Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Lebanon Fair

Owen got to go to the Lebanon 4H Fair two times this week. We went on Sunday morning with my mom to see the animals, but it started raining so Owen couldn't sit on all the tractors and mowers. So, we went back again this morning with Papa and Finnie. I have some cute pictures of Owen with some of the animals and sitting on tractors, but I have a camera problem. I lost my camera bag which has my camera battery charger. I called the hotel we stayed at in Baltimore and checked at the pool because those are the only places I thought I may have left it, but no luck. I am still hoping it turns up somewhere (like in one of our cars), but it's not looking too good right now. I called Sony and a new charger is $65. I would really love a new and improved camera, but I am pretty cheap. The one I am using is only 5 mega pixels. Hmmmm.....

Anyway, the battery is dead now so I can't download any of the pics I took from the fair. I don't know what I will do without my camera.

We are leaving for the boat tomorrow for the weekend and I know I am going to wish I had a working camera.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Our Trip to the Zoo

Today we (my mom, Mike and I) took Owen to the Philadelphia Zoo. They have a special program where teachers get in free all summer! We had a great time even though it was so hot. We did not get to see everything because by noon Owen was hot, tired, and getting cranky, so we might go back in a couple weeks. When we asked Owen what his favorite animal was he said it was the snakes. However, tonight, when I asked him again he said it was the elephants. That's funny because there were no elephants at the zoo. They sent them to the Pittsburgh Zoo because they had a much larger area for them. There was a statue of an elephant so maybe he just really enjoyed that. I was surprised at how empty the zoo was, although as we were leaving, more people were arriving.

Owen looking at a snake.
There's a part of the zoo where kids can pet, feed, and even brush goats. This was my favorite part. We were sure to wash our hands afterwards so we don't get Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease (again).

At first, Owen was scared of the metal animal statues all around the zoo, but he eventually got over it.

Another highlight was the choo choo train.Daddy and Owen being silly.
A cute rhino and some giant tortoises (my mom's favorite).

The Great Date Experiment

Check out this website. I got it from another blogger (Lots of Scotts) and just looked at it briefly and think some of the things you have to do are so funny. I want Mike and I to try it, but we might need to wait till after the baby is born because I think I might need a glass of wine in me before doing some of the tasks.

http://www.marriedlifeonline.com/big6greatdate

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Baltimore Trip

We were in Baltimore from Thursday to Friday visiting my sister and seeing her new place. It was so nice to take a little trip and see Beth and Eric. This was Owen's first night staying in a hotel. On Thursday, on the way down to Baltimore, it poured. It was very scary being in the car and Mike even turned on the hazard lights at some points because we could barely see, but we made it safely. We went right to Beth's house first so we could see her new place. I think Owen could have spent the entire day there playing with Aunt Beth and Eric, but we were hungry and wanted to go to lunch. After lunch we made our way back to the hotel so Owen could get a nap. Once he woke up he was fully charged and the sun was out. Beth and Eric met up with us and we headed to the harbor to walk around and get some dinner. Owen had so much energy and just wanted to run so we found some places where he could do that. I think he spent the majority of the night running and dancing to the steel drum band that was playing in the harbor. At the bottom is a video of him dancing. I did not notice until I downloaded it, but if you look in the background there is a lady in a black tank top videotaping him with her cell phone.

Once we got back to the hotel, he wanted some fruit. Here he eating some peaches. I did not want him to get peach juice all over the place so I had him eat it in the bathtub- haha. He was naked because he was going to get a shower with daddy right after he was finished with his snack.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast. Beth and Eric met us at our hotel and we walked to Port Discovery, a really neat, hands-on, children's museum. I was worried Owen would be too young and there would not be enough things for him to do, but I was wrong- there were a lot of great things for toddlers. I took a lot of pictures, but for some reason many of them came out blurry.
I think Aunt Beth liked Port Discovery as much as Owen did!

Next summer we hope to do the aquarium- I just thought it was not really worth it this year because Owen is still a little young to fully appreciate everything.

