The Lawyer & The Sour Patch Kid

Alright, get ready for a crazy-long post. I shant apologize! Here we go!!! This is our last post in what feels like summer...
So I'd like to tell you that our kids never ever watch tv but that would be a bold-faced lie. We try to keep it to a minimum and ensure that what they're watching is appropriate if not at least a little educational...can't you see the mental wheels turning? Can't you see all they're learning from "Moose" and "Zee"? (Yea for the routine of fall...that there is less of this!)
 
We are beyond blessed in the grandparent world. And we even have some "surrogate parents" we are lucky enough to throw into the mix whenever possible! Here is Greg Gilkerson (of the famed Gilkerson family) hanging out with the kiddos. Greg married us (though he's a businessman, not a pastor--scandalous, we know!) so he takes it upon himself to check in on us from time to time...we are soooo appreciative of his (and his wife Pam)'s friendship and wisdom!

Speaking of grandparents...Here is Bee hiding under Owen's bed (at his direction) for a game of hide-and-seek. Rebecca is very pleased with the game as well!

We forgot to bring Rebecca's little booster seat to Nana's for a meal one night so she went old school and just tied her to the chair with a kitchen cloth. It totally worked. Strong work Nana!

There must be something in the Grandparent Handbook that mandates spoiling kids and my dad will tell you they don't do it but I have proof to the contrary. It may not be M&Ms...but this sure looks like a treat to me! I believe it's called "Rice Dream" and is some sort of non-dairy "ice cream" treat. (Okay, I'll admit I've eaten them and they're actually pretty good.)

 Ahhhhh...a satisfied customer with an organic chocolate goatee to prove it!

Sometimes we think we're gluttons for punishment by the way we pack fun into our lives. Having our cake and eating it too??? We joined in with some of our favorite throw-caution-to-the-wind comrades (the Mezgers and the Fosheas) and went to the Mezger (Faubion, really) Ranch for Labor Day. First we spent some time swimming/hanging out at "the Slab" (a low portion of the Llano River) and then hung out for the rest of the day at the ranch house where all things moo-y and prickly live. And I can actually say that we had a great (and relaxing!) day! (Can you hear the surprise in my voice?) Here are the 3 oldest kiddos (of 6) with their walking sticks out on a little nature adventure.

Here is Owen on his first day of school. This is his second year at Westminster and he's really been excited to go back. He's going two mornings a week and is fond of telling people that he's "too big for Mrs. Ouida's class this year" (his class from last year). He's also done a great job adjusting to the fact that there are THREE, yes THREE Owen's in his class (10 kids, 5 boys, 3 Owen's). Say WHAT??? And we thought we were being at least a little creative with his name.
Say cheese!!!

OWEN IS:
• CURIOUS: Owen really wants to know how everything works. When he says "let's talk about _____" you had better get ready to come up with answer about how something works. How blinkers work (I probably explained this 20 times in a 15 minute drive because he kept saying "let's talk about it AGAIN!"), what kinds of clouds there are (he told his teacher last week he wants a telescope), how trees get food and grow (roots!). This morning he asked how you make cheese from milk and if we could make some. Suggestions anyone?
• He can't hear a word he doesn't know and not ask what it means which is presented quite a challenge because "his song" is Be Thou My Vision and "Rebecca's song" is Come Thou Fount and they use phrases like "fettered," "courts above," "flaming tongues," "melodious sonnet"...you get the idea.  We've also had to define love, mercy, and grace in a way an almost 3-year old can understand. Wow--just praying we can take advantage of such a teachable spirit!

• CREATIVE: Owen is always making things up. Words that mean entire phrases or actions (remember "Jumumgi" that meant "don't mess with my toys"?), games (most of them closely resemble chase or hide-and-go-seek), stories about Frankie and the gang, new words to tunes he knows (Old MacDonald about his train "Big Brown"), etc. etc. etc. He's even made up a few new kisses. One is called the "home kiss"--it's your basic sweet peck on the lips. He likes to pair it with the "Mexican kiss" which is when our cheeks touch. He'll say "now it's time for Mexican kiss, home kiss, Mexican kiss, home kiss...now that's enough kisses."

• ENCOURAGER: Owen has started telling Kyle and I that "You are my best Momma/Dadda"to which I like to reply "You are my best Owen"...how sweet is that?
• He has started saying things like "Momma, you make the best lunch I ever had!" (at every meal). 
• The other day I found a toy we had been looking for and he said "Good eye Momma!". 
• He is using the phrase "really cool" a lot. He sounds so grown up except that the R still sounds like a W. I love that.

• PARTICULAR: Owen likes things the way he likes things. But he also likes changing his mind. He used to like to be tucked into his covers like he was in a little blue cocoon--very tight, all wrapped up. Now he likes his blanket spread out smooth on top of him (no wrinkles!) "like Maria does it!". (Maria is the sweet woman who comes to the house every couple of weeks to help me clean - Yes, I know I'm spoiled).
• Even though he's particular, we made it through something that could have been very very challenging...the loss of Green Blankie. GB disappeared at my dad's house over a week ago and was searched for high and low. We went without it for a week and there were a few rough naptimes because his GB replacement was "too bumpy" but we made it through. Just about the time he had adjusted to the new routine sans GB they found it!!! It was stuck behind their flat screen tv (not on the floor--we looked there, but on the wall, suspended on the arm that attaches the tv to the wall). Apparently Owen tossed it back there but he had no memory of doing so...

