Sleep Party

As I am writing this Luke and Owen are having a sleep party down in the living room. Owen has been really missing his Daddy lately, so today Luke planned a sleep party for them. Of course Owen was really excited about this all day long. So, Luke blew up the air mattress and brought out the sleeping bags and they read some books like normal. Then I tucked them in, turned out the lights, and came up stairs so they could talk. As you can tell by looking at the picture they are both sound asleep.

NO

Ava's newest word is no. She knows when to use it too. Like asking her if she is done eating, or if she wants to go inside, or if she needs a drink. So far it is really cute when she does say it. I'm praying that it will never turn into a sassy NO.

Hide and seek

Owen and I played hide and seek today. It was so much fun. Owen had a blast. He would tell me where to hide (always the same spot) while he counted. Then when it was my turn to count he would tell me where he was going to hide (again same spot). So, even though he knew where I would be and I would know where he would be he would bust out in giggles when we found each other. I put a twist to the game to make it even more exciting. Sometimes I would hide in a different spot and totally throw him off. While he would be looking for me Ava would come and sit about 5 feet away from me pointing and talking so you think Owen would catch on but no he never did. The part that I think is the funniest is when he would tell me where he was going to hide and after I got done counting I would act like I didn't know where he was. I would say things like "where could Owen be, is he behind the couch" and before I had time to check he would answer through his giggles "no". Owen sure knows how to make his mama laugh!

My House

All right if you know me really well, then you know that it is VERY important to me that my house is neat and orderly at all times. Just thinking of my house messy or out of place makes me want to cringe. I have no problem when other peoples houses have a look of being lived in, but mine needs to be clean and clutter free. Well, this afternoon was kind of crazy at our house. I had to go to the clinic and get my allergy shot at 5:45 and then be at a Bible study at 6:30. So I just had to make sure that dinner was ready before I left so Luke and the kids could eat when he got home. He called me to let me know he wasn't going to make it in time. So I had to make dinner faster, neglect the other projects that needed attention, and have the kids and myself fed and out the door pronto. Of course I notice Ava had a poopy diaper as I am buckling her in her car seat and then remember that she is out of diapers in the diaper bag, and Owen is running around with dead minnows in his hand that he found in the garage instead of getting in his car seat. We finally make it to the clinic and Luke met us there to get the kids, and he informs me that a friend from work was stopping by the house to pick something up. My first response to Luke was "is he coming in the house" which of course I knew the answer was yes. Yep he was going to go into the house that I just left looking like a tornado went through. I was so embarrassed that he was going to see my clean load of unfolded towels on the table, the kids dinner plates still on the table, toys every where, my bed unmade, a bag of poopy diapers in the entry way that I for got to take out with me, a sink full of dirty dishes, and well the list could go on. The thing that bothered me the most was the bed not being made. I made it in the morning, but then Owen took his nap in our bed today and I didn't remake it. It completely drives me crazy if my bed is not made. So, you are probably thinking it is not a big deal, who cares what it looked like, but of course I do. I can also tell you that as I am sitting here typing this entry that my house is neat and orderly once again.

Four of a Kind to Full House

We have a little secret,
we want to share with you.

We just can't keep it anymore,
so here's a little clue.

Although we can not see it,
were thankful just the same.

Our newest little member,
has changed our Blogs name!

EGGS!

