Owen seemed a little bored the other day so I made some homemade fingerpaint and let him play for awhile. He didn’t really know what to think about it but he eventually got into it and made a cute painting that is hanging on our fridge!

what is this stuff??

his serious face….

He’s a budding little artist!

Owen went for his 18 month checkup this past week (he was 18 months on Christmas Day). He now weighs 28 lbs 1 oz. and is 34 inches tall. He grew 4 inches in two months!! He is still smack dab in the middle of the average range for height on the developmental charts but it was a lot for him to grow in two short months.

He has definitely started to develop an opinion about things recently. This past week he started saying no (which was cute for about 0.5 sec!). So, now when we need to change his diaper, change his clothes, etc. he runs from us yelling “No, No No No NOOOOOOOO!!!” It’s insanity! I have read that the terrible two’s is a myth and that it’s more like the terrible 1 1/2’s. I’m definitely starting to believe in that. There has been an increase in temper tantrums and questionable behavior as of late.

Despite the opinionated screaming and tantrums he is turning into quite the ham. Chris just said yesterday that he thinks Owen will be a class clown in school. He loves to be the center of attention and make people laugh. Here are some recent pictures of our big boy:

he’s eating from a plate now using utensils…
several people who shall remain nameless **ahem…Connie and Papaw….** have gotten into a bad habit of bringing him a sack of donut holes on a regular basis. When he sees that white sack he goes crazy!

We still haven’t worked out good sleeping habits and many nights he sits at the end of the bed with his legs poked out crying and waiting for someone to come see about him. When I checked on him the other night this is what I found….

Apparently, he had woke up and sat with his legs out awhile (without crying) and finally just laid over and went to sleep. It was too cute not to capture on camera!

Owen’s absolute favorite thing to do is build. He would rather play with tools and blocks than cars and trucks any day. His Grammy and Papa got him a very cool tool bench for Christmas that came in right after the holidays. He loves playing with it and is getting really good at operating all of the different parts. It has a real working drill, a cell phone, wrenches, a hammer, nuts and bolts, screws, and on and on. Chris and I really like playing with it too. Here are a few pictures of our little builder. I realize that he looks a little like a homeless child. He still had on his pjs and had decided that he wanted to wear his hat when I took these. He’s definitely got a mind of his own these days!

multitasking….

We have had a lot of fun spending time together over the Christmas Break. Here are a few more miscellaneous pictures of our time together:

Owen loves his Elmo Live! He particularly likes to push him down to hear him ask for help getting back up. This may be teaching him a bad habit, but we’ll see.
What the living room looks like if Owen is left to his own devices while I’m in the kitchen cooking…….

I was in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast the other day and when I peeked out I found Owen sitting in his little chair up on the fireplace. For some reason, he loves to be up off the ground….whether it’s doing flips, jumping on the couch, or laying on the coffee table…it’s so weird and can be highly aggravating.

Reece came over to play one afternoon and I found them jumping on the bed……

Chris has made pancakes several mornings over the break. Owen definitely loves his pancakes!

I tried to catch Owen wearing some of his new clothes before church last Sunday but this was the best I could do. He looked so handsome in his new clothes and shoes. He loves going to Sunday school to sing songs, learn about Jesus, and play with his friends.

Some friends of ours gave Owen this bouncing zebra last week. He looks so funny bouncing and spinning nonstop. I caught him wearing my pink razorback hat while he was playing. Chris was so proud 😉 I had to add a few pictures!

just one more!

Owen has also taken a liking to Emma’s dog bed. He drags that thing everywhere like it’s his own portable seat. Tonight, he put it up on the coffee table and climbed up there to lay on it. He has really kept us entertained lately with all his new games and tricks.

It’s so hard to believe that another year has passed. At Christmas last year, we were so proud that Owen could sit up on his own. Flash forward to this Christmas and Owen is running, climbing, and jumping. It’s amazing how fast they grow and develop. 2008 was a year of firsts for sure. We experienced first steps, first words, first blackeye (and surely not the last), a first birthday, and lots of great memories. 2008 had its ups and downs but we are definitely blessed beyond measure and looking forward to what this next year will hold.

Happy New Year!

Chris found this little sports set for Owen for Christmas. It came with two nets, 4 hockey sticks (2 for big kids, 2 for little kids), two balls for ball hockey, and a soccer ball. I was skeptical that it would be too big for Owen and that he wouldn’t play with it. I was totally wrong. The kid loves it!

The other day, Chris and Owen had their official first lesson. Here’s Chris giving a lesson on correct form (notice he had to put all his “gear” on for this).

showing Owen how to throw his hands in the air and yell “score”! This lesson stuck because Owen constantly throws his hands up (no matter what the situation) and yells “sco!”

discussing how to keep your stick on the “ice”….still working on that one!

Owen demonstrating his own technique

Owen actually scored a little goal…he looks stunned!

**for those faithful readers (all 4 of you!) I know that you have noticed that we are drowning in toys but I’m happy to announce that we have remedied the situation over the Christmas break and our house now actually looks like adults live here too! So, future posts should contain pictures that are a little less toy-dominated**

Santa left this really cute hat in Owen’s stocking and I tried and tried to get a picture of him wearing it….you can see that didn’t go very well! He’s giving me the same look that Chris gives me when I annoy him…..I recognize that look immediately!

Multi-tasking at its best….playing with his new farmhouse, eating a cup of cheerios, and watching his new favorite show, the Backyardigans.

making a deposit into his fun new piggy bank

Santa left foam bath letters and numbers as well as bath crayons in Owen’s stocking. He would stay in the tub for over an hour if we’d let him these days. Directly behind his head is an Owen original. The crayons came with a duck sponge eraser and Owen has designated me the official eraser. He won’t let me draw with the crayons but he yells at me (still in his Japanese speech) when he wants me to erase. Once, I made the mistake of leaning over to look at what he was drawing on the inside of the tub and he politely took his hand and moved my head out of the way. He’s so funny these days!

Chris made sure that Santa brought Owen more sports equipment (like the baseball glove and ball and lacrosse equipment were not enough!). Stay tuned for a very entertaining post featuring Owen’s first hockey lesson……

We had a busy Christmas as usual. We went to my Uncle Mike’s on Christmas Eve and ate lots of good food and opened presents.

Owen definitely enjoys opening presents since it’s the only time he gets to tear paper and destroy something without getting in trouble.

Owen got a new book from Nan-Nan

and a Sesame Street remote from Aunt Missy and Uncle Josh.

We always go back to Uncle Mike’s on Christmas morning for a big breakfast. After getting up early, opening gifts, and going back down to Mike’s for breakfast, Owen was exhausted.

After a short nap, we headed to my parents house for another Christmas. Owen spent time working with tools with Grandpa (his great-grandfather). He really loves Grandpa and gets so excited to see him.

Owen racked up at Nonnie and Papaw’s house. One of his favorite gifts was this See N’ Say.

eating more good food!

After all the different Christmas celebrations we attended, Owen was definitely ready to spend time at home playing with his new toys….more on that coming soon!