Owen was late to wake up this morning. He went to bed last night at 6:45 PM and woke this morning at 8:30 AM. Wow!! It was a Gymboree day, so we had to rush to get out of the house. This is how Owen had his breakfast--bad Mama, I know--even worse is that it was crackers, fruit, and milk. But, we couldn't miss Gymboree!
Owen is in his last month of Level 3 classes. He is having a hard time staying interested in the activities. But, the *good* Mama that I try to be, I encourage him to try each thing at least once ;-)

Today was "social" skills. The kiddos had various activities to do together. This one--rolling balls around--was right up Owen's ally. He lasted at least 2 minutes *maybe 3* on this activity.

The next one Owen did, was ride in the "boat" with his new pal Cooper. Cooper's mom gathered some balls to keep these two interested. This one lasted about 2 minutes, as well. We were on a roll!

In every class, the roll this log. Owen prefers to do this on his own when the rest of the class is doing other things. He will get the log started, and then he jets off to something else. Here, the teacher is having to slow it down 'cause Owen is pushing it so fast. Too funny!

Now...this, my blog reading friends, is the activity that Owen returns to time and time again. This is the one thing at Gymboree that he will do over and over and over. AND, he does this for a good 10 - 15 minutes. Too bad it isn't ever part of the activities for the Level 3 kiddos....

He shoots!

He scores!!!

Here it is from up top!!

Owen is going to try Soccer Tots with some friends. Maybe that will be more his thing.

Have a good rest of the week! I am off to New York for my last business trip before my leave of absence!!

Egg Hunt {check}, Petting Zoo {check}, Photo with Big, Scary Easter Bunny {?!?}

The neighborhood held its annual egg hunt today for all of the kiddos!! Owen got to participate in the slot for kiddos up to age 3. He had been practing hunting for eggs with Miss Mimi and it showed!! This little guy can hang with the two year olds ;-)

I picked up the first egg and placed it in his basket. Then, it was like a lightbulb went off in Owen's little mind.

He was on a roll!

Then, he decided that if he only gets twelve, he wanted to be sure that the prize inside was worth taking up one of the coveted slots ;-}

All done with that! Got my 12 eggs...where do I go next, guys?

Ohh...to the petting zoo!! I wasn't sure how Owen would do in this. Sure, Tobie is bigger than these animals, but still....

Here he is petting a bunny...

and a goat...

he pet lots of them. pigs, chickens, ducks. you name it. guess which one made him cry?

Yup...the cleanest, softest, safest of them all...

Meet Ivan, our unplanned weekend house guest...

Saturday morning, I received a call from Mr. N's dad asking if I could help out with the dog while they were out of town overnight. Sure! Of course I can help with him.

I received my instructions and was ready to go. Just had to go over and feed him, make sure he potty-ed, put him in the house overnight, feed him the next morning, and let him back out. Easy peasy.

So, Saturday night at 8:30 PM I headed over to their house to hang with Ivan for a bit. I got there, and just as I was told, there were instructions on the counter for me, along with food for that night and Sunday morning. I read the instructions...this should be pretty easy.

So, I went out back to see Ivan. He greeted me at the door with a big 'ole string of saliva {I mean like 9 inches long or so big}. I quickly shut the door back. He shook and lost the string while I was safe on the inside of the door! Crisis averted! Phew!!!

I proceeded out back to feed this guy. Man...that was one hungry dog! He wolfed his food down. Then, I rinsed and refilled the water bowl. Things were ticking right along just has instructed. So, moving on with my tasks... dog bed inside {check}, bathroom fan on {check}, dog gate in place and ready to go {check, check}. This dog sitting business is easy. Maybe I should go into business doing this for folks who travel?!?

I decided to keep my new pal Ivan company while he "did his business". Tobie never gets much accomplished unsupervised, so thought Ivan would appreciate the morale support. Since all my other items were done, I headed out back to hang with the big dog. Since it was cold out, I thought I should shut the back door since this could take a while and I didn't want to run up a crazy electricity bill.

I was sitting on the porch, throwing his ball for him {he wasn't interested--so I fetched it a couple of times, re-threw it, and then gave up}, and just chatting away. Then, I thought I should go back inside to see if Jeff had responded to my text message asking whether Ivan needed water indoors {it didn't say in my instructions}.

