a night.

The next few pictures are a series of Owen's dancing moves as he tried out his glowing cowboy hat necklace.

The boys made fast friends with some other kiddos who were watching the show.

Typical picture....Owen is trying to "super cheese" smile and Aiden looks worried.

Aiden is not the daredevil that Owen is so he had no interest in riding any rides. He actually wanted to ride the carousel but as soon as I put him on the horse he got upset. He ended up riding with one hand on the horse and the other hand death gripping my shoulder. This is the look he had on his face the entire time. Priceless!

Owen checking out some ducks.

Aiden LOVED the animals and squealed and yelled at them.

{This one makes me smile}

I love Aiden's shocked look!

Never too young to support your local candidate!

I have to close with the story of Owen's party hat. We walked in the fair parade for League and the boys rode in the wagon. While we waited in the 100+ degree heat for the parade to start Owen found this party hat on the ground. The float in front of us had a birthday party theme and evidently one of them had dropped their hat. He picked it up and ended up wearing it throughout the entire parade, at the fair that night, and then to school the next day, and choir after that. That party hat made for a happy boy for more than 24 hours!

My Little Singer

2011-09-08T10:54:00.002-05:00

Owen loves to sing at church and was excited to have the opportunity again last night. Here's a video of him singing in the Chapel Service before AWANA.

iPhone pics

2011-09-08T08:25:00.004-05:00

Aiden doing what he does best! He's such a good eater and we're thankful for that after fighting Owen at mealtime for the past 4 years.

morning cereal time!

they drive all over the place together! It's too cute except for when Aiden thinks he should drive and then a fight breaks out! {Owen is wearing a flashlight on his head}

Jumping off the chair onto a pile of pillows = hours of fun!

This kid is obsessed with the IPAD and my iPhone. He can work them like nobody's business. Future Steve Jobs maybe?

The firetruck came to Owen's preschool yesterday and they learned to Stop, Drop, and Roll!

{Owen is in the green shirt to the right of Fire Pup }

What we've been up to....

2011-08-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

{from my phone}

Drawing giants....

by: Owen

Making Cloud Dough.....
Enjoying a break from the heat.....
It's sad when we consider 90 degrees a cold front!

We've had a great week and are looking forward to some fun plans this weekend!

Friday Funny

2011-08-12T08:27:00.003-05:00

IPhone photos

2011-07-25T15:58:00.004-05:00

Ever since I got an Iphone I've been bad about using it instead of my big camera to take quick pictures of what we're up to. I realized today that I have a TON of pictures on my phone so I'm going to start posting them a few at a time.

Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to lately via my phone....

washing dishes at Nonnie's house

a slicked down hairdo after a bath

playing with goggles on the way to the lake

caught in the act of making a big mess!

this is what happens if I attempt to sit down after work

a rare shot of me

spoiled :-)

time for dessert!

A semi-cleaned plate courtesy of Owen. We're so proud of how well Owen is eating here lately!

A glimpse of Special Eddy the fish we've been fish-sitting for the summer. He's the class pet of the self-contained class at the elementary school and will be going back to his classroom in a few weeks.

Aiden's favorite place to hide

Chris got sidetracked watering the garden and watered Owen instead!

Typical Owen....he always finds a way to make normal things a little more dangerous.

Popsicle time!

early morning playtime

I'm noticing a trend of nudity in all of these pictures. We just can't seem to keep them both completely dressed this summer! More Iphone pics coming soon!

Cousins

2011-07-11T04:08:00.000-05:00

MDST 2011

2011-07-10T09:12:00.001-05:00

[Looking over the blog, I realized that this post never published in July when it was scheduled...better late than never!}

We signed Owen up to be on the Dolphin Swim Team this year for the first time. He's learned so much and really likes it. We'll definitely do this again next year. When he started he looked like he was having a seizure in the water and now he can swim a lap with minimal assistance from his coach. He has not competed in the swim meets this year but will next year. He goes every day for practice for the months of June and July. I took these pictures when they had their fun day the Friday before the 4th.

I'm so glad we signed him up! He needs something structured to do every day or he just gets a little out of sync. This has been great for him and he really enjoys it! Thankful that we have this available in our town.

Sweet Boys

2011-07-09T21:07:00.002-05:00

Chris got these great shots of the kids the other day while they were playing. Too cute!

Aiden - 18 months

2011-07-06T10:16:00.005-05:00

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday you were our tiny little peanut that had to be weighed every week because you were so small. Now you're such a big boy and changing so much every day.

At 18 months, Aiden....

is 30 pounds
is 33 inches long
is finally learning to run but still can't run very fast
is climbing on our furniture....and falling off...*sigh*
still loves to eat and will try anything
doesn't like strawberries or fish sticks but that's about it
doesn't really like to eat breakfast...he'll eat a little dry cereal and a bite or two of bacon but has a strong dislike for pancakes, donuts, etc.
is a milk addict....and we're his enablers......he would drink milk all day and all night long if we'd let him
loves to play outside
has to have his blanket "Banks" when he's sleepy or upset
is my little tech guy...he is fascinated by computers and has recently starting doing the Wood Puzzles app on my IPAD
has great language skills (makes my little speech pathologist heart so happy!)
follows directions well
is so laid back....to a point and then look out!
can be a bit of a bully (I blame Owen...haha!)
says the following words consistently: mama, dada, O-wah (Owen), hot, da (dog), up, out, bye bye, night night, uh huh, mine. He is good about trying to imitate words that we say
is an ok sleeper now that he has tubes in his ears
still wakes up at least 1-2 times per night
likes to nap
is a TERRIBLE car rider.....we can't go more than 15 minutes down the road without him freaking out. This has been hard because we like to go, go, go and especially like to travel to see family
is not as lovey as his brother....we have to beg for hugs and kisses most of the time
loves Emma
adores Owen and wants to do whatever he's doing whether he likes it or not

Aiden is our sweet, squeezable, precious Bubba and we love him to pieces!

