Joe, Ashley, Owen, & Mason

Oh, the Boat...

2011-09-24T12:13:00.003-04:00

This is probably a story that would be best told by Joe but here's my version!
We prayed for a long time before purchasing a new boat for Joe, I mean our family! :) Joe's heart was truly in the right place! He has sacrificed all of his wants for soooo long! I have to practically beg him to purchase new clothes and he never buys anything other men desire like new cars, phones, hobby stuff, etc. So after years of dealing with our less than perfect boat (that was too small for the family) he finally asked God to make known to us a boat that would be a blessing to our family and not a burden (financially or mentally or mechanically)!! So, as you see in the top picture we believed that was the boat for our family.
So the day he bought it we took it for a test drive as a family. Shortly after the ride began it went from blessing to burden. :( Looking back, now we realize all that went wrong truly wasn't the boat's "fault" but instead our own. We just didn't realize how incredibly different the river here is from what we were used to back in GA! We quickly became stuck in inches of water and lost a few times. Did I mention their was a HUGE black cloud looming in the sky as well! Anyways what we planned as a "quick" trip turned into hours (running right into the middle of nap time:) and just a crazy stressful trip. Mason was screaming his head off because his life jacket was uncomfortable, he wanted to walk around, it was HOT, and he wanted to sleep. Joe was trying his best to control his anger in front of the boys (and his tongue)while I was "trying" to be the one remaining calm, cool, and collected! HA! But our sweet Owen!!!! He was the BEST! He didn't seem to mind that we were stuck in the middle of a river with no clue where we were and his Dada was having to step into the alligator infested water to push us out of the mud. as stressful as the trip was, one of my life's favorite moments occurred during that boat ride. Owen initiated his first "in the moment" prayer. Sure he's initiated prayer at dinner and bed time, but here on the boat he knew exactly who we needed to call upon for help, Jesus! His prayer was so sweet and simple "Jesus please help us get home and not rained on amen." And Jesus did just that! We did get home-eventually. We found our way and the rain didn't start until the boat ramp was in sight. God even blessed us with a dolphin sighting right in front of our boat.
The following day Joe took the boat out with a friend (who just happens to be in the Coat Guard) and they were stranded again in the middle of Terra Ceia Bay. The next day we decided to bring it back to the dealership and sell it. We're still not sure what the "lesson of the story is" and quite honestly as the boat still sits for sale we're not even 100% sure we're doing the right thing by selling it. I suppose we should get Owen to pray about this as well!

July 2011

2011-09-24T11:04:00.008-04:00

Every night we watch "Animals" (Life by BBC Earth bluray)

Mason's first look at his birthday week decor!

Owen and his Uncle Matt!

The boys opening Mason's present

Chillin' bros

Watching TV together

Mason had so much fun with his Aunt Carol! Ho loves the Cat in the Hat she gave him!

The boys with their Mimi

Owen loves reading stories with his Mimi on her Nook Book! She even downloaded a "Cars" story for him!

Me and my boys!

Mason and his Uncle Adam

Snuggled up with his Aunt Sissy!

Look at those boys! They are all trained by their Mimi to close their eyes and put out their hands when she says "I have a prize!"

Owen loves his cousin Bennett!

Mason's 1st Birthdat Party!

2011-09-23T22:45:00.011-04:00

Well Mason turned one (sheesh!) almost 3 months ago! He had a great birthday with friends and family! My mom, Aunt Carol, Sister and her family all came to celebrate with him (THANK YOU ALL!!) Here are some pics to sum of the event (thank you Sarah!!):

He was pretty messy by the time he was done with his cake. I really have the best friends in the world...they cleaned his mess for me, walls, blinds, and all! :)

Just another example of how different my two boys are: Owen gently placed a small piece of cake in his dad's mouth on his birthday; Mason slapped his dad in the face with his cake!!

DIVING IN!!!

Big Brother Owen helped Mason with his candle!

Blessings! The gifts and his friends!!

Quick timeline of the first year of my baby's life. tear.

Sweaty Owen after a "Green Egg" hunt. (Did I mention it was a Dr.Seuss/Cat in the Hat theme???)

Mason and his Mimi

The adult's cupcakes:Chocolate with an Oreo on the bottom and an Oreo cheesecake filling!

Welcome table where guests signed a book for Mason (well like 3 people signed the book..I have great friends, they're just not so good at following directions :)!!

The Favors: Personalized straw cups with a snack trap on the bottom; filled with scented bubbles and candy!

Food!

Sweets!

Fun!

No good excuses....

2011-09-23T22:39:00.004-04:00

So its been a really long time since I've even looked at this blog. For the few that care, I'm sorry! No good excuses. I'm going to TRY to make it a more regular part of my life so that each time I sit down I'm not trying to re-cap 3 months of our lives. That's the main reason I've avoided it for so long...I've just let too many great memories build up in my head and it would take FOREVER to capture it all on this blog. So I'll attempt to create a few concise posts to sum up (HA!) what we've been up to!!

Easter....yes I know im a few months behind!

2011-06-05T14:51:00.009-04:00

Owen took this picture of us on Ester! Pretty good I think for a 2 year old...he has a very "artsy" style in his angle!

We like to include in their Easter baskets something that points back to the reason for Easter so both boys received "virtue" packs (these are great resources that capitalize on Deuteronomy 6:6-7...they provide tools that easily allow parents to talk to their children about God and Godly virtues while in the car, eating meals, and going to bed at night). The boys also received Mickey shirts since we were going to Disney World the following weekend!

Hee! Hee! I made us match! Surprisingly, Joe didn't mind!

True brothers!

Dying eggs while talking about the Easter story!

On Good Friday we made a "Resurrection Garden" while we read through the story of what happened to Jesus...Good Friday is good for us but it wasn't so good for Jesus.

Our Finished project

Owen and Mason received Easter gifts in the mail from Uncle Matt and Aunt Elise! Owen of course offered to help Mason open his! Look how excited Mason looks!

Owen loved his Percy Easter Egg train!

Just like last year, Mimi came to visit!

Our church Easter Egg hunt. It's our big outreach event each year which includes 50,000 eggs, bounce houses, rock climbing walls, free food, and...

a paraschuting bunny!!

Mason's first Easter egg hunt!

My Messy Mason Moose!

2011-06-04T21:26:00.007-04:00

This boy is a Mommy's boy...and I LOVE it! He wakes up each morning laughing and squealing at who knows what! If I don't get him quick enough from his crib then he will begin to squeal even louder and thus wake his older (better sleeper) brother. I love reaching in his crib to get him...he stretches out his chunky little arms and wraps them around my neck and gives me a Sweet hug! On the mornings when he hasn't woken his older brother we enjoy a little one-on-one time snuggled up on the couch. Most mornings this lasts until his sippy cup is empty, then he slides himself off the edge of the couch and he's off! He really doesn't stop moving throughout the day unless it's to "refuel" and suck his thumb for about 20seconds...then he's off again! He still prefers to army crawl but he is also enjoying holding hands to walk as well. It took him a while but he is now able to lower himself carefully after pulling himself up. For a while he would pull up on the train table or the ottoman and then just cry from frustration because he didn't know how to get down. It was very sad!
Unfortunately he's not real interested in baby toys. He wants whatever Owen has or anything that doesn't resemble a toy at all (ie computer cords, candle sticks, tv remotes, plants, etc). He's slowly learning all of the "no-no's" around the house but he is very hard-headed! At this age Owen would be in tears if I looked at him and said "no"...and if I had to swat his hand he never looked back at the "no-no" again. Mason-totally different kid! Swatting his hand does nothing. He will look at me dead in the eye and reach back and touch the object 5 times receiving a hand swat each time...unfazed. We're starting to think he is unable to feel physical pain. Which for Owen's sake sometimes works in his advantage. Most of the time it's an accident, but there are about 5 incidents each day that Owen inflicts "pain" on Mason. I use " " around the word pain because it looks like it should be painful for Mason, but he doesn't cry...he grunts or yells at Owen! But they do enjoy their time together. They mostly play next to each other but there are times when they actually play together and it simply melts my heart. When Mason wakes from his naps (which he is not a great napper) Owen always rushes into his room at the first sound he makes. Owen climbs up the crib and flips in! They will play together for several minutes laughing and squealing!
When Mason isn't playing with his brother's toys or taking a short nap, he's usually eating. I'm seriously still amazed at how much he eats, and I see him eat three times a day. He will sometime sit in his highchair and eat for an hour!! His favorites: all fruit (apple, grapes, bananas, strawberry, blueberries, mango, pineapple, oranges, plums, watermelon, etc)whole-wheat English muffin pizza (he ate 3 pieces for dinner along with fruit and milk!!), peas...I don't know why I'm trying to make this list...he eats everything!!! AND he drops/throws everything on the ground! He is SOOOOO messy (hints his nick name)Even Owen says "Mason messy"!
I just love this boy to pieces! I can remember before he was born I would think "how can I love another kid as much as I love Owen"...now I know how...God just gives you more love to love with...so amazing!!!

Disney!

2011-05-04T15:24:00.016-04:00

I just had one of the best weekends of my life! We went for the first time a a family to the magical Disney World! It was such an amazing family experience! I was so giddy as we anticipated taking the trip...not because I LOVE Disney, but I was just t so excited about going as a family! I just loved watching my boys react to all of the exciting sites around them. I did not want the weekend to end...its just so wonderful to escape reality for a little while! :-) Here are pictures from our trip:
The first "ride" was the parking lot "train" as Owen called it!

I was a little worried about how many Disney souvenirs we would go home with, when after only 2 minutes of entering the park I saw this...

1st Disney Parade!

The Disney Junior Show had to be one of Owen's favorite shows!!

We had so much fun at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area!

Owen wanted to take this Play-doh home with him!

Poor Mason really needed a diaper change! i guess we were all having too much fun to notice.

Such a Cool Kid! He loves to do anything like his Dada, including wearing sunglasses

Mason was so stinkin cute in his Mickey hat!

Hollywood Studios!!

This was Owen's favorite spot in our hotel room! He was people watching as hotel guests swam in the pool and splash zone beneath our room!

Mason LOVED meeting all the different characters! All of the characters LOVED mason too. I think Mason's genuine excitement was appreciated by each character because they all wanted to keep playing with him!!

Owen was pretty nervous at first, but once he saw how happy his brother was he warmed up a bit!

So sweet! Mason like playing with Owen's hair!

Watching the Indiana Jones show!

Too Loud!

Clap clap Clap! Mason was such a good audience!

Sometimes they held hands! my heart was melting!!!

SiLLy OwEn!

The Fantismic show was impressive but just too scary and intense for a 2 year old. I spent most of the time covering Owen's eyes. But he did really enjoy the fireworks and Mickey!

The ferry ride to Magic Kingdom!

Watching as he train goes by..

Another parade!

I LOVE THIS MAN!!! He is such a fun daddy and an amazing husband! I am so thankful for him every single day!!! (I'm also thankful that he was able to earn the hotel points to make this disney vacation possible)!!!

I love tht they put fun things to play with for the kids when waiting in line. Brilliant!!

Me and Owen on the flying Dumbo ride! We both loved it!! So did Mason!

This was my supermom moment...both boys wanted their mommy!

Its a small world after all...

Owen was so proud of his Disney Driver's card he earned for driving the car with his daddy!

Teacup kisses!

Sweet brother held the fan for Mason!

Safari Boat ride!

ANOTHER train ride!

Dada gettin' some good lovin' from his boys!

