What I'm up to...

Jeremy signed up for a test with his company. He has been toting this huge binder of fun filled facts about floodplain management around for months now. Well the test is taking place tomorrow! He is currently attending a study session that goes from 1pm to 5pm today. The test is being held in Jefferson City at the same location as the Missouri National Guard! He asked me sometime back to come with him for some company and we decided to make a mini-getaway out of the whole deal! So...tonight I'll pick him up from his study session and we're headed to downtown Jefferson City to find a fun place to eat and enjoy a little time together. Then it's back to our hotel where Jer will crack down and study for a few more hours and try to get a good night's sleep! Tomorrow I'll be dropping him off for his 3 hour test around 8:30am and enjoying some more solitude. We're heading to a winery in Hermann Missouri on the way home and are hoping to catch a movie tomorrow afternoon as well. Adventure awaits us! Even if we are just 2 hours from home! It's all about what you make it right?

What am I doing while my brillant engineer of a husband is away you might wonder? Today I'm enjoying a very relaxing low key afternoon. I have no responsibilities. The hotel we are at, has a hot tub and a pool. I've got blogger, a copy of New Moon I'm nearly half way through, and lots of time to myself. I haven't been by myself much the past few months and at first I wasn't sure what to think about it. But now that I'm here, blogging and enjoying the quiet, I'm looking at it as a great opportunity for me to do some deep thinking and real deal relaxing!! With that being said...stay tuned for some updates from the past few weeks (we went to the zoo again) and fun pics from our upcoming dinner and winery dates :)

Lots about Owen!

Owen has been so much fun! Every day he is learning new things and showing us new skills he's mastering! He is nearing his 4 month birthday...and I thought instead of waiting, I'd post some fun things that have been happening!

This past Tuesday, Owen grabbed my face for the first time! He reached his little chubby hands up and hit my cheeks. When he did it, he died with laughter! We turned it into a game...he puts his hands up, touches my cheeks and I move them so I can kiss his palms. He thinks it's pretty funny! He also thinks it's hilarious when you pretend to eat his hands. There is nothing sweeter than having your baby reach up and touch you on purpose! It's right up there with those big cheesy grins he gives ;)

Owen has been rolling over quite a bit. He doesn't do it every day...however, he does it every few days. Some days it's on to his tummy...some days, it's to his back. I'm so proud of him b/c you can see how hard he's been working on it! YAY Owen!

In the morning when Owen wakes up, he no longer immediately cries for someone and wants to be fed. Though it quickly hits on his order of morning to do's, he is now beginning to enjoy a little time to stretch, play, talk and roll around in his crib. He has began letting us know he's awake with a quiet wimper or two...we go in and say good morning, after a big smile and a long stretch, we pop his bink back in his mouth and he lays there for 5 or 10 more minutes. It's adorable to listen to him!

He graduated from his size 2 diapers. Yes...gasp and be shocked...our 4 month old baby is fitting into diapers that start at a size range of 16lbs. I said from the beginning that he liked to eat :) And that's no joke!

Speaking of foods, Owen is beginning to act interested in the foods we eat. He watches when we drink from cups, eat our meals or do anything related to food. I'm so excited for the day when we can begin sharing all the fun things about food with him! Rachel Ray inspired me to start early with Owen in the kitchen...no not slaving away on the stove...but helping Mommy and Daddy cook. Her theory is...the more the kids help and know about what they are eating...the more likely they are to try new things and eat a bigger variety of foods. We also read that babies enjoy the colors and smells and tastes of fruits and veggies we eat. And that sharing those things with them will help them enjoy a wider variety of things! I can't wait!

August 3rd he goes for his 4 month appointment! Prayers for his next round of shots and a clean bill of health!

Words that Rang so True

The other night, my best friend and I were out and about...enjoying a few hours of girl time. NY&C had a great sale (thank you Alison for the tip off) and we were cruising around the mall. As is our custom, our conversations are never just the basics. Regardless of where we are or what we're doing at some point, our conversations turn into big life stuff. Houses, bills, family, husbands, you get the idea! Don't get me wrong...these conversations are often filled with plenty of laughs...and they are not always heavy! This particular conversation turned to the direction of my husband. This past week he has been studying for a test he's taking through work (more about that soon). I was talking about how he was really stressed and thought he would fail. And then we both agreed that he is much too critical of himself. I know this...but I also know I'm not the only one who sees this in him. He spends a lot of time thinking the things he does aren't quite good enough. What he doesn't realize is that he's great at many things. And he shouldn't be soo hard on himself about everything. We're talking grass mowing, yard work, clean vs. dirty cars, simple stuff. And Steff looked at me and said..."You know...if he died tomorrow....no where on his tombstone is it gonna say "he kept a really great looking yard." or "man he kept a clean house." They are going to talk about what a great father he was, a good friend. So honestly...does it really matter if the grass gets mowed today or tomorrow or next week? If it means he gets to spend a day with Owen and his family instead. The grass will be there tomorrow. Life is about what matters most."

