Mommy's Happy Birthday....

Hannah & Ava made me this beautiful cake- Ava is quite the decorator!

Blowing out the candles!

After a long day at work on my birthday, it was so nice to come home to some surprises that Hannah and Ava made me. They crafted a homemade card and a wonderful cake that I did eat far too much of! We enjoyed a nice, quiet evening at home as a family and got to sing "Happy Birthday" and eat cake and ice cream...Ava's night couldn't have been any better and either could mine!

Falls Park....

Brad & Ava from the lookout tower

Owen all bundled up in the stroller- really looks like April 16th, doesn't it?

We decided we needed a family day so we loaded up the kiddos and went to Sioux Falls. Brad had never been to Falls Park, so we thought this would be a fun place to take Ava and he would enjoy it as well. I hadn't been there in lots of years. Other than the fact that it was extremely brisk and breezy, it was very pretty. Ava loved the water, but she was pretty scared on the bridge. There are lots of nice places to walk around there, so we decided we will have to go back this summer and eat at the historic coffee house/cafe there that overlooks the falls--perhaps when it's nicer outside!

Owen's First Food....

Bring on the food, Mom!

There's the first bite...

There's that first bite....on its way back out!

As Owen has now rounded the 6 months mark, it is time to start trying some solid foods. We mixed up the rice cereal and it went just as we predicted. He loves getting it in his mouth but didn't manage to get much of it swallowed. He did seem excited about the whole process of eating and getting something put in his mouth. He was sucking on his fingers and spitting it all over...a true disaster! I love this stage!

Ava Cuts Her Own Hair!

Holding the chunk she cut out- you can see the piece missing in her bangs!

Yup-that's what she butchered!

This part used to be as long as her sides- now there are parts that are down to her scalp!

Let's just start my saying I recently purchased Ava a pair of child's scissors as she has never cut anything before and I thought she should have some clue before starting preschool this fall. Needless to say, she loves the scissors! We had a big talk about how they were only to be used on paper and not our clothes or hair. After all, how much damage can they do when they are "kids scissors"? Well, one afternoon I was doing some work stuff while Owen was sleeping. Ava was sitting on the couch with her babies being very quiet. I have my back to her typing an email when I hear her say, "I'm having a haircut right now." Yes, my heart sank as I could only imagine what I was going to turn around and see. I immediately noticed a chunk missing from her bangs, but she had a little pony tail in the front, so all of the damage was not immediately evident. I took her in the bathroom to pull out the rubber band, and that is when the big chunk of hair came out. I was scared, but decided it could be worse. At least she didn't cut one of her sides above her ear or something. She did manage to get it right down to the scalp in one spot. I think we will be wearing a lot of headbands as they cover up the "spiked" portion just above her bangs! She did promise me she would never have a haircut by herself again!

Owen is 6 Months Old....

Gosh, these blocks look fun!

Matching Easter Outfits (Ava 3 1/2, Owen 6 months)

"You know I'm going to knock over those blocks...."

So happy to be in my diaper!

Such a nice smile!

What better way to celebrate Owen's 6 month birthday than a fun day at the portrait studio! Okay, not exactly my idea of fun as it ends up being quite a bit of work in preparation on my part (I'm usually perspiring by the time we are actually taking pictures), but I do love getting the pictures afterwards. It was a wonderful rainy/snowy day so the kids didn't get to wear their nice spring outfits to the studio which meant more changing outfits fun for me! We were planning to meet Shelly and Addie anyway that day, so they ended up coming to the studio shortly after pictures began which was wonderful! Once Ava was done with her pictures, her and Addie played the rest of the time together which was a huge help to me. Shelly was wonderful help as usual. Owen was very cooperative for his 6 month portraits. Aside from spitting up all over the floor and chair (the guy helping the photographer wasn't terribly amused!), he did well. He was very smiley and happy until we got about 45 minutes into it. At that point, we decided there was no more outfit changes, and we were going to wrap it up.

Here is the low down at 6 months:

Sleep:Owen is sleeping from around 8:00 pm until 7:00 am each night. He is sleeping during the night very well and we rarely hear a peep out of him. His naps are not as scheduled as I would like them to be. He usually sleeps from 9:30-11:30, 2:00-4:00 or 4:30, and then a short cat nap in the evening if he needs it. We certainly can't set our watch my his napping schedule, but he does typically sleep between 4-5 hours per day.

Movement: Owen is still rolling over pretty often in his crib and is pretty versatile in sleeping on either his belly or his back. He can scoot towards his head when laying on his back all the way across the living room floor. He sits up better every day, but often ends up falling over onto his belly. He kind of gets up to all fours, but he is mostly able to just get his upper half off the floor. I don't think we have to worry about him crawling or pulling up just yet as he is pretty happy just sitting there. Besides, I don't think I'm ready for that yet :)

Language: Owen is "talking" more and more all the time. He loves to babble, sometimes quite loudly, especially in church! He loves to have conversations with his sister. Ava loves it just as much!

Activity: He is really starting to enjoy his exersaucer more and more. He still loves to lay on the floor and play with his toys. It is fun to see him start to be able to push the buttons on the toys and figure things out. He puts up with his share of "abuse" from Ava from dressing him up to pouncing on him without a lot of complaining. Overall, he is a pretty easy little boy to get along with!

Outdoor Fun....

Ready for a bike ride/walk

Owen loves the stroller rides!

Ava loved flying her kite

Owen's new carseat

We have been trying to spend whatever time we can lately outside, although the weather hasn't been cooperating. Most of our time outdoors is still spent in coats and hats, but we still try to make the best of it. Ava loves to go on bike rides and Owen loves to ride in his stroller. It should be a fun summer.

On a side note, we had to move Owen out of his infant carseat because he has surpassed the weight limit (or I'm sure he's close) at just shy of 6 months old. He loves his new carseat and has slept in it a few times already. Hard to believe he's so big already!