Here a few videos--a little old, but I'm trying to catch up on things.
This one is from our park in Winston a few days before we moved. We're singing the ABC's.
This one is one of our first days in TX when we were staying at my mom's. It was before we had ventured out to any of the awesome local (real) pools.
This is from a few weeks ago in our backyard. Clearly he had been playing in the dirt. He continues to be mildly obsessed with the deer(s) we saw in our backyard the night before this was taken. It was a momma and two babies. I love to hear him talk about it.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Little Conversations
Some of my favorite new words/sayings of Owen's:
"dur"--door (he likes to go around the house closing them)
"rodge"--garage (he loves to push the button to close and open it)
"two"--he likes to put things in two and count them, this morning it was two cups of milk
"Idi-it"--very excited self-congratulations
"adin"--again
"chuch"--church, this morning (after church) he grabbed his backpack (blankies and sippy cup in tow) and told me bye bye, I asked him where he was going and he said "chuch, bye bye"
"mama/dada sit now"--he likes to point at the specific spot on the ground that he wants you to sit so he can roll his "big blue truck" to you, usually filled w/ "neighs" which fall out along the way inciting an Uh Oh
"ahhh(r)t"--there is an office building along one of the highways here that has a giant red checkmark that comes off it's roof (picture the vorizon symbol but upside down), Owen asked me what it was and I said art, to which he said "big (r)ed ahhh(r)t"--now he calls anything unusual art, he also says art when he's drawing so maybe he does understand it (?)
requesting a color of something--like this morning I pointed out a purple bus on the road (one of his favorites) to which he responded, "more yeyo peese" as if we could just make a yellow bus appear on demand
"ont"--I want--obviously, this has its pros and cons
"truck truck"--dump truck
"mmm dood"--good with respect to food
"ootz, sah-y"--Ooops, sorry (most of the time he just says it to himself)
"di-tu"--(thank you)--he's been saying this for a while but now he respeats it over and over and over again until you say you're welcome.
what was once an unclear "ah-nu" for all done is now a very clear "aaaall done"
"os"--Adios (thanks to Bee)
-"wind"--he asks me for more/no wind in the car for AC
-everything comes in sets of mamas, dadas and bebes (all animals, people in books, etc.)
He pretty much talks nonstop right now, describing what he has, wants, is playing with, sees, etc. There is no quiet when he's awake and its honestly just delightful. Perhaps our enduring favorite though is his Yes though...truly priceless. (Have I said all this before?)
"dur"--door (he likes to go around the house closing them)
"rodge"--garage (he loves to push the button to close and open it)
"two"--he likes to put things in two and count them, this morning it was two cups of milk
"Idi-it"--very excited self-congratulations
"adin"--again
"chuch"--church, this morning (after church) he grabbed his backpack (blankies and sippy cup in tow) and told me bye bye, I asked him where he was going and he said "chuch, bye bye"
"mama/dada sit now"--he likes to point at the specific spot on the ground that he wants you to sit so he can roll his "big blue truck" to you, usually filled w/ "neighs" which fall out along the way inciting an Uh Oh
"ahhh(r)t"--there is an office building along one of the highways here that has a giant red checkmark that comes off it's roof (picture the vorizon symbol but upside down), Owen asked me what it was and I said art, to which he said "big (r)ed ahhh(r)t"--now he calls anything unusual art, he also says art when he's drawing so maybe he does understand it (?)
requesting a color of something--like this morning I pointed out a purple bus on the road (one of his favorites) to which he responded, "more yeyo peese" as if we could just make a yellow bus appear on demand
"ont"--I want--obviously, this has its pros and cons
"truck truck"--dump truck
"mmm dood"--good with respect to food
"ootz, sah-y"--Ooops, sorry (most of the time he just says it to himself)
"di-tu"--(thank you)--he's been saying this for a while but now he respeats it over and over and over again until you say you're welcome.
what was once an unclear "ah-nu" for all done is now a very clear "aaaall done"
"os"--Adios (thanks to Bee)
-"wind"--he asks me for more/no wind in the car for AC
-everything comes in sets of mamas, dadas and bebes (all animals, people in books, etc.)