Tru dat Steff. Tru dat.

Where to begin....

So I haven't been as vigilant as I would like about my blogging. It's not because I haven't wanted to...no...I have mountains of blog starts floating on my cell phone notepad, notebooks at home...and simply in my head! I've been meaning to keep everyone updated on our son, our life and also have made it a goal to start blogging my thoughts on lots of things beyond what's happening in world of the Linley's 3. With that said...I apologize for my lack of inconsistency and hope my followers are still out there checking for updates, pictures and stories! I will be posting lots of good things and hopefully be posting them more often!!

Another Amazing Weekend!

Another amazing weekend:
This weekend came and went so fast I’m still in shock that it’s Tuesday. But…the weekend was awesome all the same!!

Friday I attended a happy hour with some friends from work. These happy hours are a fun relaxing evening away from my normal routine! Dad and Owen waved goodbye as I left attempting to make me feel guilty for leaving. But they had a blast relaxing and playing just the two of them! Jer was so excited to tell me all about how much fun they had while I was gone! That makes the night even sweeter. I crept in to peek at him when I got home and he was doing the classic Owen reverse superman. Arms spread wide above his head, mouth open. Totally crashed!

Saturday I got my hair done at the Fringe with Jackie. And then we enjoyed a BBQ with Grandma Linda's side of the family. The food was delicious and we got to visit with his Aunt Laura who was in from Arizona. Jer is always excited to see her! She usually pays a visit every summer! Owen also got to meet several of Jer’s Aunts and Uncles for the first time! It’s always good to gather together and enjoy a summer evening. Apparently we left just before a major water fight broke out. Though I’m sure it would have been a mess, I think it would have been nice relief from the heat!

Sunday was all about relaxing! We have decided to spend time on Sundays preparing for our week ahead. So yesterday I grocery shopped and spent some time making yummy snacks for our lunches, cleaning up around the house and being lazy! Grandpa Mike and Grandma Stacey came over for a visit in the afternoon. And the best part about Sunday? Uncle Bryan and Aunt Steff got home from Florida on Saturday and we got to go get ice cream with them last night! What a wonderful way to close out our weekend!

Photo Shoot

As I said before, Steff did a photo shoot with us. I love her work and wanted to make sure to give her a shout out. Most of the pics she took were password protected, so if you would like to see them, comment here and I'll get you the info you need. However, if you are interested in simply checking out her work...check out some of the following things here, here and here!

Rolling over, Sleeping, new pj’s, and other fun things

Rolling over - Owen has been doing so much moving. I know I mentioned in an earlier post, that he rolled over from his belly to his back. I think it was a fluke and he did it on accident, because he hasn’t done it again since. However, he’s getting very close to rolling from his back to his tummy! Regardless, he is loving tummy time and enjoying all the wiggling he can muster up the energy for during the day!

Sleeping through the night - Last weekend Owen’s bedtimes were the following times: Friday night – Bedtime 10pm Awake at 6:15am
Saturday night – Bedtime 9:30pm Awake at 5:15am.
Sunday night – Bedtime 8:30pm Awake 7:30am...11 whole hours!
Monday Night – Bedtime 9:30pm Awake 7:50am
Go Owen!!! Dad and I are enjoying our new found sleep very much!!

New PJ’s - Speaking of bedtime…he has currently outgrown all of his PJ’s except for new ones that we have just purchased. He is in now in 9 month sleepers! We snapped some pics of him in some of them. I love the footballs on the feet and the monkeys! He thinks it is hilarious when you wiggle his feet and make monkey noises!

Other fun things - Owen loves to squeal. This is a new thing he’s figured out he can do. Grandma PJ helps keep the squealing going. It’s funny when he’s playing…when he’s not, and he seriously mad…it’s not so funny! Thanks Grandma PJ for teaching our son that fun lesson ;)

4th of July

Friday BBQ and Photo Shoot
We kicked off our 4th of July Holiday with a fun photo shoot with Aunt Steff followed by a BBQ and swim party with Aunt Steff and Uncle Bryan. You can see some of the pictures from our photo shoot here! The pictures turned out so awesome! BBQing and swimming were soo much fun!! We had a blast! Owen got to wear his Baby’s First 4th outfit complete with swim trunks! Too cute!
Video of Owen swimming
Owen went for his first official swim that day! Here is a video clip when he first got in the water!!

