Owen Remember Always

There are lots of other things to be blogging about right now…but I wanted to start with something good.  Something I know Grandma Linley would love reading about.  She and Grandpa Linley are/were avid blog readers b/c they loved to hear about Mr. Owen…so today…b/c nothing else seems fitting…but I haven’t posted FOREVER…I’m posting this one.  Enjoy some happy thoughts about our little man…the one who seems to have been such a source of light and strength for Jer and I ever since the day we had him.  This one is for Grandma Linley and our beautiful little boy J

The need to write things down that Owen is doing is starting to become a daily thing.  I will see Owen doing something and want to capture it right then in my brain and never have it leave.  Things I know I don’t want to ever forget. 

Like how you will come running to me…stuff lizard in one hand and DVD in the other.  With your new gator shapped crocs on your feet, your hair sticking up on end.  In that favorite blue and white stripped jersey long sleeve tee of yours. You drop everything right to the middle of the kitchen floor to investigate as I unload the dishwasher. You aren’t quite ready to help me put things away.  B/c if I hand them to you, usually you run off with one object or another. Or you pull glasses out of the cabinet and hand them to me.  One day though, I have no doubt you’ll be an amazing little helper!

How you pick up my cell phone…or your toy phone…or the T.V. remote and say OhhhO (Hello?)

How when you close yourself in our closet, the bathroom or our bedroom and someone knocks on the door from the outside…you also say OhhO??

How you pull my shoes off the shelf in our closet and put your hands in them and walk around!

How you love to put Grandma’s gloves on your hands

That you look at yourself in the mirror after we put your coat on to go bye-bye at Grandma’s.  You love to look at yourself and flap your arms up and down on your sides.  You also like to do this with hats.

Speaking of hats, you like to put Dadda’s hats on your head…but not just one of them.  You like to stack them on top of your head a couple at a time!

How adorable you look with a baseball cap on backwards!  I’m a sucker for you Dadda in one that’s on backwards. I bet one day…a lady in your life will adore this same look on you J

That you walk around carrying your lizard that Cousin Clark gave you…and you talk to him and sometimes I think you make him tell me stories!

You are a slow talker, but you communicate.  And right now, I love that you pull me by my finger to show me things. 

That you LOVE piggy back rides!!

You have this little smirk when you are doing things you shouldn’t.  It’s cute unless you’re really getting yourself into trouble!!

You have NO fear.  I saw you face planting over the arm of the couch into the cushions last weekend.  I think we are all in big trouble b/c you are a dare devil. Do me a favor…when you turn into an adult and decide to go sky diving…please don’t call me from the plane and tell me you love me.  Or do…just make sure I’m not driving and that I’m sitting down ok???

Your favorite place in the world is outside.  I think we could move your crib out into the yard and you would be a happy camper.

Your second favorite place is your wagon.  I think you could sleep in that too if you really tried hard enough!!

Great Grandma Flo gave you a giant stuffed dog when you were just a baby.  You now love to tote him around...even though he’s as big as you.  You bark like a dog when you do!

You like to share your sippy cup with your stuffed animals….I love your sweet little spirit.

Every time we pull Disney’s Ocean’s out on the DVD drawer, you get excited and stomp your feet.

You are able to help get yourself dressed and love to pick out your own PJ’s.  Every time…as long as they are clean, you pick your Mickey Mouse PJ’s.  We’re gonna have to start searching for a summer pair for you very soon!!  !!

You crawled up in bed with me last Sunday and snuggled in for a little bit.

When we leave the house, you kiss us through the glass in the window and wave bye bye.  It takes everything I have to make the drive to work after that!

When I blow dry my hair, you always come running. You love to have me blow it on your hair and up your shirt.  It makes you run away laughing and come right back for more!!

You got a new book for your birthday…from Aunt Steff and Uncle B. It’s the cutest version of Ol’ MacDonald ever.  And it has put you to sleep every single night.  Dadda says it has magical powers.  I would have to agree!!  I think I know what your first present to Baby C will be J

That you say Bye to us when we say Night Night at the end of the day.

