Owen Self-Portrait

Owen taught himself how to take pictures with my phone.  When I looked at my photo roll, I realized I had about 40 pictures of Owen's face, forehead and the ceiling at El Mezcal where we were eating dinner that night.  Here's a preview of what my photo roll looks like.  Enjoy the blurs!!

Making a gingerbread train...

This year was our first attempt at creating a Gingerbread structure of any kind! I found a gingerbread train kit while I was out shopping and because the boys seem to love anything and everything trains I snatched it up.  This was the right choice!  There was much choo chooing and chugga chuggas going around the table!!

It was a little chaotic getting the assembly started...but we got it going. Daddy to the rescue. Thanks Jer for your ability to read and interpret instructions. I'm visual and the pictures only served to confuse me!

Owen helped squeeze the icing...and put together the big parts.

We snacked on some of our decorations while we built. That's half the fun right??

Cooper abandon the whole project about half way through. All Done Momma he said. I think he was really thinking...this is BORING. I'm gonna go get a train I can actually play with. Which is just what he did!

I suspect that it would take lots and lots of practice to create something quite as perfect as the picture showed...but our's was perfectly us :) And that's the best part!!

Here's to trying fun new things with the boys...and making a random Monday night, fun and exciting!

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy!

We took off the zoo lights his past Saturday...along with the rest of the population of St.Louis.  A couple lessons I learned?

Go when it's cold. Otherwise it is a literal zoo.  But the human kind. It was wall to wall people. Literally.
It's nice and weird eating dinner outside in December. 
Don't put favorite hats or other winter accessories on your kiddos...b/c you could well lose them. Which is what we did. Thanks Coop for dumping Mommy's favorite winter hat.
I seriously considered stroller checking about 5 people around us.  What's a stroller check?  Kind of like clothes-lining someone.  But with a 2 seater stroller.
Owen LOVES glow sticks. What 3 year old doesn't though?
Don't go to a family event and not expect strollers. There was someone behind me who seriously complained about it.  Look lady. It's the zoo.  Get serious.
Even though it was absolute chaos...we had a lot of good laughs and a fun time anyway!!

Thanks Grandma Stacey for the tickets and the memories!  A few pictures...from the craziness!

Coop and our last picture of my most favorite hat :(

O man and I decorating our own sugar cookie...it was a fun little station!

Trouble and more trouble...that's what this is a picture of!! 

Ho Ho Ho!!

Our annual visit to see Santa was a complete success!!  Thanks as always goes to Karen Wilson's State Farm office for hosting us and our crazy crew :)  It's a tradition we have come to look VERY forward to in our house!

After our visit with Santa...we headed out for some dinner!! 

As a side note, this little guy now says Ho Ho Ho in his best deep voice any time he sees a picture of Santa.  Pretty adorable!!

And that wraps up Santa visiting for 2012!  Until next year!

Happy Santa Visiting everyone!

The world is impossibly cruel

I think the sentiments on this blog are right on.  There are no right words.

Although words and thoughts come to mind...none of them express what is on my heart quite clearly enough.

A few of my thoughts include:
Immense sadness.
How could someone do that?
Why?
There are real monsters out there living amongst us.
And quite honestly...this is all simply beyond my understanding.

I'm clinging to my precious children and praying for those who don't get to do the same ever again.

For the love of Sha-bulls (a.k.a shovel)

Coop is obsessed with shovels. He has a farm book that has lift-up tabs and behind one of them are two shovels.  Thus the obsession began.  Now everything is a shovel.  Including my kitchen utensils.

He calls them sha-bulls because he can't make a v sound yet.  I was cooking the other night and he decided he needed a shovel to cook with.

Coop with his shu-bull! 

An eye check up....

Someone had a follow up at Children's this week!

That same someone got a clean bill of health!  Yay!!

Someone's Momma noted that he seemed to have turned into a big boy over night and took a picture of him waiting in the chair.

AND finally this little someone had the following conversation with the doctor (who happens to be the head of pediatric opthamology at STL Children's Hosptial!)

Owen: You going to check up my eyes?

Dr. Tyschen: Yes sir. That's what I'm going to do.

Owen: Ok. I boo boo on my knee at school. You check up my knee too? (as he pulled up his jeans to show him his knee).

As a side note...he also found the buttons that make the seat pictured above recline.  I'm pretty sure he almost jumped out of his skin! AND I'm pretty sure I'll remember the look on his face for the rest of my life!!  I laughed so hard I was crying when the doctor walked in.

Oh to be 3 and absolutely precious! 

Thanks Owen Wyatt. Momma and Dadda had a very fun afternoon with you...even though we spent at a hospital!

Celebrating 30

Ringing in 30 for me was relaxing, quiet and filled with lots of special moments I won't soon forget!!

On my birthday eve, I enjoyed an evening of crafting with April, Jackie and Stacey.  We made some super CUTE crafts (pictures coming soon)! And while we dined on pizza and crafted the night away, I was presented with a lovely basket filled with 30 things for my 30th birthday!  It was perfectly sweet and so thoughtful! For a list of my 30 fun things check out the photo below!!  I dismantled the basket that night for my cake pops (which were DELISH by the way!!) and thus I did not get a picture.  But picture a little red bucket full of goodies! SO fun!!

I woke up on my birthday and decided to dive into more of my 30 things goodness with a cup of vanilla, cinnamon nut coffee (which I will be going ot buy more of stat!!) in my favorite wintery coffee mug.

