.

Minnesota in the fall

2011-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Owen and I made another trip up to Minnesota in October to visit our dear friends the Lubahn's. We stayed a little longer this time and I'm so glad we did. The kids had a blast together and Melissa and I had a great time just hanging out and catching up on everything.

Looking at the airplane - loves them

The first thing we did when we got there was head to an apple orchard. We don't have apple orchards in Texas, at least not anywhere near us, and it was great. The kids ran around and we all got to eat some of the best apples I've ever had. They also had pumpkins and berries.

Jack being the big boy helping Owen

The apple was almost as big as his head

Owen and Sawyer

After the orchard we went out to eat and then stopped to get dessert at Cafe Latte. Amazing!! We got three whopping pieces of cake and a tart and then sampled all.

Yummy!

Sweet and sassy Sawyer Jane

Owen will kill me one day I'm sure for posting this picture...but he liked to push Sawyer's stroller frame and one time I caught him with a bag on his shoulder. Oh my.... he definitely knew it was hers though because when he saw it he would say Sawyer, Sawyer over and over.

Kids being kids

We also went to the Minnesota Zoo again this trip. Owen enjoyed it a lot more this time since he was older. Here he is Mooing at the cows. He also got a pumpkin painted on his arm. He would kind of hold his arm out away from his body a little and every few minutes would look down and check out his arm, too cute.

Next are a few bath time pictures. I just had to also post a few bath time pictures from our last visit in April. I am shocked and amazed at just how much the kids changed in only 6 months. Next time we visit the three of them definitely will not be fitting in the same tub! They barely fit this time but insisted on taking one together.

I LOVE how much fun he is having - his face tells it all

Here they are in April - crazy difference

We also went to the park. There are two parks not far from Melissa and Brent's house. So we walked while the kids rode to the park. Sawyer wanted the tricycle and Jack drove his Jeep. Sawyer had to be in front, of course, and peddled like a maniac. Then big brother Jack naturally got upset about her being ahead. Owen was scared to ride in the Jeep on the way there so I pushed him in the stroller. On the way back he decided the Jeep wasn't so bad, and rode back with Jack.

The boys! And check out the awesome bumper sticker - TOMS

We had so much fun with our friends and Minnesota is beautiful in the fall. We can't wait to go back and visit again!!

19 months old

2011-08-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Owen turned 19 months old in August. You are so smart, Owen! You amaze me every single day. You are talking so much now and it seems like you say a new word every day. I can't even keep with all the words you say anymore.

We went and did Owen's pictures with Carlie at the Botanical Gardens. Avery came and when she saw Owen she said "that's Owen?" very confused since she remembered him as a baby, and the last time she saw him he was barely walking. It was cute to see them together. I always love seeing Avery. She has the most fun personality and is just so stinking cute.

So here are some pictures of Owen Christopher at 19 months old...words can not describe how much joy you have brought to our lives. We love you, O!

Carlie said lean back, and he did, I was shocked he knew what she meant. Too cute!

By this point he was done taking pictures

So serious

The Greatest Show on Earth

2011-08-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Julianne invited us to the Circus and we said yes, of course. I thought about taking Owen and then just procrastinated, as usual and didn't do it in time. Julianne's little boy Charlie and Owen are in the same class at daycare, so they know each other and had a great time. The seats were amazing too - we were literally almost sitting on the sideline of the rings. It was a great time and Owen absolutely loved it!

Hey Charlie

Owen, Charlie, and Wyatt

Loving it!

Sweet Julianne and Charlie

Clowning around

Happy Birthday Blake and Mary Margaret

2011-08-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

We had Little Gym birthdays back to back for two sweet girls. Blake and Mary Margaret were both turning two. Blake's was first and it was only the second Little Gym party Owen had attended. The first one he went to he couldn't walk, so it was really the first time he got to run around and play like a crazy monkey. But it was just a warm up I guess because the next day when we went to Mary Margaret's party he played even more and even participated in some of the group activities.

Birthday girl Blake

Cody showing Owen how it is done

Not so sure about the high bar

So serious - and not so sure about the low bar either

Grandma Marj, Blake and Teri

All partied out!

The next pictures are from the very next day at Mary Margaret's party. He was a pro at the Little Gym thing now.

Sweet Peyton

Waiting his turn like such a big boy!

Little Mama carrying a purse almost as big as her.

Molly

Charlie

Totally loving the bars now, even the high one

Finger Paint

2011-07-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

I made homemade finger paint for Owen from Pinterest. This website is so fun! It is truly addicting and so easy to search or browse for things you want to buy, make, cook....really anything. These paints were super easy to make and Owen had a lot of fun. He is a regular Picasso!