Owen...You're 4 Years Old!

2011-07-06T09:59:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 4 years since this little guy entered the world! Time sure does fly when you're having fun. It makes me sad to see how much he's grown up this past year. He definitely looks like a big boy now. I know there are a lot of changes coming up during the 4-5 year old year and that makes me even more sad. It's hard to believe that this time next year we'll be registering for kindergarten :-(

Ok, I'm going to pull it together now.

Owen is around the 42 inch mark for height. I only know this because they measured him at Magic Springs and he got to ride the big slide...haha!

He weighs somewhere around 35 pounds which is sad because chunky Aiden is gaining on him quickly!

Owen is such a joy and definitely keeps us on our toes! He's so smart and just amazing us every day with what he is learning. He had a good first year of preschool and we're excited to see what he will learn this next year. We're doing a reading program this summer and seeing a lot of progress.

At age 4, Owen can....

count to 50
read some basic sight words
beginning to add some single digit numbers
count to 10 in Spanish
knows the days of the week
knows his shapes
knows his colors
write his first name
write some letters and short words
talk a blue streak!

Owen's vocabulary is expanding every day and he's beginning to use words like "actually" and phrases like "I promise" or "my daddy said..."....Lord help us! He talks from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed. He's still not the best sleeper in the world but is definitely a lot better than this time last year.

Owen has a mad crush on Miss Brooke (one of his preschool teachers) and particularly likes girls with long hair. He's been known to tell us (loudly) "hers is pretty!" if he sees a girl he likes. He's got good friends at preschool and at church and is a social butterfly.

He's enjoyed being on the swim team this summer and has really learned a lot (more pictures and a post to come soon). He's definitely ready to go back to school and be in his routine with his friends and activities.

He's a great big brother and is really sweet and good with babies and kids smaller than him. He's very loving and will give you thousands of hugs and kisses every day.

We love you Owen!

A few before and afters

2011-06-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's the summer of renovation around here. We're about two weeks away from being finished with Phase 1 so I thought I'd share a few Before and Afters.

Aiden showing off the old cabinets, dark green countertops, dark green hardware, laminate flooring, dark green wallpaper...you think someone loved the color green!?!

wallpaper in the half bath

wallpaper and countertop in the kitchen

dark green hardware on all of the cabinets

during remodel...check out the new floor!

A "during" shot of the half bath

a "during" shot of the laundry room and half bath

No. More. Wallpaper. EVER! Also, one last look at the wall that separated the kitchen and dining room.

view from the kitchen to the dining room before the wall came down

another "during" shot

no more wall! The refrigerator was in the dining room temporarily while the floor was being tiled

a look at the old and new flooring

a "during" shot of the breakfast room

the floor had to be leveled in the breakfast room before tile could be laid

the view from the kitchen to the dining room after the wall came down

waiting on the new countertops to arrive from Dallas

one last look at the wallpaper in the kitchen

an "after" shot of the cabinets after they were refinished

a glimpse of the refinished cabinets with the new countertops and backsplash

new countertops and backsplash

I don't know why this picture is repeated several times but I don't know how to remove it!

the new concrete countertop and glass tile backsplash in the laundry room

refinished cabinets in laundry room

an "after" shot of the half bath

Just got to brag a little on the hubby...he did ALL of the work (minus the kitchen countertop) by himself. So proud of him and his hard work! I can't wait until it's completely finished and we can put our feet up and enjoy it!

Children's Choir Closing Program

2011-05-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

"shoot the artillery!" haha!

"march in the infantry"

"yes sir!!!"

Owen has loved his first year of Children's Choir and loves singing. He's gotten the chance to sing a couple of times at our Wednesday night Chapel services by himself. He's such a little ham and loves music. It was a great first year of choir!

Owen's birthday party with friends

2011-05-29T22:26:00.005-05:00

Just a few photos from Owen's birthday party with his friends. He had a great time and has been talking about it for weeks!

Owen says.....

2011-05-29T14:00:00.004-05:00

"thank you God for eggs" - when saying bedtime prayers which is weird since he won't eat eggs or even look at them

"thank you for the blossom festible (festival) and the music at the blossom festible" - which he said during bedtime prayers a week after the festival was over

"you gonna eat those frogfish?" - his first memorable experience with crawfish which apparently comes out frogfish every time he tries to say it

Photo heavy posts of his Children's Choir closing program, birthday party with friends, preschool end of the year program, and field day at preschool coming up!

Owen said...

2011-04-10T19:25:00.003-05:00

I'm so far behind on blogging that I'll never catch up. One thing I do want to do is start keeping a better record of the funny things that Owen says. He's growing so fast and says the funniest things every day. Today he had his opening ceremony for tball so he's had baseball on the brain for weeks. His bedtime prayers went a little like this: "Dear Lord...thank you for this day..thank you for my mommy and daddy...thank you for all of the kiddos..thank you for all of the baseball players...the red ones....the blue ones...the yellow ones....the orange ones....and thank you for Caroline's dad's tractor. AMEN!" Pictures and more posts to come soon (hopefully!)

Look Ma No Training Wheels!

2011-03-14T04:08:00.001-05:00

Weekend Warriors....alternately titled Moments of Insanity

2011-03-13T15:54:00.003-05:00

When you've got company coming in 7 days....what else should you do but destroy half of the house in home renovations!?!

last glimpse of this horrifying wallpaper...that matches the green countertops....that matches the green hardware....oh my!

glimpse of the 1/2 bath in progress

last glimpse of the green wallpaper in the 1/2 bath....that matched the green countertop...that matched the green hardware....oh my!

