I'm Three!

After his friend Kaden turned 3 in October, Owen kept asking when he'd turn 3.  Without giving it too much thought, I said, "After Santa comes, you will get to have your birthday and turn 3."  One day in December, he and I were out running errands and stopped by my office quick.  Santa came out of the office door and Owen joyfully shouted, "I get to be 3 now!  Santa comed!"  Hmmm, a little too literal!

Turning 3 has been a very big deal, so I wanted to capture some of his thoughts at this fun age.  I asked Owen lots of questions and this is what he had to say.

What's your favorite color?  "Dark blue"
What do you want to be when you grow up?  "A fireman - with BIG legs!"
What is your favorite thing to eat? "Spaghetti and meatballs and pancakes maybe"
How old is Daddy?  "3"
How old is Mommy?  "A really big number - 7"
Who is your best friend? "Kaden"
What is your favorite toy to play with? "Mine fire truck and mine fire chief hat"
What do you like to do with Daddy? "Work with mine tools"
What do you like to do with Mommy? "Work with tools"
What is your favorite show to watch on TV? "Fireman Sam"
WHat is your favorite book to read? "George and his Daddy with a yellow hat"

3 Year Well Child Check

Today we took Owen in for his 3 year well child check-up.  Dr. Strong was very happy with how he is doing.  He got weighed (34 pounds), measured (39 inches), his hearing and eyes were checked, the doctor asked him some questions and he passed with flying colors.  The best news is that she said she sometimes forgets that he was a preemie until she looks in his chart because he is doing so well.  That is so awesome to hear!!!  She's pleased with his speach, and how well he eats.  He grabbed a pen and was circling all the O's on the page and she was impressed to see that.  Overall, a great check-up!  The best part was that he didn't have to get shots!

Getting his eyes checked - they looked good!

 Giving Daddy high 5's when he heard the beeps

We talked about the terrible two's/three's and she told us to remember that his job is to test boundaries and practice using his new-found independence.  She said she'd worry more if he wasn't doing these things.  Well, no need to worry, he definitely is!

We also talked about potty training and how Owen goes a little bit in his underwear before telling us that he has to go.  She said that he isn't recognizing the signs and experiences a spasm which releases a small amount of urine, then tells us he has to go.  She wants us to try a potty watch, which lets him know to go potty every few hours.  The hard part is that we know he can do it because he does have dry days.  But, we'll give the watch a try!

Happy 3rd Birthday Owen!

Yesterday was a really fun day!  We celebrated Owen's third birthday with a construction party.  It's no secret that I love everything party planning and being able to plan special days for my little man makes it that much more fun! He's been obsessed with tools (remember the hammer that he carried around for months!?!) so I thought a tool/construction party would be right up his alley.  I started planning before Christmas because I wasn't up on all things construction quite yet! (Now I know all there is to know about diggers, tools, dirt and more!) It was a very fun party to put together and Owen and the kids had a great time.

Who knew?  Caution tape makes for a great construction party decoration!

 When Nana called in the morning to wish Owen a happy birthday, he told her that there was a man and a stick on the table.  He wasn't wrong!

 Napkin rings

 Construction cake

 When I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he said the cupcakes and his friends playing with him.

 Home Depot aprons and tools for the kiddos at the party

 One of Owen's favorite foods is broccoli, but apparently not broccoli salad, "because it tastes too sugary."

 When Ronda arrived, he greeted her by saying, "WE HAVE FRUIT!"

  Tortilla chips and cheese dip = wood chips and yellow paint

 Orange Jello "building blocks"

 Chocolate tools and tool cookies

 Truck tires for all the construction vehicles at the party

 "Build" your own snack mix station

 Our beautiful Goddaughters Livia and Sophia

 Birthday boy and Uncle Bob

 No girlfriends!

 Liam working hard at the tool bench

 Sully taking a turn with the pinata

 Candy, Candy, Candy!  Everyone scrambled to fill their bags!

 Showing Ronda all the candy that he got from the pinata

 This was the first time that he was really into opening gifts.  He had lots of helpers, so maybe that helped speed it along!

 He was thrilled with his light up construction hat...in fact he's had it on all morning!

 A fun afternoon filled with lots of fun, family and friends!  Thank so much for coming everyone!

Owen thanked his guests for coming with buckets of tool cookies.  We worked really hard practicing, "Thank you for coming."  When he wasn't too busy running with his friends, he did pretty well remembering his manners!

