Train Ride

We've started another tradition this year...riding the local "Christmas Train". We met several friends and their kids for the hour long train ride that went from Springdale to Centerton (yes, very sexy). The kids seemed to love it, and I think the adults were really thankful we didn't take the three hour long ride instead! We drank hot chocolate, watched tractors and cows out the windows, and devoured tons of snacks. Good times!

(and the picture of my guys in the middle seemed to capture the moods of them all that day...oh, Ethan...)

Sooner Men

Ethan declared Saturday morning "guy's morning". So they all donned their Sooner gear and headed to Krispy Kreme for breakfast. At first I was a little sad...thinking I needed to have a daughter that would want a morning with me...but as I drank my coffee and basked in the silence, I figured if this was my lot in life, it wasn't such a bad thing!

9 Months Old

It's so crazy to me that Owen is 9 months old. I'd say it's flown by, but I think I sound like a broken record! It's been a big last month for him as he's had two teeth pop in, he's started waving bye-bye, raising his hands above his had when asked "how big is Owen?", and pulling himself up on things. His "army crawl" has gotten quite fast, and he's on the cusp of figuring out how to crawl. He is ALWAYS on the move, and he is still putting EVERYTHING in his mouth. We've had to start saying "no, no" b/c he loves pulling things out of the wall outlets. That little stinker knows exactly what he's doing too...he'll reach his hand up, look at me, shake his head back and forth as if saying "no, no", and then touch it anyway. This is going to be fun! He still continues to enjoying exerting his independence when it comes to eating...if only he'd get some more teeth to eat with. We did make one trip to the hospital a few weeks ago after he had a really bad cold and his lips kept turning blue. They ran the gamut of tests only to tell us he had a "virus". Lovely. He's doing great now, and we're looking forward to celebrating his first Christmas!

Branson

I have done such a bad job of keeping my blog up, that rather than try to update the last month, I've decided just to start from this past weekend. I didn't even get pictures at Thanksgiving...I am slacking.

We took a small family vacation to the hot spot of Branson, MO this past weekend. We wanted to start the family tradition of seeing the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City, and hitting the outlet mall, of course. To make the trip a tad more memorable, the weather took it's first dive south...it was in the 20s the evening we were in Silver Dollar City. I was a little concerned about it being too cold for Owen, but he ended up being the warmest of us all. He rode in my Moby under my ginormous coat. It was a little touch and go with Ethan for awhile - he was awakened from his nap early to go, and he was NOT feeling it. But once we got on the Christmas Train, all was well. The lights were amazing, and the big tree was gorgeous. I think what made the trip the most memorable, though, was meeting an older man named Gordon. We sat next to him at dinner and started talking to him. His wife died four years earlier and he has since made the trip to SDC every Christmas to reminisce about her and their times together. He showed us pictures of her, told us how they met, how she passed away, and all about their children. He told us to enjoy the time we have together because it goes so quickly. I was in tears pretty much the whole time. On our way to Branson, we'd prayed that we'd be able to love on whomever we met. I think we were able to love on Gordon a bit, but he really ministered to us more than anything. Suddenly, all the things that were robbing us enjoying the night as a family seemed really insignificant.

The next day we hit the Tanger Outlet Mall (a little piece of heaven for Chris!). We knocked out quite a bit of our Christmas shopping. The boys were troopers - they ingested their weight in snacks to keep them happy!

I think we'll try and go earlier in the year next season in hopes for warmer weather, but all in all it was the perfect beginning to a new family tradition.

Halloween Pictures

Ethan got to go trick-or-treating three different times this year. The first time out, I forgot to clarify that you don't actually go into the house after ringing the door bell and saying "trick or treat!". He ended up in three different people's homes...ready to chat it up with them. He received WAY too much candy, but I have been helping him out with it...

Brothers

I was going through our Halloween pictures, and I had to compare the boys both wearing the same costumes at roughly the same age. I don't think they look anything alike. They both wear their food on their face quite nicely, though. Apparently I need to do a better job of wiping them off after dinner...