Me and my boys on our last day :( at Animal Kingdom

Mason was such a good baby! He was so happy even with skipping his naps. When he was really tired he just needed his mommy and he would fall righ to sleep! He's my mama's boy! <3

Awesome Safari ride! It was a "realistic" ride...very bumpy and Mason seemed to love it and hooted and hollared the whole time!

He is so LOUD these days!!

Id didn't think I would pet much less comb a cow while at Disney! Oh well, Owen loved it!

Lunch at the very cool Rainforest Cafe!

Dino Land

By the time we met Pluto, Owen was much more comfortable with the big characters!

Lego Land at Downtown Disney!

Owen's only nap in the stroller didn't happen until the very last day...I say that's a sign that he had a great time!

Spring Trip to Georgia

2011-03-29T15:49:00.013-04:00

Just like last year, I decided to take a trip up to GA while Joe was away at a business meeting. It's amazing the difference a year can make! Last year it was just me and Owen on the trip and he was still in diapers!! This year the trip was much different! Owen told me a few times during the drive that he needed to "potty in grass"...so he did! In the end it was a great trip. The drive wasn't that bad...I transfer the sleeping boys into the car at 4am and by time time they wake up we're already half way done with the drive. I'm extremely thankful my boys are pretty good little travelers...well as good as growing 8month old and active 2 year old can be! :-) Owen truly made the trip awesome! It was so sweet seeing how loving he was towards his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is such an affectionate little man. I'm so grateful he's at the age now where he really remembers everyone and remembers all that he does with them. He still talks about each person we visited. So sweet. And of course Mr.Mason was just a doll. Just a happy happy baby (although he cried more there than he ever does at home...I suppose he just missed his Dada:) Here are pics to wrap up the trip:

Mimi and the boys drinking their milk

Owen giving his Mimi a tight hug! He would not let go of her...she literally tried to put him down and he hung on to her like a monkey!!

Owen throwing the ball with my Grandma, his Great Grandma

Owen thinks His Uncle Adam has the coolest jobs 'cause he rides in an Ambulance and firetruck!!

The boys thought it was special having a little TV on the floor...So of course they had to get as close as humanly possible!

Everyone wanted to hug Mason!

Mimi and all her boys!

Owen had fun on his Pops shoulders!

Mimi and Pops took turns throwing the boys in the air!

Happy Mason with his Pops

Owen being silly with his sticky-icky mouse from his Mimi

Owen and his Grams

Mason and his Uncle Matt

Mason and his Aunt Elise

Owen was so thankful his Grams and Gramps made the drive down to GA to play cars with him!

BIG hug!!

Owen with his Grams and Gramps

Everyone enjoyed watching Owen make Mason laugh

Watching a helicopter go by

This is Owen's attempts at giving me bunny ears. I told it looked more like a moose!

I LOVE how Mason sucks his thumb and clasps his hands together! So sweet!

Fun times with a BIG balloon!

Owen's "Choo! Choo! Look Who's Two" Party!

2011-02-09T13:28:00.015-05:00

Yummy! These cupcakes are sinfully delicious! It's yellow cake with homemade chocolate chip cookie DOUGH inside!! (Don't worry No raw eggs...and it's really still like dough not a cookie b/c the dough was frozen when i baked the cupcake! The buttercream icing tastes like a chocolate chip cookie too!!! So sad they're all gone!

In the frames there were pictures from when he was a newborn, a recent pic, and a pic from his 1st b-day party. He's crying in his 1st b-day pic...when he saw it the first time I said "It's YOU!" then he said "Oh, no! YOU crying!"

Those PBJ's are suppose to look like trains!!

This is what we call Owen's "Dinner Daze". He just stares out into space sometimes when he's eating!

PIZZA! We thought we should serve one of Owen's favorite foods for lunch...so we had pizze delivered for the first time EVER!!!! (We just prefer the price of frozen pizza!:)

Owen LOVES bubbles, so we had all the kidos blow bubbles for the Birthday Boy!!

My 2 year old!!

I guess it's normal for kids this age, but several kids simply could not help themselves from opening Owen's gifts! I don't think the poor guy opened any of his gifts by himself.

Being pushed around on his new tricycle! Who says hand-me-downs can't be gifts!!?? :)

Owen giving "Thank you Knucks"!

Trying to blow out candle!

I think he liked his cake! I hit the jackpot at Walmart...each Thomas Construction Crew toys were marked down to $2...usually $8 each!! It really worked out b/c the day before his party he told me he wanted tractors on his cake! Yay!

Sharing his cake...

He really liked his new tractors and had a hard time sharing them...so he played with them behind the bushes...silly!

My Owen is 2!!!!

2011-02-08T21:24:00.014-05:00

AHHH!! I cannot believe I can't use the excuse "I have 2 kids under 2" anymore! :-)
I'm kidding and not kidding all at the same time! But really I can't believe my silly Owen turned two years old today! What an amazing 2 years it has been and what an amazing 2 year old son I have. So much has happened over the past two years but through it all I have been forever changed by the relationship I have with my sweet son. He has honestly made me a better person and I'll strive to be an even better parent the next two years as I see more and more clearly each day how important it is that I raise two strong warriors for God's army. AND as I see the importance in raising both Owen and Mason to be great husbands and fathers one day. Whoo! What a mighty task...but I'm ready for the challenge!
Well, I'm convinced the two year doctor check up visit is simply to make the parents feel great about themselves! And I did!

Doc- "Can he throw a ball?"
Me-"yes" ...grinning
Doc-"can he walk backwards and upstairs?"
Me-"yes"...grinning a little more
Doc-"does he use a spoon and fork when he wants to?"
Me-"yes"...and laughing at the "when he wants to part"...(so true!)
Doc- "can he say at least 20 words?"
Me- "yes"...and beaming! my boy's smart!?

See how this appointment went! Doc goes on to say that boys by this age can say around 20-50 words while girls can say between 50-100 words! WOW! I thought...my boy's as smart as a girl!! --- Totally a thought I never knew I would have!!
All to say the appointment went well! I left feeling like as a parent I'm doing pretty good, and Owen was happy because he was enjoying his third lollipop (before 10am!!) He's around 85th% for height, and 75th% for both weight and head..."very proportional", the nurse said!! :)

Well, Owen is shaping up to be a pretty silly boy! He seems to have such a little since of humor that Joe and I are constantly surprised by. Currently his favorite game is "hiney". Which is simply a game of taking turns chasing one another around the house trying to get each other's "Hiney". OK, it's not a game I'm real proud of, but hey, it's good clean fun for our sweet 2 year old (we'll just have to discuss how it's only a family game!)
It'll be easier if I just do a few bullet points about Owen...since I haven't blogged just about him in a while!
-His first prayer a few months ago was: "Thanks Jesus (for) Dada, bubba, Amen" (I'm sure he thought to say Mama, it just seemed like a given to him is all)!!
-He no longer calls Publix "publix" instead he calls it "Cookie". :)...since he gets a free cookie each time we visit!
-His favorite color is red, and therefore his favorite "Thomas and Friends" train is James...the red one
-He still sucks his thumb and sleeps with about 100 blankets, but still has to have his small blue minky and silk blankie named "Mmmmm"!!
-His favorite foods--Cottage Cheese, Oranges, Bananas, Colby Jack cheese (in chunks not slices!!)
-He REFUSES to say the word milk...he still calls it some strange sound that's deep in his throat!!
-He loves to make his brother laugh by making strange noises!
-He still loves trains but has recently gotten into helicopters as well
-He loves the beach and asks almost daily if we can go!
-The other day we were watching Sand Hill Cranes in our backyard and when I told him instead of calling it a bird call it a crane he looked at me and rhymed for the first time "Crane-Train"? He looked pretty puzzled but thought it was pretty funny after he said it a few time!!
-His favorite songs right now-Itsy Bitsy Spider and Jesus Loves Me (he loves to do the motions to both of these songs)
-Have I mentioned he's been in a big boy bed for about 3 weeks...He only got out once and he didn't even leave his room, he just played with his choo-choos
-Here's our conversation about his birthday cake:
Me- Owen what kind of cake do you want for your birthday? Do you want a cake with trains, tractors, cars....???
Owen- No thanks mama. Ummm, Bubba cake.
Me- So you don't want trains on your cake?
Owen- No mama. Bubba.
:) I love my boy!!!
-He loves to help cook.
-If he hears a group of adults laughing, he fake laughs as if he understands what's going on!!! This tends to make all the adults laugh even harder...and then owen laughs harder...then the adults laugh harder...you get the point!!
-When we're in the car an I suspect that Mason has fallen asleep I ask Owen and he either says "No mama" or he says "Mama, Bubba...then he acts like he's sleeping...its stinkin' hilarious because he does it all...he closes his eyes, tucks his head against the car seat, puts his thumb in his mouth and takes deep breaths! I think he may end up being a child actor!!
-He's a great motivator! When I ran in a 5k he was near the finish line clapping and yelling "Go Mama!! Go Mama!!"
-He LOVES his house! When we pull in the neighborhood after being gone for a while he starts grinning and lovingly whispering "Home!! Home!!"

I'm sure I forgetting a lot...I just need to blog more frequently and then I wouldn't have to do so much catching up!! Here are some pics to hopefully help me remember a few other tid bits:
Ball Pit on a rainy day... I think he's out grown this ball pit...time to upgrade!

FUN!

Playing with soapy water to help me clean the table

Bubbles!

Now cleaning up our bubble mess!

Sharing his favorite James choo choo with Mason

Lovin on his brother

He is so stinkin cute eating an apple

Owen seeing his big boy bed for the first time!

Owen "sharing" his bed with his brother!

First night sleeping in his big boy bed! *Notice the big knot on his head!! He didn't fall out of the bed, he bumped it on the headboard!

Lining up his Trains!

He Loves his new pillow!!! He's addicted to minky fabric!!

In a firetruck for the first time!!

We brought yummy goodies to our local fire station on Christmas Eve! The men there were so sweet...Owen had a great time. God blessed Owen for blessing others!

Owen enjoys peeling his own orange...he even throws away the peel

He's so neat...sometimes!

Pictures at the train he loves to paly on!

The knot on his head is still there!! Doc said it's like calcium build up now and could be there for as long as 9 MONTHS!!! WOW!!

My forst nap with Owen! His bed is pretty comfy! I was afraid if I napped with him once, he would always want me to...WRONG...he's never even asked me to! :-(

Watching a helicopter video and acting it out with his toy at the same time!!

He's so silly! He thoughthis cracker looked like a train!!

Sweetly Sleeping!

First morning of Birthday week! I'm going to miss it!!

Naked and playing with a helicopter!

His big gift--Bounce House with slide!!

Joe and Owen FAKE sleeping in the hammock after his birthday party--I'm telling you he could seriously be a child actor!!

New tradition-a picture taken right when he woke up on his birthday!

Family Birthday celebration on his actual birthday

Now, playing with his train cake!!

Skyping Grams, Gramps, Uncle Nick, and Uncle Sam on his birthday!

Even though we weren't able to visit family on Owen's birthday, we were excited to let him skype his grandparents!

Mason is 6 months!!!!

