Owen's Second Concert

Owen is in the front row, the first on the left.

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Sledding

Ok, so this must be the smallest hill ever. But the kids loved it, and we didn't even have to leave the yard!

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Owen's First Concert

Great Zoo Halloween and Creature Feature

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Preschool

Well, where do I begin. Owen enjoys preschool, just not the part when I leave. The teacher says he’s good and has fun. He even tells us about what he did ... if we ask a million questions. He got to be the helper once so far. There's about 10 kids in his class so they’re on a ten day rotation for being helper. We had a picnic dinner there one night and then the following week we had dinner again for new families. His teacher’s name is Mrs. Boyd which we all love, because it’s so easy for him to remember.

6 years

Our 6 year anniversary is today. We plan on a date night next Saturday. Sean's cosuin got married this weekend. Owen and Cameryn were so excited that they got to play with Sean's little cosuin Megan at the Reception.

We went to the zoo today, what a beautifully cool day.

Cameryn's Baptism

What a cute little service. I think it took about 5 minutes. Cameryn was being very shy and we couldn’t get any smiles out of her.

Kids being kids

Sound asleep...but not for long

Looks can be deceiving. Cameryn passed out in the truck on the way home, and Sean put her on the couch. I thought she looked so cute that I just had to take a picture. Then she woke up at 8:30 pm full of energy. It wasn't so cute when she refused dinner, then changed her mind at 10:00pm and decided she was starving, and then stayed up until past 10:30pm. What a crazy night!

Downtown Passport

We were tourist in our own town. The kids weren't impressed but Sean and I enjoyed looking around. We ended the day with bedtime stories in the yard.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Owen's watching for the Itsy Bitsy Spider to come down.

Cameryn and Dorothy, Dorothy and Cameryn

This about sums it up. Cameryn loves Dorothy the Dinosaur!

The Carrot Man

At lunch today we were eating apples, and with the Johnny Appleseed Festival around the corner I decided to share that story with Owen. When I was done he quickly started his story about Johnny’s friend the Carrot Man. The Carrot Man uses dirt, rain, and sunlight to grow carrots in the ground, and the Easter Bunny like to eat those carrots. I love his imagination!

Tongue, Eye, and Brain

On the way to church Owen read a sign that said "Watch for ICE on bridge". At bedtime we were talking about our day, and I praised him for knowing how to read that sign. He said "Yeah, well my tongue helps me say the words, my eyes help me see the words, and my brain make me smart to read the words." So I guess it was a group effort to read the sign.

What a busy day

We planned way too much for today. It started at Fun Spot Park. Owen loved it and did great on the rides. Owen even rode three big rides with me. Although he would not ride the Scooby Doo swings. He attempted twice but each time he panicked and needed off the swing. Cameryn also made it in the swing once, but panicked. Other than the carousal Cameryn would not ride a single ride.


After that we went across the street to Sean’s friend’s lake house. The kids absolutely loved the lake. They could have splashed around that lake all day. Next time well have to allow more time to enjoy. Owen even got to drive the boat. On a sad note we were swimming at the same spot were a man died just minutes after we were there.


Then we were off to the Wizards game. Grandpa Mike’s work had a family night. The kids enjoyed some yummy food and snacks, playing on the playground, and got balloon animals. The poor balloon animals never seem to last long. Cameryn popped her pink flower on the way to the car. Owen had his blue elephant disassembled the next day. Maybe we can talk Sean into learning how to make balloon animals so we have a constant supply.

Pop go the Wiggles LIVE

We had a great time at Pop go the Wiggles LIVE. Our camera is broke so we had to use a disposable camera. I still have to finish off the second camera and get those developed before I can share any pictures. And our printer/scanner is broke so we'll have to figure that out before I can scan in pictures. We're not having very good luck on the technology side of life. Owen got a Captain Feathersward hat and sward. Cameryn got a Dorothy hat and tail. (Along with shirts, and a Dorothy doll) They were up all night running around being Captain and Dorothy.

My 1st Tattoo

Well, I finally did it. It still looks pretty gross I'll have to post a new picture once it heals a little more.

3rd Place

Here's Owen with his 3rd Place trophy from Saturday's Ivy Tech Mustang Show. Sean said that because Owen was such a great helper cleaning "Daddy's noisy car" that Owen could keep the trophy on his shelf in his room.

Owen had a rough weekend this past weekend. Friday night he crashed Cameryn's pooh bike and got pretty banged up. Then on Saturday during the awards at the Ivy Tech show Owen got stung by a bee. He bounced back just fine though.

Two Thumbs Up from the Dentist

The kids had their dentist appointments this morning. He said they both have good teeth. He said Owen needs to start flossing (sounds like a challenge) and Cameryn has four back teeth coming through (ouch). They did really good and are very excited about their toothbrushes and toothpaste.

