Thursday, January 17, 2013

Sunny and cold in Arizona?!

We made it to the desert after a decent plane ride with a toddler. I was VERY worried about flying with Owen and he did throw one screaming fit on the plane before he finally fell asleep.

But overall the flight was not so bad. We even had the seat next to us empty. It wasn't a full flight thank goodness and I think we scared off any other passengers from sitting by us.

As soon as we arrived we wanted to play outside as much as possible so we headed to the playground.

Owen loved playing outside so much that he threw a big fit (he is getting good at these) when it was time to leave.

We spent the rest of our trip exploring the outdoors, especially near the great outdoor shopping malls.

Playing with the dogs....

Having fun with the cousins...

What child wouldn't enjoy an indoor playground like the one at Ollie and Victoria's house?
 

Hanging with the auntie...

Spending time with nana....

 

 

We tried to play outside as much as possible...

We rode the choo choo at the train park...

We hiked in the desert..

 

After a week of fun, it was time to say goodbye to Arizona. We were sad to say goodbye to the warm weather and our family but we were anxious to get home and see daddy!

The plane ride home went okay, we had the entire row to ourselves, which was wonderful for a busy toddler.
We would also like the thank the genius creator of the iPad, it is a wonderful way to keep a toddler happy when needed.

Look how much our little babe has changed since last year's trip to Arizona.

 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Christmas at the Drapp's

We were so excited to spend our first Christmas at home as a family of three. We have been looking forward to this for a long time and it came and went in the blink of an eye. In our ten years together as a couple we have never been at our own home for the holidays so this was very special!

On Christmas Eve we went to mass. It was a great service with wonderful music that Owen thoroughly enjoyed. He loved dancing to the music and playing in the pew with his cousins. He did a good job of sitting somewhat still for the hour and a half service.

Of course he had to wear his Santa hat during mass.

Then we went to the Majors for some appetizers and drinks before heading home. The three of us snuggled in bed and read some books including 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then we sent Owen off to bed with dreams of sugar plums dancing in his head.
Owen slept in until 9:00 on Christmas morning. This is highly unusual for the boy, and the first time this has ever happened. Of course we were anxious for him away ale up and open the presents Santa left for him. Once he finally woke up we ate a nice breakfast of creme brûlée French toast, eggs, bacon and toast. Owen loved every bite!

Then it was time for presents..

Owen was VERY excited about every gift under the tree. He yelled "oh wow" the entire morning. Here are a couple of videos.

 

 
Not only did we have a great Christmas morning but we had a great week because we were able to spend time with our extended families. The weekend before Christmas we traveled to Indiana and got to spend time with GG....
Then Owen and PopPop wore their matching hats..
 
 
The weekend after Christmas the Drapp family came down and we had a great time relaxing at the house and playing with all of Owen's new toys.
 
Nothing puts me into the Christmas spirit like some beautiful white snow, however it doesn't seem to make Owen as happy.
 
Next week we are off to a much warmer climate, Owen and I are headed to Arizona for the week. Although I love the snow, I am looking forward to warm weather and playing outside!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

14 months old

Owen turned 14 months old on December 6th. I thought I would update you with 14 things about our 14 month old baby.

1. I never thought I would have the pleasure of saying this, he has become a good sleeper at night. He sleeps from about 8:00 to 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning and we dropped his morning nap, so he is down to one nap. He usually naps for 2-3 hours. It is a wonderful break from a busy toddler.

2. He is babbling all kinds of things but he says some words too, mama, mommy, dada, book, max, nana, horsey, hoho, wow, hat, hot hot, uh-oh, he mouths pop pop, and we think he said Mimi the other day.

3. Owen does a lot of signing to communicate his wants. He signs for please, thank you, drink, bye bye, eat, and read.

4. Speaking of reading, it is the little man's favorite activity. He brings us books all the time and wants us to sit and snuggle (which I don't mind) while reading them. Owen's favorite time to read books is in bed with mommy and daddy before we put him in his bed.

5. Owen has turned into a big eater, he went through a picky stage but is back to eating anything and everything. He loves berries of any kind, pineapple, grapes, eggs and avocado are a morning staple in our house, he loves these edamame and tofu nuggets from trader joes, pasta, meatballs, quesadillas broccoli, beans, and many more. I wish he would eat more yogurt (which he used to love) but for some reason has stopped eating it. Owen pretty much eats whatever we eat.

6. Owen loves to feed himself and he bangs his fork on the counter until he stabs the food he wants and stuffs it in his mouth. He makes a terrible mess while doing it, and I cringe every time but I know he is learning a new trade and it is a necessary part of life so I just get the broom ready for clean up afterward.

7. Owen sleeps with both of his giraffes every night. One is tied to the crib So it doesn't get thrown out and the other giraffe is free to float around the bed with Owen. He also sleeps with two blankets, my old baby blanket and his Owen blankie but I don't think he is attached to either of those things at all.

8. Owen is a thumb sucker. He doesn't really suck his thumb except when he is sleepy or when he holds his giraffe. We took away the pacifier when he was 5 months old and I may regret this for a long time. Hopefully Owen doesn't suck his thumb forever.

9. Owen still hates the car. I don't like putting him in the car EVER! Although he has improved he still cries on a car ride that lasts more than 20 minutes unless he is napping.

10. Owen goes crazy for balls of any kind. I have never seen any kid like it, he can kick the ball, throw the ball, make a basket in his basketball goal and even pretend to make a touchdown. He is overjoyed when he sees balls! His favorite thing to watch on tv is football, but basketball is a close second. He is a total boy. Owen also likes to play with cars, trucks and airplanes.

11. Owen is a sweet little boy and will lay his head on my chest while I rock him after books. We love when he opens his mouth wide and goes in for a big sloppy kiss.

12. Owen is a little shy when we visit a new place or are around new people, except at his own house. But he quickly warms up and begins exploring and playing. He is happy as long as he can see his mama or daddy.

13. Owen loves to dance to music. His newest move is to throw his hand in the air and wave it around like he just doesn't care. We have been trying to teach him to drop it low.

14. Owen has 10 teeth and each tooth that has popped up has caused chaos in our lives, interrupting sleep, making for a whiny child, etc. I am ready for all of these teeth to come through already.

 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Homemade cinnamon rolls

I've been posting a lot about food lately, you can tell what's on my mind. I decided to make homemade cinnamon rolls to give to our neighbors for the holidays. The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. I follow her blog and use her for some of my favorite recipes, which includes this one. I thought I would share some pictures from our mess of a day.

The final product...
Thia is how Owen helped, staying out of my way....

Now off to deliver...

All done.

The following day we visited Owen's favorite man with the white beard, Santa or in Owen's words, "hoho".

He loves "hoho" but only from afar. When it came time to leave mama's arms he wasn't too happy.

I thought I would give you a little throwback photo, look how little and chubby my baby was. He was also a LOT happier to be on Santa's lap last year.