• FATALIST: He's using "never" and "always" a lot (not always correctly). Example: I told him he couldn't wear his pajamas to school to which he replied "Now I'll NEVER get to wear my pajamas!!!" (Then walks away pouting.) What???

• A LAWYER: This is a nice way of saying we're going through a phase categorized by a lot of arguing and negotiating. Owen is really skilled at both. 
• The other day in the car he asked if we could go home (as opposed to where we were going) and Kyle told him no and he replied "I'm only going to ask you one more time...let's go home". When Kyle told him no again he asked again...about 15 more times. That's a pretty clear indication that we have some serious room for improvement in the parental consistency department!
• When he doesn't want to follow directions he'll say he lost his blinker and can't. Example: I say "Owen, please go to your room so we can get you dressed for the day." He'll go down the hall but then turn into our room instead saying "I can't find my green blinker. I can't turn." His green and purple blinkers seem to disappear a lot. But if you play along with the game and "find the blinker" and "put it back in his tummy" he'll suddenly be able to obey. Thoughts?
• One success we're having in this area is that he's learning some patience when it comes to waiting his turn to talk. He'll say pretty quietly "Momma, I have something to ask/tell you" and then he'll wait. He's also understanding "attitude". He can very easily point out when a character in a book has a good or bad attitude (example: The Little Engine That Could has trains that won't help out and he says "dats not a very good attitude!") 
• Conversation between Kyle and Owen:
• O: Can I watch a show?
• K: No, we're not going to watch a show right now buddy.
• O: But I WANT to watch a show!!!
• K: Owen, Dadda said no.
• O: That's not a very good attitude! 
• O: (minutes later to himself) How about "absolutely" or "yes sir-ee". (pause) Dadda, I've made up a new word. It is called "YES!". (pause) Yes. Yes. Yes. 
• O: (minutes later) Daddy, how about you try saying it: Yes! Try it! Yes yes yes!

REBECCA IS:

A doctor? Paging Dr. Mezger!

Her favorite toy for a few weeks was the blood pressure cuff in Owen's doctor kit but it broke so she moved on to the toy stethoscope (although she definitely prefers Kyle's real one). The best part is this is ALL Rebecca--no coaching or modelling. Owen doesn't play with this the same way and I don't think Kyle has ever come home with a stethoscope around his neck.

• GROWING: She is outgrowing her 18 mo clothes and will be into mostly 24 mo clothes this fall! Thank goodness for cousin Bailey's wardrobe loaners! She also got her 6th tooth (even is nice) at the end of August...that's 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. 
• She is making a lot more noises that are all her own. She has very distinctive squeaks/sighs (a lot of them are made while she inhales so they sound like little surprised gasps. At the end of August added "Uh oh" to her vocabulary. Her first word really. She says it really smooshed together and breathy--"Uuuohh". She's begun to throw her milk on the floor at meal time just so she can say it. Love this phase. :)

•  A CLIMBER: She has figured out she can pull herself up onto lots of little pieces of furniture, window sills, etc. and she likes it! She's a lot more agile and fearless than we remember Owen being at this age. She likes to pull herself up on things, stand up and clap for herself. Yea Rebecca!

•  MATERNAL: Those girly instincts kick in early folks! She is all about her "babies" (big debate on whether that might actually have been her first word)--she definitely points to them if you say it. She loves loves loves to carry them around and poke their eyes (she knows "eyes" too). 
• Like Owen's GB, Rebecca has gravitated towards a little "lovie" of her own--two actually. A little pink bear I call "pinkie" and a little giraffe/blanket we just call "lovie". 
• Along with maternal I'll just add that she likes shoes (since that's a girly thing too). She is always finding and carrying around our shoes. And she got some new shoes the other day and she is very interested in the velcro, taking them off and putting them in her mouth, (I put them back on her) and repeat.

• SOUR PATCH KID: Remember those candies? Sour gummies covered in sugar so they're sweet at first and then tart towards the end. I've been calling Rebecca our little SPK because she is definitely sweet (we've known that for a while) but her, shall we say cantankerous-ness, is starting to really come through. Oh, that look she gives me (with a smile mind you) when she's about to do something "questionable"...
• When I'm putting her to sleep at night she sits on my lap facing me and will occasionally lean in and put her head on my chest, or flop over onto my arm (SWEET). I'll think she's calming down and then she'll all of a sudden sit back up and poke me in the eye or put her entire mouth around my nose (kiss?) and squeal with delight (SWEET & SOUR). Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Just to clarify--we aren't projecting futures as a doctor or lawyer or anything on these wonderful kiddos...that's not the point. It's just so fun to see their little (and unique!) personalities develop step by step and we can't help but imagine what God might be gifting them for in the future...in His timing according to His plan. :)