We're not very happy about the Big Wheel Race

So I called the radio station this morning to get information about the Big Wheel Race they had tonight. I asked questions and at the end I asked if there was anything else I needed to know. The lady said no. I got off work early and we took the kids downtown. When Sean got in line they informed him that Owen needed to be pre-registered and since he was not Owen could not race. We were furious!

We didn't stand around and watch, instead we headed over to the park and had fun there. There was a very big slide and Owen went down all by himself. Sean and Cameryn went down together, and she loved it.

The kids are learning to swim, and lovin' it

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Pictures

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Owen's 4th Birthday

What a fun weekend! Owen had a great birthday!

Our house is up for sale

http://fortwayne.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Fortwayne&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=rF4eQWeKCke2F6177Q7o8tmQJUp%2FelcG6Xkenjez168%3D&KeyRid=1&Include_Search_Criteria=

If you know anyone looking for a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house please spread the word!

We've been looking at houses for over a year now! We found a floor plan that we really like and there's a house for sale with that floor plan. If we can get our house sold before anyone else buys that house we'll try to buy it. Otherwise we will look into having it built. I hope this all turns out well.

Last Comic Standing

Sautéed Onions

We found out tonight that Cameryn likes sautéed onions. I had them on my plate and she asked for some. She ended up eating a pretty good amount of them. Kind of weird if you ask me, but she does like her veggies. Then she refused to eat her cotton candy yogurt. What a silly girl!

Owen on the other hand almost missed out on the after dinner popsicles the family had tonight. We told him he had to eat a carrot or he wouldn't get a popsicle. It took him awhile to decide if it was worth it. (He was probably just trying to decide if mom and dad who give in and give him one anyways.)

Brown County 2008 Movies

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Brown County Mustang Show 2008 Pics

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Pictures

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Please enjoy the show!

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Kate's Kart...Books from the Heart

Just an update on how The Laymans are doing: (Taken from http://www.layman4.blogspot.com/)


For any new readers....Kate's Kart is a new charity we just started in honor of our daugther, Kate who passed away on January 15 due to a congenital heart defect at the age of 18 months. She spent many many weeks in the hospital...and one of her favorite things to do was look at books have others read to her. Volunteers will take around Kate's Kart to the pediatric floors and allow hospitalized children and their families to pick out brand new books for their own personal use and enjoyment. Our goal is to pass out books a couple times a week and really encourage the children and their families on an ongoing continual basis. We accept donations of new books, gift cards or cash to help supplement the purchase of books.

Beginning Friday, April 25, 2008, Shannon McClure and Jenny Teders of Fort Wayne, will be contestants on "Dirk & Jnet's Little Give", a local version of Oprah's Big Give, sponsored by WAJI Majic 95.1 FM. Check it out at:

www.kateskart.org.

Please spread the word!

Fantasy Baseball

I’m addicted! Only when I’m winning though. I was second to last the other day and ready to quit. Now I’m first and lovin’ it! I don’t know if I can handle a whole season of ups and downs. I think my blogging is being neglected due to the new addiction, today I finally found time to check my team, upload pictures, and blog. Thank heaven Cameryn still naps so I can get stuff done. I decided to use Jonathan Papelbon as my mascot, because it's so easy to find goofy pictures of him. Oh ya, and because he's a good pitcher!

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Chocolate milk anyone?

I guess the days of Owen waiting a minute for Mommy to be available to help are closing near an end. The other morning Cameryn started drinking Owen’s milk, which made it yucky, so Owen asked me to get him some fresh chocolate milk. I told I would in just a minute. Shortly after that he walked into our bedroom with a yummy glass of chocolate milk , and proudly showed me what he had done all by himself. Luckily the milk was almost gone so it wasn't too heavy to poor. He didn't spill any milk, the chocolate sauce is a different story. Can you see the chocolate settled at the bottom of the cup?

With all the cleaning up Cameryn insisted on washing her hands. So I turned on the water and went back to cleaning up. When I returned I saw bubbles on her mouth. I asked her how the bubbles got on her mouth, and she showed me. Yum!

Crash and burn

Poor Cameryn fell face first on the concrete! Sean said she was a trooper though. Well, after she shattered all the windows at Grandma and Grandpa’s.

Razor burn

Curiosity about shaving got the best of Owen. He found himself alone in the bathroom and decided to give it a try. Razor burn sure looks silly on a three year olds face. He was so embarrassed that he wouldn't even let me take a picture.

Happy Easter Everyone!

We hope everyone had a great Easter!

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Happy Easter Grandma Olga, Grandpa Larry, and Aunt Dee Dee

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Swimming and Snow?

