BUSYMOM

EASTER CRAFT EMERGENCY

2011-03-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Martha's beautiful honey bunny bookmark

My mummy bunny disaster

I absolutely LOVE doing Martha Stewart's Crafts. I go to her website all the time for craft ideas for my kids. However, I am always a bit discouraged when my craft doesn't quite look like hers. Usually, I can get it pretty close, but Martha would probably be ashamed at the one that I attempted tonight. It's suppose to be a cute bunny bookmark and after you wrap the template in chenille pipe cleaners you glue the kids picture on the face of the bunny. I know I haven't glued the face yet, but my bookmark looks nothing like what it's suppose to - it's embarrassing. I had planned on putting it in my kids Easter baskets and then I thought it would be so much fun to make these for my Sunbeams class, but unless I can figure out how to make it look nicer there's no way this craft will see the light of day. Does anyone have any suggestions?

GAVIN

2011-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Gavin is almost 2 1/2 years old. My baby is growing up so fast. He is doing so many fascinating things and in the process wreaking havoc on almost all of my belongings - not anyone else's, just mine. He has this curiosity with the loft. The loft is "my space" where I pay the bills, go online and do all of my crafts. Gavin has recently discovered how to unlock the gate that protects my space and I am not happy with this new trick of his.

This morning I was rushing around the house getting myself ready for my doctor's appointment, making sure that Owen was ready for school and drinking the infamous Glucola for my glucose test. Normally I like it, but I think this was a flavor I had never had before. I think in the past the drink was always orange and this one was red and tasted something like fruit punch. Anyways, after my doctor appointment I went to Owen's school to volunteer in his class and ended up staying later than planned. When I got home, it was very quiet upstairs. That is NEVER a good sign. I walked through our bedroom doors and there was my husband asleep with our 2 1/2 year old playing with scissors he found in the loft. Luckily he hadn't hurt himself or anything that I can tell, but I was so mad. I yelled at Jason for sleeping while Gavin was getting into trouble. Somehow Gavin found a brand new bag of cookies and spread them all over my carpet and then crushed them. I picture him doing a happy dance on them to celebrate his independence while mom was away and dad was asleep. It was only 4 days ago that Gavin snuck into the loft and DESTROYED my activity for the Sunbeams at church with his doodles and scissors. I had to remake the entire lesson. Not to mention on Sunday after church when Gavin woke up from his nap and decided to take one of my ink pads and color our computer chair with it. Had Jason learned nothing about this child from his weekend of destruction! Needless to say, I was a little upset this morning with both boys, but this afternoon made up for all the messes from earlier.

Jason went to drop off some jobs for customers while I was feeding Gavin. After lunch, we went into the living room, turned on some music and started dancing. Gavin took off upstairs for a minute and came back down with Owen's blanket. He grabbed some pillows and layed down on the chest we have in the room. He looked so adorable all curled up underneath the blanket he brought. While I watched Gavin pretend that he was asleep, I was reminded how precious he truly is. How could anyone stay mad at a face like this.

This was taken the day Gavin decided to play with one of my ink pads.

My sweet Angel!

Today, I figured out what Gavin stands for:

G - GENEROUS

A - ADVENTUROUS

V - VALIANT

I - INTELLIGENT

N - NOISY

THE JEEP

2011-03-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it has been exactly one month since Jason's car accident. On February 15th Jason was driving down Rt. 85 in Frederick when a deer jumped out in front of him. He swerved and ran into an electrical pole. He up rooted the pole and snapped it in half. Jason's jeep flipped several times and he was knocked unconscious. I had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home. As soon as I woke up, I knew something was wrong because it was almost midnight. I searched the house and when I couldn't find him, I went to the backdoor to see if his car was in the garage. As I reached the door, I saw Jason walking up the stairs with his friend, Scott. I asked where he had been and as soon as he told me he was in a bad car accident, I noticed the black eye, cuts and bruises all over his face. He told me he had banged up the car a little.

Jason complained of severe back pain and thought maybe he should go to the hospital, however when he called Kaiser to ask if Shady Grove was okay to go to, they told him he would have to see one of their doctor's in Falls Church. Jason's friend Scott volunteered to take him to their facility. After an hour of waiting to be seen, the nurse brought him back. She took his temperature and blood pressure and the doctor said for him to go home! Jason said the doctor literally NEVER TOUCHED HIM! I am shocked. I know my past experiences with Kaiser weren't always the best, but my husband was jostled in the car pretty good. You would think the doctor knowing Jason was knocked unconscious and complaining of severe back pain would want to examine him. He had to push them just to get a muscle relaxer and Tylenol 3. Jason came home at 4am and took a shower and went to sleep. I stayed up the rest of the night just to make sure he was breathing.

I had no idea of the severity of the accident until the next day. I really thought that there may be a chance the car could be repaired, but after seeing it in person, I knew there was no way the insurance company would even consider repairing it. So the next day, Jason and I went to the gas station where the Jeep was towed. We drove around back to where they dropped it off and I asked Jason, "where is it" and Jason said "it's right in front of you!" LOL I had no idea!!! It didn't look like what I thought it would at all. So we got out and approached the car from behind. I remember saying, alright well that's not so bad - I can see the insurance being able to fix this, however as I start walking around the vehicle, the damage got worse and worse. I was completed stunned! There was not one side that wasn't destroyed! By the time I walked around to the front, I was trembling at the idea of what could have been. The role bar that's suppose to protect you (which it did for Jason) was completely crushed on the kids car seats. Thank Heaven's they weren't in the car when the accident occurred. I told Jason, you didn't just bang up the car a little honey, you totaled it! I am so grateful my husband was able to walk away from this!

Crash Closes MD Route 85, Re-Opened After 11 a.m.

Jason was still in a lot of pain on Thursday - understandably so. He wasn't able to be seen until the next day. I made sure I was with him for that appointment and the ones that followed. I brought in pictures of the Jeep to show to the doctor that he was in a severe car accident and he needs stronger pain meds! I'm not sure if the doctor had sympathy for Jason or if he's really a good doctor, but he was thorough. He admitted that what the other doctor gave Jason for the pain would not be strong enough given his size and we got him to take x-rays of Jason's back and side because it sounded like he could have easily broken some ribs. The x-rays came back fine, but the doctor said that his ribs were probably badly bruised and it would still take at least 6 weeks to recover.

