#128 - Weekend with the Flemings!

This weekend, the Flemings visited us in Savannah. Owen had been talking about "the boys" for the past week, and just couldn't wait to see them again. As soon as they arrived, the fun began. Owen immediately wanted to start wrestling with Luke and Andrew, and it wasn't long before we were all outside, hot and sweaty, playing on the swing set and playing a quick game of football. Little Lauren hung out with Heather and me while the boys were running around the back yard. I see years and years of the three of us girls "hanging out" while the guys do their own thing.

Even though we saw them just a few weeks ago, it was so much fun to have them visit. Mike and Heather are such wonderful friends, and Owen just absolutely loves Andrew, Luke and Lauren. If only they lived a little closer.... :)

After they left, Owen was worn out. He fell asleep in our bed, and when I came back in our room, this is what I found..... Cocoa sleeping right under Owen.

A few days ago, Owen and I made homemade pizza. He's definitely got his Mommy's love of cooking; I could barely get the rolling pin back from him. Since this picture, we've made pizza a few more times. He loves to roll out the dough, and then put the pepperoni on the pizza. It was delicious too! We made two small pizzas - one with pepperoni, the other with fresh basil, fresh mozzerella and tomatoes. Guess which one Lou and I ate? :)

#127 - Feeding the dog

Owen loves to feed Cocoa. Offering up, "do you want to feed Cocoa?" in the midst of a meltdown always works. Too bad we can only use that trick twice a day.

The other morning, I captured this video on my little camera. Pardon the 3 year old wall patches from when Cocoa was a little puppy and ate the walls in the laundry room.

And, one more quick video - this one from the pool on Sunday, enjoying the water fountains.

Counting down until the big day on the 31st....... :)

#126 - St. Simon's Beach Trip

Well-rested (kind of) and tan, we are home from our beach vacation! We spent a week in St. Simon's Island, Ga with Heather and her family - Mike, Andrew, Luke and Lauren. It was a great family vacation. We rode bikes, walked on the pier, played on the beach, played at the pool, visited a water park (twice), and had nightly competitions on board games. The Fleming kids are so sweet, and the perfect playmates for Owen. Owen affectionately called Andrew and Luke "the boys" and all week referred to them as such: "where are the boys?....I play with the boys.....boys are napping....etc." Even now that we are home, Owen still asks about the boys.

I say that we are semi-rested only because our nights weren't that fun. Owen didn't sleep well at all, and I ended up in his room, sleeping with him in his bed every night. On top of that, the master bedroom was taken over by flying ants most nights, and Lou and I were not happy. And, finally, on the last day of the vacation, Lou twisted weirdly, and injured his back. Not only could he not walk or sit well, but sleeping that night was nearly impossible. Fortunately though, we had a day and a half to get back into the groove of Savannah life, and all is well.

Today was a huge day for Lou and his family. The Spanish soccer team won the World Cup! Today, all three of us dressed in Spain's colors, and I cooked two different Spanish meals to celebrate. Viva espana!

On to picture time.....

First up, Owen body surfing on the beach. I can't believe how much more comfortable and adventurous he is in the water now. Just a few weeks ago, he was afraid to get into the water even up to his knees. By the end of the trip, he was dunking his head and blowing bubbles!

Here's a picture of Heather and me. Tuesday was Heather's birthday, and we celebrated all day long! That night, we walked to dinner at the Crab Trap, and this was taken on our way home. (Sorry for the original typo - yes, it's crab, not crap)

St. Simon's has a really great water park for the kids. It's nothing too fancy, and just big enough for the little kids. Owen had a blast!

Here he is going down the water slide next to Luke. Lou was there "just in case" but by the second trip to the water park, he didn't want us anywhere near him when he went down the slide.

Lou and I on the beach....

Here are the four children - Andrew, 6; Luke, 4, Owen, almost 2; and Lauren, 14 months. Heather made each of their outfits! Aren't they adorable?

Mommy and Owen.
And, probably one of my favorite pictures of all time of Lou and Owen.