A Party Fit for a Fire Fighter

Tomorrow is the BIG day!  Owen turns 3!  We ordered a special fire truck cake and he was so excited to share it with his friends at Heidi's.  Little did we know that Heidi had some plans up her sleeve too.  She made the day incredibly special!

When we got there this morning, there was a special sign on the door

 Owen got to wear a special birthday crown and Heidi had a gift for him to open and a card signed by all of his friends!

 Jake and Kaden looking on

 It's a fire station!  Does Heidi know him well or what!?!

 At bedtime each night, I ask Owen what the best part of his day was.  Tonight he said, "My fire fighter cake!"

 Making a wish

So Many Things to Love!

My miracle baby turns 3 in a few days and it is so hard to believe!  The time literally has flown.  There are so many things that I love about my little man and that I don't want to ever forget.

Owen, I love:

*How you pronounce computer  "PA-cuter."

*How you love Mr. Bear so much.  You carry him around, drive him in your dump truck, rub his hand on your arm as you are falling asleep.  You tell me, "I can carry him downstairs because he is little for me Mom!"

*The soft, gentle voice that you use when you talk to animals and babies.

*How you skip the "L" and the "M" when you sing the ABC's.

*How kind you are to others.

*How you give me "monkey hugs" when I drop you off at daycare in the morning and how you blow kiss after kiss to me out the window as I leave.

*How you cheer me on and tell me I get to get an M&M after I go potty.

*How you belly laugh when we chase each other around the hallways.

*How you tell me that you are going to be a fireman when you are grown up - a nice one.

*I love that you are a good eater and will eat most everything we put in front of you.

*How you say your prayers at night and say, "I love you God!"

*How you tell me that I'm a "good cooker" when I cook dinner.

*When I ask you what we should make for dinner, you shrug and say, "Cookies maybe?"

*How when you wake up, you come find me while I'm getting ready and just want to snuggle for a few minutes.

*Even though you insist on sitting in your own rocking chair and not in my lap, I love reading books with you before bed.

*I love how smart you are, how you use your manners, and even what a stinker you can be sometimes.

I love you with all my heart and I am so very lucky to be your Mommy!

Love is in the Air

This was the first year that we celebrated Valentine's Day as a family instead of a romantic evening for two.  Owen has been learning about hearts and Valentine's Day all week and was excited for the big day to come.  He got to do so many fun activities at Heidi's.  They made bags for their Valentines with doilies and glitter, had a party and decorated heart shaped cookies.

Is it Halloween or Valentine's Day!?!

When we arrived home, we found that Daddy brought an edible arrangement and some chocolate covered strawberries home with him. We ate a heart shaped pizza and enjoyed strawberry banana smoothies for dinner, but since Owen had so many sweets at Heidi's, we skipped the cherry, heart-shaped ice cream cake in the freezer. We'll save that for this weekend!

Loving the balloons!

 Mmmmm...chocolate strawberries

 After dinner, we had a dance party with the fire chief

 And then we had some fun with stickers!

 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

On the Other End of the Spectrum

A few days ago it was friendship bugs for being kind....today it was time outs for not listening.  Grrr, these terrible two's are getting the best of us right now.  Owen has not been listening well lately at all.  We have to tell him time and time again to do something, and then he still does whatever he wants to do.  Heidi struggles with him when it is time to get his snowpants and coat on to go outside.  Today she asked him to start putting on his gear before the other kids, knowing that he gets distracted easily.  She said he was still the last one out the door and then he didn't get much time to play. :(  Wish I could snap my fingers and be out of this phase.  I'm over it!

Here are a few photos from the last month at Heidi's.

Everyone being silly on blue day

 What two colors make pink?

 I'll show you!

 Last week the kids learned about the letter P, so they had pajama day with a popcorn party and a movie!

 On the Friday before Super Bowl, they wore jerseys to celebrate

 Heidi always gets some great close up shots of all the kids.  Sometimes they are cute....

 ....and sometimes they are silly faces!

Last Saturday we met Auntie Laurie and Uncle Scott for dinner.  They came to our house to play and surprised Owen with an early birthday gift!  He LOVES his new fire truck puzzle!!

 On Monday, there was a Valentine package waiting for Mr. Owen when we got home.  Bobby, Nesha, Liva and Sophia sent him all kinds of goodies, including some sticker mustaches!  He had to put on his fire fighter helmet because they matched.  Then he started calling himself a fire chief.  Apparently the mustache warrants a promotion!

 Mr. Bear had to get in on the fun too!