1st Birthday

Our sweet Owen turned one on April 30th! We can hardly believe it's already been a year! The past month has been full of reminiscing about last year as we prepared for our sweet baby's arrival. And what a year it's been! All of the "firsts" we've been able to witness him experience - going from a seemingly fragile infant to a capable toddler. Owen's adorable personality is coming out more and more. He has a wonderful sense of humor and can get very silly. He loves playing with balls, still loves his GloWorm, "talks" sweetly to his stuffed animals, and giggles contagiously as we play games such as chase or hide & seek. Owen's newest "trick" is clapping - a sweet & memorable moment that had us all in hysterics at his birthday party (more on that later). Owen's favorite foods include yogurt, pear, bread, and little mandarin orange pieces. He is still not a big eater, however. He has little interest in new foods, and would rather get down and play than be confined to his high-chair. Owen is a speedy crawler and easily walks around the furniture. We just had his 1-year doctor appointment and he continues to be a healthy and thriving baby (such a blessing). Still a "peanut" (the term used by the doctor who delivered him) - Owen weighed in at about 18.5 pounds (3rd-percentile) and 29 inches (35th-percentile). Owen LOVES people and seeing/experiencing new places. He really doesn't seem to experience any separation anxiety (which is nice) - although he is a bit of a mamas-boy lately (which I love!).

Happy 1st Birthday, our sweet Owen! We love you very much and are so thankful and blessed that God gave us the privilege of having you as our son. We are excited for your "second" year and all the wonderful adventures ahead!


Kicking off the birthday celebration a week early! Blake & Angie came for a weekend visit, and with Blake & Owen's birthdays only 4-days apart, we had a little celebration for both boys! Owen (cozy in his pj's) enjoyed his first bite of frosting. We also hoped the experience would whet his appetite for his birthday cake the next week!

Birthday morning!

(Thanks - Grandma Pam - for the cute shirt to celebrate my day!)

Looking so grown-up at 1 year old!

(Note the shoes in his hands. Owen LOVES shoes. Not on his feet, but to play with. We often joke that maybe he'll work for Nike someday!)


Owen received a few presents in the mail, and we let him open them during his Birthday morning. What a special way to kick of his day!
(fun firetruck from the sweet friends at Linnea's work)


Our weekly Gymboree class was extra special with the birthday boy.
The whole group even sang to Owen. So sweet!

The birthday boy all dressed up and ready for his party.

We were able to use a community area at our apartment complex, giving us a little more room to spread out. We kept the party fairly small with just family and a handful of close friends.

Owen loved all the people and activity, and at times he event seemed to know he was the center of attention!

On the "cake" table, a copy of both his birth announcement and his 1st Birthday Invitation. What a year!

Linnea made & decorated the birthday cake ...

(not my strength, but I gave it my best!)

... and Aunt Jenny made & decorated these beautiful cupcakes for the group to enjoy!

In addition to a baby book (and this blog I suppose, too!) we've enjoyed keeping a 12-month calendar of Owen's first year. It was a great and easy way to record all of the milestones and memorable moments. We displayed a copy of the calendar for everyone to read & enjoy.

Some of the party guests

(enjoying our taco/fajita dinner - thanks to Brian's wonderful cooking!)

The grandmas!

Our nanny, Kaity

Great-grandma Marion

Our Family!

Singing Happy Birthday

(He seemed to know we were all singing to him)

Cake. Hm.....

Trying to convince him to put some in his mouth.

That's our Owen...not a big eater.

Playing with the cake, but still not really eating it.

Dad trying to get him to take a bite.

"Please dad....can I be done now?"

(click to enlarge)

Time for presents!

Owen was blessed to receive many wonderful and thoughtful gifts.

And also - Owen LOVED the cards!

(All of the beautiful colors & pictures, no doubt)

When we were through, everyone applauded. This got Owen's attention. He stopped in his tracks, and when the applauding stopped - he got up on his knees and did the sign for "more"!
This had us in hysterics!

So, of course we all started clapping again....

And with a very intent look on his little face, Owen copied us and started clapping also! This was his first time clapping, and it was just priceless. He'd stop, so we'd stop. And then he'd light up and start clapping again, and we'd erupt in laughter and clap also. To watch this learing & discovery process happen (both the clapping itself, and the cause & effect that his clapping induced our laughing and clapping) was a truly precious moment that I know none of us will quickly forget.

Our sweet Owen, such a joy!

Happy Birthday Owen!

We love you!

New Home

Exciting news - we closed on a house! People say it's a buyer’s market, and although it can be true, navigating all the short sales and foreclosures sure made for an interesting process. The Lord is faithful, and we ended up purchasing what will be a great spot for us.

We discovered a townhouse in a neat area about 10 minutes from Brian's work. It has nice surroundings and is in close proximity to some great parks and shopping areas. This will likely be more of a short-term spot for us (3-5 years, maybe?) but it's a good size for us for now (1800sq ft, 3bed & 2bath), and we got it for such a great price that depending on how life unfolds it could make a terrific long-term rental property as well.

