Owen is 3!

I cannot believe that Owen is already three years old! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was debating whether to call the doctor or just head to the hospital. He was 5 weeks early and a tiny little guy. I remember it clear as a bell. He, of the 3, was the most pleasant delivery experience.  I think it was mostly do to the fact that we weren't expecting it, the epidural worked its magic, and it was pretty fast. It helped that I loved my doctor. Shortly after he was born we made the decision to move to Spokane and it has been a whirl wind ever since! Time does fly!

Owen is now a vibrant, silly, warm, tender, and fun little boy! He has become so independent and has to do things all by himself. If you tell him No, he will say, "Awwwww." I get a good chuckle watching him play. He has a great imagination, and he sings and plays just like I remember Emma doing at this age.  He LOVES anything with wheels. No surprise his favorite movies are Disney's Planes and Cars.  He has all the matching toys and accessories! You will not find him with out Lightening McQueen or Dusty Crophopper in hand. He still loves Mickey Mouse, but its on the back burner. His favorite food is Macaroni and cheese with hot dogs or basically anything chocolate! He loves fruit snacks too. He loves to play with his action figure toys and to draw and color. He especially loves to watch his movies. Even more so in the new car! He loves to go outside when the sun is shining and is learning to ride his bike. Owen loves to play with Emma and they are getting very good at sharing and cooperating. He sneaks into her room while she is at school and plays with her toys. Owen is now a big brother and just loves Jude. He asks to hold him everyday and he gives him kisses and pats on the head. I cannot wait to see how they become buddies! Our once serious boy is now our funny little man. He says the darndest stuff and just lights up the room! And our once not so affectionate boy is now quite the tender little guy. He gives me hugs, kisses, and loves so much that sometimes I have to put down what I am holding or doing to brace myself! Ha!  Daddy is still the fun guy who can get Owen to cooperate when Mom can not and they are great buds. Owen has become such a fun little boy! I enjoy spending my days with him and cling to our special moments. They will only last for so long!

For his 3rd birthday we went to Grandma Anderson's house. It was supposed to be a bit warmer there and so we headed over for the weekend. Owen had a blast! He just played his little heart out! He woke up on his birthday and I heard him ask Emma, "Its my birthday today?" He got to open a gift in the morning after breakfast. It was a new outfit that included a new Dusty Crophopper shirt. He immediately wanted to wear it. He played all afternoon outside with Emma while I made his cake and wrapped his gifts. When he came inside and saw his cake he said," Oh Wowww!" and hopped up onto a stool to admire it. That sealed the deal for me. I knew right then he was having a good time! For dinner I made his favorite homemade mac and cheese and bratwursts. A little fancier than Oscar Myer for us adults :) I had decorated the dining area the night before with a balloon cloud chandelier with hanging Dusty Crophoppers. I used a blue table cloth for the "sky" and made white cloud place mats. For the cake I just made boxed funfetti and iced with blue and white icing and topped it with, of course, Dusty Crophopper. Owen LOVED it. After dinner he opened the rest of his gifts which were all Planes themed from toys to pj's. We sang Happy Birthday and he blew out his #3 candle. He played with his toys for a while and then crashed in bed. The entire day he had a permanent smile on his face. He had a great 3rd birthday.

I am so lucky to have you in my life, Owen! I love you! Happy Birthday!

Jude is three months old!

Its March already? How on earth did we get here? I swear that I was just preparing for the arrival of a new baby while simultaneously trying to plan Christmas. Oh how time doth moveth forward!

Jude is now 3 months old and is the most happy little fellow. Here are a few fun facts about our sweet baby boy:

Jude is just that, sweet. He loves to smile, giggle, and coo.

He thinks he can sit up on his own and tries so hard, but not quite yet. He also likes for you to put him upright onto his legs. Soon he will enjoy one of those activity centers that he can bounce on.

The world is busy and he wants to see everything that is happening. If he can't, he gets unhappy quickly and "complains." Not really crying, but this kind of "Hey pick me up!" kind of whine.

Jude is very easy and sleeps well. Eats well too! At his 2 month check up he weighed 13 pounds and 10 oz and over 23 inches long. A month later I can only guess he is well over 14 pounds.

He wears size 2 diaper now and is in 3 to 6 month clothing.

Colors and objects are much more appealing. He is refining his motor skills and will attempt to reach out at what he can see.

What color will his eyes and hair be? Currently Jude's eyes are still clear and blue and his hair is still brown. Both can change at any given moment like his siblings.

He is almost too big for the bassinet next to my side of the bed. I am valiantly trying to redo what will now be the "boys" room.

Still not a binky lover just like his siblings which I am not complaining about. One less thing to wean!

He has noticed Emma and Owen. In fact, he now responds more to their voices and will follow them with his eyes with this kind of wishful, "hey guys! I wanna play too!" kind of look. He loves to give them smiles and he especially watches Owen. Not sure if that's because we spend much more time as a trio or whether it foreshadows their life ahead as brothers. :) I hope the latter.

Jude is mellow, bright eyed, happy, and perfect. We love him so very much! Onto the next 3 months and the changes will be astonishing as always. :)  We love you Jude!

3 months old!

Jude 12 weeks

Jude 2 months old

Jude 8 weeks

When snow and childhood meet!

(Que the music) I'm Dreaming of a.....White February? Winter, YOU ARE LATE. It cooled off in October as it should but we didn't get any real snow until the very end of January and heavily into February. Its the most snow we have seen since living here. Poor Phil had to shovel more than his fare share this year and the kids have been cooped up inside with temps hanging around 19 degrees. The thing is, if we live where it snows shouldn't we learn to play in it? What is a snowy winter without a snowman, or snow angels, or screaming down a hill on a sled? I sincerely hope that by dragging my children out into it, they had fun and appreciated it a little. hehe. Owen certainly enjoyed his first trip down the sledding hill and digging his boots into the white dusty snow. I tried to help them build a snowman in the front yard and they rolled in the snow and made snow angels. I took them to the sledding hill and they had a blast going down together. My only idea that I didn't get to share with them was to use food coloring and "draw in the snow." I guess I have something up my sleeve for next year! :) And of course, as quickly as the snow storms rolled in, they also melted away. Its now March 10th and while our last 5 inches of snow arrived on March 2nd and 3rd, it is now as if it never happened. Temps have gone back up to the 50's and we have even had a peak a boo game with the sun. I saw a fat bellied robin the other day and that's a sure sign spring is on its way! Here's to warmer weather, green grass, and blue sunny skies....