I just finished creating the pieces to “Mod Podge” to a paper craft box (square box with a lid) for three keepsake boxes for Owen. I’ll be able to put all his little baby treasures in them (those that won’t scan into a storybook!) like his first outfit from the hospital, his hospital bracelets, umbilical cord clip, footprint, hospital receiving blanket, favorite infant outfit, favorite baby toy, etc, etc, etc. Plus, the design of the boxes is made to match the look and colors of his “Owen’s First Year” storybook. The pieces for this box project are printed on two 12×12″ Heritage Makers scrap pages. A very inexpensive and yet totally personalized, custom project. So fun!
Archive for the 'Owen Patrick' Category

On our way to drop Ayden off at school late last week, Owen and I were discussing how many of his pants and pajamas no longer fit since he’s been eating and sleeping so much lately.
Mama: You’re getting SO big Owen! You keep eating and sleeping SO much and you just grow into a bigger and bigger boy each day!
Owen: Yeah! I’m getting SOOOOOO big!
Mama: You’re growing like a WEED!
Owen: No Mama! I’m NOT growing like a weed….. I’m growing like a PLANT!!!
I stand corrected!
This kid just cracks me up!
It’s all relative. In the life of a young family, with the youngest just turning 20-months yesterday, a monumental event can be defined thusly: Owen pooped on the potty like a big boy! Heck of a way to celebrate turning the big two-oh (months, that is!). To be honest, Patrick and I haven’t even given a thought to beginning the potty training adventure with Owen yet. The only attempt has been the pre-bath ritual, after the boys have stripped down to their birthday suits and run from one end of the house to the other, of each taking a turn on the potty before getting in the tub. Owen always eagerly climbs up, but had never actually deposited anything in, if you know what I mean. In fact, what usually happens is that once he climbs off the pot, he generally gets chilled and ends up peeing on the carpet before getting into the tub or shower. Cue simultaneous screaming “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” from mommy and daddy. Until yesterday… when I went into to his room to get him after his nap, he greeted me with a loud “toot” and said clearly, “Potty!”. So off we went! And sure enough, he went!!! Hooray! A monumental achievement in the life of one little boy! Ahhh, the things that excite us and we find blog-worthy as parents. Charming, isn’t it?
With Owen’s 18-month mark just around the bend (November 17th to be precise), he is growing and developing at an astonishing rate now! Every time we turn around he’s doing or saying something new… we literally can’t keep up anymore. In fact, at dinner a couple of nights ago, as I fed Owen his last bite of dinner, he very clearly announced “ALL FULL!”… as Patrick’s head snapped up in astonishment and asked, “Did he just say ALL FULL???”. I had to shamefully admit that Owen’s actually been saying that for about a week, though I had neglected to mention the accomplishment to his Daddy… there are just so many little achievements like that these days that my head is just spinning as I try to keep up! A few of the more noteworthy items Owen has added to his vocab of late include: tractor, truck, book, Emery (said “Emreeeeee”), happy (said “ha-peeeee”), Halloween (said “hah-weeeeeen”), blanky (said “bah-keee”), welcome (said “weh-coh”, though with the proper tone and inflection - and he often follows his own “thank you” with a prompt “weh-coh”).
There is no trace of baby left in Owen… he’s all boy now (except that he still loves to suck his two fingers when he’s sleepy and he has to have his special white blanky at bedtime!). And having big brother around is both good and bad… Owen loves to imitate Ayden - whether it’s yelling “NO NO NO!” in a very obnoxious, bratty 3-year-old tone of voice, climbing a tower of couch cushions that have been stacked into a pile 5 feet tall, or hiding from Mama under Grandma Gail’s bed when I’m searching the house looking for them. I’m fully aware that this mimicry is just the tip of the iceberg and will continue for many many years. Oy vey!
Owen has also become rather obsessed with cows - I think largely due to a YouTube video that both he and Ayden can’t seem to get enough of. Dancing Cow! Whenever the laptop is open, Owen points to it and emphatically says “MOOOOOO! MOOOOOO!”, which translates into “please play the Dancing Cow video from YouTube!” Both of the boys get HUGE grins on their faces and start to dance as soon as they hear the first note of the song. Owen even knows the video/song so well, that about 5 seconds before the end, he’s already doing the hand-sign for “more” and asking us to replay it!!! I kid you not!!!
