Beautiful things...

my new favorite worship song, and possibly band. enjoy!
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OR7VOKQ0xJY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Faith In Action

 

This past Sunday our church joined forces with 4 or 5 other churches and canceled Sunday services and served our community. We went to Osbourne High School and cleaned, painted, and did other random projects. It was a HUGE campus and there were 600ish people there all serving together! Our church does this once a quarter and we love it. Our family loves it too, this time was the first time we Owen served along side of us. He did well, and was super happy to be washing windows with his buddy Logan. He hung in for about 45 minutes, and then I took him to the on site child care for kids 3 and older. It was a good day, and I'm sooooo thankful to be apart of a chuch body that gets outside of it's walls. 

Here is a link from the local news that talks about our time at Osbourne:

http://vimeo.com/20274662

32 weeks

We are moving right along with this pregnancy. I feel like we have entered the stage where the rest of time will go by slowly. I remember being pregnant with Owen and the last 6 weeks went by so slowly. I am so ready to meet this sweet little girl, and figure out what life with two kids will be like. I know most people reading this might think I'm crazy, and who knows when she's here the reality of having two kids and all the challenges that come along with having a newborn, I may be wanting to put her back in! =)

I am not sleeping well these days AT ALL. Joe and I have noticed some kind of odd pattern with my sleep. I will have one day of really good sound sleep-like not even getting up to pee, which is amazing! then the next night i sleep, but not as well. the next night i am up for hours tossing and turning, trying to find the most comfortable position. My ribs will hurt if I sleep too long on one side, and then I will flip over and then my other set of ribs will hurt. If I happen to fall onto my back I wake up because I can't breathe...Then the cycle will start all over. I wonder if this is how this little lady will sleep when she is out of the womb??? My energy level is slowing down. I feel as if up until this point my energy has been good. I think the increasing weight and being so close to delivery just wears me out. Going up and down the stairs all day long, chasing Owen around, and cleaning have become more challenging.

Selah is a mover and shaker. This girl is constantly moving. I often feel her even when I'm walking around. I feel her all hours of the day, but she is the most active at night when Joe and I are laying in bed. We watch her make my belly shift, and watch her kick and punch! Joe made the comment the other night that she moves more than Owen ever did. Which is SO true!

We are preparing for her arrival a little more each day. My aunt cam over last weekend and we tackled cleaning and organizing her bedroom. She also helped me with some of my nesting issues. She was so sweet and organized three of our messy closets. She helped with laundry and even mopped my wood floors! Next weekend Joe plans on painting the baby's room. My friend, Michelle, is making her curtains, bed skirt and a crib sheet! She's almost done and I can't wait to see it!

3 years old

It's so hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that three years ago we held Owen for the first time. Well, we were home from the hospital by now (I am a few days late on his birthday post) But, three years ago, he was itty bitty.  Three years ago I heard his sweet little cry for the first time, saw his big ALERT blue eyes, and ran my fingers through his full head of curly dark hair. It seems so long ago, but when I sit and think about the day he was born I can go back to that sweet precious day in a second.

Owen is talking so much more and putting together really great sentences. He will tell me things that he has clearly been thinking about for awhile. For example, randomly he will say "when Selah comes home she will have small feet" or "when I get big like daddy i drive a car".  He is drawing and coloring well. He knows all his letters and colors. He still has a hard time counting to 10 on some days and recognizing those numbers are tricky for him. He loves playing catch and playing soccer. He loves throwing the ball for Charlie.  He loves to go to Barnes and Noble ("the train store") and play with the train table and read books with us. He loves to "make" which means sliding a chair next to me when I'm at the counter cooking dinner, and him playing with the pots and pans, or with wooden spoons and tupperware. He loves to sing. He now sings songs that I have been playing in the car or at home that he regularly hears like Fiest, Jack Johnson, my worship CD and so much more!  He has got peeing in the toilet down-he even pees standing up most of the time now. He can stay dry for a long while now. Sometimes I even forget to remind him, and he will announce "I have to go potty!"....YES! We are still working on him pooping in the toilet, but I know we will get there...hopefully sooner than later! He loves reading his Bible and he memorized his first Bible verse last month. We are currently working on another verse and he's doing great! He is trying to grasp the idea of Jesus loving him so much-something that he's learning in church this month and we are talking about at home with him. He told me yesterday that Jesus loves him and loves his buddy Isaac! =)

Owen is such a complete joy in our lives. He makes us laugh everyday. He challenges us everyday. He gives the best smooches and has been giving them more than he ever has as of lately. He is my favorite little boy!