2011-01-23T22:44:00.009-05:00

I know I say this every time I give an update that concerns the boys' ages...but I really cannot believe my baby is 6 months...half a year already!! He is such an amazing joy. He has added so much to this family in these past 6 months! I'm hoping his delay (compared to his brother) in some developmental milestones is a sign of his laid back nature that will be refreshing compared to his high paced big brother! He is still in the 95 percentile for height but dropped to the 50th in weight! Many would argue that last one...he's so heavy! The only explanation for his "low" weight is the Johnny Jump up! This boy LOVES to jump..I even asked him the other day if he preferred his Johnny jump up over me. He didn't answer. :) Apart from becoming more active...he's also eating much more! Milk and Cereal for breakfast, milk veggies and fruit for lunch, milk for an afternoon snack, veggies, fruit, and oatmeal for dinner, and milk before bedtime! Big eater! He's taking at least 2 two hour naps and sometime a third in the evenings. Sleeps from 8p-8a (closer to 7:30a the last few days:/ Here are some pics of my baby!
Check out that hairline!

Happy Happy Baby

Car seat pics

I have some just like this of O...I'll have to compare them!

O the Johnny Jump up!!

He sucks in that bottom lip a lot!

Sleeping peacefully

Mason's Half Birthday Party!! You might be wondering what happens at a Half birthday party...well the guest of honor has his first bite of fruit, a try at using a sippy cup, and a Gerber Puff (solid food that melts in his mouth). All of his guests get to enjoy a half circle cake (Which Owen called a moon...side note, I've really been enjoying sneaking veggies in food...the cake had pumpkin and squash in it...but no one could tell!!)

First bite of fruit!

His sour reaction!

Even worse!!

"Give me more...I'll try it again..."

"Never mind!"

M had the same red splotchy reaction to fruit that O had. Weird. Only happened once.

Trying sippy cup for the first time

First Puff...he didn't like it!

Playing with his big brother

He's getting better with the sippy cup...but mostly uses it to chew on since he's getting two teeth...watch out momma!!

Owen showing M his half birthday gift!

Me and my Mason

Our Fmily Christmas 2010

2011-01-23T21:42:00.013-05:00

I love the Christmas season! It was so much fun introducing Owen to so many new Christmas traditions this year. Although as a family we have decided to not include the Santa tradition, we had so much fun staying busy with other exciting traditions. As parents it gives us so much joy to see our son's first reaction to hearing the word "Christmas" is to shout "Jesus!" It's our responsibility to keep both boys this focused on the true meaning of Christmas...always.

Here are some pics and captions to sum up our Christmas...
Matching Christmas jammies! I thought it would be tough to find them matching pj's because of their age difference, but it wasn't so bad since M's pj's are size 12months! (although he is only 5 months!)

We love to take walks during the Christmas season to look at all of the "lights for Jesus" (as Owen calls it!). We decided to start a tradition of giving an award to our favorite light covered house! It seems like a fun and easy way to put the focus back on giving.... Here's the award (a jar with candy!)

This is only a small glimpse of the house that we gave the award to. It had everything! A huge nativity scene, a "Happy Birthday Jesus" banner, a huge star on the roof, lit up trees that played music, AND...two Trains...complete with their tracks!! They were a clear winner...it was a bummer that they weren't there to receive their award...hopefully they were excited to find it on their front porch!

Making cookies Christmas Eve.

We may not leave any cookies for Santa...but we still enjoy making cookies together!!

Our Christmas morning birthday party for Jesus!! We start the morning with blowing loud party whistles while we sing and dance to fun Christmas music! Then we made our way to this kitchen table where it was decorated with a sign Owen help make, puppets, birthday cake, balloons, a manger, and so much more

I Gotta admit its a little weird eating a baby Jesus cookie...Owen had no such problem!

He's screaming "JESUS!"

Listening to the Christmas story

Yummy...cake for breakfast! (Owen liked it much better this year compared to last year!!)

Our family...we are so blessed!

Owen loved his New trains, books, power wheel ($10 at yard sale!), bath toy, and vacuum ($2 at yard sale)

I did a pretty poor job of taking pictures because I was way too interested in what was going on! I hope to do better next year!!

THANK YOU to my wonderful hubby for all of my amazing gifts! You truly spoil me Joseph! I love you!

Christmas Visit to Georgia

2011-01-23T16:06:00.012-05:00

We had a great visit to GA this Christmas. It was great being able to just make the drive to Ga and visit with the Harrell's at my parents house and visit with Graziano's at Matt and Elise's house. Here are some pics that sum up the trip...

Thomas take along train gift from Grams and Gramps!

So fun!

Mason and his Gramps!

Mason and Uncle Sam!

Right after we finished opening gifts it started snowing!

A White Christmas!

Love his face in this picture!

"sledding" with Uncle Matt

Typical Joe

Owen learning how to throw snowballs with Uncle Matt!

Mason stayed nice and warm inside with Aunt Elise!

A quick family pic in the snow

Owen took a short break from tthe snow to eat a PBJ

Owen and Uncle Matt

Sweet Sweet Mason

Owen and Mason!

LOVE this picture!

Mason loves his Owen!

Mason with my Grandma!

Opeing gifts at my parents house...so fun with 4 little boys!

Owen getting some help from Pops opening a gift

Owen and Bennett racing their new cars together!

Owen opening his big gift from Mimi and Pops...a wooden choo choo "go" (track)!

Owen and Dada sledding...

now with Uncle Matt...

now with Aunt Elise...

now with Uncle Nick...

now with me!

I put my (clean) thick fuzzy socks on his hands since we didn't have any gloves for him (we live in FL...why would we have golves for him!?!)

Playing "Abby woo woo" in the snow! (Abby is my mom's dog and woo woo is what he calls a dog!)

family walk in the snow

Matt taught him how to eat the snow

He had so much fun in the snow!!

Silly Owen and Bennett playing on Joe!

Owen and Mimi snuggled up!

Mason and Aunt Sissy

Mason and Mimi

December

2011-01-19T15:00:00.022-05:00

I guess I've just been too busy to blog...go figure! Being a mom of 2 under 2yr during the holidays keeps a woman busy busy busy...but I LOVE it!!! I'll attempt to fill in the gap of all that happened during December. The easiest way to sum it all up is through pictures (and captions)...here I go...

Owen's beginning to get the hang of talking on the phone. Here he is talking to his Dada. For some strange reason the first thing he always says on the phone is "The moon is night-night". (which is what we tell him during the day when we can't find his beloved moon in the sky.--The other night Owen was watching the moon from the window and he suddenly screamed "OH NO MOON!" "Clouds! Clouds!" ""Bye Bye Moon." He was noticing for the first time how clouds can cover the moon. I wish I could have recorded the excitement in his voice when the clouds moved away and he saw "God's Moon"!

When he was younger he really didn't enjoy the swing...now when we go to the park he likes to have a turn in each swing!

And he loves climbing up the big kid play set just to slide down and do it all over again!

Silly/Crazy boy! (22 months)

This is their new "thing"! They love hanging out in M's crib together. This activity requires careful supervision...Sometimes Owen can get a little carried away with his love for his Bubba!

and again...

The boys playing! Can't wait to see how much more they're going to play together each day!

Happy Mason!

Owen loves some play dough!

We couldn't believe the size of the bird on our neighbor's house!

Owen really enjoys making crafts! Here he is making candle holders that he gave as Christmas gifts!

This is what sweet Mason looks like right when he wakes up! Red rings around his eyes and a big smile!

Here's Mason at 5 months eating veggies for the first time! Notice Owen saying "Yuck!" in the background!

This boy loves to read. If he suddenly becomes suspiciously quiet, he's either getting into trouble or reading!

We made a marshmallow snowman.

This is what the poor thing looked like when Owen was done playing with it!

Owen enjoying breakfast with his Dada!-Especially the fruit! (by 10:30 this am Owen had already eaten a banana, apple, strawberries, orange, and a blueberry muffin!)

I've always loved making Gingerbread houses (because my mom always made them with me and my sis). We made one last year...but of course Owen wasn't as involved! This year it was so much fun!

Somehow icing got on his face!

And now he's eating the "siding" of the house!

He was so careful when decorating it with candy

Owen loves to get mail!

Owen opened Mason's Christmas card and showed it to him! So sweet!

My Nana and Aunt Carol got Owen a Red Tractor (just like my Grandaddy's!) and a farm set!

Mason!! (5months)

Here we were all watching Frosty the Snowman as a family for the first time! I can't believe I forgot how much of that movie revolved around a train. Of course Owen Loved it!

My newest favorite pic of Mason

Look at his cheeks! They're the best!

Mason sucking that chubby little thumb.

My boys!

We went to something called "A Walk Through Bethlehem". It was such a great time for Owen to see the true Christmas story in action! And to see lots of cool live animals...like the camel behind us in this picture!

We met Abby and Cookie Monster!--not at the walk through Bethelehem...at Busch Gardens!

Owen's favorite ride at Busch Gardens

Mason slept through our evening at Busch Gardens

Fun at the playground---gotta love FL weather!!

I decided to make O a "fort" to sleep under! Cool mom, huh? ! :-)

Recently

2010-12-07T10:06:00.010-05:00

When I first put out the Nativity set, Owen pointed to the baby and said "Bubba"! Which is what he calls all babies. But I attempted to correct him and explain to him that the baby in the manger was Jesus. So what's he say "Bubba Jesus"!!! Joe and I could not stop laughing!!

Under the tree...trying not to touch because it's a "no-no"

Warm Mason after a walk around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights.

Owen with a bowl on his head. He really looked like he belonged in the Philippines!

"Mommy's no-no" as Owen calls it!

We had a late birthday celebration for Beverly!

Hope all Beverly's hopes and dreams come true!!

Silly boy!

Feeding Roxy peanut butter

He thought it was sooo funny!

Mason's new look

Cutie!

Such a BIG 4.5month old baby (wearing a 9-12 month onesie)!

Owen with a mullett!!! Business in the front--Party in the back!!!!!

Silly boy dancing with paper "streamers" stuck to him. He LOVES to dance!!

A Great Visit with Noonee and Pappa!!

2010-12-07T09:08:00.009-05:00

It was such a blessing to have Joe's Noonee and Pappa visit us last Friday night! They were in Orlando for another grandson's soccer tournament, and they lovingly made the extra drive to come visit us for a few hours. We were so thankful to see them, and for them to see their Great Grandsons! Can I just say that they are AMAZING Great Grandparents!!! Owen loved them immediately and would not let them leave his side! He had them on the floor playing cars and trains with him the whole time...lucky for Owen, Noonee and Pappa were up for the task! One of the Great Grandparents was holding Mason at all times, and one was on the floor playing with Owen. I hope I'm half as good of a Great Grandparent one day as Owen and Mason's Noonee and Pappa! THANK YOU Noonee and Pappa for visiting us!! Love you!!
Owen pointing out to Noonee each family member in the picture.

Mason and Noonee

Mason and Pappa

Noonee and Pappa brought Owen this cool Donkey Kong Monster Truck!

Owen playing Choo Choo with Noonee

Owen sharing a Choo Choo with Pappa!--Really he wanted Pappa to play with him, so he had to share his choo choo! :)

Playing Choo Choo with Pappa!

Noonee, Pappa, Joe, Owen, and Mason

Noonee and Pappa ordered the greatest gift for the boys for Christmas and it happened to be delivered while they were visiting! Owen LOVES his new Nativity set. Everyday we go through the Christmas story at least once, and we act it out with this wonderful toy set. My new greatest moment as a mom is hearing my son playing with this toy and with joy in his heart shouting "Jesus!"

