Pennsylvania Trip 2010: Playing in the Snow

It snowed Thursday, so we bundled up the boys and Brian took them in the back yard to sled. They had a great time until they sledded right into the creek at the bottom of the hill. That was the end of playing in the snow. 

Here are some photo highlights. I think they speak for themselves ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo,
AHC

Pennsylvania Trip 2010: Highlights so far

As  is the case with most visits of which Owen is involved, he is one of the highlights. The boy is as charming as ever now that he can speak in words that we can (sometimes) understand. And for some reason he loves his Aunt "Eggy." And he loves for Aunt Eggy to take "Owen picture." So I did. And I shot some video, too.

(Owen decided Aunt Eggy needed to see his Yo Gabba Gabba Brobee underwear)

Allen and Owen are getting along much better than their last visit together, though there has still been some clashing and competition. They have been virtually inseparable since our arrival. It's really very very sweet.

Yesterday afternoon was Stephanie's surprise baby shower (yes, we did surprise her). She got lots of nice stuff, and so did Owen and Elijah (and even Allen).

Owen, More Cuteness

First things first ... the promised cookie photos:


So I thought that Allen couldn't get much cuter than his comment about eating cookies "all all day," but it turns out that he can -- and he did.

This afternoon Allen talked to Nana and Papa for a long time, and cried the first time they tried to get off the phone. So they continued to talk to him about how they were going to take him to the park to swing on the swings and ride the see-saw, and play in the house that's there. Finally, they got off the phone, and he called Mom-mom's house to talk to Owen (more on that shortly). A short while later, Allen just started walking around the house crying. We asked him what was wrong, and he said "Park! Park!" The he said, "Nana and Papa!" I asked him if he wanted to call them, and he shook his head, and said, "No, see Nana and Papa!" I guess he thought they were coming right away to take him to the park, and he was very upset that they had not arrived yet. Poor little guy :(

Back to talking with Owen. Allen gets an absolute kick out of talking to Owen (and if you recall from an earlier post, it is hilarious because he communicates primarily in screams and grunts). So today, I decided to videotape it for your enjoyment. Because there is little that brings more joy than hearing a child laugh.

Allen has been broadening his horizons lately, as far as toys go, so instead of just cars to clean up each night, we have cars, blocks, books, markers, etc. Usually he's pretty good about cleaning up before bed, but last night we had a little issue with it, so he wasn't allowed to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom before bed. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do -- he was so upset, that he almost became inconsolable -- but with the difficulties we've been having lately, we decided to stand our ground.

Well, tonight, I felt so good about our decision. Because when it was time to clean up his toys, he hopped right off my lap and started helping. Not one complaint out of his mouth. Not only that, but he went right up the stairs, and asked to have a bath! Finally, we saw some positive results out of all this disciplining we're doing.

So we read our stories, and were saying our goodnights, when Allen decided he needed to add six more stuffed animals to his brood (they usually sit in a little shelf in his room). So we tossed them into the crib to join the others. We laid him in bed and started to cover him with his blankets, when he decided that each stuffed animal needed a kiss. He had to sit up, grab the animal, lay down, kiss it, and then repeat ... for each of the dozen or so animals in the bed! He even had to kiss "extra blanket" (the extra blanket we put on him when it got really cold here).

We finally got through it all, and turned off the lights. As we closed the door, Brian said, "And you thought you were done blogging today ...." It's true -- the kid gives me so much fodder for this blog that I'm never struck with writer's block.

Goodnight to you all!

xoxo,

Ode to Owen

So, as most of you know, Owen is our nephew (son of Stephanie and Collin; brother of Aubrey). You may remember that Owen was born about three weeks early and was a pretty sickly little newborn. He had to wear a heart monitor at all times; had some reflux and apnea problems; and for awhile we were all silently very worried about the little guy. Well, that was before he started eating solid food.

Here's a shot of Owen when he was a newbie:

And this is the kiddo now:

And this is why he look so healthy:

This child is huge now (I mean that in a good way, of course). He's about 9 months younger than Allen, and he weighs 3 pound more than him (and is quite a bit shorter too). He's adorable though. So happy all the time, and such a good eater. Now that he's walking, I'm sure he'll slim down some more too.

But I digress. Back to his cuteness. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that Owen loved his Aunt Leggy (that's me, for those of you who don't know my nickname). Every time I came into the room, he ran towards me and body-slammed me until I picked him up. Or he'd climb over people to reach me on the sofa. His whole face lit up. You have to understand that until I had Allen, I really wasn't a kid person. Kids didn't like me ... they sensed my fear and just cried when I held them. So, Owen is the first kid besides my own who actually liked me! I was so excited.

But then we started to notice a pattern. Every single time I held him, Owen managed to ... um ... well, he copped a feel. He grabbed my boobs. Don't scoff ... if it had been once or twice out of all the times I held him over the week we were there, I would have said, "Coincidence!" But every time he caught sight of me, he wanted me to hold him. And every time I held him, his hands managed to find my boobies. No joke! Oh well, at least he was happy to see me, right?

Anywho ... being that Owen is only about 16 months old, he doesn't really talk a whole lot yet (he says a few words that Mom and Dad understand, but not those of us who only see him every few months). In general, he tends to communicate in a series of grunts and screams (like even when he calls his dad, it comes out "DAAA"). And in sign language that his Mommy taught him. I wish wish wish that I could have caught it on video, but at least I have some stills I can share with you. And let me tell you that if this kid wanted a car and signed the word "please" to me, I'd probably give it to him. It literally makes your heart melt!

"Please"

"Thank you"

Telling us where Jehovah lives (technically not sign language as in ASL, but still adorable)

And, if you say to him, "Owen, do you need a spanking?" He puts his hand to his chest and gasps. It's hilarious.

Owen, baby, Aunt Leggy and Uncle Brian miss you and send you tons of kisses. And we miss and love you too, Collin, Steph, Aubrey, Missy, Tim, Annie, and Pam.

xoxo,