Blogger lonely

I am feeling a little blogger lonely in the New Year, is anyone out there anymore?? Where are you??

Who is teaching him??

Owen has a new saying, not sure that I want to put it in the cute category.
Let me preface this by saying he had a bit of a diaper rash a couple weeks ago.
I started to notice he was trying to tell me something hurt. I fianlly caught that he was saying "balls hurt". Who the hell is telling him that they can even be called balls? He is fixated on balls in general and is always chasing one around with a hockey stick. So, did he come up with this on his own or does someone around him refer to them as "balls" and he picked up on it??
Kinda cracks me up, only because he is a cute 2 year old.

New Years Resolution, not going so well

I am not off to a bang up start with my 2008 resolution. I vowed to keep my kitchen countertop cleared off of various clutter. I have a long counter that seperates my kitchen from my sitting room. It is a catch all for crap. Mail, bags of stuff to be put away (groceries, kids clothes from grandmas, stuff to go to grandmas) newspapers, things I take away from the children, dual purpose candy bowl/fruit bowl (yes, they co-exist). Basically everything that does not need to be there.
It is a continual battle and I vow to win!!

New Night Time Ritual

Gwendolyn received Candyland for Christmas from the big guy. We have taken to playing a game or two after Owen goes to bed at night. I use this to my advantage and hold the game over her head. If she goes to bed like a good girl, she gets to play a game the following night. She totally looks forward to this and it makes her lay there in bed and not try to engage her brother like a CHARM!!
I am so impressed with how fast she picked this game up. We have tried a few other kinds of games and she always lost interest after a couple minutes and realy didn't grasp the rules or protocol. Candyland she got with the first card and didn't even mind that I kicked her butt, hehe. She has since won a few times. I am having fun with this.

Your not coming to my party anymore....

This is what I hear if I am on the "outs" with my 3 year old daughter. You know you are back "in" if she later tells you that you can come to her party. I kindly remind her that I am throwing her party and if she tells me this, then there is no party. I can outwit a 3 year old, hehe.
Fortunately I know that pattern and know I will be reinvited within the hour. Others have been slightly taken aback when given this news, but are always reinvited. Keep in mind this not planned as of yet party is not till March. This child has been ready for it to be her birthday for months.
I am leaning towards having a costume party, come as whatever you want.

A Bed and A Sled (AKA Christmas 07)

If you were to ask Gwendolyn what she was asking Santa for this year her answer never varied, it was always a bed and a sled. Who knows, odd I thought. Turns out Grandma and Poppa had bought them new toddler beds for Owens birthday but hadn't had the chance to give them to the kids. I had bought them a new sled and it was sitting in the garage, but hadn't given it to them yet for lack of warm weather. Slap a bow and each and call it Christmas!! Worked like a charm. We celebrate Chrsiatmas eve with Matt's folks and open presents after Church service. I headed up stairs first, to get their reaction on tape. After the explaims joy at Santa having been there and leaning them a room full of presents, she sees the new princess bed. Excited yes, but her next words are "where is my sled?" She cracks me up!!
Their room has been rearranged to make it a little seperate and cut down on the nighttime chatter. The dressers are forming a little wall barrier down the middle of the room. Not glamourous, but beats building a new room in the middle of the winter.



Happy little princess and her hockey loving brother
Christmas morning at our house brought the sled and completion of her Christmas wishes.

On the 23rd we went to a friends party that had a visit from Santa. Gwendolyn was stoked and Owen wasn't freaked, as long as I wasn't trying to put him on the big mans lap. Gwendolyn received a purple lap top 'puter and was happy as a clam.

Owen received a set of golf clubs, with me as the middle man recipient. Getting the present was too close for comfort for him

We had a very nice holiday, minus the stomache flu the terrorized our house and the snot and cough that lingers. Now to get back into the routine of life.

She is not to be trusted

with Christmas present knowledge. She spilled the beans to her Poppa that he was getting a larger tool box from Grandma. I was already suspicious of her trustability, so I have been wrapping Daddy's presents and not telling her what they are. Matt learned of her loose lips and will not take her shopping this year. Owen isn't telling me anything, so he is no help ;)
Good thing she is still cute!!

