Roommates

Avery and Owen are now roommates! And Avery couldn't be happier!

We had tried to prepare Avery for the fact that she would be sharing her room when the new baby came. We didn't realize how seriously she took this responsibility until that first night home from the hospital. She was happily climbing up the stairs to bed, calling for Owen, when I told her, "Now you realize that Owen will sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room for awhile, right?" Oh, the look of disappointment on her face.
So, you can imagine her elation when the big night finally arrived. They have actually done really well. Owen is usually sleeping for 10 hours straight at night, and on the off nights that he wakes up crying, Avery is good about going back to sleep. I had told her that if Owen cried a lot, then we might have to put him back in our room. So, each time that I have had to go in at 4 AM to take Owen out, Avery has sat up in bed, "Mommy? He did a pretty good job, huh? Let's try again tonight." As long as there is sleeping going on, I'm game for anything!

(Don't worry - these were staged photos. Owen does sleep in his own crib.) :)

We did have to redecorate a bit. Although Owen wouldn't realize that the brown and pink flowers covering the walls were not boyish, I knew it. Avery has now had 2 rooms specially decorated for her; I just didn't feel right about not making Owen's first room special for him. And what could be more cool than a Hawaiian/Surfboard decor?

I finally figured it out...

Having only had one girl baby in my life, I had a misconceived notion... You know all those cute baby boy pictures in the bath? The ones with the washcloth covering the little boy's private parts? Well, I unknowingly thought that the washcloth was there for decency measures. And rightly so. What little boy would appreciate a revealing photo in future years. But, with my own little precious boy, I have learned otherwise. No, that washcloth is not there for mere modesty. It has an even more practical purpose. It is there to protect the bather from the bathee. To protect your nice, freshly washed church clothes from being peed on! Owen has done this trick to me more than once. Why have I not learned my lesson, you ask? I always think I've got it covered! And, how am I suppose to clean the diaper area without moving the washcloth? That's always when he gets me...

The innocent Owen, "Why are you shrieking Mom?"

Avery-isms

What does a 3 year old think about?

All summer long, Jason and I kept saying, "We need to write down the funny things that Avery says." Of course we never got around to it, and now I can't remember most of them. But, here are a few that I didn't want to forget...

June 2009 (2 years old) -
(Walking into a grocery store with Jason)
Avery: Daddy, let's get something delicious for me to eat.

July 2009 (2 years old) -
(Riding with Dad in the car. They had been listening to a John Bytheway talk about being philosophically careful at choosing which path you go down in life. The CD had talked about how you wouldn't blindly get in the car and not ask where you were going. Jason didn't realize that Avery had been listening to the audio book as she stared out the window until...)
Avery: Daddy? Which path are we going on today?

August 2009 (2 years old)
(Avery was eating lunch at the table as I cleaned up the kitchen. When I picked up our digital camera, I noticed the memory card was missing. Upon realizing that I had taken it out a few days earlier,...)
Me (frustrated): Great! I think I lost my memory stick.
Avery (helpfully): I think I lost my memory too, Mom!
Sometimes she is more on-target than I would like. :)

October 2009 (3 years old)
(We had just picked up lunch for a friend at McDonalds, and we were now headed to her house to eat our meal together. Avery was in shock because I had bought her a Happy Meal. We never buy her the meal, we always just get a big meal and split it. Today the toy had actually been worth the extra buck, so I splurged on it.)
Avery: Mommy! Why did you spoil me like Grandma does?
Me: I just wanted to. Because you are such a good little girl, today I wanted to spoil you.
Avery (giggling): Oh!! Well, now Mom, you have to spoil me all day!
Me: All day?
Avery: Yes! And Daddy too!
Me: I have to spoil Daddy?
Avery: No, Daddy has to spoil me too. All day!
Why not milk it for all it's worth, right?

October 2009 (3 years old)
(Driving in the car with me. Avery is always planning for the future.)
Avery: And some day Mommy, when I am big, I will get to sit up there (pointing to the front passenger seat)! When my bum bum is too big to fit in my car seat and I am big like Daddy.
I must admit that I began snickering a little, thinking to myself, "Wouldn't Jason like to know that he has a big bum bum?"
Before my thought was complete, however, Avery finished up her thought...
Avery (very excited): And then I will be a Mommy!"
Touche.