Last week Jason went back to the doctor to see if he could have a MRI (because of the back pain) and a CAT scan (for the chronic headaches). The doctor didn't see the need for a MRI. He said if something was wrong that didn't show on the x-ray he would have pain running down his legs. The doctor was concerned about the headaches. He said if there is a slow bleed, it would begin to show signs around now, one of the symptoms being chronic headaches, however Jason doesn't have other symptoms such as pupils dilated or blood in the ear. We won't know anything until the doctor calls us with the results. We are still in negotiations with the insurance company about how much the car is worth. Lucky for us, Jeeps hold there value well.

I do have a confession to make. Before the accident, most nights I would rush to get the kids in bed so I could go lay down, so I had been skipping the kids prayers. The night of the accident, Owen came out of his room after Jason left and said he heard something flying around. He refused to go back to bed, so I went in with him and I tried everything to convince him that there was nothing there, but he wouldn't let me leave. After some time had past, I asked Owen if he thought a prayer would make him feel better and he said it would. After I was done praying for Owen, I included Jason in the prayer just as I always do to protect him and bring him home safely and I think Owen added something like please watch over daddy and then Owen said he felt better so I went downstairs. The next day when I was getting Owen ready for school, I explained that Daddy was in a bad car accident, but luckily he's okay. Owen's response was, "Mommy, our prayers were answered". It was the sweetest thing to hear my son say! It still makes me tear up when I think about it. I don't know why this accident happened, but this experience has been a blessing in so many ways. It has strengthened our faith, made us realize what's important and it has made all of our testimonies stronger! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Our family is so touched by our family and friend's generosity.

UPDATE

2011-01-15T15:18:00.001-08:00

I just realized it's been months since I've posted anything on my blog. Facebook has made it so convenient to upload pictures and connect with friends that I neglected my blog. We had an exciting summer with 2 trips to the Outerbanks. Once with almost all the Kemp's which was busy and then again with Jeremy, Jennifer and Linda (a family friend). It was so much fun to get to go to the beach and relax.

The boys are closer than ever. They have really become the best of friends. They are always playing together and comforting each other. It's is so sweet to watch them cuddle whenever we have movie night. Lately, Gavin only goes to bed for Daddy so on the nights that Jason has a late appointment, Owen has been a great substitute.

Owen is doing so well in Kindergarten. His teacher was so impressed with his test results at the beginning of the school year that they tested him again as a 1st grader and he received the highest scores as a 1st grader. So his teacher has been pulling him aside with some other students and going over 1st grade work. I have been so proud of him. He is learning so much!

4 days after Gavin turned 2 years old, I found out I was pregnant with our third child. I am so excited and really enjoying being pregnant. It's been so easy this time. I've hardly felt nauseous and I've had so much energy. I look at it as a survival thing. My body knows I can't be lying in bed with 2 very busy boys to tend to. From the beginning of this pregnancy, Jason warned me this might be the last child despite what I say, so I decided not to find out what the baby would be. Just goes to show you how much will power I have because as soon as the technician asked if we wanted to know, I gave in and said yes. Jason was quite surprised. It took the technician a long time to figure it out, but both she and the doctor agree it's A GIRL!!!! I've been having dreams about the baby being a girl, but I thought that was just me wanting a baby girl. So one of the first things I said to Jason was my dreams were right! Jason said he figured it had to be a girl because of how modest the baby was. LOL! I keep seeing all of these adorable baby girl clothes and blankets, but I promised Jason I wouldn't hurt his wallet and I hope to stick to that promise....... but they are so cute!

Well that's catching everyone up to speed! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I promise to be better about posting on my blog!

GRADUATION VIDEO

2010-05-28T05:23:00.000-07:00

GRADUATION PICTURES

2010-05-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

KIDS AND ORANGES

2010-02-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

Owen always goes nuts over oranges. If I let him, he would eat them all day long. Today the kids wanted a snack and I knew dinner was getting close so I decided to give them oranges. This was Gavin's first time eating oranges so I knew it would be cute to watch. He loved sucking the juice out of each slice.

FEBRUARY SNOW STORMS

2010-02-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

February 6 & February 7

Saturday morning Owen woke us up at 4am complaining that the power had gone off. By the end of weekend, we had endured 27 inches of snow and 29 hours without power. I am so grateful we had a gas fireplace. I don't know what we would have done without it. It kept us warm in the basement as well as the main level. The kids had a great time the entire weekend. They loved playing in the snow, running around with flashlights, looking at the billion candles I had lit at night and getting to sleep in the basement in Owen's tent with sleeping bags. What a treat! I'm glad they enjoyed themselves even if I didn't. I hate it when the power goes out for long periods, but I did try to remain positive.

Sunday, I took Owen out into the neighborhood to do a little exploring. He loved running around and climbing the "mountains" of snow.

Later on, we got a call from my sister-in-law asking if it would be okay to stop by with Jeremy and our friend Linda. They offered to help dig out our car and clear off the front steps. With over 2 feet of snow, I was happy to have the help. They made everything go so much faster. At one point, Linda had suggested to let Owen get on the car to help clear off the top. Jeremy lifted him up and Owen just loved it! Thank you Jennifer, Jeremy and Linda for your act of kindness! We love you guys!

_____________________________________________

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Last Tuesday night, it began to snow. We woke up to 5 1/2 inches (I think?) of snow on the ground. Owen, Gavin and I played all day. We had so much fun. Owen liked throwing snow balls at me, Gavin liked stomping and running around in the snow and I enjoyed making a snow men while dogging Owen's snow balls. All of the snow men I made either got destroyed by the kids or attacked by our friendly squirrels. I forgot squirrels like seeds and I had decorated my snow men with seeds. Oops! I love to watch my kids play with each other. They are such good friends! It's what I always hoped for!

Later on that day, we met up with Jason's youngest brother and parents at PF Chang's. One of my favorite restaurants! I couldn't believe how much chicken Gavin scarfed down. Owen refused to eat meat until he was 3 years old. Just another example of how different each child can be.

THE KIDS FINALLY GOT THEIR HAIRCUT!

2010-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

BEFORE............

DURING.............

AFTER................

Owen had been overdue for a haircut for quite some time, but Gavin never had a haircut and was in desperate need of one. The problem is that Jason has been working a lot in the evening and Owen refuses to have his cut without his dad and I assumed that Gavin would be difficult. So one day I just made an appointment and hoped that Jason would be willing to go. Lucky for me, he was happy to help with the kids. Owen was fantastic, he sat still and didn't cry. I was very proud of him. Gavin was another story. I held him first, but the only way he would let our friend, Donaca come near him was if I was standing with him. Jason eventually took over and I took pictures. After Gavin realized we weren't giving him to someone he didn't know, he was fine so long as we continued to stand with him. My 2 boys are absolutely adorable and I can finally see their eyes! LOL!

