September-December 2015

Catching up is going to be hard, but I am determined!!

First of all, I will try and combine as much as I can together. Going from September 2015 - March 2016  and skipping things might be hard though since those were my last months of being a mom to only my amazing son, and those moments and days were so precious to me and I cherished every moment knowing that soon it all was going to change. Yes, it was changing for the better, but it was still bitter-sweet. My little boy had me to himself, and now it would be splitting my time. So, needless to say I took many pictures to have to remember those easy times where it was just Owen and me against the world (well and dad sometimes too!)

SO SEPTEMBER

Owen’s Selfies – Owen got a hold of my camera one day and I ended up finding these pictures on it LOL!! Too cute not to share J

We hadn’t seen Hilary and Brad in a while, so we decided that it would be perfect to meet at Edwards Orchard halfway between our homes! We met up for lunch first and then headed over to the orchard. Even though it was extremely HOT out that day, Owen didn’t mind at all! He LOVED playing on all of the playgrounds, going through the maze, and playing in the houses! After stopping in the store to buy some cider and donuts (and of course a small toy for Owen, a stuffed dog he named Maxie), we got some yummy ice cream to cool down. We love orchards and fall J

When we were visiting my parents for the weekend we decided to go to Jonamac Orchard. I thought Owen loved Edwards orchard, but compared to Jonamac, he was totally calm there. Here he was able to pet and feed animals, ride a pony, playing in a straw maze, going down slides, play in corn, tractors, and just running around. He also picked out an apple in the store, not a cookie, but an APPLE!! Good job Owen J

First of all Happy Birthday to my precious baby boy!!! I am sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you today, but I promise I will make it up to you :) It has been amazing watching you grow so much in the last year, all your talking, giggles, crazy ways of playing and the love you give every day! You are my world and I am so thankful for this very day 2 years ago! Mommy loves you so much!!

In the past year you have grown so much, and have learned so much. I was keeping a list of everything you did that was special and I wanted to remember, but somehow in the move I lost my list. What I do remember of the past year was complete happiness though. You are one of the kindest little boys always wanting to share and include everyone. You are such a snuggler and love giving hugs and kisses, but you do NOT like when mom and dad hug and kiss. You get between us and push us away from each other! You know so many words that at your two year appointment the doctor asked if you knew between 5-10 words and could string 1-2 together and I was shocked because you string 4-5 words together!! You are so smart and love your puzzles and TOY STORY! Oh my goodness you love that movie. Thank goodness there are 3 of them so we don't get overwhelmed with just one! You also love dancing and music and singing. It is probably some of the cutest videos I have of you! Overall, you are still the happy little man you were a year ago, and I am so grateful for your crazy, fun, but still laid back kid you are! I love you!! 

And unfortunately, we had to move ON Owen’s birthday. I was all torn up about it and felt like a horrible mom that I didn’t have anything for him. I packed up his presents, so he didn’t have any gifts, and I didn’t make a cake or any dessert of any kind. I know that he is only 2 and it won’t phase him , but I still felt really guilty about it. However, thanks to his amazing Grandparent’s who came prepared, he did have presents to open from them. Even Grandma Dana stopped and got some cupcakes to celebrate too!! You little boy are so lucky for the family you have! We gave him his presents the next day when I found where it was packed! Owen, we all love you so much and are excited to see what the next year brings, BUT time go VERY slow please J

SEPTEMBER RANDOMS

Helping us pack up the kitchen!! My little helper. 

Weirdo!!

Best Friend Aubree!! In our last days before we moved we spent A LOT of time with our neighbors. I was excited to be moving closer to Nick's work, but man I was going to miss our neighbors. They had seriously become our best friends and we did so much together. (Since I am writing this 2 years later I can happily say we are still best friends with this family and I was even in her wedding!! We stay in contact and see each other at least once a month!)

ON TO OCTOBER....

Family Pictures and 2 year Owen – As always my sister-in-law Andi did a WONDERFUL job with our pictures! Owen was being a tad tough, refusing to smile and just wanting to be with mom. However, after I hit myself and fall to the ground I was able to get him to laugh and capture some amazing pictures. I love how Andi captured him trying not to smile! After taking his Own pictures we struggled a tad to get some of our family, so next year we will be doing them at separate times so he doesn’t get too overwhelmed with all the photos!