So serious

"whoa"

CHEESE - with such an intense inflection, as usual

Laughing

2011-07-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

just love hearing....

this sweet boy laugh!

The 4th of July

2011-07-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

We went to Lonestar Park to watch the horse races and fireworks for the Fourth of July. It was SO HOT!! This was one of the first times I've seen Owen be possessive of his things, though. He has a little fold up lawn chair that we took for him to sit in. Another little girl who was with us sat in it, which I did not even notice. Then I hear Owen yelling and pointing, but I couldn't figure out what he was saying. Then I saw - he was pointing straight at the girl in his chair and who knows what he was saying, but it definitely wasn't nice. And so, teaching the concept of sharing begins..

O hanging out in his chair

SO HOT

Dancing with Heidi

Owen loved watching the horses races. He loves horses, well really any animal, but horses were a pretty big deal to him at the time. Owen and Zoie walked around that place like they were so big and even held hands helping each other navigate through to our next destination.

Fun with glow necklaces

Watching fireworks for the first time

I'm not sure how long Owen watched the fireworks, but it wasn't long. He probably fell asleep about 5 min or so into the show. I can't believe he could sleep with all the loud booms and people, but he was out!

Absolutely worn out!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Swim Lessons

2011-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Owen's face pretty much sums up his feelings about swimming, and swim lessons. He absolutely loves the water. We did swim lessons with Emler's Swim School this summer with Heidi and Zoie, and the kids loved it. It didn't take long for Owen to get excited Saturday mornings usually running to the door saying "wimming"

Noodle Boat

sweet friends

High five for Ms. Emily

Yay!

Riding on Mr. Duck

and he's under...

thinking hard about what just happened...

Owen enjoyed swim lessons so much I decided to sign him up for the fall sesson which runs August through January. I wanted to keep him in it because we have a pool so the sooner he can swim, the better. A couple of times towards the end of the summer session, when he stayed under the water longer, I think he got scared. He cried and essentially refused to jump in to me like he had been the weeks before. But after two bad weeks, he was back to himself jumping in to me staying under 8-9 seconds.

Since we moved to the fall session out in Southlake with different kids in his class, I can really tell a huge difference in how far he has come since he started. He's really getting the hang of things and is a quick pro at the monkey walk along the wall. I'm so proud of my little swimmer!

Sanibel Island 2011

2011-06-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

We went to Sanibel Island, Florida with Poppy and Lolly at the end of June. I was so excited to see what Owen thought of the beach and ocean since the last time we went he was only 6 months old. It was awesome to see this trip through Owen's eyes. He loved it all! We started off the day on the beach with a mid day nap followed by more beach or pool time and awesome seafood dinners each night. Sanibel Island is known for it's shells. It's called the "shelf" of the gulf and because of the way the tides fall a crazy amount of shells line the beach. We collected beautiful shells a lot and people do it, so much so the "Sanibel stoop" is what people refer to when people are bent over looking for shells. Luke and Tony had a couple of big fishing trips and then we also had our girls day of shopping along with mani and pedis for Laura and I. We are already looking forward to another trip here next year!

Who me?

"cheese"

Ready to head to the beach

We built lots of sand castles. Owen's favorite part of building the sandcastle was knocking it down. He would yell "whoa!!" as he knocked it down. Such a boy!!

Lolly taught Owen to listen to the Ocean through shells. He caught on quickly and wanted to hold the shells up to everyone's ears so they could listen too.

And of course time with Poppy, too!!

best. nap. ever.

I can't say enough how much joy this trip brought to my heart. I know Owen had a great time and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to take him on such memorable, fun trips.

Randoms in May

2011-05-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Loves to help, and loves to vacuum

Loves Molly too

Sweet Tess is always such a good sport

Cutie!

Yep, decided to sit in the wagon...

and just read a little book

Silly boy!

Rain Jacket

2011-05-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our big boy has a new rain jacket and finally got to wear it for the first time. Just adorable!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to see Owen for the first time this year. It was so fun!

Definitely a little confused at first

but he quickly figured it all out

Owl key chain for his backpack

New Crayons

We did some practice runs on hunting for eggs and then it was off to Nanny's.

This was the first holiday where Owen could walk, which meant it was the first time he ran upstairs to play with all the big boys. It was a like a huge awakening that he is really getting so big. I could tell he thought it was the coolest thing, too.

Headed upstairs with Parker

Time for some playing outside

Football with the big boys, he looks so small!!

