2010: A Year in Review

January: Another snowstorm hits Richmond, shutting down the city yet again. But it gave us the chance to enjoy some sledding and snowman building. We also began some serious preparations for the coming of D2. The office was dismantled, the computer given a new home in the corner of the living room, and a blank slate was created for setting up a nursery.

February: John got into the thick of job searching, interviewing and career counseling while enjoying heaps of daddy & boy time with Brennan.

March: Brennan got to meet Clifford, the big red dog, at the Children’s Museum. It was probably the highlight of his young life! He also made the transition to a big boy bed. Naomi had some baby shower fun at work.

April: Welcome, Owen Nathanael! We were thrilled to welcome our newest addition and begin parenting man-on-man instead of zone defense.

May: We began adjusting to life as a family of four and enjoyed visits from each set of grandparents. Owen was dedicated at our church. After five months of unemployment, John began his new job at the Family Foundation.

June: We took a family trip to DC for John’s work. Our trip allowed us to visit with dear friends, the Bredbenners, and concluded with a picnic on the Washington Mall and a visit to the Museum of Natural History.

July: We spent Independence Day weekend in Newport News with dear friends. Owen rolled over at 9 weeks old!

August: Road trip to Bloomington, IN, to visit dear friends, the Franks. Return trip included a stop at the Louisville Slugger factory.

September: Labor Day picnic in Maymont. Owen began his journey into the world of solid food.

October: We participated in our yearly tradition of apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard. For Halloween, Brennan dressed as Tigger and Owen went as a Hershey Kiss.

November: Our second (and final) road trip of the year. This time, we headed south to Florida to visit John’s family for Thanksgiving and introduce Owen to members of his extended family.

December: This was a jam-packed, fun-filled month. We opened the Christmas season with Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” concert and a Bethlehem Walk. Cookie exchanges followed. Then it was time for Owen’s first Christmas. And our big boy turned three!

What will 2011 hold for us?

Just like brother

Brennan used to LOVE rocking in his exersaucer (check out this link to a previous post). It appears that this little guy is just like his brother!

Eight Months Old

Oh so lovable, kissable, squeezable! That's our Owen! He turns eight months old today and is such a fun little boy. He smiles at everyone, loves playing with his new Christmas toys, and has amazing hair. No teeth yet, but maybe soon? We'll cherish his big gummy smiles until those first little pearly whites peek through!

3!

Brennan turns 3 today! Seriously? 3 already??? But, according to him last week, he was turning 16 on his birthday, so the time really does fly!

And what a kid he is! He loves Elmo, Clifford, the moon and stars, cars (anything with wheels, actually), and is fascinated by stop signs and light poles. His vocabulary is really taking off. It seems like he busts out with a new word every single day! His current favorites are "NO", "NO WAY", "mine", and "I want to play". He has definitely entered a very challenging phase where the challenges are really, really difficult to get through. But the fun times with him are certainly enjoyable. We love his laugh, his kisses, his hugs. He loves his brother and is so happy when Owen laughs at his antics. Happy birthday, little man!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Early Birthday Shindig

With Brennan's birthday being two days after Christmas, it makes it a little difficult to plan some sort of party for him (especially when it seems like Christmas and his birthday sneaked up on us, like it did this year). So we celebrated a little early at a playgroup gathering this morning.

Brennan has a stuffed monkey that he absolutely loves, so it seemed like a monkey-themed cake would be a perfect option for him. Boy, was he excited when he found out that Mama was making monkey cupcakes for him! I was pretty proud of how they turned out, especially since this was my first time doing anything of this magnitude!


The shyness came out when we all sang "happy birthday" to him, but he loved to finally get to eat one of his monkey cupcakes. It was definitely fun to get to share this early 3rd birthday celebration with friends!


I've also been working with Brennan on telling us how old he will be on his birthday. Yesterday, he consistently answered "16". Today, his answer is "2". Soon we'll get the real answer squared away!

Up, Up, and Away

Owen has been practicing his standing skills lately. He loves to stand while holding onto our fingers. He's still a bit wobbly, but he's been getting progressively better. He had some more practice time after his morning nap today. And, no, we didn't find him like this, but the day will soon come when we will!

