Hope you haven't been holding your breath!

Well, I am just barely getting in under the wire--it's almost been a month since my last post...but not quite! So, without further adieu, I present to you a little post about our Easter Weekend!


We started off by visiting (and joining, thanks to Gran and Pop!) the amazing Adventure Science Center...Owen and Miriam could barely contain their excitement waiting for the crew to arrive...
One of the highlights of our day was spotting this T-Rex....just like the T-Rex on Owen's shirt!

We also had a lot of fun watching the big kids figure out the pressure-launched two liter cola bottles...

Friday night, Owen spent the night at the guest suite with Gran, Pop, and Uncle Minor. Miriam and I joined them for lunch and some play time on Saturday...

Saturday night, we all headed over to the Grand Ole Opry House for a fantastic night of country and bluegrass music. Owen really seemed to enjoy himself...he clapped and pretended to drum his popcorn bucket along to the music. We did have to take him out to the foyer for some "run off some steam" time, but overall he did great!

Sunday morning, our awesome friends the Cassells and Uncle Tom came over for an Easter egg hunt! Owen and Dylan did a great job finding all of the eggs that Aunt Mimi hid.

We capped off our morning with a delicious brunch at the Nashville Biscuit House. Once we made it home, Tom convinced me that we just had to plant a garden right then! After Gran, Pop, and Uncle Minor headed back to Mississippi, we got started. Miriam and Owen were busy finding worms...

and climbing our very favorite magnolia tree...

What a wonderful visit! Somehow, regretfully, I didn't get any pictures of Owen with Gran and Pop! I have no idea how that happened, but I'm hoping that, out of the FOUR other cameras that were carefully documenting the weekend, someone got at least a few cute ones of Owen with Gran and Pop. That's right....FOUR other cameras. :)

Happy Easter to all of our friends and family!

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!

Happy 2009!

Our New Year's Eve was fantastic....spent with good friends....

who were kind enough to share their iPod...

and play on our Little Einstein computer...

and pose for pictures even though someone didn't feel like having his picture taken...

and who even took a rare family photo for us!

Happy 2009!

Here's to a year of health and happiness for us all!

Twas the day after Christmas...

Well, where to start...let's just say this hasn't been the Christmas vacation I had hoped for, but it was definitely memorable! My time off of work got started a day earlier than planned because Owen came down with 101 degree fever last Tuesday night. He quickly bounced back, so we were still able to go to McComb for Griffin Christmas as planned. We loaded everyone into the car and headed on down the road. Once we got to McComb, we were greeted with 70-something degree weather and beautiful sunny skies, something Nashville had not seen in quite a while. Our first order of business, as usual, was to go check on the cows and horses on the mule!



After we were sure all the animals were okay, we went to the hay field and the blind pony patch to pick up gumballs and hickory nuts to make Christmas ornaments! We came back home to find Pop relaxing in his "ejector chair"--he is recovering from knee replacement surgery. Owen had a blast all weekend raising and lowering the chair, sometimes with us in it! Owen and Pop read The Night Before Christmas together--the same pop-up copy that we Griffin kids read for years and years.


That night, we went to eat at a delicious new restaurant in McComb called the Caboose. Owen was very well-behaved, which was a relief, and we ran into my piano teacher, Mrs. Brady, which was a wonderful surprise! After our yummy meal, we piled into Gran and Pop's car and drove to Tylertown for the Christmas lights. Owen would have hung out the car window if we would have let him. He was very interested in all the different displays--Noah's ark, various sports, penguins, the 12 days of Christmas, model cars, and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus. After we returned home, we decorated the tree with tinsel, popcorn, cranberries, and our hickory nut and gumball ornaments. I think we were all proud of the results!


On Saturday morning, we woke up and had Christmas together. Owen enjoyed all of his gifts, but I think his favorite thing is Spider Spud, a Mr. Potato Head dressed up like Spiderman. Gran and I got out and about a little bit while Owen took his nap. Once Owen woke up from his nap, my friend Genny and her beautiful little girl Aivia came by for a visit. This was Genny's first time to meet Owen, and my first time to meet Aivia. We were so excited to both be in McComb at the same time!