I tried several times to load a video that showed him kicking and enjoying the water...but after 3 attempts that took a grand total of an hour, I gave up! The video isn't meant to be loaded! Here are some pics instead!





Watching the Fireworks
Friday night Alton put on their annual fireworks display. While the display left a little to be desired, something about the tradition, made it fun anyway! Plus it was Owen’s first fireworks. He loved them! We met up with Grandpa Mike, Grandma Stacey, Uncle Jonnie, Aunt April, Uncle Paul and Aunt Jackie and Aunt Casey. Grandpa Mike sang a fun son to Owen about sitting and watching the fireworks with Grandpa Mike. He thought it was amusing. Uncle Jonnie wasn’t as impressed! Grandma Stacey made us yummy sandwiches and brought chips and we had a fun picnic on the levy waiting for the show to begin!!



BBQing at Grandma PJ’s and Pawpaw Davey’s
Saturday on the actual 4th of July we enjoyed a very lazy and rainy morning around the house. We prepared some fun summer food for our afternoon BBQ. Much the opposite of our normal routine, we were finished with everything early. Owen and I took an hour long nap and Jer enjoyed some quiet time. We headed over to Grandma PJ’a and Pawpaw’s house in the late afternoon. The house was all decked out and festive and the weather held out just long enough for Pawpaw to BBQ up some delicious hot dogs and brauts. We had a feast! Owen got to spend some great family time with Uncle Josh, Aunt Katie, Great-Grandma and Great Pap Flory and of course Grandma PJ and Pawpaw Dave!

What a fun way for our family to celebrate our nation’s birthday! Here’s to yummy food, a fun festive reason to celebrate and having amazing and wonderful family to celebrate it with!!

Good things are coming!

Tonight I sat down to update our blog and there is lots to update everyone on. We have fun videos and pics from the 4th of July celebrating we did last weekend. We're in the process of switching Internet providers. I had a meeting with my counselor at school and will be returning in a month. So...there is lots to write about. But tonight, my son went to bed early again (8:15pm) and I have a copy of New Moon calling my name. So I'm gonna opt to head back down to my comfy bed, curl up with a delicious read, enjoy my glass of ice tea and save my blogging for later this weekend!

Bare with me. Good things are coming!

My Sunshine

Tonight I had the most precious moment with Owen. I'll never forget it. And I had to write it down immediately afterwards to capture my words the right way.

Owen is a snuggle bug. He's also had some rough fussy evenings the past few nights. It's nothing overly out of the ordinary. After a long day of fun and play, he's tuckered out and wants to eat, sleep and play all at the same time. Throw the Mom and Dad are home factor into the mix and you have a recipe for one big dose of screaming baby boy! We've adjusted to this time with him. One day he'll outgrow it and bedtime will be the way I always pictured it to be. Bathtime, PJs, bedtime stories and snuggles. When I was growing up we always used to say Night Night. Sleep Tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. Mom kissed my cheek and left the door cracked just to let a little light in. It was blissful and safe and so special to me. So one day...I hope Owen feels the same way about his bedtime. Regardless and back to the point, tonight, I got a glimpse of what pure and absolute wordlessly describable love for another human being feels like. It's like nothing else I've ever known.

Tonight feeding Owen was a struggle. He was so worked up before his bottle he was sweating. Over exhaustion + hunger = disaster in the Linley House. It took quite a bit of coaxing, but he finally calmed down enough to eat. He had just finished up a bottle. And his little eyes were red from rubbing and exhaustion. So I snuggled him up in one of his favorite cozy blankets and rocked him in his rocker. As I patted his butt and sang to him, his eyes grew heavy and his arm went limp. I started singing You are My Sunshine...and from behind his pacifier came a little grin. Every time I sang You'll never know dear, how much I love you...he cracked open an eye and his smiles got bigger. This went on for I can't tell even say how many verses of the song. His smile got bigger and bigger each time until he really let go and went to sleep. By the time he was really asleep, I had tears streaming down my face. Something about that little smile and those baby blue eyes cracked open to see my smiling face staring down at him, gave me emotions I cannot describe with words. It's just love. Pure and simple. Love for a boy in my life that I never imagined could be so incredibly strong. What an amazing moment. Owen if you read this some time later in your life, know how much I love you. At this moment and always. My boy. My sunshine!