Me and my Buggaboo

Sweet boy

Time to hunt eggs...

Mason

Max doing what Max does best :)

Then it was picture time, but Owen was not having it.

Overall, a successful and fun day!!

Happy Easter!!

Adios, Maggie

2011-04-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Aunt Maggie decided she wanted a change. She and a friend decided to move to Spain for a year. It was hard for her to leave, but if she really wanted to do something like this, now is the time before she starts a family. We had dinner at Mimo and Daddo's the night before she left.

Bye Aunt Maggie :(

running...

Owen's favorite horse, Sprite

Best buddies

He is getting SO big!

Love him!

Owen always has to play Daddo's guitar when he comes over. He goes right to his little stool. He knows exactly what to do.

I sure love this little face!

Adios, Maggie and good luck! We will miss you!

Blueberries

2011-04-17T07:01:00.001-07:00

O loves blueberries, I mean really loves them. I think he would eat them all day if I let him. I was getting blueberries out for him last week, I said blueberries and he repeated me! It sounded like boo-burre and if you didn't know what he was trying to say you probably couldn't tell, but still that's a big word for him! Since then he says it all the time. He has been talking so much more these days. I can understand a lot of what he says but some things I am still not sure about but he sure seems to know what he's trying to say. I want to keep up with what he's saying when but it's hard to do. So here's a list of words Owen is saying at 15 1/2 months old

All done
Bye bye
Mama
Dada
Dog
No
Oww (ouch) and ow (owl) you can tell the difference by the way he says them
Hi
More
Night night
Blueberries

Signs - more, all done, please

Animal sounds - cat, lion and cow. His cow sound is funny. I always say moo to him but all his toys with cow sounds make a real cow sound, like mmmm so that's what he does. Just love that!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

2011-04-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Caleb Hromcik had his 2nd birthday party at Veteran's Park. It was the perfect place for a 2 year old's birthday. I mean, what two year old doesn't want to play at the park? It's challenging having Owen's birthday in the winter because his parties have to be indoors. I think it will get easier once he's older but right now the only place he wants to be is outside.

All the kids had fun and it's crazy to think that Caleb is already two!

We tried to get a picture with Granny and all of her great grandchildren. It was quite the task! The twins were crying, Owen wanted down and the older children were trying to hold the babies and smile. Good memory.

sweet Parker

New 4 Wheeler

2011-04-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Someone got a new four wheeler....

New Table

2011-04-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

We got Owen a picnic table. We plan to put it on the back patio to eat lunch or snack outside on nice days. He loved it immediately!

Just Like Mommy....

2011-04-08T20:46:00.001-07:00

Need I say more??

A Day at the Museum

2011-04-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

On my birthday this year we went to the Fort Worth Children's Museum with Lindsay and her boys, Perry and Harper. This was Owen's second time to go, and this time he could walk, so he had a lot more fun. Every time we go back he appreciates more, and is drawn to something different.

Wow

Little Harper

Just watching

Just a little short, poor thing, he tried to see and reach

Had a blast

Loved our day

There were a few things Owen was still a little young for, but he could still do a lot. I can see how much more he can do now, compared to just a few months ago on his birthday. We will be getting a membership, for sure. Perry and Owen played well together, and Harper is such a cutie! It was a great day at the museum.

Best Friends

2011-04-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Kisses from Nanny

Happy 29th birthday, to me!

Owen, you have definitely become my little buddy, my best friend. I love you!!

Random fun

2011-04-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random pictures from my phone. I love watching O have fun, it just makes my day.

At the park spinning-

Riding his Mickey plane

Silly boy!

So happy! In his playhouse

Watching Daddy play softball - this picture is so funny. Looks like he's just hanging out trying to look cool.

So big!

Wearing his backpack

Love this picture and his sweet face!

Riding the duck at the fields

I just love to see him smile

Love you to the moon and back, Owen Christopher!

Fun with the Twins

2011-03-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

So, my first experience having all three kids together - Owen and the twins was interesting, to say the least. It gave me such a bigger appreciation for what Sandy goes through on a daily basis. If one wasn't crying the other one was and then there was Owen wanting to be held as well. Oh my! But we made it and even had some fun, too!

Max and Mason 4 months old

Somehow I got them all asleep - precious!

Owen woke up first and so Mason and I went in to greet him...

O though it was so cool that Mason was in his bed

Hugs for Mason

Then I heard Max crying in the living room - poor guy we left him out! I didn't think we would be in there that long, and it really wasn't, but it was long enough. I can see how there is never a dull moment with twins and there is always someone needing something.