Jackie came back for a visit just because she needed her friends! We went and picked her up at the airport Friday morning and had all day with her before Hilary and Brad came up the following day to visit too! We decided to go to the park and oh my word it was so fun! I think for easily 45 minutes Owen just chased the ducks! This park is our absolute FAVORITE in watertown! Its on the total opposite side of town, but worth the drive over there! After the park we went to walmart to get some groceries for dinner! Jackie and I tackled a pinterest recipie and it turned out very good! We love Jackie time! I wish she lived closer than New York, but I am so proud of her for accomplishing what she has! It is fun to say I have a friend who is a literary agent!!

Once Hilary and Brad came up we headed over to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins! Again, just like all the other Orchards we went to this fall, we had an amazing time! Owen probably loved the train we rode on the most, but I think he also really loved running around in the corn maze, but sometimes scared me when I couldn’t keep up with him and he turned a corner before I knew where he was going. A hayride took us to the corn maze, we had to make it through the corn maze to get to the pumpkin patch on the other side, and then rode the hayride back to the rest of the Farm. Owen picked out like 5 pumpkins, I ended up choosing a pumpkin for myself that Owen wanted because we just couldn’t convince him to only have one. Nick of course picked out his own “perfect” one to carve. He gets a tad intricate with his carving. We always love having our friends visit and so does Owen. He totally gets little crushes on Jackie and Hilary every time! It is extremely cute! Can’t wait to get together again!

Baby's Ultrasound!!! We had our 20 week ultrasound and our baby was growing strong and healthy!! We were also able to find out if we were having another boy or a girl this time!! Nick and I both saw right away that it was a GIRL!!! We were announcing her at Owen's birthday party that weekend, so we didn't have to keep it secret long. 

Owen's Birthday party was a pretty great success!! Luckily where we moved to they have a nice clubhouse you can rent out for parties, so it wasn't nearly as crowded as it would have been in our home! It was so nice and Owen wanted a Toy Story theme party, so that's what we did :)

He wanted to read his new Toy Story book right away!

He got really excited for the puzzles lol :)

Present from us telling him he is getting a baby SISTER!!!

I don't think he really got it!! LOL

Everyone's reaction!! Another girl to the family of girls! Poor Owen, still the only boy under the age of 26 in the family, and that is his dad!!

Toy Story Cake and Alien cupcakes!!

He needed a little help blowing out the candles!!

Carving Pumpkins!!

Nick and his perfect pumpkin he picked out! 

Owen was so excited to carve pumpkins.....

However, he ended up thinking it was so gross and kept saying eww. Needless to say he didn't help at all!!

He did paint a tiny pumpkin though!! 

Deciding if he wants to touch it....he never did!! 

He is so serious about his carving....

For good reason....
(mine is Mickey, Nick's is the Star Wars scene. You can't see it well here)

It is pretty well done!! 

Although I have to say, I am pretty dang proud of my Mickey Mouse pumpkin!!!

Trick Or Treating!!!! 

So....it was an pretty nasty day to actually go out trick or treating, so we went to Nick's family's house and went door to door trick or treating! It was surprisingly a lot of fun! Didn't have to get all cold, or walk very far, and we only bought the candy we knew we wanted, so no nasty candy this year!!! 

My Little Buzz Lightyear :)

So Happy!!

The Loot!!

October Random Pictures!! Sometimes I love having a camera phone that takes nice pictures, but at the same time I hate it because it gives me so many more pictures that I will want to scrapbook/blog/use in something that I clearly don't have time to do!! However, it is really nice being able to have pictures to cherish of the mundane every day things we did together like the park or playing with dad, or cuddles....lots of selfie cuddles are on my phone lol!!

As I said "Selfie Cuddles"

Just a normal day playing in our backyard!!

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There is a playground in the apartment complex only 2 buildings down!! So nice to be able to take a short walk for a playground!! Too bad there aren't swings, otherwise it is perfect!!!

Always trying to be like his daddy!!! They are doing their work together!!

And  playing games together!! ( I can't rotate this picture and I don't know why??)

NOVEMBER NOTHINGS!! 

Seriously though nothing much happened in September!! The only "BIG" event was the first snowfall during hunting weekend, and Nick getting a deer!!

Nick got his first deer!! It was a yearling. It had little stubs on his head where his antlers would have been next year. However, instead he will be feeding us for the year. Thank you dear for providing us with a deer!

He wanted to go outside and was super happy about it,  until I put all the clothes he needed to wear on. AND since we were in a home with no boys, the only clothes we could put on him were girls!! I think he is pretty cute, but he wasn't too happy!

