Rocking by the Tree

They love sitting together in Ava's little rocker. Had to snap a picture.

is the tree half full or half empty?

Thanks to Owen, our tree is a bit naked on the lower half. But on the other hand, there are twice as many ornaments as usual on the top half. All of the fragile ornaments had to be moved above his reach. We left some of the more durable ones on the bottom branches, but these are removed constantly by him throughout the day, so I've resorted to just leaving them under the tree on the tree skirt. His interest in the tree has started to wane a bit, so that helps. Plus, he actually obeys the words "No, no, Owen" pretty well for his age. I'm amazed every time that works. He hears this when he is about to climb on the hearth, splash in the dogs' water bowl, or rip leaves off our house plant.
Today Ava and I added some candy canes to the tree, and Owen got in on the action as well. Most of his attempts ended up with the candy cane sliding down to the floor, but he got the general idea! He's sizing up the task.He's excited to contribute.Reaches for it...and releases the candy cane. It slides to the floor.Here's cute, serious Ava.Really concentrating here...Then she hams it up for some pictures.


So then mommy gets in on the action.
This has been another happy holiday contribution in our house:In the $5 bargain bin at Walmart was this compilation DVD of songs from all the classic, creepy children's Christmas movies. From the Island of Misfit Toys to Frosty to an eerie version of the Little Drummer Boy, it has all the favorites. It brings smiles to our faces.
And finally, Steve ripped out the kitchen sink tonight in preparation of our coutner tops being removed tomorrow. yipee! Goodbye, black sink! Goodbye, moldy, gnarly counter tops! We will not miss you! Well...maybe for the 4 days that we will have no sink or counters...but after that, we will not miss you! Owen assisted on the plumbing portion of this chore.

Snow Day!

We woke up to lots of snow today! So after breakfast, we headed out!Big, strong Ava took a turn pulling Owen.Some neighbors were out, and the kiddos enjoyed laughing at their dog who was catching snowballs and eating them.It's so great living in a neighborhood where we see one another out on mornings like this!Little Owen could barely get his waddle on in all the snow gear. He enjoyed the view from the front seat--very different from Ava when she was this age. You could not get her on a sled for anything. The little guy loved sledding--all the speed and excitement. By "speed," I mean my walking pace. Got some snow spray in the face. Owen didn't seem to mind. Ava did! But she recovered quickly.Cuties!Tummy time in the snow!Next, we tried some driveway sledding. The snow was perfect.Ava was so excited to make snow angels!When it was time to come inside, Owen was a little disappointed. Just a bit.But he got over it pretty quick. Once inside Ava and I had some hot chocolate complete with little marshmallows. I'm so excited for the snow to be here!

Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

We were so excited to go to Oklahoma this year for Thanksgiving and see my family. We flew down, thanks to my parents' help, and were there for 6 days. The travel portion went well without any major incidents, unlike Ava's first flight to Cape Cod...everyone on the plane still remembers that diaper catastrophe. But that's another story for another day.The scene outside the airport windows was very exciting. Owen would point to the luggage tram and declare "oh! oooh!" He was fascinated. It was a bit of a production connecting through Kansas City, because at this airport you have to exit and go back through security just to change gates. Given all the baby food and baby cups we were hauling with us, security was a long, looong process. But once we arrived and got settled in, we had a nice, relaxing week.

On Wednesday we baked some pies and all walked to a neighborhood park.We spent a lot of time outside since it was so beautiful! It was in the 70's while we were there!Sliding with Aunt Laura! It was so nice Laura was also there the same days as us!Exploring tunnels.Ava contemplates her new discoveries.Sunshine kisses! Giddy up!Owen running in the park. He did pretty good on the uneven surface!

On Thursday we all enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast. I could go for some leftovers about now...
Ava eating her first piece of pumpkin pie! I think she likes it!Little man Owen hanging out with Aunt Laura.

On Friday we spent more time outside, got to eat dinner at Hideaway Pizza (a MUST-do activity when in OK), and take Ava to an urgent care center. I don't know what the deal is, but it seems that every trip we take to Oklahoma includes a trip to an urgent care center. Ava got this creepy looking, blistery rash all over that initially responded to a bath of baking soda, but then came back even worse within several hours. Turned out to be hives. Hives? That was a first for us. Grandma has her money on the fancy, perfume soap in the guest bathroom. We're glad it was nothing more! After a visit to urgent care, my dad took Coop and Ava to CVS to pick up the script for the hives, and they came home with some steriod cream and a balloon animal kit. Makes perfect sense. It provided hours of entertainment. Well, maybe not hours, but you get the idea. Hope the hives weren't from a latex allergy.Here's a balloon hat Steve made. Why not?Steve and Ava playing games and making balloon animals in the living room.

On Saturday morning, I headed over to visit some friends and their kids. We were all planning to go, but at the last minute one of their kids had some illness symptoms that may or may not have been due to car sickness. So I headed over alone. It was great to see them and catch up; there are no friends like old friends.
Later that day my mom invited more friends and extended family over for dessert. We're so glad this worked out because it let us see a lot of people we care about while we were in town. Here are some random pictures from that day.Grandma taught Ava how to use a nail file. My cousin Emily took Owen exploring in the back yard.We also spend a lot of time out on the porch swing. Here's Owen with my dad and aunt. Owen loved swinging and singing with Grandpa. It was pretty cute.
A & O thought the porch swing was pretty cool. So big...and swingy.So sweet!

On Saturday night, Brad came back over and he and Laura spent some time with Ava. He's so sweet! They made a bunch of cookies together.
Early Sunday morning, we loaded up the car and headed back to the airport. Trips go by so fast! Once again, we had to do the goofy connection through the Kansas City airport and redo security, but by then we were getting pretty good at streamlining it all as much as possible. We also had a long layover, which helped the process.They rode the luggage carts like cowboys. After all the travel, I was happy with anything that kept them entertained.

All in all, it was a great trip! Thanks, mom and dad, for bringing us down! We miss you!

our welcoming committee

When Steve comes in the door after work, all activities in our home come to a halt as our children rush to greet him.They beam with love and adoration.Owen is not satisfied until he lands a bear hug around daddy's neck. Here he is moving himself into position.There go those little baby arms around his neck! It's the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Frolic ensues on the floor, and Owen goes in for another hug. I am so grateful for my family. As Ava explains, "I love you and you love me, and that means that we love each other."

The words from Psalm 30 summarize my thoughts:
"You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12