Owen's Tent

I commissioned my mom to make Owen a tent for his birthday. She is exceptionally good at sewing, so I figured she was up for the challenge. So far, I have conned her into making Owen's bedding and curtains (pictured below) and all of Olivia's bedding including a rather intricate quilt which I LOVE. Anyway, her latest project definitely did not disappoint (I knew it wouldn't). Here is Owen's birthday present made by his Nana. Is it cool, or what? I can actually stand up in there and Owen can lay down on the floor and still be completely enclosed in his fort. It comes complete with a personalized flag, inside pockets to hide all his treasures and an overlapping door to keep out pesky sisters!


Thanks, Nana, for investing a lot of time and energy into making one very cool present for a little boy! We love you!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Owen!

We celebrated Owen's 3rd birthday today! Three years ago Jacob and I embarked on what has been the most challenging, humbling and hilarious adventure of our lives. Owen is such a joy and bright spot in our everyday. He is always making us laugh and constantly testing us to see if we actually mean what we say-ahh, the toddler years! We are so proud of Owen and love him just because he's Owen-it's an unconditional thing-I want him to know that more than anything.

We spent this morning at Papa and Meme's church, then had all the "Grands" and Uncle Cade over for a birthday lunch. Owen opened his presents first thing and has been busy playing with his new "mostruction" (some might say 'construction') toys and tent all afternoon. Jacob let me take a little nap this afternoon which I felt guilty about until I realized I had a tough day 3 years ago, so a little rest seemed extremely appropriate!

I can't believe Owen is three! We'll be celebrating little Miss Olivia's first birthday before we know it!

The Park

We live less than a mile from a State Park and we spend the majority of our evenings there enjoying the beautiful view, breathing fresh air and...

...playing in the sand, of course!

We feel blessed to be near such a pretty place. Water is soothing to my soul. It reminds me of my other "home" in MN along the shores of Lake Superior where I spent so many summers. It's not quite as magnificent as that Great Lake, but it sure is beautiful! We have seen truly breathtaking sunsets out there. Jacob has always enjoyed seeing the amazing colors in the sky as the sun is sinking low, so it's been neat to see them reflected in the water. How can you deny the existence of God after witnessing such a spectacular light show? Simply amazing.

Tomorrow is a little boy's 3rd birthday! I can hardly believe it!

Because This Will Eventually Be a Book...

...and I want these pictures to be in it. This is Owen's buddy, Jake. He is a funny kid and we have made some sweet memories with his family.

Jake was trying to pick up the pumpkin, but you can see from the look of strain on his face that it was really heavy! :)

The whole Steelman crew including their latest addition, Avery Ann! She is only a few weeks old and PRECIOUS! She was wearing a little black outfit with an orange tu-tu and she looked, oh.so.cute. Actually, they are a pretty cute family altogether and some of our favorite people. Glad we got to see you guys-it did my heart good!

Almost 3!

In a few days, a little boy will be turning 3! Oh, my!
He's been working on holding those fingers right...

Because She is TOO Cute...

I can't pick just one, so here's the entire series of pumpkin pictures. I'm a fan. Of the girl. And the pink John Deere boots. And the big bow. And the fun frilly dress.

Isn't she the sweetest?

We think so.

(Another) Pumpkin Patch 2010

On Saturday, Jacob and I took Owen and Olivia to the Schaefer's & Collin's Pumpkin Patch. We were able to meet up with a bunch of our Cabot buddies and it was SO GOOD to see them-I miss them a lot. It was a beautiful day (maybe a little warm) and we had fun playing on the farm!

First, we all went on a hayride out to a real pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin. Owen picked a small one, but they had some rather large ones that were really pretty. Before we left the patch, I noticed Owen doing the "tinkle dance," so he did what any little boy would do and took care of business amidst the orange orbs. Jacob's comment was, "I hope nobody picks a wet pumpkin!" You know the saying, "Don't eat yellow snow"? Well, may I submit, "Don't pick a wet pumpkin"? I'm not sure it will catch on, but fair warning for all you pumpkin pickers out there...

The highlight of Owen's day was playing in the BIG sandbox.

.sandbox+bulldozer=pure bliss.

There was playground equipment and forts and tunnels for the kids at the farm. Owen ran in this little fort and said, "Blow my house down!" Three little pigs, anyone? Jacob and I huffed and puffed and blew with all our might, but our little piglet was safe :)

Owen enjoyed a little "train" ride at the farm. We were slightly nervous because they take them through a corn maze (out of sight), but Owen had a great time and wanted to ride again.

I love this picture. He's so serious.
He knows driving a tractor takes real concentration.

Owen also rode a pony! Oh, he really liked it.
His buddies, Tre, Mya and Jake, were on the other ponies, so that was fun.
He kept reaching down to pet the horse, feeling his soft, smooth coat and coarse mane.
He quietly said, "Yeehaw, get on horsey!" with a little prompting. It was cute.
He must also know riding a pony takes serious concentration because he never cracked a smile, but did want to ride "Again!" when the pony stopped walking.

This is what Olivia was doing while Owen was enjoying his pony ride.

She had all the pumpkin patch excitement she could handle! Bless her heart...

This about sums up how we all felt once we made it back to the car!
We had a great time exploring on the farm and catching up with our friends.
Fall fun and friends-it doesn't get any better!

Olivia is 6 Months Old!

Olivia Tonette, you are too much fun!

Look at that big grin-you certainly have the personality to go with that smile!

I like that you have your little heel propped up in this picture.
You look like you are ready for some square dancing!
All you need is a caller and a little music...I think you are holding your partner's hand :)

Your latest trick has been taking off your headbands. Little stinker!

