#109 - Leprechauns and Horses

As the host to the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the US, the entire city of Savannah shuts down on March 17th for the Irish festivities. Lou, Owen and I set up on Johnson Square, and had a great viewing spot for the parade. We brought tons of snacks and toys to entertain Owen, but we never needed them, as he was absolutely captivated by the parade. The music, the drums, the floats....they all kept him in a trance. We totally underestimated how much he would enjoy it. Fortunately, the rain stayed away, and a good time was had by all.

The start of the parade.

Mom, Dad and the little guy in our rain gear, just in case. Fortunately, we didn't need it, but it sure was chilly.

Daddy and his little man enjoying the parade.

On Saturday, we had a joint birthday party to go to for Hayden and Luke Kirkpatrick. It was at the local stables, on the first day of Spring. The weather was perfect. Owen couldn't wait to ride the ponies. We dressed him as "country" as we could - khakis and a checkered shirt. I think he's the most adorable little country boy around....

Getting ready to ride the big horse. Owen wasn't scared at all!

The tractor was clearly the highlight of the day. He rode that thing over and over. Just loved it....

Waving to the camera

This weekend, he figured out how to climb into his easel. See below for the evidence.

I've got tons of videos from this week, and will try to upload them later in the week.

#108 - Happy Birthday Abuela and Nana!

Happy birthday, Abuela! We miss you mucho no poco.

This past weekend, we visited family in J-ville again. We got to see Paw Paw for the first time since his surgery. As you can see below, he looks great! We also went shopping for a surprise gift for Owen (a little early birthday gift). It'll be delivered in a few weeks, and I can't wait to post pictures!

Saturday, we celebrated Mom's birthday and my birthday at Clark's Fish Camp, a long time family tradition for us. It was great, as usual. Owen had a blast hanging with cousin Kaylin, especially when he was stealing her food.

After dinner, we took a few pictures with Paw Paw. He and Owen enjoyed giving each other the giggles....

Back in Savannah, we are getting ready for the big St. Patrick's Day celebration. Owen has been trying on this new green hat. What do you think?

He's also been helping me with the chores around the house. He really enjoys vacuuming and mopping. Next, we'll be working on teaching him to scrub the toilets. I can't wait.

#107 - Birthdays!

Birthday season is upon us! First of all, Happy Birthday Nana!!! We can't wait to see you next weekend and give you lots of birthday hugs and kisses. And, Happy Early Birthday to Abuela Isa, whose birthday is this coming Friday. Feliz Cumpleanos! We miss you! And, finally, Happy Birthday, Peyton, who turned 2 last Friday, and whose birthday we celebrated on Saturday. Owen thoroughly enjoyed the birthday party, especially the swing set and the jumping castle. He had a blast!

He had so much fun on the swing set that Lou and I are thinking about buying one this spring for our backyard. Tonight, on our family walk, Owen saw our neighbor's swing set and went crazy trying to get out of the stroller to go swing on it. He couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to go play on theirs. :)

Having fun on the jumping castle.

And, finally, a video of Owen from Friday morning. He woke up and kept asking for the picture of Lou and Abuelo Luis. How sweet....

#106 - A Boys Weekend

This past weekend, I took a much needed Girls Trip down to Miami for the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. I had a blast with my good friends, Courtney, Danielle and Heather Newberry. Since I was gone, Lou and Owen had their very own Boys Weekend themselves. On Friday afternoon, they took Cocoa over to Chris Blessing's house for a doggie playdate with their new puppy Mae. They all had a fun time!

On Saturday, Lou and Owen checked out the Boat Show at the Convention Center. They met Lou V., Grayson and Nolan there, and I'm sure the testosterone was rampant. I'm just glad Lou left his checkbook at home, and we did not become boat owners (we own the water, not the boat, as our Boat Club reminds us each month... ha ha!).

Sunday, they ran some errands, then picked me up at the airport. I was fantasizing about a sweet reunion with Owen once he saw me walking up the terminal, but I was no competition for the cheese stick he was eating. He barely acknowledged me until after he was finished eating. :)

So, check out Lou's new hat. I can't remember if I've blogged about it yet, but Owen absolutely loves wearing it.

He'll sit on his chair, put the hat on, and watch Barney. He loves to be just like his Daddy.