Later Saturday evening, while we were eating a delicious vegetarian dinner (thanks, Gran!), I started feeling feverish. I went to bed early and woke up on Sunday morning feeling worse than I have felt in a long, long time. We quickly loaded up and hit the road to Nashville. I had ups and downs throughout the day, but by the time we reached Nashville, I knew I needed to go to the doctor. We found a minute clinic near our house that was still open, and I was diagnosed with viral pharyngitis. The doctor told me it would get better in a few days and all I could really do is just treat the symptoms. Bummer! Sunday was Gwyn's birthday, so I was extremely disappointed to miss seeing her on her birthday, but I knew the best place for me was in the bed!

Monday morning when we woke up, we discovered that our heater was blowing out cold air. Mind you, the wind chill on Monday was, oh, about 10 degrees. One of my very generous co-workers came over Monday evening and again Tuesday morning to help us figure out what was going on. We soon realized we needed to call in the big guns. So by Tuesday evening, we had heat again! But let me assure you, those 2 days we didn't have heat were spent all huddled up in our master bedroom around the space heater. We ate all of our meals that way and we all slept together too...which would explain why, by Tuesday, I was feeling much better, but Richie had caught my pharyngitis! Argh!!!

Richie had to do deliveries on Christmas Eve, so Owen and I spent the day together preparing for Santa to come. We baked some cookies just for Santa and put them in a safe place until later that night.



Christmas Eve evening, our friends Craig and Martina (or as Owen calls them, Greg and Tina) hosted us at their house for a Christmas fiesta. Richie was feeling better, so we spent the evening with some great friends and some excellent food! We played a new game called Mafia, and Owen peacefully looked on and ate nuts with Craig as we played. (I should mention that Craig is one of Owen's favorite fellas in the world. Big time!)


We came home from the Hamlins and began our Christmas Eve ritual of Christas pajamas, pictures by the cookies and milk, and Christmas books before bed. As Owen and I walked down the hall to his room, he called back to Richie, "Don't eat those cookies, Daddy! Those are for Santa!" He crawled into his bed and then decided he could hear Santa Claus outside. He jumped out of his bed and ran to the window to look out. He quickly got back in bed so that Santa would come to our house, and, amazingly, he fell right to sleep!



Christmas morning, Owen woke up at his usual 7:30. He wanted to see if Santa came, and for some reason ran straight to the kitchen, then the dining room, then back to the kitchen. Once he finally caught sight of his presents in the living room, he made a mad dash for his goodies. Watching him open gifts was hilarious and heart-warming. He must have been a very good boy this year because Santa brought him lots of fun stuff....



and we still had a gift from a certain aunt left to open...


I don't exactly know where the Hulk will wind up, but Owen was thrilled to open that one up! Later on, Jeremy, Gwyn, and Tom came over for lasagne and lounging around. Owen had fun showing off all of his new toys and somehow wound up not taking a nap...shocker! That night, we watched Home Alone, which evoked one of the most amazing and unforgettable reactions I have ever seen from my child, a reaction that left Gwyn and I both in tears, something I could not even begin to describe. Luckily, Tom was right there to bring Owen back to reality and we all thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the night.

So while our broken heater and viral pharyngitis tried very hard to ruin our holidays, it just was not to be. Richie and I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful, amazing boy, and holidays with him fill our hearts with love and gratitude. We are looking forward to seeing Gi Gi, Granddad, and Uncle Jon next week. Merry Christmas, indeed!

The sweet smell of Christmas

Christmas is almost here, and the excitement is definitely building at our house! A couple of weeks ago, we decorated our tree, put candles in the windows, hung our red berry wreath on the front door, and set out all of our favorite Christmas books. Our usual bedtime favorites have been replaced with The Night Before Christmas and The Sweet Smell of Christmas (my absolute favorite holiday book of all time, ever ever ever ever. ever.) I'm slowly working my way through our Christmas list and trying to sneak presents into the house before Owen sees them. So far, so good! We will be making a quick trip to McComb next weekend. Aunt Mimi won't be there, so we're pretty bummed about that, but there is a lot to look forward to down there. Owen has loved riding around to look at Christmas lights, and Tylertown (a small town about 15 minutes east of McComb) has a really fun display in the park every year. We took Owen 2 years ago, but he was very squirmy and not too interested in all the lights. I think this year will be a different story! Gi Gi, Granddad and Uncle Jon are tentatively planning a trip to Nashville right after Christmas, so we are excited to get to see them too! Owen asks about his aunts and uncles a lot, so I know he has missed seeing them, especially after all the fun we had on his birthday.