He pretty much talks nonstop right now, describing what he has, wants, is playing with, sees, etc. There is no quiet when he's awake and its honestly just delightful. Perhaps our enduring favorite though is his Yes though...truly priceless. (Have I said all this before?)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Belated Fourth of July
Disclaimer: We got a new computer shortly after moving and we have yet to move all of our files (read: photos) to the new one. I just can't bring myself to blog from the old one--the slowness is unbearable, so things may be out of order for a little while...these are photos from Fourth of July that my sister-in-law Mel took. We went to the Faubion (Mezger-side family) Ranch for a quick trip and had a great time!
Here is Owen eating some watermelon at "the slab" (a shallow part of the Llano River). It was (and has been, and continues to be) over 100 degrees so the water sort of felt like a luke-warm bath. The watermelon cooled things off and was a big hit.
Owen, Kyle, Luke and Bailey checking out the Moos. We rode around in the old jeep one morning to look for cows and "deers"--mamas, dadas and bebes. Also a hit.
We (of course) made a trip to Cooper's for their world-famous bbq (got there early enough for the pork chops). And we watched fireworks from jeep up on the highest hill of the ranch--we could see the shows from Llano, Marble Falls, Kingsland and Horseshoe Bay. It was quiet (the kids were asleep in the ranch house) and really nice. Definitely a trip we'll do again. In "regular" news. Kyle has started work and everything is going really well--he's learning the ropes of private practice and is getting off early enough to meet us at the pool in the afternoon. What a treat!
Owen is getting more and more comfortable in the water--he likes going "deep" but he's still the cautious one compared to his cousin and friends. He's definitely spoiled to seeing family and friends so often, and we can't complain about that! He's also showing signs that he's excited or understands (as much as a toddler can) about the baby...so we'll see. He likes to point out the crib in the nursery and say "baybay, bed" etc.
He continues to put more and more words together and right now the most popular combos include colors. He names everything he can whenever he sees it and always includes the color. So as we drive down the road he names each car/truck/bus he sees: Purpa bus, big red truck, white truck, wheels black, dreen (green) bus, etc. This morning before I went in to get him out of bed he spent probably 20 minutes just talking to himself--describing the different vehicles (and their colors) on his pajams. My mom commented how sweet it is that children can be so excited about the simplest things...it really is sweet. His color obsession also means that he's becoming very particular about some of his things. Instead of being comforted by one (any one) of his blankets, he wants "white, blue, yeyo"--it takes all 3. And he's not happy with just any one of his trucks to play with when we go on an errand, he wants "ornch" and only "ornch". Yikes.
Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to get our pics (and new videos--so you can see him talking!) transferred over so I can post some other recent stuff. Five-ish weeks til #2!!!...
Monday, June 29, 2009
I don't want to forget this one...
We are so glad that Owen has incorporated "yes" into his vocabulary. Here is an example from about 2 minutes ago:
Owen had already discovered how to open the pantry and that the shelves pull out AND that (stupid) Mommy put the "Nats" (snacks) on the bottom shelf (really, they fit better there), however, he hadn't taken full advantage of this until this morning...
Owen opens the pantry doors. Sits down on the floor in front of "his" shelf. Says, uhmmm! Then finds the zip-lock bag full of "nillas" (vanilla wavers) and says very confidently, "Yes!" as he helps himself.
Yes!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Austin update #2 (no pictures--sorry!)
I am hesitant to post anything tonight because I don't have pictures, but I figure an update is still in order.
Our things arrived pretty much as planned (per my last post) and (I've said this before and I'll say it again and again)--movers were worth every single penny and more. My saint of a sister-in-law watched Owen for 3 very full days while my mom and I got things unpacked, put away, and basically made the house functional. My mother-in-law came into town after we got settled and spent a few days with us as well, which was great--the "grandmas" tag-teamed w/ Owen and I was able to continue to get things settled. I know I've gotten a lot done, but it's somewhat overshadowed by all I still think I have to do (and want to do) before "the move" to-d0 list is complete and the baby comes.