Jingle Jam

We attended our church's big family Christmas bash, Jingle Jam, on Saturday evening. Food, fun, and entertainment by Ben Glenn, the Chalk Guy. Brennan did a little fishing and came up with a fun toy and then created a special jingle bell necklace. Owen spent his time chilling in his stroller and then "danced" to some Christmas carols while waiting for the entertainment to commence.

Modeling his jingle bell necklace

Two little angels underneath the Christmas tree!

The Chalk Guy in action. Seriously incredible. Check out this video for a brief summary of how he does what he does. It's also very similar to the chalk art that he did for Jingle Jam.

Sleepyhead

Owen usually gets a little sleepy during his bedtime bottle, but he'll usually wake up once he's done eating. Not a couple nights ago! He was completely out and completely adorable while sleeping on Daddy's lap, just waiting for the transfer to his cozy crib.

A Divine Combo

I personally believe that peanut butter and chocolate is quite possibly the most divine combination ever created. I also happen to be married to someone who believes that peanut butter is an abomination. Because of this, I find it quite enjoyable to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and then proceed to ask him to make out--just to see the look of horror on his face. He will only indulge me if I promise to brush my teeth and then wait about an hour.

Anyway, a few months ago, I got a craving for Puppy Chow (I know some people call it Muddy Buddies, but I'm sticking with Puppy Chow). After not having had it for years, it was fun to tempt my taste buds. Brennan and I made some today as a special snack for "Shrek the Halls" tonight. We're looking forward to introducing Brennan to this new favorite Christmas show!

The Original Puppy Chow

12 oz. box Crispix cereal
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

In medium microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until mixture is melted and smooth. Place the cereal in another large bowl and pour the melted mixture over the cereal. Stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated. Pour the powdered sugar into a large plastic food bag. Pour the coated cereal into the powdered sugar and shake until it is well covered with the sugar. Pour the cereal onto wax paper to cool and dry. Store in tightly covered containers at room temperature.

Christmas Blitz

We had quite the Christmas themed weekend! It started Friday night with what has become a tradition for us. We attended Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God" concert. We have now seen it three times and are blown away by it every time. If you aren't familiar with it, it begins in the Old Testament, telling the history of Israel and the foreshadowing of Christ, culminating in the birth of Jesus. It's a Christmas concert where Santa isn't invited. We actually listen to this CD year-round. It's one of my favorite albums ever. We highly, highly recommend it!

Saturday morning, we attended a Christmas brunch at the Richmond Convention Center and got to watch the annual Christmas parade from the cozy warm confines of the building instead of joining the masses by sitting out in 30-something degree weather! It was the first parade for both boys. Owen didn't really care about it, but Brennan seemed to enjoy it, particularly the big balloons.

Saturday night, we attended the Bethlehem Walk which was hosted by a local church in partnership with several other area churches. It takes guests into first-century Bethlehem, with scenes focusing on Jesus' birth, His ministry, His death, and His resurrection. We were pretty impressed by how well-done it was. It was a pretty chilly night, but the boys did well and the random fires throughout Bethlehem helped to ward off some of the chill. This may become a yearly tradition for our household!


Sunday morning, I was thrilled to open up our blinds and discover a light dusting of snow on the ground! It helped reawaken that yearly desire for a white Christmas.


We completed the Christmas blitz by attending a cookie exchange Sunday night with other families from our playgroup. Tons of people, lots of great food and fellowship, and plenty of yummy cookies to sample there and bring home with us. A busy weekend, but definitely fun-filled!

Tree Time!

We got our tree decorated last night. Brennan was so excited when I set it up yesterday afternoon. He kept wanting to show me the Christmas tree. Decorating it was even more fun this year because Brennan really got into it and was thrilled to get to help put the ornaments on. What a great time of year!

Thanksgiving Adventures

We traveled to Florida this past week to celebrate Thanksgiving with John's family. This was my first trip back there since we moved away over 2.5 years ago, so I was a little apprehensive about returning. I was quickly reminded of how thankful I am to not be living there anymore! Despite the warm temperatures (I'm a northern girl; it feels slightly weird to eat Thanksgiving dinner while wearing shorts!) and crazy drivers, we truly enjoyed our visit and the boys experienced some good quality time with their grandparents. Brennan warmed up to them very quickly and asked regularly where "dammy" (grandma) was, including asking as soon as we arrived home again!