JENNIFER'S BIRTHDAY

2010-02-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Last week was my sister in law Jennifer's birthday. We met up with the family at Outback to celebrate and we all had a good time. I felt sorry for the waiter having to deal with such a large family, but he did a fantastic job. Happy Birthday Jennifer!

LOOK ALIKES

2010-02-03T12:12:00.001-08:00

Jason brought home a picture of his youngest brother, Jeremy when he was little and the similarities between Jeremy and Gavin surprised me. I thought for sure that Gavin looked more like me, but after seeing this picture, I'm beginning to have my doubts.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A REALLY LONG POST

2010-01-31T13:29:00.001-08:00

I realized recently that I haven't posted anything in a couple of months! I can't believe how fast time goes by. The holidays are always crazy for us. Shopping and family functions make a Busy Mom! This year we hosted quite a few family gatherings because Jason's Mom was bouncing back and forth between the hospital and the nursing home, but she is finally healthy enough to come home in a couple of weeks - just in time for Valentine's.

Thanksgiving, Jeremy and Jennifer came over for dinner. I made a craft turkey for Jason's parents using 2 styrofoam balls, yarn and card stock for the feathers. We all wrote things that we were thankful for on the feathers. Then, after dinner we visited Mom in the ICU and brought dinner and the craft. She loved it!

__________________________________

December was INSANE! I think Jason made a turkey almost every week for a month. I am not a fan of turkey, so for someone that doesn't even like to eat it once a year, a month of it shows the love I have for the Kemps! LOL!

The beginning of the month, we got to see our friends the Graham's. They made yummy homemade pizza and the kids helped cut out some holiday cookies. We had such a good time!

__________________________________

A couple of days later, we went to Pennsylvania to celebrate Kaylyn's birthday. I was so glad I could be there and see her open her presents. Even though I don't get to go up as often as I like, I always love going to see them.

__________________________________

The next week, we did our annual Ornament Party with Justin and Joy and the kids. That was fun, but MEEEEEESSSSSSYYYY! I didn't think that project through very well. It was suppose to be a Balloon Ornament, but I don't think the kids even finished it! We ended up focusing on the Advent Calendar instead. That was a huge success! Easy (because I prepped everything ahead of time) and everyone wanted to participate.

THIS WAS WHAT THE BALLOON ORNAMENT WAS SUPPOSE TO LOOK LIKE, BUT MARTHA'S VERSION IS MUCH, MUCH BETTER THAN MINE SO I WON'T DARE POST MY ORNAMENT

__________________________________

A couple of days later, we got our Christmas Tree. This is probably the earliest we've ever put up a tree before, but Owen really wanted one (the earlier the better is his philosophy). Gavin and Owen were so excited!

GAVIN GRABBED ORNAMENTS OFF THIS TREE UNTIL THE DAY WE TOOK IT DOWN. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW PERSISTENT HE IS

__________________________________

Jason had to work a couple Sundays so in order for me to continue to go to church, I asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow a couple of her kids so they could watch Gavin at church while I gave my lesson. It ended up being a great weekend! On Saturday, we went to an Art Studio at the Rio and the girls and Owen did some crafts. Kaylyn and Owen worked on mosiacs, while Chessa made a night light out of cut glass. It was so much fun! Then on Sunday, I was so impressed with Kaylyn and Chessa. They were so helpful. Not only did they help with Gavin, they helped teach my Sunbeams because I had just started to get sick and had lost my voice.

__________________________________

A few days before Christmas everyone came over to our house to exchange gifts and eat turkey..........again! Even though I wasn't thrilled about the menu, it was great to have everyone together!

__________________________________

Christmas was so much fun! The kids were actually really nice to us Christmas Morning. We slept in and didn't get nagged to open presents. Although, Owen was super excited when we finally got up! He could barely contain himself. Both of them loved all the presents Santa brought them. No one went overboard on Christmas like in the past. It was the right number of gifts and the kids were happy.

Later that afternoon, we went up to Pennsylvania to Jason's older brother Jeff's house. Everyone had already arrived. Not surprised, we're always late. The kids were playing games by the Christmas tree and the football game was on. Jeff and Sue had ham and mashed potatoes. It was a great meal! Before everyone left, I was able to give our gift to Justin and Joy's kids. I made a photo album online of them from 2000-now. They loved it! However, it was opened for maybe 5 minutes before Owen grabbed a page without thinking and ripped it! Right down the center of the page. I couldn't believe it! Obviously, it was an accident, but I was so devastated. Justin, Joy and the kids were so great about it.

__________________________________

Here is a video I made capturing some of our family get togethers of 2009.

__________________________________

We had Jason's family over on New Years Day to have turkey for the last time, but Jason was nice to me and made a ham as well. It was great to see Jason's Mom out of the nursing home, even if it were just for a couple of hours.

__________________________________

The middle of December, Jason and I found out that Jason's partner made a decision to close their jewelry store. It will be final at the end of February! They have had a really hard year and Jason's partner thinks it would be best just to close doors and try to sell jewerly online instead. This news is stressful to me for so many reasons, but I keep praying and I have faith that Heavenly Father will take care of us. Jason started his own company a few years ago, so his plans are to work on his own. He is so talented and such a perfectionist that I know his customers will follow him.

__________________________________

OBX VIDEOS- SEPTEMBER 2009

2009-11-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Some people get home sick, I think I'm vacation sick!

I want to go back to the beach! I miss the Outerbanks!

HALLOWEEN 2009

2009-11-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

TRUNK & TREAT 2009

2009-11-02T22:20:00.001-08:00

OCTOBER 2009

2009-11-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. We have had a busy month. There are a lot of pictures so I hope I don't overwhelm ya'll.

Family Pictures

My Sweet Gavin

October has been a very exciting month for him.

Gavin's 2 bottom teeth finally came through all the way
Gavin's 2 top teeth arrived shortly after
Gavin learned how to crawl up the stairs
Started saying Uh-Oh and something that sounds like Thank You
He's saying Momma and DaDa more
He loves playing with all of his older brother's toys
Has discovered his secret love for dog food
He is learning to give things back

Owen's First Day of School

On this memorable occasion, I was terrible about taking pictures. As always, I was running late (not a word Joy) and so I didn't get to take that many INTERESTING pictures. Here's a picture of Owen eating his breakfast (in a hurry - I might add).

And a blurry picture of Owen just outside his classroom door, but doesn't he just look so EXCITED!

