Owen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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