The Beginning of Farewell

Those who know me know that I am not very good at goodbyes.

I'm coming up on one of the biggest ones I'll ever face; the farewell to my grandma on this earth.

One of our friends read this psalm to my grandma twice and she calmed down. She didn't want to let go of his hands.

Psalm 23: A Psalm of David
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me by still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Constant prayers for peace & comfort as she prepares to be reunited with Grandpa are being sent her way.

Goofy Smiles

We've reached a milestone in parenting and childhood. We have a child who now does the goofy, "this is my smile" face, instead of just smiling his big ol' toothy grin. 

 Haha! It cracks me up.

And here's the, "I am not going to smile even though I really want to" face.

It's a new stage, people.

Thanks for being a good sport, Leif.

Also, I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but it needs to be documented.

I love it when he asks me to sing, "Down in the Balley." 

The song is set in a valley, but the way he says it is much cuter. 

2 Months with Owen!!

Two violets for two months.

Owen David has blessed our family's lives for two full months already. In his second month, he's started handing out smiles like there's no tomorrow (except for the camera), he's weathered his first big sickness (and scared us greatly in the process!), and he's certainly won the hearts of everyone in our family.

 He loves lying on a blanket outside. Loves it. Inside, he's not nearly as fond of this activity. He'd rather be in our arms or in a carrier.

 He loves sucking on his hands when he can find them. He'll spend long, long periods working on getting his hand to his mouth. He's getting faster at it, but hasn't learned how to get any of the digits into his mouth. He mouths his whole fist :)

 He continues to love his sheepskin and sleeps large chunks of the night. Hallelujah!!

 He's a fan of bath time, but doesn't get them very often ;)

 He continues to awe us with his gorgeous blue eyes. I could look at them all day long, if I was allowed to do nothing else.

 He makes the best faces, especially when he is just waking up!

 The one below looks like he's doing a little dance. Haha!

 Oh, darling Owen David...

 You are just such a sweetheart.

 Oh, and your hair. I love it.

 Here's the back, too. You haven't lost much hair in the back, just like your brother.

 Thanks for being a good sport when I take pictures!!

 And thanks for being my constant sidekick and companion throughout the days and nights. You are a joy and delight.

It's so easy being your mama.

Love you, love you.

We had your two month appointment today and you had your first round of shots. You were a champ. You certainly didn't like them, but quickly calmed down. The rest of the day you've either slept on your sheepskin or in the carrier, and wanted to be held or worn all day long. Who can blame you?

Your stats were as follows: 

• Weight: 13.31 lbs. and in the 67.72%
• Length: 24.75 inches and in the 97%
• Weight-Length CHart (BMI): in the 8.55%. For your incredible height, you are quite slender! 
• Head Circumference: 16 inches and in the 85.74%

For your length, you've already started wearing some six month clothing!! Slow down, dear babe. Width-wise, you are still in three month clothing.

You love: SMILING!!!, watching Ian and smiling at him, being outside, being worn in the carrier, your sheepskin, listening to our singing, being cuddled and held, and cooing back and forth with whoever you've engaged at the moment.

Happy two months, Owen David!!

Seven/Eight Week Owen

In the midst of the sickness, Owen turned 7 weeks and then now he's already 8 weeks! These photos were taken around 7.5 weeks, so we'll cover two weeks ;)

 He's weathered his first big sickness and bounced back like a champ,

 He's melting my heart daily with big smiles,

 and then even bigger, gaping gummy smiles!!

 There's nothing better!!

 And he's very elusive with these smiles as soon as you try to document them. SO grateful I caught them on the good camera the only time I actually captured them!!

 Mostly, you still love to be in my arms, in the carrier, or sleeping on your sheepskin. You also love being bounced on the yoga ball. Lying on your back, not so much. But you were content in these pictures!

 You've started cooing lately, more and more, and it is just so sweet. I love bantering back and forth with you. Ian loves it, too.

 You are one very beloved baby.

 It's hard to believe you've already been with us for *almost* two months!

We're completely enamored by you.

And your coos and smiles make us think that you might just like us, too ;)

Happy 7 & 8 Weeks, Owen David!!

A Little of Lately

Lately we've had sickness and recovery, campfires and smiles, 

busy playtimes and lazy blanket-lying, goodbyes and travel. 

Here's a little of our "lately."

 One last playtime and cuddle before Papa left for Puerto Rico...

 Ian's first wheelbarrow!

 Owen adores his big brother already...

 Now we're at my parents' home for a few days while Jim's gone. Both kids were sleeping peacefully, but now Ian's awake... back to the "grind!" Playing with dinosaurs... it's a grind ;)