On Saturday my family came over to celebrate both of my brother's birthdays, my sister in law's birthday, and my birthday. All 4 of our birthdays are within 17 days of each other so my Mom always has a get together in March for us. This year my Mom asked to have it at our house. All in all it was a great day! The weather was perfect for playing outside, the food was great, the cake was yummy, and we even colored Easter eggs! Owen really enjoyed making the same egg many colors where as Ava enjoyed them as their natural white. Ava is still to young to eat eggs (according to her Doctor) so the pictures of her looking like she is eating one it still has the shell on it and she is just pretending! When we were all done Owen tried one and decided he just likes the white stuff not the yellow stuff! Luke and I also had the opportunity to be "The Mean Parents" Owen decided he wasn't going to eat dinner. Both Luke and I warned him multiple times that if he didn't eat some of his dinner he would not get cake and ice cream later. Of course there was a major fit when the cake and ice cream came out. Together Luke and I explained to him why he couldn't have any and then transitioned him into another activity. It was a little tough, but we got through it. I think Grandma struggled with our choice of no cake and ice cream for Owen just as much as Owen did. When Owen couldn't hear she said to me can't he have just a little bit everyone else is this is breaking my heart. Of course I said no and stuck to the decision Luke and I made and believe it or not he was and is just fine. Tonight if he eats a good dinner I will give him some of the leftover cake and ice cream!

Hiding

Look at my new hiding spot!

EXCAVATOR

On Friday Luke took Owen over to a job site where our friend Tony was working with his excavator, so Owen could go for a ride. Owen was very very excited to ride in the big excavator. Tony said that Owen knew just what to do with the levers. Owen had a blast and came home all smiles talking about Tony's excavator. At lunch today he asked if he could go for a ride in the excavator again.

Walking

Monday night Ava (15 months) took her first steps. It was great she was standing next to the couch by Luke and she took off walking to me. I was sitting on the floor talking to Luke and it totally shocked both of us to see her walk. It was so cute. Very ungraceful steps with an overjoyed expression on her face. I told Luke she looked like Woody from the movie Toy Story coming at me. She didn't walk at all yesterday but she has been on and off today. She goes at 4:00 today for her 15 month check up. I am so excited to tell her Doctor that she is finally walking! She will be getting shots today as well. I am not looking forward to that at all. These pictures are a little blurry, but they were the best I could do on my own. When Luke gets home I will have him help me with her to get some better pics.

SOCKS

I caught up on all of our laundry Monday thanks to my helpers. I have one excellent helper and one excellent helper in training. Owen does a great job putting shirts on hangers for me; while Ava plays with the extra hangers. Owen can also sort everyone socks into separate piles; Ava grabs random socks and makes her own pile. (This random pile thing really frustrates Owen like you wouldn't believe) When we are done sorting and folding Owen helps me put all the clean clothes away while Ava watches. Some time in the future I will have at least two excellent laundry helpers who will do all the laundry for me! I can't wait for that day to come!

Weekend Away

We had a great weekend! We went to a water park hotel for 2 nights with our friends Cole and Sarah. The kids had a blast playing in the water. We also went for some adventurous walks, had a picnic in our van, toured a train museum, and did some shopping! Luke and Cole planned the trip together for Sarah and I to celebrate our birthdays. Our birthdays are two days apart. Over the weekend Owen decided that Cole and Sarah's baby is going to be a boy and his name is going to be Puck!

UNDERWEAR

Owen is officially a big boy now. He wears underwear! I can't believe how easy it was for him once he wanted to do it. The whole peer pressure from family and friends really didn't bother him in the past. He is just like well both of his parents stubborn. He does things his way when he wants to! He has been wearing underwear for over a week now and has only had 5 accidents. I think all but 2 of them have happened while trying to aim the toilet. He has been sleeping through the night in underwear as well. No more diapers for Owen!

OWEN

IF THE TRACTOR'S STUCK GO FISHING!

Two in a bed

There were two in the bed and the little one said "roll over, roll over" so they all rolled over and one fell out....

TIRED

Playing outside can really wear a princess out! Ava fell asleep on the rug in the kitchen about 45 minutes earlier than when I normally lay her down for a nap. I was busy cleaning up our lunch mess when I noticed she had fallen asleep. She sure keeps me smiling!

We went outside to play today. Here are a few pictures of what we all did. Ava is crying in the picture with the sled because I stopped moving. She really enjoyed riding on the sled and was really upset when I quit. I think she could have rode on it all day long if I would have let her. Our snow man's life was short lived Owen decided to knock him over after a few pictures. Owen ate a lot of snow and seemed not to mind that it was dirty. I told him several times that it was dirty and gross but he didn't care.

