Look Ma! I'm Eating with a Spoon

I can't believe what a big boy Owen is becoming. He is getting pretty good with eating with a spoon. Though he'll still pick up the food with his hands about half the time even with a spoon in his hands. Today he went to nursery without mommy being there. Not to jinx myself but he didn't cry a bit! I was more leary about him being alone. He'll be 17 months this upcoming Saturday. I miss my little baby but I must say it's easier to attend Sunday School and Relief Society.

There was a mother and her one month baby girl who sat across from me in Relief Society. I felt sad thinking about the baby girl we were suppose to get last month. She's one month right now too. Oh well [sigh]. Hopefully soon enough we'll have our next baby in our arms.

Peek-a-Boo

Besides pat-a-cake, Owen loves peek-a-boo. His favorite spot to play is behind the love-seat in the living room but he'll play about anywhere. Yesterday he was fussing while I was refueling the car. So I opened his door and played by moving a bit out of his sight and then popping into the door opening. It was enough to occupy him while we waited. He is such a wonderful little boy!

Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake...

Owen is in the stage where nearly every day he is doing something new. This week Barry was teaching Owen pat-a-cake. So here is a little video of Barry helping him at first and then Owen doing it himself. 

It's hard not to compare your child's abilities to another child. His cousin Eloise knows the sign for "more" and she can give high-fives. Even another little boy in our ward who is a month older than Owen knows the sign for "more." I realize girls are typically faster learners but I figure Owen just isn't interested in those things. I would really love to have him learn the signs for "drink", "hungry", "more", "tired", and "hurt." That would really help me out when I have no clue what he wants and all he can say is "uh-uh-uh."

A little update on the kitties. Like we originally thought, they are our neighbors' kitties. They went out of town and the kitties were lonely and for some reason not eating the food over there. It was nice to have them just as visitors. We've had an offer for Owen to get a kitty of his own but I'm not sure. Winter is coming around and any cat that came to our house would need to be an outside cat. So, I'm debating. Plus you have to worry about feeding them and health care but at least unlike a dog you don't have to have a fence.

Little Visitors

Last night Barry did something against his nature and befriended a stray kitty. We heard a little kitty meowing so we lured it to the door by feeding it. Then we showed Owen the kitty and he went crazy. Banging on the door and smiling and talking. This morning we woke to two kitties. Barry thinks they may be our neighbors but we couldn't get ahold of them. They must be out of town.

Anyway, every few minutes Owen would race over to the porch door and check on the kitties. They acted like most cats do. They would look up when Owen banged on the door and started gabbering but then just went back to sleep. We put out an old blanket for the one kitty last night and of course they love it.

Fun at the Fair

Friday afternoon Barry took Owen and me to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. I wish I had pictures to share. I even told myself earlier that day to bring the camera. Oh well. The last time Barry and I went was two years ago. It seems that we go about every two years. We went this year to take Owen to see the animals. We saw chickens, roosters, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and cows. Owen liked the sheep and goats the best. They would come right up to him in his stroller.

Barry and I both made the mistake of having late lunches so we weren't hungry for anything but dessert. We really were looking forward to prime rib sandwiches. Oh well, desert was really good anyway! Barry had a funnel cake and I had scone nuggets. Then we needed something refreshing to help with the thirst those sweets had caused. By this time Owen was so fussy. We got some lime Ricky's and then released the stroller's back into lay down mode. He fell right asleep.

The rest of the fair wasn't so great. It isn't smoke free so everywhere you'd get whiffs of smoke. Gag! And it was starting to get crowded. The commerical buildings were pretty boring too unless you wanted to buy a vacuum that could suck a bowling ball. We did see the coolest thing right before we left. There was this booth where people would go before a green screen and be entirely covered with green capes. The technician would then put the image of their heads on these little rendered images of bodies in costume that would dance to music. This would all be recorded to DVD. We saw a couple people doing Viva Las Vegas. It was show girl body and an Elvis body. It was hilarious! Overall, we had fun. We'll probably take Owen again when he's 3.

Tagged Once Again

I was tagged by my sister-in-law Joni so here goes.

Rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random facts about your self. Then tag at least 5 people at the end.

Joys
1 - My family
2 - Seeing Owen smile
3 - Reading a good book

Fears
1 - Never getting another baby
2 - Heights

3 - Getting seriously ill

Goals
1 - Attend the temple once a month.
2 - Read my scriptures and pray daily.
3 - Make a home where peace and love reside.

Obsessions
1 - Shopping for Owen
2 - Harry Potter
3 - Dr. Pepper

Random Facts
1 - I'm the only child out my parents' children who has brown eyes.
2 - I never liked Dr. Pepper until I met Barry. (I actually learned to love a lot of new things)
3 - For the longest time I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. I even had my own pretend medical charts for my stuffed animals that I used when I played doctor.

I'm going to break one rule and not tag anyone. Sorry.

Little Boys

A friend sent me a link to some poems about little boys and I thought this poem fit Owen the best. 

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes, 

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises, 

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins. 

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while 

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile. 

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy 

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Little Moonwalker

Happy Birthday Mom!

I wasn't sure I'd be able to compose myself while I wrote this entry and I have shed some tears thinking of what I could say.  Today would have been my mother's birthday 50th birthday. It's been 9 years since she's been gone and every day I miss her. I like to think of what a loving, compassionate, wonderful woman she was. She sacrificed much for us kids especially physically. She became my best friend during my teenage years. She truly listened whenever I had a problem. We got to do some special things together like go to country music concerts, movies, and even Disneyland. We loved watching some favorite TV shows together. She'd watch X-Files for me and I'd watch Star Trek for her. 

Sometimes I get a bit sad thinking that Owen (and hopefully more children) won't know her in this life. She would have spoiled him with love and presents. Thankfully she had lots of time with him in heaven and I know she visits us now. 

It's a very special birthday besides it being my mother's birthday because it is also shared by my mother's sister Ann and our nephew Andrew. I remember my mom telling me the story of the day my aunt was born. My mother was at school waiting for my grandma to bring treats for her class. Instead my great grandmother came and told my mom that she had the best birthday present ever, a new baby sister. My mom was thrilled because she only had brothers up to this point. Four of them to be exact.

Deal or No Deal: My Old Roommate is a Millionaire

Not that this concerns me at all, but I think it's pretty crazy that an old roommate from Ricks College is now the first on the show Deal or No Deal to be a millionaire. Jessica and I lived in the same apartment my sophomore year. Her and the rest of the girls are the only roommates besides my friends that I actually stayed in touch with. They are re-airing the episode on CNBC Thursday @ 7PM. I missed it so I have my DVR scheduled to record it. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

Our Comic Relief

Thank heaven for our little boy! Owen has been our comic relief lately. He's been doing lots of funny new things. One of his favorites is to find either Mama's or Daddy's shoes and with one on go all over the house. I'll have to get this on video as well as his latest trick of doing the moon walk (walking backwards). He's also into putting as many things as he can in his hands. He can't just have two things in them now. He has 5 of the little soft Tonka cars and he tries to carry all of them. He gets upset when one drops. To make it even more funny, when he does have his hands full he'll try to use his mouth or teeth to pick up his binkie or sippy cup. I need to find him a little mesh bag for him so he doesn't have to try to fit so much in his hands.