Owen Home

Overheard at Our House: Honesty

2012-01-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in one room and Thomas and Elisabeth were in another room playing with toys. They were not playing well together and Elisabeth was getting more upset by the minute.

Momma: "Thomas, STOP."
Thomas: "Stop what? I don't know what I am doing."
Momma: "You are frustrating your sister."
Thomas: "Oh... I am doing lots of other bad things, too."

Jonathan Basketball, Game 1

2012-01-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Jonathan had his first basketball game on Wednesday. It was the first game of his season. It was his first game ever.

His age group is 5th and 6th graders.

Warming up before the game.

Sitting out during the first quarter.

Waiting to go in to play.

Playin' Ball

Final score 20-10. Jonathan's team lost by 10.

Game memorable moments:

Jonathan's determined, happy face at halftime when he came to get his water bottle. He was having a great time.

The unplanned break when one kid vomited. The players stood around, not sure how to react.

Jonathan said, "He had too much fruit to eat." I said, "Ew, is that what you saw?" He said, "No, that's what the coach said (after cleaning it up)."

I am proud of Jonathan. He played hard and had a good time. I am impressed with his effort and enthusiasm. It takes strength to start a sport when many of the other players have been playing for years.

David and Thomas Basketball, Game 1

2012-01-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

David and Thomas had their first basketball game today. The first game of the season. Their first game ever.

Their age group is K-2nd. Their team name is The Pack.

It was precious.
It was exciting.
They had a blast.

Thomas throwing in the ball.

The boys cheering on their team when they were sitting out a quarter.

David playing defense.

The final score. The Pack wins with 6 points. David scored 2 of the points.

Game high points:
David scored.
Thomas ran over to Momma at halftime and said, "I like basketball. I love it!"

David and Thomas after the game. What athletes!

New Year's Eve Doughnuts for the Nuts

2012-01-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve, we let the kids stay up until midnight - yep, we are nuts!

Only 3 of them made it. First, we went to Safeway and let them pick out candy and drinks. We returned home to play The Doughnut Game, watch a movie, and watch the ball drop. It was a great night of family fun. My favorite part of the night was The Doughnut Game.

The Doughnut Game
We adapted this game to fit our family. The first time we played it, years ago, it was played with two people holding a string strung with doughnuts. Each player stood and took turns biting a doughnut. The winner was the person that stopped with the smallest piece of doughnut left hanging on the string.

For our game, we hung doughnuts individually, at different lengths.

The kids:

It was silly.

It was intense.

In the end, the boys could not stop themselves from eating the doughnuts. Elisabeth was most patient and won.

The Adults

We had to play. We laughed a lot. The kids thought it was fantastic.

He was really confident he had won.

It wasn't over yet.

You wouldn't think he would take another bite.

He did.
His doughnut fell off the string. I was really happy.

(That picture was a little nasally, so I covered it with words... I was really happy.)

GIRL victory; GREAT time had by all.

Go Ducks!

2012-01-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Rose Bowl is on and Jonathan is cheering on his Ducks.

Wise Guy

2011-12-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

My dad, Daddo, was talking about the Christmas story, explaining that there isn't proof that there were only 3 wisemen.

The conversation went something like this:

Daddo: There's no proof in the Bible that there were only 3 wisemen. It says that there were three gifts brought and that is why we tell the story with three wisemen.

David: Well, if there were more, they weren't very wise because they didn't bring gifts.

Lake Tahoe in December

2011-12-27T22:44:00.000-08:00

A Sweet Christmas

2011-12-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

We ended our Christmas day by making our Gingerbread house. It was sweet. The whole day was sweet.

Merry Christmas from the Owen Family

2011-12-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Morning Mess

2011-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I walked into the kids' bathroom only to find pee all over the bathroom floor.

I interrogated my boys. No one wanted to admit who missed the toilet. We considered which bathroom they went to and who was most awake. I asserted that Thomas could have been awake but not paying attention.

Then, with an angelic smile on his face, Thomas said,
"Well, the lights were off."

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2011 was fun and full of sweets.

We made caramel apples for the first time. Momma made pumpkin cookies. Daddy carved a pumpkin- after receiving lots of suggestions for the face- and all of the kids painted pumpkins. We ate a pumpkin pizza (from Papa Murphy's) and then we went Trick or' Treating. We were so full from dinner and sweets that we decided to wait a day to try out our apples.

Here are some pictures from our fun day.
This is more pictures that I'd normally throw in a blog post but I couldn't get Facebook photo uploads to work for me today.

Caramel Apples

Cookies

Pumpkins

Trick or' Treating
Jonathan and David were both Ninjas. Thomas was a robot and Elisabeth was a unicorn.

Elisabeth on Love

2011-10-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth was crying and throwing a mini-fit. I was rubbing her back. We had this conversation about love.

(Momma) Elisabeth, I love you.
(Elisabeth) I don't love you.
(Momma) I will always love you, no matter what.
(Elisabeth) I only love you when I am happy.
(Momma) Do you love anyone when you are unhappy?
(Elisabeth) Only God.

Overheard at Bathtime

2011-10-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

"Momma, I like being creative but I do not like taking baths."

