ONE

Dear Owen,

Please stop growing up so fast! Where has this first year gone? The simple fact that we moved from Arizona to Massachusetts while I was pregnant with you, then from Massachusetts to Missouri when you were 7 months old has made time fly, but you are also bound and determined to be older and bigger than you are. I can only imagine the conversations we will have in the coming years with the desire you already exhibit to grow up faster than I want you to. Please, can you stay my little baby just a wee bit longer?

You are now walking like a champ, and have been an official biped since you were ten months old - you completely SKIPPED crawling! Stairs are the enemy to your safety right now, but you don't believe me. I have lost count of how many times you have tumbled down the short 4 step flight between our living room and kitchen, though thankfully I finally got a functional gate for our basement stairs. You have also started climbing the stepstool, and the open dishwasher. Your determination is unflappable. You have had countless bumps and bruises from your adventures, including a bruised EYELID from falling into the babygate I put up for your SAFETY. I am really hoping that your adventurous nature does not land you in the emergency room this next year.

Thankfully, you still love to be wrapped when you are tired, or carried in our Ergo when I'm at the store. You are also still nursing strong, though you are down to 3-4 times a day. Whenever you want to nurse, you fling yourself into my lap, nod your head vigorously, and grunt "uh, uh," or "sss sss" for nurse. You also LOVE food. You will eat ANYTHING, and I've gotten good at the baby heimlich maneuver because of it. You sleep cuddled right up next to me at night, and you are quite the little heater. Even though the weather is turning colder, you can sweat a puddle in the bed in no time! I am pleased that you still enjoy being rocked to sleep with the sound of our ocean waves cd playing, though you won't usually stay asleep for long if you are put to bed alone.

I am also pleasantly surprised at what a Mama's boy you are becoming at this age. You run to me over and over throughout the day to be picked up - usually because you need rescuing from whatever tiff you and big brother have gotten into. I must say, you want to do anything and everything Eli is doing, and he is not always (or even usually) pleased with that. I hope that you two will learn to play more nicely together in the coming year. You are never far from my side though, and will follow me from room to room - if I manage to somehow walk out without your knowledge, immediate screaming and hysterical crying ensues. I somehow manage to get ready every morning with you right under my legs, pulling on my clothes, opening and closing the cabinet into my knees, and rifling through all of my drawers. The other day while I was showering, you proceeded to empty the dirty clothes hamper INTO the shower with me. You also really love toilet paper, the toilet bowl scrubber, and the toilet itself - thankfully you can't open the lid yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

You also LOVE books, and have thankfully started to rip them less, and bring them to me to actually READ more. It is ADORABLE when you haul one of our large books that you can barely lift across the room to me, and then proceed to thrust yourself into my lap no matter what I am doing/holding. It melts my heart, and I can never put you off for long.

Owen, I want you to know that you light up our lives! I know I get worn out too easily and get exasperated too often, but I ADORE you and I'm ever so glad that you are with us. It seemed that you just could not wait to join us (last year really was tricky timing to have a baby!), and that has shown through in your personality this past year. But we are even more of a family with you here, and love watching you grow and learn. We can tell that you are intelligent beyond your years, that you are ambitious and determined, physically and socially inclined, and as SWEET as PIE. I love you my little baby, and look forward to another year as your Mom.

Love,
Mommy

Balloons!

Presents!

Cake!

Your Celebration

Your birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we took you to the park the day before. You ended up falling asleep on the way there, so we let you snooze for an hour while Eli played. When you got out, you certainly enjoyed the slides, the sandbox, and the fallen leaves! That night Eli stayed up til 11pm with me helping to decorate. He was so excited about all of it he kept saying "oh, it's my birthday party!" and had to be reminded that it was for you. He was pretty excited about that too, thankfully.

The next day you awoke to a living room full of green balloons, and were so excited that you were shaking as you squealed and picked them up! After church we had naps, and then our friends the Ellingsons came over. Emily (mommy's friend) shares a birthday with you, so we had a lovely steak and mashed potatoes dinner together, opened presents, and had cake and icecream. Thankfully, Eli was gracious about you receiving presents and not him, though he was pretty quick to help you open the gifts when you fell behind. You received crayons and a BIG roll of newsprint for coloring from the Ellingsons, a shopping cart and Curious George movie from Grandma and Grandpa K., Dino Pets book and some toy Dinosaurs from Mom and Dad, and bean bags that Mom and Eli made for you. You love pushing that cart around and filling it with things! I made your cake - a green Dinosaur! You loved grabbing fistfulls of it and throwing it onto the floor! When you finally got a taste, there was no stopping you! The chocolate also gave you a second wind, and you ran around the house full of energy until 10pm!