One of the challenges with traveling means that sleep can be a bit disrupted. That was definitely the theme for our kiddos during the week. Brennan was so tired by Tuesday evening that it made mealtime a bit interesting! Only one other time has he fallen asleep during dinner due to extreme tiredness--and we were glad to get this time on video. Even though he was exhausted, he continued to "sleep eat" because he really wanted his waffle! (And, yes, we made sure he finished chewing his food and put him to bed before he fell out of the chair)

Owen turned seven months old yesterday. We celebrated by finishing our drive back home. I can't say it enough: we are super thankful for this little guy! He charmed everyone he met on our trip, smiled at everyone, and was thrilled to get held and loved on by his relatives. He's also been perfecting his sitting up skills, which means more interacting and playing with Brennan. What a joy Owen is to us!

A Weight-y Issue

At Owen's six-month check-up, we learned that he had gained virtually no weight since his four-month appointment. A disappointment, to be sure, as well as a matter for some concern. Since solids were still a challenge for him, it began to look like a milk supply issue. We immediately began supplementing with formula, but that presented it's own challenges. First, it was simply getting him to take a bottle. Then, between nursing, supplementing, and attempting solids, it seemed like I was constantly trying to get him to eat, which took up all his awake time and left him no time to play. Then came the somewhat difficult decision to stop nursing him. Thankfully, both Owen and I have adapted well to our new feeding arrangements. He takes a bottle like a champ and has finally decided that opening his mouth for solids might actually mean that he'll be rewarded with something tasty.

We headed in for a weight check this morning. Boy, were we surprised! After about 2.5 weeks, he's gained nearly 1.5 pounds--putting him at 15 lbs., 7.5 oz.! We are so thankful that he's gaining weight well and really thriving on his formula and solids.

Country Boys

Since I love country music, we listen to a LOT of country music throughout our day. Brennan really enjoys it and has a blast dancing to the tunes. His current favorite: "That's How Country Boys Roll" by Billy Currington. I got some of his moves on video (but, alas, when the camera comes out, the silly behavior starts), and even Owen showed some of his excitement.

Upright

Now that he's six months old, Owen definitely shows much more interest in being upright and engaging more in "conversation" with the rest of his family members on a little more level playing field. We've been working with him a bit on sitting up without assistance and last night was the first night he achieved more than just a few seconds. We loved catching this milestone on video!

Box Art

Thanks to Amazon Mom and a special promo code in my "Parents" magazine, I placed my first online order for diapers. While it might not be practical (or as cost-effective) to do that on a regular basis, it was really nice to have them dropped right on my doorstep. For Brennan, the best part was the huge box the diapers were shipped in. Its been a place to park his vehicles, and now it's becoming a huge work of art. Who knew what many functions a box could have!

Halloween!

We went to a Fall Festival last night at the West End Assembly of God, which is right down the street from us. It was a pretty significant production and A LOT of fun. I think this could join apple-picking at Carter Mountain Orchard as an October staple. Special thanks goes to Pete and Vallie Woods for lending us super-cute costumes for the night.

Our costume-resistant boy finally relented and discovered that it can be quite fun to be a tiger (or a Tigger) for a day.


Owen went as a Hershey kiss (sweet, round and yummy -- just like him!) -- not a princess, as one or two people thought.


Brennan was more participatory than usual and actually played many of the games, which earned him his choice of candy from a tub. He was especially good at dropping the clothespin in the bucket, tossing the bean bag, and throwing the football (I wish scouts from UR had been there). He wasn't especially good at limiting himself to one or two pieces at a time.

We gathered at 6:30 for a big treasure hunt, where candy was hidden in straw across a patch of ground cordoned off by hay bales. Brennan waited with anticipation, but when the rush was on he stayed rooted to the hay bale he was sitting on. He came away with a foot-long piece of straw, which probably made him the big winner in his mind. More lucrative was the trip to the Henrico police department table, flanked by a cruiser and unmarked Dodge Charger with blue lights blinking and flashing. One of the officers beckoned Brennan forward and then dropped a fist full of candy into his pumpkin bucket. Just like that the night's bounty increased by about 50%!

