We just got home from a fantastic vacation to Michigan. We were up there for a week, and we had a blast! It was a great trip, and Owen can't stop talking about how much fun he had with his primos in Michigan. In fact, he's already declared that he wants to build his own house in Michigan so that he can have fun playing there every day. Ha!
Here are some pictures from our trip. This will probably take two posts....
On the way up, Owen was invited into the cockpit by our plane's pilot. He got to sit in the co-pilot chair and even wear the pilot's hat! That was the one and only highlight of our plane ride, as shortly after take-off, Benjamin began crying and pretty much cried until we landed in Detroit.
During the week, we got to visit with nearly all of Lou's cousins, aunts and uncles (we missed you Kelly), and it's always so much fun to see how much everyone's grown and changed. Here's a picture of Gabriela, who is the cutest little girl!
The trampoline in the Tylutki's backyard was the center of play during the week (and the source of a lot of anxiety for Lou and me). Benjamin loved to get "bounced" on it by Gracie, and when she'd do a jump or cartwheel, he thought that was the funniest thing ever!
Here's Owen trying on Noah's jersey. Owen reminds us that he has to eat his protein so that he can grow big and strong like Noah. He adores his big cousin!
And, Grace playing with Benjamin. She was SO good with the boys this week, as she always is. She's a little Mother Hen, and the boys loved the attention.
Tita Susan made Owen a super gigantic Oreo cake for his birthday! How cute is that?!? It was a lot of fun to celebrate Owen's 4th birthday in Michigan this year. It's really been a summer of celebration for him - he's blown out birthday candles no fewer than four separate times over the past few months.
We visited Tita Cirila a couple of times last week.... Check out Owen's bandana. He wore it all week, imitating one of the Gator Boys.... his latest fascination.
One of the highlights of the week was our trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio. We had a blast! We even got to meet up with the Abels later in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and Noah, Grace, Owen, Lou and I loved riding all the roller coasters. The faster and more thrilling the ride, the more Owen enjoyed it. He even got upset when he wasn't able to ride the super fast rides due to his height.
Last night, before we met some friends for dinner, we took a few pictures of the boys. I just cannot believe how big Benjamin has gotten. Yetsterday, he got his very first haircut, and with the new hair, he looks so much more like a toddler than a baby. Where does time go?
And, there is something very different about Owen over the past week or so. He's grown into a more patient, loving child. He picks his battles with us (or maybe we do with him), and life in the Saez house is much more calm. It's a real blessing.
Benjamin - 13 months, Owen - almost 4!
Our chunky little boys now weighs 23 pounds. His appetite has really picked up. Unfortunately, he refuses to give up the bottle, so I think his total caloric intake has doubled in the past few weeks!
I just love this kid. His latest fascination is the show Gator Boys. Owen loves watching it, and then pretending he's one of the Gator Boys. We've caught him jumping on Benjamin's back and then clamping Benjamin's mouth closed like they do on the show.....(sigh)
Last weekend, while we were at Nana's house, Owen got to ride on Pop Pop's three-wheeled motorcycle. I was a little nervous (okay, a lot nervous), but he had a blast! He's still talking about Pop Pop's fancy motorcycle.
Today, July 8, 2012, at a little over 13 months old, Benjamin Lawrence started walking! He's been taking a few steps on his own, but today, we turned around, and he was walking across the carpet to us. We were all pretty excited - Lou, Owen and I were jumping up and down, clapping and cheering him on!
I don't have video of him walking on his own, but I do have this pretty cute video of Benjamin pushing Owen around the house on the truck.
Did you notice that Benjamin wasn't talking or laughing in the video? It's because his cheeks were still full of crackers from dinner. He has started hoarding food in his mouth for later..... ha!
Despite 100+ degree weather in Savannah this weekend, Lou and Owen went fishing with Mr. Lou (daddy's friend). It was great day on the water.... they caught lots of trout, redfish, flounder, and sharks. Owen had a blast! They even brought home some fish for dinner, which Lou will cook up tonight. Here are pictures from their day!