Hugs for both cousins

Trying to give baby Mason his pacifier

Or...I think I'll just take it, thank you very much

Just hanging out, holding mason's hand - so sweet

Then, several hours after the twins left, Owen suddenly developed a high fever - up to 104. He was SO sick. In fact, it was definitely the sickest he had ever been. Daddy was out of town, which made things even harder. Owen was basically glued to my chest for 48 hours. I could hardly get up without him crying. Occasionally I could gently scoot him off of me onto the couch, but it usually didn't last long. Luckily, Lolly brought us some dinner, snacks, Motrin (because of course I ran out) and other miscellaneous goodies. We are so lucky to have her! A few days of high fever and cold symptoms, and then the rash appeared - definitely what I was thinking - Roseola!! I wondered with his age and sudden high fever, etc if it could be Roseola. When the rash appeared it was confirmed! Definitely a perk to being a pediatric nurse practitioner - less wasted time on doctor's visits only to hear it's viral and supportive care only. It was a rough few days and will stand out in my memory for sure as the worst illness, by far, Owen had experienced...at that time.

Sick baby boy - he never stops moving so him just laying there says it all

Love his sweet face

Colorado 2011

2011-03-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Owen had not been on a plane since he was 6 months old, so I was a littler nervous as to how this would go. He is mobile now, and has about a 2 min attenetion span. He was so good! He looked out the window and then took a little nap.

On our way

love this picture - I can't imagine how big everything must look to him

Hi there!

He loved riding on these, kept wanting to go back to do it again

Obviously he was thrilled to be taking pictures

Seriously got away like this - crazy boy!

Our daily drive

We decided to go tubing one day instead of skiing. Since it was Owen's first trip, and first time to meet Donna, I didn't want to leave him too long. I'm sure he would have been fine...but still. So we drove about an hour away and went tubing. I had never done it before and it was a lot of fun. The time passed so quickly. It was nice to get away and spend some time with my sisters and dad.

The sisters

One day we went out to breakfast and then did a little shopping.

Scrunchy nose face

Katie and Bailey went to get a pedicure. So Owen, Pa Pa Sims and I did some shopping. First, we went to a bookstore. Owen liked looking through all the books, but decided he wanted to get a puzzle instead.

checking out his new puzzle

Then I did it - I took my baby into a bar! :) It was a small bar in Evergreen (which is a tiny town itself) with barely anyone in there and it was only for about 20-30 min. We sat at the back at a booth and it was the middle of the day, but still I wondered if there were people in there thinking what in the world is she doing with him in there. Owen had a great time eatng crackers looking at that cute baby in the mirror.

Poor Owen still didn't have any gloves...it's very difficult to find waterproof ones his size. The ones we had were big on him and he refused to leave them on. There was barely any snow on the ground anyway, so we only played for a little bit outside. Super cold weather without snow is not much fun to hang out in.

Owen loved their dog Snickers. He was always worried with where Snickers was, and what he was doing. Snickers seemed to love Owen, too. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that O wanted to give him treats all the time...

A few more pictures from our tubing day. A little out of order, but it's impossible to move them.

Loves Aunt Bailey!!!

We had a great time in Colorado and can't wait to go back!!

14 months

2011-03-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm SO behind on posts it's crazy. Luckily, I went through a few times and wrote down things I wanted to remember about O long ago when he was 14 months. So...here is what I want to remember about our sweet Owen when he was 14 months old...

you give both hugs and kisses - LOVE it! - love bath time, bubble and anything wet - bed time is still super easy, too easy to be true - you say Mama, Dada, No and sometimes I think you say yeah and all done - you love Popsicles - have 6 teeth showing, at least 8 that have actually broken through the gums - enjoy feeding Tess - LOVE to be outside, this is where we spend most of our time - only want to feed yourself, too big for mommy to feed you - know your nose, foot, shoe, sock. - love singing itsy bitsy spider and do some of the hand motions with me

- grab my face and pull it close to yours until they touch, seriously makes my heart melt.

And being your Mommy just gets better and better every single day!

The Chair

2011-02-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

All of a sudden one day Owen became obsessed with sitting in big chairs. He particularly loved sitting in one of our barstools. It was the funniest thing, he would just sit there and sit there and thought he was just the coolest thing ever.

My Valentine

2011-02-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

Flowers

2011-02-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

Once it started to warm up a bit, Owen loved going outside. I mean loved it. He would probably have stayed out all day, every day if we could have. Sweet boy noticed our beautiful "flowers" growing so nicely in our yucky winter yard and decided to collect some :)
At first, he would pull the top "bloom" off and only keep the stem...not sure what his thought process was there, but he finally stopped that business. It's so amazing to watch him learn about the world around him.

