Owen is 10 months young!

Wow! I can't believe he's hit double digits! He's gonna be a year old before we know it! How does that happen?! These past 10 months have flown by! And I can't believe we've lived in FL now for 6 months! Time truly does fly!
Here are a few Owen updates:
-He's eating more and more "grown up" food. Today we shared chicken nuggets for lunch! I think one of his favorite times of the day is when he shares a snack with his Daddy when he gets home from work. They usually enjoy crackers, apples, or a banana!
-He really knows what he's saying! He's been saying Mama and Dada for several months now, but now he's made the connection! When I get him from his nap he immediately says "Mama!" and as soon as Joe gets home from work he says "Dada"! He melts our heart!
-Pray for us. The mini tantrums have continued. If his toy car doesn't do exactly what he wants, he grunts (he seriously sounds like a lil' monster) and then he throws his car violently! I seriously have my work cut out for me!
-He's still not walking independently but it's still his favorite thing to practice! Thanks to our dear friend Beverly, he now has a walker!!! WAHOO! Thanks Bev!
-He does not like Christmas trees! I tried to get him to touch and smell a real one at Lowes and his little legs squeezed me and he nearly broke his back trying to lean away from it!! Not completely a bad thing though because he hasn't gone near ours!
-He continues to love baths, rides in his wagon, chasing his puppy, being chased by his mommy and daddy, being spun in circles, pushing and kicking any toys or loud objects, and so much more!
-His Grammy gave him a singing and dancing reindeer when she visited before Thanksgiving. He loves it! While she was here she taught him how to push the tiny button on the reindeer's foot to start and stop the loud music! It's so cute!!
-If on Thanksgiving Owen could have stated what he is most thankful for, Joe and I believe he would have said :
-His Mama and Dada
-His grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandfather, aunts, uncles,
cousins, and Roxy (our dog)
-His Monkey
-Chippys
-Bath time
-And loud toys!

I guess that's enough updates for now! I'm a proud mom...can you tell?! :-)

To those who have young children...can you suggest any must have toys for our almost one year old? There's so many cool (and expensive) toys out there and we need a little help narrowing down his Christmas and Birthday gifts! Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

The Beach

Crawling at The Beach

Owen Loves His Monkey!

trashcan man

He's been out of my belly as long as he was in my belly!

My little man is 9 months old!!! How did that happen? He's growing up way way too fast!! I know I'll probably say this all the time, but I really love this stage he's in right now! He is developing into quite the little character. Here are a few new Owen developments:
-He is all over the place!! Crawling on all fours, army crawling, pulling up and walking along furniture...he's becoming more independent (which is interesting because I'm finding that the more "independent" he becomes, the busier I become)!
-He LOVES to walk holding hands with whoever is willing!! Joe and I have to take turns because our backs will start to hurt from bending over with him!! His favorite things to do as he walks is to chase Roxy, stomp on whatever is in his path, and kick whatever is in his path! Future soccer player?? I hope not...maybe a punter!

-He loves to be scared (as long as he's in a good mood!)
-He's found his vocal cords that for sure!! I honestly think it's a game he plays with himself...each day he randomly screams as loud as he can!! He always looks over at me with the shocked face as if he's saying "Did you hear how loud I was this time?! Then he laughs! :)

-Owen loves Roxy! He recently figured out that his beloved friend will stay right next to him in his high chair if he drops food to her! Yeah, Roxy is loving this...mom, not so much!

-He's definitely a thumb sucker!! Kinda cute because I was too! And just like his mommy his favorite stuffed animal/ blanket is a monkey! It's so weird how he became attached to this thing!! It was actually the free tummy-time blanket that we got from the hospital! He snuggles with it, chews it, rubs it between his fingers as he nurses, and drags it around with him as he crawls! So cute!!
-Temper Tantrums started a month ago!! I don't just mean a fussy cry...I'm talking about kicking, screaming, and arching his back on the floor!!! The first time he did this I just stared in amazement as my precious, innocent, sweet boy became possessed! In that moment I was reminded that he is a sinner and he definitely needs Jesus!!
-In the morning when he wakes up (6:45) he usually plays in his crib for about 15 minutes (with his monkey) then Joe gets him and brings him to me in bed so I can nurse him. He used to stop nursing and just talk quietly so I would know he was done and ready for his cereal...not anymore! Now he immediately reaches for Joe's face and just starts poking, picking, and grabbing whatever he can get his hands on! Then he proceeds to use mine or Joe's face to pull himself up to a standing position and he begins to climb (another one of his new favorite things to do)! What does he climb you ask...our chest, neck, throat, and face!! Yeah, not very comfortable!! He clearly doesn't understand personal space yet!!
-Owen has learned how to "give a five". It's so cute! We put out our hand and say "Give me a five" and he reaches out and slaps our hand! We of course then applaud him and get very excited which in turn makes him very proud and excited too!!
-He will eat anything except broccoli! It was my goal before he was born to make all of his baby food, but since we currently don't have a food processor or a working blender, I'm having to use a hand held electric mixer. Unfortunately it doesn't get food to a very smooth consistency so the only homemade baby food he'll eat is butternut squash and sweet potatoes! He loves it! His favorite food for the past 3 months has been what we call "chippys" which is simply the Gerber Graduates 'lil crunchies snacks. He gets one for every month of his age, so he's now getting 9 after lunch and dinner! He loves to feed himself!