I talk to myself

I tend to gripe about other drivers and their lack of skills or knowledge when I drive. The following conversation took place between Gwendolyn and myself last week.
Me - gripe,gripe,gripe stupid driver (kinda forgot my child was with me)
Gwendolyn - who are you talking to Mom?
Me - I am talking to myself hunny
Gwendolyn - Do you like talking to yourself?
Me - (feeling stupid) Not really

No hockey jersey is complete without....

a little blood on it. Thank you very much Owen!!
Owen got this cute Buzz Lightyear jersey for his birthday, combining both his loves. I had him in it Saturday. We came home after being gone all day long. Out living quarters are in the upstairs of our house. 27 stairs up to be exact. I try to get him to climb it on his own occasionally, especially when I have 3 boxes and 2 bags to carry. He made two steps and wanted to be carried. I told him no and his 2 year old fit started. He ended up slamming his face into the stair up from himself. I tell him that was an unwise decision and pass him by, telling him to come up when he gets himself together. I go up a couple steps and look back at him and he looks up with blood coming out. Crap!! I drop all my stuff and scoop him up and run the rest of the way up. He cut the inside of his upper lip, likely on his teeth. We (Gwendolyn was psuedo helpful) got the blood stopped and he ran around with a baby freezer teether in his mouth and hockey stick in hand for the rest of the night.
I am sure there will be more of this in my future, but I hope to not repeat it too often.

Gwendolyns Phonics

We were driving home from the hockey game saturday night and were chatting away.
me - Gwendolyn what is your middle name?
G - Fancy
Me - well, that is more of a nick-name, but good try. What do I call you when you are in trouble.
G- Damn you!
me - OMG, what are you talking about???
Matt - HUH????
me - Try again Gwendolyn, what did you say?
G - (slower and more pronounced) Andrew
me - whew, that is Owens middle name, not yours, Gwendolyn Mary
We got a huge laugh out of it!!

2 year Owen stats

25 pounds
31.75 inches tall
19.75 inches around his brain bucket

He was such a trooper for the appointment. Laid there patiently and watched while Dr. Alice listened to his heart and lungs and stomache, no fidgeting. He didn't like his shots, go figure. She wanted a blood test done for his liver function, so off to the lab for a finger prick and squeeze out the desired amount of blood. He squacked when the prick happened, but never griped about the squeezing of the finger. He even offered up his other hand. Come to find out later in the day, they ran out of blood and we have to go back and do it again so they can run the important test. She was concerned due to an "obvious" vein showing on his chest. Meaning the coloring made it noticable, not that it protrudes or anything. It is a sign of liver issues, but his liver felt fine. We are being cautious.

Belated half eaten cake picture

Imagine this dump truck full up to the top of the truck bed...

Makes a decent present for the birthday boy/girl too. Size is hard to determine from the picture, but the truck is probably 16" tall and 24" from bumper to bumper.

2 years and a few days later....Owen

I am tardy in posting my 2 year update, but that is what happens with the second child. Moms are too busy chasing both around and something has to be tabled.
We had a wonderful 2 year birthday party on Saturday with lots of cousins and some friends. There was plenty of running around and too much noise. I am sure everything thought that, but it was especially true for me and my migraine. My blessed $75 pill was so lovely once I got home to it. Owens party was a construction theme and I served some of the appetizers in his larger Tonka Trucks. But the hit was the cake that was in the bed of his dump truck. I had arrange chocolate and spice cake (look most like the ground) and then sprinkled crumbled up oreo on top to add to the dirt effect. It was a huge hit. Unfortunately I suck and failed to get a picture of it. There were hard hats for all the kids to decorate and blow up hammers for them to beat each other with. Owen was adorable in his carhart overalls with work boots.
As for my love of this little boy, it continues to grow every day and I don't know how that is possible. He just has ways of melting your heart, whether it be coming and grabbing your finger to take you where he wants you to be or the pure look of love/joy/excitement/adoration that he has when he sees me or Gwendolyn or Daddy. Normally I am #1, but he passed me over for sissy when I brought her home from school on Tuesday. Suprised me. He is still the pickiest of picky, but he is occasionaly pushing his boundaries and tried the item in your hand. He hasn't liked said item yet, but the tasting of it was his idea and I will take that progress. Last I heard from his morning with Grandma he had pooped on the potty and that is very exciting business. His favorite word is nononononono, at least that many times. It sounds adorable, but I am still working on yesyesyes.
He is a fish in the water like his sister. A couple weeks ago he dove down to pick up a ring on the bottom of the pool. Didn't want to repeat it, but he did it. He is rambling Owenwords a mile a minute and I expect that once he figures all those other words out he won't stop. He has a wide vocabulary, but thinks he knows much more. He is still happiest with a hockey stick in hand, chasing around a ball. Daddy had the brillant idea of letting you bring the stick upstairs and you have only lost it once so far.

I don't know where the time is going, I only know I want it to slow way down. My baby is growing up too fast. The following are some of my favorites.