Finally - the little guy running on the beach. He was a happy little kid on this trip. Just seeing him laugh and have fun was the real highlight of the vacation. :)

#125 - What does Owen say?

Owen is talking constantly these days. His favorite phrases are "Help, Mommy", "Look at me, Mommy", "Snack please, Mommy", "That one, Mommy". Do you see the common word? The below video sums it up pretty well.

Lou also taught Owen to say, "boo yah". Owen thinks he's pretty cool saying it.

#124 - Daddy's Day, Hilton Head and Mommy's new hobby

A lot has been going on in the Saez household. First, today is Father's day. The day out of the year that we designate as the day to honor all the Daddies in the world. We hope that your day was very special, whether you celebrated with your father, celebrated from far away, or celebrated in memory.

Owen was especially excited to give his Daddy the little gift that he had made him (well, made with a little help from Mom). Owen just can't wait for that first fishing trip with his Daddy. I think it's coming pretty soon - as soon as the temperature drops a bit down here. And, if you can't tell, that's Owen's footprint inside of the fish.

This weekend, Lou had to attend a pharmacy conference in Hilton Head, so the little guy and I tagged along. A weekend at the Crowne Plaza, with its three pools, and endless beaches, well, could you blame us? Despite Lou being in class a good bit of the weekend, we managed to turn it into a little Father's day getaway. Owen did remarkably well in the hotel. He was so captivated by all the new sights and activities that he totally wore himself out. We got to hang out at the pool most of Saturday and Sunday, where he tested out his new floaties (life jacket thingy), and build sandcastles at the beach.

Midday Saturday, my cousin, Holly, and her two children met us for lunch. It was the first time we'd seen Peter since last summer, and the very first time we'd met little Ellie. Peter looks just like his Daddy, and is the sweetest little boy. He and Owen immediately started playing together and doing all the boy stuff - climbing things, chasing each other, etc. I love that our children are about the same age. It brings back such wonderful memories of the relationships I had with my cousins growing up.

Ellie is a cutie pie! She's a big girl, and all squishy and loving, and just the sweetest thing ever. She looks so much like her grandmother, I think. Here are a few pictures from our lunch:

This first picture of the boys is great......

but this one, I think, is just priceless!

Here's little Ellie, with her belly full and about to fall asleep. I could just squeeze those cheeks all day!!!

Here we are hanging out at the beach....

My handsome husband, who is also a wonderful, loving, patient father to our son. We are truly blessed!

Remember for Mother's Day.... Lou bought me a sewing machine. Well, I've been taking a few sewing classes to learn how to use the machine, and with the help of a good friend, I made this little outfit for Owen last week! Can you believe it? I'm the most non-domestic, uncreative woman I know, yet, for some reason, I've really enjoyed learning to sew, and I'm quite proud of my newest creations.

#123 - Mommy's Boy

I can't remember if I've posted about this yet, but Owen has become such a Mommy's boy. He's always been one to a certain extent, but lately, it has been getting pretty intense. He seems to be permanently attached to one of my legs, or holding his arms up in the air, saying, "Mama, mama, up, up." Nine times out of ten, if I'm in the room, he refuses to go to anyone else, even Lou. While it's definitely sweet, and certainly warms my heart, it makes doing simple things like laundry and cooking dinner a real challenge.

Now, if he wants to have fun and giggle, he goes straight to Daddy, because clearly, he's the fun parent! Lou can have him in giggling fits in a matter of seconds.

One of the latest things that Owen does is to take his toys under the table in the family room. He hides out underneath the table skirt with his toys, and occassionally sticks his head out for a little game of peek-a-boo.

Here's a picture of the little man before church this morning. I love this cute outfit (courtesy of the Flemings, of course). Speaking of church......Lord, help us. Cause it's truly testing our patience as parents. Owen has been such a handful the last few weeks. We've spent more time outside of church, walking around the restless boy, than we've spent inside participating in the mass! Any advice?

#122 - The Fireman