Saturday, October 30, 2010

Trunk or Treat 2010

Last night was our annual Trunk or Treat event at Owen and Tucker's school. As usual, the event was great fun. We were dressed as super-heros this year. We built our theme around Owen's Halloween costume choice, Spiderman. Tucker was Super-man, Kris was Batman, and I was Mrs. Incredible. Our trunk theme was Gotham City. Fun! A bunch of our friends attended and they all had great themed costumes and trunks. It was a pretty impressive showing! Owen spent most of the night running around and dancing with his pals. It's so cute to see them all dressed up, playing and dancing. Tucker slept most of the time in the stroller, but he woke up towards the later part of the evening, in time to join the big kids in the dance area. He loved it!







Owen with his 3 best buds: Colton, Morgan, & Ricky

Owen with some of his good pals

dance party

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Happy 9th Month Birthday Tucker!


Happy 9th Month Birthday Tucker!






Today we had Tucker's 9 month appointment and Owen's 3 year well visit and we received healthy reports for both boys. They each had their blood drawn for blood counts and anemia and they both received a flu vaccine. Owen had the nose mist and Tucker had the shot.

Owen also tested his eye sight and hearing. He passed the hearing test with flying colors but froze on the 2nd half of the eye test, so he'll be tested again at year 4. The doc says that's very normal. He weighs in at 27 lbs 7 oz and is 35 3/4 inches tall.


Tucker has had a big month. He's officially crawling all over the place now on his hands and knees. He has started eating puffs and cherrios and will soon be practicing with more finger foods. He can sit up from any position and pulls himself up and continues to cruise all over; he's even taken a couple of steps as he is pushing the high chair. According to his doctor, Tucker has healthy stranger anxiety and is on track with his sounds. He's now regularly saying "ma ma" "da da" and "na na". Kris is convinced is second word is daddy! He still doesn't have any teeth, but two are bothering him and we expect they'll come in soon. He is still a big boy at 20 lbs 2 oz, but at this age, that's is just 50th percentile! We've had a few rough nights this month with some teething pain, but he is usually very happy. Like his big brother, his happiness is definitely correlated with food and good naps. Just the other day, his morning nap was 2 1/2 hours. I had to wake him up for his lunch time breastfeeding session!

Tucker's stats:
Height: 27 3/4 inches (Owen 26 3/4 inches)
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz (Owen 18lbs 12 oz)
Head: 18 inches (Owen 17.7 inches)

We love you so much Owen and Tucker!!! You make us so happy.

so precious




Friday, October 1, 2010

A big day for Owen

We took Owen for his first dentist appointment today. He was a champ- he wasn't scared at all and didn't complain or fret as the hygienist worked on his mouth. The office is perfectly suited for young children, equipped with child friendly staff, a toy room, animal murals, large stuffed animals coming out of the wall, and two - yes -two screens playing a kid friendly movie viewable from the big chair. He went in smiling and walked out smiling and holding two new prizes. We couldn't have asked for a better first time experience.


We also found out that Owen earned the Student of the Month award today!! He is enrolled in the phonics program at daycare where he works along side two other children and his teacher three times a week for twenty minutes. He learned the alphabet and the corresponding sounds right around his second birthday and these sessions build on that foundation. They practice writing letters and he also will be learning how to identify the first letter of a word by its sound. Although it is far from perfect, he has already started to learn how to write "e", "g", "r", "w", and "b" - and he loves to play his "phonics" games with us. For example, we'll ask him what does "mommy" start with and he will enthusiastically respond back with "m". It's so cute and so much fun. His teacher is full of praise and of course that makes us happy.












Thursday, September 9, 2010

Some days are just crappy

Let me just start off by saying that some days are crappier than others and we experiened this truth over the last two days.

After daycare yesterday, I lifted Tucker out of his seat and placed him on my hip and started to go about unloading the car when I noticed that he was not only damp in his shorts, but that an unbelievable amount of poo was oozing out of his short legs and spread all over his legs and clothes. Instantly, I realized I was also covered in poop. I've encountered my share of blowouts but this was far beyond any of my past experiences. I had poo all over my sweater and pants and arms. I rushed Owen inside and made our way to the diaper changing area. It got worse. Tucker started to roll over, cry, touch the poop with his hands, grab the wall and the changer, kick his dirty diaper and spread the gunk everywhere. It took me over twenty minutes to get him and the changing table clean. I left the pile of soiled linens in the bathroom and headed straight for the shower and tried to put the incident out of my head until Kris arrived home. Lucky for me, he was sweet and took care of cleaning the car for me.

After this chaotic diaper change, we had a nice evening, but both boys had a very rough night. Tucker ended up having a choking/coughing attack in the middle of the night that required a steam shower and Owen woke up crying terrible from what must have been night tremors. It took us awhile to soothe both kids back to sleep, not to mention, Tucker still doesn't sleep through the night and I was extra tired after a late night of work.

In the morning, despite the rough night and tired feeling, we felt like we had a nice handle on things. I started the laundry to take care of the soiled linens from yesterday's incident. I started one load for my clothes and decided to soak Tucker's clothes with the hope that we might be able to salvage them. I went on to enjoy a nice, hot breakfast made by Kris and Owen actually told us he had to go poo-poo. Kris rushed him to the potty, and I sat there feeling pretty good about everything watching Tucker play.