Thomas, age 6

Soccer Saturday

2011-10-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

~A few pictures of the family during David and Thomas's soccer game today~

Daddy catching a few minutes with David on the sidelines when he was out during one quarter

Thomas planking - during the game

Momma intently watching the game with one sweet looking Elisabeth on her shoulders

Jonathan giving the camera one of his best smiles

Hello Kitty Land, anyone?

2011-10-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

We are planning a family vacation for next year. We are headed to Disneyland and Legoland. This will be a first for the family. We are all excited about the trip. The boys are especially excited about Legoland. But Elisabeth is not that impressed with the idea.

Every time we talk about Legoland, Elsie says,

"I want to go to Hello Kitty Land!"

She's adamant and doesn't seem to understand that Hello Kitty land doesn't exist.

Sometimes she says,

"I want to go to Hello Kitty World! I mean, Hello Kitty land, actually."

School Highlights 9/21

2011-09-21T15:03:00.001-07:00

School highlights for my boys today:

Thomas was told he should be a chef when he grows up.

During lunch, Thomas was adding pretzels to his brownie when a cub scout leader (the leader was handing out cub scout stickers) said he liked it. Thomas said, "Wait, I don't have the raisins, yet." He added raisins for a delightful dessert.

David got to move seats in his class.

He had to put his head down for five minutes at the beginning of recess. He had been laughing a lot because another kid was really funny. He said, "My teacher thought I was goofing off but the other kid was just really funny." He "got to" move seats because after his 5 minute time out, he told the teacher the other kid was bothering him.

Jonathan was asked if he would feel comfortable being in the independent, novel reading group.

And now all is right in his world.

Her 1st Shave

2011-09-21T10:05:00.001-07:00

The other night, Elisabeth decided to shave.

She shaved a little too close and called my name in a panic. I met her in the hall. Her hands were covered in blood. Blood was all over her chin and on her neck. It was messy.

Turns out, it wasn't a big cut. It was just on the bottom part of her lip, which is a very sensitive part to cut and it bleeds a lot.

When I asked her about it, she said she was "trying to shave like Daddy."

She also said she is never going to do that again.

Side note: It's interesting to me that not one of my boys has ever tried to shave. Or, maybe they asked and I said, "No". She didn't ask, which makes me wonder about her desire to achieve (for a lack of a better way to put it).

Lake Tahoe

2011-08-19T16:03:00.001-07:00

On August 7th we went to South Lake Tahoe. This was the kids first visit to Lake Tahoe. They loved exploring. They climbed trees, inspected pine cones, and looked at the lake in amazement. I can tell we are going to enjoy Lake Tahoe.

Our Nevada House

2011-08-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Moving Day (again!). We got the keys to our house tonight. The movers will bring our stuff in the morning. We looking forward to getting settled. Let the unpacking begin!

We love the swing that came with the house.

THE Water Park

2011-07-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

When the kids were struggling to get excited about moving, we went online and showed them the website for the water park in the town where we were relocating. We watched the online videos of the water slides. The boys knew the slides by name. And so it was that when we talked about moving, they talked about THE water park.

This past Sunday was the day we took them to THE water park. As expected, we all had a blast.

I took a slew of pictures and didn't even take pictures of everything in the park.There were more rides and activity areas. The place is amazing.

Elisabeth and Thomas by the sign. (This was actually at the end of the day on the way out.)

Jane Anne and Elisabeth looking cool in shades.

Elisabeth takin' it easy in the pool.

Jonathan on the Scorpion ride.

Seth and Thomas on the Scorpion ride. (Thomas was the first to do this ride. You can see a picture of that, here: Thomas on the Scorpion)

David trying out a slide on his belly.

Jane Anne and Elisabeth on a slide.

Thomas on the Fire side of the Fire and Ice slide.

Elisabeth and the frog.

David in the Montego Bay Wave Pool.

Seth and David

Jonathan smiling because "It was awesome."

Well-aimed

2011-07-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Our kids all keep Camelbak type water bottles beside their beds at night.

Tonight, Jonathan came out of his room with tears in his eyes and said, "David threw my water bottle at me."

David emphatically responded, "No! I said 'Catch!'"

Nevada Living

2011-07-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we drove from Oregon to Nevada. The drive was long but it went smoothly. We were all happy to see that Nevada sign. Seth's company has put us up in a furnished apartment for a few weeks. The apartment has a pool, which the kids just love. We are enjoying the Nevada sunshine. It's quite a change from the rainy Northwest.

Our apartment

Exploring the hills behind the apartment

The pool

The hot tub

The Kids Today

2011-07-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we took pictures of the kids in our little town. Here are a few of the pictures. I think I'll share more later. I really should be packing right now. The movers come tomorrow. We will be leaving town on Thursday.

The Softest Sheets

2011-07-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

The other morning David was snuggling in our bed.

"Sniff Sniff"

Holding the sheet in his hands, he rubbed the material against itself.

"Hey! I think your sheets are softer than the softest tissue."

Lots of laughter ensued with a loving reminder from me not to use our sheets to wipe his nose.