November 30th Beach Day

2010-12-07T08:49:00.005-05:00

I decided to take the boys by myself to the beach because I was thinking it was going to be the last warm day (it was close to 90 degrees)! It was beautiful! I know I've lived here for over a year and a half, but I'm still so excited each time I go to the beach...especially in November! Here are some pictures from our day!
Swinging away at the beach! My friend Heather and her daughter Lana were in the area so they stopped by to play for a while!

Lana pushing Owen...what a good friend! (If you remember from a blog post a long time ago...Lana pushed him around the zoo in his stroller!!!)

My good friend Heather and a sleepy Mason!

I Love the beach, but I love it even more when I canbe there with my boys...such a blessing!

Big boy on the Big slide! He's a thrill junkie!

He already knows how to pose for his mama to take a pic!

Such a climber!

Owena and Lana watching the tractor go by! You know Owen froze as soon as he saw it!

Sweet Sweet Mason napping at the beach

November

2010-12-07T00:18:00.011-05:00

We had to visit the Choo Choo again so Dada could see it and experience it with O!

We went on a little business trip with Joe to Sanibel Island. Staying in a 3 room hotel room for 4 days makes you realize how very little we actually need. Owen was able to find plenty of things to entertain him! Including this dishwasher rack!

And of course he watched "choo Choo" at the hotel!

4 month old Mason woke up at 6:30 am twice (usually doesn't get up til 8am)so I knew he was hungry so we started him on cereal! Here are his pics from his first meal!

Classic!

Owen got in the Exersaucer without me knowing...this is his reaction when he wasn't sure how mama was going to react....

This is his reaction when he realized mama wasn't mad--she actually thought it was funny! :-)

Owen after a bath, sitting in a chair with "Ahh Ahh" (The name he gave his beloved monkey is "Ahh Ahh", because "Ooo Ooo Ahh Ahh"is what a monkey says after all!!)

Here are some leaves from the Thankful Tree we put together throughout the month of November. Each night at dinner we would say something we were Thankful for. Owen's answers were pretty cute! He eally loves the Moon right now! He said it almost every night.

Turkey Plate! Owen's hand made the turkey body, and Mason's big toe made the red waddle!

Ever stated a craft thinking it was going to be quick and easy? Yea, that's what I thought about this one...don't think I'll do it again!

Owen wearing the turkey hat we made! He colored/painted each of the feathers and was in charge of the glueing!

Owen loves to dance! He calls music "dance", so if he see's Joe's ipod he always wants to listen to the "dance"!!

Thanksgiving Visit to GA

2010-12-06T23:16:00.009-05:00

We had a wonderful week long visit to GA. It was great getting to see all of our family (without having to drive an additional 3 hours...thanks Matt and Elise for hosting & thanks Grams and Gramps for meeting us there)! And it was also great to get in some time with our dear friends!
Grams reading to Owen!

Mason's 1st Thanksgiving! He's wearing the same shirt Owen wore on his 1st Thanksgiving (Owen was almost 10 months old, Mason is 4 months old)!

Me and Grams feeding Mason

Mimi and Mason

Me and my handsom nephews (who look more like my children than they do my sister's!)

Mason and Lawson's First Thanksgiving!

My poor attempt at getting a fam pic of us at the Thanksgiving dinner table! Sorry Pops and Lawson!

Owen and Bennett on the back deck looking for "Birdies"

This is Owen and Pops putting change in Pop's Fun $ jar. Each time his grandsons visit, Pops has some change waiting for them to add to the jar. So special! (his plan is to wait til the jar is full, or close, then take the boys to Toys R Us and let them pic out whatever they want! :)

Owen experiencing fall leaves for the first time!

"Mama, why isn't that tree green?"

Mimi, Mason, and Owen dancing

Owen and Bennett making "kitchen music" as I call it!

Storytime with Mimi

Mason chillin on his Pops

Me, Sister Blair, and Cousin Neely with all our kids!

Owen's hair blowing in the wind produced by Mimi's toy

Owen and Mimi

Everything went well on the trip but we returned exhausted! I've decided that I have super-sonic mama ears, because when I sleep in the same room with my boys I wake with each and every sound they make (sniff, roll, kick, sigh, you name it, I hear it)! :) Wish there was a way to tone down my hearing abilities.
The drive was fine, but towards the end of our late night return trip home, we realized that Mason is not quite as easy as Owen has always been in the car! Mason just LOVES his bed. He loves to stretch out and then roll to his side to sleep (usually with one thumb in his mouth and the other arm draped over his face). Owen probably watched his "Choo Choo" (Thomas) movie 4 times during the 9 hour drive (we hit lots of traffic and accidents). In the end we arrived safely and we thought that since it was close to 1:00am we would all go straight to bed...BUT Owen had different plans! We think he was just so excited to be back home, because he suddenly had this new burst of energy!! He was just running around being silly pointing out each of his toys, dancing, looking in each room, and then to top off the evening he wanted to read all of his favorite books that were left behind! Such a silly boy!

I have to record this before I forget...

2010-12-02T09:08:00.004-05:00

Two all time Greatest Moments that happened this week:

1. It's November 30th. I'm basking in the sun with my feet in the sand while I listen to the waves crashing at the beach. My sweet 4 month old baby Mason is snoozing away in his stroller next to me, while my hilarious 21 month old is literally in my lap, cheek to cheek with me and driving his "choo choo" on my head. I asked myself in that moment "Really, can life get any better?" Then this happened the next day....

2. TV is muted on HGTV. :) I'm sitting on the living room floor being crafty in preparation for celebrating Christ's birth. Mason is lying next to me smiling and cooing. Owen is in his crib, and I can hear him making his sweet "sleepy noises" as he falls asleep listening to soft songs about Christ's birth. To top it off...I'm sipping on a delicious Angel Food smoothie that my wonderful husband surprised me with from Smoothie King. I just don't think this week could top those two moments....I am so blessed.

Mason 4 months

2010-11-12T22:46:00.005-05:00

Where have the past 4 months gone!!??!!??!! I cannot believe he's already that big..I'm tearing up typing this!

Lazy Tummy time! He has no interest in participating in tummy time. He rather just lay his head down and not work out his neck! We did't do tummy time as much with him or as early with him as we did Owen mainly because every time we try he spits up! Seriously EVERY TIME!! But he can roll from his back to his stomach!

Boys in the bath!

Happy boy

Always so smiley

Falling asleep on dada...must have been a big day for the little one!

Standing up like a big boy! If the next 4 months go by as quickly as the last 4, he'll be doing this on his own in no time! :(

Me and my boys!

Owen 21 months

2010-11-12T22:22:00.007-05:00

Owen is a sweet silly little 21 month old boy! He keeps us laughing! Here's what he's been up to!
I'm attempting to restrict his blankie to just when he's in his crib. He seems to only suck his thumb with blankie. But, Mason's changing pad cover happens to to be made of the same material as blankie...so when Owen has the deisre to suck his thumb...he just rubs on the changing pad cover!

I'm not sure what he was thinking! (Yes, that's Roxy's cage!)

He had his friend Owen T over so we built a fort!

We went to a preschool playgroup and he loved playing in the plastic balls!

A new outside activity- collecting acorns!

This past week I took the boys to visit Owen's favorite things these days- a Choo Choo!

Running around the train and collecting rocks! Such a boy!

The Bradenton Choo Choo!

Picking acorns! Such a cutie!

He filled three jars!

Here Owen was taking a break form playing and decided to sit with his bubba and share his Choo Choo!

Owen loves playing with his "Mimi Choo Choo" as he calls it!

Owen-"chin"

Owen-"Cheeks" (this went on and on...he even pointed out and touched Mason's tongue!

Looking at "birdies"

Halloween Fun

2010-11-12T21:16:00.008-05:00

Sorry it took so long to update! Here are some pics from Halloween!

We ended up buying our pumpkin at Publix because the Pumpkin Patch closed before we got there! We're dressed in fall clothes even though it still felt like summer!
Owen was not in a picture taking mood!

I got a quick pic of him...although he's not standing next to the pumpkin! Oh well!

Joe and Mason

Me and my pumpkin!

Carving Time!

The finished product!

Owen was more interested in blowing out the candle than anything else!

Costume #1- Linus! I thought it was perfect since Owen likes to carry around his blue blankie too!

We went to downtown Lakewood Ranch (Kinda like the Avenues for those GA folks reading this), and Owen did store to store "trick-or-treating" As soon as he got his first candy he asked to eat it! Such a kid!

Here he is eating his fav candy...a lollipop. Side note-whenever we practice saying all the family names and we say "Pops" I guess it reminds him of "lolliPOPS" cause he always goes to the kitchen and asks for a lollipop!
Check out his bag we painted together that day during our craft time!

Trick or treating! Joe tried to influence all of his candy choices! Let's face it..Owen wasn't going to be eating that candy...we were!!! (Except the lollipops!)

I think he ate a grand total of 6 lollipops that night!!!

Owen Costume #2-Thomas (aka Choo Choo)
Mason- Our little train conductor!
On Sunday we went to a friend of mine's church. Lots of fun!

We were all excited when we saw they had a choo choo ride!!

He was one happy boy! There was even a sweet man there giving away hand crafted train whistles! Owen loves it!

Bouncing with the balls (he had to take off the Thomas costume for optimal bouncing!

Such a wonderful baby!!! Just chillin' watching his brother having so much fun! It will be even more fun when he can join him!

Pretty cool game-he pumped the air pump until the balloon popped!

Slam dunk! After playing each game each child received a piece of candy...Owen always tried to take two. He's got a sweet tooth like his mama and dada!

Pumpkin fun!

2010-10-21T13:46:00.012-04:00

Painting the pumpkin on a plate!

Wearing the pumpkin mask!

He thought it was so funny when the paper would stick to the glue stick! Then he pretended it was a lollipop and licked it!

I drew several different shapes on the yellow paper then I let him choose which shapes he wanted to use. I knew my son so well that I was able to predict exactly which shapes he would choose! He chose the "O's" for the eyes, the square for the nose, and the "moon" for the mouth! Here he is gluing the moon!

I'm not sure what was so funny...but here's the final project!

So this morning I decided to take the boys to Fruitville Grove to take some pumpkin pictures. Well, I'm not sure Owen will remember the pumpkins but he will remember all the "ta-tor" (aka tractors)! I could not get him to look at me for any of the pictures because he was so distracted! Not only were they using forklifts to haul pumpkins around the farm, there was also construction vehicles across the street widening the road! Here he is watching the tractors!

This is the pumpkin Owen picked!

Owen on a haystack (watching the tractor go by)!

My two little pumpkins!

Not the best picture, but Owen finally looked at me!!!

Sweet sweet Mason! He's so chill!

You know that boy was happy to sit on this tractor!!

-Please note how he is actually SITTING ON A TRACTOR and still refuses to look at the camera because he's still watching the construction vehicles across the street!!!! SUCH A BOY!!!!!!!!

I just wanna suck on those cheeks...and I will as soon as he gets up form his nap!:)

Mason is the sweetest....

2010-10-18T17:08:00.014-04:00

I don't know how or why, but Mason is an even easier baby than Owen was...and Owen was easy! We are so so blessed! He is such a smiley baby but when being tickeled he likes to fight it...but when he gives in he has the most adorable little chuckle! He loves sleep just like his brother and daddy...sleeping 12 hours at night and 3 1.5-2hours naps each day. He turly is a joy!

We've gone to Busch Gardens twice (once for 8hrs and once for 5hrs) with him and both times he was just perfect!