We had a birthday party at Chick-fil-a this weekend with his friends and he had a blast!  On his real birthday, I made scrambled eggs and toast with Nutella for breakfast (his favorite) then that evening I made Joe and I a special Valentines Dinner and we had cupcakes and sang Owen Happy Birthday. I loved how simple it was-just the three of us!

Hanging out with the Chick-fil-a cow!

He REALLY likes the Birthday song!

Good morning big 3 year old boy!

mmmmmm...Nutella!

My boys.

faces and imagination

Owen hit a big mile stone this past weekend. He was drawing with his aqua doodle (which if your little one does not have one...they should-coolest crafty toy ever!) and he told Joe and I "I draw face". When we asked to see what he drew sure enough there was a head two eyes and a mouth.  I asked him to draw it again and he did! He said he was drawing Owen.

It is really cool to see his little imagination unfold and see what he comes up with from day to day. I love hearing his little chatter he does with his toys. He makes up stories and role plays with them for long periods of time. Sometimes, it's telling and convicting the way he talks to his toys because he repeats words and phrases we say to him. For example, he will boss Charlie around and tell him things like "now Charlie you make good choice". Or, he loves talking to his toys in the bath tub. He will go on for a good 10 minutes making up dialogue for them. I have to catch it on video!

Drawing a face seems like a big deal and huge mile stone to me! I can't believe he drew it so well, and SO clear! He is getting so big and I think more things like these are in our near future!

Sweetness for my soul

Owen has always been a classic daddy's boy. He and Joe have a very special bond.  He is a boys boy through and through. It's just how God made him, and I love it! Although I would not be lying if there were weird times through out the last three years where I secretly wished he preferred me over Joe. =) Well, it seems I have gotten my wish. Over the last month or so Owen has definitely preferred me over Joe. He has become so much more lovely toward me and always chooses to ride in my car with me over his daddy, when we drive separate cars. When I get a rare moment of going to grocery store or anywhere without Owen, and Joe stays with him, Joe reports how he asks about me all the time. It's sweet, and it warms my heart!

Yesterday was just icing on the cake. After eating lunch, Owen ran up and curled up in my lap, wrapped his skinny arms around my neck and said "You're my favorite Mommy" (totally unprompted by the way) He's never said those words to either Joe or I. (It probably stems from us telling him daily he's our favorite boy). But, It serious melted this mama's heart and I would be lying if I didn't say it didn't bring some tears to my eyes. Yes, it made me get a little teary.

I think it's a sweet sweet time for this sweet little bond for Owen and I to bloom. We are now officially 10 weeks away from the due date of our little girl. Maybe God is preparing Owen in some way that I don't know about on the emotional level of him having a sibling. Maybe God is preparing ME for a world of change having two children and not as much time with Owen. I don't know the reason for Owen wanting to be closer and loving me more than usual. I don't need a reason, I will just take it and eat it up!


Me and my favorite boy:

California days

Well, we have been home from California for about a week and a half and I'm just now getting to posting about our trip. This trip was a a trip that Joe and I wanted to take as one last trip with being a a family of three. We wanted to take advantage of Owen having one more visit with family and friends that would revolve only around him =) One on one time with Grandma and Papa, special sleep overs-just him at Auntie Kim and Uncle Joel's house and one very special day going to Disneyland! We had a great time and feel so blessed that we were able to go and that we have such great family and friends there!

Here's some of my favorite pictures of our time there:

The first day we got there,my parents had a lot of tangerines to be picked. So, we sent all the grandkids to take care of it for them. It was so beautiful in CA and Owen loved the sunshine!

My sister's little girl, Kailyn. LOVE her!!!

I ust love this picture of Owen and my mom!

Me and my mama!

Owen loved meeting all the characters at Disneyland. He was not afraid at all!

Me and O on Main Street

Meeting Mickey!

Joe and Owen on Dumbo-Owen's favorite ride

Owen's "best friend" (as Owen calls him) Isaac met us there. We were so happy that the Bowers and the Kings met us at Disneyland ad spent the day with us!!

We went on a day trip to Ventura Beach with my parents one day.

Joe and my dad. Enough said. =)

A GORGEOUS California day in January!

Papa and his boy!