Thumb or toes?

Oh, so hard to decide.

Playtime

I love these pictures and I love the moments that are starting to be more frequent with Owen and Anderson interacting.

Owen is an awesome big brother. He loves Anderson so much and shares and plays well with him.

Bathtime

I didn't think it was possible to have a baby that loves water more than Owen...but Anderson does. We had to stop using the infant tub because he splashed so much in it that it soaked the kitchen. He has a blast kicking and splashing in the big tub. Owen like to help rinse him and it doesn't phase Anderson a bit that Owen sometimes dumps the water on his face.

Last bath in the baby tub.


First time in the big tub.

State Fair

I'm doing some catching up. Aaron, Owen and I joined Courtney and Madelyn for a trip to the fair about a month ago. We all had a great time. Owen had a blast and wanted to ride everything he saw. He sure looked little to me on some of the rides, but he loved them. He also loved the animals...we saw cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep and horses. We saw lots of interesting people (you don't get better people watching than at the fair). We ate a lot of bad for us food, but didn't try the fried butter.


This is the Dragon Wagon roller coaster. Owen wanted to go on it. I thought that once he got on it, he would freak out and then not want to ride anything else. Aaron talked me into letting him ride. Daddy was right, Owen loved it...so much so that the next time we walked by it, he asked to ride it again.


Owen rode his first pony.


He was taking these rides seriously.


The PBS booth had someone Owen is quite fond of...I took 5 pictures and they aren't looking in any of them.


And, who else did we see? No fear in this kid...he ran right over to greet Mr. Potato Head.

Little Brother

I've been waiting for Anderson to fit this shirt. It's still a little big, but too cute to wait any longer.

It's Dark Outside

The time change has brought a whole new world to Owen. Each night since, he's looked out the window and told us it is dark outside. He has an early bedtime, so it's been several months since he's been awake while it is dark. It is super cute to see his wonderment.

He was also happy to have footed pj's like brother's...he didn't remember those from last winter either.

Halloween Pics

My neighbor sent me some of her Halloween pics of Elmo, mini Big Bird, Don Mattingly and me. Elmo had a blast and his favorite candy are lollipops (and he's had way too many of them!). The boy across the street was over Saturday afternoon. I asked him what he was going to be that night. Owen ran over to tell him that he was going to be Elmo and that he was going to get lots of lollipops.
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Chicken and Spinach

I've been on a spinach kick. Maridith brought us chicken and spinach rollups when Anderson was born. I called her yesterday for the recipe, but didn't have feta cheese on hand. I decided to go with what I did have and some ideas Maridith shared that she's thought about adding to the rollups. The rollups require butterflying and beating the meat. Since it was already noon and I'd just pulled my chicken out of the freezer, I decided to go the Crock-pot route. Below is what I came up with and it was delicious!

Ingredients
3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-8 oz cream cheese
2 small cans sliced mushrooms (1 would have been sufficient)
1 bag frozen spinach
Tastefully Simple pesto mix
Salt

Put the chicken on the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle chicken with pesto mix. Add mushrooms. Slice cream cheese and lay on top of mushrooms. Add spinach. Sprinkle with more pesto mix and salt.

I cooked on high for 4 hours then on low for another hour or so. Normally, I'd cook on low all day.

If you want the pesto mix, or other Tastefully Simple products, let Alison know!

Let me know if you try it.

On a Roll

Literally! Anderson has mastered rolling from back to front.

Sleep has been ok the past 2 nights. Not 7.5 hours, but 5+, which certainly much better than the 3 we were getting.

Fingers Crossed

I've got my fingers crossed that last night wasn't a fluke. Anderson slept 7.5 hours for the first time in over a month. He'd been sleeping 8-9 hours a night....then, he hit the 4-month wakefulness/distractable baby age and started reverse cycling. If you google these terms, you will find a description of Anderson to a 't'. Since he turned 4 months, the longest he's slept has been 5 hours, which happened 1 time...yes, 1 time in the past month (and it was 7 to midnight, so didn't help me a whole lot). Well, as I posted yesterday, he hit the 5 month mark and miraculously slept wonderfully last night. Let's hope and pray it wasn't a fluke and will be repeated tonight and every night after.

On a side note, I don't know what individual determined that a 5 hour stretch is sleeping through the night. That amount of time certainly doesn't qualify in my book as STTN. The 7.5 we enjoyed last night doesn't either, even though it was heaven. I'm more for a 9-10 hour definition.

Anderson must have enjoyed the sleep too...he was even happier than usual this morning.

5 Months

Anderson is 5 months old today. His newest trick is sitting independently which he started about a week ago and has been getting better at each day. He'll still topple over on occasion and gets very upset when that happens.

He's still drooling like crazy, but no teeth yet. I think I feel the tops of them through his gums.

Anderson continues to be very vocal, very cuddly and very happy.

No pictures for a bit...the home computer is done. But rest assured, we are taking plenty of our handsome boys.

Kid Vision

Yep, I've got it, do you? Kid Vision - looking for things your kid will love and appreciate, even when said kid isn't around. I was behind a truck with a bobcat on a trailer yesterday. All I could think was, Owen would love it! Anytime I'm out, I find myself looking for helicopters, diggers, tractors, motorcycles, police cars, fire trucks and big 'ole trucks.

Happy Birthday!

To my most wonderful husband and my boys most wonderful father! I can't imagine our lives without you. I was thinking that this is the 15th year I've celebrated your birthday with you. In honor of the 15th year, below are 15 of the many things I love about you.

1. Your smile
2. Your hugs
3. That you always make me laugh
4. Watching you interact and play with our boys
5. Your work ethic
6. That you live life to the fullest
7. Your mischievousness (as long as it's not at my expense) and your sense of humor
8. Your compassion for others
9. Your generosity with time, money and your skills
10. Your sense of adventure
11. Your determination to finish what you start
12. That you don't leave dirty socks and whatnot laying around or hairs in the bathroom sink.
13. That you support me
14. Your beautiful green eyes
15. That you are you!

I hope you have a fabulous birthday. The boys and I love you very very much!

Gym Time

Cousin Madelyn invited Owen for friend day at her Little Gym. Owen had a blast swinging on the uneven bars, practicing somersaults, crossing the balance beam, and running and jumping to his heart's content.




Anderson even got in on the fun when Madelyn shared a ball with him.