When we ride in the car, up and down hills or pullin our driveway…you say WOOHOO!  Or Weeeee. It’s a good thing you don’t know just yet how very adorable you are!!

You say Woohoo and Weeee anytime you think something is fun!

You love to “show me your muscles.”  We’ve been practicing after baths for several months.  I wrap you in your towel, pick you up and we look in the mirror.  We talk about who is in the mirror…and I point to your muscles, make silly faces and then say really loud and in a voice you laugh at every time….ask you to SHOW ME YOUR MUSCLES!!!  Anyway…you finally decided to join in my silliness instead of just watching me…and now you do it all the time!

The hospital in Peoria had this cool wall that projected this colorful looking smoke on the screen when you walked past it.  You, Dadda and I had so much fun running circles around the room making the smoke pop up.  I think the security guard watching us thought we were crazy...but you were happy...and in that moment...nothing else mattered!!

This weekend you gave Great-Grandpa Linley a high-five, smiles, said Hi. I think it brightened his day just a little bit.  You were an all around amazing big boy on our long Saturday away.

Your Dadda and I are blessed by you every single day. No matter how crazy it’s been, your smile, your giggle, it makes every trouble in the world melt away.

You laugh really hard at Yogi the Bear movie.  And you also say whoooaaa when they fall down the water fall.  You're such a smart boy!

Owen's Jam Session with Dadda

A Little Man's Bedtime

It’s a little man’s bedtime.

Quiet, peaceful. 

Only a little light shines from the corner of your room.
This our little place.

A big comfy chair.

Your books.

Your big stuff dog.

You in your PJ’s.

Earlier you picked those out all on your own!

With fresh bath-time hair.

It’s curly and still damp and it smells sooo good!!

We read a story. 

You flip the pages of your board books with abandon

Sometimes you stop to flip back to the beginning before we even finish. 

This makes me laugh

And re-read the same pages many times!

Then I read you another story.

Sometimes it is Dr. Suess. 

Sometimes it is “If you Give a Moose a Muffin”. 

Sometimes it’s “You are My I love You.”

I have to choke that one out because at the end I cry every time.

This story embodies my love for you.

I swell with emotion thinking about how blessed I am to have you.

To hold you.

To get to love you

To see your silly smile.

When the stories are done we turn out the lights. 

You cry in protest…but only for a bit.

Ocean sounds roll from the player on your shelf.

Like a wiggle worm you move and stretch.

You are my little sleep-fighter.
You sit up in my lap

Talking to me with your hands

Your jibberish makes me laugh so hard, you laugh too

You lay your head on my shoulder

More twisting

More turning.

I sing you a song

You get still

Curling up just like you did as a baby

Still jabbering about something

Your little hand…you always put it to my lips for a kiss. 

Didn’t I mention that you’re my sleep fighter?

Chubby legs and little toes wave past my face

Wiggly hands and fingers to do

You rub your eyes.

Your sleepy face looks up at me

I tell you it is a big boy’s bedtime

I kiss you on your forehead as many times as you’ll let me

And slip you in your crib.

I love you.

Sleep tight

Dream well.

It’s a little man’s bedtime

4:58pm

Hello readers out there!

It's now almost 5pm.  The day has flown right on by!!  What has my day brought to me?

Around noon I got to have lunch with my hubby.  I will say he was "in the zone" as in that as we ate, he checked his watch about a million times and talked about nothing but the test and the problems and everything else.  I do not blame him!  I returned him to the hotel about 15 minutes before the next session began.  And I am hoping that the final 4 hours have gone as well as the first seemed to have!

After I returned Jer to the hotel, I headed over the mall. I took a stroll through a few stores.  I spent a lot of time missing my bestie because there is a Target connected to the mall.  You can actually walk right into it from the mall.  It has our names written all over it!  I did manage to score a shirt for Jer and some cute shoes for me...along with a new book to add to my reading list from Barnes and Noble.

