Busy Weekend

It was a very busy weekend....lots of pictures to share! I'm not sure what's going on in this photo of Owen and Ryder, but we started off our weekend joining 2 other families for dinner at a restaurant, including 3 toddler boys and an infant......COMPLETE CHAOS! What were we thinking???? I'm sure the waiter hated us.

But after dinner we walked outside to Friday's at Third Street, where a band plays in the street every Friday night throughout the summer. It's great because the kids can run around and dance, dance, dance. Owen absolutely loves the live music! It's definitely a different kind of live music scene than our pre-Owen life.

Orrin, Ryder & Owen sat right in front of the stage and looked at train magazines. All the dancing finally wore them out.

On Saturday we started the day at Jessica's 5th birthday party. Owen got after the pinata.....must be in his genes.

Owen, Kameron, Jessie, Lizzie, and Ethan munching on their well-earned candy.

Happy Birthday to Jessie!!!

After Jessie's party we headed up to Tahoe for an adult birthday party on the beach. It was cloudy for once and a bit too chilly to get in the water, but Owen still managed to have a blast playing in the cold water.

Amy, Erik and me posing with the "candy" from the adult pinata. Amy and I were just dreaming......no alcohol for a few more weeks. Amy is due exactly 4 weeks behind me. And yes, I realize I have outgrown my shirt. I have very little left to wear at this point.

Around the House

These are just a few random pictures from around the house. Owen likes to play with any kind of ball in the evenings.....soccer ball, baseball, football, golf......you name it and he likes it.

Typical boy who loves to climb.

We grew a few sunflowers throughout our yard and garden this year......they are amazingly tall!

Notice the background of this picture. Owen is feeling my baby belly.

How much fun can a little boy have with some stickers????

Cooking is a dirty job, but someones got to do it around here. This is after baking a batch of brownies.

Owen's a Raccoon!

Owen has been transitioning into a new classroom at school this week, from the Bees to the Raccoons. The Raccoons classroom is a preschool room for 3-5 year olds. Owen has been in the Bees since February and has really enjoyed his time with Miss Sally and the other teachers. I've actually been a little emotional about his move.....just so many changes at one time. He's definitely not a baby anymore. But I think he's going to enjoy his new teachers and friends in the Raccoons. He knows a few kids so that should make his transition a bit easier. This slide show includes photos of Owen's time in the Bees classroom since February. Look at all the fun he's had there!

Belly Report - 37 Weeks

Wow, I can hardly believe I'm writing this, but ONLY 3 WEEKS LEFT TO GO! Thirty-seven weeks is actually considered full term, so I guess I could have this baby any day now. But I'm not feeling like I'll be going into labor any time soon. I'm really planning on at least 3 more weeks until this baby makes his/her debut.

We spent the weekend organizing and cleaning our house, making room for the new family member. It's amazing how much junk we've been storing in our closets. I feel really good about our progress this weekend. It wasn't much fun, but I really love an organized house!

Other than two colds I've had over the past month and being a bit tired, I'm still feeling really good. I'm sleeping well and I'm not even half as swollen as I was with Owen. I've got to say, I'm very lucky. And I'm starting to feel more prepared as well:

• Pre-registered at the hospital - check
• Doula hired - check
• New pediatrician hired - check
• Birth plan written - check
• Owen's new room completed - check
• House organized - check
• Wash infant clothes/blankets - will be done by the end of the week
• Spending time with Owen while he's an only child - Ongoing for a few more weeks (I hope)

Life is Good!

Owen's New Room

I feel like we've been in the process of converting our guest bedroom into Owen's new room FOREVER.....so I am very happy to be posting pictures of Owen's completed room!! This means we are one step closer to having the baby's room ready to go (which I feel completely unprepared for at the moment).

I was a little concerned about how Owen would take it, moving rooms with his old room becoming the baby's room. But he is obviously extremely excited about it! Let's hope he stays this way after the baby actually arrives. Hanging on the wall behind Owen is one of Micah's retired (um, I mean broken) wakeboards.

This dresser was given to us by some good friends, but turned out to be a nightmare to re-finish. It didn't turn out exactly as we had planned, but I think it looks pretty good. Micah and his dad worked on this dresser for days and days. Oh, and I must mention the artwork here. Micah created this when he was a senior in high school and we thought it would be a nice addition to Owen's room.....right next to Owen's first canvas paintings.

Do you think Owen needs a few more books??? I just hope his love for reading sticks with him.

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.