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!