Six Flags Fun Day

Clayton's little school offered a reading incentive program this Spring that resulted in the kids earning a ticket to Six Flags if that read 6 hours of recreational books. That was certainly an incentive for our boy! He filled in his reading log pretty quickly. He and Wade decided to use his ticket last Friday for a day of Father/Son Six Flags fun. From what I hear, they had a ball! :)

We didn't go to Six Flags last summer, so Clayton was 4 the last time that we went. That was when he rode the Shock Wave 5 times in a row. He is now over the 48 inch mark, so he could ride almost everything. As his mother, that made me a nervous wreck!

They were there as soon as the park opened and went straight for the Texas Giant - no surprise there! Wade said that Clayton looked terrified the entire time, but he stands firm in his opinion that it was his favorite ride of the day. Ha! Next they got in line for the Titan...

Apparently, that is where my 6 year old daredevil met his match. They waited in line, but Clayton decided at the last minute that he didn't want to ride it. I was surprised, but glad to hear that there was at least one ride that he was afraid to ride. Gotta have something to conquer next year, right?

Wade told me one other gem of a story that is so classic Clayton...

They got to the entrance of the park about 20 minutes before it opened. The line continued to form behind them of people waiting to get into the park. When they finally started letting people in, Wade let Clayton go through the metal detector first. C walked through and the alarm went off. The lady told him to go back through, it alarmed again. She had him try again, and the alarm sounded again. Finally, she said, "Do you have anything in your pockets?" Wade was about to answer, "No." for him when Clayton started unloading all sorts of treasures from his pockets. Unbeknownst to Wade, he had packed an assortment of things in his pockets including an old cell phone that no longer works and a calculator. Can't you just see the embarrassment on Wade's face as Clayton unloaded a bunch of junk while a line full of onlookers waiting to get into the park watched???? I laughed and laughed when Wade told me the story! A cell phone and calculator - that is so Clayton. Crazy boy. ;)

I was glad to hear that they had a fun time. Things like that make me so excited for our future with 3 boys. I have a feeling that there will be many an amusement park in our future!

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Owen's Diaper Shower

Wade & I get the privilege of weekly fellowship and Bible study with an amazing Sunday school class. The friendships that we have formed with our buddies in B35 have been some of the sweetest bonds of our adult lives. I truly cannot imagine our lives without our church family. They are all so precious to me!

Our department has grown a TON since we joined 3 years ago. When we first started visiting, there were probably 10 or so couples that came on any given Sunday. Last Sunday, however, there were 62 people in our class! God has been so good to add to our numbers.

Speaking of adding to our numbers... Our class has done a great job of keeping the nursery full as well. :) If my count is correct, in 2011 8 couples in our class have had or will have babies. I think that our class does a fabulous job of celebrating each baby and supporting the parents as they add a little one to their families. Wade & I have been completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our church pals. They have done so much to celebrate Owen and to minister to us as his parents as well. The MANY meals, cards, gifts, prayers, and visits have touched us both so deeply.

This past Saturday, B35 honored Baby Owen with a diaper shower/sip n see. We had brunch at Mimi's Cafe and everything was just perfect! I loved every minute of our morning together. :)

Owen & I before the shower. He is such a good baby!

I love all of these sweet ladies! They bless me so much!

Owen's personalized frog bank from Abs

My friend Amy made Owen a diaper cake

Isn't Cammi the cutest girl? I loved watching her love on my O.

My friend Somer was really sweet with him, too.

Holly & Abbey with Owen



We have diapers and wipes to last for months. What a HUGE blessing!

We love you, B35ers! Thank you for all that you have done for our family!

King me!

I'm teaching Clayton the art of checkers tonight. :-) I'm red and it's my turn.

He has me blocked in both ways! I lose!

I'm trying to decide what sounds less pathetic... Option A: Lying and saying that I let him win. Or Option B: Admitting defeat to a 6 year old.

I think I better try my hand at Uno. Ha!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 Month Comparison Post :)

I know that I say this all of the time, but I just can't get over the fact that Clayton, Drew, and Owen all look so completely different. I know that you aren't supposed to compare your kids, but it is so hard not to!

I did a comparison post when Drew was 2 months old, and I thought that it would be fun to do again. :) Here are some pictures...

Wade at 2 months

Me at 3 months

Clayton at 2 months

Drew at 2 months

Owen at 2 months

See what I mean??? None of us look alike. Wade and Drew do the most, I suppose, though. It's just so hard to tell. What do y'all think? Maybe I am missing something...

I also wanted to include pictures of all three of my boys at 2 months old in the same outfit sitting in the same chair.

Clayton at 2 months old

Drew at 2 months old

Owen at 2 months old

Clayton looks so tiny with his head full of jet black hair. Drew was such a chunk! Get a load of those cheeks... and thighs... and belly... It looks like he is vacuum packed into that outfit! Man, he was cute, though! My O has so much less hair - hardly any on top. He is right in between the other two size wise. The 0-3 month outfit still has plenty of growing room, but it isn't swallowing him up either.

My 3 sons are all so different, but I love them all the same! Variety is the spice of life, right? :)

Baby Owen is 2 months Old!