These pictures were taken at the Bellingham Marina in August. Avery loves to move it, move it.

Smiles All Around

Our little Owen has learned how to smile! Well, actually he learned at about 9 weeks (a month ago). But he was such a serious/worried looking newborn, it was a relief to see his gummy grin! A baby smile is one of the cutest, sweetest things in the world, I think. He is getting so big too. His chubby little cheeks are so squishy, and he will often laugh when you kiss them. While he doesn't pass out smiles profusely, they are definitely worth the wait. As long as the conditions are right (he has a full tummy, clean diaper, and recent nap), he usually has an easy smile. What a happy little boy! We love you, Mister Owen!

Slightly amused smile

Avery and Owen playing on his mat

Staring at "the baby" in the mirror

What a cute baby!

Just look at those cheeks.


Most recent pictures (Nov. 10th)

A smile for Daddy.

The Puyallup Fair (Part 3)

While I realize that our annual Fall trip to the Fair was 2 months ago, it is such a fun family tradition that I still had to document it. As Jason is not too fond of going on rides, I went once with a friend and then we went back as a family. It was a fun evening! Avery loves everything about the fair - the rides, treats and animals (in that order). Jason and I took turns holding Owen and going on rides with Avery. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I met some interesting people in the fast food restaurant outside the fair, but besides that we had a wonderful time!

Avery practicing for the rides...

After a few rejections for being too short, she was so happy to find the ones she was tall enough to ride.

Avery and Daddy on the carousel.

Avery really enjoyed this helicopter ride - it went pretty high!

Playing in the ball pit while Daddy and Owen watch.

Riding on the Tilt-a-Whirl... this is the first of many big-kid rides that Avery and I will go on together!

Owen was a great little baby all night.

I LOVE these rectangle ice cream bars with nuts and chocolate! You can only find them at the fair.


Avery loves the animals... unfortunately, we didn't get to the fair until the last weekend so the only animals left were sheep.

Sheep + Spandex.... interesting.

The Puyallup Fair (Part 2)

Do the Puyallup!

So, every year I head to the fair... at least once. This year I went twice. The first trip was for the sole purpose of buying a Super Dizzy Pass and riding on as many rides, as many times as you can! My kind, generous fried Alea agreed to go with me. She left her sweet little girl at home (for her first day away since birth) and came to get dizzy. Jason was kind enough to take a vacation day from work, and he had the joy of staying home with both kids (Owen was about 6 weeks at this point). Don't feel too bad for him though, the fact that it means he doesn't have to go on any rides with me - he would be willing to do just about anything. :)

Alea and I had a great time! We went on a bunch of rides, ate cotton candy and roasted corn, wandered through some booths, and went on a few more rides. The best part of the day was watching Alea worry and fret as we stood in line to enter, and then state, "That wasn't too bad - kind of fun actually" as we exited the ride. Thanks for coming Alea! I'm already counting down the days 'til next year!

(All these pics are stolen off Alea's blog - in all the excitement for the rides, I failed to remember my camera.)

As it was already raining when we got there, we thought,
"Why not go on the water roller coaster first?"

Alea trying to get psyched for the upcoming ride. I don't think that asking the ride operator how often the bolts get checked really helped her feel any better. Don't let her fool you - she went on every ride out there.

Look at all that fun just waiting to be had!
(Yes, this picture was taken upside down on the Inverter ride).

Going through the not-so-scary Haunted House ride.

Headed up the wooden roller coaster - this is one of the best!

This is the Zipper ride. You can't see it's ominous behavior in the still picture. But envision the main vertical arm spinning clockwise, and all of the individual cars spinning in the opposite direction. All that holds you in your seat is a lap pad. I have to go on this ride every year because it is the one and only ride that I have ever had to get off (I was crying so hard when I was 8 years old that the ride operator stopped the ride - my sister made me get on in the first place). Now I have to go just to prove to myself that I can do it each year.

This is Alea's excitement after I share with her my traumatic experience years ago. And have you ever read the sign at the entrance to the rides? Why not simply write, "Turn Back Now!"

Riding inside our cage on the Zipper.


What a perfect evening for the fair! Nice pic, Alea!

A Little Sunday Afternoon Fun...

You gotta watch them both!

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