Happy Birthday Dylan and Parker!

Last weekend was crazy busy. We had Dylan's birthday party on Saturday and Parker's on Sunday. Owen had a great time at both. At Dylan's, Owen had his first taste (not literally thank goodness) of sand in a sandbox. Of course he threw it everywhere...as expected. Sorry about that girls! We weren't sure he would like it, b/c he doesn't really like dirt or sand at the playground. I guess this was different or either he's getting used to the texture. Or it could be that his cousins were also playing with the sand so he deemed it acceptable. Who knows!? I did take pics but I haven't looked at them yet and the camera is not with me.

Sunday we went to Parker's party at the park. How's that for some alliteration? That was not on purpose...promise. Owen took a late nap that afternoon and we got a little lost...well...very lost. We eventually made it just in time for cake and presents. Afterwards we played in the playground until the mosquitoes got to us. I didn't take any pics even though we had the camera. I was too busy catching up with our old friend Dalylah from high school/my freshman year at Winthrop. Turns out her daughter is in the same class with Parker and they didn't make the connection until that day. Small world.

Owen woke up on Monday with a runny nose and by Tuesday it was green. He also has a little fever which usually means one thing...yep...another tooth. For someone who started late, he sure is playing catch up. We have a total of six as of today.

I'll update this post with some bday pics when I can...

Walking (and dancing) on Sunshine

It is becoming increasingly difficult for either one of us to do anything in the kitchen without Owen wanting to be right in the middle. Brig was about to cook dinner when I got home and once Owen got up from his nap, we ventured outside. We initially went to get the mail, but since it was so nice, I decided we would stay. I grabbed the picnic blanket and a few toys and picked our spot. It was really warm in the sun, and Owen likes to squint...and those don't make for the best pics. So...I fished our big beach umbrella out of the garage and put it together. Owen wanted to help, so he grabbed the hammer. And no, we don't normally let him play with "daddy" tools or walk around the yard without shoes...but today I made an exception. Our grass has come in nicely (thanks to Scott's) and is nice to walk on sans shoes. Also, before you ask, I did do something very redneck and put a beach umbrella in the front yard...but it was only for about an hour. Sue me...I know a good attorney.

Where was I? Oh...after I put the umbrella up we sat on the blanket and played with some shells Brig and I collected the last time we stayed at the beach...when she was pregnant. He also started dancing (while sitting) for no reason. This kid loves to dance, even if there is no music.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had planned on going to the Strawberry Festival all week, and decided to do that on Sunday. Back to that in a second. On Saturday, Brig took Owen to lunch with her mom and grandmother. I did yard work and wasn't it an awesome day for that? That night we went to the St. Paul's CLC auction. We went last year, but Owen was only a few weeks old and it is really just a blur. This year, Sarah was in charge and it was a wonderful and successful event. The last figure I heard was $24K in donations. She says they will know later this week how much was made for the school. This is where Owen will be going in the fall.

Now, back to that Strawberry Festival. It was held at Boone Hall, and we wrongly assumed it would be in the nice green area behind the house. We went to a Bridal Show a few years back and it was decent. We had visions of pulling out the picnic blanket and letting Owen run around in the grass, etc...you get the idea. It was not anywhere near the house. Instead, it was held in the middle of a field where they plant crops. I won't go into details, but the wind was blowing and there was lots of black dirt. We had planned to eat there but they didn't have much to choose from. After we stood in line forever, we finally had food...but it was not good. We were both looking forward to our strawberry shortcake, but after another gust of dirty wind, it was covered in black specks. We chunked that and decided it was time to go. WORST FESTIVAL EVER! Do not go! The ads on tv were so misleading. We did go by Cupcake on the way home, so that partially made up for our waste of a trip to Mt P. We both had to shower when we got home, and Owen would have had a bath immediately had he not been asleep.

There are no pics to go with this post...a) b/c we once again forgot the camera the night of the auction, b) we remembered it for the "festival" but chose not to document our trip, and c) we can't get Owen to slow down long enough to take his picture. Next weekend we have two birthday parties (luckily not on the same day) and hopefully we will have some new pics to post then.

Happy Birthday Mason!

We had an incredibly long and eventful day yesterday. Owen's buddy Mason turned one last week and his party was yesterday in Holly Hill. We only have one pic b/c we forgot the camera on the way out the door, and we were already running late so I didn't turn around. So then you ask, how do we have a single photo? I picked up the camera when I went home and came back (more about that in a minute). Well...I was going to take the back roads b/c I knew that way pretty well. Brig convinced me to get on the interstate at Jedburg and to get off at Ridgeville. These two exits are a mere 7 miles apart. There was an accident, so what should have taken 5 minutes took nearly an hour. We finally arrived an hour late, got out of the car and let Owen walk down the driveway to the house. He tripped, but luckily only hurt his knee. It's actually fine today...not even pink. I carried him the rest of the way. We saw Mason, wished him a happy bday and proceeded to put on Owen's sunscreen. I knelt down and my shorts ripped. Yep, that's right...it was bad. I walked (backwards) around the corner to assess the damage. Brig gave me a second opinion, and the only thing I could do was go home and change (this is when I grabbed the camera). I made it back to basically pick up Brig and Owen and grab a piece of cake on the way out the door. By the way, this pic is of two very tired one-year-olds who partied too hard. Owen fell asleep in the car almost instantly. It was nice to catch up with some of Mason's family we haven't seen in a while.