Our friend Bev invited us to be her guests at the Y on Friday to go swimming. At first when I told Owen he said that he was not going swimming. So I was a little nervous, but he did great. The Grandmas kept Cameryn, otherwise it probably would have been impossible. When we first got there he looked in the window at the pool and his face lit up. "I can't wait, I can't wait!" I ran into a few friends who have memberships. So Krista, Angie, and Caroline if you ever want a date for the pool give us a call!

A newborn's conversation with God

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.' God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.''And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.''Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.''But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

Recycling old fascinations

Owen hasn't been interested in The Wiggles for awhile, but they're back! So far this morning The Wiggles have gone to the store, called Owen to let them know when they'd be back, returned home from the store, put their groceries in the fridge, and performed a show. Here it is 9:30 am and The Wiggles have accomplished more than I have today! It's fun to watch Owen have good old fashioned fun. Has anyone had the privilege of watching "The Upside Down Show"? Owen loves it and is learning a lot about using his imagination from Shane and David.

We went to Barnes and Nobles at Jefferson Pointe Wednesday. They have a little porch type area in the kids section and Owen enjoyed putting on a show on the "stage". He is so creative, goofy, but creative. We even called Sean the other morning so Owen could sing "My Dad's The Man", an original arrangement by Owen.

Cam's Letters and Numbers

Lately Cameryn has been saying "s" "o" a lot. Today I noticed she was saying it while pointing at letters on the side of a diaper box. I grabbed the camera to catch a movie of it but once she realized what I was doing she stopped. So, either Sean's correct and she's using profanity (she adds an "a" to the beginning of her "s") or maybe she's in the early stages of letter recognition. She's also a very lovely counter. Please excuse her "nakey"ness, but she loves to take off her clothes.

Rubix Cube online

http://www.rubiks.com/cube_online.html

Anyone in the mood to get frustrated? My sister Danielle has me addicted to rubix cube, and since I don't own one I've been trying it online. I actually solved her "real" rubix cube TWICE. Thank heavens for the instructions that spell it out for you and my ever so patient sister for going over it with me a million times. I have not solved the online rubix cube yet. It doesn't seem to like me very much.

Successful Sunday

Owen stayed in Sunday School today. We were so proud of him. Now we just have to work on Cameryn staying in the Nursery without us.

It was our turn to work in the Nursery this morning, and let me just say having to change other people’s toddlers’ poopy diapers should be outlawed. It’s just plain gross. Also, every time someone came in or left the poor kids got their hopes up that their parents were there. It’s all good though cause we have some really cute kids at our church and we had a pretty good morning.

Let the conversations begin!

Owen: "I’m not talking to you Mommy. I’m talking to Cameryn." "Cameryn, how many elephants can hang in a tree?"
Cameryn: "(Incoherent noise) I don’t know!"

The kids are discovering the fine art of talking to each other. The other day Owen was asking Cameryn question after question and each time she would laugh and say no. Now if we could just get her to reply to his knock-knock jokes.

Love

We were going through all of our paperwork and memorable for the kids the other night trying to get it organized and I came across this card we got when Cameryn was born.

"I heard that an angel showed up at your house, dressed up in a baby disguise. With soft, dimpled cheeks, irresistible "coos", and starlight and hope in her eyes…Though she traded her wings for her ten baby toes and her halo is now just a curl, may all her days bring you heaven on earth – your beautiful, sweet baby girl."

I get so wrapped up in my kids. Sometimes I feel as if no one could ever love them more than I do, but I am blessed to have constant reminders of all the people who love my children right along with me. I never could have imagined my kids loving each other as much as they do. That is one of my most unexpected rewards of parenting.

We thank all of you very much for loving our kids with us.

Cameryn's 18-month Check Up

Cameryn had her 18-month check up today and all is well. She weighed 26 pounds 12 ounces, which is in the 80th percentile. Her height is 33 inches, which is in the 85th percentile. Her head size is 19 ¼ inches, which is in the 95th percentile. She got three shots. She did very well with her shots. The normal screech with the injections and wiggling to get up. Once she was sitting up she was ready to run around naked again. She loves being "nakey", and will come up to us and request to be "nakey". She enjoyed showing off for the Nurse Practitioner, wanted to lead the way down the hall, and enjoyed a drink from the drinking fountain.

Here are Owen’s 18-month check up stats. He weighed 27 pounds, his height was 33 ½ inches, and his head size was 19 inches.

Forgiveness

Owen used to sleep in pretty good but about a year ago we noticed that he was getting more and more upset each morning when daddy wasn't there. So each morning before leaving for work Sean wakes Owen up and gets him ready just so Owen can say good morning. Every once in a while Sean needs to leave early in the mornings and he'll let Owen sleep in.