After Owen's 1st day at School

The weather was beautiful so I took the kids to the Rio and let Owen play around on his scooter. He's a lot more confident on that thing than I'm comfortable with. Owen said he wanted to show me his "Death Defying Stunts!" I just reminded him to be careful and didn't really give it another thought. And then we got to the bridge. Well there's this bridge over the water and Owen loves to race down it. Normally, my little boy likes to play it safe and use his feet as brakes as he is going down, but on this particular day, Owen told me his brakes were no longer working and he was going to "put his booster's on and race to the end of the bridge!" I didn't think he meant it until I watched him walk up this steep bridge with his scooter to the top (which he never does) and let himself go! I can only imagine the adrenaline that he felt as the scooter began to pick up speed, but unfortunately it didn't end like Owen had planned. He got down the bridge, but it wasn't pretty and well, I'm sure you can guess what happened. I think someone learned not to go so fast and someone else learned to take others more seriously.

The canal is our "new" favorite place to go as a family. Owen gets a chance to run as fast as he wants and Gavin, like his Mommy and Daddy, gets to enjoy the scenery.

Jason's 37th birthday!

We decided to have a quiet dinner at home, followed by yummy cake. It was fun! Ofcourse, Owen helped Jason blow out the candle. It just wouldn't be a birthday without Owen blowing out someone else's candles.

Owen loves to bathe with his goggles on. He does it all the time! We bought these for him over the summer when he was taking swimming lessons, who knew we would use them in the tub too. So I thought it would be cute to post a couple of pictures of him showing off this cool look!

OWEN'S ART

2009-10-06T23:32:00.001-07:00

"THE STINKBUG"

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A PEST PROBLEM

WHEN YOUR KID STARTS DRAWING YOUR HOUSE GUESTS

FINGER PAINTING

SO MUCH FUN AND SO MESSY!!!

"TREES WITH A GREEN SUN"

OWEN SAID HE NEEDED TO MAKE THE SUN GREEN

IF YOU SAY SO

IF I CAN SAY HIPPOPOTAMUS THEN I CAN SAY I'M SORRY

MY LESSON FOR SUNBEAMS A FEW WEEKS AGO

MT. VERNON

2009-10-04T23:51:00.001-07:00

FAMILY PICTURES

2009-09-21T05:16:00.001-07:00

OUR TRIP TO THE OUTERBANKS

2009-09-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our 2nd trip (this summer) down to the Outerbanks. Awhile ago, Jason asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I had told him I wanted to go back to the beach. When I said it, I never thought he would actually take me up on it. It ended up that we weren't able to go for my birthday, but going down on our anniversary is the next best thing. We had such a good time! It may have been a short vacation, but it was definitely needed. The weather was perfect and the water was warm! Just what we asked for. Sorry for all the pictures! We took so many, it was hard to choose which ones to post.

Our first day, we hung out at the beach and the pool all day. While we were at the beach, Gavin put sand in his mouth for the first time. He first leaned over and licked it and then put several fist fulls in his mouth. He didn't start crying until I cleaned out his mouth. I guess he liked the taste of it. In the evening we went to the sand dunes at Jockey's Ridge. While Owen was busy running up and over the dunes and not even breaking a sweat, Jason and I were desperately trying to catch our breathe while we tried to keep up with him. I never realized how big the dunes are! I think our first mistake was chasing after Owen.

For our 2nd day, in the morning we went down to Ocracoke. We took a 40 minute ferry and on the way, we saw about 10 dolphins in the water. I've never seen dolphins before, so it was really neat to watch them play in the water. Later in the afternoon, we went back to the beach and played and watched the sunset. Perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

Our last day in the Outerbanks, we stopped by the stores that Jason has some of his jewelry in and then went up to Corolla to see Currituck Lighthouse. We had a picnic out on the lawn and then decided to climb the lighthouse, which we've never done before. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but once we got half way up I had to hand Gavin to Jason. Man that kid is heavy! The view was awesome! You could see just how close the sound and the ocean were. It was sad when we got on the road to go home, but like my father-in-law always says, "You have leave to be able to come back again!" I can't wait until next year!

PLAYING OUTSIDE

2009-09-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was PERFECT! Low 70's with a nice breeze. I'm so glad I had the day off. After I put Gavin down for a nap, I let Owen play outside. He had so much fun blowing bubbles and playing in the dirt. I even got a picture of him smiling! Whoa!

I AM THANKFUL FOR CLOTHES

2009-09-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

For Sunbeams on Sunday, the lesson was I am thankful for food and clothes. One of the activities I had for the kids to do, we didn't have enough time for so I sent the kids home with it. This morning Owen was bouncing off the walls, so I suggested he do the activity from Sunday. I had already cut out the people and the clothes, all the kids had to do was glue the clothes onto the man and woman. Anything that involves painting, coloring, gluing or cutting Owen is happy as a clam with. So I handed Owen the glue and the cut outs and he was in Heaven. He got a little goofy dressing the woman. He said he wanted to see her shoulders. Whatever I'm not gonna worry about it!

Gavin wanted to see what was going on.

A DAY AT THE RIO

2009-09-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today I promised Owen I would take him to the Rio to ride the train. They have this little train that takes you around the pond. Owen loved it! Afterwards, Owen kept asking if he could have another turn, but I convinced him to let the other kids have a turn instead. That just means next week we'll have to do it again.

When we were done with the train, I pulled out Owen's scooter and we went around the pond. It was fun, we fed the ducks and for the most part Owen did well riding his scooter around when he wasn't almost running people over with it. I thought back to this time last year when I was 8 months pregnant and tried to take Owen to the Rio to walk. "Tried" is a good word to describe that horrible experience. I think I spent more time sitting than walking. I don't know what I was thinking!

He looks so annoyed at me. I think he just wanted me to stop taking pictures so he could ride his scooter.

Bribing him with chocolate finally got him to smile at the camera... sorta!

At the end of a great day, I put the kids in the tub together. We started doing this about a month ago and I've been meaning to take a camera with me, but I always forget. Luckily, Jason was close by and was able to get mine for me. The kids have so much fun splashing each other and playing with bath toys.

I wish I could be a kid again. Life is so easy when your little!

VIDEOS

2009-08-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

BELATED FATHER'S DAY GIFT

2009-06-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

LUNCH TIME - EARLIER TODAY

2009-06-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine who watched Owen for about 2 years, would always ask whenever I would tell her about Owen getting into something incredibly messy, "Did you take a picture of it" and I would always answer no because in the moment I would never think, I gotta take a picture of this. Well today I thought of this friend asking me that question when my 8 month old was eating or should I say playing with his food. Just keep in mind, I hate cleaning up messes like baby food, so this is about as messy as it gets for me.