Outside Fun

2011-02-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

With the weather warming up Owen loves playing outside. Now he can finally get some real room to use some of his toys. He would push his little wagon along picking "flowers" on the way. He didn't think the stem should be there though, so he just pulled off the flower itself and put them in his wagon. Here he with his little push wagon just having a blast!

First Snow Day

2011-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just when it started to warm up a little we got hit with a little Texas snow. I was so not prepared and didn't have any gloves for Owen. We tried to put socks on him but of course he pulled them right off. So, we went out anyway, but didn't stay long. Im not really sure he liked it, in fact I'm sure he thought we were crazy being outside in it.

Had just started walking Jan 25...by the end of this weekend he stopped crawling all together

very confused

Cold!!

Allie has always loved to run around in the snow

About sums up his feelings about the snow.

Warming up inside next to Plex

Then we went over to Nanny's house to play with all of the cousins. Owen didn't want to stay out very long, once again, but he really enjoyed watching the older boys run around chasing each other acting crazy. Then pop pop took the older boys to find a hill to go sledding, but before he went Owen and I went sledding down the driveway a few times.

Really?? What is this position and face??

SWEET

BABY

FACE

LOVE IT!

Digging into the toys with Jacob

Corey

Parker man

13 Months Old

2011-02-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Owen you are so big now! You are walking around everywhere. I caught some cute pictures of you one day after a nap. I'm sure it was one of our Fridays together, which is my favorite day of the week. You are still such a happy, happy boy. I mean just look...

Hanging out

Just sitting on the step watching TV thinking that is just too cool :)

And he's off....

Just got up from a nap, when he sweats his hair gets soo curly. On this day he had one big curl in the front curling back. This made me laugh, and just had to try and get a picture.

It was hard to really get the full effect in the picture, but I tried.

So Owen, what are some of your favorite things right now???

yogurt melts...

Mickey Mouse airplane...

reading books...

and more books....

being silly....

hiding....

playing basketball....

and of course - the microwave.`

Playing

2011-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

Now that Owen has a playroom, our living room is somewhat back to looking like a living room. Of course we still have toys in there, but after Christmas and then his birthday we needed a new space to keep the majority of his toys. Here are some pictures of him just playing away, sweet boy. I know I take entirely way too many pictures of Owen, but I can't help it. I just want to bottle up his cuteness and stop him from growing up so fast!

He thought it was funny that the ball stayed on top

Loves his new slide

King of the world!

Having so much fun! I love it!

His first app on my phone - Peek-A-Boo Barn.
He quickly figured out how to play. It can be a life saver in a waiting room or other times when a good distraction is necessary. It's been so long since these pictures, now of course he has his own folder of apps that he loves to play.

13 Months Old

Concentrating so hard on standing up and balancing. Started walking 5 days before

We have a step that goes around our living room. Owen is always sitting on it and it's just the perfect size for a little seat for him. Way too cute. It also makes standing and walking off easier on him.

Such a big boy!!! We love you, O!

1 year pictures

2011-01-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

I had Owen's 1 year pictures taken a week before he turned 13 months. We took them at Trinity Park and used a photographer my friend Julianne recommended. I saw her precious family pictures with her son Charlie's 1 year shoot, and loved them. Plus, she had nothing but great things to say about working with Munfy Productions. I have to say we had a great experience, too!

It was still cold outside so when I shopped for his outfit I was looking for something to keep him warm since we were doing them outside. Wouldn't it figure that it randomly warmed up one day, the day we took his pictures. While it was so nice after recently snowing, it also meant a quick change in plans. The pictures still turned out perfect and so many great moments were captured.

such a typical Owen face

My love!

Literally some of Owen's first steps. He started walking 4 days before and was only taking 5-8 steps at a time, still mostly crawling. So thankful for this memory! He looks so determined and focused!