That's all I can think of for now! We are so looking forward to holidays when we can share our little guy with family and friends! Maybe he'll be walking by then!?:)

Here he is holding on to his monkey!

He's so proud of his two teeth!

He's growing up too fast!!!

In one week.....

He became mobile


His first two teeth came in

He went to his first pumpkin patch



I'm feeling overwhelmed!!

Nothing much going on here...

Here's a quick run down of what's been going on...

*Ashley and Owen took a trip to GA at at the end of September. We were able to meet the newest member of the Brewton family (and she is beautiful)! We also saw Neely (my cousin)...we went to her baby shower...it was great to see Neely and my Aunt Nita! We were able to spend some quality time with my parents and we went to Church @ The Ridge!
Good trip!



*Blair and Bennett (my sister and nephew) came to visit us as soon as we got home from GA (actually she was at my house before we got there-she flew we drove!) We spent a week together getting in some quality time and making memories!


*We had a yard sale with our friend Jason and Beverly. It went pretty well. We got rid of a bunch of stuff we don't need and we made a little bit of money doing it! Everything that didn't sell went straight to Goodwill! Our garage is finally clearing out!

*I'm attempting to make this house a home! Easier said than done!! It's larger than our last house so parts of it look unfinished! This is driving me crazy! A part of me feels like it all needs to be decorated and complete NOW (if not yesterday)so I'm struggling to feel peace in my new home because of this. I hate feeling this way though because in my heart I know I am so blessed and God does not want me dwelling on what I don't have! Sure if I went back to work my home could be beautifully furnished and decorated but I'm not willing to sacrifice precious time with my son for curtains or a sofa table. But I sure could use prayer over this....

*It's crazy how quickly a person can fall into temptation. I think I would call myself a Gator fan (but a Dawgs fan first)!!

*FYI it's still like 95 degrees here and it's suppose to be fall!! I can't tell you how much I long to see beautiful trees with changing leaves! I seriously had a dream that I went driving around FL looking for trees with fall colored leaves. That's sad. Funny story-- The morning of the yard sale I was getting into my car and I saw on my driveway a beautiful red maple leaf! My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw it! As I looked around to see where it came from I reached down to pick it up. My genuine excitement faded immediately when my finger tips touched the plastic stem of the silk leaf. There was no beautiful red maple tree around me...it was a leaf that had fallen off of a wreath I was selling in the yard sale. :(

*I've been going to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) on Tuesday nights. It is a year long international Bible study group that is very structured. I'm really loving the discipline connected with it since it provides study questions for each day of the week. On Tuesday's we meet as a large group for a lecture on whatever we studied that week (we are studying the book of John) and then we meet with a small group of ladies for discussion and prayer requests. My friend Beverly suggested I try it out because she met most of her good friends through BSF. So far I have met several potential friends!

*Tuesday nights for Joe consists of one-on-one time with Owen(they usually go for a jog to the river) and after he gives Owen a bath, bottle and puts him to bed he enjoys some quality time with his brothers (via XBox Live)! I think we all enjoy Tuesday evenings!

*Last week we took a quick trip to Naples FL. It is such a nice area. We really enjoyed the quiet beach and we went to the zoo (briefly...it was too hot)!




*Owen is changing so much!! He is mobile!! Scooting backwards is his best mode of transportation but he has also perfected the army crawl. He gets around the quickest if Joe and I hold his hands and allow him to walk around. I can already tell I am going to have my hands full pretty soon!!
He truly enjoys eating still!! He LOVES feeding himself "Puffs" "Chippys" (both of which are Gerber Graduate toddler foods), Cheerios and small pieces of bananas, apples, and grapes! Joe and I love to watch him eat! He is currently having a little growth spurt! He's nursing longer and earlier than his usual schedule. I love that time with him! He takes 2 naps a day and sleeps from 7:30pm-7:00am. Such a good baby!