GAVIN & THE POOL DO NOT MIX

2009-06-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 weeks before we go to the beach - I can't wait!!! Yesterday, I got the kids into their swimsuits and decided to go to the pool. Owen had a blast. It's amazing how comfortable he is in the water now, but Gavin wanted nothing to do with it. The only place he was comfortable was in Daddy's arms. Any time he got close to the water, he would clutch onto Jason's shirt. Poor little guy. I forgot to take the camera so as soon as I got home I had to take a picture of Gavin. He just looked too cute in his new little swimming outfit. These pictures only have the top part, but that's ok he's still cute! Hopefully, he'll warm up to the pool by the time we're ready to go to the beach.

FATHER'S DAY CRAFT

2009-06-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

For church last Sunday, I prepared a Father's Day craft for the kids to do. I printed this template that I got from Martha Stewart's website onto cardstock and cut it out to save time during the lesson, but I printed out too many so yesterday I had Owen decorate the extra's with glitter glue. He had a blast!

I'M TIRED OF BEING A GROWN UP

2009-06-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Life is so easy when you're a kid. There are no daunting tasks, no bills, you can eat whatever you want and barely any responsibility. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again!!!!

GAVIN DOING THE CRAB

2009-06-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Gavin is crawling!!! It's exciting, but he is all over the place! He either pulls himself around the house or he gets up on his tip toes and crawls. It's really funny to watch, he looks like a crab!

Also, Gavin has started standing up by himself - Is that normal at 8 months old? I hope I don't have an early walker on my hands! Yikes!!!

__________________________________________________________

PICTURES - 1ST 1/2 OF JUNE 2009

2009-06-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

Boys and their toys!!!

__________________________________________________________

Chef Owee

__________________________________________________________

Gavin

__________________________________________________________

Daddy and Gavin

__________________________________________________________

Owen

My Little "Moose on the Loose"

__________________________________________________________

Owen's first time playing with Fingerpaint

You can see he barely touched the paint in the beginning, however once he warmed up to the idea of getting messy, he was hooked!

__________________________________________________________

Us at the Baseball Game

(Orioles vs. Braves - Go Braves!!!)

PICTURES -MAY 2009

2009-06-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Paparazzi :)

PLEASE NO PICTURES

__________________________________________________________

Memorial Day (and also Gavin at 8 months old)

__________________________________________________________

Gavin and Owen at the Playground

__________________________________________________________

Gavin at 7 months old

__________________________________________________________

Camp fire in the Backyard

BUILDING A TEMPLE

2009-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Since last year Owen has been wanting to go to the temple (specifically INSIDE THE TEMPLE). My answer to him is always, someday I promise we will! He loves it when we drive by and look at it from the highway. And Owen gets so excited when we go to the visitor center and get to see the temple up close.

Well last week when we went to his cousin, Evan's birthday party, Owen's Aunt Sue and Uncle Jeff gave Owen his birthday present because they weren't able to go to his party a few weeks ago. Anyways, Owen didn't open his present until we got into the car, but the whole way home, Owen kept expressing his gratitude for the gift that his aunt and uncle had given him. The next day, I walked into our room where Owen was and all of a sudden, Owen says he needs to make something for Aunt Sue because he loved the gift she gave him so much. I asked what he would like to make for her and immediately he ran into his room to grab his blocks and began building something. When he was finished I asked what it was that he built. He said and I'm not exaggerating, I built a beautiful temple for Aunt Sue and Uncle Jeff to go to.

SOCCER

2009-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Every week for about a month now, Owen has been going to soccer practice. This is new to us and at first, Owen wasn't sure if he liked it or not, so it took some bribing to get him to participate with the other kids. Now he loves it! Especially since Owen saw some of his cousins play at their soccer game not that long ago. I guess if it's good enough for his cousins, it's good enough for Owee. Anyways, I always feel bad because Owen's practice is during the week in the morning so Jason never gets to watch his little boy play, until I realized I can just take pictures! As always, I took way too many and I don't have time to figure out which ones I like the best so I just grabbed a few to show those who are interested in seeing my little boy kick a ball around. Enjoy!!!

EVAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

2009-05-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

GAVIN

2009-04-07T22:26:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast time is going by. My little baby is now 6 months old YIKES!!! He is sitting up and grabbing at everything. I forgot babies do that! Gavin has the best laugh. It's contagious! And he's babbling up a storm. I think he's going to be a talker just like Owen.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE GAVIN'S RED HAIR AND BLUE EYES! I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A RED HEAD!

DID I MENTION HE HAS A HUGE TONGUE JUST LIKE OWEE!

APRIL PICTURES

2009-04-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we went to Great Falls with Justin & Joy and the kids. It was such a gorgeous day, I was happy we didn't stay indoors like originally planned. I even got a little sunburned- yeah I need some color! It was a lot of fun hiking and hanging out with the family.

US AT THE PARK

2009-03-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the weather was beautiful! It was in the 70's and we loved every minute of it! I decided to be brave and take the boys (by myself because Jason works on Saturdays) to Seneca Park. We grabbed lunch and off we went. Owen loved playing at the "tire playground" and afterwards we walked down to the water. Gavin loved being carried around all over the place. I don't know what I would do without my baby bjorn. It comes in handy for adventures like this. Although the warm weather seems to have left us, it was great while it lasted. I can't wait for spring to come!

Owen playing with the big kids.

Owen on the dragon.

Owen took this picture of me and Gavin.

My Super Hero!

For months I have been trying to take a picture of Gavin when he sticks out his bottom lip just before he cries. I Finally Got It! I hate when he cries, but it's so cute when he pouts.

Just a few pictures of us at home Saturday Night.

SNOW DAY!

2009-03-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

When we woke up this morning, we had several inches of snow on the ground. FINALLY! So I put Gavin down for a nap after lunch and Owen and I had a blast playing out in the snow. It was clear Owen had only one objective out there and that was to completely cover me with snow. He kicked it, threw snowballs and even charged towards me trying to knock me to the ground and when that failed, he told me I was really strong. You betcha! After a while of this, I had no choice, but to retaliate. I put the camera down and made as many snowballs as I could while Owen was jumping on me and when I felt I had enough, I attacked. Owen loved it! He is such a BOY! It wasn't all rough play, we also made snow angels and a tiny snowman. Afterwards, we came inside and drank hot chocolate. Owen was exhausted by the time he finished and went upstairs to take a nap. It was the first time in a long time when there wasn't an argument about going to bed. I checked on Gavin and he was still sleeping. I love it when it's quiet in the house!

