Owen, the Builder

Owen LOVES all things construction. What a perk to have an uncle who is a builder, and a Nana who is having a major remodel done to her new house. (Sorry for the poor quality of the photos - all I had with me was my phone.)

These are pictures today from Owen's first day of his internship with Mezger Homes. Call it nepotism, or maybe the demo guy just saw raw talent in Owen that needed to be nurtured...either way, Owen went straight to driving the little digger / bobcat.

What you can't tell from the photos is that they drove straight through the house (see video at end)...

...picked up demo junk in the back...

  ...drove it back through the house...

 ...and dumped it in the dumper (background).

 Employee of the Month material - for sure!

Can We Demo It??? Yes, We Can!!!

Fun with a Box

Read a blog post recently about the 5 best toys of all time...We had a little fun with #2. The holes Kyle cut started out as peep-hole windows. Then they needed to be big enough to put a ball through. Then they needed to be big enough to put their heads through. Eventually, they were big enough for their whole bodies to fit through...

She smiles. (He's saying cheese.)

 He smiles. (She's saying ???)

 No! This is MY hole.

 The faces of Rebecca...

 Flying like an airplane.

Owen showing us his muscles. Apparently it requires using his "angry face". 

 And his Heisman pose - he says "Can't take MY ball!" - and he means it.

Totally unrelated...we went with the Murrays to the Austin Rodeo on Saturday. Didn't actually catch any rodeo shows, but had fun checking out all the farm animals, looking at the rides (Owen had no interest in going on any of them - no real surprise), and eating sure-to-give-you-a-heart-attack-food. Here is the only pic I managed to capture...they're posing with the "oreo cow" (aka belted galloway) - my favorite of all farm animals.

One update and one story:

Update - Owen can now totally get himself dressed! It is SUCH a big deal! He can take everything off and put everything on! He needs encouragement along the way to not get distracted and just stop halfway through the job (e.g. shirt and flip flops, no underwear or shorts), but he CAN DO IT! It started with what I called an "Owen Challenge" but that resulted in him running around the house hyperventilating while he tried to get himself dressed, like he as in a race. Now when I tell him to get dressed, he says, okay, but I'm not doing a challenge, I'm just getting dressed...

FYI: this means that one of my two BIG GOALS before the baby has been met...now if I can just get his thumbs to be strong enough so he can buckle himself in (and get himself out) of his car seat we'll be all set...know any tricks?

Story - this really deserves a post to itself, but I've got folding waiting for me...

We were driving home north on Mopac and drove past (for about the 1 billionth time) the Austin cemetary at 2222. Owen noticed the grave markers for the first time and asked what was all over that park? Oh boy. I explained that that park is called a cemetery and and when people die that's where we bury their bodies, and the white things are markers/signs with their names on them. I quickly added that if we love Jesus, we go to heaven when we die and we get a new body. 

In rapid fire, here were his questions/comments:

1) I DON'T WANT a NEW BODY!

2) Do they just take my LEGS?  (touching legs) Will I be able to walk? But I want to be able to WALK!!!

3) Do they just take my HEAD? (touching head)

4) Do they just take my TUMMY? (touching tummy)

5) How do they get my body OFF??? (imagining field dressing a deer?)

Oh boy...why am I in the car by myself with him??? Where is Kyle? Anybody, anybody??? Where is the Mopac Train when I need it???

I think I reassured him that although it's a MYSTERY (thanks to Backyardigans, he had recently learned this word), it's not something we have to be afraid of. We don't know exactly how it works but we know that heaven will be awesome and that getting a new body will be awesome. Because God is AWESOME. 

Whew. I think this is what parents of older children mean when they tell me it gets easier AND harder.

Light the Streets...

Africa New Life is an AMAZING organization doing EXCEPTIONAL work in Rwanda. Sponsoring a child is a GREAT way to get involved, but there are other special projects too! Don't watch this video unless you want your heart (and the lives of children) to be changed...