Cold, not hot, cold

I think this qualifies as Owens first sentence. A couple days after we got back from Hawaii, we went to the store. I get him out of the car and he chimes up with "cold, not hot, cold" Yep buddy, it is cold, not hot. Great observation and sentence. He cracks me up.

I got elfed

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9551376396

Oahu 07

We had a blast on our family vacation. The kids loved the beach, Gwendolyn more than Owen, the waves were a bit much for him but the sands was perfect.
Gwendolyn and her friend from AK playing in the surf




He wasn't so happy with being burried, unless it was his feet only

I love these next two pictures, though others have commented that her picture is provocative, phewwy on them

Love the cloud and lighting


We pet the dolphins in a dolphin encounter


Gwendolyn in the beautiful pansy dress from Nita

My little flower girl

Who ran, not walked, her flowers and dumped them at my feet

Us ;)


Renting a house was the WAY TO GO!!! We will do that again. We would make breakfast and then spend all morning in our own pool, no sharing. Owen would nap, then we would go to a beach all afternoon. Come home and BBQ then make blended drinks all night while playing cards by the pool. FABULOUS!! The wedding couple ended up renting the cabana out back, their rental was aweful. So our house became the hangout for everyone who came over for the wedding. It was kinda weird, but nice, to hang out will lots of your friends in a different location. Same people, tropical place. I went to the outlet mall with the kids while Matt went golfing, otherwise our routine was pool and beach, just what we intended. Our final full day, we drove up around the northshore and saw bigger waves and this cute little lagoon with fish you could swim or snorkle with. My dad had freaked Gwendolyn out (he tried to be cute) that they would kiss her toes. We went to a luau for the wedding reception

Owen had a little afro of blond curls that were so cute. As we got closer to Hawaii on the plane the curls started forming. Unfortunately, they did the same thing on the return flight. We lucked out and flew on the new Northwest "Bus". Every seat had it's own monitor and remote control. There were dozens of movies to watch, individually at no cost. You could also play games with the remote and monitor. Made the flight soooo much better!!
I am sure there is more, but this is a recap to say we had a wonderful vacation!!

Owen and the Nanook (bear for the nonalaskan)

Funny story from the weekend, apparently he is afraid a characters, men in bear costume kind of characters. We have went to college hockey games since he was a week old. We are season ticket holders, so we always sit with the same people and they know our kids well. The inlaws sit at the other end of our row. This weekend was the first games of the season. We were excited to see how they would react to the opening of the game. They have this huge inflated bear that the players skate under to come onto the ice. The lights are dimmed and there is loud music. We missed it the first night, took too long drinking beer downstairs. But Owen was petrified of the "man" bears and was hiding his face and screaming crying. He finally warmed up by the end of the third period, in time to leave. He always knew where all three of the man bears were, he was keeping a close eye on them.
Saturday night, I made sure to be upstairs in time. He pulled a horse move on me, once he saw the inflated bear he put his gears in reverse and was backing up into the crowd to get away. I bring him down to our front row seat, all the way on the other side of the arena from inflata-bear. His is freaking out. Climbs over my shoulder, into the lap of the ladies behind me. Hides in their shoulder for a minute and decides that is still too close. Climbs over them into the lap of the goalies mom and hides there. By that time I am in the last row ready to catch his freakout self when he bails from her. We went and hid in the bathroom till the opening was done. He finally warmed up to the man bears walking around by halfway through the third period. Warmed up to them in the sense that they could walk around 10 feet below our section, no where near touching range. Never expected this reaction.

My baby is growing up

Owen will be two this month and it is sinking in that he is no longer my little baby. He crib climbing excursions have prompted his grandparents to buy his a toddler bed for his birthday. I am not supposed to know, but they just bought him a Cars bed. It kinda breaks my heart to not have a crib up in that room anymore. I just hope and pray that I get the chance to put it back up in the future. It is all contigent on Matt being willing to have more babies. I hope and pray.

Monkey Boy

I came into the kids room last night when Owen was crying. They have both been battling colds, so I thought nothing of the cry. Knew it was him, so my first look was to the crib. EMPTY!! He is standing there next to it. Faarrreeeaaaakkkk out!! He is not crying because he is hurt like he fell out, but I think he was crying to be back in there. Little stinker had pulled every wipe out of the box.

I think I might have been nagging the kids too much about their being sick and not passing it on to other kids. First words out of Gwendolyns mouth this morning as she sat up in bed, "I'm all better now Mommy, can I touch other kids now?" I had to laugh. I must have harped too much this weekend with her Halloween parties and birthday parties and other kids to be around.

Pay it Forward

I commented on Daphne's post to do the Pay it Forward exchange -- here's the scoop:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
If you want in leave me a comment, and then run along and post on your site.