Owen's First Year

I can't believe my baby will be one this weekend. I couldn't have asked for a more precious little guy. Owen was an easy pregnancy, easy delivery and has been an extremely easy going baby. Friends and family are surprised when he does get fussy because it happens so rarely. It seems like he has always lit up the room with his smile. It's the cutest thing to see and is accented with the sweetest little dimple. I called it his big gummy grin until he got his teeth (which he is up to 6 and counting!).

Owen takes everything in stride and loves to watch his big brother entertain him. Since he started crawling, he is on the move getting into anything and everything. He loves to play with his Tigger ball and chase it around the floor. He keeps himself entertained these days by putting things into and taking them out of containers. He is intrigued by opening and closing lids and loves putting the wooden rings onto and off of the ring stacker. I'm surprised by his patience because he'll work and work until he figures out how it is done without getting frustrated. (He must have gotten that trait from Jeremy). I chase him up the stairs at least a dozen times a day and get to hear his big laugh when I tickle his tummy and give him kisses. He returns the kisses by slobbering all over my cheek.

I can tell he has more rhythm than me already by the way he claps and dances to music. All dancing aside, he proves to be a "guy's" guy by giving high fives. He waves 'bye to me when I head out the door, which makes me smile the whole time I'm gone. He still squirms constantly during diaper changes and tells me under no uncertain terms that it's time to eat right this second! He now has a few words in his vocabulary, Mama, Dada, bye and "more" (which in full translation means more food!). He takes a few steps here and there, so I have my fast shoes ready for when he decides to take off.


I know that I've been through it before, but I'm still so amazed at all the milestones hit during the first year. The little bundle of life and love that I officially met for the first time at the hospital last year (and fell hopelessy in love with) has grown into this curious little guy with opinions and a personality all his own. I can't wait to see all the adventures he has in store us.



Happy Birthday Grandma Terri!!!

Mom,
When I was growing up, I thought you were prettier than Miss America. (From the looks of this picture, I was probably right.) There was nothing that you couldn't fix with a kiss or a hug. When I was sick during the Kindergarten Christmas party, you came to pick me up and made me feel better about missing out on the fun. I still want my mommy when I don't feel my best. It was comforting just knowing that every day when we got off the school bus, you would be there with a snack and a glass of milk. Even now, after we are all grown up, you are still there for us when we need you.

I just want to say thank you for being so terrific and never giving up on me during the teenage years. You taught me to believe that I could do anything that I wanted (as long as it wasn't against the law) and to work hard to achieve my goals. Right now, my goal is to be as good as a mom to my boys as you are to me.

Happy Birthday!!!! We love you!!!!

(p.s. I promise to get your birthday card in the mail soon.)



Hunter's Heroes

Ben and I just returned home from our first Buddy Walk supporting Down's Syndrome. Our friend Hunter has Mosaic DS which is a form of Downs, so we were proud to be walking along with his family. The walk itself was about a mile, which Ben made partly by being carried on my back. It was very moving to witness the the love and support shown as a sea of red shirts walking the track with names like "Ali's Army", "Luke's Skywalkers", "Grace's Guardians" and of course "Hunter's Heroes" on the back. At the finish line, all the kids received medals from various KC Chiefs players, which made their day. The sponsors provided music, food and fun activities for the kids to enjoy before and after the walk. Ben had a wonderful time without even knowing he was supporting a wonderful cause.



Good Bye Glasses and Contacts

I had my fist LASIK procedure scheduled for April 17, 2007 but cancelled it. Not because I chickened out, but between the date of the consult and when the surgery was scheduled, I received the happy news that I was pregnant with Owen. Instead of having perfect vision on that date, I had my first glimpse at the newest love in my life via ultrasound. Needless to say, my blindness had been placed on hold for the past year and a half. Jeremy has periodically mentioned that I needed to still have it done, but I kept putting it off until last week. His mom was visiting, so it was the perfect time for another go around.

