Weekend Highlights

Here are the top five six  highlights of our weekend:

1.  Mike's race.  Mike left Friday night to stay at his friend's house two hours away.  They left from his friend's house early Saturday morning for a trail run called the Hyner Challenge another hour and a half away.  For some insane reason he does this 25K (16.8 mile) race every year which involves running up and down mountains more times than I ever care to do.   This year it was rainy and cold, but he still did amazingly well.  He placed 27th out of 808 runners.  I'm so proud.  He's quite the athlete.  A little crazy?  Yes, that too.

2.  Owen's soccer game.  We had a conflicted schedule Saturday morning.  Owen had his last soccer game which was a make up from being canceled earlier in the week because of rain.  He also had swimming lessons and practice at church for a parade.  In an attempt to simplify our busy life, I told him to choose swimming or soccer.  There was no way I was having him go straight from soccer to swimming (although after the way the day ended up, it may not have been a bad idea!).  Thankfully, he chose soccer.  That meant I did not have to get into a bathing suit.  The downside... I had to stand outside in the freezing cold and drizzle to watch him play soccer.  Still better than getting into a bathing suit and then having to figure out how to get Owen changed afterward.  He's just too old to change in front of little girls now, in my opinion.  As miserable as it was outside, Owen had a blast!  He played so well.  He paid attention most of the time and scored two goals!  One of the goals was scored during a break away.  The goalie was distracted watching the kids play on the other field so Owen was able to kick it right in the goal.  Had the goalie been paying attention, I don't think Owen would have scored, but we'll take what we can get!  At the end of the game, the coach gave all the kids participation medals.  Owen was VERY excited about the medal and has worn it around his neck all weekend.

3.  Visiting Ollie.  My grandmother turned 89 years old this past Friday so on Saturday we took the boys in to the nursing home to see her.  She was awake for a lot of our visit and LOVED seeing the "babies". 

4.  Daddy came home and rescued me.  Despite having soccer, Owen did not nap on Saturday, which made him even more hyper than usual.  I called my mom and told her he was doing laps around the house and literally trying to climb the walls.  It was pouring outside so I could not send him out to run around.  Thankfully my mom came over to assist for the second or third time that day.  She helped me get the boys ready to go see Ollie.  Owen was surprisingly calm during our visit to Ollie and Adam was a little unsure of the nursing home noises so he was content sitting quietly on my lap.  I decided we should go there more often.  Mike was home by the time we arrived back home and I was so thankful for that.  Despite being in severe muscle pain from his run, he managed to play tackle with Owen.  Just what Owen needed after being cooped up all day inside :)

5.  Flying a kite.  Today was a very blustery day, perfect for flying a kite.  Owen and I had such a good time :)

I just noticed after I downloaded this picture that his cute little bottom and Toystory undies are sticking out.

6.  Sleepover. We did not get to have dinner with Papa and Finny like we usually do on Sunday and they missed the boys so we kindly offered to lend them Owen for the night and they, thankfully, agreed.  Owen had a nice, looooooong nap today so I'm sure he'll keep them busy until at least 10:30 tonight :)

Adam Gets Glasses

Today the boys and I made the long haul 'over the river' to pick up Adam's glasses.  The family that owns the shop is very patient and they have lots of toys for kids to play with when they visit.  Adam did a lot better than I thought he would.  If we had him distracted with a toy in each hand, he was great about letting them put the glasses on, take them off to adjust them, and put them back on.  He played for a long time with them on and even wore them all the way home without pulling them off!

Well, that could be because he fell asleep, but still.  Once we got home and he realized they were on, he pulled them off.  I got him to wear them for a bit while he ate lunch and while we played together in the basement, but after about 15 minutes he pulled them off.  I haven't had any luck since then.  I'm afraid the poor guy is going to be traumatized and I don't want that.  I am going to try every day to get him to wear them, but if he pulls them off I am not going to keep putting them on and battling with him.  After all, he is only 14 months old!

Favorites

Every day, while Adam naps, I have a date with the Fro Man.  I get so caught up in trying to learn how to use my camera that I lose track of time.  Today I set the timer and only gave myself 25 minutes.  I decided I need to start taking notes.  Also, I'm going to have one day of the week where I post some pictures I've taken that I like so I don't end up posting a gazillion pictures.  I found our bedroom and front porch have nice lighting.  Here are a couple I took today that I liked...

A little blurry, but still pretty good.  Cheech is very photogenic with all his different colorings and green eyes. 

Minus the nunner it would be a pretty good pic.

My favorite.

Trying to capture his eyelashes :)

Visitors

Five little huge turkeys visiting our yard :)

Our Day

Today was the second nicest day we've had this year so far.  Windows open, sunscreen, hats, shorts, playing on our screened in porch... all signs that summer is just around the corner.  Temperatures were in the 80s and we played outside until we were so hot and tired we couldn't take it anymore. 