Ayden is feeling like quite the big boy these days, since he’s taking 3 classes through the local Parks and Rec program. He’s enrolled in a swimming class (the second in the series), a “Kids Sports” class (which is basically a variety sports class where they do a different sport each week), and a “Play, Learn & Explore” class (designed to be a pre-school style one-hour class). None of these classes allow for parent participation, so he’s been forced to be Mr. Independent. This didn’t go so well for the first week or so (lot’s of crying and separation anxiety), but I stuck to my guns, and though heart-strings were tugged almost to the breaking point, I left him to fend for himself and stand on his own two feet. I’m glad I did, because he’s absolutely thriving in all three classes and looks forward to going each week with uncontrollable enthusiasm!
Since we’re already nearing the holiday season and it seems like the toy commercials are already ramping up, Ayden has seen his fair share. The other day he came to me and said, “Mommy, if I had a Candy Castle I would be SOOOOOOOO happy!”. First of all, I have no idea what a Candy Castle is, and secondly, how does he?!?! Well it didn’t take long for me to see my first Candy Castle commercial and to learn where Ayden got the idea. Since then, we’ve received literally dozens of toy catalogs in the mail, which Ayden goes through and tells me each item that would make him “SO HAPPY” if he had for Christmas. Seriously, where does a three-year-old get that idea???

I just can’t seem to catch my breath this summer! Every time I stop to look, another month has screamed by and I’m frantic to scribble down some notes before I forget the details! Sorry folks, it’s been a jam-packed summer this 2008! On to business…
A very happy 30th birthday to our dear Uncle Chad! Yipee! You’re officially old like me!
We said “Goodbye!” to Patrick’s beloved $4.90/gal diesel guzzling truck via private sale on Craigslist.
We made our second annual trip to Antique Powerland:
Ayden has completed his first-ever series of Level A swimming lessons at the Conestoga Aquatic Center!
A fun family trip to Seaside to visit the family and the beach - it’s been awhile!
We helped Emery celebrate his THIRD birthday! What a BIG BOY!
Our annual family trip to the Clackamas County Fair to let the kids ride the rides, see the animals, walk through the exhibits and generally experience good old-fashioned fair atmosphere!
Whew! I wasn’t kidding when I said we’ve been busy! This pictorial jaunt takes you through our past four weeks and pretty much brings you up to date. I’ll try to post the associated galleries that have the many, many other pictures that go along with each of these adventures - but this is what you get for tonight! I’m going to bed! Enjoy!
Time to play catch-up once again! Sorry folks, consistency is not my forte these days! Owen turned 14 months old (geez… a week and a half ago already! What kind of mother am I???). He’s still not walking, though really should be. He has the strength and balance to do so, but he just hasn’t taken it upon himself to become that independent… still likes to hang on Mama’s leg and whine to be picked up ;-) Thus far, it’s working - the whining, not the walking. He has pushed through both his eye teeth, though none of his molars, which the pediatricians says is a bit unusual and out of order - as usual, Owen does things his own way and by his own schedule. Always has, always will. His funny little personality is getting bigger everyday. He has mastered the “fake” laugh (HA HA HA) which he uses when he hears other people laughing… which makes us laugh even more! :-) He believes fully that every furry animals makes the sound “Meow!”. He uses the hand sign for ‘all done’ properly after meals and when he’s finished all the snacks on his tray. He loves taking showers with Daddy and big brother and doesn’t mind all the water running down his face while he sits on the shower floor playing toys. He can climb up onto Ayden’s bed and Mommy and Daddy’s bed via step-stool without help, much to our chagrin. Owen’s a much more adventurous and fearless little climber monkey than Ayden ever was, which makes it that much more difficult to keep the bumps and bruises at bay. He’s very much a music man and will enthusiastically rock back and forth or clap and smile when he hears peppy, upbeat music playing. It’s adorable to watch him choose a car, truck or train toy and orient it properly on the floor, then crawl along, pushing it as he goes, making his own “engine” sound as drool pours from his mouth! He’s also learned the sound of the garage door opening when Daddy arrives home in the evening and he’ll squeal “DADA!!” and make a beeline for the garage door to greet him. He is a total riot and he makes us laugh every single day. What a beautiful little spirit! He just gets more and more fun as the days goes by!