On Monday I went in had all the pre-screening done and scheduled the procedure for the end of the week. The timing was perfect, Jeremy was already off work and Grandma Donna was here to watch the boys while he took me to the appointment. The day of the procedure, I was pretty relaxed. Several of my friends have had it done with no complications. I took the Valium that was offered to me before surgery was to begin and waited my turn. Unfortunately, where I waited was right outside the surgery suite and I got to see first hand what was to be done to my own eyes. I was a little freaked out by this and wondered who was the guinea pig that said, "yeah-go ahead and slice open my eye and use a laser to reshape my cornea". The procedure itself was painful but it wasn't long before it was all over. I opened my eyes, and I could read the clock on the wall! Even though it was blurry it was a good sign of things to come. Jeremy took me home and I tried to sleep as I was instructed to do. I took a nap while he took his mom and the kids to Costco. About two hours later, I woke up, couldn't return to sleep and my eyes hurt! When Jeremy got home I asked him to call my dear friend Kelly to ask her if it was supposed to be this painful when I opened my eyes. She told him to tell me to keep them shut. So taking her advice, I shut my eyes for the next few hours. By evening I was up and around and seeing wonderfully.

 I had an appointment the next morning and was told that I was already seeing 20/20 out of each eye and together 20/15. I almost cried!

I have been wearing glasses since I was a fourth grader. I remember the first time I left Dr. Smith's office with my new bifocals walking up invisible stairs hoping not to ever have to see anyone I knew again. As soon as that thought crossed my mind I ran into a boy from my school while picking up my brother from Ken's Barber Shop. (back then I guess it was OK to drop off kids to get hair cuts). Anyway I was horrified and swore I wasn't going to school the next day or any day after that. Flash forward a few years and a couple of sets of big plastic glasses and I was able to start wearing contacts. They were the hard lenses and weren't the most comfortable things to put in an eye. Added to that was the constant fear that Dr. Smith instilled into me and my mother that I would get a corneal abrasion if I rubbed my eyes.

After wearing glasses and contacts for most of my life, I traded them in for new eyesight and a fun pair of goggles to wear while in the shower this week. (I keep having dreams that I lose my new vision at the most inconvenient times, like driving through a construction zone at night in the rain. I guess I just think that it's too good to be true- I might keep my glasses handy for a while, just in case...) Anyway, here's to never having to say "Wait-I lost my contact" ever again.



Another way to break their necks!

Just when I thought I could kick my feet up and relax the boys have reminded me that I need to stay on my toes. One would think that I would be prepared for what little ones can get into, but I forget one stage as quickly as we move on to the next. Since moving we have been reminded that we need to remove the door stops with the plastic tips because, like his brother before him, Owen loves to play with them. This didn't seem too bad when Ben was his age doing it until the plastic end came off in his mouth! This time around though, Ben is opening doors with all of his might, so we are sure to end up with holes in the walls where the handle has busted through the drywall.

We have also had to ramp up our baby proofing efforts. Owen was just four months old when we moved in. We were quick to put in all the outlet covers, but didn't have the foresight at the time to think that he would one day soon be opening and closing every cabinet and drawer in the house. Along with the door stops, both boys have been attracted to the most disgusting thing in the house-the plastic covers over the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. These have been removed again this time around after getting one out of Owen's slobbery little grasp. We have also relearned to keep the bathroom doors closed to prevent any fishing in the toilets.

Our trusty handyman, Garrett, came up with a super way to tighten up security. Ben has figured out how to open the deadbolts. In order to keep the little booger inside the house while I'm tied up changing a diaper or heaven forbid taking a shower- He brought over and installed a latch at the top of the front door so that Ben wouldn't be playing on the front porch without a parent in sight when he stopped by. (I'm pretty sure that Garrett is appalled that this could happen in the first place, but his son is only a month and a half old...he'll understand in a matter of time!) Owen, not to be outdone by his brother, has come up with a new trick of his own. He likes to pull the heating/air conditioning vents out from the floor and stick his leg down the vent. I'm just waiting for him to start stashing things in them. So besides setting large objects on top of them and impeding the flow of air, I'm at a loss on how to resolve this one. Any ideas will be helpful!

