O's First Day of School

Another first happened today!

Owen had his first day of school!

We chose to send Owen to Mother's Day Out two days a week this year at the local First Baptist Church. I'm excited to see how much he'll learn and grow this year. The program includes music, Spanish and all sorts of fun activities!

The morning started with breakfast with the grandparents and "a little bit of Arthur" (his fav tv show of the moment).

Then Daddy and I took our buddy to school complete with nap mat, pack-ack, and lunch box. Oh, the cuteness!!!! We didn't have the picture perfect hand-off this morning, but it is my prayer this gets easier and easier.

He is growing leaps and bounds every day. This summer it has been so fun to watch him become a stronger swimmer, explore the yard and play pretend, meet new friends on the playground and play together, learn tons of new words and phrases. What doin', mama?

Don't get me wrong, I am a little apprehensive. But I am confident that God is our protector and comforter and he will be there for all of us as our little buddy continues to grow. Let the school adventure begin!

The Sweetest Thing

Isn't one of the sweetest things a child does is say goofy words when they are learning. Either just on the cusp of the right word, or something all their own. Owen is growing and learning so fast these days, I feel that these moments will bee short lived, so I thought I'd write a few down before I forgot.

Pepanohni - pepperoni: his favorite pizza topping

Qatar - guitar: O's favorite musical instrument besides a drum...can be played on the real thing or anything he decides is a qatar! =)

Pack-kack - back pack: bag for packing snacks, toys, and clothes to go to Nana's/Grandma's and soon school!

Screw scriver - screw driver: his go-to tool for dismantling the house

Emplix - Olympics: our summer sports entertainment, big fan of swimming

Mocha Tater/Moke dTater - Smoke detector: he loves reading his firemen books. This gave the grandparents a run for their money when we were out of town one weekend.

Noonles - noodles: mac & cheese or spaghetti, this kid loves 'em

Uncle Ohdrian - Uncle Adrian: This just cracks me up! He can say Adrian perfectly fine, but Ohdrian keeps popping up

Libuhdee - Liberty: his sweet friend

I know there are more, and I'll have to add. I just didn't want to forget this sweet part of growing up.

O's New Ride

Owen turned two. So, of course he needed another mode of transportation.

Cozies are for babies.

Actually cozies are for parents who are dumb and think it'll be fun to push their kids around forever.

This year, we opted for self-propelled. We're not there yet, but we're working on it. Heck, he's two! What do you want, a miracle! ;)

 (wahoo!)

 (The men doing their manly things...did anyone else hear Tim Taylor?)

 (One happy kiddo!)

Thanks Grandma Carol and PopPop Greg for the new wheels!

Swimmin', Sharks, and Turning Two!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the O'Bear (and Father's Day!)

I had the idea to start his real birthday, Friday, off right with a breakfast of champions including donuts and chocolate milk. I'm pretty sure it was a hit.

Our friends, Asher and Kathleen, then came over to help bake the birthday cake. It was a pretty involved recipe for a giant cake in the end. So Kat helped me in the kitchen and Asher helped entertain Owen. I think it worked out well for all involved. The cake was awesome!


Next, we headed over to Garland to meet up with my parents and Jenni and Jamie for some Flying Fish food. I think O might have had 3 bites of fish and 30 bites of french fries. What are you going to do...

The party went perfectly! O got dropped off at Nana's and slept til 4:30, while my mom, sister and I did some last minute things and set up the party downstairs at Nana's.

We swam, we ate, we laughed.

We got attacked by bubble guns, splashing babies, and splashing adults.


 We opened, we played, we crashed.

I'd have to say it was a wonderful day. I can't believe how much O has changed over the last year.

At our doctor's appointment yesterday, his stats were:
Height: 36" - 88%
Weight: 31 lb - 83%
Head: Good ol' 93%

Still growing and growing. Talking up a storm. Taking risks. And being his awesome self!

Happy Birthday, O'Bear!

It's a Great Day to be Two...

Have you heard the news? There's a two-year-old (well in a few hours...) sleeping in the next room.

A TWO YEAR OLD! A child going on his third year of life now. In MY house!

Some days I feel like Peter Pan who plays games with his shadow. I have my own shadow who follows me around, sunny days or not, repeats what I say, usually is in a 5 foot radius from me. And has stolen my heart.

I love my shadow fiercely.

I think it is also those things which we love fiercely, that bring us the most anxiety, pain, sadness, and joy. All of these things can be said about my shadow. My son. My O'Bear.

He runs with abandon. He jabbers in sentences and stream of conscious (my favorite). He sings real words to real songs. He eats everything (when he wants to). He pulls me to come see something (really hard!). He steals my phone (and navigates) to play Angee Birds and Alien Buddys (thanks, Lyd!). He loves to swim. He loves his dad. He loves his family. He loves his dog (Ryker is thrilled).

He is everything I never knew I wanted and more. An amazement of life and God's love every day.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Owen!

Big Boy Room

I've started thinking about O's Big Boy Room. EEKKK!

In just about a month, my sweet baby boy will be turning two! He's amazing. All the words he knows. His fearless attitude about exploring and climbing things. Playing better with friends. He's getting to be such a big boy.

So...what's a mom to do, but dream of the next step. (Don't worry, I'm sure I'll have plenty of panic attacks along the way before anything happens). The plan so far is to use Joe's old bunk beds. His mom did us a favor and picked out pretty straight simple lines, so they won't look too dated or retro. I hope to stain them the same color as his dresser and crib.

He hasn't climbed out of his crib yet. He still sleeps well in it. But, dang, that kid is just getting big. And when potty training comes along and who knows what else, it'll be time.

After looking at several bedding options, I jumped on this one. PBK was having a deal. I loved the look and I loved that it could go with just about any sheeting you put under it! So, here's a preview of what O's big boy bedroom could look like...minus the blue on the beds and the awesome wood walls and tons of light. But you get the idea...

Amazement and Sadness

Owen is awesome. Every day he amazes me. About two weeks or so ago he started talking in sentences. It just clicked he got it. Now, don't get me wrong, he mostly still sounds like Yoda, but he's awesome.

His first sentence was "I see a plane!" when we went to the DFW Airport Park where you can watch the planes take off and land. SOOOOOO COOOL!!!!

Steps where we were so scared before that he'd trip or fall, he's walking right on by with not a care. Drinking out of a big boy cup, oh yeah, no sweat...except for the fact he might knock it over or dump it on you.

Sadness has ensued because pants once too big are too small. His baby fat has all but disappeared. He talks in sentences. He eats sauteed onions and broccoli on his own. Owen is awesome, but he's not a baby anymore.

Our Elmo/Curious George, plane-loving, car-racing, sentence-slinging toddler is here for the long haul.