UPDATES OF OUR FAMILY

2009-03-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

So much has happened these last few months. I received a calling at church to teach Sunbeams and I love it. It challenges me and I am learning so much as well as having fun with the kids. Jason's mom is back home and doing well. She is working hard on her exercises and we are very proud of her for following through with that. I know this situation is not easy for her and she is taking everything in stride. Work is super busy and at home juggling 2 kids makes things even more hectic.

Gavin is growing so fast. Friday, he turned 5 months old! I can't believe my little baby isn't so little anymore. He is happy and healthy and very, very alert. I have him on a somewhat decent schedule during the day, but come bedtime he's like, You can think twice if you're putting me to bed! So I'm looking forward to the day when that's over! Gavin reaches for everything and is really getting into playing with his toys. Ofcourse, he giggles all the time and does this thing now where he'll scream bloody murder and I look over thinking someone is hurting him and he's smiling!

Owen is also growing up faster than I would like. We have enrolled him into preschool for the fall and I can already tell, it will be me that cries when I have to drop him off, not the other way around. Owen is so excited about going to school, I honestly think it's the only reason why he's working so hard at potty training. BTW, Potty training is not something I ever wanted to explore. Before Gavin was born, I told everyone I could careless if Owen wasn't potty trained. I would rather change diapers forever than deal with the mess that comes with potty training. It's funny how things change when there are 2 kids in diapers! Knock on wood, Owen has been doing fantastic with going on the big boy toilet. We've only had a couple of accidents and they haven't been that bad. I hope I'm not jinxing myself!

My mom has been begging me for more pictures of the kids. So here you go!

JANUARY PHOTOS

2009-01-13T17:47:00.001-08:00

OWEN HAD A YUMMY CUP OF HOT CHOCOLATE. CAN YOU SEE HIS CHOCOLATE MUSTACHE?

US WHILE WE WERE VISITING FRIENDS

OWEN AND HIS FRIEND HE'S KNOWN SINCE HE WAS BORN

OWEN AND GAVIN

THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!

MY PRECIOUS BABY!

GAVIN HAVING FUN DURING SOME TUMMY TIME!

OWEN AND GAVIN GETTING READY FOR BED

I'VE BEEN TEACHING OWEN HIS LETTERS AND TRYING TO HELP HIM ASSOCIATE WHICH WORDS BEING WITH THE LETTER OF THE DAY. THIS PARTICULAR DAY WE WERE FINDING THINGS IN THE MAGAZINES THAT BEGIN WITH THE LETTER B AND THEN OWEN CUT OUT THE IMAGES AND GLUED THEM ONTO THE PAPER. AFTERWARDS, HE WANTED TO DECORATE HIS PAPER WITH GLITTER GLUE!

OWEN AND GAVIN ALL DRESSED UP!

FAMILY PICTURE LAST WEEK

CHRISTMAS WITH THE GRAHAM'S

2008-12-31T20:38:00.000-08:00

The other day, we went over to Sunny's house for dinner and to exchange Christmas gifts with her and her family. Sunny has watched Owen since he was 11 months old and has been like a Grandmother to him. We've always felt like the Graham's were apart of our family. They all have been so wonderful to us. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. We just love them so much. Here are some pictures of all us the night we went over.

FAMILY PICTURES

2008-12-31T20:21:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS DAY

2008-12-31T19:27:00.001-08:00

This December was more hectic than usual. Jason was working around the clock to complete all of the Christmas gifts he had to make for his customers. I had just gone back to work and was trying to fit in Christmas shopping with taking care of the kids plus staying on top of the laundry. I must say somehow we managed to do it all this year.

Owen found his presents from Santa 3 different times before Christmas. The last time he found them it was Christmas Eve and they were wrapped under the bed. Owen came running into the room I was in and told me Santa had come early. I couldn't think of anything fast enough, so I told him that's where Santa must of put the presents for later and we better not touch them until the morning. The next day, he woke me up screaming in excitement saying Santa came, he moved the presents! I just hope that I can find a good hiding place next year.

We hosted the family Christmas Dinner that night, due to my mother-in-law still in rehab. The kids were having fun playing, Jason and Justin spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen and the rest of us were sitting around talking to each other. Dinner was delicious and it was nice to have the family over, but it wasn't the same without Jason's mom here. We all got to see her after dinner and she looked good. It was a good day and we have so much to be thankful for.

DECEMBER PICTURES

2008-12-31T19:02:00.001-08:00

DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE

RANDOM PICTURES OF THE KIDS DURING DECEMBER

THE BOYS WITH SANTA

2008-12-22T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to see Santa Claus. After standing in line for what seemed like an eternity, it was finally the boy's turn to sit on Santa's lap. Up to this point, Owen was so excited he could hardly contain himself, but when I tried to take his hand, he began walking backwards asking if Daddy could pick him up. I quickly grabbed his hand and told him he was fine and as we were walking towards Santa I could tell Owen was getting excited again. This Santa was so much better than the one that's usually there. He talked to Owen and introduced himself before sitting him on his lap. After the pictures were taken of the boys, Santa asked Owen what he wanted for Christmas and his answer made me want to cry. Owen told Santa that he just wanted Grandma Kemp to come home. Isn't that sweet! Owen has such a gentle spirit! Merry Christmas everyone! May the New Year bring peace and joy to your lives.

TAYLOR'S BIRTHDAY

2008-12-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, was Taylor's birthday party. Once again, Owen was in heaven playing with all of his cousins. He couldn't wait to give Taylor his present. I had taken Owen to the store with me to help pick out a gift and he went nuts over the Air Hogs no gravity & something car (I can't remember the entire name, all I know is it can ride up the walls). Anyways, as soon as Taylor opened it, Owen started telling him, "It's sharing time now" and when that didn't work, Owen went over to me asking if he could have Taylor's car to keep ofcourse. It didn't matter that I told him if he were a good boy Santa might get him one for Christmas, he just wanted Taylor's. Go figure!

KAYLYN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

2008-12-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today, my niece Kaylyn turned 10 years old. We all went to my in-law's house to celebrate and then stopped by the hospital to visit my mother-in-law who is still recovering from a stroke. I had forgotten that Owen loves to blow out candles. Whenever we go to a restaurant that has a candle at the table, we always have to move it out of his reach, because otherwise he'll blow out the flame and constantly ask us to light the candle again. Anyways, when Justin lit the candles on the cake, without even hesitating, Owen ran over to blow the candles out. At least he waited long enough for everyone to finish singing Happy Birthday. Luckily, Kaylyn was a good sport about it. Happy Birthday Sweetie! We all love you!