While we're coming along on the childproofing front, Owen suddenly decides to make this the week that he masters the stairs (over and over and over and well, you get it). He does a great job getting to the top, he just hasn't figured out how to get back down in order to start the game again. I didn't have a gate up when Ben was small, but he didn't seem as infatuated with climbing them. Guess I'm going to need one this time!

Ben has come up with his own way to keep me on guard since he can no longer run around the neighborhood willy nilly. He has started somersaulting. He can now make it all the way over and is very proud of his accomplishment. I cringe every time hoping that his poor little neck makes it with him!

Well, it's naptime, I'd better go put my feet up while there's still time!



Picking Pumpkins



Pumpkin Patch

I love fall! I look forward every year to the crisp air, the changing of the leaves, long sleeved sweatshirts and of course the harvest. This year we decided to start a new fall tradition...a family trip to the pumpkin patch. Even though I know eight different ways to get to Target, I let Jeremy pick the pumpkin patch because he is more familiar with the surrounding areas. He finds a few listed in the KC Parents magazine and off we go.

Our first stop had pumpkins, but they were not u-pick, which I had my heart set on doing. It had a neat little playground that Ben couldn't wait to get to but the cost of admission was $5 per adult-now usually I'm not a cheapskate, but I can buy a pumpkin at the grocery store and head to the park for free. We loaded my heartbroken son back into the car with the promise that we had to find his pumpkin elsewhere. (Fruit snacks from Grandma Donna made every thing much better.)

We decide to head to the next farm on the list. It doesn't sound too much further, but we aren't certain of the location. After what seems like an eternity in the car due to a missed exit on the highway, we find Johnson's Farm. It was PERFECT-absolutely what I pictured a pumpkin patch to be. Owen loved watching Dad feed the goats and seeing them cross a bridge. We had a wonderful afternoon petting the pony, seeing baby pigs, finding our way through straw mazes and taking a wagon ride out to the field to find our pumpkins. We left knowing for certain that this would be our first stop next fall!



Return to 1988

After my last post I had an adventure of my own. I went for a haircut and entered a time warp of sorts. As many of you have known, I had been growing my hair out. Anyone who knows me however, knows that I don't keep the same hair style for long. Today was the day that I had it all chopped off. My stylist has been doing my hair since we moved here. I really like her and trust her completely. I say to her as I sit in the chair, "I hope your ready to cut some hair today!" I leave the cut entirely up to her with the only stipulation being that I get to keep a ponytail in case of emergency. As she cut my hair, I'm amazingly relaxed. (The neck rub and hand massage must have something to do with it!) As she straightens my hair I'm realizing that it doesn't really look like the picture that she showed me, but that's ok...it doesn't look too bad. I go home and everyone does a double take (everyone means Jeremy & his mom...Ben just thinks my hair looks wet and Owen just crawls to me saying mamama). Now comes what happens after every haircut...the home mirror check. You know the one, where you stand in front of the mirror staring at your hair and fixing it the way you really would, tweaking it a little and restyling until you are just a little more satisfied. At this point I realized that I haven't even looked at the back of the haircut. So I grab my trusty hand mirror and see the reflection of a mullet looking back at me.... As you can see for yourself, this wasn't that great of a look for me the first go round!!



New Lovies, Buffalo and Another Rainy Day at Paradise

Grandma Donna flew in on Saturday to spend the week spoiling her youngest boys. They were very excited to go to the airport to pick her up, but Ben can't figure out why she didn't bring her airplane to our house.

