July Happenings....

 Daddy's Girl:
 Mark and Nora have really bonded and it is so sweet to see.  It is amazing to me the differences we notice already between Nora and Owen.  She is definitely much more particular.  She likes her bottle at a certain temperature, laying a certain way, and prefers to eat with not much noise around (such as a noisy big brother?!?).  With Owen, if there was milk coming out....he was happy!

 Movie Nights:
Since it is summer and we don't have to get up so early in the morning, I have been a little more flexible on bedtimes.  This has allowed us to have some very fun movie nights that include: popcorn, water, and lots of snuggles! Owen's favorite part of course is eating the popcorn.  (Shh.... Don't tell Daddy but when Nora cooperates.....we have middle of the day "movie nights" too.)

 Watch Out! Crazy Driver!
We don't normally shop at Fareway, but needed to run in there for a few things a couple weeks ago.  Owen was thrilled to see a shopping cart just his size.  I couldn't bare to tell him no, although I was quite scared how the experience would go.  He has a play shopping cart at home, and I know how he drives that thing around the house!!! SCARY.  Needless to say, he did not disappoint.  He drove that thing like a mad man around the store saying "BEEP BEEP, COMING THROUGH!"  He also caught on quickly when it came to putting things in the cart.  I wasn't watching for a second and I turned to see him piling his cart with granola bars saying "Mmmm....these yummy in my tummy."

 Sleeping Beauty/Surgery:
Little Miss Nora got some special time with Grandma Cindy while Mark and I had to take Owen to Children's Hospital for an outpatient procedure.  I couldn't resist the picture below.

 This is pre-surgery.  He kept all the nurses laughing.  I made the mistake of letting him pack his "bag of goodies" to take with us to read/play with.  He picked "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" -- Not a great choice for a little boy that hadn't eaten in about 16 hrs.  Oops...mom fail!  Luckily our room on the 'Cares Unit' was right across from the play room.  He was thrilled to play with all the toys while we waited around for his procedure to start.

 Afterward....poor baby was not feeling great.  He was such a trooper though and liked his new bear that they gave to him.

 Life got a lot better when he was given Teddy Grahams and cartoons.  After he finished one bag, he would just keep asking for anther one.  I think he ate 3 or 4 bags of those! ha.

Painting with potatoes.  Why?  I had some potatoes to use up, and Owen isn't a fan of getting paint on his fingers.  :)

 This little lady is getting to be so much fun.  She has recently started laughing and it is adorable!  Her favorite thing to laugh at his her big brother.  He is quite the fan of her as well.

When Nora lays on the blanket.....Owen lays on the blanket.

 Kisses!!

 This pretty much sums up the dynamic between Owen and Nora right now. Ha.  Owen is obsessed and Nora thinks he's pretty cool, but mostly from a distance.  She would much rather be held by a grown up and have her brother entertain her....from across the room.

 HOT STORMY WEATHER:
The weather has been crazy this summer. As much as I like to get out of the house, the weather hasn't been cooperating....so, I had to come up with some things to occupy our time inside.  Where did I turn??!  Pinterest of course!  Owen thoroughly enjoyed giving all of his cars a "car wash"

 Marbles were also a big hit.  He especially liked turning the noodle so that the marbles either hit Daisy or Mommy.  This was absolutely HILARIOUS!  Daisy thought otherwise....so she found a safe spot on the top of the couch.

"Working Boy":
Owen doesn't go much of anywhere these days without his tools and hard hat.  He walks around the house with a hammer saying "I'm a workin' boy Mommy".  He was especially excited to help Daddy on his project.  He would have stayed out there all night if I would have let him, moving dirt from one pile to the next.

 Then...without being told what to do, he watched Mark bringing shovels full of gravel over to the wall and started doing the same thing.  It melted my heart.  He was so proud too.  It also made me realize how much he watches us.  What a good reminder to be a positive example.

 4th of July:
Fireworks....not a fan.  The O-Man was not a big fan of the fireworks this year.  In his defense the fireworks in our neighborhood are INSANE.  3 of our neighbors go in together and spend $30,000. No, I did not accidentally add an extra 0....30k!! That's crazy business.  Every night when we put Owen to bed the week leading up the 4th he would say "Mommy I don't like those big pounds outside."

 Cheese and Crackers:
Owen has discovered a toy camera that we have had for quite awhile and he has never taken any interest in.  He holds it backwards and refuses to turn it around.  Now when I try to get a picture of him, he holds up his  hands like he has his camera and shouts "CHEESE AND CRACKERS".   What a goofball.

Nora is rolling over now and likes pushing up and looking around.  Wherever Nora is.....Owen is sure to follow.  I have cherished this time at home with them this summer.  It has been so cool to see the way that they interact already just in the first few months.  Just a few weeks left before I will be back in full fledged "back to school" mode.  Trying my best not to stress about school, but to enjoy these moments.  :)

Summer: Friends, Family, and FUN!!

