Tony turns the BIG 3-0!!!

Last Friday Tony turned 30 years old & we threw a big party to celebrate with our family & friends! My parents were generous enough to let us host the party at their house--it was a good centrally located place to have it since we had guests coming from all directions. We had lots of yummy food, drinks, a bonfire, & an overall great time with awesome people! Here are some pictures from the party... Owen made a short appearance to wish his daddy a happy birthday before heading off to bed! Ash & JoelMarisa & RandyNeighbor ladies in the kitchen Tony blowing out his candles My birthday boy! Neighbor fellas Tony's oldest & dearest friends The ladies that belong with the "oldest & dearest" Our neighbor crew Crazy, fun people! The bonfire Rounding up the festivities for the evening

Thank you a billion to all who came to celebrate Tony's 30th birthday, it meant so much to us to have you there & we love you all! For those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you dearly & we love you all too!!!

Halloween

Tony & I were not actually in town this year for Halloween, we were in Jacksonville for the UGA vs. UF game, but Owen spent half the weekend with Geebee & Pops & the other half with Noni & Grandpa. He was a cowboy again this year 1) because he doesn't know the difference & I didn't want to miss anything new and 2) his costume fit better this year than last & he just looked so darn cute! Here are some pictures that we took of Owen a few days before Halloween in his cowboy getup!

Matt's Visit

My brother, Matt, came home for 3 weeks during the month of October & we had so much fun while he was here! Matt's been living out in Colorado for right at a year now so it was so awesome to have him come home for a visit. Owen really bonded with Matt a lot while he was home & it was such a beautiful thing for me to witness my brother & my son playing, laughing, & enjoying each others' company. Matt wasn't home nearly long enough (nothing short of a permanent move home ever is though!), but we were so thankful he came & treasured every minute with him. Here are some sweet pictures we took during the time he was here.

Choo-Choo!!!

Goodness I'm waaaayyyy behind on my blogging :P It may take me a few days, but I'm gonna catch up this week, I promise!!! I'll start with these adorable pictures of Owen that we took near my parents' house...oh about a month ago (I know, I know! I've already admitted I'm behind!) Owen's way into trains these days so this is one of his favorite places to go play. Shoot back about 20 years and there's a sweet story to go with this train. So apparently my brother was pretty into trains when he was little too, so one year my parents "gave" Matt this train for Christmas. The only stipulation was that he had to leave it where it was so that the other kids could play on it & enjoy it too. How about that for some creative gift giving?! I love that story & from that point forward, we've always called it my brother's train :) So here are some pictures of Owen playing on Uncle Matt's train. My aunt & uncle were in town when these were taken so I've even got a few of Owen playing with Lali (my Aunt Alison) too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

We took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun searching for our family pumpkin together. Tony ended up finding the perfect one this year and I must say he did a great job, it's super cute! What a difference a year makes too! Last fall Owen was just crawling around the pumpkin patch & this year he was running EVERYWHERE! He especially liked the tiny little pumpkins that he could pick up himself, but we had to keep an eye on the little stinker cause he tried to throw them across the patch on more than one occasion :) We ended up getting him a little wee pumpkin of his very own so now he can play with it in our yard at home. We had a great time & got some cute pictures too!

Owen's 25

I got the idea from my sweet friend Renee to complete one of those "25 Things About Me" lists...not about myself, but instead about Owen. What a fun list to look back at together when he gets older! Okay, so without further ado, here are:

25 Fun & Unique Things About Owen:

1. He is 100%, hands down, ALL boy. It's all about cars, trucks, & planes these days. It's so funny how little boys are hardwired for that stuff. Owen gets sooo excited when he sees them in books or on tv--and if it's in person, forget about it, he's over the moon excited & has to tell everyone in ear shot about what he sees!

2. We don't know where he came up with it, but a "ju-ju" is Owen's word for anything sweet--a popsicle, a sucker, a piece of candy, just about anything chocked full o' sugar is a "juuuuu, juuuuuu!!!"

3. Owen's quite the little helper around the house. If he spills something, we can hand him a towel & he'll wipe it right up. He likes to sweep with the broom & swiffer the floors. I think dusting is his favorite though--he thinks that fluffy little wand is something pretty special ;)

Mama's little helper!

4. His "nite nite," as he calls it--his special blue blanket that he sleeps with--is cashmere and he LOVES it! He'll reluctantly settle with a substitute blanket if his beloved "nite nite" is dirty--it has to be washed by hand you know ;) but he's not completely content with anything but pure cashmere baby. He's developed a taste for the finer things in life a little early I guess :)

5. Owen is quite the climber & you REALLY have to keep your eye on the little guy or he can get into trouble pretty quickly. He'll climb on the outside of the stair railing, on top of the tables (and do a little victory dance I might add), on top of our tall barstools, basically anywhere he can. He's a little overzealous sometimes too and gets up somewhere, but then gets stuck & can't get down!