He really enjoyed sitting in the chair like a big boy. He still likes to sit in big chairs, so funny

sweet baby face

Love

This is truly a work of art. It looks like a painting framed and hung in our home, people usually mistake it for one. Absolutely love it, one of my favorites for sure

Walker

2011-01-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

My little O started walking on January 25. He was taking maybe 2 steps at a time at home, and then I picked him up from daycare and his teacher asked, "has he been taking any steps at home?" of course I said a few, then she told me he took 5 at school that day. I was sad and even cried when I got in my car, I felt like I missed his first steps. But then, we got home and he took 8-9 steps over and over again!! I was so proud of him! He had been trying for so long and you could see the focus and determination on his face. And he was so proud of himself, too. About a week after that he was walking more than he was crawling, and then by the first or second week in February he stopped crawling all together. Our sweet baby is officially a walker!
I got several videos on my phone and on our video camera of that first day. Then a couple days later I realized I didn't have any still pictures. It was so hard to get them since Owen was usually walking between us. So, one night when Bobby was over I got some cute shots of little Owen and some of his first steps.

Reading his favorite book "Five Little Ladybugs" after a bath

Time for a reading break

Such a BIG boy!! We are so proud of you, Owen!!!

The Microwave

2011-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Nanny got Owen a microwave for his birthday. She thought I was crazy when I suggested it. At the time Owen was totally obsessed with our microwave. Any time it beeped he had to open it. Even if there was nothing in it, he enjoyed opening and closing the door, over and over again. So, I assured her it would be a hit and it was. He started microwaving everything! It was so cute to watch him work so intensely at getting things in there. I just love him!

It so funny when he tried to put balls in there, they would just roll right back out to him. He would do it over and over and get frustrated and then he figured out to turn the microwave on it's back so they stayed in, smart boy :)

When things wouldn't fit like this caterpillar he would get so mad, and of course wouldn't understand why I couldn't make it happen.

putting the balls in with it on it's back

Way too smart!

2011-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

We use to keep Owen's bottles, snacks, pacifiers etc. in a separate cabinet in our kitchen. He loved taking things out and putting them back in, but mostly taking them out. It would keep him entertained for quite a long time and was easy to pick up.

Then one day he somehow figured out how to use his teeth to open the container of puffs...

And any time he got his hands on a container, it was quickly opened. Now, every time he thinks something has a lid or opens, he tries to open it just like the puffs container. He does it with just about anything you can think of. This includes his snack trap that I put Cheerio's or whatever in. So, instead of sticking his hand in, he now uses his teeth and takes off the top. Such a mess!

What am I going to do with him?? He is just way too smart, I'm in trouble!

Ride 'em Cowboy

2011-01-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

Mimo and Daddo got Owen a Radio Flyer bouncing horse for his birthday. It is too cute! There is a button underneath that plays music and sounds like a horse galloping. If I don't turn the music on, Owen reaches his hand down and makes noises like he wants something. He gets the biggest smile when the sounds come on. At first he couldn't get on and off by himself, now he's a pro and it's one of his favorite toys. Here are some picture from one of his first rides.

He started riding with one hand up - I have no idea how he thought to do it but it was absolutely hilarious. It looked like he was trying to ride a bucking bronco.

Loves it

Airplane

2011-01-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Owen figured out his airplane quickly! I thought it would take him forever to learn how to actually ride it and make it move forward, but he picked it up right away. Too cute!

Loves to put things in the seat

The wings fold up, which he also loves! Up and down, up and down

Silly Boy!!

Look Whoo's One!

2011-01-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

We had Owen's first birthday party on Sunday January, 9. The weather was calling for snow and icy road conditions which made me worry about the turn out. It did end up snowing, but the roads were just fine. You never can tell with our crazy Texas weather, though. Unfortunately, Mimo and Dado didn't make it out since the weather man sounded pretty convincing of the winter weather we were in for and it was sleeting out where they lived. Otherwise, everyone made it and Owen had a great time! It was a lot more stressful than I imagined getting everything ready to go, but it was so much fun!! I will definitely be starting earlier on my planning next year, but don't I always say things like that? I decided to do an owl theme since Owen loves his owl lovie.He doesn't really have a specific character or anything that he likes yet, plus there are owl "things" everywhere. I think it turned out really cute. I had Carlie take pictures and I am so glad I did. She got so many great shots I never would have been able to get, and she is just so talented. Now, this means that I have a ridiculous number of pictures on here, even more ridiculous than usual.

I loved how the invitations turned out

The Big O and Poppy

smash cake

Owen and Nanny

Such a happy boy!

Practicing walking

Lolly

Love that sweet face

LOVE!

Family of three

On a mission

Loves his Kay Kay

He's serious about his food

Tickles from Moe Moe

Just look at those eyes

The boys watching football

Check out Molly sniffing his shoe :)

Mason Reese

Max Aiden

He loved his ride on/ push airplane from Mommy and Daddy - LOVED it!

Time to open presents

He finally got the hang of opening presents this time around

Then he was over it...

Everyone tried to show him there were more to open...

