A special day, a special Pop

Check out this sweet shout-out to our favorite birthday boy, POP!
*recorded at our home by super-Dad!*

Happy Birthday, Pop! by Lister Family Band

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Happy V-Day!

Hope you have a LOVEly day!

Party time!

Today, Owen's preschool had a potluck Valentine's party for the kids. I went to Target last weekend and purchased a box of Pixar-themed Valentine's cards for him to give to his classmates. I have to admit...I had one of those 'whoa--I'm a MOM!' moments in the aisle. Sometimes those 'firsts' as a parent just catch me off guard, even something simple like buying a little box of Valentine's cards. Fast forward to last night (i.e. the night before the party)...I realized at, oh, about 11 p.m. that I still had to decorate a box for Owen to bring his Valentine's home in AND I had to put together the little candy bags I got for his teachers. Oh geez. So I turned on some reality tv and pulled out all the construction paper, scissors, tape, and stickers I could find. Although I was completely exhausted, I must say, I was so excited by the finished product...

The cover of Owen's Valentine box...

...and the little happies I made for his teachers!

2 temporary tattoos that he got from some classmates

Not to brag or anything, but Richie did say that Owen by far had the coolest take-home box. Whether it is true or not, just hearing that he thought so made me pretty darn proud. :)

Wishing all of our loved ones a very happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet nothings...

Owen and I had a heartwarming exchange on our drive home from our friends' house this evening. His preschool is being assessed for their annual rating tomorrow, so we were discussing the importance of listening to his teachers. I reached into the backseat to hold his hand and said, "Owen, I love holding your hand." He replied, "Oh, that is so sweet, Mommy!" We continued our conversation, and I told him how proud I was of how well he is doing at his new school and what a big boy he is, to which he responded, "Thank you, Mommy. You are a very sweet girl." Oh, my boy...my precious little boy!

Mary Poppins would be proud

A few days ago, we celebrated our friend Liam's 3rd birthday. One of his birthday happies was a Thomas the Tank Engine kite. Owen was so intruiged by the kite, and we made a deal: if he was a good boy at preschool and listened to his teachers, he could get a kite too. The next day he came home with a smiley face on his daily sheet, so Richie and Owen took a trip to Target to pick out a kite. It came as no surprise that he passed up Elmo, Thomas, and Dora for a Spiderman kite! When we woke up this morning to another day of blue skies, crisp wind, and mid-60 degree temperatures, I knew this was the perfect day for testing out our new toy...

Holly and Dylan met us at Litton Park for a really fun morning of kite flying, running, playing in the sand, and climbing all over the jungle gym. It took a little practice, but both of the boys did a great job with the kite. We did have one close call with some power lines and a tree, but in the end, everything worked out just fine. In a couple of days, the temperatures will drop back down to where they should be in February, but I think we all appreciated a little break from the cold! And I think it is safe to assume that these 2 little boys will be napping gooood this afternoon!

Whatever works

Owen decided to practice counting today...great!

He also decided that the best way to do so would be to put ALL of his Wall E stickers on the silverware drawer...not so great!

Oh well, on the bright side, he did a fantastic job counting all of his stickers. And I did an equally fantastic job of scraping them all off the drawer after he went to bed. :)

February fun

February has started off with a bang...Superbowl Sunday, February 1st, was a gorgeous day. I met up with my friend Maggie for a delicious brunch. That afternoon, Richie went golfing with some guy friends, leaving Owen and I to have some mommy-son time. The weather was perfect for some outdoor exercise, so we spent a while before naptime in the backyard playing chase.

One of Owen's teachers at his new preschool decided to attempt to give him a mohawk on Tuesday! You can imagine my surprise when Richie and Owen walked in with this hairdo...

He was really getting a kick out of our reaction to his hair. He told me, "Mommy, I want to see my silly hair!"

Today was National Wear Red day for heart disease awareness. This is the red outfit that Richie pulled together for Owen...

I found these vintage pants for $2.99 at a local thrift shop. Aren't they awesome?! You'll notice the big Sonic cup Owen is holding. Let me explain: This week, we have been sending Owen to preschool wearing big boy underpants with NO pullups over them, and every day he has come home dry! Of course, as soon as he gets here, he has an accident. But Richie wanted to reward him for being such a big boy at school with a vanilla milkshake. Sweet treat for a sweet boy!

On another note, yesterday was our good buddy Liam's 3rd birthday. Here's his blog. Happy Birthday, Liam! We love you!

Oops...not the best picture in the world, but it is the most recent of the two boys that I've got. Check out those coordinating rain boots. It must be a 3 year old thing!

What's in a name?

Reading 'All by Myself' (by Mercer Mayer) before bed tonight:

Me: "Do you know this little boy's name?"
O: "No..."
Me: "It's Little Critter. Can you say that? Say Critter..."
O: "Quittler...?"
Me: "Little Crit-ter"
O: "Little Quitter"
Me: "Good job! Do you know your name?"
O: "Owen!"
Me: "That's right...Owen Lister"
O: "Owen Lister!"
Me: "Owen Edward Lister"
O: "No, I'm Owen Lister."
Me: "Ok! Do you know Daddy's name?"
O: "Richie!"
Me: "Richie Lister"
O: "No, Daddy's name is Richie Daddy"
Me: "And my name is Anna Lister"
O: "No, you are Mommy. Anna Mommy."
Me: "And Uncle Jeremy's name is Jeremy Lister"
O: "No, I'm the Lister. I'm Owen Lister!"

Well, it's a start! :)