We grabbed lunch and then headed home. Owen was exhausted from the museum so he slept most of the way home. It was such a nice trip. Beth is a great tour guide. Mike and I decided we are definitely not city people, but it is a fun place to visit! Owen really misses Aunt Beth and Eric. When he woke up this morning he wanted to go to Aunt Beth's house. Mike said Owen is like a stuffed animal when we travel. He is just so easy and fun to take places. We are very lucky!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Splish, Splash

Here's a quick video I took today of Owen jumping in the pool. He does really well with his life vest on and has started swimming a little bit. I was hesitant to let him wear a life vest because I don't want it to give him a false sense of security. He is pretty fearless when it comes to water. If you notice, Mike has to push him out because otherwise he would jump straight up and land on the concrete on his bottom. He was so tired tonight from all that swimming!! I have lots of pics to post from our trip to Baltimore, but I am too tired- I will do that tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Heartbeat

Here's the baby's heartbeat. I looked back at Owen's baby book and my first appointment with him was also at 9 weeks 1 day. His heartbeat was 170 bpm. We also recorded his heartbeat. The recorders that we used are from the Build-a-Bear store. They work great!


In February...

we will be having another baby! I know some people (mainly our parents) already know, but we wanted to wait to spread the news until we heard the heartbeat. I found out on Wednesday, June 10th. I took a test that morning because Kate's wedding weekend was coming up and I wanted to be able to have a couple glasses of wine if I wasn't pregnant, but it turns out I was pregnant!

I am so relieved to have heard the heartbeat. It's a great moment. In fact, we recorded it so I will post that a little later.

My due date is February 21st. I thought I was going to be 10 weeks tomorrow, but found out today that I am only 9 weeks 1 day- I was a little bummed because I thought I was nearing the end of the first trimester and would start to feel better.

I am VERY nauseous (mainly in the morning, afternoon and into the evening which I guess is pretty much all day), but have not thrown up yet so I keep telling myself it could be worse. This morning I started gagging, like I normally do, but this time I had to run to the toilet, however I didn't throw up. I think once I start throwing up I just won't stop so I am really trying to hold it in. I know... that's gross.

Owen is really excited. We were not planning on telling him we were having a baby until closer to the end, however I ended up telling him anyway. He likes me to carry him up and down the steps now and then and I knew that I should probably stop doing that since I fell down the steps when I was pregnant with him multiple times. This time our steps are not carpeted so it could be even worse. So I have tried to get him into the habit of just holding my hand even though he can go up and down himself. One day he was fussing about having to walk up and did not understand why I could not carry him up so I told him that mommy has a baby in her belly and that is why I can not hold him when we go up and down the steps. Since I told him that he has been so cute and completely understands why I can't carry him. He says, "Mommy baby belly." He told the hostess at Grotto's in Rehoboth "Mommy baby belly" and he told the two Mexican guys moving our sofas "Mommy baby belly". He tells everyone. He lifts up my shirt and gets a little confused as to why he can't see it. The other day we were driving in the car and out of the blue he said, "I want baby sister." Then he said, "No like baby brudder." I didn't know he even knew the meaning of brother and sister. Mike told him he will like whatever he gets.

We do plan on finding out what we are having this time so we can prepare the baby's room. I would be just as happy to have another boy as I would be to have a girl. We just hope it is healthy!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Tomorrow....

Hopefully we will have some good/exciting news to share tomorrow!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Our House

Around this time two years ago we bought our house. It was a very stressful time for me because Owen was only 4 months old and I was dreading going back to work after being on maternity leave since April. We had a couple showings at our townhouse which was tough because I had to clean it before each one. I was also in the process of getting a new job.

We moved from a brand new townhouse with a tiny yard and no trees in a not so safe part of town to a house built in 1929 in a very safe neighborhood with a nice size yard and plenty of trees. Our house now has smaller bedrooms and only 1.5 baths with small closets compared to the 2.5 bathrooms, larger bedrooms and walk in closets in our townhouse. We also do not have a garage, but that does not bother me. Some of the things I love about our house is our screened in front porch, big deck, and the fact that we can walk up the street and get on the rail trail which is a great nature trail that goes on for many miles. Another great thing about the location of our house is that Owen will go to the elementary school that both Mike and I went to. We both had such a wonderful experience and we knew that we wanted Owen to go there. Plus, it is one of the top elementary schools in the state which is important to us.

In the two weeks between moving from our townhouse to our new house we had major improvements to make. There was mauve carpeting throughout the entire house so we had to rip that out, get new carpeting in the bedrooms, and have the hardwood floors under the carpeting restored (another thing I like about this house is the original hardwood floors). We also got new toilets because the old ones were bright blue and puke green. The ceiling in the downstairs was wallpapered so we had it drywalled and painted. The upstairs ceiling was a staple up tile ceiling which we ripped down and had drywalled and painted. We also had to paint every room in the house. The living room had brown paneling which we tore down and drywalled. The closet in our room was expanded and the small opening from our living room to our dining room was also expanded. We did all that in two weeks because we could not do it with a baby in the house. It was complete chaos and very stressful! When I say "we" I mean Mike. My job was to take care of Owen and pack.