GAVIN

2008-12-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Gavin is growing so fast, it's hard to believe he's 9 weeks old now. He coos and smiles when he looks up at me and then last week he started giggling. When I think about going back to work next week, I get overwhelmed with sadness because I know that there are going to be things that Jason or someone else is going to see first. I wish I didn't have to work! Anyways, I thought I would post these pictures for my own sake so when I'm working I can go online and see my baby.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

2008-12-01T19:28:00.001-08:00

PLAYING OUTSIDE

2008-11-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling so guilty because of all the television Owen has been watching since the baby has been born. So last week I decided to be brave and go to the park on my own with Owen & Gavin. I had treats (to bribe my son when it was time to go back home) and my cell phone in case I needed reinforcements.

Owen absolutely loved playing at the park. He kept saying, "I'm so excited". It was great to be outside and get some fresh air. And it turned out I didn't need to bribe, threaten or yell to get Owen to go home, all he wanted to do was push the stroller.

A couple of days later, we decided to take a family excursion to Sugarloaf Mountain. My little monkey climbed every rock he could find. It was so much fun to spend time together and get out of the house a little bit!

TRICK OR TREAT

2008-11-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, I had bought Owen a costume at the last minute. He kept asking to be things for Halloween that I couldn't find anywhere so I took matters into my own hands and told him, you can be a shark or a hamburger, which costume would you like to wear? For the record, HE CHOSE THE HAMBURGER! The night of the Halloween party, as we were getting ready, Owen decided he no longer wanted to be the Hamburger as planned and wanted to be the cow (a costume he wore last year). I thought it wouldn't fit, so I told him he had no choice, he had to be the hamburger. He looked so cute in it for the short amount of time that he wore the thing, but at least he wore it!

Jason was trying to get Owen excited about wearing his Halloween costume. I warned him ahead of time that I would post this picture to the blog.

However, on Halloween night when it was time to go around the neighborhood, Owen refused to wear the Hamburger outfit. I wasn't in the mood to argue, so lucky for him, the cow costume fit.

GRANDMA COMES TO TOWN

2008-10-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

My Mom came into town last Tuesday and stayed with us until Sunday. It was so wonderful to have an extra pair of hands to help with the kids. I even got to go on a few walks BY MYSELF. Do you know how long it's been since I've been able to do that! By the end of her visit, I felt like a normal person again. Owen LOVED all the attention he got from Grandma and Gavin was so spoiled. I think she held him every chance she could get. Which I feared would mean he would think I was going to do that, but today he's let me put him down and he's been happy with that so far!

Even though my Mom moved over 12 years ago, I still feel like a 4 year old when I have to say good-bye. Owen has been going through Grandma Miller withdraws all day. He keeps asking why she had to leave and when are we going to her house. I'm not sure how to explain to a 3 year old that Florida is far away. I guess we'll have to start saving our pennies to afford plane tickets to go visit her!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP MOM.

I LOVE YOU!

OWEN & GAVIN

2008-10-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

JASON'S BIRTHDAY

2008-10-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

For Jason's birthday, we wanted to do something fun, however because Gavin at the time was only 2 weeks old and I was still recovering from surgery we decided to go celebrate at Jason's parents house. We had such a good time, but I think Owen had more fun than any of us. He has an obsession with trains just like Jason's Dad and so the two of them were locked away in the basement playing together. I think we had to bribe Owen with cake just to get him to come up for fresh air. It was sooooooo nice to get out of the house and hang out with Jason's family. Thanks for the delicious dinner Mom!

As part of my birthday gift to Jason, I let him sleep in until 11am.

Owen couldn't wait to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles.

What a cutie pie!!!

Gavin's First Bath

2008-10-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Gavin needed a bath in the worst way, so I made Jason give him one finally because truthfully the last bath he had was at the hospital and the child was beginning to stink! Poor Gavin just screamed and cried. He absolutely hated it, but that was the first night I got more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. So almost every night since, I've given him a bath just to be able to get a descent amount of sleep. I can't wait until Gavin starts sleeping through the night!

FAMILY TIME

2008-10-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

These are just pictures of us getting ready for bed. I don't think I went to bed early when Owen was born, but I have no problem doing it with this baby. I need all the sleep I can get!

My 3 Favorite Guys

Yesterday, we thought it would be fun to go outside and teach Owen how to play Hop Scotch. He didn't really get how to hop on one leg, but it was adorable to see him try. I think Owen had more fun playing with the chalk and decorating our deck than playing the game with Daddy.

Gavin had fun watching

MORE FAMILY PICTURES

2008-10-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome Baby Gavin

2008-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Gavin is finally here! He was born Saturday, September 27 at 9:53am. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20.5 inches long. When Gavin was born, the first thing I thought of was how cute his little cry was and then I got to see him and I saw how beautiful this baby is. Everyone has asked us who we think he looks more like and we're thinking he looks just like Owen.

We couldn't be happier to have Gavin here and are so blessed to have our family and friends to help support us. Even though Owen is having a bit of a hard time adjusting, he is loving being a BIG BROTHER. I am going to try to get some rest, but thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. Enjoy our pictures of our newest bundle of joy!

Before the New Baby Arrives

2008-09-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Despite all the contractions I've been feeling, I have tried to do as much as I can with Owen these last few weeks. I know how busy things will get after the baby is born, so I wanted to make these last weeks as special as I can for my little guy. We've played games inside, gone to the Shaker Festival where Owen got to ride a horse and a pony and pet farm animals, he's taken hikes with Daddy into the woods, played in the backyard blowing bubbles and our latest adventure was painting inside. I'm not a fan of making a mess in the house, but Owen was too cute for words. He loved mixing the colors and telling me stories of what it was he was painting.

For my birthday

2008-09-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a little hectic around here lately, so I'm sorry for the late posting. About a month ago on my birthday, Jason took me up to Deep Creek where his family was vacationing for Labor Day weekend. We had so much fun! I wasn't feeling up to running back and forth on the dock, so Jason's Dad took Owen out there and played and fed the ducks. Then we went to a shop that had a farm out back. Owen was in heaven. By the end of our shopping spree, Owen said ALL the animals were his and he wanted to grow up to be a farmer! Jeremy and Jennifer had come up by the time we got back and we all went out for dinner. It was nice to spend my birthday with family and I was happy Owen had so much fun, but I knew he would!

