Owen Update: 6 months

Although our little guy is almost 6 1/2 months, here's his latest and greatest.

This guy is on the move! Yep, almost crawling, mostly just dragging his cubby little self across the floor toward fun playthings and other items he shouldn't have! We're just hoping that he's a "normal" crawler. Our other two found funky ways of crawling and the hope is that we didn't pass on some kind of defective crawling gene to all our little ones!

He's eating solid foods now! Let the mess begin! In one fell swoop this guy has quickly adjusted to veggies and fruits with his cereal and bottles. He still horks (my new favorite word) it down like there's no tomorrow, so no worries on if this one is healthy or not!

Owen is at that stage where he realizes that the sounds he makes get attention from the taller folk in the room. His grunts/whines/yanking can be quite the attention-getter, and he knows it! His charm is still quite powerful, and I often find myself just making him smile, because it's contagious!

My favorite thing that Owen does is playing with his hair. I remember when Josh was a baby and I would rock him to sleep on my shoulder. He would gently play with the hair on base of my neck. It was so sweet I'm pretty sure I held him longer than I needed to more than a few times. So now this little guy has found that he has hair on his head. He reaches to the crown of his head while he's nursing and just opens and closes his hands on the tufts of baby hair fuzz he's grown. It's adorable. Pretty sure he has no idea that the hair he's playing with belongs to him, but hey...baby steps. (eek, is that next?)

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Ok , the gauntlet was thrown down. I needed to post pictures of our Halloween Bash from last year. We had a total blast and hope to make it a every-other-year-thing. It was a great time and I was glad to see our friends letting loose for a night! So, for all those who wanted to see them... there's no hiding now....



Pam, I told you I had pictures!




This is my good friend Emily's main squeeze. Honestly, when he came to the door, I did not know who he was for a least 3 seconds! You can see them together here. Emily's costume is equally amazing!


Here are a few of our other good friends and their costumes.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Here's a just one new one. I posted some others here recently, too.

Me: Awww, Ellie do have Josh's cough?
Ellie: No, it's mine.

Check out more at Mary's!

Overheard

Ellie: AHH! There's wind in my pants!
Me: That's ok, honey, it's just a windy day.
Ellie: NO! I don't want windy pants.
(Note to self: wind in the pants=fashion faux pas)

Ellie is jumping on the tile, doing some ballet-type move and hurts her toe. She begins to whimper. Owen is on the floor, looks up at her and starts to do his version of a laugh.
Ellie: Owen! It's NOT funny!
(awww)

Me: Hey Josh what are you guys doing in the basement?
Josh: Oh, Daddy's doing shots!
(just FYI - the Hubs was not imbibing on a smallish type drink, but practicing his archery shot for an upcoming hunting weekend)

I've found I have more quotes from Ellie lately, only because she is around more. With Josh being at school all day, I'm missing out on his daily thoughts. *sigh* Although, even if I did have some to share, I don't remember most of them...maybe it's because of this.

A touch of the crazyies

Our life has a touch of the crazyies lately. Unfortunately, I know that we are not the only ones. So many of those who I talk to, or read blog posts about, seem to be in the same boat. And it's a rocky boat.

At our Bible study group recently we discussed rain. We talked about how rain is like the troubles in our lives. God sends rain and it can be good, and it can be bad. Our discussions stemmed from a great video brought by one of our friends. (You can get more info about that here. )

Our life lately has had some continual rain. Not life-threatening or even life-altering, but just consistent. driving. rain. I've been hiding under an umbrella, trying to wait these things out, hoping it will get better or slower. And then I realized that in the midst of the rain, God sends bits of sunshine. If I don't peek out from under the umbrella...I miss them...

....The leaves are changing...beautiful fall colors...and Ellie is quite taken with the whole process. She is learning what colors to anticipate...although, I think she is still holding out for pink and purple ones.

....At Owen's baptism on Father's Day, our friends planned the worship service for us, picking out great songs and words to remember what a gift it is to be a part of God's kingdom. One of the songs was "Love the Lord", a praise song by Lincoln Brewster. (check it out here, click on the link to listen). This song is the Shema, one of the most important words from the Bible about how we should live as followers of Christ. It has quickly become one of our family's favorites. When it comes on the radio, the kids yell out, "Owen's baptism song!" I was recently reminded about these words importance while reading this book. It talked about how when we focus on passing a legacy onto our children, we need to focus on these important words from the Shema found in Matthew 22:36-40. I love that our kids have these words in their heads and hearts. Josh mentioned that he caught himself singing it as he walked the halls of his school the other day.