Owen's "victory dance" after his latest climbing adventure

6. He's quite the little comedian & loves to make people look at him & laugh. He has a special "surprise" face that always does the trick where he gets really big eyes & opens his mouth really wide. It is precious! I have yet to catch the infamous surprise face on camera, but I'm still tryin'!

7. Owen is a dancin' fool! Put on a little music & watch him go, that boy can groove with the best of them :) I guess he comes by it honestly, his mama loves to dance too!

8. Owen is not a big eater, he never has been. However, you can pretty much count on him eating animal cookies, yogurt, & fruit just about any time.

9. He can name almost all of his body parts--eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, toes...he's got them covered! He's especially fascinated by toes & is quite entertained to grab them (& has even been known to try to bite them on occasion!). He thinks it's hilarious!

Trying to tickle mama's toes!

10. Owen really likes to contribute to conversations & put in his two cents--he gets this loud "big boy" voice & when Tony's out talking with a neighbor in the yard, Owen likes to interject an opinion or two, making sure his voice gets heard too ;)

11. In the same respect, Owen also has a "special" voice for kids & pets too. He likes to talks to them in really loud, high pitch, squeal type voice...I guess maybe he thinks they understand him better that way.

12. My little guy is a huge fan of ducks. Ducks in books, ducks in paintings, ducks on t.v., ducks in real life. His favorite book is "Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck" which is a must read at least once a day.

13. Owen & I have a special morning routine that we do nearly every single day...and I'm not sure which one of us loves it more :) I fix coffee for me & milk for him & we sit in our red chair in the living room & watch "Sid the Science Kid" and/or "Sesame Street." These are the moments I will treasure absolutely forever.

14. This boy loves his shoes...again, channeling his mama I think ;) When Owen gets a pair of shoes on he likes to strut his stuff around the house, admiring his cool kicks. Sometimes he will ask to put on shoes even when we're just staying home all day. He's so funny like that.

15. Owen's laughter is hands down my favorite sound in the entire world, period.

16. Sometimes "no" really means "yes" so I often have to ask Owen a question more than once. He may just have to think twice about whether or not he really wants a "ju ju" ;)

17. If we're outside, no matter what he's doing, Owen will stop everything, point, & shout if he sees a bird or plane in the sky. He has to make sure everyone else sees it too.

It's a "PANE"! (aka, plane)

18. He doesn't do it quite as often as he used to, but Owen likes to interject "GO DAWGS!" at the end of the blessing before a meal. That's my boy!

19. It is a precious sight to see Owen watching sports with his daddy :) Owen will clap & shout right along with Tony, it's just so stinkin' cute to watch the two of them together having "guys time."

20. Owen gets the hiccups a lot. He used to get them almost every single day inside my tummy when I was pregnant with him. It used to make me smile when I would feel him start hiccuping around in there. I still smile when he gets them and I think I always will--it reminds me of those sweet memories from before he was born.

21. In case you needed further convincing that this little stinker' is ALL boy...he's way into practicing throwing punches & kicks. He even has his own sound effects--separate sounds for each of his moves--as he karate punches & kicks the air around him.

22. Owen's really good at naming animals. He can name just about every farm animal & some of the zoo animals too (those are a little harder, I mean what 19 month old do you know who can say elephant?!) However, he doesn't quite have "dinosaur" down. When you point to a dinosaur and ask what it is, Owen will "ROAAARRR!!!!" in your face. He's got the concept right though!

23. I'm sure a lot of kids do this, but Owen doesn't inhale when he "smells" flowers. Instead, he exhales air out of his nose. He may not have the concept of smelling things down, but it does come in handy when I need him to blow his nose!

24. Owen will use any object that even resembles a golf club to practice his swing--a stick, a bat, an actual club....anything works for him!

...hmmm, the next Tiger Woods, perhaps?

25. When the "practice" punches & kicks accidentally make contact with a person (namely his mama!) Owen is very quick to offer kisses to try and weasel his way out of trouble. Who knew they learned manipulation at such an early age?!

26. Okay, so even though this thing should be officially complete at 25, a list about Owen would not be complete without me adding that I am blessed beyond measure to be his mama. Owen is the very best thing that I've ever been a part of & I thank my Heavenly Father every single day for bringing him into my life. I am truly grateful for this beautiful, wonderful, perfect little boy that I get to call my son.