Here's hoping in 7 days we can get the house put back together, cleaned from top to bottom, and set up for company to arrive. Shouldn't be a big deal unless we let working 3 jobs between the two of us, taking Aiden to the doctor in Little Rock, and running the kids to AWANA, choir, gymnastics, church, etc. get in the way!

Discipline

2011-02-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

Disciplining Owen has been a challenge to say the least. He is just a mini version of Chris so they butt heads on a daily basis. He's very strong-willed and very active. We've tried all kinds of methods and read books and articles on disciplining boys. I put together a system that took ideas from several sources and it has been working for us so I thought I'd share.

I took an idea from the website I Can Teach My Child and added in a little kindergarten discipline style and this is what we came up with:

I am not artistic or crafty so it's not the best looking thing ever and its taken a beating already so I need to redo the poster. Anyway, the gist of our system is this: Owen has rules based on our expectations for him at this age and 3 age-appropriate chores. He can earn green sticks when he does his chores or shows good behavior and he is given red sticks when he breaks the rules or misbehaves. The sticks are placed in the chart at the top (this particular day he had 3 red sticks and only 1 green...bless his heart!) throughout the day. At the end of the day we count the sticks and if he has more green than red he earns a quarter. The 3 jars at the bottom give him choices on what to do with his money. The green is for "give", the red is for "save", and the blue is for "spend".

We've been doing this for about 3 weeks now and my sweet Jesus loving little boy has chosen to put his money in the "give" jar every day so far. He takes the money to church each week and puts it in the offering plate.

This has really worked for us so far. He is highly motivated to earn those green sticks and a red stick just breaks his heart. It's a good math lesson at the end of the day when we talk about 'more' and 'less' and count the sticks up.

Snow Day...Again

2011-02-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

Earlier in the week there had been mention of some possible snow for the end of the week. I didn't pay it any attention because we get that from time to time and then nothing happens. By Thursday the forecast was calling for snow and we were under a winter storm warning for the following day. The next morning we awoke to the phone ringing off the hook at 6 am with people calling to let us know that school had been cancelled.....AGAIN! We had a great time playing and spending time together without all of our usual obligations.

These pictures are not in order so bear with me!

he can't even sit up all the way in all of those layers!

It's the Michelin Man!

lots of snow!

suiting up!It was only 24 degrees so we spent a lot of time playing inside

the view from the front porch

Owen wanted me to take a picture of his horses. He carefully lined them up and then the horses had to approve the photo after it was taken.

there was lots of wrestling....

he's so excited!

the view from the back porch

They're calling for another winter storm this next week. I've enjoyed the snow and the fun that we've had but I sure am ready for summer!

Snow Day Dance Party

2011-02-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

Aiden has always loved music and loved to dance! Owen has just recently started dancing around the house. While we were stuck indoors during the bitter cold we've had recently, we had a little dance party. It takes Aiden a little bit to get warmed up but once he does....look out!

Look who's walking!

2011-02-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Aiden had been taking a few steps here and there for a month but never seemed all that interested in walking. Around the week of January 22nd he started taking off and continues to improve every day.

Aiden......

2011-02-07T06:00:00.002-06:00

...................is 13 months old.

...................is walking better each day.

..................is saying mama, dada, nana, yeehaw (redneck I know!), bye bye, and uh oh.

..................loves to give hugs but is not a big fan of kisses.

..................is so quiet, calm, and happy.

..................adores his big brother.

..................is an eating machine!

..................feels a little heavier each day.

.................seems to be traveling the same road of ear infections as his big brother.

.................loves a good laugh.

.................is our sweet Bubba!

Owen...............

2011-02-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

..........................is growing too fast.

.........................never and I mean never stops talking.

.........................is hilarious!

........................has a vocabulary that grows every day.

........................is loving his new preschool this year.

.......................loves books and I pray he always will.

......................can identify numbers up to 30.

......................has developed some irrational fears.

......................is very loud and has a big personality.

.....................is a great big brother.

....................is a typical first born with a Type A personality.

.....................loves Jesus and would go to church every day if he could.

...................can spell color words and a few random other words.

...................is our source of entertainment.

...................is our sweet, wild, and loving monkey!

Life With Boys

2011-02-05T20:49:00.002-06:00

maintaining order is a full-time job

Ladies Man

2011-02-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

Owen has discovered that girls are cute (Lord help us!). He likes to tell girls that they're cute and comment about different girls that he sees. After church last Sunday, we had lunch at Pizza Inn. The girl that waited on us had long brown hair in a ponytail. As she walked away from our table, Owen announced very loudy "hers cute! Hers got a ponyhead (ponytail)!".

I don't know where he comes up with this stuff!?! Typical Speech Pathologist kid to have his pronouns all out of whack.

On a side note, as I was typing this Owen came in from his bedroom (he should've been asleep for an hour and a half now) and announced that I needed to come rescue him from the sharks that were trying to get him. At least the kid's got a great imagination!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf???

2011-02-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Apparently at some point in the third year of life, we learn fear and our imaginations grow by leaps and bounds. These two make for a lethal combination when it comes to entering dark places and going to bed at night.

Owen has claimed that there were sharks under the bed, brown dogs were going to get him, snakes in the leaves outside, and on and on. Fortunately, a little reassuring usually does the trick. I have to giggle a little when he claims brown dogs are after him. Where does he get this stuff!?!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2011-02-01T20:17:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday to our Papa!

Love,
Your Super Silly, Wild, and Funny Boys

Silly Boys

2011-01-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Looking for trouble in the Christmas tree...

BUSTED!

This next one needs an explanation....