Adam ate at least half a cup of sand throughout the day.  He loves the sandbox and doesn't mind the gritty taste of sand between his teeth either.  He also had a taste of pine needles, a leaf, and a stick.  He's organic like that.  I almost always catch him and when I do, I say, "Ahhhh" for him to show me his mouth so I can fish out whatever might be in there that doesn't belong.  He's so used to it that now, when I say "No mouth" he immediately sticks his tongue out and goes "Ahhhhh" as if to show me his mouth is clear.  Of course he has a big smile on his face while he does it.  He thinks it's funny.  What a stinker!!

Today we got the baby pool out for the first time since last summer.  The boys had a blast playing with water and it really helped to cool them off.  It took about 1 minute until the water was full of dirt, grass, and other nastiness that used to drive me nuts, but now it doesn't phase me one bit.  Boys will do that to you.

Gotta love the backwards shirt :)

There's not much cuter than chubby, baby feet.  Even muddy ones :)

Here's the owner of those cute, Flinstone feet...  Mr. Adam.

Adam's footprint

My 2010 blog book finally arrived today.  I had ordered it in February, but the United States Postal Service lost it.  After spending 3 weeks trying to track it down, which was impossible, I called the blog book company and they kindly sent me a new one.

I'm not too thrilled about a book detailing every single event from our family for the past year being "lost", but I am happy that we finally have a copy for ourselves.  The #1 reason I blog is for my kids and maybe even my grandkids.  Hopefully one day they find all this gibberish interesting, or at least humorous.

I was very shocked at how much longer this book is than my 2009 book.  I guess I had a lot more to write about since I had Adam and was home and not working.  My first book had 127 pages.  This book has 305 pages!!  Holy cow. 

I did not get to try out my new camera today.  I took all my pictures with my old camera because it is way too hard to carry around a heavy camera which takes me a while to figure out while chasing Adam all around.  I think I'll only be getting my "big" camera out when there's another adult around to help with the boys (for now)!

Some more photos

I've been practicing using my camera a lot.  I still have so much to learn and I think it's going to take me a while to figure everything out.  I feel like for every 50 pictures I take, I might get 1 good one.  Here are a couple I took today that did not come out completely blurry!  I was using my 72mm lens.
Feel free to leave any suggestions/ helpful hints (Kate) :)

I've found that animals and plants are much easier to photograph than people.  Cheech was not sticking his tongue out at me.  He was in the middle of a yawn.  I tried to capture the yawn, but was too late. 

A Special Gift

What a weekend it's been so far!  Friday, the boys and I stayed inside ALL day.  It's rare that we do that.  I usually find some reason to leave the house, but it was rainy and cold and I couldn't bare the thought of lugging both boys outside.  Mike had a crazy day at work and got home a little late and we decided to take the boys out to dinner.  It's rare that we go out to eat mainly because it gets expensive and also because going out to eat with Adam can be more work than it's worth!  However, we know it's important to take him to restaurants so he knows/practices how we expect him to behave.  We went out to eat a lot when Owen was little and he's usually very well behaved when we go out to eat.  Anyway, we decided to drive 30 minutes away to eat at a restaurant with delicious food.  I know they get super busy so I did the call ahead seating thing.  Well, after driving all the way there listening to Adam fuss because he was hungry, they told us we were not on the list and would have to wait 30 mintues. I guess there was a "misunderstanding"??  I never do this, but I was so angry that I asked to speak to the manager.  He would not move us to the top of the list.  I was so upset and the boys were starving.  We ended up getting Owen McDonald's (Adam had a few fries to hold him over till we got home) and Mike and I got Wendy's.  So we drove an hour for FAST FOOD and ate in the car!!!  I tried to not let it affect my Friday night, but I was bitter about the whole thing.  In fact, I "liked" them on Facebook and then left a complaint.  Something else I NEVER do, but it was a little therapeutic in helping me to move on.  ha!  Hopefully they fix their problem so it does not happen to another family with hungry kids :)

So, in an effort to change the "vibe" of our evening, Mike decided to give me an early Mother's Day gift.  We usually don't get each other gifts and if we do they are nothing big.  I tried to talk him into waiting until the actual day, but he refused.  Well, he definitely out did himself.  This is something I have always wanted, and hoped to get one day, but definitely not anytime soon.  It was wrapped in pretty Lily Pulitizer wrapping paper, which I hated to rip, but Owen was still up and he couldn't WAIT for me to open it.  So I did.  And this is what it was...

A new camera, complete with a camera bag and really nice lens.  While I thought he should probably have his head examined for getting such a "big" gift, I absolutely love it and it definitely helped to change the vibe and I suddenly forgot all about our terrible restaurant experience.

We both agree that this camera ranks right up there with our pellet stove.  Two of the best purchases we've made for our house/family.  Neither of us are "gift" people- it's just not our love language, so I think that made it even more special.

