Fun weekend with friends!

Last weekend Owen's daddy's best friends from high school came to visit. It was so much fun to get little Caroline and Owen together. Owen enjoyed all the extra attention and getting a chance to eat BBQ. He is turning into a true southerner...BBQ with a side of hush puppies!! Here are some pictures from our fun weekend..

The gang eating BBQ at Smokey's BBQ Shack ! We were joined by Sydney and her mommy Laura for a fun afternoon!

James, John and Corey with Caroline and OwenOwen thinking how pretty pink pajamas are Hugs!!!! Owen wanted to show Caroline how to climb!

Playing outside with John before they left Thanks for coming guys!! We had a blast!!

Hey Owen...What's in those pancakes?

Bananas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since Owen refuses to eat fruit I have to be sneaky. I puree his fruit and hide it in his pancakes!!! He loves it!

What does an 18 month old do at the park?

Owen and I took advantage of this beautiful day by checking out a new park with our playdate buddies. He had so much fun playing with his friends on the slide and in the sand. He also enjoyed trying Emily's tasty treats. Funny how he likes raisins when they belong to someone else. He also got a big mouth full of sand for the first time... I don't think he expected it to be so yucky. I hope he doesn't eat it again!

So what do 18 month olds do at the park?

They dig in the sand!

They slide and slide and slide! They run and climb!

It's Art

I bought Owen the Crayola Color Wonder paint brushes and paper set. It is the best thing ever!! Now he can color and it won't leave marks on anything except the special paper. I'm going to have to go back to Target and buy him some more. AMAZING! Here are some pictures of the artist working on his first masterpiece....

TA DA!!!! It's Beautiful!!!!

Is this thing on....?

Owen and I joined his playdate buddies for a fun morning at Booda Beans. The Little Land Band was playing today and Owen really likes them. Although not so much today...he is getting more teeth and the poor little guy just doesn't feel well. We are in Melt Down City!!!! We did however capture some moments where he was having a blast!

Just an FYI this is the same little boy that was standing on they keyboard last time : ( Check 1...2 is this thing on? Owen decided to be part of the show. You can hear him sing into microphone and the singer talking to him. You can also hear people laughing at Owen...he ate it up. A future rock star in the making!!!!

This video really isn't about Owen but the lady in red dancing. We affectionately call her Tambourine Mom. This video really doesn't give the full range of her Littleland Band obsession but you guys get the idea! She kept nudging me and Owen out of our little nook in the corner.

Happy St. Patricks Day

What a fun St. Patricks day we have had! Owen had a great time with his play group friends. He thinks they always have the best snacks!! Here are a few pictures from our morning.

What do little Leprechauns do on St. Patricks day?

They roll around on the floor after they didn't get their way!

They pose like super models...

They show off their bellies

They wear really cute shirts!

They have a play date with their little Leprechaun friends!

They cook a Leprechaun feast together!

They teach their friends cool tricks!

They share chairs!

They eat each others snacks!

Then they take really long naps!

Loading up the tractor

He had so much fun loading up his tractor!

1 year and 6 months changes everything...

What a difference a year and a half makes! I really can not believe that he is 18 months old. I hardly recognize the toddler he has become. His face has changed so much over the last few months. He looks more like a little boy than a baby. The chubby cheeks of yesterday have made way for a new mature look. In 6 months he will be 2 years old!!!! How can that be? I feel like I was just writing about him turning 6 months old and now here he is a year and a half! He's learning and trying new skills every day. Everyday over the last 18 months has been amazing. It's not always easy but, watching him grow up in front of my eyes has been a wonderful experience. I love knowing that when he learns something new it's because I taught him that. It's the most rewarding job I have ever had. I love being his mommy and I look forward to all the memories yet to be made!

Here are 18 fun facts about Owen...

1) He constantly signs "more" for everything

2) He calls Cooper Ner

3) He climbs all over the playground by himself

4) He loves to play with blocks. Stacking is his favorite

5) He loves to dance

6) He can climb up and down the stairs

7) He can Scoot along on his little cars

8) He can feed himself with a spoon and fork

9) He loves to put things in bags and buckets

10) He tries to do what the big kids do

11) He likes to hold my hand and walk through the mall

12) He can jump

13) He can find lost objects

14) He hides everything

15) His shoe size is 6 wide (imagine that)

16) He learned to say ball just today!

17) Both his fine motor and gross motor skills are amazing

18) He is the most amazing little boy I have ever met!!!

Happy 18 month Birthday little Man!!!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Cooper (aka Ner)

Photo Out Takes

It turned out that the out takes were really cute from today's photo shoot. Let me tell you it is not easy to get him to sit still long enough to get a great shot these days. I was hoping to go outside but it has been raining for 3 days now. That also means hardly any light in the house. So while I didn't get any fantastic shots I think I summed up what Owen is like at 18 months.

Mommy I would much rather roll around on the floor!

Hmmm I bet I can drop something from up there!!

I shall call him Mini Me!! This one speaks for itself : )

I can do it all by myself!

Oh joy of joys! He can eat his Yo baby all by himself! I have been a little nervous about letting him feed himself messy food because I didn't think he could do it. Boy was I wrong... not only did he feed himself but it was done with minimal mess. I just got back 10 mins to myself! What will I do with all of this time? Take pictures of course!

Sweet Dreams

Over the last couple of days Owen has had a tummy ache! He's been in a very good mood even though he has been so sick. It has actually been kind of nice to snuggle on the couch with him and hold him for hours. This is a true rare occurrence these days. If there is one good thing about him being sick I guess that fact that he turns into a snuggler makes it all worth while. I held him on the couch all day on Friday and listened to him breath and laugh at funny things on the TV. I thought about how all to soon this would end and how fast he is growing up. Watching him sleep has always been one of my favorite parts of being Owen's mommy. I love to see his peaceful little face and wonder what he is dreaming about. Enjoying the sick day with him inspired me to make a musical montage of his sleeping moments... and of course I had the perfect song in mind. I get a little teary eyed every time I hear it!

What do we feed sick kids?????

Chinese Food Of Course!

Actually he just ate the rice... which he enjoyed until he realized that there was no dairy on the menu for him tonight. Apparently our son is a dairy junkie. He was very mad at us when he couldn't have any milk, cheese, or Yo Baby. He really wanted his beverage of choice which is milk and was not having the Orange flavored Pedialyte. All attempts at giving him the Pedialyte were met with a sippy cup being tossed on the floor.

Hope he feels better soon!!