I would say Owen is doing really well. He's definitely been enjoying all the new friends and all of the family attention. I'm amazed that he's able to keep everyone straight and know who goes with who. He knows 1) Bee and "JoJo" (Sido), 2) Nana 3) GrandStan (still don't have a name Owen can say) and Pam and "dogs--black and white," 4) Wook, Mel, BayBay, dog--Blue. He knows Wook has a truck and I think he thinks Sido has one too because every time we see them the first (and only) thing he says to Sid is "truck! truck!"...
He has had fun helping Uncle Wook (or "Poor Luke" as Kyle calls him b/c he's been my "honey-do" man with Kyle gone) with a couple of assembly projections around the house...picture of Owen's new train table (HUGE hit!) to come...And going to the Pool! We have definitely jumped right in to the requisite M.O. in Austin which is--it's hot outside, let's go to the pool! Sunday Owen and I went by ourselves to a little pool by my mom's place (she's out of town for a week, in cool northern California). He was extremely timid at first and kept saying "out out, home home" but I kept distracting him and he finally got used to it and had a good time playing with an abandoned diving ring in the kiddy pool. Then yesterday we made our first trip to the famed Deep Eddy (aquifer fed pool w/ a very hip following including my dad who swims there almost daily). We went to meet him there and actually ended up there w/ Luke, Mel, Bailey, Joel, Katie and Emmy as well--it was quite a party! Owen was timid at first, but GrandStan (I think I've finally come to accept the name--I'm just worn out from trying to come up w/ alternatives) got him distracted and interested in watching the lap swimmers. We had a great time. Then today Owen and I went back w/ Katie and Emmy and a sweet girl named Kara that I actually knew in high school and her little boy Caleb. (I wish I had a picture of our three bathing-suite clad, toddler-toting, very pregnant bodies...but then again, I'm glad I don't!) Owen acclimated more quickly this time and by the time we were done he (along w/ Emmy) was jumping off the side of the pool and into my arms and squealing like a little girl! He had soooo much fun and he did NOT want to leave. Yea! I told Kyle that in this heat we may be at the pool (take your pick) every day this summer!
Speaking of Kyle, he gets here Friday night which means we can stop missing him and I can stop telling Owen that Dadda is still at work, and it means that residency is finally over! Woohoo! We'll have about a week and a half just to catch up as a family and have some quality time AND to take care of some major to-do's like buying a 2nd car! Kyle has only done a quick walk-through of our house before our things were here so I'm excited to introduce him to his new home!
Okay, so for an Owen update. Let's see...no big changes really--no new teeth or anything like that (still 7 and counting). Got him a much-needed haircut on Saturday. He was looking very south-Austin hippie (not that there's anything wrong with that) but it was a little unruly. :) The biggest development is that I feel like his little vocabulary just keeps exploding--Kyle is going to be amazed to get to him in person. He's putting lots of words together like "Ont (I want) big truck" and he has finally Incorporated "Yes" into his repertoire of answers which previously only consisted of "No" and "Noooo!". :) He's definitely got trucks on the brain--he points out every one we pass on the highway, and their wheels and their color if he knows it (his favorite right now is yeyo--but there aren't many yeyo trucks). I guess we're on the interstate here more than we were in Winston-Salem, so he has a lot more opportunities to spot trucks, buses, and even the train (yea MoPac!). All are big hits. He's also taken to pointing out every time we go up or down a hill ("Up Hiw" or "Big Hiw"). I've sort of stopped keeping up with new words because it seems like he's at the point where he can almost say anything (at least try) when you tell him what it is. It really does sort of blow my mind. It catches me off guard a lot because I realize he's actually telling me stuff like today when we left pool he said "bye bye poo. back home". Crazy.
Anyways, I'll try to get some pictures up soon. I honestly haven't taken many and we're getting a new computer this week so be patient with me. :)
Oh--random: tonight while we were eating dinner we had the pleasure of watching a momma and two baby "deers" in our backyard. What a treat!
