Three Boys and a Girl

Three boys and a girl, all of whom are cousins, spent the weekend together. They truly could not have been happier! There was lots of laughing, chasing, hugging, eating (Jack's first taste of Skittles), playing and playing and playing and maybe a few belly-button bumps!

Ty and Jack 

They giggle with GLEE when they are together. 

Ty calls Jack, "My Jacky"!

 

Owen on the go! 

He is in that "you constantly have to watch him" stage.

Owen is always smiling and giggling, but with his cousins he ramped it up a bit!

 

Awww...and my Kewpie Doll niece, Frankie!

 

I love her so! 

She gave her auntie lots of smiles and snuggles!

Frankie is sure able to hang with the boys.

They all seem to be extra gentle with her?!

But, we think she will be able to hold her own in the future.......

 

.....she'll have to with these three crazy (I mean, angelic) boys! 

A Year.

What a difference one year makes!!

January 2009

January 2010

Same two little boys, same two brothers and same red chair. But, look at the smiles on their faces, especially Jack! He went from looking totally disgusted with me and the little peanut laying on his lap to actually smiling and hugging that 'not so little' peanut. 

Awww....does a mom good!

Torn between two worlds is right!

I am a bit of a blog stalker. As a momma, a stay-at-home momma, a momma of two boys, a "wanna-be" photographer (or more like lover of photography), a lover of cooking/baking and a woman with a growing creative soul wanting to burst out of me, etc....I find blogs an endless source of information, knowledge and inspiration for all these different sides of me.

As a momma, quite often, I will read a blog and think "YES!"...that is exactly what I am feeling or what I am going through. For example, when I read about another mommy's experience with her preschooler napping (napless) situation on THIS blog, I had one of those "YES!" moments.

After writing about it HERE and giving it much thought, I have decided not to fight my little Jackers into taking a nap anymore. Jack now has rest/quite time in his room where he will read his books or use his leapfrog. Sometimes this will develop into an actual nap and sometimes it does not. I really do miss the 2-3 hour naps he would once take, but I am slowly becoming okay with this situation. Plus, if Jack does not nap (because he assures me he doesn't need one) then it is early and instantly to bed for the night. 

Jack is torn between these two worlds of nap and no nap. Or as we see it quite often, nap in bed or nap in the hallway. Believe me, Jack insisted, "Momma, I don't need to sleep today".

Okay buddy!

Who knew?

Who knew that a 99 cent spray bottle could bring so much joy to my little boys day? Who knew that he would spend a good hour cleaning (spraying with water) all of my windows?

A spray bottle...who knew?

 

 

 

Owen's New Love (updated)

Owen has discovered bouncy balls. He loves them. Big ones, small ones, green ones, glittery ones...really any color or size will do. Some of his other favorite playthings are the remote, his Momma's cell phone, ripping magazines/newspapers, anything that is under his Momma's bathroom cabinet (lotion bottles, tampons, brushes, toothpaste, etc.), and our squeaky dog toys. I sure do love his new fascination with bouncy balls.

*I almost forgot! Owen had his 1 year-old pediatrician appointment this past week! He weighs 24 lbs - 14 oz (75%) and he is 32.5 inches long (95%). His stats have been and are continuing to be the opposite of his big brothers. Pat thinks Jack will be the linebacker and Owen will be the quarterback. We will see! However, he did great at his appointment...he had a couple shots and showed the doctor all his new tricks! 

*I write this here because even though I hate to admit this, I am very much like my mother in the baby book keeping. 

The Many (Silly) Faces Jack Can Make!

With a new haircut!

Somebody.....

has started *playing* soccer.

And even better, he gets to play with his daddy.

  And even better than that, he has O and I cheering him on from the sidelines.

 *It's called soccer, but technically, it is more like running up and down the field kicking the soccer ball with a few red light/green light games in between (Jack's new favorite).

I know I say this all the time, but he is truly growing up so fast!

Equal parts happy...Equal parts sad.

And Just like that!

My sweet Owen is ONE!

 

 How did this happen? How did these last 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days go by so fast? A year ago today, I was holding a tiny, 7 lb. 2 oz. bundle of pure L-O-V-E! Today, he still oozes that pure love, but he is no longer tiny or 7 lbs. Owen, who is now about 25 lbs. is a walker-babbler with blond curls and five teeth and two big dimples. He is currently obsessed with anything that is not a toy and truly finds great happiness in climbing the stairs, which he sneaks chances at whenever he can! He is going through a very strong separation anxiety phase, where his Momma (and only me) always needs to be in his sight. Owen's laugh is contagious especially to Jack, which then makes us all laugh! He has truly brought all of us such joy and happiness...even with the sleepless nights! 

Year One

 

 Just hours before Owen was born!

 

And seconds after Owen was born.

 

 

 

 

 One Month

 

 Two Months

 

Three Months

 

 

 

Four Months

 

 

Five Months

 

Six Months

 

Seven Months

 

 

Eight Months

 

 

 

Nine Months

 

 

Ten Months

 

 

Eleven Months

 

 

 

 

Twelve Months

And Today....Birthday #1

 

Happy Birthday Owen!