Stillwater

Last week we spent in Stillwater with my family while Chris was out of town. The boys and I had a blast hanging out with Mimi and Papi. Katie, Jon, Jack and Claire even came for a day to play. Jack and Ethan spent the afternoon fighting the "bad guys", while Claire and Owen were in their own little world. My mom took the Jack and Ethan to pick out some fun pajamas while we were there, and they were both VERY excited about them. The time together really made me excited about Christmas...

Bedtime

Ethan likes picking out his pajamas. I like to encourage his independence and creativity. But for some reason, mismatched pjs really drive me bonkers. I have had to let it go though, because I decided it's really not a battle worth fighting. Here is one fun set he put together. It's a wonder he can sleep with these on!

Owen's nightly ritual before he gets his (matching) pajamas on is sitting in his favorite chair. It must be hard work sitting in the chair because his tongue sticks out the whole time like he's concentrating or something. I took about 15 pictures and there wasn't one without his tongue out!

8 Months

I fall more and more in love with this little guy everyday! He never ceases to crack me up. As I was trying to take some pictures of him, every time he'd see the camera's red light, he opened his mouth to smile. I couldn't get one picture where his mouth wasn't open...

He's continuing to show signs of being VERY independent, and there have been some incidences of him showing a stubborn little spirit lately too. He's never been a huge nurser, so when we introduced "solid" foods, he took to it very quickly. But now that he's realizing he can start feeding himself, he yells the whole time we try to feed him. Once there is food for him to feed himself, he's happy as a clam. With his continued mobility, I have started having to tell him "no, no" to some things. It's amazing that he knows exactly what that means...he'll stop, look at me, and yell very loudly to let me know he doesn't agree. Toddler hood is going to be fun!

Swinging at the Park

My friend, Lynne, took these pictures of Owen at the park yesterday. They made me smile, so I thought I would share. For some reason the swing tasted really good...

7 Months Old

It's been weird how fast the last seven months have gone. Somehow I thought with having a second child that all the milestones wouldn't be that big of a deal because there wouldn't as much time to pay attention to them... And there isn't as much time, but I think it makes them almost more exciting. With Ethan, I was anticipating new accomplishments weeks before it happened, but with Owen it seems like all of a sudden he's doing something new. Like when we were at Panera a few weeks ago and it just hit me that he could sit in a high chair! It was almost more exciting for me than it was him. Even riding in the seat of the Target cart seemed like a huge deal to me! I am also experiencing some major differences between Ethan and Owen... I never once strapped Ethan in to a high chair, his stroller or any sort of grocery cart. He just stayed put. Owen, however, has shown me just how important those straps are! Within the first two minutes in the maiden voyage of the Target cart, he almost climbed out. He never sits still.

He's officially mastered the "belly scoot". Between rolling and pushing off with his feet, he's all over the place. It's taken me off guard as I have had to start the baby proofing process sooner than I was ready to. And EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. This has been a new experience for me because Ethan was not oral at all, but Owen can manage to find the smallest toy or piece of paper in a large room to put into his mouth.

Miscellaneous other things: We also had his first tooth pop in on the bottom. We knew something had to be going on because the normally laid back Owen was very cranky. Naps are finally starting to become regular. And he LOVES eating solids...so much so, that I think he'd wean himself completely if I'd let him. I am not ready for that yet!

Mimi, Papi & a Trip to Tulsa

We made a quick trip to Tulsa last week and got to spend the afternoon with Mimi and Papi. Papi took Ethan to buy an Iron Man action figure, and Mimi played with Owen while I was at the doctor. It was a fun getting to see them so spur of the moment!

We'd been debating buying a dvd player for our car for longer trips, but we realized that you can download videos to an iPod. So Ethan watched his tv shows in the car on our way to and from Tulsa. It was a little weird seeing him in the back seat with his iPod and earphones. He's 2 going on 16. Crazy.