I was cleaning out the boys closets and getting clothes out of the attic to assess their summer wardrobe options. Owen was being "helpful" and digging through the pile of baby summer clothes when I turned around to see him wearing this. It's a size 12 month overall shorts outfit.....that fits him pretty well with his bone thin I only eat enough to stay alive 3 year old body. I asked him to put his hands on his head in a pose that will surely come in handy at some point during his teenage years...

trying to get a decent shot of the boys after church is nearly impossible...

semi-real smile....super fake smile........

Oh how I love my silly boys!

Snow Day 2011

2011-01-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

We've had a typical southern winter this year with record high temperatures one day and record lows the next. Case in point, after wearing short sleeves and playing outside with the kids all day one recent Saturday we experienced snowfall the next morning as we were preparing to leave for church. The snowfall resulted in us missing 2 days of school (and now extending our school year into June). It was pretty while it lasted!

What's a boy to do when it's snowing? Ride his tractor of course!

We enjoyed staying in our pj's and playing inside for a few days....

one last look...

It was a fun few days!

Special Delivery

2011-01-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

All Owen wanted for Christmas was a big green tractor that he could drive. Santa heard those sweet wishes and delivered! Since we would not be home for Christmas and Santa couldn't fit that big green tractor on his sleigh with all the other toys, he had to deliver it early. He left Owen a letter in the mailbox explaining the situation and left him a big surprise outside.

**Chris installed a 3 point restraint seatbelt for Aiden so that he could ride and Owen was driving slow!**

Happy Birthday Aiden!

2011-01-22T09:03:00.016-06:00

I've determined that I'll never quite catch up with the blog so I'm posting Aiden's birthday pictures from 3 months ago. Better late than never right?

Aiden had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party which was immediately followed by Christmas with my family and then Chris and I had a Christmas party to go to. Such a busy day but it was a lot of fun!

Aiden's birthday cake was made by the fabulous Laura Imler. It was the exact replica of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and tasted as good as it looked.

opening gifts

sweet Reed

opening gifts...notice the helper in the right corner

another shot of the cake

first taste of cake! Aiden does not like cake or anything sweet for that matter so he only took a few bites and then let us know he had had enough!

enjoying the birthday song and the paparazzi!

playing with his new tunnel

We had a fun day celebrating Aiden's first year!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-22T09:03:00.011-06:00

I am waaaaaaay behind on the blog so I'm making it my goal this week to get caught up as much as possible. I'm starting with some pictures of our Christmas decorations. I currently having zero pictures of our Christmas because we were in Canada and the battery died on my camera and of course I left the charger at home. We did get some pictures but they are on other cameras so I'll have to post them later :-(

my little elf wearing a vintage stocking on his head and checking out some of the decor

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Aiden's birthday, what he's doing these days, a special gift from Santa, and many more!

Marry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

From Our Family to Yours......

Merry Christmas!

Before and After: Dining Areas

2010-12-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ugh! I did it again and uploaded these pictures in the wrong order! Here's the after of our breakfast room...

Before.....

Here's the after of our dining room....

Before....

I've enjoyed looking back at these pictures of the house before we moved in. It feels like we've been here a lot longer than 9 months. We've enjoyed working to make this house our home!

More Before and After

2010-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Before and After of our foyer...

I uploaded the pictures in the wrong order so it's really the After/Before!

After....
Before...

Before and After 3

2010-12-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Before and After of the master bedroom:

Before...white walls, lots of floral, and ruffles

After....new paint and all our junk! The color looks much better in person

view from playroom into our bedroom

Before and After 2

2010-12-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

Here are the before and after pictures of our master bathroom:

Before.....more flowered wallpaper, linoleum, and even more interesting curtains...

After....new flooring, paint, and light fixtures......

my side....

Chris' side...

the view from our bedroom...

the new tile...

We just need a few things for the walls and we can mark this room done!

Aiden - 11 months

2010-12-05T22:25:00.004-06:00

As usual, I'm a little behind. Aiden's birthday is in 2 weeks and I'm just now posting his 11 month update. Maybe I'm deep in denial. This first year has gone by faster than I was prepared for and I'm a little sad that my little Aiden is almost officially a big boy.

I would be drowning in a puddle of tears if these pictures weren't so stinkin hilarious! So enjoy!

look at that dimpled booty and that big belly!

Aiden - 11 months:

height/weight: unsure...somewhere in the 22 lb range for weight

clothes/diapers: you're wearing size 18 month shirts and either size 6-9 or some 12 month bottoms

eating: we switched you to whole milk since we'll be traveling over your birthday and the holidays and wanted to switch you while we were in our own country with our healthcare system just in case you had an allergic reaction (similar to what happened last time we left the country). You're doing great with whole milk and juice these days and pretty good with a sippee cup. We've pretty much transitioned away from baby food and solely to table foods and you're doing well with that too. You haven't met too many foods you don't like. You definitely prefer to eat things you can feed yourself and of course prefer fruits to vegetables. You recently discovered that you can throw your food down to Emma so we're working on that.

sleeping: you still wake up anywhere from 1 to 3 times per night....but you wouldn't be our child if you slept all night so we're used to it

development: you're really starting to get around by cruising along the furniture but you still don't seem anywhere near ready to walk (maybe that's just wishful thinking). You've recently started dancing and it's too funny to see you bopping along to music. You are obsessed with the Leapfrog musical letters on the refrigerator and spend a good portion of your day in the kitchen playing with them. You clap and wave bye consistently and love to imitate sounds that we say. You still think Owen is the funniest person alive and just light up when he shows you love and attention. Your laughing at him even when he's doing something undesirable is a little bit of a problem but we're working on it!

You're so full of joy and so loveable!