He does still spit up, some days very little and some days A LOT! But, it still doesn't cause him any pain or discomfort which we are thatnkful for!
He currently has his first little cold (his first gift from his big brother:-) It is so sad to hear such a little baby cough. :( But, even with the cold he is still a happy baby!
Big baby ready for bed!

Chunky boy!

First bottle (of momma's milk)

Mason and his second cousin Sydney

Don't worry the dot is on the camera not Mason!

Sucking his thumb just like his brother!

Mason 3 months

Owen's becoming a big boy wheather I like it or not!

2010-10-18T14:55:00.027-04:00

I suppose it's normal for a parent to not want to see their kids grow up too fast...but I think sometimes I try to ignore all the signs of the inevitable- BUT I couldn't ignore what happened last night! I was woken up by Owen crying out for his momma at 2 o'clock in the morning. This doesn't happen often so I rushed to his room thinking he may have had a bad dream...but instead I saw my sweet boy hanging off the edge of his crib because the crib rails had broken off and were leaning against him and the rest of the crib (he was sandwhiched between the mattress and the broken off rails)! He wasn't hurt at all and he transitioned nicely into the pack-n-play for the remainder of the night. This morning I was able to reflect on what happened a little more....it's time for my first born to move into a "big boy bed". As my sister said "Your child may be ready to move into a bed if_____." (Ya know like "You might be a redneck if______.--maybe you had to be there!)
So, here's how my big boy slept for his nap today...he climbed right in, I tucked him in, he said "night night", and he began making his "sleepy noises" until he fell asleep. He never tried to climb out and he slept great! I guess he really was ready for a bed!

Another sign that he's growing up is how he tells us when he wants his diaper changed! He will say "I poo poo" and then he will get out a diaper, wipes, and diaper cream and he will lay on the ground and wait to be changed! Too funny! Now I suppose it's time to start potty training....maybe! :-)

His sense of humor is maturing as well. He laughs everytime he passes gass and says "a poo poo" (I did NOT teach him to say that!!!) He also laughs and calls out anyone who passes gas as well...as I'm sure you would guess, this is a fun game Joe likes to play with his son!
Owen continues to be a great big brother! He loves to bring his brother a blanket or burp cloth if he is ever without one, and he has started to enjoy watching his
brother smile at him. Those are the moments when my heart melts...I am so blessed!
He's talking way too much now to list all the things he says, but my favorite is "Love you"! At night after we put him to bed we say "I Love you" and he usually responds by saying "Love you. Night-night. Bye bye" That's when we know he's really ready for some sleep! In the morning Owen will usually ask a few times "Where Dada go?" And if we play outside he will ask "Where Dada car go?" He also enjoys playing hiding games, by showing me a toy, hiding it, and then saying "Where it go?" He thinks this is so funny! I do too!
He's finally expanded his toy preferences! He no longer only loves cars, but he also loves airplanes, boats,construction vehicles (like excavators, cranes, etc), and trains! His love for trains (or Choo Choos as he calls it) was magnified when my Aunt Carol sent him a few videos in the mail...one of which was the newest Thomas movie! He LOVES it! I think Joe's glad he likes trains (because he likes Thomas too!) Joe's also glad he likes boats...they spend a few hours a week just sitting in our boat in the garage! Who says a boat has to work in order for it to be fun!

Busch Gardens

Big brother helping with Mason's first bottle!

"Painting" the driveway with water!

Learning about the letter "O" with playdough!

Read his lips-- "O"!

Mommy Moments...

2010-09-30T13:37:00.007-04:00

Moms, don't you hate it when you're multi-tasking eating and say returning emails and without even realizing it you go to take another bite and low and behold the plate is clean?! I just ate my entire lunch without even realizing it! I don't even know if my french toast was any good. :(

Moms, why is it that your kids have their hardest days when your husband isn't around to help?! Yesterday Owen was cutting two teeth which for him means a runny nose, whining, 6 poopy diapers, and difficulty sleeping!! And Joe was out of town! On the upside-Mason hardly spit up at all! I never even had to change clothes! :)

Moms, is it bad that my 19month old always assumes he needs shoes if I put clothes on him?! I suppose we may be having too many pajama days and I only dress him if we are leaving the house! :)

Moms, do you ever forget what the date is...or even what day of the week it is...or even worse....what month it is?! Please tell me I'm not alone! :-/

Moms, am I a bad person if I truly believe with all my heart that my two boys are the most beautiful people God ever created?! I mean just look at them!

Owen today being silly! I didn't mind him sucking on the paci because Mason very rarely uses it.

Much needed time with The Brewtons!

2010-09-21T21:20:00.018-04:00

What an awesome few days we just shared with the Brewtons! It is always such a blessing to be with this amazing family. I know that no family is perfect, and I know that there's not one perfect way to "parent" your children...but boy are they doing something right! I'm not usually one to look to others for advice or to admire another's way of doing things (unfortunately I have too much pride to allow that), but I truly hope my parenting skills mirror those of the Brewtons! I want my children to be as much of a blessing to others as their kids are to me, Joe, and my boys. Emily and Wendell are such proactive parents who are so intentional in every way they raise their children. I'm sure their children aren't perfect and I'm sure their parenting skills aren't always perfect, but they've laid the foundation by focusing on heart issues not just behavior. Each of their children are so obedient, respectful, and loving towards others....and as a bonus they are each playful, funny, and beautiful! I will never short change Emily by saying "Oh, you just have calm children with good temperaments" because I know each of her children have unique personalities and temperaments, she has just dedicated her life the past 8 years to the ministry in her home. She has sacrificed so much along the way in order to raise her children in the way God intended. I'm sure not everyone has agreed with or understood her way of parenting (especially during those early weeks of life), but I must say to those people--Look at the "product" that her parenting has "produced" and don't be so prideful not to give her a little credit! :)
My hope and prayer is that in some way I will be able to learn from Emily's wisdom. I feel like I will be a better parent just because I know the Brewtons. I just wish I could "do life" with them more...

These Friends are such a blessing!

Joe and all the kids playing a game of catch-Conner was an excellent score keeper!

Me and Emily (It was quite the process getting her kids to take a good picture of us! 3 kids, 2 cameras, 50 clicks of the camera, maybe 1 good picture!)

Owen had such a great time playing with his friends!

Owen and Addison (I'm beginning to believe more and more in arranged marriages!)

Brother Time!

Sweet Mason!

I love this boy!

Such a happy boy!

Our boys!

Owen making his first homemade pizza! The first of many to come!

Joe is so thankful he has Owen to help make the chore of mowing the lawn a little more enjoyable!

Mason

Owen reading his book about Things That GO!

Silly Time with Mommy! Glad someone was actually there to capture the moment!

Family Vacation 2010

2010-09-08T21:09:00.013-04:00

We took a quick family vacation last weekend to Hutchinson Island/Jensen Beach. It was so great just to be a family of four on vacation together! Although the beach was not as nice as our usual spot, Siesta Key, it was great waking up in the morning with a view of the ocean. What was even better is that the entire vacation was less than $100! Gotta love those Marriott rewards points Joe's earning through work!
When we began to plan this vacation, I don't think we considered the amount of work involved when staying in a hotel room with an 18 month old and 8 week old! We were just giddy about taking a much needed break from the normal routine. So, on the day we left I was talking to Beverly and some how she mentioned the stress that could be involved with putting Owen and Mason to bed each night and for naps! Why had we not thought of that!! I suppose we didn't think of how difficult it could be because Owen has always done great when we've stayed in hotels...we just didn't consider how adding Mason to the mix could change things. Well, weren't we surprised when we put the boys down that night for bed...they were both perfect! Owen actually fell asleep laying on the bed with Joe (for the first time ever!), and he transitioned nicely into the pack-n-play (which he barely fit in)! Mason continued his trend of sleeping through the night (8:30-7am...with a feeding I wake him for at 11pm)! Can I just say we were thrilled they both did so well!
They were also great when we went out to eat each night. Owen usually becomes a bit restless at a restaurant but he was great (probably because we sat outside and he was able to watch cars and motorcycles drive by)! And Mason just sat in his seat wide awake taking in the new scene!
Although it may have been a quick vacation, and it may not have been to any fancy resort, theme park, or destination-- it was our first family vacation of four and I'll never forget it!
Our view...wish I could have this view every morning!!

Mason's first trip to the beach!

Owen and his shoes! These happen to be Owen's favorite shoes (his hand-me-down green Crocs) We just about lost these shoes on the first day of our vacation when a giant wave (as a result of Hurricane Earl who had just past), came up and swept away all of our stuff on the beach! Thanks to Joe, the shoes were saved!

Joe and his boys!

Owen's first taste of lemon! (sorry not the best picture)!

Me and my boys! I'm so blessed....

Me and Owen having fun at the restaurant

Gator Boys!

Did I mention that our boys are great travelers too! We are so blessed!

Sweet Owen! He walked down this ramp so slowly and carefully!

Probably Joe's highlight of the entire vacation:

Lately...

2010-08-31T21:41:00.018-04:00

I finally have a chance to blog, and I'm almost too tired to keep my eyes open! The only reason I have a chance to blog right now is because both boys are sound asleep, Joe is out of town, and the load of laundry next to me is being ignored!
Life the past few weeks has been great...just full...not busy, but full. I am seriously loving my life as a momma of two beautiful boys. Owen is such a great big brother and an awesome helper. If I'm feeding Mason, Owen brings me a burp cloth...and the phone when it rings (only if I ask him to though, because he knows the phone is a "no no")! Mason is a good baby! He's still a good eater and a good sleeper (sleeping 8 hrs straight at night -good for baby and mommy). Although he still spits up, it doesn't seem to bother him...it just means more laundry for me (like the pile next to me)! Mason has really started to smile a lot and he started cooing last week! I forgot how sweet those first noises are that babies make...melts my heart! It's neat having one son who's just starting to make intentional sounds and another son who is expanding his vocabulary daily! Funny how I wanted Owen to learn the words "milk" and "more"...now I kinda wish he didn't learn them! :-)
I'm not saying anything worth reading (probably because I'm half asleep)...so here are some pictures:
Happy Mason

Staying home with my boys is the best job EVER! We have so much fun together...even if all we do is play in a box!

Story time!

Sweet brothers! (Owen 18.5 months Mason 7 weeks)

Our Great friends the Criders came to visit! We had so much fun (doing nothing)!

Lining up his cars!

New Car track!

Me and my baby Mason!

Sweet Mason!

Owen sleeping...

Mason Sleeping...

Oh, the spit up! I always smell it..becasue it's constantly in my clothes and in my hair! Yum!

Owen got up on the couch and laid like this all on his own! He loves his bubba! Which he now thinks every baby we see is "bubba"!-He pointed to a picture frame at Kirklands (which had a "fake" display picture in it of a woman and a baby), and said "Momma! Bubba!" :-) We walked past a baby at Walmart today and he pointed and said "Bubba!"

Silly boy wanted the soft blanket wrapped around him so I had to clip it with a clothes pin!

While Joe cut the grass one evening, I thought it was the perfect time for a bubble bath outside! Fun!

Mason napping with Dada (well, Joe's faking cause I asked him to!)

Our Boys!

Joe and his boys!---It stinks how Moms hardly have any pictures with their children, because the dads hardly ever think to get the camera..not fair!

Mason and his paci...so cute!

I'm too tired to go on...more later!

Mason is 1 Month!

2010-08-10T09:48:00.019-04:00

Then...

And now!!