As soon as Owen got in to the potty, he said he didn't have to go. This was suspect, but they returned to the table. Kris decided to prompt Owen by pulling out marshmellows to entice Owen to try again (we're bribing). It worked and they headed to the bathroom again. A few minutes later, I walked down the hall, towards them and noticed that the laundry room was flooding. After another second, I realized the faucet was still on and the sink was overflowing. What a mess! The water was under the laundry machines and already making its way into the hall and towards the garage. As if water overflowing isn't already a big problem, it was made so much worse by the fact that the water was poopy! I had been soaking the soiled linens so it was essentially "dirty water" flooding our house. As soon as Kris realized what was happening, he walked across the hall to help me throw towels down to soak up the water and sure enough, Owen took this to mean he could stop trying. We weren't paying close enough attention, and a few minutes went by before Kris checked on Owen. To our dismay, Owen had pooped on the living room floor. Really! We just shook our heads.

It wasn't quite 8AM and we had poopy water flooding throughout the house, a naked 3 year old with poo on him and all over the floor, and a crying baby in seek of some attention, no doubt picking up on the stress of the moment. All I can really say is that it was an utterly crappy moment.

Actually for as insane and difficult as the situation was, we were both grateful we didn't have any pressing needs at work and managed to laugh and make a couple of jokes while we cleaned up.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Horse Tail Falls Hike


Yesterday, we made our way toward Tahoe and spent the morning trekking along a trail up towards Horse Tail Falls. It's been on our dream list for years and we finally decided last week to just go for it. Thank goodness we did. We had a perfect morning. The weather was absolutely lovely, the boys really enjoyed themselves, and we both felt terrific playing outdoors in the fresh, mountain air.

A gracious hiker took this picture of us as we started at the trail head


It's a nice picture for the memory books, but come on what was I thinking when I bought that hat??
our first of many snack breaks

it's all about the journey for us, not the destination

i love this photo and this spot
i spent many minutes of our hike thinking about how wonderful it would be to take an annual family photo here

Kris trying to capture Owen and I at the spot (a few feet over) without the sun-glare

our little hikers



we made it to the first big swimming hole before turning around

Strong Daddy!


I'm sure it's not hard to believe that Owen was asleep before we left the parking lot & that Tucker stayed asleep through the car seat transfer!

Happy 8th Month Birthday Tucker!

Tucker,

In the last month you have really become a mobile baby! You absolutely love to scoot all over the place and boy oh boy, you are one fast kiddo. You also started to pull yourself up on into a standing position and you started to cruise along tables, ottomans, and couches. You have started to wave and we know you have also found your way into a sitting position all on your own at least one time! My favorite new trick of yours is your "ma ma" sound. It's so cute. Technically, it's your second sound as you started off with "ba ba" but most often you say "mmm" and "ma" "ma ma"and most of the time it appears as though you are making the sounds when you want me. Whether you are extra tired, in need of a hug, or are hungry it's usually the sound you make when you are on the hunt for me or once I get you in my arms. I love it!

You also really like food and are now at three servings a day and so far you have enjoyed everything you have tried. Applesauce, pear sauce, peach sauce, green beans, peas, bananas, mangoes, oranges, squash, carrots, and many mixed medleys to name a few. All of your food still comes in the form of a puree - except for smashed bananas which you loved. No doubt, this next month is going to be a great deal of fun as we introduce more and more food!

You are a joy to be around, Tucker, and we love you so much!

Happy Birthday!


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Happy Birthday Owen

Happy 3rd Birthday Owen. We love you so much!!





Time always flies faster than we can imagine, but this last year has been quicker thank quick! In the past year, Owen's changed from a little toddler to a little boy. He's gone from few word sentences to telling stories and joking around. The amount he comprehends and the stories he tells are often mind-blowing and very entertaining. He's become a big brother and taken on that role gently and proudly. Like most other kids his age, there are rough moments where we bump heads, both figuratively and literally, but most of the time, those moments even bring a giggle or a smile to our face. The kid knows what he wants and usually a tv show is at the top of the list; luckily for us we can still distract him out of a fit or two without too much struggle (most of the time anyway!). Owen continues to be one that needs his daily nap and food at regular intervals, but the signs are clear and there is some degree of flexibility. He loves to play beach ball baseball, memory, read books, lots and lots of books, do the robot dance in the car to Tucker's favorite car song, make Tucker laugh, ride his balance bike, play all types of ball, ride trains, race his cars, build legos, play on swing sets, go to the park, play in water features at the park, eat food, fall asleep hugging mommy after 3 stories, eat more food- especially candy, run, make faces, play tricks, build forts, do the alphabet, negotiate for 3 more, snowboard, jump, or skateboard down the couch cushions if positioned like a mini-slide, play home-living at school, dance, sing songs, play on car toys he can ride and push around, play with his friends and neighbors, and today he found out that boat rides are fun! He doesn't love to have his hair or face washed, though is pretty good about brushing his teeth and usually loves the bath once he's in. He doesn't ever want to get his head wet in the bath or a pool, but will happily frolic in a pool or at the beach up to his knees. He loves the television and most cartoons and movies- Cars, Toy Story, Ice Age, and lately Land Before Time are on definitely his top 10 list. He looks out for his little brother, regularly telling Tucker which toys are dangerous and which ones are good. He's slowly potty-training - and bribing with candy is somewhat effective, note somewhat is being applied very loosely. Generally, he's a very happy and fun little boy who runs like a cartoon character and melts my heart.



Some shots from today


Owen practicing his "are you serious" face



Owen practicing his "pout" face


Owen laughing between his "faces"

the birthday boy enjoying his first boat ride -"this is fun!"


some shots from earlier this year



Tucker's 2 weeks, Owen 2 1/2 (Jan 25 2010)


Owen (February 2010)


Tucker & Owen (Feb 5, 2010)


classic Owen face (Christmas 2009)

Owen working on his first bike (July 2009)

Easter 2009


Owen 12 1/2 months (Sept 14 2008)

Owen on his giraffe (April 2008)

Owen days after birth