We love our sweet Aiden!

Before and After

2010-12-05T21:17:00.004-06:00

My busy handyman has been hard at work. We're down to just the kitchen and half bath in our total home makeover. Here's the before and after of the kids bathroom.

Before....linoleum floor, flowered wallpaper, dated light fixture, interesting curtains

After....new paint, new flooring, new light fixture

We just need a few more things for the walls and some accessories and we can mark this room complete!

Owen's Singing Debut

2010-11-15T21:53:00.002-06:00

Owen has always loved to sing and spends a lot of time singing and demanding that we sing songs with him. So, I've been so looking forward to the day that he would be old enough to go to children's choir at church because I knew how much he would love it....and I was right! He loves choir and now (thank you Lord) has some new songs to sing. This past Sunday the Beginner Choir sang for the first time in the morning worship service. It was incredibly entertaining. We were glorified paparazzi with our video camera and regular camera. Here are a few photos of their performance:

everyone getting lined up and ready to sing

making his arms into a pretzel

yawning...

looking around...

making an O with his arms (which was not part of the song)

We're so thankful for a great Children's Choir ministry at our church. Owen loves every minute of it!

The Many Faces of Aiden

2010-11-15T21:46:00.001-06:00

this one cracks me up every time...

We love our sweet Aiden and his funny little faces!

Daddy's Helpers

2010-11-15T21:39:00.003-06:00

Chris recently remodeled the kids bathroom with a little help from his crew.

They were a great crew....they brought their own tools...didn't make a mess...and worked quietly

one worker in particular was very dedicated to the job :-)

Special Treat

2010-11-14T22:22:00.002-06:00

Owen has been a very good boy lately so I thought I'd reward him with his first taste of hot chocolate. I know, I know...I'm a mean mom! I've never let him have chocolate milk, hot chocolate, etc. Some things are worth the wait :-)

I guess you could say he liked it!

a few more shots...

2010-11-14T22:15:00.001-06:00

...of my Spiderman and sweet little lion!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-14T21:26:00.006-06:00

I'm having some issues with blogger today so these pictures loaded backwards so I'll have to tell about our Halloween backwards :-)

Here's Aiden checking out a lollipop from Owen's candy stash (the wrapper was still on it)

surveying the goods

fading fast...

Owen playing a game at trunk or treat

Owen playing a game at trunk or treat at FBC

my sweet little lion

my superhero...

We had a great Halloween this year. Owen insisted on being Spiderman (but wouldn't wear the mask) and Aiden looked too cute as a little lion. Owen pretty much celebrated Halloween all week. He got a big bag of candy at children's choir on Tuesday, went to a carnival at CBC on Wed, and then trick or treated on Sat. night and got candy at church on Sunday. We're still enjoying the candy several weeks later!

Aiden - 10 months

2010-11-14T21:07:00.002-06:00

Aiden - you're 10 months old!

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was big and fat and we were waiting on your arrival. This past year has flown by so fast and I can't believe it's almost time for your 1st birthday. This picture pretty much sums up what you're up to these days...

Here's your latest stats:

height/weight: unknown...heavier than you were at your last well baby check up that's for sure! We're at that stage now where I almost wish you were walking so I wouldn't have to haul you around everywhere on my hip....but then I remember how much more trouble you'll get into once you start walking and I decide I'm ok with you crawling for awhile longer. Your next well baby visit is at 12 months so we'll see how much you weigh then.

eating: you're taking 6 oz bottles every 3-4 hours during the day and still waking up once at night for a bottle. We've introduced a sippee cup and you're doing pretty good with that. We've started introducing some table foods and so far you haven't met too many foods you don't like. You've tried...fish, mash potatoes, green beans, corn, chicken, and many more that I can't remember off the top of my head.

Milestones/development: you've started pulling up on everything and cruising around a little. You've got two teeth on the bottom which you've used to bite me and Owen! You clap your hands and shake your head no. You've started waving and saying bye...well your idea of waving is to hold up your hand until someone gives you a high five and say bye over and over until they acknowledge you. It's pretty funny!

You adore your brother more and more each day and spend most of your time following him around. It's so interesting to see the differences in your personalities. You're usually much more laid back than Owen ever could be but let your feelings get hurt and look out! You melt into a puddle on the floor and cry for an eternity. I'm afraid of what the terrible two's will be like around our house.

You're still a happy, funny, good natured butterball and we love every second we spend with you.

Happy 10 months Aiden!

Fall Festival

2010-10-24T21:41:00.003-05:00

There was a Fall Festival on the Square last Saturday with a big slide and a costume contest. We went and had a great time.

Aiden was in the costume contest and while I thought he was the cutest lion around....we lost out to a very cute lobster.

Owen enjoyed the big slide

Aiden enjoyed watching Owen play

We've been having unseasonably warm weather here lately with temperatures in the upper 80s. Aiden enjoyed kicking off his costume and stripping down to a onesie. Only in the Deep South can you dress like this at a fall festival!

Making Memories

2010-10-24T21:34:00.003-05:00

Owen is getting to the age that he remembers things and people and so we see evidence of that in the way he plays. We had a great time at our Sunday School party and the next day we realized Owen's favorite part was the hayride........

...he pretended to take toys on a hayride all day :-)

Fall Fun

2010-10-24T20:36:00.006-05:00

Our Sunday School class had a fall get together last weekend. We met at the Watson's house and the kids wore their costumes and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows by a fire. The kids played and decorated pumpkins and everyone went on a hayride to finish the night. We had such a good time.

Owen is Spiderman

Everyone gathered by the pond roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.

picnic time!

pumpkins waiting to be decorated

the little babies hanging out on the porch

It was a fun night spent with great friends!

