Dashing Through The Snow

Christmas 2009

Halloween Bunny

The bunny costume was his choice.  After Mom sewed her heart out the true toddler rose up and had a fit when we tried to put it on him.  You would have thought it was torture.  He slowly warmed up to the idea when he realized candy would be forthcoming!  He was the cutest little bunny I have ever seen!

Summer Hiatus

Shame on us.  We have been enjoying the summer and on temporary blog hiatus.  For the out-of-town family that needs an O fix.  Here is one of the pictures our photographer took a couple of weeks ago for the Baby Bubba's 2 year pictures that were done at almost 2 1/2.  Again, shame on the momma but we love our summer.  He looks as if the prospect of lunch is something serious to be considered.  More than likely, he is probably scouring his plate for anything brown that he has now pronounced "wormas" or worms and deemed unacceptable to eat.  Beef, hot dogs and even sometimes spaghetti all now fall under the umbrella of worms.  Bon apetite!

You can click on this link to see a couple of the shots that made it to the photographer's blog.

http://pbinderphotography.blogspot.com/

I'm sure a mailing will be in order so check your mailboxes soon!

My First Pony Ride

Owen is obsessed with horses and we went to a local petting zoo that has pony rides.  Sounded perfect until we arrived and realized you had to be three.  Ever the resourceful mother, I managed to score a black market ticket off an unsuspecting dad and my son went on his first pony ride.  I have never seen him so happy so I was, in turn, never so happy.  I was praying the entire time that he wouldn't fall off.

Chicago

Owen had a great time in Chicago getting spoiled by Great Gram and Gramps.  He had a ball going to the park by their house and to the botanical gardens where he, Gramps and Dad all scaled some of the real tanks that are a part of their war museum.  He looks so sweet in the picture with his Great Grandma and Grandpa only minutes after trying to eat some discarded gum that someone had stuck to the side of the statue.  Disgust.

He also chowed down on some serious italian beef and hot dogs.  James R. junior.

Jamie and I enjoyed shopping in the city (the one place I can get my husband to shop with me) and dinner with friends while he was occupied with the family.

By the end of the trip, too much fun had caught up with him and he crashed in a booth at a restaurant on our way out of town.

Easter Cupcakes For Daddy

Daddy, I'm sorry I wouldn't talk to you on the phone or tell you "Bye, Bye".  To redeem myself, I have made you the most delicious Easter cupcakes complete with bunny and egg shaped sprinkles.  Mom also taped me saying "Bye Dad" to make up for it.

Hurry home, nothing is the same without you here and the Easter Bunny is on his way!

I Love You,

XOXOX

OXOXO

Owen James

Apparently He Saw a Raccoon

So we were in Lowe's searching the aisles for some elusive product that we simply had to have when Owen told me that he "saw a raccoon" or to be exact..."I see raccoon."  I'm not sure if it was the fact that he was so adamant and repeated this sentence over and over to everyone we saw in the store or the fact that a raccoon is a very random thing to be strolling around a home improvement store but we found it hysterical.

This video is our attempt to catch the now famous quote after arriving home.  As is always the case with video and children, he refused to be exploited and would not perform.  He did manage to repeat the simple phrase of "raccoon" as if that said enough.

Since his father is 11 years old, he decided to ask him about the "big fox" which is naughty because his pronunciation of fox is a 4 letter word that starts with "F".  Owen, of course was all too accommodating.  So much for a G rating on this video.

Family Ties

We took a very special trip to visit the family this weekend and Owen enjoyed wreaking havoc with his only cousin, Kayden, or "Kay Kay" in Owenspeak.  They harassed the poor chickens, braved the woods and rain with a bumpy tractor ride, searched high and low for Easter eggs in puddles and snow and subsisted mostly on junk food and sweets.

I had forgotten how quickly children take to one another without all of the hang-ups that adults have.  O hasn't seen his cousin since he was about 8 months old so I wasn't sure how he would react to another cute little man cramping his style.  We walked in the door.  They took one look at another.  Kayden said "hi cousin" and they immediately started wrestling without missing a beat.  They were instantly thick as thieves and were inseparable the entire weekend.

One thing we all agree on is that we dearly love our very special Grandma (Owen and Kayden's Great Grandma).  I remember sitting in that lap when I was little and feeling loved.  I feel so fortunate that my son can do the same.

