It's Starting!

The holiday hustle that is! I love the holidays. It really redeems the first cold months for our family because we are truly spring and summer folks around here. We hosted a pre-Thanksgiving here for my dad, step-mom, brother, and sister-in-law this past weekend. We always set aside this weekend as a time to get together with my dad as it gets really busy to see three sets of grandparents and still have some family time during Christmas. I was happy this year when they suggested having dinner in Nashville because it meant one less travel for the boys, and I love to cook. It worked out especially well this year because had it been anywhere else, I don't think we could have made it due to Micah's pneumonia. He is doing much better by the way. He still has a little rattle, but his cough is mostly productive. Our weekend was full of fun. We went to ICE on Friday night. For the record, I would not highly recommend it. Seriously, as if it weren't cold enough outside, let's go walk through a few rooms at 6 degrees filled with ice. They did give us some great blue parkas to wear at least. I don't want to sound ungrateful. The ice was gorgeous, and my sister-in-law works for Opryland and so was able to get us tickets. I just don't think I will do it again anytime soon. Owen actually loved the ice (but he also loved wearing his parka, hat, and mittens. He was mesmerized by all the colors and laughed and pointed until we sent him down the ice slide. He went flying in his slick parka and got very scared. Micah hated the whole thing. He didn't want to wear the coat and was freezing. At least cold moist air is really very good for Micah's cough. I finally convinced him to have a seat in the stroller with a big blanket and a sucker. When we left, we headed to dinner at the Rainforest cafe. Both boys thankfully loved that. The animals and waterfalls kept them entertained while we ate a yummy dinner. Saturday, Matt spent the day with the boys (great for all of them since he has worked the past two weekends), and I cooked a ham (the first big piece of meat I have attempted) , corn pudding, green beans with shallots and bacon balsamic dressing, cranberry-orange marmalade, maple sweet potatoes, a streusel topped pumpkin pie and a chess pie for dessert. It was a wonderful night of great food and company. The boys had fun spending time with their family. I didn't capture too many pictures, but I did get one cute one of Aunt Jessica with the boys.

Some Funny Quotes

Micah said "this jacket is 18 months. It is Owen Knox Morrison's"
-Micah love to look at what size everyones clothes are. He will often ask if my shirt is 28 T. Oh, and the reason the above quote is funny is that Knox is Micah's middle name, not Owen's!

Owen was looking very interested today as Micah was going potty before nap time. I asked if he wanted to try and got out the potty seat. He was loving pretending to be a big boy until Micah said in a very distressed voice: "I don't want Owen to go potty like a girl!"

Micah told me he wanted to have six more brothers today so that we would have 10 people in our family. I guess we better get busy! Maybe we could have just one sister ;) ?

Owen is typically very polite, responding "tank tu" after I give him something or do something for him. Today I was closing some tops on a toy for him to open and he kept saying "tank tu gum." I was confused until I realized he was saying "thank you, you're welcome!" I thought that was pretty cute.

A Few More

Jamie, Sam, and Riley left Thursday for the long trip back to Pennsylvania. We were so glad to have them and made so many memories while they were here. I can't believe they were here for three weeks as the time flew by (one of the hopes of the trip for Jamie: to get through a month without Drew quickly). Hopefully, she can brave the long drive again in the Spring so that they can come back. I thought I would post a couple more pictures from their time here.




We got out the neat sheet and let Micah and Sam paint some Christmas ornaments for a craft one day. They did a really good job. Unfortunately, with all the paints in plain view, Owen and Riley grew quite bored with their crayons.
Some afternoons Matt would go get Riley from his nap. He would often fall back asleep on the couch while snuggling with his Uncle Matt. It was adorable. Riley is the most loving little boy and loves lots of big hugs and cuddles. Matt loved spending time with this sweet boy.

Fun with Friends

Some pictures of the fun we are having with our friends.