Your Favorites at One

Toys: Matchbox cars, Anything in drawers and cabinets, books, balls, anything Eli is playing with, my cell phone!, baby dolls

Food: So far, you like most things! Oatmeal, bananas, carrots, turkey, mashed potatoes, fish crackers, stirfry (WITH soysauce please), pizza, eggs, salmon, pesto and pasta, chili, etc. I really haven't noticed anything you don't like yet.

TV: I don't let you watch TV yet - other than Oprah with me in the afternoons =).

Books: Barnyard Boogie (a puppet book about the farm - you try to copy the animal sounds in it), The Little Engine that Could, Ten Little Ladybugs, The Icky Sticky Frog (you copy the slurping sound from this book)

Play: Going in and out of the Pirate Ship Playhouse we have - over and over again! Bringing things to me and saying "hee go, kaykoo" (here you go, thank you), running around the living room and screaming with Eli, exploring our playroom, doing "vroom vroom" with cars, climbing stairs, dancing to music

Places: Library, My Bathroom, Kitchen =)

Friends: So far we are the center of your world! You really like to follow and copy Eli, but you love to be near Mommy, and you BEAM when Daddy walks in and screech "Daddy!" - screaming in indignation if he does not immediately pick you up!

Words: Ree - Read
Whee!
bebo - bubbles (in the tub)
bah buh (bath)
hee go, kaykoo (here you go, thank you)
Yi Yi - Eli
Hi!
Uh Oh!
Boo!
Hewo (says this pressing the cell phone to the back of his head)
vroom!
Bay Bee (baby - picks up baby dolls and talks to them)
Da da doo! (cockadoodledoo!)
Ee aw! (hee haw - donkey sound)
ahah! (monkey sound)
Wick a wee (Trick or treat)
Up (says it over and over as he climbs the stairs, or anything)
Dop! (stop!)
Dee Daw (Ding Dong from The Little Engine that Could)
Owen is learning new words everyday! The sounds he tries to imitate already really impress me!

Songs: Owen loves music and singing. He perks up whenever we sing primary songs, and has also shown approval for Michael Jackson music! He bends his knees and bobs his head in rhythm to any dance worthy tunes.

Stats: Haven't been to the Dr. yet for weight but I'm guessing 26 pounds. He wears a 2T in shirts and 18 month pants - pretty much what Eli wore at this age. He has silky, golden blonde hair that curls up in the back, and blue eyes. I love his chubby cheeks and his award winning smile - four adorable teeth on top and two on the bottom. I also love his smell - I enjoy burrowing my nose in the top of his head as I rock him, or cuddle to sleep.

Potty Time

Elmo, I apologize. I didn't used to like you, and in general I don't usually tolerate Sesame Street in my house. But I was wrong. I don't know what magical powers of persuasion you possess, but today my nearly 3 year old asked to wear his "big kid underwear pants" and at lunch, he announced that he was going to "pee in the potty like Elmo." We've been down this road before with no success. Sure big kid underwear with Lightning McQueen on it is fun to wear, and it's also fun to pee in. No pee has ever been produced in our little kid potty... until today.

After his announcement, I went in to the bathroom with Eli and helped him get situated. He chatted the entire time "Oh, I'm squeezing my tummy. I'm peeing really hard. Oh where's my yellow pee?" I never heard anything so I didn't think he'd gone, but sure enough, he DID IT! He even helped dump it in the big potty and flush! We called Grandma and Grandpa K. and left a message with Grandma and Grandpa B. Eli told them himself "I peed on my potty." What's even better, is that Brad was home for Lunch (a rarity) so he was able to participate in the joy. We high-fived, we hugged, we ate candy.

Later today there was poop and pee in the underwear, and pee on the floor to clean up, but nevertheless, there was a small potty success! I don't know if mine will be the first child completely potty trained by Elmo, but I'm willing to just let the little red guy have it from here. Thanks again Elmo for the positive peer pressure, and thanks Grandma K. for the inspirational purchase!

PS. Elmo, do you have an "Elmo Eats Vegetables" video coming out anytime soon???

