Not so terrible 2s

Life with a very active, imaginative 2 year old has its ups and downs. Some days are tough...like Friday night when we loaded up for a family night of running errands. Forget sitting in a high chair or riding in a buggy...now Owen wants to sit in the booth like a big boy (don't even think about a booster seat either) and he insists upon pushing the shopping cart 100% unassisted. Needless to say, carting him from KMart to Bed Bath and Beyond to Target put us thisclose to having a collective meltdown. To be honest, though, these rough moments are few and far between. Sure, Owen is extremely opinionated on what clothes he wants to wear or what cup he wants to drink out of, for example. But he is really such a good-natured boy. Lately we've been getting a real kick out of all the quirky things he says and does. Here are some recent highlights:

• After reading our bedtime stories, he asked if we could get my phone and call Spiderman. I explained that Spiderman had already gone to bed, so we couldn't call him. He then asked, "Well, can we get Daddy's phone and call Spiderman?" Richie and I figure we might need to work out an arrangement with a friend so that we can call and say "Hi Spiderman" and just have them play along.
  
• Today, Barrett was giving himself a bath and Owen looked over at him and said, "That's nasty, Barrett. Don't lick your booty. Stop that!"
• Each night before dinner, we go check the mailbox and sing the mail song from Blues Clues. Pretty darn cute!

He has recently taken up golfing--yet another sport to add to his repertoire
(and check out that Star Wars shirt)

No make-up and hair's a mess, but he just looks so cute

...and then this happened about 5 minutes later. Sometimes life is just hard.

All decked out in his new Spiderman jammies from Gi Gi and Granddad! He's also wearing a new Spiderman "wartch" on his right wrist. You could say he's a fan.

Fasten your seatbelts!

What a month it has been! Since our last post, we celebrated Father's Day with a trip to the indoor playground at McDonald's for breakfast--okay, that place is awesome! Whoever came up with that idea is genius. We gave Richie a grill, which we have been using at least 4 times a week.

The obligatory Father's Day picture

We closed on our house on June 17 and started moving in immediately. Wouldn't you just know that the entire week of our move, Owen had bad diarrhea and could not go to daycare. Somehow Richie was able to completely unload the storage unit by himself while watching Owen. Talk about Super Dad! We got right to work fixing Owen's room up first. It started out a very bright purple, which we quickly covered over with a nice grey. Since Owen has almost outgrown his toddler bed, we didn't want to paint a color that was too tied to his baby bedding. Owen absolutely loves the new house! The first week or two, he kept running up and down the hall shouting, "This is OUR house! This is OUR houuuusssseee!"

Owen digging through his toy bin...notice all those unfilled racks and shelves. I wasn't kidding when I said the entire house has the most amazing closets ever!

We haven't hung anything on the walls yet, and these pictures were taken at night,
but you get the idea.

The window to the right looks out on a big, beautiful magnolia tree.

We've been spending the bulk of our time at home in the backyard. Our first weekend here, I sat on the back stoop with a cup of coffee, right under the magnolia tree, and watched Owen and Barrett run around the backyard. I have to say, it brought tears to my eyes, seeing Owen so happy with his new home. The next day while O napped, Richie and I set up our portable hammocks underneath the oak trees, read, and just relaxed looking up through a beautiful canopy of branches and leaves. We are so happy with our little home. We both hope to put our gypsy ways behind us and really plant ourselves here for a long time. (Plus, we are freaking TIRED of moving!!!)

Owen's first attempt at tree climbing--the aforementioned magnolia

June also saw birthdays for Gran and Uncle Jeremy! Aunt Gwyn threw a surprise backyard bonfire for Jeremy, which was a lot of fun. I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of O with Uncle Jerm. Owen wore his t-shirt that says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle!" It was a big hit!

That Uncle Jeremy is such a ham!

The last weekend of June, our friends Craig and Martina (or Greg and Tina, as Owen calls them) babysat Owen so Richie and I could watch Gwyn's bellydance troupe's first full-length show at 12th and Porter. If you haven't clicked on Gwyn's link on the left-hand side of the page, I strongly encourage you to. She is one of those people who excels at anything she tries her hand at, but she has truly found her calling in dance. The night was an emotional one--it is a rare and beautiful treat to see someone you love very much fulfill a dream they have carried for so long.

The graceful and lovely ladies of Bodhicitta Belly Dance troupe
(Aunt Gwyn is second from end on the right)

On July 4th, we went to Holly, Robert and Dylan's for a cookout before heading out to watch the fireworks. Every year, we go to East Park in East Nashville with our friends and watch the humongous riverfront display. Owen was put off by the fireworks at first and complained that they were too loud and hurt his ears. But he was intruiged and sat in Uncle Jeremy's lap during most of the show. Dylan, on the other hand, loved absolutely every second of the fireworks. Every blast and boom thrilled him more than the last. The weather was mild and we were surrounded by so many good friends. I know it sounds corny to be moved by firecrackers, but watching the fireworks and listening to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra with our friends and family close by, I felt so much happiness and thankfulness for the amazing life that we have in Nashville. This city has truly become our home!

Photo came out a little blurry, but this is Holly, Dylan, Owen and
Holly's mom Agnes watching the fireworks display.

So all in all, we have had a wonderful few weeks. We are thrilled to have the move behind us. We still have some furniture that we need to buy (note: selling all your furniture on Craigslist and replacing it with new stuff may sound like a great idea, but it is actually really hard!) But the house is coming together, we are 99% unpacked, and we are just enjoying settling in. Next on the agenda: beach trip with the Griffins at the end of the month! We can't wait to see Gran, Pop, Aunt Mimi, Uncle Minor, and hopefully Katie (Kakey) too.

One last thing...I've added a new link to the Friends and Family section. Please take a look at Chocolate Funny Farm. This is Gi Gi's new chocolate company and it is absolutely adorable! She has put a lot of hard work and creativity into building her site and her business. We are so proud of how awesome it has turned out! Go, Gi Gi!!!

Parting shot of Owen just being adorable :)