Mike was so sweet too when he gave it to me.  I think he knew I might be upset about him spending money on me so he told me how much he appreciated everything I do, how I'm a great mom, and how I deserved a nice gift.  How could I possibly be mad??  Owen was watching and listening to Mike tell me all those sweet things, hopefully taking notes for one day when he's a husband and daddy himself!  :)

I have been playing with my camera all weekend.  I have a new best virtual friend called "The Fro".  He has a website with tutorials and I've learned a lot from them. 

However, I think I've learned the most from Kate, my cousin.  Not only did she help Mike figure out which camera to buy and what accessories I would need, she stopped over today and spent a few hours teaching me how to work my camera.

I still have a lot to learn, like how to change the pixels so my pictures look clear and crisp on my blog too.  I know I'll never be an expert photographer, but I definitely enjoy it!  Maybe even more than this guy enjoyed his pickle today when we went to lunch with my mom.  Round two was much better.  It made up for the night before :)

Owen's Drawings

Today Owen came home from daycare with two pictures in his bookbag.  He was very proud and told me all about what he had drawn.   I figure the pictures will get ripped, eaten by Adam, lost, and/or thrown out so I took a picture of his pictures :)

"This is a picture of Adam."

"This is a picture of my house, Daddy and I playing soccer, the sun, and my name."

What we did...

Yesterday was a beauuuuuuutiful day.  Here are a few things we did...

We went to the park.

 

We played in our sandbox.

We blew bubbles.

We searched and searched for bugs to put in Owen's new bug house that Papa Steve made for him, but all we could find is ONE ant and he escaped through the screen within five minutes. 

And before bed, Owen covered himself in Thomas stickers that he got in the mail from Aunt Maddie.

Owen's Birthday Weekend

Owen had a wonderful birthday weekend!  Friday night Aunt Judy, Uncle Boo, Lala, Steve, and Nana Way stopped over to give Owen his presents.  We (the adults) enjoyed watching old videos of Owen's first birthday, his first trip to the beach, and his second Christmas.  Owen was too excited playing with his presents to really care about the videos.

Saturday morning daddy took Owen to swimming lessons at LVC and he came home, had lunch, and took a nice, long nap.  He woke up just in time to go to his birthday party.  The kids had a great time running all around, playing together, climbing, sliding, jumping, and pretending.  I took a lot of pictures, but many of them are of the back of kids' heads.  They were so wild that I had trouble taking the picture fast enough.

I think Adam had as much fun as Owen!  He ran around like a wild man the entire time.  Oh, and he tried to kiss some girls.

All the kids were so hot and sweaty!  Owen's party theme was Toystory and at one point during the party they dimmed the lights, turned on the light machine and played the Toystory theme song.  Owen was amazed and kept looking up toward the ceiling.  It's then that I realized that he thought Buzz Lightyear, himself, was going to fly into the room.  Poor guy was pretty disappointed when I had to break it to him that Buzz was not coming to his party.  After an hour of playing we headed back to the "party room" for pizza, chips, hot dogs, applesauce, and juice.  I thought I had counted the number of kids correctly, but once we went back to the room to eat I realized I did not set enough spots.  Turns out, two kids that we did not even know decided to come back with us to eat! Things were so nuts that I never even realized a little girl I never met sitting right next to Owen.  After she had eating her applesauce and had some juice her mom finally came in looking for her.  We were all laughing!!  Two little party crashers :)

The kids were very hungry after all that playing!  Then, we sang to the birthday boy and had cupcakes.

I think Owen really enjoyed himself and felt very special which is what we wanted.  When my mom asked him how it felt to be 4 years old he told her it felt "silly".

I ended up making the cupcakes for Owen's party rather than getting them from a bakery.  I cheated and made the boxed kind and used the already made icing, however I think they turned out really yummy and I'm pretty sure the kids did not know the difference.  They looked bakery bought too since I used the Pampered Chef icing thing to put the icing on the cupcakes.  I don't think I will ever buy cupcakes from a bakery again.  I always wanted to be a cake decorator which is probably why I REALLY enjoyed making the cupcakes.

Sunday morning I took Owen to Sunday School while I went to church.  It was our turn to bring in treats for the cafe and since I had about 25 leftover cupcakes I brought them in to share.  Owen took chocolate chip cookies in to his class to share with his friends.  He got to listen to everyone sing "Happy Birthday" for the 3rd time (1st time was at Linda's house earlier in the week).  We came home from church and Aunt Beth, Paige, Ella, Samantha, and Lala came over to play.

This picture made me laugh.  Our family went from zero kids to four kids in just four years.

Poor Aunt Beth was probably exhausted by the time she left our house.  Owen had her running ALL over our yard many many times.  He was so happy to have her here to boss around and play with him.

Sunday night we headed over to Papa and Finney's house for dinner and presents.  Owen got so many nice gifts from his family and friends.  He is such a lucky boy!  Finney baked one of Owen's favorite desserts... chocolate cake with peanut butter icing :)  We sang "Happy Birthday" (for the 4th time) and had yummy cake.

What a super birthday weekend!  Now it's back to reality for one certain 4 year old :)