And a good thing too, because this boy likes his chocolate bars. A Snickers bar has served as both a late-night snack and an after breakfast dessert since we returned home.

On that pace it's a good thing we have another Fall Festival tonight at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church!

Half a Year

Has it really been six months already? Hard to remember what life was like before Owen entered our world. He is probably the most happy baby on the planet--sleeps like a champ, rarely fusses. We are definitely blessed! He has gotten much more comfortable in his exersaucer and doorway jumper. Solids are still a challenge with him, but I'm hopeful that a little more practice will get him eager to move on to some yummy items! He loves to smile and laugh at his brother. It's fun to listen him discover the many different and fun noises that he makes, complete with random happy shrieks. Happy half-birthday to our little man!

Last Meal

If I had to choose a last meal, I think it would be this chicken pot pie. Seriously, try this. You won't regret it! The best part is that it makes two pies, so you can freeze one for later or give the other one away.

Old Fashioned Deep Dish Chicken/Beef Pot Pie

Filling

½ cup butter

2 pckg 10oz each frozen mixed veggies

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups chix or beef broth

2 chix or beef bouillon cubes

4 cups cooked chix or beef cut into 1 inch cubes

½ cup flour

2 cups frozen hash browns

1 tsp thyme leaves

¼ tsp garlic powder

Pastry

1 pckg 15oz refrigerated pie crust

1 egg beaten

2 tsp dried parsley

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for two minutes; gradually add milk, chicken broth and bouillon cubes (breaking up as you stir). Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in chicken, set aside.

Cook mixed veggies according to package directions, drain.

Cook hash browns in boiling water for 6 minutes or until tender, drain. Add veggies, hash browns, thyme and garlic powder to chix/beef mixture.

Divide evenly between two 9 inch deep-dish pie pans. Place pie crust on top of each pie. Fold excess pastry over the top of each pie and press with a fork against edge of pan. Brush crust with egg; sprinkle with parsley leaves. Make sure to slice slits in tip of pastry to let steam escape.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until filling starts to bubble and pastry is golden brown.

Same

Same outfit, same Bumbo. Off the charts cuteness!

Brennan at 4 months

Owen at 5 months

Long Time

Wow, it's been a long time since our blog has been updated! Sometimes, life gets a little hectic and crazy and blogging takes a backseat! And it's sad to say that I'm currently using the excuse of updating the blog to postpone cleaning my house. Oh, well.

I attempted this morning to get some photos of the boys in their "Big Brother/Little Brother" shirts. It mostly worked. Brennan has entered the defiant phase which makes it very difficult to get him to cooperate with anything, including posing for photos (which he used to like). Ah, the joys of an almost three-year-old!

Brennan has also been busting loose with TONS of words lately. We've lost count of how many words he's saying these days. Some of his favorites are "dada home" and "stop sign." He's also recently said his name for the first time and he loves to repeat words that we say. Last night's funny repetition was "dirty butt"--I was changing a messy diaper at the time! He's also started calling for objects when we ask him to look for something. For example, we were at a friend's house and he was outside playing. He came back outside and didn't have his shoes on. We immediately went outside to try to find his shoes (especially since it was starting to get dark), and I asked him to help me look for them. He started wandering around the yard calling "Shoes! Shoes!" All the while, his shoes were by the front door (and yes, I did put shoes on him before he went outside, but he somehow came back in and took them off without me seeing him). He does this with a number of objects--his cup, his toy stop sign from his train set, the moon. We can't wait to hear what he's going to say next!

Twins Love

Playoffs begin today. May this be the year. We're showing our love in this house today! Don't let us down, Twins!

Hot Stuff

Brennan recently developed a fascination with Daddy's sunglasses. He loves to wear them and finds it especially fun to push them up on his head. It appeared time for him to have his own sunglasses.

Welcome October

After a long, hot summer, fall has finally arrived. I couldn't be happier about; I'm definitely ready for a reprieve from the heat and the humidity. October ushered in the temperatures I've been craving, as well as letting us indulge in some fun fall activities, a couple new and one yearly tradition.

