I am..

I saw this on another blog and thought it would be a good way to express my thoughts for the day..

Outside my window...a beautiful, sunny day. The temperature is still above 90 and it's the end of September. When will it ever fell like fall?

I am thinking...of how much I have to do before Owen's birthday party on Saturday.

I am thankful for...the Charlotte police officer who did not give me a ticket for speeding today. Also come to find out my inspection and car tags were overdue too, but I never thought about since I had never received the usual notice in the mail.

From the kitchen...I just had a yummy lunch of chicken gyros. Since visiting the Greek festival a few weekends ago, I have wanted them again. Luckily my version turned out pretty well.

I am wearing...a borrowed shirt from Kat and pair of capris. My wardrobe increased dramatically this weekend as Kat is letting me borrow a bunch of maternity clothes. I am so excited to have something new and fun to wear.

I am reading...Captivating by Stasi and John Eldredge. I have been reading this book for months now. I received a free copy of it from Thomas Nelson Publishers to read and review. The book isn't great but not all that bad. It's not something I just readily think of picking up these days with everything else going on.

I am praying...for so many things. For my brother a job, for my boys, this new baby, for my own spiritual discipline, etc. etc.

I am creating...some art work for the new baby's room. I am trying my hand at cupcake decorating this week as I try to make some monkey cupcakes for Owen's birthday.

I am looking forward...to December. I can't wait to meet this new little guy in my belly! He is so active, it makes me wonder what he will be like in this world. Will he look like his brother? Will he have the same temperament? Will he be a good sleeper and nurser? What will our family life look like with another little one? I'm also hoping he will come a little early.. :)

Carolina Kind of Day

This past Saturday we tried to fit in as many activities as possible I think. Unwilling to give up any fun activity, we agreed to do it all. So we woke up super early and headed to Chapel Hill to watch UNC play Georgia Tech. Because it was a noon tip off, we had to be there by 9:30 for tailgating, but it was worth it. We had a delicious breakfast spread and Owen enjoyed sitting in his own little chair and people watching.

Isn't he cute in his little jersey? He loved sitting in this chair and swinging his feet. Too bad his eyes are closed.

He loves his daddy.
Around the 3rd quarter, Jeremy and I left Owen with my parents and ran out to attend the wedding of one of my Carolina girls. Jenny and I were in a Bible study together all 4 years at UNC and I adore her. She is one of the most thoughtful and encouraging people I know.

Again I have gotten really bad about getting out the camera so there are very few pictures of this amazing wedding. For those who don't know Jenny, she is an event planner in DC so I knew this wedding would be spectacular and it lived up to it's expectations. The reception was in her parents' backyard but don't let that fool you. It felt like we were in an elegant ballroom. It was a wonderful evening of catching up with my college girls and hanging out with my husband sans a our little munchkin.

The two pics I did get: from left to right: York, Heather, me and Truesdale (no one has the same name anymore but they will forever hold their college names)
Jenny and all her pregnant friends: Mel, Mandy, Jenny, Trues, and me
No one told me how big that blue dress made me look. WOW, I will not wearing it again anytime soon. I also didn't get a picture that included Brittney, Hoke, or Allison, but the gang was all there. I only wish we could have stayed longer.

After getting back to my parents' house around 10 pm, we were exhausted! It was a full but fun day. :)

Can You Believe It?

Owen will be 2 in 2.5 weeks! It's hard to believe it's already time to celebrate his 2nd birthday. Because of his love affair with all things Curious George, we are having a Curious George themed birthday. It's mostly a family affair and a few friends, but I couldn't resist making invitations (and sharing them with you!).


Our friend Kevin Derby took this adorable picture of Owen for us last week. I thought the shirt was perfect for the occasion (love consignment sale finds!). Jeremy created the George graphic in the corner and the invites.

We can't wait to celebrate our little blessing! :)

What We've Been Up To..

I have been really bad about updating the blog and taking pictures lately. We've been really busy it seems like, but when I try to recount what we did my pregnancy brain draws a blank.

August 21st, we went to Boone to meet our new nephews. Jeremy's sister Erin and her husband had twin boys, Bryson and Landon. They are super cute and I would share some adorable pictures but out of respect for them, I won't.

August 23rd we celebrated 28 years in the life of Jeremy. His mom made his favorite cake, red velvet, for him while we were in Boone. Our friend Amy was gracious enough to babysit Owen for us so we could go out on a date. For his birthday, he got a Nook (an e-reader for those who don't know what that is.) He has LOVED it and as already read way more books than he has the entire year.

On the 28th, I along with the other bridesmaids, threw Lauren (my brother's fiance) a shower. I am a dork and forgot my camera so there are no pictures. It was a sweet time of food, friends, and fun gifts. It was fun to meet so many of Lauren's friends that I heard about. That weekend was also the first time my parents visited us in Charlotte. It was fun to take them around and show them our life here.