Riley is talking on his remote control, ie, phone while Owen is watching some Veggie Tales before night night.
Here, Owen is pointing out the "whoa! biiiiiig cucks" on Riley's pj's. These boys have been good buddies aside from the "no! mine!" about the trucks. They both have a fascination this year with all trucks. Jamie and I have been doing some Christmas shopping, and Target has some pretty cute wooden trucks in their dollar spot that will make great stocking stuffers.
Matt's "horsey" is getting a workout with four babies who all want to ride. The kids always look forward to when Dada gets home. He plays with them to try to give us Mamas a break.
On our rainy days, Matt tried to give the kids a workout to burn off some energy. They would fist line up on the stairs and do some claps and shouts before they would take off on the obstacle course around the downstairs. They all had a lot of fun following all the silly directions like touching the door knob five times and then bunny hopping around the den.

Sick Boy and New Toy

We are experiencing another first with Micah: pneumonia. He woke Monday night, after going to bed healthy as can be, with croup. It was exactly how they describe it in the books, a seal barking cough. He was really upset because he was having such a hard time breathing. We stuck his head in the freezer and then steamed up the bathroom with the shower. The next day we went to Target to purchase his new night night friend: a Crane penguin humidifier. He woke the next morning seeming okay. He woke up again Wednesday night screaming and then again Thursday night. Finally on Friday I was contemplating taking him to the doctor because of the obvious pain he was in the nights before. I asked Jamie to come listen to his chest and she said she would take him if he were her child. I am so thankful she told me to go because it seems we caught it really early. We loaded up the Expedition, (Matt's dad has been kind enough to switch cars with us so we can all ride together) dropped the Costellos at the mall, and took a visit to the doctor. He was glad we came in because he heard a rattle in Micah's lung and prescribed an antibiotic to treat his mild pneumonia. So far the cough seems to be the same, and I still hear the rattling. I am praying it will resolve soon. We gave Micah one of his Christmas presents early so he could have a distraction. It is a text messenger that is also a planner and calculator, etc. He loves pushing all the buttons, syncing it with his watch, and plugging phone numbers in.

Get Candy, Get Candy, Get Candy!

Halloween evening began with our Friday night tradition: cheese dip and fajitas at Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant. Afterwards, the children were happy to get into costumes to go after dessert! Owen was some sort of crazy black cat that Jamie brought for us, Micah was a homemade calculator, and Riley and Sam were matching monkeys. Sam had to have her banana in her hand because "it will be so cute, mommy!" At the first house, Owen popped out of his wagon, went up to the house, held out his bucket, received his candy, asked me to open his lollipop, got back in the wagon, and ate it for the next 45 minutes. It was hilarious because it really seemed like he had been listening to us explain what we were going to do to the other kids. Apparently he understood too even though I don't think he has ever heard the word candy. He loved his costume, especially the fact that it had a hat. Micah asked if he could put his calculator on again the next night and get more candy! Sam and Riley had a blast riding in the push car of Owen's. I was only able to snap a few shots because they were all moving so fast.

Eighteen Month Report

I took Owen for his 18 month well baby visit yesterday. He has had a bit of a growth spurt, which we had expected due to his short pants! He is still a light weight at 22 lbs 6 oz (10%) but has shot up to 32 1/8 inches (45%). He is still holding onto his 90% head circumference. Other than that, we talked about development. The doctor said that Owen is doing great and is quite a talker with over a hundred words. We are so proud of this sweet little boy. Owen, you have enriched our lives so much, and we are so thankful for you. We pray God's blessings on you as you continue to grow.

Wonderful Weekend

We took a trip to Atlanta this past weekend to go to one of my college roommate's (Jenny Rutherford Ostenson) wedding. We stayed with the Brown's and had a wonderful trip. Nathan and Taylor were nice enough to keep the boys for us Friday night while we went to the beautiful wedding. It was a real treat to see my former supper club friends and to have a date with Matt. I could write an entire post about the gorgeous wedding details: fabulous food, beautiful flowers, a fun band, but the wedding ceremony was my favorite part. It was so nice to worship with Jenny and Jon. I love when the officiator gives a clear message of what the commitment of marriage means and that the marriage vows are extremely serious and not to be taken lightly (it is better for a man to not make a vow than to make one and break it).