I turn {wait, the knob isn't turning}. I try again. I turn {still...the knob isn't turning}. Hmm. I think I am locked out. Locked outside of the house, in the backyard where it is below 45 degrees out, with no jacket, and a big, huge {and thankfully nice} dog. OMG! Now...I remember a time when Erin told me that Jeff locked himself out back b/c their backdoor locks automatically upon closing it. Great. Why wasn't THAT noted on my instruction list, Jeff?!?! Do ya think you could have written in big, bold, red font on the top not to shut the door behind ya?!?!? Kidding...really...I think....yeah...I'm kidding.

So, I decided just to go out the gate back to the front in hopes that I left the front door unlocked. I go to open the gate and...can you guess what I find...really?...think about it for a second...what could possibly make this worse than it already is....yep....the gate is locked. Looks like I am climbing the fence. Oh well....at least I am not big, huge pregnant or anything....oh wait...I am big, huge pregnant. {sigh}.

I think about yelling for help, but think that if I heard someone yelling for help outside in a neighbors backyard I would call 911...I wouldn't want to get in the middle of any domestic tangle. I don't think I need the police here. I think about how long it might take for my dear husband to grow concerned about the length of time it is taking me to let the dog in. Geez, that could be hours...if not tomorrow morning. Crickey.

I guess I am climbing the six-eight foot fence.

Wait....the pad lock (which is on the outside of the fence) isn't actually closed. A tiny miracle. I pull the lawn chair next to the gate, reach over the fence, and voila....I am freed from the back yard. See you in a minute, Ivan!!!

I round the house to the front and, yep, locked door. Oh well. I couldn't have made this easy on myself. So, I proceed next door, borrow a phone, call my dear husband, and beg for help!

Within fifteen minutes we are all {me, Daddy Q, Owen, and Ivan} in the Jeep headed for our house. At least Ivan and Tobie liked each other!! So, an hour and a half later...we are all calm, in our respective beds, and sound asleep.

I guess it goes without saying that I am re-thinking going into business as a dog sitter. I'll just keep doing it for friends to avoid sleeping on a strangers porch!

Do you know of any restaurants hiring good help?

A few posts ago, I blogged about Owen being such a great Kitchen Assistant. Well, this contraption that we borrowed from Mr. N. makes it even easier (and safer) for Owen to help Mama in the kitchen.

Here Mama and Owen are cubing cream cheese together. Both of us held the knife for the first 75%, and then Owen continued on to finish himself...seriously.

Once I turned the gas on, I scooted Owen to the island to make his own version of enchiladas. He began adding a pinch of cheese to his pot one pinch at a time {stirring in between of course ... and .... occcasionally taking a big gulp of water just like Mama ... ahhhh!}.... then, he decided he needed ALOT MORE cheese....

So, the whole bag went in...

...then, he gave it a stir...

Saturday morning, Megan, Valarie, and I went to cooking class at Central Market. They have classes for kiddos...but, the youngest they take is 5. Oh well. By the time this guy is 5, I will have him making souffles!

Don't touch the hat, mam.

Okay...how cute is he? I know I'm his mama, so quite partial. But, seriously...this little guy is adorable!! Today he stayed with Miss Erin for ALOT of the day. First, so that I could go to the doc to see what my chest pains have been all about {turns out I might have a touch of asthma--go figure}, then so I could take newborn photos for the baby of a friend, and lastly, to help us get the car to the shop b/c the "check engine light" came on. Thank you for all of the favors today, Miss Erin. We owe you big time!!!

So, while we were in-between-Sarah-errands, I was hanging out at Erin and N's house with them. Owen "borrowed" N's hat--so cute!! He loved putting it on, saying "hi", and taking it back off. I guess I should get him some hats to play with!!

Thought I would share this too cute photo I snapped!

Enjoy!

Why I am Walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day

For weeks now I have had the button on my blog for the 3-Day Race for the Cure. I wanted to dedicate a blog post to focus on WHY I am training and walking in this event and to ask you to consider making a donation on my behalf.