You are still a petite little thing. I think you may be getting a little longer, but not much rounder. The dress you are wearing is size 3 month. You can still wear most of your 0-3 month clothes and you are beginning to grow into your 3-6 month clothes. I've decided we'll just layer long-sleeve onesies and leggings/tights to make your wardrobe work for the fall and winter (since it was supposed to be for the summer). I think you stay pretty tiny partly because you are a very active baby. You still have not mastered what most would consider a true crawl, but you "army crawl" all over the place. You can get up onto your knees, but haven't quite coordinated the motions. I really can't think of a time you are not moving with the exception of mealtime and sleep time. You are a BIG fan of mealtime. You started eating solid foods about a month ago and you are loving it! You have eaten rice cereal and oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas (not a fan), carrots, bananas, applesauce, pears and prunes. Mama is going to make you some squash this week so we'll see how you like it. In addition to nursing, you eat food for lunch and dinner. You are not a very clean eater. After each bite, you stick your favorite fingers in your mouth and suck on them. You take them out before each bite and promptly stick them right back in once the spoon has been removed. Your dee-da tries to hold your hand sometimes in an effort to minimize the mess, but you don't like it at all and let him know it! We've learned to undress you for mealtime, so you usually eat naked :)

You are a really good sleeper most of the time. However, you and your brother decided to test mama's resolve a couple weeks this past month and alternated waking me up a few nights. I must have passed the test because you both have gotten back to your normal routines-thank goodness! We always lay you down on your tummy and you turn your head, suck on your fingers and rub the back of your hair with the other hand. We know you are getting sleeping when you start rubbing your hair-we think it's quirky and sweet!

You are still the biggest fan of your brother. You light up when you see him and kick those feet like crazy! You also like to grab his hair when you get close enough. He likes you most of the time, but you are very interested in his toys and sometimes that irks him (mostly because you slobber on them). Owen was staying at Meme and Papa's and called us on the phone. He told Papa he wanted to talk to you, but Papa said you couldn't talk, yet. Owen told Papa, "She can say 'Ah!'," which was good enough for him! You two are going to be good buddies, I think.

You "growl" at us. I'm not sure how else to describe it. You open your mouth as wide as you can and make a noise from your throat. You do it when you are in a playful mood and it's so funny!

You are still suffering from what I affectionately call separation anxiety. Really, it's "I ONLY want my mommy or dee-da and not you" anxiety and it has pretty much lasted since birth. You do not let me out of your sight. We have tried to leave you with grandparents and in the church nursery, but you have made your desires very clear (loudly and dramatically). Those poor nursery workers have tried everything, but you usually win the battle of the wills (you might be a little stubborn). Anyway, I had to laugh today because when I went to retrieve you from the nursery all the lights were off which was unusual. Mr. Jay and Mrs. Darlene were so excited because they had gotten you to go to sleep! They turned the lights off just for you. That's right, little Diva, all the other kids had to sit and play in the dark because you needed the lights off to sleep. Oh, my! I know this "phase" will pass, but you are sort of high maintenance, little sister!

We love you like crazy and are enjoying watching your little personality blossom! Until next month...

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Ahh, a day at the pumpkin patch-one of the many reasons I love the fall. I had the opportunity last week to take Owen and Olivia to Johnston's Pumpkin Patch in Greenbrier with the MOMs Group from church. We had a really fun day and only a slight (okay, maybe a little more than slight) breakdown on the way home. Exhausted and hungry Owen=tantrum (he gets that from his Dee-da). Anyway, we did have fun looking at all the animals, relaxing on the hayride and picking out a pumpkin. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Johnston's Pumpkin Patch

.picking a pumpkin.

.bigger=better.

MOMs group...minus the moms :)

I'm not sure if you can see it, but Owen has a piece of straw in his hand. Apparently he thought the rabbits looked hungry. This must have been his peace offering because moments before this photo was snapped he had poked all the sleeping rabbits causing them to retreat to the back of their cages in an effort to escape the boots-wearing boy interrupting their slumber.

Again with the poking. It was the theme for the day. He would find all the chicks or ducklings that were sleeping and wake them up by poking their little down-covered bodies with his finger. Really. I asked Owen why he was doing that and he replied, "I want to wake them up." Okay, fair enough, as long as you have a good reason.

Owen really wanted to touch the piglets, but apparently they bite back. Fortunately there was a double fence. Thank you, Farmer Johnston.

This calf was SO cute! I think it walked straight out of a Golden book.
Yes, I'm sure it did.

Here we are enjoying our hayride. This picture reminds me how desperately I need a haircut. And make-up. And more sleep.

This is where Olivia hung out all day, so I thought I better snap at least one picture. She was super good all day. She really likes the BabyBjorn-she's a people watcher.

Jump! Jump!

Here are two of my favorite kiddos enjoying a little vertical air! Owen loved this thing when he was little and now sweet sister is enjoying it, too. It's funny to see Owen's chubby cheeks-he was a chunk! Miss Olivia has remained pretty slim and trim (notice the little chicken legs) =)


Whew, today has been a day! Not a bad day, just a whopper of a day. We are attempting to potty train a little boy and it's been hit and miss and messy! Also, little sister is army crawling all over the place-including into walls-which left a nice red mark on the side of her head today, so I'm watching her like a hawk lately. I have been knee-deep in "mommy muck" all day. I've been covered in spit-up, baby food and other substances I won't share, but I was thinking how grateful I am that I get to spend my days with my babies. It's what I've always wanted to do (though I have to remind myself at times because some days are rough). My job isn't glamorous, I don't get to wear nice suits and I don't get a paycheck (most of the time I can barely shower-ha!), but I do get to take care of my two favorite kids and I am grateful...greasy hair and all!