Halloween Festivities

This year's Halloween was the most fun I've had for this holiday in YEARS! I have always loved Halloween, getting dressed up, eating candy, carving pumpkins etc - but those years in between childhood and having your own kids can be kind of lame when it comes to Halloween. This year Eli was PUMPED for Trick or Treating - we practiced at home on a daily basis, and even Owen got all excited about knocking on doors, squealing, and getting something tossed in his bucket. We also had fun with crafts and cookies during the weeks leading up to the big day.

On Halloween we got up early, dressed nicely, and headed to the park for family pictures. Both of my kids made a scene because Eli wanted to go down the slide, and Owen wanted to jump in the pond, so hopefully we managed to get some good shots out of the chaos (a friend was the photographer - she was so nice about the theatrics!). Following the photo shoot, Owen fell in the parking lot and got a bloody mouth and fat lip. Then we went to the ward (church) sugar fest, aka party and Trunk or Treat (you go from car to car getting candy), then we got dinner, then we went home for some good old fashioned door to door Trick or Treating! We went much longer/farther than I anticipated, but the kids had a BLAST. The weather was just right, there were hordes of kids in costumes roaming the neighborhood, and it was just such FUN. We could NOT keep Eli from going into people's houses though... he would knock, they would open the door, and IN he'd go! We'll have to work on that for next year...

On Sunday Eli had to be sent out of nursery early due to unfriendly behavior - I had to carry him flailing and screaming out of the building, then back into the building when I realized Brad had the keys, then back out of the building. It took all my muscles and crisis negotiation skills to get him into his carseat... I took him home, fed him real food, banned sugar for the rest of the day, sent him to his room with a movie for a couple hours... and he finally came back out a normal child. Talk about a sugar crash! I guess his little body wasn't used to all that junk! If there's one thing I would "re-do" about Halloween if I could, it would be to have everyone give out dried fruit, nuts and whole grain crackers instead of candy! Well, that and I'd take away all the "evil-scary" decorations and costumes. =)

And now for the festivities in pictures.

Crafts and Cookies

Pumpkins

Costumes and Candy

*For the record. The boys were Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat. I bought the monkey costume when Eli was a baby, and my mom made the yellow outfit - I made the tie, belt and hat. I spent an ENTIRE day making that hat too... Eli was so excited about it and loved modeling it.... until Halloween. He REFUSED to wear it. I finally got it on his head for a quick picture, and that was it. By the end of the night he'd taken off the tie too, so most people thought he was a Jedi or a karate kid. Oh well. =)

Gifts

So I turned 29 this week. I haven't really been looking forward to 29 ... it feels kind of like the beginning of the END ... the end of youth, or the end of the 20's anyway. I used to think only *old* people reminisced about "where time has gone," and now I feel that exact same way. I have now known my husband for nearly a third of my life, I have as many kids as my parents had, I've got a mortgage and bills and... well now I'm just sounding like a country song! I feel like all the major milestones that I dreamed of in my youth have been attained - college, marriage, kids ... so what now? Retirement? Lol. I still have goals, they just seem a little less life changing - become a better mother to my kids, keep my marriage strong, keep learning and figuring out what I want to "be" when I "grow up." =)

As for the festivities, Brad and I were able to go out to dinner ALONE, thanks to a wonderful friend in the ward who offered to watch our kids. It has been exactly ONE YEAR since we have been out on a date alone - for my last birthday! We had both forgotten what it was like to sit down to a nice meal in peace and calm. It was wonderful. We actually went out the night before because Brad had a work meeting the night of my actual b-day, though he was able to come home for dinner and to have cake with me and the kids - yummy banana cake that he made himself! Eli sang the entire bday song to me all on his own - it was so sweet! Though we did have to sing to him and let him blow the candles out too =).

The next night I went for a Girls' Night Out with some ladies in the ward and we had dinner. I haven't really gone to dinner with friends since who knows when either, so that was also nice. While there, someone asked me "So what did you GET?" (meaning for my bday). At first I felt a little sheepish and mumbled something about "um, er, we decided not to do presents this year, er, uh..." But it really got me thinking about the true GIFTS that I enjoy! The beautiful birthday song from my son, the thoughtful cake from my hubby and the pleasant night out together (he did get me some beautiful orange roses by the way!), the phone calls from two of my dearest life long friends, my parents singing to me over the phone, the package from my mommy who always makes me feel special, the card from my grandma, the chat with my sister... basically connecting and reconnecting with people I love and who love me back! I realized that being loved and remembered are truly the best gifts, and I'm so lucky to have received them this year!

