Congrats Brian!

My brother graduated with his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology (with a minor in Health.....must run in the family) from Sam Houston State University this past weekend! WOO-HOO!!! I did not want to miss him walking across that stage, so after getting clearance from my doctor I flew to Texas for a very quick weekend with my brother. And the uncomfortable flight was well worth the trip.....plus it was funny getting all those worried looks from other passengers on the plane who were absolutely positive that I was going to pop out my baby in mid-air.

My whole family very proud of Brian.

Me and my Bro

These family pictures are a rare thing for Brian and me. It's not very often that both sides of our family sit down together for an actual meal.....kind of nice.

This is my dad and me.....who's belly is bigger? I think I may have passed him up!

The trip was great and I think Micah was really glad to have me home. Now I'm here for the remainder of my pregnancy.......four weeks, give or take a few. Reality is starting to set in.

Baby Kicking

I'm not sure if Owen actually believes he has a baby in his belly or if he just likes pretending. Either way, this is pretty funny. Owen's baby is constantly kicking!

Good Times

Earlier this week there was a safety event at Mills Park and there were helicopters, fire trucks, police cars, and all kinds of cool vehicles for Owen to check out. He LOVED it, especially the army helicopter that was fun to walk through but even more fun to watch take off and fly away.

Owen driving the fire truck.

Ethan, Kameron, Jessie and Owen

This photo was taken a few weeks ago.....my boys having fun at the beach!

Good Friends

Last week we met our friends Kim, Corey and Natalie at Tahoe. The Brooks Family lives in Phoenix now, so we only see them about once a year. Owen and Natalie were pretty cute together......although Natalie sat nicely in the sand the entire time and played quietly with her sand toys. Meanwhile, Owen ran around the beach like a mad man......literally running circles around sweet, calm Natalie. What in the world am I going to do if this second baby has as much energy as Owen????

Yesterday we went to Jack's 4th birthday party. It's so hard to believe Jack is already 4! It seems like yesterday that I threw Kristin a baby shower when she was pregnant with Jack! Here's Kristin and me with all of our boys.

Ben, Owen & Cooper hanging out at the party.

Ryder spent some time with us last night while his parents went to a wedding.

Olfa & Mimi Visit

Owen's Olfa and Mimi (Micah's parents) have been visiting for the past 10 days. Owen got to skip school almost the entire time and hang out with his grandparents instead. They took him to do all kinds of fun things.......ride a BIG choo-choo in Virginia City, ride a BIG boat on Lake Tahoe, go to a 3D movie, and go to a baseball game! He's obviously already missing the extra attention! By the end of their visit he even told them he loved them and would miss them much when they were gone. He's just recently started telling us he loves us, so this was a treat for Mimi and Olfa.

Owen loves his Olfa......

Here's Owen riding the MS Dixie paddle boat across Lake Tahoe.

We went to a Reno Aces game one night this past week.

We took Owen to Scheels (the largest sporting goods store ever) and Owen happily rode the giant ferris wheel that takes up the center of the store. I was planning on riding it with him, but when we made it up to the front of the line the ticket guy said to me, "Do you think you're going to ride this ferris wheel?" Apparently ferris wheels are too fast and scary for pregnant women to ride. Who knew???

Our Little Nudist

So, we've been potty training.......trying desperately to get Owen out of diapers before his little brother or sister is born in only 6 weeks! He still has never gone in the potty. Bummer. BUT, he does like to go pee outside in the grass or in his dad's potted plants! Basically, he just runs around the house naked all the time. We're slowly but surely making progress.

UPDATE: By the end of the day today Owen had gone to the bathroom in his potty two times and went multiple times in the yard! YAY!!!

Shortest Camping Trip Ever!

We attempted a camping trip this past weekend, although it wasn't the most successful camping trip we've taken. We met Enid, Corey and Brock at a campsite close by, because Enid was only 10 days away from her due date and needed to stay very close to Reno. We couldn't get off work early Friday and didn't even make it to the campsite until almost dark. We enjoyed a few hours with our friends and then went to bed......only to find out in the morning that Enid was up all night long - not in labor - but sick with a stomach bug. Poor thing.....I really felt sorry for her getting so sick so close to her baby being born! So we stayed at the camp ground for the morning and then the temperature hit close to 100 degrees, so I had to bail.....I needed some cooler indoor air. It was definitely the shortest camping trip we've ever had. We'll have to re-do that one!



Here's Owen pretending to catch fish in his fishing nets.

Wild Child

This is what happens when you give too much crack to a 2 year old.....



I'm kidding.....lighten up. It's just a joke! :o)

Playing Catch-Up

Here are some random pictures of Owen from the past few weeks.

Owen still loves all things trains and we take regular rides, keeping the local train museum in business.

Owen painted his daddy a painting for Father's Day. This is going to hang in his new BIG BOY room, which we're getting ready to move him into (making room for the new babe). We're actually painting the walls today.

Owen loves helping make muffins......really he loves the muffin batter!

We're riding a baby-choo-choo at a local park here.

Ryder & Owen enjoying the choo-choo ride!

Happy Birthday America!

To celebrate our country's birthday we had a couple of families over for a last minute BBQ. Micah was able to use his new BBQ grill that we gave him for Father's Day.....a big improvement from his tiny little grill that was given to us over 8 years ago for our wedding.

Owen and his friends enjoyed picking cherries and berries out of our garden.

And of course had a blast with the bubble machine!

What outdoor BBQ would be complete without popsicles from the local ice cream van???

We also saw the local fireworks, which really weren't bad for little, ole Carson City! Owen totally zoned out for the fireworks display......no smile, no frown, no laughs or cries.......I'm not even sure if he blinked the entire time.

Sand Harbor

We had a beach day at Tahoe today and met our friends Enid and Brock there. We were supposed to meet them there last weekend, but Owen got sick and we couldn't make it.

Owen and Brock lounging in the sun.

When we arrived at Sand Harbor at 9:00 am, the beach was pretty bare, but when we left at 1:00 pm it looked like this. SOOO crowded. We prefer the tiny, little isolated beaches around Tahoe, but Sand Harbor is much easier to get to with a 2 year old.

Lunch time!

Enid and I dug holes in the sand for our pregnant bellies so we could lay on our stomachs! Enid is due in only 4 weeks, so our second babies will be born about 6 weeks apart. Owen and Brock are only 2 weeks apart. You'd think we had planned it this way, but it's just a coincidence.....I actually thought she was crazy when she announced her 2nd pregnancy to me. Then a few weeks later........well, you know the rest of the story.