the ides of March

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post...I've been a bad blogger once again. I haven't been very good about taking pictures the last couple of weeks, either, so I only have a couple to share....

Owen is still loving his big boy bed! Richie and I have been enjoying having more room to read bedtime stories each night, and Owen is doing a good job of staying in his bed, for the most part. Here he is all decked out a few nights ago...

Uncle Jeremy has left to go on tour until early April. A few night before he left, he did the honors of helping Owen use the potty, brush his teeth, and read stories before bed. It was too sweet to not take a picture!

A couple of nights ago, Owen started rubbing his elbow with his arm flexed and said, "Mommy, my muscles are growing!" Funny boy!

there goes my blogging streak!

Well, I was on a roll...but life has been a little crazy the last few weeks and it's thrown me off my game. I had to go to Memphis for my company's annual leadership conference, and it took me a week to even unpack! Here are a few highlights of the last few weeks....

Oops...Owen found the Fun Dip I had been hiding from him!

Owen and Uncle Jeremy playing a game on Jeremy's iphone....

....until a call came in!

Owen thought it was funny that we were all wearing gray shirts

One exciting change around our house is the addition of Owen's very own BIG BOY BED! We have been talking to him lately about if he wanted to get a bigger bed, and he kept saying that he did. So we did some research online and spent all day Saturday shopping for mattresses. Owen had a blast jumping on all of the display beds. Thankfully, the stores were very accomodating, and I'm sure they have kids come through day in and day out. Finally, after lots of testing out mattresses and a little wheeling and dealing, we came home with a nice, comfy full size bed for our sweet boy. We put it all together and put the bedding on, and Owen just hopped right in....

I'm telling you, this is one of the few times I can remember

Owen actually being excited to go to bed! :)

He slept great through the night and napped for over 2 hours today! And although it was sad to take his crib and changing table apart to put in the attic, it is awfully exciting to celebrate this milestone with our son. The crib I might miss...the changing table, not so much!

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

Fandalism Free MP3 Hosting

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!