The mall odyssey left me thirsty.  So I took my tired walkin' legs to McDonalds to get a fountain Coke.  Near the McDonalds was a huge Old Navy.  While there I did a little family clothes shopping b/c guess what?  This Old Navy had maternity clothes!  I got two new t-shirts and a pair of shorts that I'm pretty sure I will probably live in most of the summer! I found Jer a pair of linen slacks I'm sure he'll love, along with another nice collared t-shirt. I also scored Owen a TON of summer t's and tanks for $5 a piece!  I'm excited to show the boys my finds!

All over the mall I saw little ones with their mommas and daddas.  It made me miss my little man and my hubby.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my day of solitude.  It was peaceful, quiet and pretty darn relaxing.  But I'm ready to go back to life as usual.  Hectic...full of no's and sippy cups and folding my hubby's gym shorts with every other load.  I think Jeremy and I are going to grab a little celebratory dinner tonight on the way home. I think Baby boy is telling Momma Red Lobster is on the menu ;)  Jer told me this morning that it'll be 3 to 4 months before we know the test results....that's a seriously LONG time! So I'm hoping he can rest easy and not worry too much about anything but just enjoying some family time for the rest of the weekend!!

Here's to great get aways and wonderful quiet days...that make you thankful for the noise and clutter and routine of the everyday :)

11:05am

Hi there!  I'm back again.  Currently...you will find me sitting in a big comfy couch in the lobby of our hotel! This place is one busy place. But I guess that is what you get with an executive center that holds lots and lots of conferences.  I was a little disappointed because yesterday they had one of the ballrooms open for a Coach Purse sale.  I opted to wait until today to browse...and today...it's GONE!  Insert a very sad girl.  I don't own a lot of Coach...but what I do own has made me a life long lover of the stuff covered in C's :)

Anyhow, I have thoroughly enjoyed my morning!  After blogging, I chatted with Mom about Owen for a bit.  That made me miss him something terrible...so I wasn't on the phone for too long before I decided to focus on the amazing morning at hand and seize the day!

I hopped into my first and only maternity bathing suit and headed on down to the pool.  I must say...swimming was absolutely marvelous!  There is something about stretching your muscles without sweating that I just love.  

30 minutes later I headed up for a relaxing get-ready routine...and I took.my.sweet.time!  I enjoyed some coffee, flat ironed my hair in lots of layers and took the time it really needs to be done right.  I also enjoyed a few episodes of One Tree Hill in the process.  I LOVE my MAC!!!!  So at any rate...I would call the morning a total and absolute success!  Momma feels refreshed and very relaxed.  

Now I'm anxiously awaiting to see Jer's face come around the corner so we can grab him some lunch and see how the morning session went!!

Until later ;)

7:18am

Today, I have so much time on my hands I have no idea what to do with it.  So I thought...I might just keep this trusty laptop around with me and kinda try to do a play by play of the day.  Not that my day is that interesting...it's just something new to try right??

So the alarm went off at 5:30am.  Jer snoozed it till 5:45.  Then he got himself together for the test. Luckily I was able to use my wifely powers to convince him at least a bowl of cereal and some eggs would help keep his brain going.  The hotel doesn't do a continental breakfast, so we went to a breakfast buffet at a connecting restaurant.  My eggs...needed serious salt...and maybe some cheese!

Anyway, I left him at registration and now I'm back in our room.  Check out is at 11. I've got coffee brewing in my tiny 4 cup machine (so cute!) and I'm debating a swim...or popping in more One Tree Hill...or reading through the stack of magazines that I haven't had the time to get through.  What does one who is used to having laundry, house chores, a toddler and work to content with?  I'm thinking a little of all of the above!

As an aside, I almost feel guilty that I'm indulging in such relaxation while my husband's brain is grilled for all it's worth just a few floors below.  But I guess this is the tough roll he assigned me when asking me to go!!

That's all for now! There is some relaxing to do...and a mall across the street calling my name!  I'll be back soon!

Proud!