The rest of the weekend was filled with fun. We went to the park on Saturday and had a picnic with friends. While we were there, Taylor took some pictures of us (I had asked her if she would try to get maybe one good shot, and she ended up getting hundreds! Thank you, Taylor for the priceless gift of family photos.) You can view some of them on her blog by clicking here. We always have such a relaxing time when we visit: no real agenda, lots of good food, and plenty of hang out time. Taylor also showered us with so many wonderful gifts. The boys will be sporting their new halloween pj's this week, and Owen is loving his new sippy cup by Boon. I am still eating the best birthday cake I have ever had (from a place called Piece of Cake in Atlanta) and enjoying the sweet smell of a pear basil candle from William Sonoma.

Upcoming Events

I thought I would do a little post to say we are about to embark on a busy few weeks and may be absent from the blog world. We are headed out of town to Atlanta today to see our dear friends, the Browns, and to go to another friend's wedding. I am hoping to post pictures early next week of what I know is going to be a wonderful weekend. We are looking forward to seeing so many friends. Also, our friends, Jamie, Sam and Riley Costello will be coming next week for an extended stay. If you remember from earlier Jamie's husband, Drew, is in Iraq. After two months, they are ready for a change. Please pray with us that the stay will be a break in routine for them, that they will find rest and comfort here, that the children will cooperate on the long drive down, that the Lord will grant us strength, keep us from exhaustion, and give us (Jamie and me) unbelievable patience. We are so excited to have them here with us. I wanted to post a couple of pictures from the early days, mainly for Jamie. The first two are of Sam and Micah at 4 and 6 months respectively. I think this was sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2005. And the later ones I think are from January 06.

Zoo Trip

On Friday, after dropping Micah at school, Owen and I went to the zoo. He is just at the age where he loves to see the animals. He had fun pointing at all of them. I thought it was cute that he would get so excited when he spotted them, look at them for a minute or so, then say "bye bye badeez" "Badeez" is his made up word for pretty much anything that he isn't sure how to pronounce. After saying bye bye, he would hop in the wagon and be ready for the next exhibit. He also loved using his many animal noises. I think his favorite was the petting zoo. They had the goats out roaming around, and Owen thought they were great. I was a little concerned that he would be too rough, but he complied with the "gentle, nice pets" rule.

Some of Owen's Favorites

This has been a tough week for Owen. He has all four molars coming in (a side note: my boys have a really hard time teething. These same four teeth have been giving him trouble for about a month with blisters, swelling, bleeding, resealing, etc. Now, finally all but one are officially through the gums.) On top of that, he has picked up a cold. He has been tired from coughing all night, and cranky from all the nose sucking and wiping (I HATE snotty noses. It really grosses me out, especially when they wipe it all over the back of their hand and then touch something else. I have been walking around with a tissue and bottle of Clorox anywhere to combat the germs) He has also been just generally discontent. He will ask for a snack and upon receiving his cracker, he will crush it and feed it to Ellie. Or he will ask for his drink and then tip it over and shake it everywhere. If I say no more snacks and drinks, he cries and cries. I want to scream! I have a hard time when my kids are sick because I really want to fix it, and I can't. So in an attempt to be positive, I have decided to post about some of Owen's favorite things, and some of the things he does that just make me smile.

-He says "ma mo" every time I say "I love you Owen" (this is how he says "I love you Mama")

-He lately wants to lay on the guest bed in his room when I tuck him in at night. He lays down and puts my hand on his back so that I can rub it while I sing him songs. He then points to my eyes, nose, cheeks, ears and, my favorite, "belbow." He laughs every time.

-He wants our whole family to be together when we are all home. Anytime one person walks out of the room, he will follow calling their name in such desperation in order to get them to come back.