NEW PICTURES OF BABY PLAY-DOH

2008-08-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor today and were so happy to hear that the baby is healthy and doing everything he's suppose to. He was asleep for the most part, but we got him to wake up long enough to stop hiding and see his face. The nurse did a 4-D sonogram for us and we got some cool pictures of the baby, for whom is now nicknamed Baby Play-doh because of what he looks like in 4-D. It's probably cruel to call him that, I know I've heard cuter nicknames, but it was adorable to hear Owen call him baby Play-doh. Anyways, the baby is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule and has lots of hair. I'm not sure if you can tell what the baby is doing or even that there is a baby there in the pictures, the scanned copies don't look as good as the original, but we were told that the baby is snuggled up next to the placenta.

CUTE PICTURES

2008-08-02T08:25:00.001-07:00

OWEN RELAXING

OWEN SLEEPING

OWEN SAYING, "NO MORE CHEESE" MEANING NO MORE PICTURES

OLD FAMILY PHOTOS

2008-07-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

I came across these pictures of Jason and his siblings growing up and thought you all would enjoy seeing them. And I thought I was a BUSY MOM!

Jason's parents, Jennifer, Jason, Justin & Jeremy

Jason

Jason and Justin in Williamsburg, VA

Jeff, Jason, Dad, Jeremy and Jennifer

Jason, Justin and Jeremy

Jason, Jeremy and Justin

THE ZOO

2008-07-15T22:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, after several requests were made by Owen, Jason finally gave in and took Owen to the Zoo. I was at work when Jason called and told me how persistent Owen was about going to see HIS ANIMALS, but I didn't think Jason would actually take him so soon after coming home from the beach. Apparently, after they got off the phone with me, Jason packed up Owen and off they went. I was told Owen had a blast. He saw all of his favorite animals, the lions, elephants, monkeys and hippos. When I came home, Owen gave me the scoop on which animals he saw pooping and which ones he saw peeing. I guess kids will be kids! He also got a chance to play with some other children in the sprinklers. Owen told me he wanted to go back, but next time he wants both Jason and I there together! Awwww! I love my little Owee.

OBX 2008

2008-07-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

Owen's footprint in the sand

We just got back from spending a week in the Outerbanks! This year was probably the best so far! It's so hard to come home and get back to reality. Every year we go down and every year since Owen has been born, we have had a different experience with him. When Owen was 16 months old, he was fearless. He crawled as fast as he could to the ocean, we literally were running after him to stop him and for what ever reason, he loved eating the sand! The following year Owen was 2 and wouldn't even touch the sand with his toes! He screamed and hollered to get off the beach and the pool wasn't any better for him. However, by the end of that week, he finally got comfortable enough at the pool to play on the steps.

This year has been a completely new and exciting experience for little Owen. He loved jumping off the side of the pool into whoever would react fast enough to catch him. He played motor boat with his dad & uncle. And we even got him to practice doggy paddling (with a lifevest on). Almost everyday, I had to bribe him just to get out of the pool. And he loved the beach just as much as the pool. Everyday, he begged us to take him to the beach to build sand castles and play in the water. The only problem with that was we were on the sound side and the beach was a long enough distance away that I refused to walk to it being 7 months pregnant and feeling like a giant whale. So we would drive and I have never hated sand as much as I do NOW! I didn't know how hard sand is to get out of a car. I now have a clear understanding why my husband would rather pay someone to try to get it out instead of attempt it himself. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! At least it was with the vaccum I used.

All fussiness aside, we have made some beautiful memories for our family and I can't wait to go back next year and do it again. Here are a bunch of pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

It feels like summer!

2008-06-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

Where did spring go? I heard on WTOP that by Friday, the temperature will climb into the mid 90's. Are you kidding me! Can we please have a few more 70 & 80 degree days before we get into the 90's! It's only the beginning of June! I'm pregnant and refuse to turn on my AC (for now) because my utilities are already expensive enough. I would love to have a summer with the temperature at 72 all season long. I guess I'll keep dreaming! Time to break out the swimming suits!

Today we went to the Rio and even though it was hot outside, we had a nice breeze by the water. Owen loved walking around the pond, feeding the ducks and geese and climbing on the rocks. After 2 hours I had to insist that it was time to go. He was not happy with me. Luckily I had a "Special Treat" in the car waiting for him. I use juice or chocolate milk as his "Special Treat" to lure him to listen to me. It's funny because it's not like I don't give him these things on a regular basis, but I guess by calling it a special treat it entices him.

Here are some photos of our family. The first set is of my mom and her fiance visiting us from Florida last week. The next set of pictures are of Owen earlier today. Hope ya'll enjoy them. Keep cool, I think this summer is going to be a doozie.

It's a Baby!

2008-04-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

I went to the specialists my OB recommended yesterday and they used a high resolution sonogram. It was really cool. We got to see details of the baby that I never saw with Owen. The technician asked if I wanted to know what we were having, but by the time I had an answer she said, too late the baby moved! Oh well, maybe next time. Here's a cool profile shot. Sorry if the picture doesn't look that clear, I had to first copy it to cross out some personal info and then scan it, but you get the idea that it's a baby.

Vacation in Asheville

2008-04-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Asheville, NC for our vacation last week. We had so much fun! We went to Biltmore Estates to see "the BIG house" as Owen says and to get to tour the grounds. It was gorgeous with all the flowers in bloom. We went on hikes and had little adventures which Owen loved.

The beginning of the week, every morning Owen would ask if today was going to be the day we go back home and then by the end of the week, he was telling us he wasn't going home. Owen definitely keeps things interesting! Here are some pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

-The Kemp's

Owen is growing up too fast!

2008-04-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my baby will turn 3 years old!!!!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how much he's changed. He went from being a very calm and quiet baby to an energetic and NOT so quiet little boy. He loves to play and have fun. His newest thing to say to me is "you want to play this game with me" and typically it's something involving make believe animals. Owen loves to go to church. Every morning, as I'm getting ready he asks me if we can go to church today and then later he'll tell me he WANTS to go to church! I love it! Theses are pictures we took of Owen last week at Seneca Park. Jason was able to get off work early, so the 3 of us hopped in the car and set off on our little adventure. Sorry for all the pictures of Owen with his tongue hanging out like a dog, he likes to twirl his tongue and lately we've been catching it on film.

PLAYTIME!

2008-02-04T07:30:00.001-08:00

Rub-a-Dub Dub, Owee in the Tub

2008-02-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

_________________________________________________

Owen and his friend

2008-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2008-02-04T06:21:00.000-08:00