Light the Streets from Africa New Life Ministries on Vimeo.

Check out the greeting cards for sale and this incredibly moving photo story of what life is like for these street children in Rwanda with the help of Africa New Life. A-MAZING.

End of February

Owen is spending the day with Nana and Rebecca is asleep so I'm catching up on all sorts of stuff around the house. Just posted some pictures about our recent trip to the zoo, and here is the baby book sort of stuff...

REBECCA

• New words: bubbles (bu bu), hi (hiye), Rebecca? (Ra Ra), go (doe) - as in, ready...set...go!
• Her own toddler version of speaking in tongues...she puts her hands on her ears (so she can only hear the noises she makes through her head - you know what I mean) and makes every sound she knows how in rapid sequence. Then she giggles at herself. Very funny to watch/listen to. 
• Perhaps it's totally instinctive because she sees my belly growing, but she has become very very very fond of taking care of her babies...feeding them, carrying them around, pushing them in her stroller. But mostly feeding them - bottles and treats from her tiny tea set. 
• Kyle turned is back for one second while he was filling up their tub with water and she climbed in fully clothes, and with shoes on. 
• We had another "playing with poop incident"...it was on Kyle's watch so I don't have all the details...but somehow I ended up being the one to clean the carpet?  Love. 
• Still runs from us most of the time when we say her name...or stands her grand and says the sweetest "no" my ears have ever heard. Danger. 

 This is her "Queen of the World" pose.

 OWEN

• New favorite things: lacing toys, the Backyardigans (Diego has been replaced, and I could not be happier), lending books to friends (inspired by an episode of the Backyardigans featuring a library) - "Enjoy your boooots!" (c/k's are still t's). 
• Owen wants to "teach the new baby all sorts of things"...like playing, singing, running, but most importantly" how to not break up my tracks," and "how to not do no-no's."

 TOGETHER

They really are becoming quite the little pair. They are figuring out how to play together. Owen is figuring out how to interpret for her. It's getting more and more fun to see their little friendship develop. As the weather has started to warm up, we've had a lot of fun with our little t-ball set in the backyard, their bikes/trikes, and taking them to parks. Makes me really look forward to spring!

Just found out their preschool schedule for next year and couldn't be more excited. Owen will go MWF and Rebeca will go MW! Still waiting to hear about some plans for the summer...but this kind of good news makes me way less stressed about bringing a third little muchkin home! Later taters.

The BIG Zoo

My mom, Bee, had been wanting to take the kids to the real zoo, the BIG zoo as soon as the weather was nice enough, but not too hot yet. So, last Wednesday we made the trek to San Antonio to enjoy some time with the animals.

Bee & Rebecca posing on the "Lion's Pride" statue at the entrance. (I remember this place being SO much bigger when I was a kid!)

 Owen climbed up by himself but then couldn't get down. Glad I'm still needed. :)

At first, not sure what to think about the BIG bear. Roar.

 Then she couldn't stop pointing and roaring.

 Owen was glad the bear was in a cage - very practical.

 Roar. (Not that I'd want to meet this guy in the wild, but he seemed pretty old and docile.)

 At least they're both looking at the camera.

 Hippo bottoms. Talk about making you feel skinny!

Mom and I like the flamingos a lot - they're knees are backwards and that imperfection is very pleasing to us - like there is a kinship. 

 This popsicle was so tall he had a hard time getting it into his mouth. No worries - he stuck it out and finished the whole thing.

 Being with Bee means that there are treats - of the edible and toy variety. Rebecca picked out a small stuffed panda bear (even though we didn't see a panda) - boy, does she like to roar! And Owen picked out this "kimona dragon grabber" (plastic head on a stick).

 Owen also got a new cap, which Rebecca couldn't resist pulling off his head and trying on herself. In her own style.