As you can probably surmise from reading this blog, I love, love, love my little boy. I enjoy watching him grow and learn. Each and every thing he does is amazing to me....even the temper tantrums {seriously, how can such a little guy get so darn mad?}. When Owen started walking, he became ridiculously busy. My little dude moves non-stop during every single moment he is awake. He is one "full-on" kiddo, to say the least. Thank goodness that he sleeps through the night and takes long naps!!

In November, just as Owen started walking and life got busier, Gerard and I learned that Baby Q2 is on his or her way. Joy and excitement filled us. Knowing that we get to watch another miracle grow and learn is simply AMAZING.

I started this pregnancy still having baby weight left from Owen. And, I started my pregnancy with Owen still having honeymoon/first-year-of-marriage weight to lose. Ugghh. With Owen on the move, and Baby Q2 proving to be equally, if not more, active than Owen {judging from the strong kicks I am getting already} the reality that I really need to get in shape for my kiddos has set in. If I want to be the best mom that I can to these two {and hopefully more ;-)} kiddos, I need to be able to keep up with them!!

When my dear friend Lindsey invited me to join her 3-Day team, I thought that it seemed like a perfect match. I would be able to spend 3 days walking 20 miles/day with my closest friends -- she and N's mom are both walking...I would be able to train for this during my pregnancy--the doc okay'ed it...I would be able to jump start a healthier lifestyle with my sweet babies in mind...AND, I would be able to contribute to a great cause--finding a cure for breast cancer.

So, although I personally have been blessed not to have family or close friends who have battled this disease, I am honored and humbled to be walking for a cure. I am doing this for the mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends that are impacted by the illness and I am doing this for my sweet kiddos.

I would greatly appreciate your support in this effort. Each team member has agreed to raise $2,300--will you help me meet my goal? Whether you can donate $100 or $10 -- your support matters! If you are able, simply click on the button on my blog and it will lead you to my personal 3-day page where you can donate on-line.

Lots of love,
Sarah

Check Out Owen & Hanna on Melanie's Photog Blog...

http://melaniejohnsonphotography.blogspot.com/2009/03/hanna-and-owen.html

Isn't Hanna awesome? And, Owen...I think he is the cutest little guy anywhere! Thanks for the photos, Melanie. Can't wait to see more!!!

Lots of fun with Grammie and Paw Paw Mc

Owen always has so much fun with his Grammie and Paw Paw Mc! This past week was Spring Break. Grammie was off work for Thursday and Friday, so we headed to their house for a long weekend. Owen and Grammie got to spend a lot of time together and I got to get some work done and catch up on sleep!!

Grammie loves getting a photo in the bluebonnets. For as long as I can remember, she has had Ben and I out in those flowers for a photo op. Now that Owen is here, us grown kids get a break from having to pose in the sea of blue. Owen enjoyed the flowers and was fascinated by the one red one {an Indian Paint Brush} in the group!!

I think that the most exciting thing for Owen was getting to fly his first kite! Paw Paw Mc found an Elmo kite and it was waiting for Owen!!! Punkadoo kept holding on to the tail thinking he was helping ;-) It was so much fun to watch him watch Elmo!!! And, my lens that Grandpa Tex got me for Christmas (the extreme wide angle) came in handy. You can see Owen, Paw Paw Mc, Grammie {in the 2nd photo}, AND the kite....so cool!

Owen starting saying a bunch of new words while we where there.

• Grammie and Mc blew lots of bubbles for Owen, and "bubbles" became a new word for him. "bub-oh"
• The book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? that he got from Great Aunt Dona is a fav and one we had with us...tonight he was saying "Brow Beah" or "Mama, Brow Beah" when he wants to read it.
• Last night Owen was up from 3:45 - 5:30 AM practicing the word "pillow"...it comes out "piw-poh"....cute, even in the wee morning hours.
• Another new word was "ous-ide" -- this one is complete with a gesture toward the door that lets you KNOW that this little guy wants to go outdoors!!

Other things that G.G., Great Aunt Dona, G.A. Julie, and Hunter can look forward to on their visit in a few weeks are:

• Owen blowing you kisses..."mmumm-wah"
• If your happy and you know it clap your hands...{Owen clap, claps}
• The wheels on the bus...{Owen does his arms round and round}
• Playing his fishing game....he is really, really good at this and concentrates on it with all his might.

