YAAAAY Christmas!!!!!

 

Here are a couple things I have been doing instead of blogging:-P

Thanksgiving and Santa's house

This year we went out to Temecula to spend Thanksgiving with Eric's family.  We had a really good time.  Owen got to play with his cousins Boy Teacher Carter, and lil miss Emma!  He and Emma are so close developmentally it is so much fun to watch them together.  Christine hosted the dinner and seriously I can't keep saying what an awesome job she did!

Christine with her spread!

The best shot I got, Carter was a great "teacher" showing the babies how to pose because he is the oldest cousin! 

These two together, the discs were originally linked together but of course they both wanted it so I seperated it and you would have thought it was coated in sugar, and they both kept looking at the others but were unwilling to drop the one they had!

The next day we went to see Santa arrive on a horse drawn carraige and the babies got their picture taken with him.  I made Emma and Owen matching elf hats that actually turned out how I envisioned!  The city does a really nice job with carolers, the carriage, an awesome balloon artist, even an ice skating rink with fake snow!

Emma smiled in nearly all of the photos, but Owen was not as sure about the Santa, it reminded me of Will Ferrel and Artie Lange in Elf

NICU Reunion

On November 13th St. Joe's hospital held a reunion picnic for all the NICU graduates.  It was really awesome to go there and see faces we hadn't seen since we left.  We got to put Owen into the arms of one of my favorite doctors (she was actually the one who took care of Liam on his last night) and it felt so good. 

Proud parents

Liam's day primary Kim, Owen's day primary Andrea, and NNP (neonatal nurse practitioner) Rusty

Channel 3 news

The picnic was put together soooo well, pony rides, bouncy houses, great food, face painting, raffles . . . it was a great day.  I hope they keep having these!

Where have I been!

Each day that is going by I am feeling more guilty about not posting in so long.  And then I start to get overwhelmed at everything I have to catch up on!!!!  Does that happen to you?

We've been to a Christmas themed birthday party, a beautiful baptism, we had the NICU reunion picnic which was awesome, we've been up to Flag for another football game and out to California and back for Thanksgiving. . . .whew!

I KINDA feel like we may be getting back to normal, just in time for December to take us for a wild ride!

Oh yeah and Owen popped his first tooth!  Right on Thanksgiving in fact!  Poor baby has NOT been sleeping well and I can see the second tooth so it will be a few days at least before I can count on continuous sleep. . . but I don't mind.  Last night in fact I almost started crying because he's big now.  He doesn't fall asleep as well in my arms and I feel as if my days of holding him as much as I want and rocking him while he is sleeping are numbered, and I haven't gotten enough yet, so I go to him when he cries because some day he won't need me in that capacity anymore and I don't want to wish I had done it more.  The funny thing is that when he cries on the monitor and I don't start for his room right away both of my dogs start down the hall and then look at me like aren't you going to do something?  And I thought if all 3 of our instincts are saying go to him . . . we can't all be suckers:-)  Ooh, I love him.

Big Steps

Getting ready for tent city someday (J/K)

How cool are these babylegs?

So, Owen can crawl for sure, but he would much rather walk, to my dismay since his brain and his body are still in two different places developmentally!!!!  My poor little baby's face has bruises and scratches, I hope I am able to keep him from getting anymore!  I went to the grocery store on Tuesday and I was scared they would take him away from me.  Since I have already had my experience of "Is that YOUR baby?" . . . . .my mom can appreciate that:-)

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Our friends The Gage's invited us up to their neighborhood in north Scottsdale for Owen's first trick-or-treat fun.  For us it was the first evening where you knew fall was actually here. . . . I'm not saying it was cold, but there was a little chill in the air. 

I love that Owen and Giovanna are holding hands and Ava is trying to run out of the picture.  We are missing a cheerleader too!  (Herding Cats I tell ya)

Anyway, we had so much fun and Ava and Owen rode in their strollers around the neighborhood while the rest of the children went for candy.  The neighborhood is so beautiful, for me it was like a home tour.  Owen and Eric even got a little candy "for the baby". . . . . . By the way, you can really score in that neighborhood, I have NEVER seen people so generous with candy and TONS of full size bars!  Lucky kids:-)

It Started with a Cupcake

I can't believe it has been this long since I last posted!  Where has the time gone. 

We had Owen's birthday party 3 weeks ago.  It was fabulous.  About 6 months ago I began to wonder how we would celebrate.  I perused the internet looking for just the perfect theme, when I ran across an owl party on a blog and it turned out I already had the cupcake decorating book to make owl cupcakes. . . . well it grew from there. . . I literally had no idea how much stuff there was out there for children's parties.  I had the most fun researching desserts and decorations for this party.  I know Owen won't remember mini pies, or strawberry cake pops, but he will be able to look back at the 1000 pictures taken by his Grandma and see all of the family and friends who took time out of their lives and in some cases traveled great distances to wish him a very happy birthday!

Thank you to everyone who came down, thank you to my dear friend Angela who has a fabulous collection of lovely serveware, thank you to my family especially my mom who makes fabulous tissue pom poms and is the best baby watcher, and thank you to all of Eric's family for making the trip out!