....Dealing with our budget is like the largest and longest rainstorm ever. It's been difficult making the necessary changes to our life to make it possible for me to be home part time. Although we know this is best, it still is a trial to have to work so hard at it. It goes against our very hard-to-ignore materialistic nature. But in the midst, I've peeked out from under the umbrella and seen...coupons/rebates on some of our more expensive essentials (formula, kitchen items)...relief on our electric bill for the same amount that we needed to pay extra for the sitter for a busy week at school...a freelance job for the Hubs to help pay for a plane ticket to see a dear cousin get married.

All these streaks of sunshine remind me to get out from under the umbrella, dance in the rain and keep my eyes open for evidence of how he draws us close when the storms hit the hardest. He's trying to speak to me in small ways, I just need to listen. I suppose if He had to hit me over the head with this, it wouldn't be faith...He's called us to that...Faith in the midst of the rain, even consistent. driving. rain.

If Memory Serves....

Mine does not. That is, my memory does not serve.

I am now firmly in the camp of those who believe that having children literally takes away brain cells.

My memory does not serve me any more...not even an appetizer or a small drink. I even had to write down the words "if memory serves" to remind me to write this post.

And besides that...what was I going to say next?

**interesting article on this here*

I Love CVS!

This is quickly becoming my favorite place to get those steals-of-a-deals that get my heart racing and my fingers dialing my equally frugal sister-in-law! This week, they had formula on sale for at least 3 dollars less than I normally pay. They also had some wipes that I needed. I decided to go there and stock up on these items because I knew I wouldn't be headed to my other favorite place, Costco, for a while. I had a $7 expired coupon for the formula which I was hoping they would take. But, I thought even if they don't I'm still paying $3 less than normal. I paid for the wipes separately so I could see what my quarterly earnings were from earlier purchases. I didn't have much (50 cents), but the bonus was that they printed out a $4 baby care coupon with that purchase. So, in the end I bought the wipes (on sale, with a coupon), and then, bought the formula (on sale, with my expired coupon, my quarter earnings, and the new coupon) for HALF PRICE! It was all I could do not to just run out of the store and begin the happy dance. (which is a sight to see...not recommended for children under 3, hehe). I actually felt like I was getting away with something naughty! Apparently this kind of thing happens all the time to my sister-in-law and we often regale in the glory of the deal. Honestly, I think they are actually paying HER to shop there. Although I am not up to par with her, I am so glad to have another frugal friend to share in the joys of one of my favorite games...the deal hunt.

Pumpkin Mania!

We ventured out on a perennial family fun day recently that ended in hay-filled shoes and smudgy smiles from all the fun! My whole family, mom, dad, brothers, sisters-in-law and the various kiddos visited a local pumpkin farm/petting zoo. It was a dreary day, but you wouldn't know it from the smiles on everyone's faces. Pony rides, giant slides, hay rides and train rides were just a few of the fun things we did. It was just good to get out and do something fun as a family! Hurray for Fall!

And so it begins...

Let the food frenzy begin!

(Note the kung fu grip on the first photo!)

Grace Training

Today I thought we had it. Ellie was very excited about pooping on the potty. We even had a preliminary pee event that prompted the wearing of real undies. I was thinking that we could really get it this time. She's been backsliding by peeing in the pull-up often. I know part of this is my fault for not reminding her every half-hour, but I really thought she had learned what to do and would if she had encouragement.

So, we were playing a game before her "rest & snooze" time today and I smelled something. I asked if she needed to go to the bathroom. She looked me in the eye and said, "No." I went on her word. (bad choice, momma). Sure enough, after our game was done and we were getting ready for her nap, I asked her if she would go pee before she laid down. She said, "Sure, but you have to change me, too." Yep, she had pooped...in her undies...after she had told me she didn't need to go. GRRR. Ignoring the fact that my sense of smell must have finked out on me by not cluing into this earlier, I tried to stay calm and clean her up, but I couldn't help but say to her that I was disappointed and even a bit mad that she didn't go on the potty, especially after I had asked her about it. She went down for her nap without a story as a consequence and I headed downstairs to contemplate what is going on.