Once outside though, he was right at home and didn't care anymore!! 

He loved the sledding!! But to be honest I think he was only outside for maybe 20 minutes before he came back inside!!

Once inside he helped Cierra make a huge stack of blocks and he got to knock it all down. He might have enjoyed that more than being outside anyways lol!!

We got together with my Grandma, mom and sisters to celebrate my Grandma's birthday this year. She said it was the best gift ever!! It was a great day going out for lunch and shopping afterwards!! Girls day + Owen!! 

Belly Bump!! 24 weeks here! I don't normally do belly pictures, but I was feeling cute this day!
(and to be honest, I felt like so much more confident this pregnancy that I took a belly picture every month. Basically before my appointments. I only got a belly!! I didn't gain anywhere else honestly and it was so nice!! So I am sorry Owen for not taking more pictures of my Belly when you were in there, but mommy didn't look as good then!)

Passed out after church!!

More Cuddle Selfies!

Owen and Parker....well they sure have a love hate relationship. Seriously they are either hating each other and crying and yelling or being best friends and kissing lol!!! They are pretty cute sometimes!

DECEMBER DOINGS....Lots of them!!

We went to Owen's friend Aubree's birthday party at Monkey Joes, and oh my goodness it was super fun!!!

I love how goofy this kid is!!!

We went to a Christmas train with our friends Kale and Jen. It was super cold, but it was a nice outing anyway!!

In my hometown they have a tiny train you can go and ride every holiday. At Christmas time, there are a ton of lights around the track and then inside they have Santa who you can get a picture with too. We got one of our little family, but it is too much work to scan it into the computer lol 

My momma and dadda!! Look how happy they are!! I LOVE THEM!

Owen Loves his Papa and Mema! (Literally 4 months later he was calling her Grandma and not Mema anymore. Both grandma's were sad about this, and truly so was I, but they grow up and learn how to correctly say things so I can't be too upset.)

Every Christmas we try to have a girls dinner where a group of girls from high school get together. We had a good show out this year meeting halfway between where we all grew up and to where I live currently. It is about a 45 minute drive both ways, so not too bad, but I was so grateful that they were all willing to make the drive since I was the only one not in town!

We also Celebrated my Grandma's 90th birthday!! It was really nice to get together with the whole side of the family since we don't often!!

Eskimo kissses from Owen!!

Just playing some legos now that we are stuck inside all the time :(

I wish I had wrote down who this picture is with because I can't tell with the hat on. I want to say it was Scarlett, but there is a high chance I am wrong! But they sure are cute in their Santa hats!

My goofball....Again :D

So, we always have a crazy Christmas time with how many places we have to go, and to be honest I don't know which day or when we went to each place this year. I just cannot remember. Maybe I should write these things down?? 

One Christmas was at Nick's Grandma Ann and Grandpa John's home and I do remember this one is on Christmas Eve during the day because Christmas Eve night is at my Grandma Nix's house! That is the only two I know for sure because they are the same every year!

This Christmas is always fun because you have a TON of kids opening presents! These are all the grandkids and great-grandkids! (Missing 2!)

This is at Nick's parents home! Again a fun Christmas because of all the kids! It's nice that Nick's family has a bunch of kids for Owen to play with because he is the first grandchild for my parents, first great-grandchild for my mom's side and second great-grandchild for my dad's side...not many kids there!

He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse right now, so this was an exciting toy to open!

Not sure what this is yet, but I promise him he will love it!! (and he definitely LOVED his leappad!!)

This is at my parents with my sisters! 

Owen loved his Chewbacca chair!! He played on it and sat on it for the rest of opening presents!!

He still loves his books and I am so grateful for that!!

My sister Kortnie is on the left and my sister Kaylee is on the right! Love my family!! Owen didn't want to stop playing for this picture, hence the angry face! No, I can't remember what days we were at each place, but I do remember him being angry I pulled him away from his new toys!!

Our Christmas at HOME!! 

So surprised by his Monster's Inc toys!!

He got a real woody, just like the one Andy had!!

He got a real Buzz too...he is showing me Buzz flies here :D

He loves that Buzz flies lol!!

He had to help dad open his presents too!

I think this was his favorite Christmas gift!! Toy Story wins again :)

And I am done with 2015 for Blogging!!! Only a year and 11 months left to go! But hey it is a start, and this post only took me a week to do, going back to it whenever I had a free moment that didn't involve cleaning, or kids!! So, fingers crossed I can get the next 2 years done in the next two months!!!