-He calls Micah "di da" even though he can say m's perfectly fine.

- He won't let us shut the door for prayers at night until "E-E" has made her way up the stairs and to her spot on the floor.

-He adores flowers. He points to everyone of them while we take walks in another favorite, the "wa wa" (wagon). We got two big mums for the porch and as we walk downstairs, he says "fa wa" with a huge smile.

-He loves his stuffed animals. He has them all in a row at the end of his crib: Lion, Elephant, Rabbit, Dog-Dog, and a soft lamb that he actually sleeps on top of. Sometimes I see him talking to them in their respective animal noises.

-He sings along to the songs we have on CD in the car. After the first note of "All Creatures of Our God and King" he sings "Yuuuuuuuu Yaaaaaaaa" (alleluia) with all his might.

-He says "Bweez" for please.

-He loves to follow the directions that I give to Micah, who has a really hard time focusing on directions. He will often appear with Micah's shoes or go flush the toilet after I tell Micah to do it. I guess Micah will appreciate that as he gets older!

-He loves taking baths. He will often get in the bath tub to play a couple of times a day. He loves to fill a cup with the steam of cold water and pour it on his belly. He will say "oooohhhhhh" because it is so cold.

-He hates anything hot. He will dramatically say "HAAAAAAAA" anytime he sees me preparing food. I must let his rest on the counter until it is practically cold before he will even touch it.

He really just makes my day often. Even when he doesn't feel well, I often find myself smiling at my sweet little boy, snotty nose and all. I have also found myself being so thankful this week. Even though I have had a complaining spirit and wanted to be less exhausted, I remember these verses:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:28-31

and I am so encouraged. Praise the Lord that he does not poop out on us, or grow weary when we are not at our best. Forgive me, Owen and family for getting frustrated. How blessed are we that the Lord will renew our strength and do good things even when we are weary!

I took this picture a little over a week ago. He found these floaties and insisted on wearing them. He also has his toothbrush in hand. He loves to brush his teeth and always gives the lion on the brush and big kiss "ni ni."

Spaghetti Night and Sleepover

Last Thursday night we were privileged to have Oliver spend the night.  He is such a delight to have.  I can tell these boys are going to be long time buddies.  We had spaghetti for dinner, and I couldn't resist posting the pictures.  They loved it, obviously!   

Jumping Fun

In an attempt to come up with something creative and fun for the boys, I blew up an air mattress that I found under our guest bed. Our boys LOVE to jump. I thought I would give them something large that they could jump on or jump onto off our storage ottomans in the play room. It has been a big hit. They love it, especially Owen. Jumping is a new skill for him so he is thoroughly entertained by practicing multiple times a day. He will climb onto the ottoman, count to three, and jump (really fall) off onto the mattress. He laughs and starts over. Micah is a jumping pro and just laughs at Owen's attempts. The funny faces are what the boys come up with when I get out the camera. I guess it is their best attempt at a smile.

Nature Walk

First I wanted to give a preschool update. Micah LOVES preschool. I cannot tell you how happy that makes us. We really thought that going to preschool would be good for Micah, but it would have been really hard to keep it up if he wasn't into it. He is always so happy to go, and talks about it off and on throughout the week. The school we have chosen for him is such a blessing. He is learning some of the same songs, Bible verses, and catechism questions that we have taught him at home. Being taught these things by different people in a different setting is such a wonderful reinforcement that these things are indeed true! I have been enjoying spending time with just Owen. Today we went on a nature walk on the trail around our neighborhood. It felt wonderful to be outside in this amazing weather. I got nostalgic dressing Owen this morning. It is the first time he has worn Micah's old fall clothes. I got so many memories of chasing "my bubs" outside when he was 18 months. I thought I would post a comparison picture of the boys in the same outfit at exactly the same age-17 1/2 months.

They certainly have their own look, but it's clear they are definitely brothers. It is funny how they are so similar in size and coloring. Owen is also pictured above in utero, circa 20 weeks.