Since we've moved in we got a new shed because there just is not enough space for all our stuff. We also redid the basement and bathroom which were VERY outdated and yucky. Mike also built a deck off the back of our house which he recently stained.

So while our house is kind of small, it is just right for us, has a lot of character, and the location is unbeatable! By the time we are able to afford a bigger house our kids will be grown so it won't be worth it. Another great thing about our neighborhood is the people. My aunt and uncle live across the street and most of our neighbors are so friendly and keep a watchful eye on everything that goes on.

I wish I could find all the before and after pictures that we took.

I do have a picture of our basement before-
and after-

We finally got a couch. It arrived yesterday and we almost had to send it back because it barely fit through the door and down the steps. We had to take the doors off hinges and some of our walls got scuffed. It took them about 45 minutes to get it down. If we would ever sell our house, the couches would have to stay because there is no way they are coming back out unless we cut them with a chainsaw.

Here's the back of our house before and after.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Beach Trip

We just got back from a trip to visit Paige, Barry, and Ella. They only live about 20 minutes from Ocean City, Maryland, so we were able to go to the beach too!
We left early Wednesday morning and got there around 10ish. We got a little lost on the way down so it took us longer than we thought it would. We need to invest in a GPS- we always get lost! Owen must have said Ella's name 50 times on the way down. He was so excited to see her! Instead of going right to the beach when we got there, we thought we'd wait and go after the kids took a nap. It's a good thing we waited because when we got to the beach it was extremely windy. I don't think they would have napped too well on the beach. Owen loved playing in the sand, but was not interested in the ocean. Ella loved the sand too and had no problem getting it all over her and even eating it! We only stayed at the beach for a couple hours before heading home and going out to dinner at Station 7. After dinner we gave Owen and Ella a bath and an amazing thing happened.... Owen said, "Mommy, I go poopy," and immediately I checked to make sure there were no floaters in the tub. Then, I took him out and put him on the potty...and he peed!!! I was so excited and he was so proud. I know it was probably just a coincidence, but it was still great. He can't wait to tell everyone all about it.

Thursday morning we woke up and the kids played for a little before getting ready to go to the beach. I think Owen has Ella hooked on choo choos which makes him thrilled. We got to the beach early. Owen decided he liked the ocean and we had to remind him he can't just run out into the water because the waves were pretty rough and high. (An attempt at a family picture- too much for Owen to look at)

We decided to bring the kids home for a nap and it was Mike's job to keep them awake on the ride home since he was sitting in the back seat squished between the two carseats. Paige and I were laughing so hard at him attempting to keep them awake. The minute he turned to Owen to try to keep him awake, Ella would doze off and as soon as he turned to wake her up, Owen would fall right to sleep. He finally gave up and just let them sleep. After naps we got delicious Mexican for dinner. Then, we headed for the Salisbury Zoo. It is a great zoo and best of all- it's free and has a huge playground. This morning we got up and got ready to head home. Part of me really wanted to spend a few more hours at the beach. It is so much fun watching Owen play, but we decided it was too much work to pack for the beach and then drive home after that. We decided to go to the Kite Loft and Grotto's Pizza for lunch before going home.

Although it was a short visit, we had a very nice time. On the way home Owen kept saying he wanted to go back to play with Ella. Bless his heart.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

OMG!!

Tony III died yesterday. I give up. Each fish is living shorter and shorter. It's pretty bad when you say to yourself, " He's dying in a different way than the other two. His mouth is facing down in the rocks for a long period of time." He did not even turn black first either. Owen may just have to face the fact that Tony went to LIVE with his friends, or I might tell him he missed his mommy and daddy so he went to live with them.

We're off to the beach!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A Visit with Olivia

Today, Owen had a play date with his friend, Olivia. Amanda and Bryan were our neighbors when we lived in our townhouse. Amanda and I were pregnant together and even though she was due about a week after me, our babies were born only 12 hours apart! We both did not know what we were having and we never discussed names with each other. Mike and I had chosen Olivia as our girl name. It would have been so funny to both come home from the hospital with a baby girl named Olivia. Luckily, that never happened and we had an Owen instead.