Hope everyone had as good a weekend as we did!!!

Where do you think he got is "social" gene?

Dinner Out with Owen....

Tonight, Owen, Grammie, and I went out to dinner with Paw Paw Mc to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. Apparently, the table NEXT to ours was a part of the celebration, too. When they would laugh at something funny at their table, Owen would crinkle his little eyes and laugh, too. When one of them stretched his arms out wide in a story, Owen handed him a french fry.

Out Shopping with Owen...

Whether Owen is IN the cart riding, or pushing the cart with me holding him {if you didn't get a visual of this--try again--it is a sight}, Owen talks to about 90% of the other customers. As they come toward us in an aisle, he says "Hi, Hi, Hi...etc." As soon as we begin to pass, he turns around and starts saying "Bye, bye, bye...etc." until he can't see them anymore. This gets a response and/or laugh from most fellow shoppers and ALWAYS from mom.

Our little guy really enjoys being around people...that's for sure. AND, we enjoy being around him. What a fun little guy!

Lucky Boys

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Owen remembered to wear his green today, Grandma Chips! I didn't want him getting pinched by all of the cute girls at Gymboree and the Park ;-)

We spent a lot of the day with Mr. N and his mom. The boys always love going to the park. Today we walked.

I LOVE N's outfit! His mom said there was no way he was ever wearing those boots with shorts--but, even she can't resist sometimes!! I thought he was ADORABLE in his boots and shorts. A typical little Texan boy!!

He was the only boy at the park wearing a cowboy hat....

He and Owen have really started to enjoy each others company. After the park, Erin fed us a snack. Owen would scream and N would just get so tickled at him, and then Owen would crack up, too. Erin and I have no idea what was so funny to them, but it was really cute how they interacted with each other. N has started calling Owen by his full name...Owen Michael, come here...Owen Michael's drink....No, no, Owen Michael. So stinkin' funny.

Owen Michael was content watching N play today. He just carried a stick around the park and would look up at N every once in a while -- when he heard "Owen Michael...look".

These boys are so lucky to have each other!!

Hanna's Visit 2009

It's Hanna's spring break 2009, and she, her mom, and Aunt Lanie came to visit...yay! Remember this sweet girl from last year? Owen ADORED her this trip. He was so stinkin' excited to have a friend to play with first thing in the morning. This little dude performed his Beavis laugh, stomped his feet up and down, and danced for Hanna first thing Saturday morning...yippee! Friday night was our 2nd Annual Pizza Party!!

Yum Yum.

Saturday night was craft night...

I have been saving craft ideas for when my kids get older...I have my fingers triple-crossed that I can talk Owen into a craft every once in a while when he isn't kicking goals or shooting hoops. Anyway, I talked Hanna into crafting with me ;-)

We attempted this project...

Tara and Lanie went to the outlets, while Hanna and I went to Hobby Lobby. At the checkout stand, this was the convo:

Hanna {to the check out lady} - We are making these {shows her the page in the magazine}

H.L. Check Out Lady - Oooh...Pom Pom Pals....looks fun.

Me - {Piling supply after supply after supply, etc. on the counter}

Hanna - Do you think we over did it?

H.L. Check Out Lady - Smiling...I have seen a lot worse.

The line-up (directed by Miss Hanna)

Hanna: A Frog (she collects them) AND a Pumpkin

Hanna's Mom: A black cat with witch had

Hanna's Aunt: A crab

Me: An Elephant for Owen

Here is Owen plopping the fur ball that I was to transform into an elephant...the next plop was into the toilet...hmmm, wonder what he thinks of our crafts...this does not bode well for my future crafting with my son (sniff, sniff).

Hanna with our finished projects on display. Hanna's frog even got a pond, lily pad, and bugs to eat (yum, yum). Hard to see the black cat on my black table....work with me here... We voted the crab -- most looks like it's inspiration.

We also watched 2 Hanna Movies: Open Season 2 (poor rabbits--have you seen how mean they are to the rabbits in this movie--what gives?) and Horton Hears a Who (I suggested this one -- dang, I need to grow up). We had a photo shoot with Miss Melanie. We visited American Girl and had lunch in the bistro. All in all, it was a very busy weekend and we had lots of fun!!!