The purchase process was quite an experience. The townhouse was in foreclosure, and we made a full-price offer which they turned down. Then they put the house into auction. We ended up purchasing it through the auction…for less than we had initially offered. Crazy! The Lord is so good.

We closed on Friday and will move-in by the end of May. We're doing a few updates to get it ready (new paint, flooring, etc) and look forward to setting into our new home. Here are two photos that we found online from the original listing, and we'll try to take/post more photos as we move in as well.

Freedom Day

April 15th is now affectionately called "Freedom Day" in our home! Brian has been working incredibly hard (6 days & 80+ hrs per week) since the first week of February, all leading up to the 4/15 tax deadline. We are so proud of Brian. He handled the pressure beautifully and did a commendable job balancing work and family during this crazy season. Nevertheless, our time with him has been sparse over the last few months, and we are SO happy to have 4/15 behind us (for this year, anyway!) and to having more time with Brian! We had a wonderful weekend together as a family. Brian joined us for our weekly Gymboree class on Friday, we went to a couple different local parks, took some nice walks, went swimming in the indoor pool at our apartment complex, and stopped at our favorite local ice cream (OK - it's frozen yogurt) shop where Owen tried his first chocolate treat! Yummy! We also enjoyed some nice "grown-up" time on Friday, when Brian's dad came and spent the afternoon & evening with Owen so we could go out on a date. Such fun! Here are a few photos from our weekend (click to enlarge).

11 Months + Easter

Owen turned 11 months just before Easter weekend. In this 11th month - Owen quickly went from crawling, to pulling onto his knees, and up onto his feet, and now he even jumps in his crib (while holding onto the rail) - hilarious! Practicing these new skills ended in few spills, resulting in his first bonks & bruises. Oh well, many more to come no doubt. Owen has had 6 teeth since December, and this month he got his 7th – a molar! Ouch! Owen's favorite activities include bubbles, bath time, and playing with balls - his current favorites are colorful whiffle balls. Owen also started playing a simple version of "hide & seek" - where we'll hide behind a chair, etc, and he'll come find us. Such fun to play and be silly with him, and amazing to see him learn that just because he can't see us, he can still find us! He also loves it when we sing - especially "Wheels on the Bus", "BINGO", and "Old McDonald Had a Farm". For months we’ve been doing simple sign language with Owen, and this month he did his first signs! He signed “milk” when ready for his bottle, and signed “more” – although it didn’t seem to apply to anything in particular yet. We're looking forward to month 12...and the countdown to Owen's 1st Birthday!

After sitting so nicely for his pictures, he enjoyed playing with his new cars

A few Easter photos. The majority of the pictures were taken on the grandparents' cameras and we still need to get copies!

Under the Weather

I aim for a blog posting each week...and for this past week, the events can be summed up with one photograph:

Owen got his first big cold (he's had a runny nose, etc, before - but nothing like this). And the generous boy he is...he quickly shared his cold with both of us. It's always a bummer to be under the weather, and a sick baby is extra sad. But thankfully we're on the mend and look forward to a great Easter celebration with family!

Growing Up

Owen is hitting milestones quickly. It's exciting to watch the changes and celebrate the accomplishments. He's becoming so capable ... he'll be a toddler in no time!

Finger Food

Oh my - what a mess! But he's having so much fun, and what a great learning experience!

I have to admit, though, as a first time mom - transitioning him to more "chunky" foods and finger foods makes me so nervous. I'm constantly concerned he's going to choke! But Brian reminds me he can't be on pureed foods forever :) so I'm trying to be brave and let him learn to chew his food and even feed himself. He's doing really well, and currently the favorite chunky food is cottage cheese, and he loves to feed himself pieces of bread, little puffs, and of course - crackers! (We've also tried avocado, tofu, egg, etc...but he's not a fan yet. Texture, maybe? But we'll keep exposing him to new things, and hopefully both Owen and mom can continue to be adventurous!)

Playing with his toys in the bath

And pulling up...

... on everything!


But even with all the changes - he's still our sweet baby :)


And I guess if Owen is growing up, we are too :)
Linnea celebrated a birthday recently - enjoying a "date night" with Brian, thoughtful well wishes from family & friends, lovely flowers and card from Owen, and special time with family.

Highlights

We are settling into our new life in Portland, and wanted to share a few photo highlights.

What could be sweeter than a baby all clean and wrapped in a towel?

Having fun crawling and exploring at Gymboree

What....I can't get into the fireplace? You're kidding me?



I'm looking for the kitties...did you see which way they went?



A wonderful visit with great-grandma Marion

(yup...that's the Glo-Worm)

Visiting dad at work....on a Saturday. Such is the life of an accountant during tax season!

Why bother putting the basketball in the hoop if I can just use my hand to push the little green lever which makes the numbers go up on the scoreboard and the crowd applaud & cheer?

(can't believe he figured this out! wonder if he'll be an engineer like his grandpa's?)

A fun visit from our dear friend Kelly and their precious new daughter Emmaline.

future girlfriend, perhaps? :)

Owen is a wonderful sleeper - and wakes up so happy! This is how he greets us when we go in to get him. Warms our heart every time!