We can't keep the boy out of things, especially climbing into his wagon. He'll squat down in there and get his entire body in the wagon and want us to pull him.
Lou with his sweet little boy and sweet little dog.

And, finally a picture of us girls as we entered the South Beach Food & Wine Festival on Saturday. From left to right: Heather Newberry, Danielle Kahlan, Courtney Bayer and me.

#105 - Three Teeth

Owen is cutting three more teeth this week, each of them the eye teeth on the corner, and it looks so painful for him. He's perpetually drooling right now, and you just might lose a finger if you put it anywhere close to his mouth (he's got an uncontrollable urge to bite down and relieve the pressure). But, despite that, he's doing great!

Owen loves playing with Miss Sadie Grace, the grand-daughter of Bobbie. She's exactly a year older than him, and they will play together all day.

Okay - two things on this picture.... First, take a look at that nasty bruise running down the side of his face. On Friday, he ran into a wall (or maybe tripped and fell, not sure), and hit it just so, and ended up with this horrible bruise. It almost looks like a gash. But, it's healing fine, and he doesn't even know it's there. Secondly, this picture makes me laugh because it's what Owen does after he's done eating. He takes the napkin and "cleans" off the table. Isn't that cute??? Also, on Saturday, we were out at dinner, and Owen grabbed his napkin off the table and put it in his lap and then looked up at us with a big smile, obviously quite proud of himself for mimicking Mommy and Daddy. We've never taught him to do that (put his napkin in his lap), but now he wants to do it like we do. Is it really weird that I'm totally proud of him for this! :)

A series of pictures demonstrating his remarkable climbing skills. If we let him, he would sit on the coffee table all the time.

Reading "Eight Little Monkeys" with Daddy.

Owen with his best friend, Cocoa. First, going for a ride, then, giving her a big hug.

Trying on Daddy's shoes. They are just a *little* big on him.....

And, finally, hanging out at the park with his friend Peyton. They had a blast!

#104 - Our Little Valentine

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! We had a nice, relaxing three-day weekend in Savannah. Saturday night, Lou and I had date night, and tried a wonderful new restaurant on Wilmington Island, complete with drinks and dessert at the Mansion. It was the perfect Valentine's celebration. On Sunday, we went to church..... ah, what a mess. Due to "poor communication" between Lou and I, we forgot Owen's diaper bag at home. Ever tried sitting through a 1-hour mass with no snacks, drinks, crayons, books, toys, etc? It was a disaster!

Last night, we had a fun Valentine Day dinner - shrimp, lobster, cupcakes, etc. And, I had two handsome Valentines at my table!

Check out our sweet little Valentine...

So, last week, the book of the week was "Where's Spot?". Well, one day this week, Owen found the book, "The Giving Tree". I don't know what it is about this book, but he's absolutely obsessed with it! We've read it no less than 30 times in the last 5 days. He even loves just sitting there and reading it to himself.

Today, we headed to Forsyth Park for some fun at the playground. It was a little cold for Savannah, but nothing that a coat and hat couldn't cure. Owen had an absolute blast! He's gotten so good at climbing up and down things.

He loved riding the little duck. Kept saying "Quack, quack."

My two Valentines

He's no longer a baby, but a little boy now!

Hanging out on the swing.

Sliding down the tube slide. He loved this!

Happy Valentine's Day!

#103 - Bedtime Rituals

We've had a pretty consistent bedtime ritual since Owen was about 6 months old. It starts at 7:00 - bath, lotion, get dressed, brush teeth, dry hair, read 1-2 books, say prayers, sing 1-2 songs, then crib. He's usually in the crib by 7:30, and usually asleep pretty quickly after that. Of course, there are also those random nights where he fights sleep, but most of the time, it's pretty easy.

For months, "Goodnight Moon" was a required reading. It's definitely still in the rotation, but the latest favorite is "Where's Spot?". In this book, each page has a flap for Owen to lift in hopes of finding Spot. Check out how interactive story time is now.....

Sorry for the picture quality - I was filming video on my digital camera with just one hand.

After he's in his crib, we go through a few minutes of "night, night", "blow Mama kisses", "How much does Mama love Owen?", etc., etc. Last night, he wanted to blow me big, wet, sloppy, noisy kisses! He was making both of us laugh!

And a little more sweetness before closing the door....

Sweet dreams everyone!