Friday night, we visited Tom Leonard's Farmer's Market where they were hosting a Friday night movie in the pumpkin patch. Friday's feature was "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", so we thought it would be fun to introduce Brennan to this classic. Bundled up in our jackets (except for Brennan, who is a bit reluctant to shed the cloak of summer), sipping on hot chocolate and cider, and munching on popcorn, we settled in to our hay bale seats and geared up for the movie. It was a great family activity, hopefully one that will be repeated in future Octobers.

Saturday morning, we indulged in our yearly tradition of apple picking. Off to Carter Mountain Orchard we went to get our fill of all things apple. Brennan was more interested in it this year, and it was fun to introduce Owen to this tradition, even though he spent most of his time in the stroller or in the sling. Twenty pounds of apples later, we said good-bye to the orchard for another year with visions of pies and purees for Owen dancing in our heads.

To cap off our Saturday, we ventured out to the Republican Roundup, hosted by our congressman, Eric Cantor. There was free food (always love free food) and activities for the kids, plus the requisite speech from Mr. Cantor himself. We enjoyed running into some friends of our from playgroup and getting some good time with them, which easily transitioned to a quick ice cream run afterward for a fun dessert outing.

A ride on the little fire truck was all we could convince him to try!

Free Cold Stone Tonight Only!

Today (9/30) from 5 to 8 pm get a free 3 oz Kate’s Creation at Cold Stone Creamery. This creation includes caramel apple ice cream mixed with chocolate shavings, graham cracker pie crust and apple pie filling! A donation to Make-A-Wish is suggested but not required. Be sure to check it out and support a great cause!

Jumping Boy

I've been putting Owen in his doorway jumper and exersaucer a bit more lately to help him exercise his legs a bit. He doesn't really like it all that well, but today was the first day he actually seemed relatively happy in the jumper. I'm looking forward to the day when he really gets to be "jumping boy" in it!

Five Months

Owen turned five months old yesterday. The time is just flying by with him! I can't say enough about how much joy this precious little boy has brought into our lives. Last night, John and I got to have some rare time with just us and him and we certainly enjoyed getting some quality time with this little guy!

Owen's Likes:
Smiling and laughing at Brennan
Smiling in general
Wiggling
Rolling from side to side
Playing with the fish on his activity gym
Playing with his hair while he nurses
Being kissed and hugged

Owen's Dislikes:
Being in his exersaucer for any length of time
Solid food

Arts Around the Lake

We headed to the University of Richmond after church today to check out the Arts Around the Lake show. We were a little puzzled when we arrived because we got down to the lake and there were no exhibits. Despite the perfect weather outside, we discovered the show was relocated to the basketball stadium because a chance of rain was in the forecast. Off we went to take a quick peek at some of the art exhibits before heading back home in time for lunch and naps. UR is such a beautiful campus that we definitely enjoyed our walk there. Brennan was in little boy heaven with leaves, pine needles, and trees galore.

We also got to check out the brand new football stadium that just opened this year. We've enjoyed getting to see UR play each year that we've been here, but don't think we'll be able to make it to a game this year. So it was fun to get to see the stadium, even though it wasn't game day and charged with energy.

Tiny Tastes

After holding off until almost five months, Owen started his journey toward solid food. It was a little sad for me--it means my baby is growing up! But I am excited about making his baby food and introducing him to all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. He actually ate very little of the cereal (can't blame him; rice cereal is pretty bland!), but I'm hoping he'll get used to things after a few days. Then, it will be on to all the fun things waiting in the wings for him!

Art

Playgroup yesterday afternoon was all about art. Our host had boards lined up in her backyard for kids to paint on, many different colors of paint to choose from, stencils to use. It was quite the set-up! After a pretty spectacular meltdown from Brennan when it came time to actually put the paint shirt on, he seemed to really get into the project and enjoy creating the kind of masterpiece only a 2.5 year old can create.

A work in progress

The finished project--a great keepsake for him!

Hats

Grandma Downer recently returned from a trip to Panama, and she sent the boys some fun baseball hats. There was definitely some hat-love going on in our house last night! I even think Brennan may have slept in his hat last night!