Later that week, we found out that Owen had hand, foot, and mouth again. He ran a high temp for about 4 days and we finally saw the doctor on Friday before Labor Day. He was finally better on Saturday so Sunday we packed up and headed to RM to say hey to my parents before heading to Durham. On Monday (Labor Day) we went to Durham to visit our dear friends the Derbys. We were great friends during our time in seminary then they lived overseas for 2 years. This was the first time Jeremy had seen them since they got back. Kevin took some pictures of us, which I'm excited to see.

Between these busy weekends, we have kept busy around town. We have played many times with our friends the Williams and the Browns.

One of our favorite activities is to visit this awesome children's library called Imagion. It has a different level for different age groups. The bottom level has a great play area for toddlers.

Owen's little buddy Samuel. Samuel wanted to be a big boy and sit in the chair.




Another fun activity is arts and crafts. Owen loves painting with these dot to dot paints.
His masterpiece.
He doesn't like to use just one medium...he thought it needed some crayon too.
We also like to visit the park and have playdates. Mondays is now Owen's speech therapy day. He has had 3 sessions so far and I feel like they are productive. We are working on Owen's mouth formation so she is having him blow bubbles, drink out of straws, and blow feathers. We also do puzzles to work on animal names and sounds. He likes the extra attention and I like the ideas I am getting.

Starting today, we are going to a Mom's group at the church we've been attending. I'm excited to meet more moms as well as having a consistent Bible study again. We are also trying out a Bible Study Fellowship class next Tuesday so our fall days should be pretty busy now. I enjoy that though as I have gotten stir crazy some this summer.

You are now to update with the Coxes..sorry for the long post. :)

Halfway Point

We're over half way through this pregnancy! It's hard to believe that on Friday we were 4 months from our due date. We can't wait to meet this new little guy!At 22 weeks along, I feel:

• Like I am much bigger this time around though the scale doesn't say it.
• Tired all the time. My energy didn't seem to bounce back 2nd trimester like it did last time. There are many days when I have to take a nap when Owen does.
• Like we have done nothing to prepare for this kid. With your first, you have so much to get and think about. Because this one is another boy, we already have so much. I did buy a few things at the consignment sale a couple of weeks ago to replace the items I had borrowed with Owen. We are still contemplating what to do about bedding and whether Owen will stay in the crib and we get a new one or if it's time to move him to a big bed.
• As though this kid really needs a name. We are playing around with a few but haven't committed to anything. Many of the names we had though of for Owen are still in the pot so we aren't really starting from scratch. Of course everyone has their opinion which makes it harder.

We wonder a lot what this little guy will be like. Will he look like Owen? Will he act like Owen? One thing is for sure, we feel way more knowledgeable this time around and not as anxious as we were before Owen's birth. Anyone want to offer up some names for this kid?

Family Beach Trip 2010

Last week we traveled down to Cherry Grove, SC to spend a much needed week at the beach. My family (Shannon) rented a house with my dad's sister's family. Each couple had their own room and bathroom and it was great time of relaxation and fun.

This was Owen's first time visiting the beach and I think he had great time. While he didn't know what to think of the ocean or the sand between his toes, he loved playing in his little pool that we brought down there and the occasional dig in the sand. However, I do know that he loved all the extra attention the adults gave him and playing with my little cousin Emma. He especially loved the Yoo-Hoos that my dad would give him to drink every day. :P

As many people told me before, vacations are very different with kids and they were so true. It felt like as soon as we got out on the beach, it was time to come in for a nap (he was too much of a people watcher to sleep on the beach). Once we finally got back out there, everyone else was ready to come in. He was however super great when we were out on the beach and we both actually got one book read. I have a feeling that next time we won't get the chance to even sit down...esp. with having 2 boys.

While I would love to give you a visual recap, there are WAY TOO many pictures to post on here so I have made them into a Facebook album. You do not have to have Facebook to see them; just click on the photo below.

It was a great week and I had a seriously hard time coming back to reality. I enjoyed having my family around all week and the slower pace that we all could take. I also miss the crab legs, but most of all I miss the time together. It was a great week and hopefully we'll be able to do it again next year.

Owen's Speech Eval

Owen is now one week post op from his ear surgery! He has done great with the tubes and he really does seem to be hearing more. I have noticed him imitating us more and trying to say new things. :)

As I wrote about earlier (last month I think), Owen was scheduled to have a speech evaluation. Because we weren't seeing any results with his play therapy, we felt like we need a specific evaluation just for speech. After rescheduling because of his surgery, today was the day! What a small world it is because his speech evaluator today worked with me at Forest Pines in Raleigh. She worked as our speech therapist there for about 6 months before moving away. It was fun to see a familiar face and it also allowed me to be more open and honest about Owen and his progress.

Sarah said that based on her observations and mine, Owen's speech is averaging around the 15 month mark, putting him 7 months behind schedule. She said it is probably because his ears were clogged and he seems to have some low muscle tone in his jaw. She recommended that he receive speech therapy once a week to see if the therapist can improve his tone and help with the formation with sounds. Sarah thought that he really is right on the verge of breaking out and in no time he should be right on track.

As I said before, I'm up for doing whatever will benefit Owen. I personally thought we should have been doing more sooner. I'm excited to see what the therapist will do and to watch his language skills soar. If he's anything like his mama, once you get him talking, he may never stop. :)