Reading

One more thought for the day. I just went into Owen's room to check on him and he was laying on his bed looking at his Bible. I asked him what he was reading about and he said "Samson." I asked "what about Samson?" His response was "Delilah was naughty and cut Samson's hair." "Yeah that sure was naughty of her wasn't it" I said. It truly amazes me how much of the Bible Owen knows and understands. He just turned 3 and He can tell us just about every persons name and story in his 500 plus page Bible. He doesn't need to look at the pictures to tell us the stories he will randomly bring them up on his own. Some of his favorites are David and the Goliath, Jonah and the big fish, The Sneaky snake, Daniel and the lions, and Pharaoh's dream. He also likes to put himself and our family into the stories. Luke is David, Owen is Goliath, I am Daniel and Ava is Jonah. I love his imagination and his love for books and learning. The things he can remember is unbelievable. He truly is blessed in these areas and if he keeps these traits he will do extremely well in school.

A Name

I have been trying to come up with a creative name for the title of our blog but have not had great success so far. I asked Luke for his help with this his first response was "what's wrong with what you have?" So, I explained it to him and he said he would think about it. Yesterday he surprised me by emailing me the meaning of our last name. I really didn't think he would put more thought into a name so I thought it was really sweet of him to send me this info. So our last name means "small family" which I wasn't overly excited about. So that doesn't help me in my search for a new name. But, I did do a lot of thinking on the meaning of our last name. Small family to be honest I don't like it. Loving family, close family or caring family would have been a nicer name. I would really like to have 4 children if God allows it so would the name small family still fit us. I guess a family with 4 children would be smaller than my Grandparents who had 5 and 10 children, or Luke's Grandparents who both had 6. Some may think yeah but that was the norm back then. So that brings me to our church family. The church that we attend is a very young church. Children are every where which I love. A family size of 4-6 children is very common in our church. We even have a family with ten kids. It is funny because just having 1 0r two kids is not something you see in our church very often. So I guess if God does bless us with 4 healthy children we could still be considered a "small family." That is what I have to say today. Have a great day!

Road Construction

What do you say when you discover something like this? I was cleaning up after lunch and went to check on the kids and Owen was looking really guilty sitting on the floor by his Legos. I asked him what he was doing he said building a road I didn't think anything of it because he was busy with his Legos so I went back to the kitchen to finish up. Then I laid Ava down for her nap and read a bunch of books to Owen. I got him down for a nap took a shower did a few things then went to sit on the couch to read for a while as I sat down something caught my attention and yes I found Owen's toys in my plant. A loader, excavator, dump truck, grader, bulldozer, and a motorcycle all looking very busy in my planter. I said out loud "Owen" very seriously then broke out into a laughter. He knows he is not supposed to play by my plants. So when when he woke up from nap I questioned him about what was going on in my planter. He shyly smiled and said he was just making some roads. I of course let him know that he is not allowed to play in that dirt ever!!

Rocket Ship

Saturday morning Luke and Owen went to the hardware store to get the supplies to build the rocket ship. Owen also reminded Daddy that they had to stop at Auntie Rita's house to pick up the "CBD" glue. (PVC glue) After they finished all there errands they both walked in the door with supplies in hand and huge grins on there face. It didn't take long for the two of them to build the rocket launcher and the first test was not successful. Solution they needed a bigger air compressor. So off to target we all went to buy one, but of course walked out with more than just an air compressor. The new air compressor was just what they needed. The rocket flew through the air like you wouldn't believe. The first few tries were done in the house which made me nervous of course and after it got out of control they took it outside. After several times of launching the rocket Luke decided to try it with water in it. (I of course though the water should wait for warmer weather) So off shot the rocket with the water. It does go way higher with water but after one flight Luke decided we would wait for warmer weather to do it again. The $15 project was definitely worth the smiles and giggles from both of them. The simple joys in life for little boys and big boys.