And now for a fun little "before and after." Losing a lot of babyweight is a nice gift too, haha. Owen's is gone, but I'm still working on Eli's! Lol! The saying should be "nine months to put it on, 3 years to take it off!"

Last year's B-day:

This Year (cute shirt from my Mommy):

Homecoming

Columbia is the proud home of the University of Missouri, or MU, or more affectionately known as "Mizzou." I have never seen such loyal fans in my life as I have out here for the Mizzou Tigers. On game day, you can't drive downtown without dodging your way through miles and miles of cars parked along the roads, tailgating from the early morning hours. Football games with big rivals make headline news... needless to say the homecoming parade on Saturday was a big "to do!" Of course nothing can beat the 4th of July parade in Pittsfield, MA, but this one was pretty fun. We were an hour late getting there, so we just went straight to the very end of the parade route, and got our seats set up just as the first float came by - perfect timing! It was a little chilly to start out with, but the boys had a blast - especially when the parade participants started throwing candy, footballs, stickers, etc. Afterwards we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the park, and had some fun throwing fallen leaves into the river. We had to peel the kids away kicking and screaming =). I LOVE FALL!

Two and a Half

Two and a half has been such a wonderful age! Now that Eli is almost three, I figured I had better get around to this post! It was bad timing to hit an age milestone in June this year because of the move, but on the other hand, waiting a few months to write about it has given me time to take a lot more notes!

I'll admit, pre-two and two was kind of rough, but at two and a half it was like a light went off in Eli's developing little mind. The raging tantrums cooled down, and the language and imagination revved up. Eli regularly sings songs he knows, makes up his own songs, "reads" books from memorization, pretend plays and re-enacts scenes from his favorite books and movies, loves to climb and slide, and of course he provides me with an endless commentary on life from the eyes of a two and a half year old. He still loves his sea creatures, but has recently made an obvious shift in preference to Dinosaurs and Trains, with Lizards and Bats rolling in close behind. Needless to say we've been doing a lot of bat related activities this Halloween season. Favorite books of the moment: Stellaluna, Dinosaurumpus!, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?. He now officially goes to sleep at night with a story and a cuddle instead of nursing (since June), and will even request Brad over me for this bedtime routine! We read scriptures together before family prayer and bedtime, and he is really into it right now. The other night we had to re-enact Nephi getting the "grass pwates" (brass plates) for a half an hour straight.

Eli is a loving big brother, often saying "I LOVE Owen, I LOVE him!" while in the same moment practically wrestling the poor little guy to the ground. But even with all his newfound hobbies and independence, Eli still loves to be my little shadow. He will follow me from room to room even if he is involved in play, and he likes to be of "help" for any and all projects (laundry, lawn mowing, sanding, repairs, and most recently - painting!). I will often find screwdrivers jammed into various openings in my furniture. Eli tells me on a regular basis "I wuv you mommy! I wuv you SO MUCH!" He is still a hugger, cuddler, kisser, hand holder and a special joy to our family. He likes to say "I'm a wittle baby," and it's hard for me to believe that my wittle baby is growing up so fast!

And now for the motivating reason for this post - the Eli-isms that put a smile on my face! Some of them are just cute, others are pee-your-pants-funny!

Earlier Quotables:

During a big storm this summer: Oh, the thunder is singing!

While petting Owen's head: Oh, so nice. E-I nice broder.

He is interested in the fact that babies come out of moms' tummies and sometimes makes references about random people coming out of tummies: Gama K. come out the E-I's tummy!

His favorite babysitters in MA were leaving the house: Take the boy! (meaning take him with)

Recent Quotables:

We sometimes refer to poop as a "turkey." Eli points to his diaper one day: I got a turkey in there! Mom, I pooped a turkey!

While playing in our toyroom: My tummy hurts! My tummy hurts! Got a baby in my tummy!

Grocery shopping at Walmart I nearly ran into one of the stockers and told him I was sorry. The person was a man, so Eli says: Oh, sorry other daddy!
A few minutes later in the bakery, a woman with a tray full of fresh bread had to squeeze past us in a small isle. She was very petite - shorter than me and very skinny except for a tiny pregnant belly. Her hair was back in a net. I said nothing to her. Eli noticed her squeezing by and said: Oh, sorry! Sorry wittle guy! (he had to pause and think about what to call her).