We also attended Josh and Sam's Baptism last night at St. Pauls, where we also forgot the camera. So...no pics of that. We'll try to do better next time.

Festival Fun

This post is long overdue. I actually went on here to post something else, and found these pics. So...we took Owen to the Azalea Festival last Saturday. Not too much for him to do yet, but we did eat and ride the carousel. He liked it at first, but that quickly changed. I think it was the combination of the up and down, round and round, too many people and too loud music that did him in...he got a little upset so I held him until it stopped.

Puppy Love

Owen is totally enamored with the dogs. He follows them around and gets especially excited when they go to the front door and bark. And he loves to give them hugs.

And to update the previous post, Owen is back to normal with only a little bit of a stuffy nose. We don't know for sure, but we think the fever was all about his teeth. He now has #5 coming in and he whines when I brush his teeth.

Oh, What a Night...and morning (UPDATED)

Brig took Owen to the dr. yesterday for them to check his weight. (we made this appt a month ago when he had his routine 12 m.o. appt and his weight was down slightly) He has gained a pound, so all is good there. The nurse checked his temp and it was normal. Fast-forward a few hours and he has a fever...and will not take a good nap...and won't eat...and wants to be held. How fast do these things come on sometimes? Brig gave him his first dose of Tylenol. He takes a crappy second nap. I was thinking it was maybe just his teeth/gums giving him a fit until I came home. BTW...one of his top teeth has finally pushed through.

I come home from work and what greets me on our front porch? A snake. If you know me, you know how I can deal with almost anything...but that. Granted, it was a baby, and was no longer than a foot, but still a snake. I thought it would actually move the closer I got to it, but no movement in sight. I walked around it, went inside and greeted my family. I told Brig and she went to take a look. We have an agreement in our house. I deal with all bugs (Brig has an intense fear of roaches) and she deals with all reptiles. I got the shovel for her, even though she preferred a hoe for the murder weapon. But we don't own a hoe. What would I do with a hoe? Kill snakes I guess. Anyway...Owen and I snuggled on the couch while mommy chopped the big bad snake into pieces. When she returns fresh from the kill, she tells me she's not sure if she recovered the head and oh, btw there is now splattered blood on our stoop. I felt like we should put police tape around the scene. If you are feeling bad for the snake you won't get any sympathy from me. Baby or not, if we didn't rid ourselves of it, it would turn into an adult someday.

So...now we move on to the rest of our evening. Owen was very mopey but still managed to eat his dinner and had a pretty good time in the tub. He was getting a little stuffy, so my teething theory went out the window. We took his temp the accurate way (if you know what I mean) and it was around 101. We gave him another dose of Tylenol. He was down by 7:00 since he took bad naps and we had high hopes that he would be okay. He mumbled for a few seconds around 8:00 and the same around 9:00. We checked on him several times and he seemed to be alright. Neither of us heard him until he started wailing around 2:00.

Brig went in first and I followed with the Tylenol. He was very upset and burning up. We took his temp again and this time it was 104.4. I immediately jump online to get some tips. Why do these things always happen in the middle of the night??? I know a fever is sort of a good thing...and that it occurs to fight off something else...but 104? Really? We stripped him down and put him in the tub again...lukewarm water if you are interested. He sat there for a few minutes, but was understandably not interested in fun bath time at 2 a.m. We got him out and dressed and put a cool washcloth on his forehead while we read stories. After 15 minutes we took him temp again and it had dropped to around 102...not great, but not 104! He was no longer on fire and was falling back asleep.

I went back to bed around 3:00 and Brig was right behind me. Milo came to see what was going on during bath time, but Crash never got out the bed. As I was trying to go back to sleep, I kept hearing Crash's tummy making some very strange noises. Brig asked if that was me or him, and I confirmed it was him.

Sometime between then and 5:00 our power flickered. My clock was out and Brig said she set hers and reset the monitor, etc... While I was in the shower, she came in the bathroom and said Crash had just vomitted right next to her head. She immediately through the bed linens in the wash and had to clean the mattress. When I got out, she was attempting to sleep on the couch. I continued to get ready for work and I heard Owen cry for just a second. When I was getting ready to run out the door, Brig was in the den scrubbing a spot on the floor. Apparently Crash got sick again while she was in Owen's room checking on him.

Owen's fever is now at 101 and he did eat bfast. Brig also reports that he has been laughing a little.

UPDATE: Two-hour nap this morning and temp down to 99!

UPDATE #2: Owen is back to his happy dancin' self. I got to thinking...when Owen got his 12 m.o. shots the doc said he may have side affects a few weeks afterward. I wonder if that's what this was...

Nothing Runs Like A Deere

Owen had his first ride on Papa's lawn mower this weekend. Needless to say, he loved every minute. We are so glad this kid's not afraid of anything big and loud.


We also went to Josh's 6th birthday party this weekend. It was a soccer theme, and although Owen is just a little too young to play, it didn't stop him from trying.

I Think I Love You

Owen will be 13 m.o. tomorrow and he amazes us on a daily basis. We thought this age would be fun, but he has exceeded our expectations. He has such a personality and we can't wait to hear what he says next.

He is doing really well with his animals and the sounds they make. And he loves books. He would rather us read to him than do anything else. In the last few days he has said "thank you", "off", "up" or "open" and "good job", but what tears me up is when he first said "I love you"...This totally makes up for him learning to say "no".

New pics coming soon...