1 Month Stats-
11 pounds 10 ounces (90th percentile)
22.5 inches (90th percentile)
He's averaging a gain of 2.5 ounces a day!!!! (the national average is 1!!)
My baby is already one month old today!! I cannot believe how quickly this past month has flown by. I think between the rough c-section recovery and 3 weeks of out-of-town guests, it's made the past month a blur.
Mason has grown so much!! He has been gaining a little over a pound a week! We go tomorrow for his one month check-up so I will post his stats then...but I'm pretty sure he's close to 12pounds already! Here are a few tidbits on our baby Mason:
-He has very distinct eyebrow ridges, that make him look a little grumpy or confused!
-He has impeccable timing as he usually pees on his mommy at least twice a day!
-Baths relax him!

-His first big outing was to Chuck E. Cheese's...I hope we're not preparing him to think all outings are that fun!
-The boy loves to eat...and he eats fast!
-Doc thinks he has reflux...I'm not sure what to call it...all I know is I have to do lots of laundry because he spits up SOOOO much!
-He's adored by his big brother!

-He's a good sleeper...only wakes up 1-2 times at night to eat!
-He sleeps with one hand close to his face and the other arm straight out!

-He may only be one month old, but he already has a receding hair line!
-He goes through at least 18 diapers a day!!!!!$$$$$
-He grunts so so much!!!
-He has the most adorable chin...and some BIG cheeks!

It has been so wonderful adjusting to being a family of four! Owen has pleased us with how well he has adjusted to having a baby in the family! He loves to lean over Mason and stare at him! Whenever Mason cries, Owen shows his concern by either saying "Bubba!" or he will take my hand and walk me over to where ever Mason is! So sweet!
Mason-5 days old

1 week old Mason!

2 week old Mason with his cousin Lawson!

Owen being silly!

His left arm is always by his face!

Joe and his boys!

Momma and Mason

Full body shot!

The Brothers!

Big Yawn!

Owen is 18months!!

2010-08-08T10:47:00.017-04:00

WOW! I can't believe we have an 18month old little boy! He is the greatest blessing God has given Joe and I (and Mason of course!) Over the past month while all of our lives were changing with the addition of Mason, Owen decided he was ready to start repeating what we say! Here's a list of the new words Owen has said over the past 2 weeks!
-football
-fumble
-milk (sounds more like a grunt though!)
-more
-moo moo (when asked what a cow says)
-Ooo Ooo (when asked what an owl says)
-Bubba (for Mason!)
-Choo Choo
-Book
-cheese
-chicken (kinda!)
-keys
-night-night
-waffle
-Amen
-Elmo
-Night-Night
-Eat
-and a few others that I can't think of right now....
Owen also has another word he says all the time-"con-yah". We have no clue what it means but he loves to shout it as he plays and when he gets excited!

He also can show us two new parts of his face: his chin and cheeks!

Here's what our lil' 18month old likes to do these days:
-Cars! cars!! cars!!! He now likes to take turns pushing cars back and forth with me, lining them up in a row, crashing them (sometimes), sorting them (based on colors, type, etc), and so much more!
-Blocks! He likes to build ramps, bridges, and garages for his cars out of his wood blocks!
-Books! He still loves a good snuggle time with a good book! I don't think we've ever read a book only one time in a single sitting...he usually likes to read each book at least twice!
-Horse! Owen's new favorite thing to do with his Dada is to ride on his back like a horse! If Joe sits on the floor Owen will gently roll his Dada to his stomach so he can mount his back for a horse ride! It's so cute!
-Prizes! When Owen's Mimi came to visit when Mason was born, she gave him several "prizes" each day of her visit. He now knows what a Prize is, and he knows that he's gonna want whatever it is!
-Tunnel Time! When Owen's Grams and Uncle Nick and Uncle Sam came to visit they brought him tent and tunnel. He now likes to crawl through the tunnel and he loves to be dragged around in the tunnel too!

-Friends! Owen has some great friends! Whenever we get together with Owen's friends Reid and Lana, he chooses one of them to copy for the day! On our visit to the zoo, he copied Lana--at the pool he copied Reid...etc! He has so much fun with his friends that he usually breaks down crying when they leave! (He ALWAYS sheds some tears when Ms.Bev leaves our house:)
-Touch! Our little Owen is quite the little affectionate boy! He loves to snuggle, hug, kiss, or simply reach out his hand or foot to touch his Momma or Dada while he plays! We're thinking he gets his "love languages" directly form Joe and I: touch and quality time!
-Independent Play Time! Owen is so creative and imaginative! Each day Owen spends some time playing independently in his play room or around the house. It's so fun to spy on him or listen in to the conversations he has with himself and his toys! It's great to know that he has developed this skill to entertain himself while knowing Momma and Dada's security and love is always there!
-Arts & Crafts! Owen enjoys some arts and crafts. He still finds plain crayons kind of boring but he loves the messy stuff like markers and paint!
Burping Baby Mason!

First Nap on the couch!

"Playing" video games with his Mimi!

This is how Owen starts his day! After milk and a little snuggle time with Momma, he's off to his car lunchbox (which holds his Hotwheels)!

Owen and his adorable cousins Bennett and Lawson!

So so cute!

Eating a banana!! He ALWAYS takes BIG bites!

To celebrate Owen's 18month b-day and Mason's 1month b-day we decided to go to
Chuck E Cheese's!!

Mason Alexander Graziano

2010-07-12T13:02:00.007-04:00

Mason was born on July 10, 2010
at 9:22am 21inches long 7 lbs. 2 oz.

It was a very stressful delivery for both Baby and Mommy. Ashley spent five minutes pushing before the doctor realized Mason was not going to cooperate. Mason was laying sideways and refused to position himself head down despite nurses pushing on him and making Ashley push in awkward positions. Additionally, Mason's heart rate was dipping to dangerous levels when she would push which meant the cord had to be wrapped around his neck. Ashley was quickly prepared for a C-section which was the worst part of the whole process for me as I had to be separated from her for about 10 minutes (It seemed like an eternity). The surgery started almost as soon as I entered the room and in a matter of seconds Mason was hoisted out into the world. Mason had the cord wrapped around his neck twice and he was not crying and very blue at first. I was relieved to hear him cry and we later found out some of the blue was not from having his circulation compromised but from bruising he received on his face while Ashley was pushing. We had to wait 5 minutes to see the little guy because he was being worked on. I know this was very disappointing for Ashley but as soon as they put him on her chest she began to throw up and I was escorted out of the room with Mason in my arms. It was probably a good 2 hours before Ashley would even get to see Mason but I was able to get a lot of father son time and love on him. The bruising on his face is almost gone now that we are home. Owen was so confused when we showed him Mason. Owen's face seemed to say "Why didn't you leave him at the hospital." However, he warmed up to his new brother quickly and before nap time Owen gave us all a kiss including his new little brother. We are very blessed to have two handsome and healthy little boys. It is a huge blessing to have Owen's and Mason's Mimi here to help us while their Pops, Aunts, Uncles, and Grams and Gramps all wait on deck to visit and help. Thank you for the prayers we are very blessed to have such a wonderful addition to our little family.

Updates on Owen

2010-07-08T09:28:00.014-04:00

I can't believe it, but our Owen is 17 months old today! What an amazing 17 months it has been! He has added so much joy to our lives and I am so incredibly thankful that God specifically chose Joe and I to raise this amazing little boy! Here are some updates on Owen, and since this update is WAY overdue, some of these things he's been doing for months! (sorry this is going to be super long...this is really my way of documenting Owen's sweet life...this is probably a blog that only Owen's parents and grandparents will appreciate!:

-Owen has almost no interest in talking!! This has been extremely frustrating for Joe and I. I'm going to attempt to make a list of the words he says, but honestly he said more of these words when he was 14 months old and now prefers to say "That" for just about everything!
-dada -mama -yaya(this is what he calls me) -dog -car -nanana(banana) -duck -that -teeth -God -no -yes -all done -I want that
-what's that -clock -dig, dig, dig -shoo (shoes) -thanks -gone

-Two extremely cute things he enjoys now is jumping and taking "big steps" When he "jumps" he bends over a little and then throws his arms up in the air in a some what jerky motion (his feet barely move)! And "big steps" is when he takes extra wide steps! So funny!
Here he is jumping!

-The boy LOVES to be outside--In the heat or in the rain. When he wants to go outside he brings me my shoes and his shoes and then points to the door!

He brings me my shoes and helps me put them on!

Here are a few of his favorite outdoor activities:
-playing in the water hose -Digging with his shovels -pushing his cars down the driveway -drawing with chalk -"mowing the grass" -chasing and popping bubbles -playing in the pool -playing at the park

-One thing Owen doesn't like outside, is for his Dada to cut the grass. He is so concerned for his Dada's safety so he follows him around the yard at a "safe" distance crying out for his Dada. This usually ends by Joe scooping him up in his arms and cutting the grass while carrying Owen. :)

-Luckily Owen is showing some signs of being a little neater than his Dada! Owen already enjoys putting away his clean dishes from the dishwasher, pushing in his chair (and his Dada's), organizing his toys, and he always wants the pantry door completely closed as well as all the drawers! He also helps by throwing away his diapers!

-Owen is still a pretty good eater. His favorite foods are bananas and chicken!

-In an effort to prepare Owen for the arrival of his brother, I would say "Where's Mason" and then he would pat my belly. Well, this has back fired a little! Now when I say "where's Mason" he pats his own belly. I guess he thinks Mason=Belly! oops!

-Also in preparation for Mason's arrival, Owen has already transferred to his new crib and bedroom (which was the playroom). In the mornings when he wakes up, he used to say "Ya-ya!"...but now that he's in his new room with all his toys around him, he now wakes us and says "CAR! CAR! CAR!" as he points to all his favorite toy cars and car pictures on the walls!

-I think I've mentioned this before, but Owen truly enjoys our visits to Publix! As soon as we start walking to the Publix entrance he starts saying "Car!" because he knows he gets to "drive" in the "car-cart"! The other day when we walked in Publix and he caught his first glimpse of the "car-cart" he screamed louder than he ever has "CAR!!!!!!!" Everyone around stopped and stared at us!

-Funny story- Yesterday I was preparing for us to go to church so I already took his beloved Monkey and packed it in his diaper bag. Owen began to collect his other blankets and seemed to notice that Monkey was missing. So, he went to his bedroom and got his plush "Baby's 1st Photo Album". He flipped it open to a picture of him holding Monkey, pointed to Monkey and signed "Please"! It was pretty clear, he wanted me to help him find his Monkey! What a smart boy!

-Owen ADORES his Dada! While Joe is at work Owen occasionally carries a picture with him of his Dada! So sweet!

-A "not so fun" new thing Owen is doing, is taking us by the hand and dragging us with him. Sometimes he takes us to the fridge and asks for milk or water, sometimes he takes us to his playroom to play, and sometimes he uses our hand to touch or pick up something that is a "no-no" (like our cell phones, TV remotes, or keys)!

-Owen likes to dance! He really only has one dance move, but it is uniquely his and we LOVE it!

-Owen makes the sweetest "sleepy noise". When he's tired he likes to get his blankies, suck his thumb and make the sweetest "sleepy noise". I love it!

-Owen definitely knows what "all done" means. He initially learned the sign for "all done" in order to tell us when he was done eating, but now he signs "all done" (and often says "all done") for several reasons, here are a few:
-Whenever we reach our destination in the car -When we've been waiting a long time at one of my doctor appointments -When he's ready to be done shopping -When the TV gets turned off -When I'm done eating something -When he's done playing with a particular toy or in a particular place

I'm sure there are so many other things that I could and should document but my brain is done (10 days till due date and my brain is a tad bit mushy!) Somehow I hope to get better about documenting Owen's life, but I'm fully aware that it's only going to get tougher when we add little Mason to the mix! All I can do is try!