"Daddy you weren’t home when I woke up. You were at work."
"Sorry, I thought you’d want to sleep."
"Oh, that’s ok. Hey, I forgave you. I’m like God because God forgives people."

Guidance

"The word “dance” being a part of the word guidance is about how dancing is like doing God’s will. Two people dancing are not struggling with each other; one leads and the other willingly follows. When the two become a team, their movements flow in harmony with each other. Looking at the word, G is representing God and then U and I. So guidance is about God, you, and I dancing together.
When you are willing to trust and believe, guidance comes. I believe the rhythm we should all be dancing to comes from our Creator. It allows us to move as a team while creating our unique dance of life."

From "365 Prescriptions for the Soul."

I love quotes

"It means cherishing every moment, every breath with such intensity that you feel tears come to your eyes for no apparent reason."
What It Means To Be The Parent Of A Child With A Heart Defect by Anna Jaworski© 1996

Whether you're a biological parent, adoptive parent, stepparent, grandparent, godparent, or honorary parent we all know this feeling all too well.

If you have any good quotes please share them.

Fascinations

Children and their fascinations. They come and go and some stay longer than you'd like, but it's entertaining to watch. Current fascinations:

Cameryn

1. Role call - she'll go through the whole family and back again, as long as someone is there to listen and repeat her.

2. Buckles - she wants to do the buckles on her booster seat. It keeps me on my toes because I don't know the difference between her wanting down and wanting me to undo the buckle so she can do it again.

Owen

1. Weird - Owen spends his day saying weird nonstop. We've asked him not to say stupid, and he thinks he's found a loophole.

2. Why? - The infamous "why?" questions. I love to see his mind work. He gets so carried away sometimes he doesn't even need me in the conversation.

Pro-Hockey career put on hold

Sean and Owen spent some "guy" time together yesterday. Sean's been wondering when to get Owen into hockey, so they went ice skating down town. Owen did not like it at all. He was excited about getting ice skates, walked pretty good with them on, and then refused to get on the ice. Sean said they barely made it around once before leaving. So Sean has his answer.

"God put the moon down"

The other night at bedtime the moon was so bright that it was shinning through Owen's blinds. We turned off the light and opened the blinds to check it out. It was so beautiful. Then Owen says "God put the moon down." I replied "The moon is up," wondering why my three old doesn't know the difference between up and down. "God is above the clouds so he put the moon down Mommy," Owen tells me. Wow, you have got to love kids, they see things that us adults just don't see.

While we're on the topic, Kate had a star named after her. What a cute idea, and I love to find Orion so I'll think of her often (even though I'm not sure exactly which star is hers).

"Know ye herewith that the International Star Registry doth hereby redesginante star number: Orion RA 6h 5m 18s D 06' 55' to the name: Kate, The Princess of Westwind. Know ye further that this star will henceforth be known by this name. This name is permanently filed in the Registry's vault in Switzerland and recorded in a book which will be registered in the copyright office of the United States of America"

A throw back to the pacifier days

So I've been babysitting Hailey once a week for a few months now and both Cameryn and Owen just adore her. They both follow her around and "help" her with everything. Cameryn crawls with her, she's amazed by her toys and her pacifier. So I thought I'd give Cameryn one of her old pacifiers to see what she'd do. It's been several months and she took it like it never left. However, she didn't realize that if she talks it's going to fall out. I remember a few years ago getting Owen's pacifier back out and he didn't want anything to do with it.

Cough Cough Cough

Last night was a long night of coughs. Owen was up most of the night with constant coughing, and still managed to be up and running around at 7 am. Sean tried to let Owen sleep in this morning, but Owen heard him leaving. In a tearful voice Owen said "My daddy is leaving and my sister will be sad." So I ran to the garage and asked Sean to come back in for a quick hug. Cameryn slept most of the night and seems to be feeling a bit better. Maybe she'll eat something today.

Cameryn's 1st bubble bath?

At an attempt to pacify Cameryn we thought we'd try a bubble bath. Then we realized that this was her 1st! How sad is that, a year and a half and just now enjoying a bubble bath.

Both Owen and Cameryn have colds. Cameryn is taking it a lot worse. She's fussy, not eating, and not sleeping well. Thankfully she has been enjoying her milk. Owen's cough sounds terrible but doesn't seem to be slowing him down at all.

Kate's Service

Sean and I attended Baby Kate's funeral service yesterday. It was beautiful. They shared poems, letters, pictures, and scriptures. It so delicately conveyed the love her family and friends have for Kate. Amidst all her pain she was a very happy, smiley little girl.

Owen's Statue of Liberty

It's always fun to see something your children have learned that you didn't teach them. These days I find myself asking him "Where did you learn that?" And of course when you're the little sister you have to try everything your brother does.