Thanksgiving!!

We had a blast over this Thanksgiving break. Ryan didn't have school Tuesday through Friday and didn't have work the day after Thanksgiving. We had a good time just relaxing and spending time together. On Wednesday Ry and I decided to go on a date and get some Christmas shopping done. We ate and the Olive Garden and then went to a few different stores before spending some time with Ryan's family. On Thursday we spent Thanksgiving at Mack and Sue's with the whole family. It was GREAT!! I was in charge of bringing the green bean casserole and the rolls. The rolls were a big hit!! (**I was going to make some but Ry had bought some Texas Roadhouse rolls for a charity..so we used those). Friday we just relaxed at home and played with Owen, in the evening I went with Susan and Laura to see Life as We Know It. I really enjoyed it and thought it was cute. Saturday Ryan went hunting so I went to visit my family and spend some time with them. Most went to the BYU/UTAH game; but, I have fun playing games with Nate and Jake and then helping my mom set up her Christmas tree. I have so much to be grateful for and am glad I have had an opportunity to really reflect on those things and also spend some much needed time with family. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Owen Michael

You are 10 months old today and oh how the time has flown by! You weigh 15 lbs and have been in the zero percentile since you were born. You are very strong for how small you are. You pull yourself up to everything and crawl over just about anything.

You love to be with your dad and will always give him some of your best laughs. You will hold mommy's hand and walk along pretty much by yourself; but, you aren't quite ready to walk by yourself yet which is just fine with mommy. She will hold your hand any day!

You have 5 teeth and they have come in kinda funny. You got your top two that are on the side first. They make you look like a vampire. You then got your bottom front one and then you skipped your other bottom front one and did a side one so you had a cute little gap there too. Then last night I noticed your other bottom front one coming in.

You like to play peek a boo and you even did the hiding the other day. The past week I have noticed you understanding most of what we tell you. I have been teaching you to sign more, food, drink, and all done. You have started signing more and all done. We were playing a game the other day and each time we got done you would quickly sign "more" and we would play again. You have such a fun personality and make us laugh all the time.

You jibber jabber quite a bit and the words you say (without meaning) are dada, mama, hi, bye, a boo (as in peek a boo), mo (more), ba (ball). You mostly say them mimicking us when we say them. You say dada and mama over and over in your regular speech. But, you haven't really said them meaning us yet.

You are really a good little boy and really only cry when you are tired, hungry, or hurt. You sit through sacrament meeting as long as I give you snacks. You LOVE to drink apple juice out of your sippy cup.

You don't have very much hair, but, the hair you do have is very very blonde. You are always on the go and have sooo much energy! With the energy and your teeth we call you our little monster.

You are our little monster and we love you!

We love our life.

The past several months have been amazing. Owen brings us so much joy everyday! He is growing up so fast. Owen is 9 months old and has been crawling since he was 7 months. He loves to be on the move and explore, he is always on the go, he is "cruising" along furniture and walks when we hold just one hand, he has four teeth, he has the cutest little laugh, and really I could go on and on. Instead I will just post some pictures. Ryan is working very hard to finish school and pay the bills, he is an amazing father and loves his little boy. I have recently started working at Kids on the Move and get to take Owen with me which is such a blessing. We have had some fun times this summer and look forward to the holidays.

*warning lots of photos. 

Stewart Falls with Susan and kids

Just chillin'

I am stuck

Under the saucer

Grandma Sue

Sleeping at 9 months

Jenny Lake

Getting ready to ride horses

Owens peak

Grandpa and kids

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids

loving the food

7 months

camping

camping

campsite

picking the grass

fishing

standing up

my robe

riding with dad

tough kid

Pheasant hunting in Logan

The guys who went

California

So tired...

Owen Update

Growth Chart:

Zero Months
I outgrew my first outfit
One Month

The past five and a half weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life! Here are some of the things I have been up to. *In no particular order.

1: Having my heart grow 100 fold-My heart grows for Owen with each look, touch and thought. My heart has also grown for Ryan as I watch him be the most amazing dad I could have ever imagined! He is so patient, kind and gentle with Owen. And, he is home a lot more often than he used to be. He can't wait to come home and be with his little guy.

2:Visitors-I have had tons of visitors and am loving it! I also love when they all tell me how dang cute my baby is.

3:Diapers-Wow I never knew you could change so many diapers in a day! Really I get done changing one and he decides to poop again. I swear he might plan it out that way. I have also changed his clothes and mine and wiped the couch clean of his pee. Yes, he can pee everywhere. Thanks to my good friend Amanda for making me some "pee teepees"; they cover him so he only pees in that and saves me a lot of time cleaning up.

4:Baths-He hated his baths at first but seems to be liking them now. He lays calmly as I pour water over him and only cries when he gets cold, or before he spits up, which he has done every single time I have given him a bath.

5:Feeding-I feel like a milk cow sometimes with feeding him every 2.5 to 3 hours. But, luckily I don't have to deal with engorgement anymore and he has begun to sleep a little longer at night.

6:Sleeping less-I think I will never sleep the same again. But, I am so happy to be up with a baby now instead of pregnancy woes.

7:Enjoying cuddles, smiles, and all the little moments with Owen-I love when he falls asleep on my chest. I love watching him grow and start to focus on every little thing. I love that he looks towards us when he hears our voices. I stand in amazement that a few days ago he rolled over all on his own! I love everything about my baby.

8:Meeting my cousin Amy's baby. Kayden Michael-He is very cute and was born 3 weeks early too. He is a few weeks younger than Owen but is already bigger. I can't wait for them to become great friends
.