       We have kept ourselves very busy the last couple of weeks. I have tried to plan at least a couple of outings a week to keep Owen from getting bored (and therefore ornery!)  I learned this the first couple of days of vacation. ha. Below is one of the days we didn't end up going anywhere and at lunch while I went to change Nora's diaper, he decided to 'drink' his ketchup.  He was so proud of himself when I came out, even after Mommy told him that was naughty.  Then he smiled at me and said "CHEEEEESE!"

 Story Time: 

Every Monday we go to one of the local public libraries for story time.  We also check out books for the week.  It has been so fun to see him get excited about picking his own books out and he can hardly wait to get home and read them.  This week the big hit was Curious George.  He found a book of 8 stories and went running across the library screaming "MONKEY GEORGE, MONKEY GEORGE".  It was very cute, but slightly embarrassing. The more 'mature' audience at the library did not appreciate the volume of my sweet little 2 year olds voice.

 Sand in the City: 

This is our second year going to "Sand in the City".  This is a fundraiser for 'Nebraska Children's Home Society', an organization that helps with adoption and foster care.  Many local businesses make amazing sand sculptures.  There are also other activities that are available for the kiddos.  Owen had a great time this year!

 My favorite sculpture! Anybody remember the game "Hungry, Hungry Hippos??"  Very cool.

 Nora was not super impressed with the sculptures, and thought it was a little chilly to be outside wandering around.  She was a good sport though and I am sure will have lots of fun next year trying to keep up with her big brother. :)

    I love these kiddos more than anything!! 

Great-Grandparents:

We had a special treat this past weekend.  Great Grandma Ella and Great Grandpa Jim came to town for a visit, so we spent a lot of time at Grandma Cindy's house playing.  There were 2 grandma's there to spoil Mr. Owen and honor his every wish.  At one point he managed to convince every adult in the house to come into the playroom and he put on quite the show for them.  This kid loves to be the center of attention. (Mark and I don't know where that comes from?!?) 

                             Aunt Jenny gave him a giant bowl of ice cream and he was in HEAVEN!

"Too busy for pictures, I have ice cream to eat Mom!"

We had a lot of fun playing with balls in the backyard.  Grandma Cindy has a HUGE backyard that is perfect for running and playing.

Nora loved cuddling with Great-Grandma Ella.  Poor Grandma's shirt was soaked from all the drool she has been doing lately. 

Owen loves his Great-Grandpa. It makes my heart happy to see them interact.  :)

Brother/Sister Love:

Owen has become a lot more interested in Nora in the last few weeks.  The other day I was making dinner and Owen was sitting at the kitchen table coloring.  All of a sudden he climbed down from his share, got right up in Nora's face and in the sweetest little voice said, "Hi sweetheart!! I wov you baby Naw."  He is still working on being gentle, but it is so fun to see them interact.  I can't wait to see how they will play together in the future.

Nora loves to watch her big brother too.  She even giggles at him when he is being silly.  He certainly keeps us all entertained.  There is never a dull moment.  The other day he ran up to me, grabbed me on both sides of my face and said "Mommy, you my best friend. I wov you."  I am soaking up all of these moments home with my sweet little ones.  It will be hard to go back to school in the fall, but for now I am enjoying every moment. (Well....almost every moment! Ha)

Just like Daddy...

Owen has turned into such a little man the past few months.  It has been so cute to see him following Mark around the house and yard doing whatever he is doing.  I recently got Owen a bubble lawn mower. As a child I LOVED my Fisher Price bubble mower, and was quite upset when it was given away.  (Something I still remind my poor Mom of often. ha)

I just knew Owen HAD to have a bubble mower as well.  I searched all over for a mower, and to no avail.  It seemed that this year the bubble leaf blower had taken the mowers place.  I was highly disappointed.  However, last week while at Wal-Mart (eww...not my favorite place, but had something that needed to be purchased there) I found an off-brand bubble mower! I was so excited when from out of no where came an eccentric Wal-Mart employee who informed me that I MUST spend $5 more to get the Fisher Price mower that was hidden in the back of the store.  So...there you have it! Owen got his very first Fisher Price bubble mower.  Thanks to Mr. Wal-Mart. :)  

Needless to say, this mower is a hit.  After playing with it for a short time the evening we got it, it was time for bed.  The next morning before he even climbed out of bed he was asking to go mow.  Now, if only we can keep this enthusiasm for mowing as he gets older and takes over mowing the yard for Daddy. ;)

"I have to turn off my mower Mommy."

                 Tears followed this picture when Mommy wouldn't let him bring the mower in the house.

                                      Safety 1st people! Gotta put on the protective eye wear.

He is actually quite scary with the hammer!

Mark.....the lumberjack!  

Mark and I had tossed around the idea of removing a large evergreen tree that is in the backyard.  It was taking up a large piece of the shaded part in our yard, and we wanted to make a play space for Owen that was shaded. (Poor boy got Mommy's pale skin that burns easily) For some reason Sunday morning Mark got the itch to take it down and before we knew it we were watching him remove the giant tree. Posted below are a few picture of the tree removal process. I will add more of the finished play space soon. :)  

 Before

 During

After