Owen had a great time playing with Olivia. She's very cute. Hopefully we can get together again soon!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Festival, Raystown, and Gretna

We had a busy weekend. On Friday we went to the church festival down the street. Owen had a great time playing the games and it was nice to see some people that I have not seen in a while. Saturday morning we left bright and early for Raystown with Papa. We were excited to get out on the boat and after we had everything packed and loaded on the boat and we got to the dam where we usually go, it started to thunder and we had to head back. We got back just in time because it really started to rain. We came back home this morning and this afternoon met up with friends at Gretna Lake. I have only been there about two times and I wish I could enjoy the lake and go off the dives and swings, etc., but I have such a hard time even putting my feet in that murky water. I was so proud of myself for getting in almost up to my knees, but it was really grossing me out and I looked like an idiot not going in. I have definite issues with lake water and oceans unless I can see my feet and the water is clear. For some reason Raystown Lake does not bother me. I think because it is so clear and I don't have to touch my feet to the bottom. The Caribbean Ocean does not bother me either :) Owen loved the lake and had a great time playing with Mike in the water. Hopefully, one day, I will get over it, but I have been that way my whole life, so I'm not sure I will.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

4 Years Ago Today...

(Sorry about the glare on the pictures. I had to take a picture of a picture and that's what happened.)

Here's the story of how Sarah met Mike. If you already know, you'll want to skip this. It is mainly for our kids so one day they can read about how we met.

Mike and I started dating in August 2002 (the summer after I graduated college), but we knew each other since we were in elementary school. We attended the same elementary, middle, and high school. He's three years older so we were not in the same class, but I knew who he was. In high school he even worked for my dad for a bit. I remember riding my bike to the sales and seeing Mike cleaning trailers. He was good friends with Paige so I would see him over at her house now and then too. I thought he was cute, but he seemed much older at the time.

In August 2002 I went to the alumni soccer game at our high school and afterwards went to the Blue Bird where Mike was having dinner with his parents. We started talking and he invited himself to my cousin, Amanda's, wedding. I was in her wedding, but did not have a date so he offered to go along. After that we spent a year in a long distance relationship because he was teaching in the Poconos and I was teaching here at home. After that year was up, he moved home, got a job, and we moved into our townhouse on Penn Street.

Mike proposed in February 2003 (a year and a half after we started dating) and we were married a year and a half after that on July 9, 2005. Our wedding day was one of the best days of my life! We were married at the church in Quentin and had our reception at the country club. We went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon, however Hurricane Emily was passing through that week so we did not get to fully enjoy our trip. We'll need a second honeymoon someday.

The following summer we went to Europe to visit our friends Katie and Joel and went on a road trip through Belgium, Germany, Holland, and Austria. A week after we got home, my parents took us to St. John with Beth, Maddie, Uncle Boo and Aunt Judy and we had a great time. We both finished our masters degree the following spring and shortly after that Owen was born. So that's the story of us so far... So much in four years, but I think our life has slowed down a bit now that we have Owen, which is fine with us!

Tonight we are going out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and playing miniture golf!

What's the deal?

Tony is going to visit his cousin AGAIN!!! He was so spunky compared to the first Tony so it made it sad to see him going down hill. We are going to try using different water. I think the problem could be that our water has fluoride in it and since my parents have a well, they do not have fluoride in their water. I hope Tony III will like well water and live more than a week! Owen has not asked about Tony too much lately, but I am sure today he will be very interested in what Tony is doing. Right now it looks like he is sleeping.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Our Latest Addition

Owen's birthday present finally arrived!

Thanks Aunt Beth!

Owen finally got to use the crocodile sprinkler that Aunt Beth got him for his birthday. As you can tell, he really liked it! Daddy liked it too.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Happy Birthday Nana Way!

Today, Mike and I took Nana Way to the Hershey Hotel for brunch for her birthday. Mike and I had never been there before and it was gorgeous! Luckily, my mom was able to stay with Owen so we were really able to take our time eating and enjoy ourselves. I ate so much! I am not much of a dessert person, but their chocolate fountain was one of my favorite things! Afterwards, we walked around outside and I could not believe how pretty everything was.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July!


We went to the pool today even though it was not that hot out and there was a chilly wind blowing. Owen did not seem to mind. After his nap we went over to my parents for dinner. My mom bought Owen his first big wheel. He loves riding it. Papa Steve had to tape some blocks to the pedals so he could reach them. Here are a few pics.It was Mike's idea for this picture. Not mine.