I know it may sound silly, but I think hotels are fun. There is something about knowing it's a room that's already clean...one that I didn't clean myself first. And also, when we leave...again I'm not cleaning it up!  I also just so happen to like the small touches hotels have added, like the luxury bedding, free breakfast and things like that!  I'm sure people out there who travel a lot don't see them as anything special. There is no place like home.  And for the most part they are all similar...but I'm silly and maybe easily impressed?  But I love the little coffee pots and big comfy bedding.  Oh and I LOVE the ice machines and ice buckets.  Jer probably thinks I'm a goofball, but one of my first requirements at hotels is to fill the ice bucket!!  See what I mean? Easily impressed!

Anyway, what the heck does that have to do with anything?  Well, it's fitting because tonight I find myself snuggled up on the bed at Holiday Inn. Speaking of small touches...this Holiday Inn has these fun little tags on the pillows to let you know one is soft vs firm. I love that! Back to the point, I'm in my sweats. I'm enjoying an evening of freedom from my everyday responsibilities.  I even got some new foaming bath and body wash, sugar scrub and lotion to indulge in a big tub full of bubbles.  My pregnant feet and achy back were very happy with that decision!  

But why am I in a Holiday Inn you may ask?  Well that would be because my hubby is putting the finishing touches on his countless hours of studying.  I've watched him pour over tons of books and different types of engineering problems for several months. In recent weeks, I've seen very little of him as he studied in nearly all of his free time.  We are talking working full 8 to 10 hour days at work, drive home, have dinner with us, possibly try to read a story with Owen and get him in bed, then around 8 or so begin studying.  Typically he would crawl in bed between 12 and 1 that night.  Get up at 6am for work and start the whole mess over again. This past weekend he spent so much time seated at Bread Co, our loft computer desk or our dining room table his ankles swelled!  I told him he was just trying to make me feel better about mine!!  Regardless, I think the pictures below sum up the insanity that is studying for your Professional Engineering Exam.  As I type he's still pouring over materials and trying to make sure he's absolutely 100% ready for his 7:15am arrival time tomorrow morning.

Here is what I have to say about all of this craziness...I will be so happy when it's over!!  More importantly thought, I cannot put into words how proud I am of the man I call my husband.  His patience is infinite.  He settles for nothing less than his absolute best in everything his does.  He is also entirely more intelligent than he will ever know.  Jer, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.  Whatever happens tomorrow morning....pass, fail or otherwise...I know you did your best, gave it your all and worked your butt off.  I can't wait to grab dinner tomorrow evening and start home for a family of 3 weekend doing whatever the heck your weary, test-taking heart desires.  I love you always babe.  If I've learned nothing more in this stretch of like that seems to hand us one test after another, it's that in this life, I am not supposed to have anyone else by my side but you.   

A wonderful start to a Wednesday!

Please pardon my long hiatus from blogging over the last week or so!  Life sometimes just doesn't leave me all the energy I need to complete everything on my to-do list.  And I'm also knee-deep in One Tree Hill Season 3 on DVD, so consider me distracted!  But never fear, I have lots of ideas cooking and will be getting back on the blogging bus in a day or two :)

Until then, I wanted to leave everyone with my awesome Wednesday morning story!!

I stopped on my way to work this morning to indulge in my favorite little coffee drive through. This place is pretty darn adorable and the owner is the sweetest person!  I'd love to go every day, but it's not a realistic on the budget. So Jer and I will spoil ourselves every few weeks with a stop.  Regardless, this morning I decided to indulge in my favorite decaf version of their signature ice coffee drink. It's espresso, white chocolate syrup, carmel, and milk, shaken and poured over ice.  Then topped with whipped cream. I'm sure it's wonderful on the waistline.  She handed me my drink and as I went to hand her my frequent coffee buyer card and my money, she said, "Your drink is compliments of the gentelman in the car before you!  He paid for you and the next car and only asked that you pay it forward."

Wow!  I was impressed and very humbled. In today's world sometimes you forget that the good is out there...just one car ahead of you! 

Now I'm on the search for my Pay It Forward...b/c it's only as good as the people it's given too right??

Thank God for special people, Pay It Forward and great start to a Wednesday morning!!