Oh his hair! Joe thinks I need to trim around his ears...but the mommy in me just can't!! His soft fluffy hair does not lay flat! It sticks up just like his Daddy's!

Somehow we end up loving him more and more each day....

Lunch time

Nothing quite like your sons laugh

He is his father's son!

Owen at 7 months
Joe at 6 months

It's been a while...

I know it has been a long time since my last post, but I think I have some pretty good excuses! Here’s what’s happened over the past several weeks in a nutshell…

Matt and Elise came to visit us and they were able to celebrate Joe’s birthday and Owen’s half (6 month) birthday with us! It was great hanging out with them!!



We spent the weekend after that watching the Tomlinson kidos! We had a blast! I think the kids actually enjoyed Roxy’s company more than me and Joe! Oh well!



The following Monday we closed on our new house! That entire week was devoted to moving all of our stuff from the apartment and the storage unit. Of course Joe wanted to save money by not hiring movers (I’m sure no one is surprised by this) so he enlisted Jason to help out. We could not have done it without the help from Jason and Beverly! Beverly was so sweet and brought us lunch on “move in day” and she kept Owen for a little bit so he could get in a good nap (since there were painters in every room of the house). Thanks Tomlinsons!

For the Labor Day weekend we took a trip to GA and TN. The main focus for this trip was for Joe to get to see his family (since I will be traveling to see my family at the end of the month). Owen had fun spending quality time with his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousin Bennett. We also had a chance to spend a little bit of time with the Brewtons!


We’re now back home and looking forward to unpacking more boxes and putting stuff on the walls. We are far from settled but we do have all of the essentials where they belong and new paint on all the walls (thanks for the help momma and daddy). It’s simply a house now, but once we add our personal touches I believe it will feel more like our home.

Pictures taken by my cousin Corey...

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Well, as the post title says we've been very busy! After our weekend at Disney my parents came for a visit. It was wonderful spending time with them. We had a great time together and they were able to spend some quality time with their youngest grandchild. My dad left Friday 7/17 but my mom stayed. It was awesome having that much time with my mom! We had so much fun! Maybe too much...cause now I miss her soooo much! On Friday 7/24 my mom, Owen, and I all drove to GA so that Owen and I could head up to Family Camp with CATR.
A part of me was really looking forward to this road trip and another part of me was dreading it! I was super excited about seeing so many of my friends from our church and I really enjoy the rush and blessing that comes from serving families at camp but I was going to be away from Joe for 9 days! Sounds silly but that's the longest we've been away from each other since we've known one another! Tough stuff!
Family Fusion was great! It is always exciting to see what crazy ideas Wendell has come up with and it's always amazing to see how his wonderful wife assists him in organizing it all so perfectly! I helped with three events:
1- Hillbilly Hoedown
I pretty much made up a game to go with the western theme where each family received a bunch of Twizzlers and they had to make the longest rope they could during an allotted amount of time. It was fun! Then I put on my boots and cowgirl hat and taught the group a line dance! Everyone did great!
2- Date Night
This is a night when the parents get to have a much needed date night away form the kids. I organized the decor for the dinner including a table runner and centerpiece. I think the parents appreciated their special evening!
3- Mom's Merge
This is a time designed for the mom's to take a break while the dads have the kids. This year it was a Slumber Party theme. All the mom's were given a lime green fleece blanket with their initial monogrammed on it in pink! Very Girly! At the mom's merge they enjoyed popcorn, soda (in a glass bottle:), chocolate candy bars, hand massages, and girly music. They were also given the opportunity to have their nails painted by a camp volunteer or have their hair braided . I think the mom's enjoyed their time to be who they are-Girls!
Although I really enjoyed camp, I must say it was very different from last year (for me). I was torn. A part of me wanted to be able to help Wendell with more but the other stronger part of me knew I had to be mommy first! If I go back next year Joe has to be there! :)
I left camp on Wednesday after lunch to head up to Knoxville to see the in-laws (or so the in-laws could see Owen)! I thought it would be a short drive since camp was in north GA, but it ended up taking Owen and I 3 hours through the rain, fog, and mountains! Yuck! I get car sick pretty easily so the mountains were no fun...and it's amazing how much more aware you are of the dangers around you when you have a baby! But we made it safely! Owen got pretty up set and quite frankly was screaming his head off when we were only about 5 minutes from our destination, so out of desperation I decided to call Joe and put him on speaker phone so Owen could hear his daddy's voice. Although I thought it was silly,I had to do something! And as soon as Owen heard his daddy his crying and screaming stopped! It was so sweet! I'm sure I'm not the first mom to experience this but it was my first time and it was amazing! I love my two boys!
We spent the rest of Wednesday and Thursday with Owen's Grams, Gramps, and uncles. It was great seeing Owen interact with all of them! On Friday we drove down to good 'ole Paulding county to spend the day and night with my sister and her family. My sister and I did what we do best-consignment shopping! We got some great deals on winter clothes for our baby boys and had a lot of fun doing it! I spent the least amount of time with her during this 9 day road trip and I would have loved for it to be the longest! I miss my sissy!
Although I wanted to spend more time with Blair I really couldn't wait to get home to see Joe! Owen and I drove the long 9 hours on Saturday- and he did great! No melt downs! No screaming--a little crying but no screaming! He was awesome...which made it much easier for me! When we arrived at our apartment in FL Joe was out of town at a beautiful resort in Naples, FL (Owen and I could have been with him if we came home right after Family camp on Wednesday). We could have spent another day with Blair since Joe wouldn't be home until Sunday but Roxy (our dog) was home alone!
Finally Joe got home late Sunday afternoon!! It was like a breath of fresh air to see him! I honestly don't feel complete unless I am with him! We had a much needed fun day together as a family because the next day....
Corey, my cousin, flew in from North Carolina. He is here visiting until Friday evening and then Joe's brother Matt and his wife Elise will arrive Saturday after lunch to visit with us until Wednesday! And then we will baby-sit Joe's boss's kids (our only friends in Florida) for the weekend and then we close on our house on Monday! So, I guess we will continue to be busy, busy, busy! :)