It's a given that Grandmas don't come all this way empty handed. Ben had been prepared that she was bringing a surprise and could hardly wait until she was in the car before he was asking about it. Much to our surprise, she pulled out a new, clean and fluffy version of our beloved "Puppy". When Ben was little, she had given him a little FAO Schwartz dog that I had put in his crib to comfort him. When he was in daycare, she gave him another that was similar. I wanted him to have one in both places so that they would not get lost going back and forth. Over the past few years, these little guys have slept with him nonstop and have made long car trips that much more bearable. Last fall sometime, they were officially named "Dog" (the oldest) and "Puppy" (the younger of the two). They admittedly look loved and worn, but I had no idea how sad they in fact were until "Knuckles" came out of the bag. He's all shiny and soft, how could a kid not fall in love all over again?!? He now packs not two, but three little dogs from his bed in the morning to mine. He carries them downstairs for daytime adventures and then needs all three under the covers with him before he closes his eyes for the night.

Owen has a lovie of his own as well, but is not quite as attached. Ben gave him "Champ" (Ben's gotten a little more creative with the names) at the hospital when he was born. Owen likes to carry Champ (a fluffy stuffed dog) by holding the tail between his teeth as he crawls around. His new lovie from Grandma D is a very sweet and soft monkey. (I'll let you know when he gets a name.)Jeremy was on call over the weekend, but on Sunday we decided to take Grandma to the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure. We have Buffalo (or Bison-are they the same thing???) and Elk living less than 5 minutes from the house. We stopped beside the road to check out the Buffalo. Quickly after, other onlookers stopped with carrots for the animals. One little boy was nice enough to share with Ben. He was a little timid feeding the Buffalo (or Bison?!?), but got a kick out of it. Owen just wasn't sure what to think of them. We got back into the car and drove up to see the Elk. I took Ben over to see the "big guy", but turns out he likes to buck the fence with his antlers. We didn't want to stand in front of him for too long! We did get to hear him call out to the other elk, which was pretty neat. Jeremy then got called out to work so the rest of us went sightseeing and stopped on the way home for milk shakes.
The weather on Monday wasn't the greatest-it was raining on and off all day. After nap time, we headed out to our favorite indoor activity, Paradise Park. Grandma was pretty impressed with the facility, but the highlight was that we both got to see Owen take a step!!! It finally happened on my watch! He took a single step from the Snoopy Ice Cream Truck (which for some reason always seems to be a big hit with my kids) right into my arms! I couldn't have been more proud.

The boys ended the evening with a visit from Ms. Jennifer, our Parents as Teachers coordinator. She seems to agree with me that the boys are the sweetest, smartest and most fun around. (Hey this is my blog... I can totally talk my kids up!) Seriously though she said that they both are on target and doing great, which I was relieved to hear.



Slide Shows on the Side Bar

I figured out how to put the slide shows that I created for Ben's 1st and 2nd birthdays on the blog!! Don't worry, I'm going to do one for Owen this year...he won't be left out. I also put our wedding montage on the site. This played during our wedding ceremony (don't let the big hair from my younger years distract you). Even though it's been over four years, I still cry every time I see it. The song is from Moulin Rouge and has since become "our" song.

Last night we celebrated Jeremy's big day. His niece, Christie, sent the excitement inside a yellow mailing envelope. How exactly can the perfect push up stack up to a Chicago Bears autographed football?!? He was like a little kid when he opened the package-grinning from ear to ear-trying to make out the signatures. She worked at the Bears training camp during the summer and was thoughtful enough to do this for her "Uncle Bud". Really makes my last minute planning seem inconsiderate, huh? Anyway he said he loved the presents and Ben couldn't wait to play the games with his dad. He handed him the push up thing and said "here dad-you have to take your shirt off to play this game". Instead the two of them played Mario Kart with their shirts on.

We finally made it to Bump City today! When we got in the car this morning Ben said "I hope the car's not dead today" and was very excited when it started. From 10 -11 this morning the boys had free reign over a gymnastics gym with other kids their age. Ben's favorite thing to do was swing on a trapeze bar and land in a pit filled with foam blocks. Owen's favorite was the trampoline. He loved to sit and bounce and crawl after the other kids. How fun!!!!



Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Today is Jeremy's Birthday!

I don't even know where to start- He is the best husband anyone could EVER ask for and a such a great Dad to his boys. We are so lucky to have him.

Yesterday the boys and I went shopping for a birthday gift and to pick up a cake (he said that he wanted a marble one this year). Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I had no idea on what to get him so after dropping of the dry cleaning and returning a movie, we head to Target.

I had talked to my brother Greg and he thought it would be OK to get him a game for the wii (even though that's what I have given him for every gift since he got the wii last year for his birthday). We get in the store, I put the kids in the shopping cart and Ben says that he has to go pee pee. So I take him in, no big deal, then continue shopping. After shopping for a while I discovered that they don't have the game that I wanted to get him. We're off to look for a cake. Ben now says he has to "poo"-we head back to front of the store to the restroom. I get both boys out of the cart head in to the potty and Ben decides that he doesn't really need to go right now. We wash hands (I'm carrying Owen) and head back out to the Bakery. They have a few marble cakes made but were pretty ugly. I asked how far in advance I would need to place an order for a cake and was told that they weren't taking any more orders for the week.

OK, new plan, I'll stop at Dick's Sporting Goods and maybe find something Cubs related. (They are in the playoffs) No luck on Cubs gear but I did find the Perfect Pushup (as seen on TV) that he had mentioned that he wanted.

The hunt continues, we're off to Wal-Mart. We get into the store and after getting Ben off of the mechanical horse, we head back to electronics- they are out of the game- head to the bakery to check for a cake- no luck only white or chocolate! I return the cart and head out of the store only to hear, "Mommy I have to go poo poo". We return to the store and go to the bathroom successfully this time, but it's a madhouse trying to get out of there. My guess is that the senior citizens bus had just dropped off. We leave the store empty handed-no cake, no game, and Ben still wanted to ride that horse!

At this point I'm getting bummed, all I had was that pushup thing, what a crappy birthday present. The boys are doing great and have been in good moods all afternoon, so I head to the Price Chopper on the other end of town to find the cake...and they had it! I was so excited! The cake had candles that spelled out "Happy Birthday". I asked the lady at the Bakery to write Daddy on the cake. Simple enough, I thought. I hear her say, hmmm, maybe I should have centered this more. She wrote it on the left side of the cake! We then decide to add "We love you". She shows me the cake (it kinda looks like Ben wrote it) and says she's only been doing this for a week. I'm fine with it because we found a cake!

By now, three and a half hours have gone by and I have a cake and the pushup thing. As a last resort, I swing over to the Wal-Mart in another town close by. I get into the store (no horse here but Ben wanted to be pushed in one of those enormous carts that the kids sit in the front on these plastic things, which I can't do because Owen is too little) find the electronics department and they have the game! Yay! I check out, get the kids back in the car and head home. Whew, what a day, right? Owen was a trooper-not once did he complain as I strapped him into the carseat, only to be taken out of the car to be strapped into a shopping cart all afternoon.

We get home and I'm exhausted, unloading the car as Jeremy pulls into the driveway. Ben, still excited about our adventure, runs up to his Daddy and says "we got you a birthday cake and a new game! Can we play it?"

Jeremy's birthday gift is not a surprise (he still doesn't know about the pushup thing because Ben doesn't know what to call it!). We are going to take the cake to his office this afternoon and share it with his employees. We're also bringing along his favorite boneless wings from 54th Street Grill.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEREMY! WE LOVE YOU!



Dapper Little Man

Ben had a tux to match his Dad's the day of Greg & Steph's wedding. It was difficult to get him in all the clothes but once he was dressed, he was a handsome little thing! Luckily the place where they were rented was right across the street. After the ceremony, Jeremy had to take him to get the pants cinched in a bit so that they would stay up during the reception!



Just needs a top hat and cane!

Owen all dressed up in his "tux" for Uncle Greg and Aunt Steph's wedding in June. He was such a sweetheart that day. He was all smiles as family and friends got to hold him.