Appetite for destruction

This morning I made O organic eggs with fresh organic cream, nutmeg and fresh spinach as well as wheat bran berry pancakes.  I was so proud of myself for giving him healthy organic choices.  Sadly, he only ate two bites of the pancakes when he clearly pronounced himself "DONE".  I later found him in the laundry room with all of the freshly folded laundry that was once on top of the dryer in a disheveled pile on the floor and O rubbing his tummy and saying "MMMMMM".

He was dining on dog food.

He is getting nitrate filled Lunchables for lunch and I am giving myself a break.  Lesson learned.

You might not know...

he has the best dimples.  he runs with all his might, pumping his arms until his cheeks are red.  he love, love, loves horses.  when he gives you a kiss he grabs both sides of your head and mushes his face into yours for a good 10 seconds.  his kisses are not for the weak or faint of heart.  he is momma's buggy, juice, chancho, mister man, oooooeeeee, o man, lover dover, o, baby bubba, baby bumkin, tough guy, teetie and snuggle buggle boy.  when saying a word he concentrates very hard on the last constanant.  he goes against the grain.  he hates organized activities.  he pats his friend on the back at school when he cries because his momma left.  his heart is kind but his patience short.  he refuses to address our dogs by name and will refer to each as "dog" only.  he loves to fake burp and then crack up.  he only likes monkey bananas with the sides peeled down and not cut up.  he misses daddy the most on mondays.  he cannot pass a rock without looking under it.  old macdonald is his favorite song as of today.  he beats his drumsticks together and says "1, 2, 3" before rocking out.  he will wrestle with daddy for hours.  he has yet to master his tricycle or the idea of pedaling.  in the morning he jumps up and down in his crib, ready to raise hell.  he always says "wheeeee" when we hit the hump on our country road.  he eats hummus and avocados like they are going out of style.  shrek is his favorite movie.  yo gabba gabba is his favorite tv show.  he will snuggle up to you during a hug and tell you a secret.  he has to touch your skin with his face before he goes to sleep.  he's shenanigans.  he is our pure joy sunshine.

Daddy

Get home fast Daddy. We miss you. There's just enough snow left for you to take me on one more sled ride. Love, O.

Lots of Love on Valentine's Day

My Little Valentine stole my breakfast bar and was quite pleased with himself.  He suffered no remorse whatsoever for his hungry Mommy.  So...

My Big Valentine came to the rescue of his starving family with pancakes!  Hearts for Mommy and a horse for O, of course.

Smooth Criminal

Someone has learned how to open the freezer door to swipe delicious ice cream sandwiches.  He hides in the laundry room to enjoy his "sweet treat" as he calls them where he is under the impression that his parents are fools and that we can't find him.  He obviously has no idea as to the depths of his mother's sleuthing skills.  Caught in the act!  And right before bedtime no less.  The nerve.

Under The Weather

Poor baby.  After three days of puking, fever, chills and nonstop Shrek videos I hope that he is on the mend.  No fever this morning gives me hope.  When he isn't feeling well mommy and daddy's bed, Shrek, and his Lincoln Park Zoo t-shirt are always in order.

Valentine's Day Party At School!

Today is the Valentine's Day Party at Owen's school.  I scoured the city for Shrek valentines and finally found a box at a thrift store that came complete with Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Puss tattoos...score!  We are going to stash the extra tattoos away for potty training prizes.

Nana and O baked heart sweets for the class.

Diligently addressing his valentines.

The devastation that occurred when I told him the valentines were for his classmates and not himself.

O's Western-Take 1

Due to his current obsession with horses, we decided on a "Western Theme" for O's 2nd birthday party.  I commissioned a western town complete with a Jail and Saloon from O's Grandma Jojo (my mom) and she truly outdid herself.  They have become a huge hit!  Most nights we can find Owen stumbling out of the Saloon after a few too many or breaking his stick horse out of the Jail.

Last night Dad was working late and we were bored so we started making our own western with the incredible props we had on hand.  Scene one we like to call..."Bar Fight".  I know the camera quality and lighting are poor but this is our first attempt!

Lemons to lemonade.

Yesterday morning we got lemons.  Injury, doctor and thunderstorms.

To our surprise, the sun came out in the afternoon and the temperature jumped to a balmy 65 degrees.  Hooray!  We opted for some outdoor fun and much missed Vitamin D.  Owen climbed up on my lap while I was sitting in the rocking chair on our front porch and let me rock him in the sun for a few precious minutes.  Lemonade.