Weekend Retreat

Whats better than living an hour and a half from Disney? Getting Joe's company to pay for our stay! We tagged along with Joe on one of his convention trips to Orlando. Thanks Pamlabs!

If only I could fit those other fingers in my mouth!

Owen learns how to kiss

Another FUN weekend!

This past weekend our good friends Shane and Erin Crider came to visit us! It was a blast to hang out with them and their precious almost 2 year old Taylor! Owen adored Taylor! I guess he has a thing for older women! For the 4th of July we all chilled at Siesta Key beach for the entire day. I must admit I was very nervous about having my 21week old baby at the beach that long, but he did great. When we arrived at the beach (after searching for a parking spot for 30 minutes)It was 1:00,Owen's nap time, but before I could set up his beach tent I had to lather up my husband with sunscreen (he is such a baby about this). Poor Owen screamed the entire time i was applying Joe's sunscreen. :( But as soon as I set up his beach tent (thanks Aunt Sissy:) he easily went to sleep!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Owen stayed under the umbrella or in his tent all day except for a short walk with his Daddy and a dip in the ocean with his mommy and daddy. He loves water! He has recently realized how the can slap his hands on the surface of the water and watch it jump into the air and on his mommy's face--yes, he's splashing!! Too cute...so grown up!
That evening we ate dinner at The Hub, a yummy restaurant in Siesta village, and then watched the fireworks from the beach! It was so neat to watch the fireworks and listen to the crashing of the waves at the same time! What a great sound God created!

After 5 years of marriage...

Well after five years of marriage (today is our anniversary) and over a decade of being "an item", Joe and I have decided to go separate ways. I realize this may come as a shock to many but this was a mutual decision. This move has proved to be harder than I expected. After living in Florida for less than a month, I've realized how deeply rooted I was in Georgia. Joe has surprised me with how quickly he has become connected with Florida. I simply do not feel the same. Though we love each other, through this move we have realized how different we are from one another. We have decided that in time we will allow Owen to choose "where he belongs", but for now it makes since to us that he be a "Georgia boy" (since that is where he was born). Again I realize this may be a shock to you but this fall we will go our separate ways- Owen and I will continue to cheer for The Georgia Bulldogs and Joe has decided to cheer for The Florida Gators. Please pray for us during this huge transition in our lives (especially for me...I'm not sure how good of a season the Dawgs will have).


What? Did I confuse you in some way at the beginning of this post? Was I not clear that I was talking about college football? You didn't actually think I was talking about the "D" word did you? Wow! And I thought you knew us! We love each other deeply and the past 5 years have been the best years of my life!! :)