Two weeks after Owen's birthday, we hosted a Thanksgiving pot luck with several of our friends who were away from their families. I can honestly say, it was one of the best days ever. We ate soooo much good food and just relaxed and played for hours and hours. The weather was absolutely perfect--partly cloudy and almost 60 degrees. After lunch, the big boys went into the front yard to play tag football, and the little boys (Owen and Liam) followed them outside for chase (thanks to Maggie for being a good sport and letting Owen chase her mercilessly!), coloring, and sidewalk chalk. As the evening wore on, Owen's need for some sleep (eek, no nap!) became apparent, and he went to bed. The grown ups played Apples to Apples and our new favorite pasttime Wii Fit (thanks Minor!) until the casseroles, desserts, and football caught up with everyone and we called it a night. Although we missed seeing our parents and siblings, we were so thankful to be able to spend the day with so many wonderful friends!

Have I mentioned lately how much we love this magnolia tree?

I'll try to be better about updating throughout the holidays. I am only working 5 more days from now until the end of the year, so hopefully I can use some of that free time being a better blogger. :)

Halloween!

This was definitely a Halloween to remember! Owen's daycare had a Halloween party on Friday, and they must have really talked it up to the kids. Every day last week he asked if he could go to the Halloween party or go trick-or-treating to get some candy. The weekend before Halloween, we were invited to the Conrans' to decorate pumpkins. Below is Owen's beautiful red and blue (hmm, what superhero do you know of that has a red and blue suit?) glitterty pumpkin...

and here is Richie with his masterpiece!

We roasted pumpkin seeds the next day, which was a truly disgusting experience. I didn't really enjoy digging through the slimy pumpkin innerds, but the smell of seeds roasting in the oven more than made up for it!

On Halloween night, Owen and I went trick-or-treating for about an hour. We met some of our neighbors and got a good bit of candy, plus a cool pencil. Owen loved banging on the doors and saying "Trick-or-treat!" He even said 'thank you' without being reminded!

Saturday, we met Holly and Dylan at the Litton School playground, which is where Owen's birthday party is going to be in just a couple of weeks. There was a slight issue with some, um, feces in the tunnel, but the boys were pretty happy trying to go up the slide together.

And in case you are wondering...

...I was a strawberry cupcake for Halloween, and Richie was a zombie nerd (hopefully I can find a picture to post).

Labor Day weekend roundup

Don't know why he looks so glum, but he soon perked up...

The twisty slide is his favorite--it goes fast and gives him crazy static hair!

I took a picture of Richie and turned around to see Owen testing out his Spiderman moves!
Yes, he got up there quickly and without a bit of help!

The Incredible Hulk undies were lots of fun until an accident happened in the backyard. Poor Hulk. We're just going to stick to pull ups for now, I think.

We went to a wedding Sunday afternoon. Yes, it was rather, um, warm, but we had lots of fun exploring and swinging. Check out the smocked outfit!!!

And lastly, we all let out a big sigh of relief on Monday after hearing that Gran, Pop, Minor and G. G. (great grandmother Griffin) had all made it safely through Hurricane Gustav. Now we just have to make sure Aunt Mimi and all the Shaws and Listers in South Carolina don't have any run ins with Hanna!

Mother's Day through the years

2006--My beautiful mother!

2007--someone was NOT feeling cooperative!

2008--He insisted on wearing our hoods together.