As for the statistically significant medical update, here’s how that played out:
Height: 32.5″ (95th percentile)
Weight: 24lb 6oz (60th percentile)
Head: 49.5 cm (100th percentile)
In summary, tall and skinny. His next official doctor visit is at 18 months.
So I missed the mark by a few days… what can I say? We’ve been a busy lot around here! Nanna arrived last Friday to visit and help out with watching the boys while Patrick and I frantically try to gut and update the interior of our rental property out in Troutdale (nearly an hour drive each way from our house!). Each of the past four weekends, in thier entirety, have been consumed by this… so Nanna’s help is very much appreciated, and the boys are LOVING Nanna time!
So back to Owen… in his 13th month he really managed to perfect his “riding” abilities. If we put him on any of the little tricycle-type bikes we have, he can really rip along (both forward and backward), and if he can pull up along side something to grab onto, he can successfully dismount and crawl off to some other trouble! He still can’t turn or steer at all, so if he ends up running into something, he just complains until someone comes to rescue him or he gets off and heads for greener pastures.
He also added a few baby words to his vocabulary… besides “da-da”, he can now say, “Nana”, “caca”, and very enthusiastically “Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” while doing the rapid open-close hand wave with both hands. You can really tell that he’s becoming very aware of his world and surroundings. In the past few days he has starting copying our cat when he meow’s. He actually almost sounds like a real “meow” - it’s very cute! He can also oink like a piggy, and sniff to smell things when he hears other people make a sniffing sound. He’s also become quite animated with the faces he makes during meal time, especially once he’s full or if he doesn’t like the flavor of something! As of today, four days past the official 13 month mark, he is pushing through BOTH eye teeth simultaneously. Joy. He’s a misery guts and not sleeping well because of it… and neither are we. On to the fourteenth month and Owen’s second Indepence Day, though first one where he’ll actually be aware of all the fireworks and commotion… should be fun!
As promised, I have finally posted a bunch of photos from Owen’s birthday party this past Sunday. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we had a great turnout with family and friends. As is tradition in our family, Owen had his first taste of ice cream in the form of a Baskin Robbins Clown Cone. My mom started this yummy tradition with me and my siblings almost 30 years ago - and still going strong. The highlight of the party were the large household spray bottles that Auntie Korrisa brought for the kids to use as squirt guns (on steroids!). There are tons of photos for your viewing pleasure! Happy Birthday Owen!!!
Well, the baby of the family is officially no longer a baby. Owen turned one year old yesterday (May 16th). We’re almost to the point of NOT counting his age in months… though that seems to last for the first 18 months, and sometimes as long as 2 years. His twelfth month was an eventful one, full of small developmental accomplishments and discoveries. It’s the little things in life that make him a happier little person, like figuring out how to tip his head and bottle UP so that he can get the water out. He now is attempting to point at things by pinching his thumb and first finger together, then pointing with his little pinky sticking straight out. It’s pretty funny! He’s really starting to babble like crazy now. He can officially say “Da da” now… and as excited as Patrick was to claim Owen had pronounced his name first, Owen then promptly pointed at our cat and said “Da-da!”, then at a shoe and said “Da-da.” Yeah, we’ve got some vocabulary yet to learn!!! It’s hard to believe that a year has already gone by. Though it’s equally hard to remember life without our fourth family member. Since Owen’s special day fell on a Friday this year, we’re doing his official birthday celebration on Sunday when the family is able to get together. Pictures of the party will follow, but for now enjoy the photos from his “real” birthday on Friday!
First order of business… Owen is 11 months old today! One year, here we come! He capped off the day with a record sprint to the top of the stairs - this is day two of his stair ascension prowess. There are a few photos of the triumphant event in the new gallery.
Second item on the agenda - to explain the title of this post. Ayden has recently taken a liking to the game “hide and seek” and has asked to play every evening for the past week or so. In the beginning, as he was still trying to get a grasp on how the game works, Patrick and I would work together by dialogging something like this:
Patrick: Where’s Ayden? Mommy, can you smell him in here?
Chloe: Yep. I smell him. [audible sniff]
Patrick: Oh, me too. I think I’m getting closer… [sniff, sniff, etc]
Somehow or another Ayden managed to interpret this version of the game with a new name… Smelly Stinkers. So instead of asking us to play “hide and seek”, we’re now asked to play Smelly Stinkers every evening!