Sweet Owen

2010-10-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Owen "John Deere" Green

2010-10-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

We went out last weekend to visit Josh and Missy to see their new puppy. While we were there Owen got to check out their tractors. He was in heaven!

After I put my camera up, Josh took Owen for a ride around the yard in the big tractor. Owen got to turn the wheel and had a blast. Missy also took him for a ride on the rhino. Now he's even more convinced that we should move to a farm and have horses and tractors.

Maybe that will be our next move?

Silent Sunday

2010-10-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Aiden - 9 months

2010-10-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

**Updated**

I uploaded these pictures of Aiden last weekend and scheduled them to post later in the week after his well baby visit with the intention of going back and adding his latest stats. Of course, the week got crazy and I forgot about it. So, I'm taking the opportunity to add Aiden's latest stats to the photos this weekend. Better late than never!

Aiden - You're 9 Months Old!

You're full of life and personality these days. You're crawling faster and faster and getting braver and more curious which has kept us very busy. You like to crawl around the house until you've seen what each one of us is doing before you decide who you'll stay next to. You're trying to pull up on the furniture but can only get up to your knees so far. I just know in the next few weeks that you'll start pulling up to stand. You love to stand up and hold onto the couch or our hands. You're growing WAY too fast!

You're still the most easygoing and laid back little man I know. You balance out our family well. You take a lot off your brother and usually take it in stride but when you do get your feelings hurt...look out! You throw yourself face down onto the floor and cry big crocodile tears as if your life was over. It's pretty funny to watch! You love your brother and always want to be a part of what he's doing...whether he wants you to or not!

You love taking baths and being outside. You had a great well baby checkup this past week. Here's your latest stats:

weight: 22 lbs 12 oz

height: 29 inches

sleeping: you've slept much better this past week (thank you Jesus!). You like wearing footed pajamas and laying down with your stuffed puppy and puppy blanket with your music turned on

eating: you eat everything in sight! you eat 1 jar of baby food for breakfast and then 2 for lunch and 2 for dinner. You cry after you finish your baby food at dinner as if you're still starving so we've gotten in the bad habit of giving you some puffs or wagon wheels to munch on so that we can eat our dinner

development: you're starting to wave a little and clap your hands...too cute!

You're definitely a mama's boy and don't want me to leave the room you're in....ever! You usually follow me around crying a little until I stop and pick you up. I'm definitely getting an upper body workout carrying you around while I do things around the house.

You always wake up so happy in the morning and just excited about life. We love you Aiden and look forward to watching you continue to grow!

Rodeo

2010-10-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our local university hosted a rodeo this weekend and since Owen loves all things cowboy we just knew that we had to go! Owen loved every second of it and found his calling as a rodeo cheerleader. He would yell out "come on cowboy! you can do it!", "good job", "get it! hurry! get it cowboy!". If the cowboy (or cowgirl) walked close enough to where we were sitting on their way back to the gate, he would yell out "good job!" to them. He was so funny!

me watching the action...Aiden flirting with the lady next to us

When we left Owen talked the whole way back to the car about how he wanted a brown horse that went really really fast. He said he would name it Connor and be a cowboy with a hat! I think he's hooked!

Brotherly Love

2010-10-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our church is having baby dedication next Sunday so we needed a current solo shot of Aiden to turn in for the slide show. I attempted to take some pictures this afternoon but Owen insisted on being in the pictures too. It made for a pretty interesting photo shoot!

Ahhh...brotherly love!

Cousins

2010-10-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

My nephew came over to play this afternoon. Owen was still asleep in the dining room so he and Aiden had a great time playing in the playroom together.

I think these are their innocent faces :-)

reading a book with Nonnie

sweet Aiden

These boys are only 3 months apart and I see lots of trouble making in their futures!

A Good Day

2010-10-02T22:41:00.002-05:00

The weather is finally cooling off here. This morning Owen's good friend next door knocked on the door to see if he could come out and play. Fast forward 4 hours after jumping on her trampoline, playing at her house, eating pizza for lunch, more trampoline, swinging on the swingset, and playing in the dirt pile he returns home barefoot and filthy. He was so tired and cranky and misbehaving while I cleaned him up so I sent him to timeout. I went to put some things away and came back to find that he had fallen asleep there. He stayed that way until I woke him up 2 hours later!

You know it's been a good day when you're so exhausted from playing with good friends and enjoying beautiful weather that you pass out on the dining room floor for 2 hours!

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2010-09-26T12:03:00.005-05:00

Today is Grammy's birthday and in honor of her special day we had a little morning photo shoot. Here are the absolute latest pics of the boys just for you!

We hope your birthday is extra special and we can't wait to see you in December!

We love you Grammy!

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

2010-09-26T11:53:00.001-05:00

The weather is starting to cool off so we've been able to enjoy some time outside.

We're looking forward to fall and cooler temperatures!

Reed's Birthday Party

2010-09-26T11:22:00.004-05:00

My nephew Reed turned 1 this month and had a birthday weekend extravaganza!

Reed and his smash cake (notice Owen watching him like a hawk!).

He had a farm animal themed party and Melissa made a pig and cow cake for the guests.

Aiden stretching his legs...

playing with toys at Nonnie and Papaw's

the birthday boy

the funniest face ever!

enjoying his first french fry

opening gifts

the birthday boy sporting his new hunting vest

Happy Birthday Reed!

Grow Up Day...the aftermath

2010-09-26T11:14:00.004-05:00

Before.....

After.....

Note to self: Never send your 3 year old boy to school wearing a new suit (that is dry clean only). It's highly likely he will get into a dirt fight on the playground with two other boys.

The End.

