Wednesday was an extra special day at the beach because it was Owen's BIRTHDAY!
Owen Luis Saez turned 5 years old. Our big boy is 43 inches tall, and weighs 39.5 pounds. He's a happy, outgoing child, who loves life. He is a Daddy's boy; he absolutely adores his father, looks up to him, and wants to do and be everything that Lou is. He loves fishing, crabbing, soccer, and anything that involves water. His favorite TV shows are Gator Boys, Call of the Wildman, Off the Hook and Top Hooker (a fishing competition, just to be clear).
Owen is the best big brother. Although he can be a little rough with Benjamin, he just loves being with his little brother, or "buddy" as Owen likes to call him. It's heartwarming to watch them play together and to see how Owen teaches his little buddy how to do things and also get into mischief.
Owen will be entering Kindergarten in a few weeks. At school, he is more quiet and reserved, and very respectful of his teachers and classmates. He's smart and patient, and has a real love of learning. We can't wait to see how he grows and develops this year at Blessed Sacrament.
On Wednesday morning, Owen got an extra special treat - Grandfather, Grandmother, Nana and Pop Pop were all at the beach to wish him a happy birthday. And, Kaylin had spent the night so she was there too. (It was so cute to see their first sleepover together - they slept great on the pullout couch!)
Owen got to open his presents from Grandfather and Grandmother before they left to catch a plane back to Atlanta. He was thrilled with his new boogy board and fish net!
In honor of Owen's birthday, we all went to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine. The Alligator Farm is a wonderful zoo, full of you guessed it - alligators, but also crocodiles, snakes, birds and monkeys. This was a perfect activity for our little Gator Boy!
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| Owen, Kaylin and Benjamin |
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| Our two Gator Boys |
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| The gators were everywhere |
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| The Saez Family circa 2013 |
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| Owen got to meet a real gator wrestler |
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| Checking out the gators |
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| Feeding the alligators |
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| Daddy and his boys |
After the Alligator Farm, we went back to the condo for lunch and birthday cake! The cake was appropriately "fishing" themed, complete with a lake, boat, fisherman, and large mouthed bass. Little guy was pretty excited when he saw it!
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| Nana and the birthday boy |
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| Blowing out five candles! |
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| Mommy and the boys |
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| And, the entire family! |
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| Time to open presents! Here's a BSS jacket for school |
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| Bocce Ball and Croquet set |
He got a lot of other fun things like an alligator tooth necklace (which he hasn't stopped wearing), a book on reptiles, a box of dinosaurs, beach toys, a gym bag for school, candy and movie tickets (thanks Tita!). But, the BIG gift was his very own cast net! Owen has been asking for a cast net all summer long. He's been watching videos on how to cast a net and catch bait or shrimp. The kid was pretty obsessed with it! So, Lou got him a small cast net, and it absolutely amazed me how quickly he learned to throw it and catch things. More pictures and a video on that coming soon!
Happy Birthday to our sweet Owen. You bring so much joy to our lives, and we love you so very much.