Our things arrived pretty much as planned (per my last post) and (I've said this before and I'll say it again and again)--movers were worth every single penny and more. My saint of a sister-in-law watched Owen for 3 very full days while my mom and I got things unpacked, put away, and basically made the house functional. My mother-in-law came into town after we got settled and spent a few days with us as well, which was great--the "grandmas" tag-teamed w/ Owen and I was able to continue to get things settled. I know I've gotten a lot done, but it's somewhat overshadowed by all I still think I have to do (and want to do) before "the move" to-d0 list is complete and the baby comes.
I would say Owen is doing really well. He's definitely been enjoying all the new friends and all of the family attention. I'm amazed that he's able to keep everyone straight and know who goes with who. He knows 1) Bee and "JoJo" (Sido), 2) Nana 3) GrandStan (still don't have a name Owen can say) and Pam and "dogs--black and white," 4) Wook, Mel, BayBay, dog--Blue. He knows Wook has a truck and I think he thinks Sido has one too because every time we see them the first (and only) thing he says to Sid is "truck! truck!"...
He has had fun helping Uncle Wook (or "Poor Luke" as Kyle calls him b/c he's been my "honey-do" man with Kyle gone) with a couple of assembly projections around the house...picture of Owen's new train table (HUGE hit!) to come...And going to the Pool! We have definitely jumped right in to the requisite M.O. in Austin which is--it's hot outside, let's go to the pool! Sunday Owen and I went by ourselves to a little pool by my mom's place (she's out of town for a week, in cool northern California). He was extremely timid at first and kept saying "out out, home home" but I kept distracting him and he finally got used to it and had a good time playing with an abandoned diving ring in the kiddy pool. Then yesterday we made our first trip to the famed Deep Eddy (aquifer fed pool w/ a very hip following including my dad who swims there almost daily). We went to meet him there and actually ended up there w/ Luke, Mel, Bailey, Joel, Katie and Emmy as well--it was quite a party! Owen was timid at first, but GrandStan (I think I've finally come to accept the name--I'm just worn out from trying to come up w/ alternatives) got him distracted and interested in watching the lap swimmers. We had a great time. Then today Owen and I went back w/ Katie and Emmy and a sweet girl named Kara that I actually knew in high school and her little boy Caleb. (I wish I had a picture of our three bathing-suite clad, toddler-toting, very pregnant bodies...but then again, I'm glad I don't!) Owen acclimated more quickly this time and by the time we were done he (along w/ Emmy) was jumping off the side of the pool and into my arms and squealing like a little girl! He had soooo much fun and he did NOT want to leave. Yea! I told Kyle that in this heat we may be at the pool (take your pick) every day this summer!
Speaking of Kyle, he gets here Friday night which means we can stop missing him and I can stop telling Owen that Dadda is still at work, and it means that residency is finally over! Woohoo! We'll have about a week and a half just to catch up as a family and have some quality time AND to take care of some major to-do's like buying a 2nd car! Kyle has only done a quick walk-through of our house before our things were here so I'm excited to introduce him to his new home!
Okay, so for an Owen update. Let's see...no big changes really--no new teeth or anything like that (still 7 and counting). Got him a much-needed haircut on Saturday. He was looking very south-Austin hippie (not that there's anything wrong with that) but it was a little unruly. :) The biggest development is that I feel like his little vocabulary just keeps exploding--Kyle is going to be amazed to get to him in person. He's putting lots of words together like "Ont (I want) big truck" and he has finally Incorporated "Yes" into his repertoire of answers which previously only consisted of "No" and "Noooo!". :) He's definitely got trucks on the brain--he points out every one we pass on the highway, and their wheels and their color if he knows it (his favorite right now is yeyo--but there aren't many yeyo trucks). I guess we're on the interstate here more than we were in Winston-Salem, so he has a lot more opportunities to spot trucks, buses, and even the train (yea MoPac!). All are big hits. He's also taken to pointing out every time we go up or down a hill ("Up Hiw" or "Big Hiw"). I've sort of stopped keeping up with new words because it seems like he's at the point where he can almost say anything (at least try) when you tell him what it is. It really does sort of blow my mind. It catches me off guard a lot because I realize he's actually telling me stuff like today when we left pool he said "bye bye poo. back home". Crazy.