Grow Up Day

2010-09-26T11:09:00.004-05:00

Owen's preschool had "Grow Up Day" one Friday where all the kids dressed like adults. Owen wore his new suit and one of Chris' ties. He looked so cute!

Back to School

2010-09-26T10:54:00.003-05:00

Owen started preschool this year. He is loving his teachers and new friends and is learning a lot. Here's a picture on the first "official" day of school (he went for 2 weeks while we had inservice before school officially started).

He had to have a spiderman lunchbox and backpack this year. He's never seen a spiderman movie, book, etc. but he's obsessed. I guess it's just part of being a boy!

We're looking forward to a great year of preschool!

Aiden - 8 months

2010-09-26T10:38:00.003-05:00

Aiden...you're 8 months old! I'm so far behind on posting now that you turned 9 months last weekend but we'll get to that soon.

There haven't been too many changes since your 7 month post. You don't go for another well baby checkup until next month so I'm not sure how much you weigh these days (definitely more than 21 lbs!). I just know that you're getting heavier by the week and I can't carry you for very long until my arm nearly gives out.

You're still eating and drinking the same amounts. You're starting to sleep a little better and only waking up once per night most nights. We've tried eliminating your middle of the night bottle but you shut that down pretty quickly!

You're starting to wear mostly 12 month tops and 6-9 month bottoms. You're still in size 3 shoes and diapers.

The most exciting thing that happened during month 8 was that you started crawling! You're getting faster and more adventurous every day. You've started babbling more and will imitate us when we make sounds.

You're definitely giving Owen a run for his money because you've started crawling over and taking his toy or knocking down his block towers. It's been a good lesson for Owen to have to share and play with you.

You're little personality continues to grow and develop each day and it's so much fun watching you grow into a sweet little boy. There's not a day that goes by that someone doesn't stop us and say how sweet and laid back (and BIG) you are!

We love you Aiden!

Look out.....

2010-09-11T22:39:00.002-05:00

....Aiden's on the move!

Aiden started crawling this past Saturday (9/11/10). He had been scooting around backwards for awhile now and getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Chris and I were standing just inside the kitchen discussing what he had left to do that day when here came Aiden slowly crawling into the kitchen! I was so glad that we were both standing there to see him take those first few paces. In typical Aiden fashion, he only crawls when he really wants something and there's lots of grunting and rest breaks involved!

Gotta love that chunky monkey!

Pics coming soon....I promise!

Aiden - 7 Months

2010-08-15T20:49:00.002-05:00

Aiden:

You're 7 months old! You're growing and changing so much every day! Here are the latest stats:

weight: 21.5 lbs (75th percentile)
height: 28 inches (75th percentile
clothes: 6-9 months and some 12 month shirts
shoes: size 3
diapers: size 3
eating/drinking: 6 oz bottles every 3-4 hours and 1 jar of Stage 2 baby food at breakfast (with cereal), lunch, and dinner. You LOVE to eat and your favorite baby food is vegetable beef dumpling dinner (sounds disgusting but you inhale it every time!)
sleeping: no changes to report here....still waking up twice a night to eat. You go to bed very easily (hoping that this lasts!). Just give you the paci and a blankie for each hand and turn on your music and you're good to go!
development: you're personality is really exploding. You are so jolly and funny and you just love to watch your brother run and play. You've figured out that you can move around more so you've started scooting around on your back and rolling to get where you want to go. You love to jump in your jumpie and just crack us up with how serious you look when you're jumping nonstop!

We love you Aiden!

Lake DeGray

2010-08-15T20:26:00.003-05:00

We're experiencing a record breaking heat wave. What better way to beat the heat than head to the lake! We took a day trip to Lake DeGray and had a great time staying cool in the water.

We had a great time relaxing in the water. We'll definitely make one more trip before September!

Myrtle Beach

2010-08-08T22:37:00.005-05:00

Our travels continued this summer as we loaded up and went to Myrtle Beach for a week with Chris' family. The weather was great and we had such a good time getting to spend more time with everyone.

A rare picture with me in it!

Owen testing out his new water gun

When on the road and you don't have the infant tub....improvise with the laundry basket!

Aiden is in a phase of waking up early in the morning ready to play. Chris took him into the living area to keep him from waking Owen up and snapped some cute pictures of him on the couch

Aiden experiencing the ocean for the first time

Owen and Jacob sharing a laugh

Aiden and his penguin in the pool

Owen and his beloved shark

beach bum

Owen checking out the water

the beach

Owen and Grammy enjoying the water

a cute shot of Jacob and Aiden

Chris, Nathan, and Michael riding the waves

Chris, Aiden, and Papa enjoying the pool

We had a great week at the beach! Thanks Grammy and Papa for another fun vacation!

Owen's birthday - part 3

2010-08-08T22:03:00.005-05:00

When we got back home, we had a birthday party for Owen with our family and friends. He insisted on a Spiderman birthday and I think it turned out great!

the cake

the food

Mr. Reed

Grandpa and Aiden

the birthday boy blowing out his candles

Kasey playing in the playroom

opening presents

he insisted on "reading" every card

Aiden enjoying the party

Since his birthday was drug out over the course of a month, he thinks every day is his birthday now and still asks me for birthday cake and presents!

Owen

2010-08-08T20:44:00.002-05:00

Owen definitely keeps us on our toes. He's got such a big personality and is creativity and imagination are really blossoming. Here are some of his latest antics:

He loves to play with Gary the Giraffe (a gift from our sweet neighbors). Gary is European and usually wears this scarf and hat. Owen decided one day to wear the hat and use the scarf as reigns and ride Gary into the kitchen. Too cute!

One afternoon Owen was in his room for naptime and had gotten quiet so I went to check on him. I panicked a little when he wasn't in his bed so I looked in his usually hiding places but still couldn't find him. I finally noticed the closet doors were cracked and I saw something out of place on the floor...