Owen and I are already looking forward to Hanna's Spring Break 2010!!

My Kitchen Assistant

Wikipedia states that "Kitchen assistants (often known as Kitchen Porters or Kitchenhands) are usually kitchen workers who assist with basic tasks, but have had no formal training in cooking. Tasks could include peeling potatoes or washing salad for example. Smaller kitchens more commonly have kitchen assistants who would be assigned a wide variety of tasks (including washing up) in order to keep costs down."

Owen has been helping me cook dinner. Tonight, he "helped" me carry the pot of water to the stove, "helped" me pour the salt in and to close the salt container, and then "helped" me gather the ingredients out of the pantry.

The only problem, is that he doesn't have the patience to wait for the water to boil ;-) So, to keep him busy, I gave him his own pot, spoon, and noodles. He had a ball! Then, he was ready to "help" me get the noodles in the boiling water, ready to "help" me stir them, and...

ready to "help" me eat the dinner we made!!!

Owen has a few fun, new words. My two favorites are:

"Goal" - Daddy Q and I say it when he kicks the ball into the goal or makes a basket. HE says it anytime he kicks the ball ;-)

"Banana" - sounds like this "Bee. {pause}. Na. Na?"

What a fun little guy he is!!

So Blessed

I cannot believe how quickly the last year went--this is Owen one year ago today. That sweet baby is now a sweet little boy who runs, talks, knows what he wants, and shows us how much he loves us with the biggest hugs on earth. I am so excited to be having another cuddle-bug due in four months and two days {but, who's counting}. I am so blessed.

And, to top it off, I am going to get to be a full-time mom to these two babies for a while! I recently received approval of my request to enter into an extended personal leave at work. So, for 15 months, starting on April 30th, I get to be home with the most amazing little boy and his little brother or sister. Truly, I am so blessed.

The Ixtapa Finale

So, I can assure you that this finale will not be nearly as exciting, twisted, and dramatic as the Bachelor Finale was last Monday...O.M.G.! I watched it on DVR last night after we returned...holy cow. I cannot believe the news in Mexico didn't pick up that drama and report it to us. Anyhow, we are home, but here are a few pictures from our last couple of days in Ixtapa.
Owen made up a few various games to play in the room. All of them are called "uh oh"....so, there is quite a theme here of something going missing based on an action of Owen's. The first, I blogged about earlier (rolling the balls under the very middle of the bed where only Daddy Q and his tennis racket can reach). The other...well, I'll let the next two photos tell ya... "Uh-Oh." {not to be confused with Jason-the-Bachelor's "uh-oh", but an "uh-oh" none the less}
Another fun game...boy, this kid is creative...was baby palm tree basketball...
He shoots... He {didn't} score...not that time, but he did probably 50% of the time. Not bad. Once the ball made it into the "palm" basket, he would move the leaves around until it fell out of the tree. Just a happy boy hangin' out in the hotel room. He really, really loved it in that room. Can't figure out why. Maybe he liked having mom and dad and him in such close proximity compared to at home?!? We had such a great time. Between hanging out full-time with Owen, playing in the sand, chillin' at the pool {me during Owen's naptime} and Daddy Q getting hours of tennis in, we are spoiled. Not to mention, not having to cook, do dishes, do laundry, make the bed, etc., etc., etc... So long Ixtapa...we are already looking forward to our next beach vacay--I am guessing it will be 2010, though, since Baby Q2 is coming this July {unless we sneak in a fall get-away with both kiddos--hint, hint, Daddy Q}. Not related to Ixtapa...but, while there I snapped a photo of Owen that I just have to blog about. Take a look at the handsome fellow in the middle of the below pic. That is my cousin Matt...he lives in Paris {France, not Texas} and GQ and I get to see him about once a year or so. So, I know some of the faces that he makes in convos. Anyway, this picture is the closest I have "on file" of the expression I am looking for. Take a good look, and then scroll on down to the photo of Owen. Do you see the resemblance? Really, Matt does make this exact face, I just don't have a better photo of it... Most of Owen's expressions come straight from the Daddy Q Gene; but, this photo reminded me, hands down, of my cousin. We miss you, Matt!!! It has been too long!