I've never been this pregnant!

2010-07-06T16:41:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm 38 weeks pregnant, which means I'm more pregnant now than I ever was with Owen!! I know many women have been in my shoes before but somehow I feel like I don't deserve this! :) Owen was 3 weeks early and the doctors kept telling me this baby was measuring early...but apparently none of that matters! I guess on a good note I went to the doctor today and I am dilated 3cm. But as my sister would say...that doesn't really matter since she was 4cm forever and my nephew was born a few days late! Ahhhh! I guess now I just wait. I'm not miserable, I'm just so anxious to go through the whole amazing birth experience again and I CANNOT wait to meet my baby Mason! I'm also VERY excited about my mom coming and I'm REALLY looking forward to sleeping in my bed with my husband again (I've been sleeping on the couch upright for the past several weeks because it seems to be the only way that my acid reflux doesn't cause me to wake up choking on stomach acid in the middle of the night!) Man, now that I've thought through all of that, maybe I am miserable!

37 weeks and counting!

2010-06-27T13:11:00.016-04:00

Recently we've really just been preparing and waiting for Mason's arrival. Even though technically I have 3 more weeks until his official due date, we are extremely anxious (partially because my docs kept saying I was measuring early & because Owen was 3 weeks early)! In order to enjoy these last few weeks as a family of 3, here's what we've been up to:

Zoo Day! We are taking advantage of our zoo passes even in ths crazy FL heat! On our latest visit we spent the majority of our time with the goats!

This fat goat LOVED Joe and Owen!

We celebrated Father's Day with some yummy food (the true way to a man's heart is through his stomach)! For breakfast I made Joe whole wheat pancakes with chocolate chips and walnuts-I shaped the pancakes to say #1 Dad! I also made him a mango smoothie and cheese grits...all of his favs! We also had tortellini and shrimp...and of course a chocolate fudge cake!

We've all been taking advantage of uninterrupted sleep (since that will all change when Mason arrives) Here's a pic of Owen sleeping like a frog!

One of our favorite games to play as a family is "FUMBLE!" We take turns throwing the football, and then we all try to "recover the fumble"! Roxy likes to participate as well...Owen LOVES when Roxy joins in!

Since Owen won't be the baby much longer, we are fully taking advantage of each moment he slows down long enough for a quick snuggle!

There's a lot to be done in order to prepare for a new baby, and one of those tasks is cleaning! Who knew cleaning doors could be so fun to a 16 month old! He is such a good helper!

Owen is starting to really enjoy building with blocks...or maybe he just really enjoys knocking over his Dada's towers!

I recently spent my baby-sitting money on a new ottoman. Owen loves climbing on it, watching TV from it, and of course driving his cars on it!

Owen Loves his dog (I'm not exactly sure why though)!

Trip to St. Augustine

2010-06-09T18:14:00.015-04:00

We had a great trip to St. Augustine, FL with the Graziano clan over the Memorial Day weekend! We were able to spend awesome quality time with all of Joe's brothers, his parents and Elise! And Elise took some great family pictures for us as well, here are a few! Thanks Elise!!

Here are some other fun pictures from the trip!

Flying a kite with Dada and Gramps!

Owen with his uncles!

Uncle Matt and Aunt Elise!

Grams and Gramps!

Owen likes to wear our shoes!

All the brothers! --Poor Joe may end up being the shortest brother (even at 6'4)!

Surprise Baby Shower!

2010-05-26T13:14:00.012-04:00

On Monday I was given a great surprise! Here's how it happened-
About a week ago Joe left his cell phone at home when he went out to work. At one point during the day it alarmed me that he had received a text message. When I looked at who it was from it said Beverly (my great friend and his boss's wife). I was not only curious but also worried that maybe Jason (his boss and friend) was trying to get an important message to him....so I looked at the text. It said "Monday the 24th works great for the surprise date for Ashley". OOPS! I suppose I shouldn't have looked at that. When Joe got home I told him what happened...he was not happy!
Anyways, Monday came and Joe still never really mentioned the date again. When he walked in the door from work at 5:30, he says to me "You need to take a shower and get ready for our date, we leave right at 6pm". So I rushed to get ready while he entertained Owen.
I walk out of the bedroom dressed and ready right at 6 when I hear the doorbell. Joe looked through the peep hole and says "It's for you". Hmmmm... I was really confused...I thought maybe he was making this a seriously fancy date by having flowers delivered or something like that! But when I opened the door, it was my friend Beverly (taking a picture of me) and my other friend/neighbor Jen. What??? At that point Beverly told me I wasn't going on a date with Joe, cause I was going with her!

I suppose you can see where this is going now! We picked up another friend, Meg, and went to one of my favorite restaurants, Urban Flats, where several other friends were waiting to surprise me! It was such a fun and special evening. It was great just spending time with friends...and of course having them shower me with gifts was great too!
Thank you so much Beverly for making me and Mason feel so special and loved!

Yummy cupcakes!

Me and Beverly!

So many great practical and adorable gifts! Thank you all so much!!

All of these gifts are from a great internet based shop, "Sew Thoughtful"-by Beverly!
http://sewthoughtfulbybeverly.blogspot.com/

This is my favorite shirt ever! Owen Is going to LOVE his Car shirt!

Recently

2010-05-17T16:40:00.008-04:00

My New Favorite Picture!

This is Roxy's little kennel she stays in when we leave the house...I think Owen likes it a lot more than she does!

Owen recently received this hand held football video game in the mail from his Pops...he really likes all the buttons and noise!

Here he is trying to show the sign for touchdown, while not letting go of the game!

Yummy sucker! He picked it out at the doctor since he ws such a champ getting his shots!

Learning to eat yogurt all by himself! We've gotta ways to go!

All Done!

Beach Day!

Driving a car on Dada's back! Owen loves it and Dada loves it!!

I think he's starting to outgrow his crib!

Owen and His Ya-ya

2010-05-17T16:10:00.010-04:00

In case you're wondering who Ya-ya is, well that's me...Ashley. I don't exactly know why but Owen has given me the name Ya-ya and has no interest in calling me Mama. In some ways it makes me sad because I've always looked forward to hearing my child call me Mama...not Ya-ya!! But in another way I think it's kinda sweet that he's chosen to give me his own name! So here are of few pics of Owen and his Ya-ya!
Story time!

He gives the best kisses (sorry Joe!)

My Second Mother's Day...I really never thought I would be 30weeks prego by this point!

Playing Peek-a-boo!

Another kiss...but this time through the beach chair!

And here's a pic of me and my other not-so-little baby boy! (31 weeks) I'm measuring 4 weeks ahead! Yes, that's one month!! I honestly don't think the reality has set in yet that we will soon have two little boys!! Please pray for us! :)

Tampa Zoo

2010-05-17T12:30:00.008-04:00

On Mother's Day weekend we decided to take Owen to the Tampa Zoo. After researching the Tampa Zoo we found out that is was rated the #1 zoo by Parent's magazine--kinda nice to have that zoo so close by! :-) At the last minute we decided to go ahead and get season passes-one pass is specifically for me and the other is a "guest" pass that anyone can use...so Joe, Beverly, my sister, anyone who wants to tag along with me and Owen to the zoo!

Owen was so brave...he touched the Sting Ray!

We normally only allow "monkey" at home and in the car, but we figured a monkey belonged at the zoo!

Owen's favorite animals at the zoo this time were the birds!

The best part of the zoo might be the 2 mini water parks! Owen LOVED playing in the fountains!

My two boys...they'll have to make room for Mason pretty soon!

Owen was so tired after a fun day at the zoo! He was asleep before I even buckled him in!

Silly Owen

2010-04-22T12:32:00.007-04:00

Can I just say I LOVE MY SON!! He is the greatest blessing!! I can honestly say I have the absolute best job in the world...being Owen's Momma all day everyday! I am so thankful that God blessed me with a husband who is willing to sacrifice so much so that I can have the privilege of staying home with our children. A lot of people wonder how we make it on one income...some assume Joe has a monster salary, but that's honestly not the case. We are thankful for the career, company, manager, and salary that God has blessed Joe with, but making it in this world on one salary is no easy task for us. We make many sacrifices as a family, but ultimately we believe we live an incredibly blessed life!
Here are a few pictures from our blessed life with our silly Owen!

Today we were reading a "My First Words" book, and we came to a page with a waffle on it. I said to Owen "Where's the waffle?" He quickly pointed to the waffle and stood up quickly while signing "please". He then looked at me as if saying "follow me" as he pointed to the kitchen and specifically the corner where the toaster and waffle maker are! He said please again and then went to his seat at the kitchen table!! I guess the boy wants waffles for dinner!

Throughout the day while Owen plays, he takes a quick break to "Re-charge" as we call it. He grabs either his monkey or his blankie, lies on the ground, and sucks his thumb...just for a few minutes...then he pops up with a new found burst of energy!

Owen likes to play naked...(yet another way he's like his father;-)

This boy LOVES to be outside! Sometimes I just can't take the FL heat so I offer a compromise and let Owen play on the lani...sometimes he doesn't play...he "re-charges"!

Owen loves play-dates with his friend Owen T.! On this particular morning my Owen kept trying to sit in Owen T.'s lap!!

Owen loves his sleep and he loves his crib! He now lets me know when he's ready for his nap! He picks up his monkey and blankie looks at me with sleepy eyes and I ask "Are you ready to go night-night" He usually says "yes" as he turns and walks to his bedroom and stretches his arms up to get in his crib! So funny!
One evening when I put him in his crib I just stood looking over into his crib where he was snuggled with monkey and blankie. I just wanted to rub his back for a second and admire how cute he is. Well he didn't want any of that...he just wanted his sleep...because he waved bye-bye to me and rolled over and closed his eyes!!!

Since he's been on his feet, Owen has been exploring new places to drive his cars...his current favorite places to cruise is on the couch and on top of his toy chest!

There was a day or two while Owen was cutting his newest tooth when all he wanted to do was snuggle (no complaints here!) So when Da-da got home from work they snuggled-up to watch a little E-L-M-O!

He's never really liked for anything to be on his head...but one day he enjoyed wearing my old toy McDonald's visor! Joe thinks he looks like a robot in this picture!

Weekend Trip to Orlando

2010-04-21T11:11:00.018-04:00

This past weekend Owen and I got to tag a long on one of Joe's business trips to Orlando. Joe was able to choose the hotel we stayed at and it had the greatest pool! We've found that Owen is quite the little traveler! He does great in the car and usually has no problems adjusting to new sleeping arrangements (as long as he has his Monkey and Blankie)! Unfortunately is rained a majority of the trip, but it didn't stop us from enjoying the pool, outlets, playground, and Monkey Joe's Bounce House!

For whatever reason, Owen really liked the "just his size" pool chairs!

Someone's starting to get sleepy!

Now both boys are worn out! Time for a nap!

Since it rained Sunday we decided to go to Monkey Joe's!
Check out how blonde Owen's hair is getting in this Florida sun!!

Joe and Owen both had a blast going down the huge slides together! I think Joe was exhausted after climbing up so many times! What a good Daddy!