Emma

Our next door neighbor, Emma, had her school musical on Thursday night and we went to watch her perform. Ethan was captivated the whole time the kids were singing - it was pretty funny. He was so excited to see her after the show, he ended up tackling her and breaking the flower he brought to give her. Oh, well, she appreciated the sentiment!

"I help you?"

Ethan has started really enjoying helping out around the house, and of course he wants to do it with no help. After getting over the initial "it's easier to do it myself" thought, it's been fun to try and help him learn how to do things. And I've realized that I need to get him used to helping out now while it still seems "fun". I have a feeling that will go away very soon... He helps with laundry, unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, and sweeping. Now if I could only get him to clean bathrooms...

A Little Crimson & Cream

We went to Norman last weekend to see Chris' mom and to catch an OU game. We had a great time hanging out with Grandma Debbie. I think Ethan drank twice his weight in peach water (Grandma's favorite drink...and Ethan's too), and Owen loved all the attention. Chris and I were given tickets to the game, and I even wore crimson to show support of my hubby. (it was a little more "Razorback red" than "OU red", but you work with what you have.)

Labor Day Weekend '09

We were in Oklahoma last weekend for Labor Day. It was a packed weekend full of family and friends. Jack and Ethan seemed to enjoy hanging out with each other...for the most part. It seems like it takes a little bit for them to get used to having each other around, but usually by the end of their time together they're best buds. There was lots of football watching, tons of wrestling (even with Mimi), they got to see Pistol Pete and the OSU football team, and eat tons of Mimi's good cooking. Ethan slept quite well when we got home.
We got to meet two of my cousin's kids for the first time too. Joshua was a little mini-version of his dad, and Dylan was adorable (sorry I didn't get a pic of him). Owen and Claire seemed to have a good time as well, but they tended to observe the chaos more than anything. Give them a year and they'll be creating chaos of their own.

Free Stuff, Mommas Out There?

The BirthNetwork of NWA is doing a giveaway for anyone to pamper mommas as well as bring awareness to The Birth Survey. I took the Birth Survey after having Owen, and wished I had had access to something like this before I delivered Ethan. It is such a great resource to check out local health care providers and get feedback on other people's experiences. I highly recommend taking the survey, and be sure to check it out if you're looking to deliver anytime in the near future. Read further for more info...

Three Ways to Win in the Month of September

1. If you have given birth in the last three years, complete The Birth Survey and save your confirmation code to enter at www.birthnetworknwa.org.
2. Join BirthNetwork of NW Arkansas as a consumer member or renew your BirthNetwork NWA consumer membership and be automatically entered to win.
3. Blog about the Pampered Mama Giveaway and The Birth Survey during the month of September, then click here to give us a link to your blog post and enter to win!

What is this All About?
The Birth Survey was created to help women share their maternity care experiences and learn from other women's experiences. As advocates for mother-friendly maternity care, we at BirthNetwork NWA we believe that the quality of your care matters to your health and that of your baby.

When you take the Birth Survey, you can let other women in NW Arkansas know about the great (or not so great) care you received with the doctor or midwife you chose. Feedback like this will help other women find the best maternity care available, and it also helps hospitals and doctors improve. We’re all about healthier, safer, better births for mom and baby.

Visit www.birthnetworknwa.org for more details

Daddy Ethan

Ethan got really quiet the other morning (never a good sign), and when I walked into the play room he was attempting to get my baby carrier on him with his dog in it. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was being Daddy Ethan with his baby. It's masculine enough if he's playing a Dad, right? :) Regardless, I thought it was pretty cute. It didn't last all that long...Batman was calling from the other room.

Buddies

Owen had his first little buddy come over last week. Kyle Sutton is four months younger than Owen - not that you can tell by the pictures! I have a feeling they're going to be friends - when they saw each other on the floor they both smiled and tried to grab at each other. I think Owen must like having someone his own size around.

The Funny Dog

I don't know what it was about this dog that cracked Owen up so much the other night. Maybe my obnoxious dog impersonation? Anyway, hearing his little laugh makes me smile, so I thought I would share. I love this age...