Hog Farm with Nana

The day after Thanksgiving we went to the zoo with Nana but unfortunately I forgot my camera!!! We had a great time and as soon as I get the pictures from her camera I will post them! But on the Sunday after Thanksgiving Nana took us to a Hog Farm that one of her friends runs! Our family LOVES animals :)

This pig was in labor while we were there!!!

The girls thought this was just awesome!!! And Owen really liked the chickens.

Mud bath anyone?

Rhonda, the owner, let the girls feed the pigs - a hostess snack cake!!! Too funny!

We actually went in the pen with some of the smaller ones. We all ended up on the picnic table though!

Even the smaller ones are a little intimidating!

This guy was taking a bath!

After the farm we stopped for some ice cream!

Best buds :)

It was an awesome afternoon with Nana!!! Thanks Nana!

Thanksgiving # 2

On Thursday we went over to Mike's parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We were all geared up for Round Two of turkey! :) The meal was delicious and after we were done eating some of Mike's extended family came by.

The girls had a great time kicking around the soccer ball with the bigger cousins. And we tried to get a good picture of the kids....we tried :)

And when Uncle Mark was holding Catherine, Owen was feeling a little left out. He loves that girl!

All in all it was a great afternoon and it was awesome to see everyone! The kids had a great time. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving #1

This year our family had the pleasure of having two Thanksgiving feasts! The first one was Wed night with my side of the family. We gathered at my Mom and John's house. Mom had Christmas crafts for the girls to do while we finished prepping the meal.

Check out Savannah's outfit! She dressed herself.

Kaitlyn got a real treat when Mom and John gave her a very special present. Because Kate is adopted and was 4 years old when we adopted her, we never bought her a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. And now that we have two other children that we were able to buy them for she was feeling a little left out. So they found her one!!! She was so excited!

It even has her name and her birth year on it! I know that this is something she will treasure forever! And while I still don't have baby photos or other "firsts" to give her when she's grown, she will have this!!!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa John!

We had a good time hanging out before the meal! Owen and Grandpa John had a good time playing together on the porch.
And after the meal we helped decorate the tree.

Could he be any cuter???

And a family photo to wrap up the night!

Got Milk?

It still amazes me every week when I go to the grocery store just how much milk my family consumes. We go through a minimum of three gallons a week and usually it's four gallons. I used to think that two gallons a week was a lot and then Owen switched to whole milk and Kate's doctor recommended her drinking 3 glasses per day to help her gain weight and keep her calcium up. And at nearly $4 per gallon, that is $15 per week - for milk!!!

Girls Night!

Friday night, Mike took Savannah on a special date night to Medieval Times so Kate and I decided to have a little date of our own - with Owen tagging along.

First we went to Crisper's for a soup and salad dinner because her school was doing a fundraiser night there. I haven't been there in forever and I was surprised how good their potato soup was.

Then we had a few errands to run but we stopped by the movie store and Kate picked out a movie of her very own - no consulting with Savannah!! We popped some popcorn, put Owen to bed, and snuggled up for the show!

We missed Daddy and Savannah but I haven't heard Kate talk so much in months!! She must have really enjoyed having mostly all of my attention.

Pre School Confidence

Not that Savannah has ever been lacking in confidence, but Pre-School has given her a whole new world of confidence! She absolutely loves going to school and she loves her teacher. And the beautiful thing about her going to a church school is that she is getting some Christian education too. Yesterday on the drive home from school, she chanted - "We are all sons and daughters of the Light! We are all sons and daughters of the Light!"

a craft she made at school

Today when I picked her up she said, "Mom, isn't it beautiful outside? God made it so beautiful. "

I really love Pre-Schooler Savannah. I can't wait to pick her up every day to see what she's learned and what wonderful things she has to tell me.

Happy Is He....

Happy is he who has new cars to play with....

And happy is he who has a new toy box to put them in :)

Thanks so much to Uncle Ken for the hours of entertainment provided by these cars!!! And thank you to Ms. Nancy from our church who gave us Owen's new toy box!!! It is awesome! :)

Best Buddies

While I was pregnant with Owen Kaitlyn really didn't take an interest in the baby. Savannah on the other hand was very into talking to Owen and touching my belly. She seemed to be very connected with him. But once he was born they totally flip flopped. Savannah is annoyed constantly with Owen for one reason or another and Kate is just completely smitten with him. They have a really sweet bond.

Whenever Kate is home, Owen is not far behind her.

Tummy Time with Catherine

While I was giving Catherine a little tummy time yesterday Owen decided he was going to give her a little coaching.

He sat with her while he munched on a chip. Then after he finished his little snack he decided to give her a few pointers!

It absolutely amazes me that he is so sweet and loving with her!

Love this Girl!

Kaitlyn is not really a lovey dovey kind of girl. She doesn't often make me things anymore, so this really touched my heart!

 

And I am super impressed at her Lego skills! :) I would have never thought to make letters out of them. Thanks Kate!

15 Month Well Visit

It has been a while since my last month posting for Owen. He has grown and developed a lot since then! He is finally walking well! He had his 15 month well visit the other day. Here are his stats:

Length - 32 inches 50-75th percentile
Weight - 26 lbs 14 oz 50-75th percentile
Head Circumference - 19 inches 75-90th percentile

Owen's personality has changed a little too in the last few months. He has gone from a happy mellow baby to a fussy and temperamental toddler. He stamps his feet at me on pretty much a daily basis now.

Here are two of his faces that I see often:

The furrowed eyebrow whine....so annoying

The hand out - meaning I want whatever it is you have....and I want it now!

Thankfully after having Savannah I know that we will get through this stage and there is hope that my sweet little man will return! I just hope it happens sooner rather than later! Love you O-man!!!