#192 - Gentle, Owen, Gentle! And Benjamin's 4-month stats.

This video perfectly captures the relationship between our two boys.  As you can see, Owen is totally in Benjamin's face, being rough, yet silly and goofy at the same time.  I'm constantly telling him to be gentle, and go easy on his little brother.  Yet, despite how rough Owen is, you can clearly see how much Benjamin enjoys his big brother's attention.  Owen can make Benjamin laugh all day long.  Which then makes us laugh.  Lots of laughing going on in our house.  Followed by me screaming at Owen to be gentle.  

 This past weekend was spent in Jacksonville.  Mom and Jen kept the boys while Lou and I went to the Florida/Alabama game.  Thanks, Mom and Jen!

Here's a picture of the two kids.  It's hard to believe they are three years old now.  And if you don't think Kaylin is an exact replica of Jen, you're blind.

Here's me with my cute little niece.  She's so sweet.  I could just eat her up!

Owen was SO excited to see Mimi.  It's been a while since he's seen her, yet he knows exactly who she is.  

It was also Mimi's first time meeting Benjamin.  I'm so glad we have this picture.  It's a true gift that I have three of my grandparents here to know my children.

And, here's a picture of Paw Paw with the two boys.  What handsome men.

Finally, today was Benjamin's 4-month check-up.  Can you believe our little baby is now four months old?  Good grief!  He weighed in at 14 pounds, 7 ounces.  He's in the 30th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height.  Benjamin clearly takes after his mommy and not his daddy.  :)  Just kidding! He'll be tall and skinny like Lou.

#139 - Football weekend

We had a true football weekend with a high school game on Friday night, the disappointing Gator game on Saturday, and an afternoon of NFL games on Sunday. Friday night was really special though. Dad called us up on Thursday to invite us to The Bolles School alumni dinner that was happening before the Friday football game. So, we drove down to Jacksonville early and met him for the dinner. It was Owen's very first football game, and he was so excited he could hardly stand it. He got to run around in the end zone, chasing footballs and playing with the other kids there. He ran and ran and loved every bit of it - from the drums in the band to the dancing cheerleeders and the opportunity to yell "updown" whenever there was a big play. (That's Owen's version of "touchdown".) He also got a personal tour of The Bolles School from his grandfather (who has already asked when Owen will be enrolling), including a walk around the Garces diving facility.

My grandfather, Papa, taught, coached and managed at The Bolles School for nearly forty years. A few years ago, when they remodeled the diving facility, they named it after him, and the entire family is incredibly proud of his legacy there.

And, the best part of the night is that Papa was there too! So, we had all four generations that night at Owen's first football game. It was perfect.

On Saturday, while Lou and I were on Aunt Kay's boat, and then at the Gator Game, Owen got to spend the day with his Nana and Great Aunt Debbie. They went down to St. Augustine and got to do all kinds of fun things like play golf, play in a bouncy house, go fishing, and go to the airport and see the airplanes. He had a blast, and I know Mom did too.

On Sunday, we met up with Great Aunt Debbie, Great Aunt Pat, Paw Paw and Chris for lunch. Here's Owen getting a little love from his other great-grandfather.
It was a truly special weekend. Owen is so blessed to be able to spend this time with his grandparents, great-grandparents and extended family. We love you!

#74 - Owen's First Sleepover

This past weekend, we drove down to Jacksonville for Owen's first sleepover. Since Nana kindly offered to watch Owen for us, Lou and I enjoyed an adults only night out which consisted of dinner at Hooters (long story), awesome seats at the Kenny Chesney concert and a room at the Hyatt overlooking the St. John's river. Owen had a blast with Nana, Aunt Jenifer and Kaylin. He didn't even realize we were gone. Thank you Mom!!!!

We also got to spend some time with Paw Paw and Chris, and Aunt Pat and Mimi. Seeing their faces light up when they saw their great-grandchildren was priceless.

Owen is completely walking now. He rarely crawls anymore and he hardly ever falls down. The way he waddles when he walks is the cutest thing.

He's about 90% table food now, and almost off the bottle. That's the goal for this week!

Hope you all are doing well!

A short little video of Owen playing with Cocoa.