Oweeeee!

Note the camo band-aid (to match his pants of course) hiding this morning's major "oweeee" that sent O and I rushing to the pediatrician.  Our young man stuck his finger down one of the tempting drain circles while in the shower with Mom.  Apparently they are sharp on the bottom.  I picked him up to get out and all I could see was blood on both of us without a hint to the source.  He is all patched up now and even narrowly escaped stitches due to the shape of the cut.  Boys!

Winter Vitamin C

Hmmm.  I was looking around the kitchen thinking of what else I could possibly concoct for Owen that has Vitamin C to help stave off his little case of the sniffles and then I spotted our box of clementines on the counter...Voila!  Clementine juice, a happy Mommy and a happy "Juice".

Loves His Pops

The Juice was pretty crabby after his nap today and didn't seem happy in my lap cuddling or playing.  I knew he wanted something specific and we are always encouraging him to "use his words" so I asked him to tell me what he wanted please and to use his words.  I was ready for "juice please" or "downstairs" or the ever popular "shrek".  He looked up at me and said "Daddy".  Only a heart of stone wouldn't have broke.

First Haircut

People have been kindly asking for months when we intended to cut Owen's hair.  Dad threatens to drag him along every time he goes to the barber shop for a "buzz cut" and we have had more than one instance in which a stranger commented on what a beautiful little girl we have when only seeing him from the back/side.

I had to wait so long for him to get hair (about 14 months) that I could never bear to cut it.  I joked that he is my free spirit, my little hippie and I taught him to flash a peace sign and say "peace man".  It wasn't until my best friend Jaime Girl gasped at his birthday party when seeing the state of his mullet that I knew action had to be taken.  Knowing that I would NEVER cut it if left to my own devices she swiftly procured an appointment for herself and Owen for the coming week.  She knows me well enough to know that if she didn't act quickly I would come up with 1,000 excuses as to why this isn't necessary.

I spent all week brushing and playing with his hair, putting it in little ponytails when Dad wasn't around and getting weepy more than a few times at the thought of the baby to little boy transformation that is inevitable after the first haircut.  I emailed Owen's stylist (a dear friend) and warned her that I might be sobbing but would try not to make a scene as his gorgeous white hair started to fall.

Luckily, I never had the chance to be upset because I had to physically restrain him during the entire process while he screamed, kicked and generally made an enormous ruckus.  I spent most of the time making a fool of myself trying to sing songs to calm him down and sweating to contain him from getting his eye impaled with scissors.  Many thanks to Jaime Girl and sweet Amber who was a complete Saint for helping.  Also, thanks to Amber for letting us come in after hours so we didn't send her regular clientele running into the streets.  If you ever want the hippest haircut in Kansas City book your appointment at The Darling Room, Owen's salon of choice! :)

www.thedarlingroom.com

2 Year Check-Up

Owen had his two year check up today and was good as gold!  Well, besides somehow managing to use his tiny fingers and a deft pincer grasp to pluck my diamond earring from my ear and pitch it across the waiting room of the doctors office that is.

I was so happy that we already had this appointment set because he just developed a little cold/cough business and I surely would be dragging him to the doctor to overreact anyway. Thankfully, we could minimize his germ exposure by combining the two in only one trip. :)

All went well with the checkup and I was a little shocked to see his height at 37 1/2" (100th+ percentile).  A very tall boy as all the nurses kept commenting.  His weight is a solid 31.4 lbs (90th percentile) although like most moms I miss the ever decreasing baby fat or "bubba chub" as we affectionately call it and think he is getting a little on the thin side for my liking.

All the excitement wore him out and he fell asleep on the way home.  I tucked him into his crib with his new horsey pillow that Nana made for him.  Precious baby.

Our sweet boy turns 2!

The disgruntled cowboy before his birthday party.  He was in search of his beloved toy horses.  What a special day he had with all of his friends to play with.  I think cabin fever is driving us both crazy and having some kids his own age around to get rowdy with was just what he needed.  True to form, he took the opportunity to be naughty and proceeded to closeline and "take down" the other unsuspecting toddlers at his party by wrestling them to the ground.  Not the most gracious host.  I still suspect my brother is teaching him wrestling moves behind my back.  James R. and I were just so thankful to have good friends and family that showed up in full force to celebrate two years of our little boy.