Silly boy!

All the kids liked the Mickey Mouse Airplane
In fact, Owen still plays with it all the time. It was probably his favorite birthday present. It is too cute with lights on the propellers and the seat opens and acts like a shape sorter. Very cute!

Sweet Zoie

He wasn't quite sure about it at first

Avery Grace

Kisses from Patty

Happy Birthday, Owen!!

Avery Grace is 2!

2011-01-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Avery Grace turned 2 on December 26. Carlie had her birthday party at the Little Gym and I had not been there before. What a perfect place for a two year old's birthday party! The kids could run around, climb on any and everything and also got to jump on a huge air trampoline. Avery and Owen had not seen each other in about 2 1/2- 3 months, so they were excited to see each other. I had to steal my first picture from Carlie because it shows just how happy little Avery was to see O. Please disregard my creepy smile in the background...what in the world??

Sweet Avery and Owen together again

Poor baby wasn't walking yet, but loved watching the big kids run around!

That looks like fun!

So many fun things to climb on

At one point they pulled out I swear what seemed like 100 balls. Owen was in heaven!!

Looking a little unsure

Sweet Laine loved the bubbles! She looked adorable in her cute outfit!

Bar routine like a pro! With her BFF not far behind

Looking a little scared, but did great!

Sitting at the table like a big boy!! Probably would have done fine there by himself but I sat next to him and helped him. He just seemed so little!!

Birthday wishes

Present time!

Owen gave Avery a talking Woody doll - she loved it!

After we got home and had a bath I gave Owen one of his birthday presents. I wasn't even planning to get him anything else but saw this at Babies R Us and fell in love with it. It is a cute little playhouse/tent thing with so many little cute activities. A ball roller coaster, spinning bead thing, a place to drop balls in and then open them with a special key and a couple other little things. Too cute! I have since bought him a bath toy by the same toy company YoKiddo. The bath toy looks like a snorkeler and pulls up water from the bath and acts like a water faucet. There are nesting cups to fill with water and it entertains Owen for SO long. Owen absolutely loves both toys, and I recommended this brand of toys to anyone - so cute and fun!!

Reading a book in his new playhouse

Happy boy!

Birthday Cake!

2011-01-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

Just a little warm up before the big party day! Since we were at dinner late on Owen's birthday, we did his birthday cake the next night. He was very unsure of it and started throwing it on the floor after a few minutes of tasting it. I got chocolate thinking he would love it, but should have probably bought vanilla.

Owen Turns ONE!!

2011-01-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

Our baby boy turned ONE year old on January 3, 2011. I do not believe he's a year old! How did that happen?! I was a lot more emotional than I thought I would be and even cried a little the day before just thinking of where I was that time last year. I took off work for the day and made sure to get pictures throughout his day, thanks to my friend Julianne who gave me that great idea.

Owen, you have turned into such a fun toddler. You do the silliest things and I have no idea where you come up with half the things you do. I love how you understand so much now, it's amazing to see you learn. I love the way you rub the charms on my necklace sometimes when I rock you, and yes I still rock you every night. You love going outside, playing with balls, sitting in your chair, and reading books. You know where your foot is, and follow a new command almost every day. You love to eat and some favorite foods are mashed potatoes, blueberries and blueberry muffins.You are the easiest baby to put to bed, transitioned to cow's milk with no problem and weaned off your bottle without even fussing about it. You are taking 2 steps at a time occasionally and your balance is getting better when you're standing. I love that you give hugs now, it melts my heart. Of course, I love everything about you.

Last year on your BIRTH day

waking up on your 1st birthday!

so happy

Yummy breakfast with eggs, blueberries and cheerios - his favortie!

Where are we going so early, Mommy?

1 year well check

What can I find in here...

My owl

At one year:

Weight 23 pounds 3 ounces (57%)

Height 30 3/4 inches (80%)

Head circumference 46.5 cm (55%)

You had to get 2 or 3 shots and cried really hard this time. That always breaks my heart. you were scared to lay on the scale for the first time too. It was such a drastic change from your 9 month visit. Dr Raine told us what we already knew - You are growing and developing perfectly!

After the doctor we came home and O took a good nap.

always wakes up so happy

Then Luke and I took Owen to the Fort Worth Museum. I wanted to take Owen somewhere he hadn't been before. I think he enjoyed it even though most of the things were a little too old for him. He still played and even liked watching the older kids do things. They had a cool light and shadows room that had a lot of fun things to do. After that we had to get home to get ready for dinner.

on our way

Loved the bubbles

Climbing around in a dinosaur foot print

12 month chair picture

Off to Macs Bar and Grill

Too much activity for one day - SO tired!