Shortly after the coffee started waking me up...the kiddos joined me for our usual morning craziness!  Diaper changes, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and breakfast :)

Enjoying another one of my most amazing birthday gifts, I did a quick self portrait in my new winter gear! It is adorable and it was the perfect way to style up my day! Thank you my bestest for knowing me like no one else!

One my delicious treats made their way into tiny toddler hands. Owen came and excitedly told me...Mommy Mommy!! I found little cookies on the table!!!!!  He helped himself.  No biggie.  Mommies know how to share right??

The boys took me to lunch and the location was my choice. I chose Red Lobster. Cooper insisted on eating with utensils.  He actually puts food on his spoon with one hand...and scoops it into his mouth with the other.  It's adorable! Though lunches with these two are always eventful...I didn't want to be anywhere else with anyone else!! Thanks for enduring an adult lunch out for Mommy boys! You both did so great! Oh and they LOVED the lobsters in the tanks.  I couldn't bear to say...people eat these...because Owen thought they were SO COOL! One day we'll break the news right??

After a car ride so little ones could snag a nap, we set out on my other request for the day!  A real tree for Christmas.  We've been so busy with the house that I wasn't up for our usual trek to Mills Apple Farm...BUT I wanted to get a tree none the less.  So we bundled up and braved the rainy cold.  After a quick 10 minute search we found our tree at our local Home Depot.  Cooper called them all Tee's...and Owen said they were beautiful.  Boys I hope we have MANY more holidays spent doing exactly this!

After about 30 minutes of "to the lefts." and "a little to the rights."  Jer had the tree perfectly straight from all sides!!  I'm pretty sure we straightened it up even after I took this last picture saying ITS PERFECT DONT TOUCH IT!  

Owen picked out a couple new ornaments for him and Cooper.  Once the lights were up, he put it on the tree!  He was so excited about the whole thing it was awesome!!

Boys...being...well...boys!

Owen's favorite part of the whole tree decorating deal was the star.  When we first put up the tree he asked us where is the star?? Little buddy we started a new tradition this year.  You and Daddy hang up our star :)  Cooper even got in on the action too!!

What a wonderful way to spend a day...especially a birthday!! My favorite time of year, my favorite holiday tradition with my favorite people in whole world.  I am loved and blessed.

Here's to 30 and whatever the world has in store for this next decade of my life!!



Random Catching up...

I had a smattering of random cell phone pictures...that told a story all their own about what's been happening in our house lately!

Owen and I made a thankful thanksgiving craft...after it was done it went on the mantle.

In progress someone thought google eyes were so awesome he needed them all over his face!

After Black Friday shopping...Owen enjoyed romping around in my new boots! Tucked in his sweat pants and everything.  My little fashionista! 

Owen dismantled our pantry baskets and fruit to create a jail cell for his horse. Sheriff Woody was on the case somewhere in the mix...he has quite the active imagination that kid!

12 hours, 4 trips to Market Basket and 1 trips to Home Depot later...our side walk project was completed.  No thanks to me. Jer did this one all by himself.  And he did an amazing job!!  Love you babe :)

Just as it got too dark to see...he finished the project.  Which included moving the old sidewalks worth of concrete!!

The boys and I chilled all day together...and it looked like this:

As a side note...have kids who like popsicles but eat them slowly??  We found these Dora the Explorer ones and they are slow melt.  It's the only way to go!

Oh and it looked like this too. Boys are hazardous to your hair!!  I had to have Jer help me unravel it. THANK GOODNESS I didn't have to cut it out!

The below picture was taken at Home Depot. Where Jer spent entirely more time in the plumbing aisle than either me or the kids could stand. Picture this:  Owen walking around singing rather loudly along with a Christmas Alvin and the Chipmunks doll that plays an equally loud Christmas song.  Cooper running through the plumbing aisles grabbing pieces of PVC pipe (we were there so long we had mutiny even in the cool car shaped carts that Home Depot has). Me pretending that I was Wall-e with pieces of PVC pipe held to my face like glasses...and Owen dropping a HUGE 3 prong piece of PVC pipe smack on his forehead.  The new bruise matched his playground induced goose egg from that morning...prompting me to call him a double-horned unicorn for the rest of the night. I should note, I was informed before going in that we were buying some plugs for basement drains.  Note to self...ask Jer if it's truly a quick trip...or a long one disguised as short one by description?  If it's the later, me and the boys will stay home!

I snapped this picture b/c I thought it was cute that Cooper was saying Dadda help?  I'm pretty sure Owen had wandered two aisles over to play with a doll house display and Jeremy may or may not have made a comment about...Um Babe. Where's our other son?  Funny what pictures don't say isn't it??

That same night at dinner...Cooper channeled his inner Bob Marley.

Or is it Toadstool from Mario Brothers??  We weren't sure...but it was funny none the less!

Work on our basement (it's been being painted and cleaned up for the sale of the house) has left us with out our washer dryer...and also frankly all the house work has left us with little energy for laundry.  Mount-Laundrymoore is the result:

2 episodes of Private Practice later...I had the boys clothes folded and lined up by their door to put away the next morning! Sheesh! Laundry back up is no laughing matter people!! Don't let it pile up on you.  

Remember these???  Well I found Coop a pair in a tennis shoe...and he LOVES them just like O did.  

I think that is just about it for now!!  Hope everyone is knee deep in holiday fun :)