He slept in there for an hour and a half! We never know what he'll do next....

4th of July

2010-08-08T20:30:00.003-05:00

We had a nice relaxing 4th of July spent with family at our house. The next day we decided to get a few fireworks and see how Owen reacted. He loved the sparklers and had a great time waving them around.

Aiden wasn't too amused

All in all it was a fun weekend!

Happy Birthday Owen...Parts 1 and 2

2010-08-08T15:39:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned, Owen had a birthday extravaganza this year. We spent his actual birthday with Grammy, Papa, Stacy, Jacob, and Ashleigh. Grammy and Papa rented a bounce house for the backyard for his birthday weekend. Owen and Jacob jumped nonstop for two days and had the best time!

Owen asked for an ice cream cake for his birthday so we all enjoyed this little one from a local grocery store

Owen with all of his Toy Story loot

The next day we all enjoyed a party with the entire family. Here's Aiden with his great-grandmother and Aunt Patricia

Grammy put the chips/dip in a perfect spot for Owen. No one was really paying close attention so he managed to devour most of this by himself!

Owen received more gifts and enjoyed unwrapping things with a little help from Aunt Lizzie

after 2 days of jumping in the bounce house...no naps...and way too much birthday cake...someone was a little tired and cranky by the time we sang Happy Birthday again

everyone gathered outside for cake and ice cream

We enjoyed spending so much time with family and are so glad we could celebrate Owen's birthday with all of you!

Owen - 3 years

2010-08-08T14:41:00.003-05:00

Owen - you're 3 years old! You had a birthday extravaganza this year with all of our traveling. You celebrated your actual birthday with mommy, daddy, brudder, Grammy, Papa, Stacy, Jacob, and Ashleigh and then had a party with the extended family the next day. Once we got home, you had a 3rd celebration with friends and family.

Your stats: you weigh 36 lbs and have really grown taller in the past year. You wore 2T shorts last summer and a lot of those fit you again this summer because you've grown taller and slimmer in the past 6 months. You now wear 3 and 4T tops and 2 and 3T shorts and size 8 shoes.

Your faves: you love Spiderman and we're still not sure where you learned all about Spiderman but that's all you talk about and want these days. You love pretending to be a horse, sheep, monster, dinosaur, etc. You like to pretend lots of things these days. Your vocabulary has really exploded and you're so funny trying to put together more complex sentences. You're constantly asking questions these days: "how are you?", "what happened?", "what's your name?", etc. You say new words and phrases all the time ("that's amazing!") and constantly crack us up. You love to dance and pose and just be silly.

You're still not a good eater and pretty much eat: cereal, toast, sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs, fruit, lots of cheese, crackers, yogurt, applesauce....and that's about it!

You're all boy and love to run, swing, climb, jump, ride your bike, play in the dirt, etc. You like to imitate daddy and are pretty much his shadow these days. You still call daddy "Chris" a lot but we're working on it.

You're making friends and are a great big brother. You're so helpful and loving and Aiden adores you.

You're starting preschool this fall and we're looking forward to seeing you continue to grow and develop.

We're seeing some of the terrible two behavior fade but a little attitude is starting to creep in as your personality and preferences continue to develop.

We love you Owen!

Aiden - 6 months

2010-08-07T23:51:00.003-05:00

I'm so far behind on my posting that Aiden is closing in on 8 months old. I'm doing my best to catch up....so here it goes!

Aiden - you're six months old!

You turned 6 months old while we were in Canada so you were surrounded by family and lots of love and attention. Here's your latest stats:

weight: close to 20 lbs....not the little shrimp any more!
eating: still taking 6 oz every 3-4 hours (even at night..sigh!) You don't like to miss a meal! You've started on baby foods and you love everything except green beans. When I gave you the first bite of baby food, you looked at me like it was the best thing you'd ever tasted in your entire life.
sleeping: you've teased me and slept through the night once or twice but that was it...so I guess we'll be getting up every 3-4 hours for awhile longer
development: you're really coming into your personality and still so sweet and laid back. You've started sitting up pretty well and seem to enjoy being able to look around and observe everyone. You've decided the pacifier isn't so bad after all so you seem to need that and your soft blanket at bedtime and naptime. You love to be in the exersaucer or swing. I think we're in the beginning stages of teething because you're really drooling and chewing on everything.

We learned...the hard way....that you're allergic to feathers. Just like with everything else, you took that in stride. You're a good car rider and did exceptionally well on the long drive to Canada. You adore your big brother and he can make you smile and laugh better than anyone else!

We love our sweet Aiden and are enjoying watching you grow!

I'm throwing in the towel for the night but stay tuned for more pictures from our trip to Canada plus pictures from Myrtle Beach and here at home. There are quite a few more posts I've got in the works!

Fun with the Family

2010-08-07T23:35:00.003-05:00

While we were in Canada, we went to a family gathering at Aunt Leanne and Uncle Raymond's house. They have a great house on Lake Ontario with the best view! The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

Uncle Raymond in the backyard

their incredible view from their backyard

Owen "working"

Chris' grandparents

love this picture of Owen!

Owen and Papa enjoying the view

Owen and Nolan playing in the sandbox

Perfect weather and a great time with family...what could be better!?!

Centre Island...take two

2010-08-07T23:20:00.003-05:00

One day, Grammy kept the boys while Chris and I went back to Centre Island to bike around the residential part of the island. We rode all over the island and had a great day.

A view of the city from the island

a typical house on the island

Chris posing in front of Lake Ontario

Centre Island is closed to cars so they have these great paths to walk or bike around the island on. It was perfect weather and a lot of fun to have some kid-free time

one last look at the skyline