Anyways, I'll try to get some pictures up soon. I honestly haven't taken many and we're getting a new computer this week so be patient with me. :)
Oh--random: tonight while we were eating dinner we had the pleasure of watching a momma and two baby "deers" in our backyard. What a treat!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Austin
Just a little update on the move. In short, 1) we're here, 2) we're excited, 3) it's hot, and 4) our stuff gets here tomorrow...so that's when the real work begins!
Owen and I flew to Austin on Sunday w/ the help of my mom...which was much needed because of an over-the-top toddler tantrum on the flight and a nearby passenger with an anxiety attack supposedly caused by said tantrum. I have never been more relieved to deboard a plane.
Kyle drove our car down Sunday and Monday and flew back today--a whirlwind, but now Owen and I have some wheels. Kyle's got about 2 1/2 weeks of work left and then he'll fly down to be with us permanently. (And he'll be done with residency!)
Our movers delivery (and unpack!) our stuff tomorrow so we'll be busy getting settled and will hopefully start staying at our new house on Thursday night! It'll be weird--just Owen and I--in a new place, but I'm sure we'll get used to it.
Owen has already gotten the chance to play with cousin Bailey, friend Emmy, and lots of dogs. He's already started to be spoiled (mainly by Bee so far), so overall I'd say he's adjusting quite well. :)
Pictures to come...
Owen and I flew to Austin on Sunday w/ the help of my mom...which was much needed because of an over-the-top toddler tantrum on the flight and a nearby passenger with an anxiety attack supposedly caused by said tantrum. I have never been more relieved to deboard a plane.
Kyle drove our car down Sunday and Monday and flew back today--a whirlwind, but now Owen and I have some wheels. Kyle's got about 2 1/2 weeks of work left and then he'll fly down to be with us permanently. (And he'll be done with residency!)
Our movers delivery (and unpack!) our stuff tomorrow so we'll be busy getting settled and will hopefully start staying at our new house on Thursday night! It'll be weird--just Owen and I--in a new place, but I'm sure we'll get used to it.
Owen has already gotten the chance to play with cousin Bailey, friend Emmy, and lots of dogs. He's already started to be spoiled (mainly by Bee so far), so overall I'd say he's adjusting quite well. :)
Pictures to come...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Bellview Street
Our wonderful neighbors next door (Sarah March and Eric) through us (the Mezgers and the Ketches) a going away block party on Friday night. It was SOOOOO much fun. The entire street came more or less. The food was wondeful and the company was even better. It was yet another reminder of how extremely blessed we have been here in Winston-Salem. And good ecouragement to make the effort to get to know our neighbors, even in our rent house.
Here is Owen, Lauren and David just hanging out before dinner and the surprise festivies began.
Owen and David finishing some dinner...and watching our entertainment...
Surprise! Owen's front-row seat of our entertainment...a band of drummers/dancers from Rwanda (orphans of the genocide) who happened to be staying w/ Sarah March and Eric the weekend of the party. It was such a special treat to hear them play and see them dance--we couldn't have had better entertainment! (The bar has been set pretty high for any future going away parties we have...)
Some of the drummers.
Party party party! Dance dance dance!
Owen got to try his hand at drumming and really enjoyed himself!
Here is Owen, Lauren and David just hanging out before dinner and the surprise festivies began.
Owen and David finishing some dinner...and watching our entertainment...
Surprise! Owen's front-row seat of our entertainment...a band of drummers/dancers from Rwanda (orphans of the genocide) who happened to be staying w/ Sarah March and Eric the weekend of the party. It was such a special treat to hear them play and see them dance--we couldn't have had better entertainment! (The bar has been set pretty high for any future going away parties we have...)
Some of the drummers.
Party party party! Dance dance dance!Owen got to try his hand at drumming and really enjoyed himself!
So, the farewell continues. Still feels pretty surreal, the move and all, mostly because our house looks exactly the same (since we have packers/movers--yea!--nothing is packed). A lot is going to happen in the next two weeks...
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