And then it dawned on me...it may be a stretch, but it reminded me of God's grace. How many times have we sinned, even after we said we weren't going to make that mistake again? How many times have we opted for a more "fun" activity, rather than doing what we should, like taking time for devotions or even going to church? And every time, EVERY TIME, God promises His grace on us. We can look Him in the eye, through prayer and petition and then turn around and sin. He will give us grace. I know His grace is unending, but I also know that being truly sorry for our sins means that we do our best NOT to do it again. I know that as a child of God, I have been the recipient of his grace so many times. I hope that through His Word and the relationships of those who are also close to Him, I can work on not making the same mistakes.

As for our dear little potty trainee, maybe that's why the Lord told us to name her...Ellie GRACE.

WFMW-Freezer list

Pretty sure this is not an original idea...but it Works for Me!

Recently I took an inventory of what was in my freezer(s). Anything that was in the deep freeze was written in blue, anything from the refrig/freezer was written in black. I keep the list posted on the side of the frig. and we are good to go! Now I can see quickly what I have in stock, and if there is any need for replenishing. It also helps so I don't over-buy a certain frozen product. (Of course it doesn't seem to be working for the purchase of ice cream goods...those just keep popping up in there! hehe)

Hope this helps organizing your freezer goods!

Check out more great ideas at Rocks in my Dryer!

How quickly they change...

I got a good reminder about how quickly our little ones change as I was browsing for pictures to print for a new set of frames. I love how you can even get a glimpse of Owen's world famous wide-mouth smile beginning to emerge already in the early picture!

Enjoying Ellie

I have really enjoyed being with my little Ellie lately.

Don't get me wrong...

I have relished Josh's stories about school, soccer and new adventures like Children's Church (Josh is learning Spanish at school, and enjoys teasing us that he plays "football" instead of saying he plays "soccer."

And Owen is about the most adorable guy you'll ever meet and his smile is extremely contagious. (Today, after reading Ellie a story before nap time, Owen was resting on the bed on his belly. I laid my head next to him and said, *sigh* "Maybe we should all just take a nap here." He slowly popped his little head up with a similar sigh that made me think he agreed.)


But there is just something about spending time with Ellie lately. She can be so animated and lively. I guess sometimes I want to just be around her to absorb some of her spunk by osmosis. We've also been working on her ABC's and I think a little light bulb went on in her head yesterday. It was so exciting to see her going on a "letter hunt" and actually naming the letters she found. Up until now it's been a bunch of "I don't know" when I ask her about what letter I've pointed to.

We've been playing a lot of games during Owen's naps when we are home together. She loves pointing out the "structions" to me, just in case I'm not sure how to play. (pretty sure she makes up her own rules along the way)

We've also just been talking more. I remember when I was home with Josh those first summers when it was just him, or when we would go to the grocery store on our way home from work/school, we would talk about anything and everything...reminiscing about our days and previous happenings, discussing what we saw and whatever was on our minds. I noticed I wasn't doing that as much with Ellie (probably just enjoying a silent moment every now and then!) so I decided to be more purposeful in our time. I've also noticed since I've begun this, she is more amiable, cooperative and easy-going. Maybe because she is getting some good quality time?? I know that I don't always give the quantity of time that I might like, but I do see that even short quality times are making a big difference in our relationship.

I'm reading a book called Confident Parenting by Jim Burns. I'm only a chapter or so into it, but one of the first things I've picked up on is that parents need to have a purpose as they parent their children. Making a list of things that you want for your children, who you aspire them to be, is a great start to being purposeful in your parenting. It seemed pretty obvious after I thought about it. We make lists and set goals for just about every other important thing we do. So I'm looking forward to reading more in this book and making that list.

Now I just need to find a few extra hours in the day to read it, talk with the Hubs about it (he's reading it, too) and make that list. Hmmm...

Storing/Organizing Little Girls Hair bands

Hi there just trying to find a way to organize those little clear hair bands that we like to use on our daughter's ponytails! Right now we have them in a cup! (not the most efficient!) Can't wait to hear what works for you!

Check out more questions at Rocks in my Dryer!