My sweet little babe turned 2 months old today! I feel like these 2 months have gone by in the blink of an eye. The days are just going by at warp speed. I'm finding myself in the market for a time machine. Wouldn't that be nice? :)

2 Month Photo Shoot This Afternoon

I couldn't get him to smile with his stuffed animals. Blowing bubbles was as good as it got. ;)

* I took Owen for his 2 month well check this morning. He got a great report! Dr. P. said there was a little bit of fluid behind his left ear drum, but it wasn't infected. Just something to watch... Lord, please don't let him have bad ears like Drew did. :( He weighed 12 lbs. 5 oz. (50-75%), was 23.5 inches long (75%), and his head circumference was 39.75 cm (50%). His weight is right in between where his brothers were at 2 months. Clayton weighed 10 pounds even and Drew weighed 14 lbs. 2 oz! They are all so different - Small, Medium, and Large. Ha! ;)

My sweet neighbor took these pictures of Owen on Tuesday. She is so creative!

* Owen wears 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.

* He is still nursing about every 3 hours during the day and goes a good 7 hour stretch at night. Bless his heart - Baby Owen has been so good to his Mama! At 4-5 weeks old I was really worried that he may have a touch of reflux. He was a little fussy after feedings and wasn't sleeping as well as my other boys did. Luckily, that didn't last long. It was like a light switch, one day he was just so much better. It was about that time that I realized I wasn't wrapping him tight enough in his miracle blanket (rookie mistake!). Once I started swaddling him tighter, he started eating and sleeping better. Coincidence? I think not! You know that I am a firm believer in a tightly swaddled baby. :)

As soon as I unwrap that little burrito baby, he stretches waayyy out. It is so funny! I laugh every time imagining him saying, "Freedom, yes!"

* Owen took his first dip in the pool on July 4th. I think that he liked it! He just floated along in the shady part of the pool.

After a little while, he was done with the float. He dozed a little in my arms. Sweet thing!

* Owen is loving his Baby Einstein mat right now. He just talks away to the little stuffed animals. It's pretty cute. :)

* Owen's big brothers are still crazy about him! They ask to hold him all of the time, and talk so sweet to him. Drew literally runs to give Owen his pacifier as soon as he starts to cry. He says, "I go help Baby Owen! I go help Baby Owen!" These are the 3 Musketeers for sure!

* Here is a little video of Owen "talking" to me today. He makes the "oh" sound a lot. Clayton says, "Owen is starting to say his name! He is so smart!" Ha!

Owen Thomas,

My, oh my, how you have changed this month! You still have your serious moments, but you are so super smiley and chatty most of the time. It is so precious to see your little personality start to come out. :)

I love the quiet moments when it is just you and me - usually late at night or early in the morning. I just sit and coo with you and pretend like I haven't got a care in the world. I was snuggling with you the other night when your Daddy walked into the room. He said, "You're in your happy place, aren't you?" Ha ha! It's true - you fill me with so much joy!

There is a song on the radio right now that I just love. It makes me think of you every time that I hear it. It sums up so many of my hopes for you. Here are the lyrics:

This Little Light Of Mine by Addison Road

There's a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright, some shine small
The rains will come and the waters rise
But don't you ever lose your light
In this life you will know
Love and pain, joy and sorrow
So when it hurts, when times get hard
Don't forget whose child you are

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

May you live each day with no regret
Make the most of every chance you get
Let your eyes get wide when you look at the stars
With the same sense of wonder as a child's heart
With the ones you love treasure the time
And for those who are gone keep their memories alive
Hold on to your dreams don't ever let go
There's a fire inside you burning with hope

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There will be days when you want to give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don't you ever forget

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then I'm gonna try
To brave the dark and let my little light shine

Chorus:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There's a little light inside us all

I know that you have a long, long life ahead of you, Baby Boy. I pray that you never forget whose child you are and that you let your light shine bright in this dark world.

I love you to the moon and back!
Mommy

The Red, White, and Blue

We had a great July 4th this year! We went to the lake on Saturday with the Yldas, Fireworks on Sunday night, and then swimming and grilling out with our neighbors on Monday. What a fun filled long weekend!

My Favorite Yankee Doodle Boys :)

Owen's First 4th!

Mr. Patriotic

We had quite the setup to watch the fireworks on Saturday. My car has a regular electrical outlet in it, so Wade thought to bring our box fan. We raised the tailgate and set up camp with the box fan blowing on us. It was great! Clayton and I played Uno while we waited for the fireworks to start.

We happened to park right next to some friends from church. What are the chances??? Drew was pretty content to sit with Mrs. Verna and eat M&Ms. Ha!

On Monday, the actual 4th, we swam at our neighbor's house and grilled out. It was a great way to wrap up the weekend!

Owen's First Swim

Clayton is such a fish! He smiled for my underwater camera. :)

Drew wasn't willing to go under long enough to take a picture. He sure was cute above water, though. :)

Wade catapulted the kids into the air over and over again. He's such a fun dad! My kids are so lucky to have him...

We are so grateful to live in the U.S.A.! May we never take our freedom for granted. Happy Birthday, America!