Peacefully sleeping! Our hotel room was nice...but there was only one room, so Owen's pack-n-play was tucked in the corner. We would put him to bed and wait a few minutes in the dark whispering pillow talk until we knew he was asleep, then we would turn on the TV and eat ice cream in bed! Now, that's vacation! ;-)

A fun day!

2010-04-06T00:06:00.007-04:00

Owen loves to help his dada!! He is so inquisitive!

This boy is a straight up monkey! He loves the beach so much, I could hardly keep him still long enough to take a picture with him!!

As a result of being such a monkey at the beach... he fell asleep!

A quick bath in the sink when we got home from the beach!

Such a fun day!!

Easter!

2010-04-05T23:52:00.006-04:00

Owen enjoyed digging through his Easter basket! Each year we will include in the boys' Easter baskets one empty egg to symbolize the empty tomb and the fact that Jesus is ALIVE! They will also get some sort of devotional book/CD and a few other fun items! This year Owen's basket had a shovel! We've been spending a lot of time working in the yard and Owen just loves to dig with his daddy, but a neighbor commented on how Owen shouldn't use the sharp metal shovel we had provided (we didn't see the problem:), so we got his a plastic one!! The basket also included a few cars, balls, and candy for daddy!

This is one of Owen's better moments with the duck! At one point he slapped the poor thing right out of my hand!

Egg Hunt!!

I'm not thrilled about posting this pic of myself, but it's our only recent family picture!

My boys!!

Recent Happenings

2010-04-05T22:58:00.010-04:00

Owen loves looking at books by himself, but one of my new favorite things he does is when he brings me a book and "backs into" my lap to sit with me so I can read to him! So sweet!

Our redneck way for Owen to play with water on a HOT March afternoon!

Owen never was that great with sippy cups but he is great with a straw!

Owen's love for cars is still thriving! He loves to take a cruise around the neighborhood in the front seat! Is that legal? ;)

My newest favorite pic of my big boy!

All the Grandsons! Mason should fit in nicely!

Yes, maybe I shouldn't be going down this giant slide when I'm 6months pregnant...but I just had to for Owen!

Owen having fun with his Aunt Sissy!

Cars, trucks, tractors...they're all the same to Owen!!

Beach Day! He wants to get out of the chair so he's signing "please" so I'll get him down! :)

What we've been up to.......

2010-03-05T10:49:00.009-05:00

Playing with cars...

Playing in the dirt...

Riding in the wagon...

Learning how to cast a reel...

Watching Roxy play with her lure (with no hooks:-)...

Making silly faces while eating yogurt...

Visiting the Manatees...

Playing with mulch...

Playing naked...

And visiting the Sarasota Exotic Car show (lame to some...AWESOME to Owen!!)

Owen's Ocean "ONEderland"

2010-02-15T09:05:00.028-05:00

Owen had a GREAT First Birthday Party! I decided on the theme "Owen's Ocean ONEderland" several months ago and I had so much fun planning and preparing for this party! Thank you so much to all who came to his party! It just wouldn't have been the same without each of you there!
And my deepest apologies to all who caught the stomach bug as a result of attending this party :-(

For lunch we had a yummy Nacho Bar!

I made cupcake toppers for the yummy cupcakes! I also made all of the signs! Thanks for letting me borrow the Cricut Bev!

Party favors for the kids-Sand bucket w/ shovel, mini beach ball, whale stickers, ocean animal tattoo, crazy straw, ocean notepad, shark water shooter, salt water taffy, and a personalized luggage tag! So fun!
Party favors for the baby guests- Bowl with 3 spoons, hand sanitizer, lotion, and a personalized luggage tag!

Game #1-Fish out of water! The kids tossed plastic fish into buckets filled with lollipops...if the fish went in the bucket, they won a lollipop!

Pin the Tail on the Whale!

A quick time line of Owen's life!

For our guests who made not like Nachos, we made Peanut butter and Jelly"fish" sandwiches!

The Punch didn't turn out exactly like I wanted, but I still liked it! I froze "Swedish Fish" candies in ice trays hoping it would look like fish swimming in a fish bowl!

Other Ocean "ONEderland" snacks- Goldfish Crackers, Salt Water Taffy, and Swedish Fish candies!

The Birthday Boy!! Poor child was having the absolute worst hair day of his life!

The classic First Birthday picture! ;-) He really didn't like the hat!

Here's a picture of the Birthday cake I made for Owen BEFORE he tore into it!

He had so much fun with his cake! And I think everyone else had fun watching him!! He just kept hitting it over and over, watching the cake fly into the air! By the end of it Joe and I were both in tears because we were laughing so hard!

Here's the "After" picture of what was the fish cake!

I truly cannot believe the first year of 'lil Owen's life has come and gone! At this point I can hardly remember life without him. He has brought us so much joy and we hope he has and will continue to be a blessing and joy to others!
I'll have to write a post in more detail about his first year, but right now this pregnant woman is too emotional!

Owen Learns Anatomy!

2010-01-31T12:40:00.002-05:00

Owen Walks

2010-01-30T19:30:00.002-05:00

It's a BOY!

2010-01-29T09:48:00.005-05:00

We found out today that baby #2 is a BOY! We are so thrilled that Owen will have a brother who can be his best friend! Now we just need a name for this little guy....!

Fun Filled Florida Weekend!

2010-01-25T08:47:00.012-05:00

We spent a few hours on Saturday at Manatee Beach. It was close to 80 degrees and Owen was lovin' it!

He spent some time pushing the ball around and chasing it himself...he needs a brother or sister to play with him!

This boy LOVES cars, tractors, and trucks!

"Monkey" goes with Owen everywhere! (Yes, "Monkey" was washed when we got home!)

Sunday we took the boat out on the Lake! It was Owen's first boat ride! He enjoyed it for the most part...he just wasn't very comfy in his life jacket.
Here he is driving the boat while operating the Fish Finder...Like Father like Son!

Again, the boy LOVES playing with cars! He even makes all the car noises too!

When we got home from the lake we played in the wagon! Joe pushed us down the driveway! I was obviously enjoying this a little more than Owen!

Two

2010-01-07T19:42:00.007-05:00

November was a fun month. We had lots of company and stayed very busy with a crawling baby, so I didn't pay much attention to the fact that I was tired at 9:00pm. Then Joe took notice that every time we went to run errands, I had to use the restroom at each place we visited. Hummmmm?? So I thought, "maybe I'm pregnant" "Nahhh." Joe would say. So to put an end to the mystery I took a pregnancy test. 3 minutes later, one line, it was Negative. We were completely content. We weren't trying for another baby, we would prefer a little larger of a gap between Owen and #2.
So a week or two goes by. We enjoy more company, play tackle football on the beach, ya know the usual. Then I thought, "wait, I think I feel that stretching pain that I felt when I was pregnant with Owen and I think I'm "late". So...we decide I should take another pregnancy test to "put our minds at ease". 1 minute later, 2 lines, PREGNANT, with baby #2! It took 2 tests and 2 lines before we knew we're gonna have 2 kids! Shock! Really? How far a part will they be? Seriously? Owen's gonna be a big brother? No! For real?
Looking back, I'm not exactly sure why we were so shocked...all the signs were there! We told our family when they visited for Thanksgiving and then shared the news with some close friends this past weekend at a game night. I think that helped make it seem more real. We're going to have 2 kids...17 months a part. I know women have done it before, and I know several women who have kids even closer in age...I just never thought it would be me!
We're beginning to get excited. Seeing my great friends Emily and Wendell's 3 month old baby girl recently reminded me of how sweet, innocent, and adorable little ones are!
At my 12 week appointment today Owen and I got to hear #2's heartbeat. So sweet! Before I could even ask what the heart rate was (to "determine" if he/she is more likely to be a boy or girl) the Dr. exclaimed "Oh! The heart rate's 160...ITS A GIRL!" At that very moment, as if on cue Owen started to cry! I'm not kidding! It was too funny!
For those who are confused by the gender determination based on the heart rate check this out:
As the old wives' tale has it, if your unborn baby's heart rate is higher, above 140 beats per minute, that means you're carrying a girl. A lower heart rate below 140 bpm means you're having a boy.
I suppose the key words here are "old wives' tale". It's not completely accurate...what shocked me was the Dr. said a girl is her prediction! I usually believe what my Dr. says!
Obviously, Joe and I would be extremely pleased with any healthy baby...boy or girl! BUT, we would prefer a boy. We would love for Owen to have a lil' brother who he can be super close to, and we would really love for Matt and Elise (Joe's brother and wife) to have the first girl (it would be exciting for them, and we're not sure if we want that attention :-) BUT, obviously having a girl would be fun because it would be different. Who knows!!! I suppose this news helps me to become content with either a boy or a girl! The great news is, is we don't have to go much longer without knowing for sure...we have our 4D gender determination ultrasound scheduled for January 28th...less than 3 weeks away! We'll keep you posted! In the mean time, please keep Baby Graziano #2 in your prayers! :-) He/She is due July 19, 2010!

Christmas has come and gone

2010-01-07T17:56:00.011-05:00

I love Christmas time, and I am always sad to see it go! I must say this Christmas season was very different than the past, both better and a little more difficult.
It was great having Owen to share in Christmas traditions. As a family we continued several traditions from our past but we also included many new traditions-all focusing on Christ and His birth! One of our favorite Christmas moments was attending the Christmas Eve service with the Tomlinsons. We loved it for many reasons, but mainly because it was so much fun having Owen with us in the service! He was mesmerized by the music, lights, and especially the flickering candles at the conclusion of the service. I really loved it because Owen was especially snuggling that evening. So sweet!

Our Original plan for Christmas day was to wake up, have our "Happy Birthday Jesus" party, open presents and just take the day easy. BUT, after opening the presents, we decided we would rather go ahead and head up to GA, instead of leaving the following morning (at 4am). Our new plan to leave Christmas day, had us arrive at my parents around 9:30pm. Not too bad! Owen did great in the car! We were a little worried since he is much more active than he was the last time we traveled. His big Christmas present was a portable DVD player for the car. We decided this would be a good investment since we'll probably be traveling a lot. Our plan is that the DVD player will only be used for long trips...that's the goal! :-)

We spent several days with my parents where Owen was spoiled with love and gifts from his Grammy, Pops, Aunt Sissy, and Uncle Adam! Owen loves it all!

Then we headed up to TN to spend time with Joe's family. Once again Owen was loved on like crazy and got some really great gifts! Owen says "Thanks!" to his Grams, Gramps, Uncle Matt, Aunt Elise, Uncle Nick, Uncle Sam, Great Noonee, Great Pappa, and Great Aunt Lisa. The day we left TN we actually got to see snow! So fun!

The day before we left for home we were able to spend some much needed time with old friends! It was great to get together at the usual spot, The Brewton's house, and just have a fun time laughing, eating, and playing games! We miss our GA friends so much, but we are extremely thankful for our new FL friends!

Although the trip was fun, Joe and I have decided it was a little too long for a young family. I suppose the guilt of moving away influenced our decision to make it such a long trip, but thankfully we have a supportive family who understands too well the stress of traveling during the holidays. We're already planning what we'll do next year...it should be a little easier though because Matt and Elise should be living in GA and can hopefully host the Graziano Christmas! That should be so much fun for Elise! She deserves that!! :-)

2010 should be a great year! We'll get to experience winter and spring here in Fl, which I assume will be very different than GA, we'll celebrate Owen's 1st B-day, and we'll welcome Baby #2 in July! I'm not really making any New Year's resolutions...it's pretty much the same every year...Live a life that glorifies God to the fullest. Happy New Year!