We finished the day with a train ride. And of course we stayed later than we had anticipated. But the weather was overcast, the zoo was near abandoned, the food was fried, and we had a great time. We couldn't figure out why we only ever came in the suffocating heat/humidity of July/August when I was growing up?! Bee is so much smarter now.   :)

Hill Country Camping Society - Laity Lodge

Thanks to our the Hill Country Camping Society Founding Member - Trey - we and 13 other families got to enjoy the beautiful Laity Lodge Youth Camp facilities (Singing Hills) for the weekend. Yes, I said 13 other families...something like 30 adults and 38 kids. The HCCS has been gaining momentum (and participation) for quite a few months, and apparently the lure of sleeping on actual beds in actual cabins with actual heat and bathroom facilities was too much for people to resist! It was great fun for all! Here are a few highlights...

At any given time there were probably 3-6 little people cruising up and down "main street" on their glider bikes or training wheel bikes. Thank goodness for the water puddles that made it that much more fun! (This was by far Owen's favorite activity.)

 

Emmy in her "serious biker" pose.

 Rebecca trying to be a big girl.

One, two, three...go! (Owen was on and off his bike so much that he pretty much kept his helmet on the entire weekend...racing, wading in the Frio River.)

 Cousin Blake (almost 1 year old) toddling around camp like a big guy.

 Climbing a pole with a little help from Mr. Joel.

 The Foshea Family exploring down by the water.

Joel and Boone having a rock climbing adventure.

 Perhaps Owen's 2nd favorite activity...fishing. Don't think they caught anything this time, but it's still fun!

Joel and Emmy.

 

 Cousin Bailey had gone through all of her changes of clothes within the first 3-4 hours we were at camp. The dirt, mud, puddles, river, etc. were just too much fun! Here she is taking a little drink from the Frio.

 "Hey, I may not be old enough to fish, but I still LOVE this!" - Boone

 Katie and Aunt Mel took the three Gen 1 canoeing.

Luke, Mel, Bailey and Emmy on another ride.

None of the canoers offered to take Rebecca out in their boat - I can't imagine why?!?!

 Owen was showing off one of his "silly faces". He has lots of them and they all look exactly the same in the face with different "rock star-esque" hand movements.

 One of us had to be "on Rebecca" duty the entire weekend. That consists of chasing her and keeping her away from the water, fire, cars, and other possibly dangerous things. She's fast, sneaky, small (so she slips through a crowd easily), fearless and clumsy. It's a powerful combination.

Looking down on us from the top of a an overlook - waving "hiya".

 Owen helping Kyle light the camp fire.

 Trey did an AMAZING job cooking for such a crowd. The food (stew and fried backstrap for dinner; eggs and sausage for breakfast) was awesome and he did it all outdoors and in a HUGE quantity. Remember - 14 families!

The "eight year old girls" and some of their followers put on two shows for us. The plots and the dialogue may have been hard to follow but their use of special effects (stage lights, ceiling fans and scattered leaves to simulate a tornado, splashes of water from behind the stage wall in the lake scene) were quite impressive. So were the number of non-cast members riding their trikes and dancing across the stage during each performance. (Oh the heels of finding out our little #3 is a girl - Kyle and I are thinking - wow, this is what little girls do - are we ready?!)

 And when it's all said and done, who doesn't like just sitting around a in camp chairs shooting the breeze with good friends? Here are our friends John David and JoNeel Vickery with Ellie and Josie.

 A camp chair and a snack will even keep this little tornado still...for a second.

 Such beautiful country. What a treat to get to enjoy it with such a fun group of people!

Oh, I can't summarize camping without talking about Owen's 2 favorite parts: marshmallows (he and R may have eaten a few...) and getting to sleep on the TOP bunk of a bunk bed. The combination of no nap and the thrill of the top bunk may have made putting Owen to sleep on Saturday night one of the easiest bedtimes we've had in months! But the marshmallows in R's system put her on such a sugar high (my fault) that Owen called us back in the cabin a few times to tell us that she was keeping him awake! It was all worth it to sit around the camp fire and listen to Trey tell stories...

Already looking forward to our next trip!