What a special day! I spent the morning really savoring some one-on-one time with Owen. We went to the grocery store for milk and diapers, and he was such a good helper! He pushed the buggy back to the lobby and then carried a bag to the car. We met Gwyn and Tom for lunch, which was a little bit of a fiasco. Owen doesn't like sitting in high chairs anymore...he wants to sit in the booth with everyone else. Of course, this led to repeated trips back forth underneath the table. Poor Tom got the worst of it. He would be in the middle of a bite and all of a sudden Owen's head would pop up and he would crawl into Tom's lap or grab him around the shoulders for a prolonged hug. We had a family dinner, thanks to Richie. And now we're listening to Richie and Jeremy play live on Lightning 100.

I generally think holidays can get a little goofy, but I must admit that I do love Mother's Day. I have an amazing mother, and it is a day to really reflect on how lucky I am to have such a wonderful mama. Richie's mother is so wonderful too--we just spent a week with her here in Nashville, and Owen just had a ball. She did such a great job with all 3 of her boys, and I will be over the moon if my sons turn out as loving and compassionate as her sons. And I am also so thankful to have so many friends who are mamas--Maggie, Callie, Holly...just so many beautiful, smart, generous and talented women in my life who inspire me to be a better mama and a better me. They are an amazing support to me, and I'm glad to be on this journey with such loving ladies. My little son has opened up a whole huge, wide world to me. He is the most incredible little being in the universe. I am so proud to be his mother! I'm truly fortunate in every way, and I recognize that especially on Mother's Day. Lots of love to all the mamas in my life!

Wabbit

The Thursday before Easter, we had a little resident event at work. One of our residents dressed as the Easter Bunny to take pictures with the kids. Owen didn't quite know what to make of it. He's not really a shy child...actually, once he warms up to you, you practically have to pry him off with a stick. Unlike some of the other kids, he wasn't even scared! He looks a little bit like he's wearing an intertube, but he seemed to have a lot of fun when the camera wasn't around. He kept handing the Easter Bunny cookies and balloons and saying, "Here, Rabbit." Here are a few pics...

Easter 2008

Hippity Hoppity

Last weekend, my family...Gran, Pop, Uncle Minor, and Aunt Mimi...came for a visit. We hadn't all been together since Owen's birthday party in November, and he was long overdue for some Griffin love. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful on Saturday morning, so we ventured off to the Nashville Zoo for their humongous Easter egg hunt. (Thanks again to Santa for giving us a year's membership!)

Don't know what this look is for, but check out all those eggs!

We got to see our friends, the Conrans, for a little bit, but we didn't get to stay too long. The weather turnd chilly, so we headed to Opry Mills Mall. Upon arriving in the food court, Owen promptly threw a fit over the carousel. His first trip on the carousel put him in much higher spirits, and he rode the entire time saying "Weee! Yeehaw!" After lunch and another tantrum, Aunt Mimi took him for another ride.

Yep, someone skipped their nap and it shows!

Later that night, Owen had a slumber party with Gran and Pop while the big kids went to see our rockin' friends American Bang play a super fun show at Exit/In.

Aunt Mimi, Mama, and Uncle "Mahnur"

Easter Sunday we met for lunch in Hermitage, then went to the Park to see if the Easter Bunny left us anything. Owen loved going through his basket of goodies. We tried to hide the candy from him, but not before he ate quite a bit of chocolate and mutilated a green peep. He also got a big package from Gi Gi, Granddad, and Jon Jon with coloring books and oatmeal, his favorite breakfast food! That afternoon, we took him to see Horton Hears a Who, which was so cute. We were all impressed that Owen watched attentively until the last 10 minutes, when he decided we needed to relocate to the very top row of the theater.

We attempted to tire Owen out for a nap by playing on the playground. Unfortunately, the only ones ready for a nap after all the tunnels, slides, and swings were the adults!

Gran, Pop, and Uncle Minor left for McComb early Monday morning, but Aunt Mimi stayed an extra couple of days. It actually snowed a little bit on Monday, but on Tuesday we played in the back yard with Owen's tricycle (awesome birthday gift from Aunt Gwyn, Uncle Jeremy, Uncle Tom, and Uncle Ricky) and also did a little "gardening."

Owen decided to let Aunt Mimi play with his dirt!

Miriam left for Charleston on Wednesday and I went back to work. When I came home Wednesday night, Owen ran to the door yelling "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!" He sure does love his family, and I have a hunch they like him a little bit too.