Me: Owen, stop throwing your food on the floor!
Eli: Mommy don't say that! You'll make Owen cry!

Me while driving: What is WRONG with you?! (said to oncoming crazy driver).
Eli: Mommy don't say that! You'll make Daddy cry!

About anything and everything: I do it! No, I can't do it! It's kinda too hard!

About anything he doesn't understand: Oh no! What's happened?

Standing on top of our slide: I'm tall! Like Daddy does!

Owen was wearing monkey pj's and Eli was wearing his "Sunny Dog" pj's: I'm Sunny. Owen's a monkey. Mommy's a big monkey. I love my big monkey!

While watching Dancing with the Stars: Mommy's not tall. Mommy's wittle. And Daddy's big! (not sure if he was referring to the dancers or to us).

Eli was playing with his baby. Me: Are you the baby's daddy?
Eli: No, Daddy's the Daddy!

While playing with my hair: Mommy has long hair... like a dinosaur!

While in trouble and crying: I need my friend mommy!

I was changing my shirt after painting. Owen started crying so I picked him up. Holding him shirtless pushed my nice post-baby-stomach-pooch out and Eli noticed: (pats my stomach) Oh, Mommy's tummy is really full... so coot (cute)!

While sitting in Sacrament Meeting (church) Eli says to Owen: Owen, you came out of Mommy's tummy and got born. You got wittle (little)!

Last but not least, my favorite prayer he has given recently. He likes to say one every single night no matter who else prays, but most of them are pretty short. He was feeling thankful: Heavy Fader, Take you dis day, and Gama Gapa wuv us, and Owen wuv us, and Mommy wuv us, and Daddy wuv us, and Book of Mormons, Daddy read Book of Mormon, and Jesus wuv us. Amen. (wuv = love).

Walking

It's official! My BABY is WALKING! He has been taking a few steps to Brad and I here and there for a couple of months, then all of a sudden last Tuesday, he up and walked across to the floor to me while we were at the library... and there's been no stopping him since. He walks laps around our couch and he can stand up by himself in the middle of the floor. The funny thing is - he still can't crawl. If he ends up on his belly, he flails and screams about it. I'm sure he'll have to go back and learn that skill, but this kid has wanted to go straight to walking/running all along. Cue the Halleluja chorus.... kind of. I have been insisting for months that if Owen would just WALK already I would certainly have a new found freedom, as he insisted on being walked with hand holding, or held most of the day. I was WRONG. Now I have to spend every waking second of the day making sure he doesn't mortally injure himself!

The biggest problem is our stairs - we have two sets - a short set from the living room up into the kitchen, and the long steep set near the front door that goes down into the basement. Now, Eli didn't walk until 15 months (Owen is 11 months), and he wouldn't go NEAR any stairs unless I was holding his hand. Owen on the other hand is intent on flinging himself head first down the stairs. Both stairways have awkward configurations that our baby gate won't fit either, so I'm researching configurable gates (yay, just what I wanted to spend nearly $100 on), but in the meantime it's vigilance alone keeping the child from certain injury. Just today he plummeted head first down the short set of stairs - I dove to catch him but wasn't fast enough. He has no fear, and thinks he can just do it. I have pushed my couch up against the entrance to the basement stairs as a barricade, so anyone coming in our front door will have to jump or climb over in order to actually get into our house! On the plus side, having the couch in the entry way sure makes the living room look bigger - all the more space for the boys to run around with their little push toys. The short set of stairs is still unprotected, and Owen already climbs them as if he's been doing it all along - but I've got to be right behind him because he inevitably tumbles backwards.

The next biggest danger besides the stairs is simply BIG BROTHER. Eli is THRILLED that Owen is walking! He is so excited about it that he thinks Owen is ready to just run and play and rough house, so I have to remind him every ten seconds to play gently, be careful, don't push or bump or run into Owen....

I have to admit, it is pretty adorable to watch him toddling around. But I was so worn out from chasing and protecting him all day, that I practically went comatose on the couch when Brad finally got home and took over. I'd better get those gates ordered soon...


P.S. You might recognize the monkey PJ's... yes they are Eli's from last season - a 2T!