We probably should have done his birthday dinner another night. We had gone so many places already and Owen got shots...he was fussy! He didn't want to eat which is not like him what so ever. He finally ate a little and the birthday boy enjoyed filet mignon and truffled mac and cheese on his birthday!

Out in 2 seconds

Happy birthday sweet Owen!! Thank you for the absolute best year of our lives. We can't wait to see what this year brings!

Katie Filled Weekend!Left sock off..

2011-01-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

New Years weekend Katie came over and ended up staying all weekend. It wasn't planned at all which made it that much more fun. Owen enjoyed spending so much time with his Kay Kay and of course he was thrilled to have Molly around.

Molly was so funny in the ball pit

soft touches...

and...she's done

Owen got a slide for his birthday. We set it up in his playroom for now and then plan to put it outside once it's warmer. He does a pretty good job getting up there, already. The slide is somewhat steep and he shoots down so I am a little disappointed. Kaleigh warned me that the slide looked steep, oops! I'm sure it will be fine once he's a little older.

king of the world!

Always takes his left sock off for some reason

Fun!!!

Peek- A- Boo

Getting into trucks and cars

Loves his blocks

So happy!!!

Seriously?? Had to bring his owl up with him, and he figured out how without hands, smart!

Add caption

Kisses for Molly "nuh nuh"

Katie showing him his new Plex

First thing is first, more fun with Molly

get it...

loving it

get it....

she got it!

Having so much fun...loves to play with Molly!!!

Just pushing Plex around :)

Happy New Year, 2011!

2010-12-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

We had a very low key New Years this year. We thought since I was pregnant last year that we would go all out this year and planned for Owen to stay with Mimo and Dado. But when it came down to it, we decided to hang out at home and had a few friends over plus Parker and Kaleigh. It ended up being a great night, but it was weird hanging out at home without Owen. It kind of worked out well because our dishwasher broke and we had it all pulled out and had a new one put in the next day, it was a mess. It was just long enough to have some time to ourselves, but I was very ready for O to come home.

Love my Parker Man

Silly boy

LOVES his chair now

Such a big boy

Sweet cousins

What else can I find in here?

Watching the Rose Bowl - Go Frogs!!

ALWAYS had her phone in hand

Owen's first time for real milk - of course he loved it

Happy New Year!!

More of my sleeping angel

2010-12-26T20:51:00.001-08:00

Yes, I want to put more pictures of Owen sleeping in his baby book...he just ends up in the cutest positions. I can't help but take pictures and want to be able to look back at these one day. Kaleigh told me the other day I have more pictures of Owen asleep than awake...and she hasn't even seen half of them!

Fun days at home

2010-12-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

The next day after Christmas we relaxed and played with Owen's toys. I have to say the toy he was drawn to most was his Radio Flyer push wagon from Mimo and Dado. I took off Monday and Tuesday and I'm so glad I did. We played, shopped, relaxed - it was wonderful!

Right after nap

Peek-A-Boo

Christmas at Mimo and Dado's

2010-12-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Our last stop for Christmas was Mimo and Dado's on Christmas night. We had a big traditional turkey dinner, it was amazing! Owen is very into mashed potaoes right now, so he was in heaven. If he even sees the fluffy stuff he won't eat anything else on his plate. We have to wait until he's had enough of his other food before giving him the mashed potatoes - he loves to eat!

playing with uncle bobby

Owen would hold the balls over his head and then drop them into his collar.

I have no idea how he figured out to do that or why he did it???

The dogs outside provided lots of entertainment

He LOVED his push wagon! A definite favorite!

Such a happy boy!!

Tickles from Aunt Maggie

Love that smile!

typical Owen face

Oops!

Kisses from Tater!

Christmas at Nanny and Pop Pop's

2010-12-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was COLD! We were lucky that Owen slept from about 10 or 10:30 until right before we left at 12:30. It couldn't have worked out better. I knew if he didn't nap we would be in trouble with all the traveling, people and playing. Our first stop was Nanny and Pop Pop's house. It was a lot of fun with all the little ones running around. It was challening once again to keep Owen away from the stairs especially since the bigger kids were running up and down. Owen had no interest in opening gifts what so ever, which is too bad because he got some really cute stuff!

Getting Daddy warmed up again to a newborn with baby Max - he's getting so big!

Best present, ever!

Tiny Mason

Stair patrol while opening gifts

Loves his Nanny

TIRED.

We had a very Merry Christmas!