Oh So Ready

2011-07-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've been cleaning and organizing for days. I'm making progress but it's slow. I wish organization came naturally to me.

My kids are being asked to help. They are also ultra aware of all of the effort I am putting in.

Quote of the day:

"Let's just get this move over with already."

Jonathan, age 10

Overheard

2011-07-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Overheard at Lunch:

"Hey, (insert friend's name here), my dad is 37 and he is growing white hairs on his chest."
David, age 7

"Whoa"
Friend, age 7

Texting

2011-05-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today, Jonathan explained to me that g2g means "got to go". And so it has started. I am being taught text lingo by my 10 year old.

...and I feel old.

Oh no you won't!

2011-05-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

I walked in the bathroom this afternoon to see my Sonicare toothbrush vibrating on the counter. Beside the counter, Thomas was taking off his shirt.

Me: "What are you doing?"

Thomas: "I'm going to use that to massage my arm pits."

Elsie is Three

2011-04-12T10:47:00.001-07:00

She's been 3 since November 17.

I had her 3 year old pictures taken in March.

Here are some of my favorites.

Track Star

2011-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

David completed the track program this month at school. The kids can walk or run the track during recess. They get punches on a track card for each lap completed. Each track card has 25 punches. There are 7 track cards. That's 175 laps! I should know, but I don't remember, how many miles it equals. For each completed track card, a small foot is added to a chain necklace. If you finish the program, you earn your the big foot for your necklace.

David was super excited about earning his "big foot" and I am super proud of him for accomplishing his goal.

Here is at the assembly getting his award:

This picture shows how excited he was:

Here's his beautiful smile:

2 Awards, 1 Super Happy Jonathan

2011-04-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

The kids had an awards assembly today at school. Jonathan received two awards.

His first award was for participating in the Regional Battle of the Books competition. This was the first year a team from our school has participated. He did a fantastic job.

Getting the Battle of the Books Certificate:

His second award was for being the March Student of the month. Jonathan looks forward to getting this award every year. This year, it was getting harder and harder for him not to get it each month.

He was really happy to get the certificate today:

Getting his Student of the Month picture taken:
Today was hat day at school. (As part of a fundraiser, the kids could pay 50 cents to wear a hat.) Jonathan didn't say anything to me but I know he is thrilled to be wearing his Ducks hat in his picture.

Getting a high five from his teacher:

I decided to treat him for his awards. I offered to pick up a treat after school, suggesting special kid treats like milkshakes or slurpees. Jonathan asked if I could buy watermelon. Oh, how I love that boy. Since it's too early for watermelon, we opted for cantaloupe.

I am proud of Jonathan for working hard at school. This has been a great year for him.

Monopoly Wisdom

2011-03-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Jonathan has convinced his brothers to play Monopoly with him.

Overheard as Jonathan set up the game:

"Life is like Monopoly. You need to be careful with your money. If you spend all of your money, then you don't have any money and you are out of money."

Jonathan, age 9

Quote of the Day

2011-03-03T15:42:00.001-08:00

"When I'm a dad, I get to play the Wii, right?"

Elisabeth (age 3)

Just Cuteness

2011-03-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

She wore the hat almost all day long. The hat was bought about 7 years ago for her oldest brother.

Conversation of the Day

2011-02-28T20:40:00.001-08:00

"You cannot poop when you are dead- that's impossible."
David (age 7)

This was followed up by:

"Well, if you were in the middle of pooping when you died, you might actually poop when you are dead."
Jonathan (age 9)

"Oh ya, 'It just slipped out.'"
David

Thomas (age 5) laughing his head off the whole time

The things boys talk about...

Bad to the Bone

2011-02-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

Thomas got a mohawk on Tuesday. He says it is his "Bad-to-the-bone" haircut.

Today after school I asked him if anyone said anything about his hair or if they were all used to it by now. He said, there were still some people that hadn't seen him.

Then he said, "Well, there was this one girl that said a bad word when she saw my hair."

I said, "What did she say? It's okay, you can say it right now."

Meekly, Thomas said, "Holy Moly."

Five is such a fun age.

Quote of the Morning

2011-01-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

Seth's been away, working in another state. Elsie started wearing underwear 2 weeks ago. We are all together as a family this weekend.

Quote of the morning:
"Soooo, what do I do here?" Seth, toilet paper in-hand standing by to help 3 year old Elsie in the bathroom. (MUCH laughter followed) Gotta love "potty-training" dad!

Quote of the Week

2011-01-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

"Hey Momma, I think that if we weren't brothers, we'd be best friends because we play together all of the time and we have a lot of fun."

David, age 7 (talking about himself and Thomas)

Quote of the Week

2011-01-21T15:13:00.001-08:00

"A man in an unknown place without a map is like a man without eyes."

Jonathan, age 9

Christmas Snow

2010-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

It snowed on Christmas. It was beautiful and exciting to ~~Momma~~ the kids.

Elisabeth looks fretful in the family picture because her Hello Kitty boots were "messy." She was not impressed with messy snow. But, she had improved from a few minutes before when one of her brothers threw, albeit softly, a snowball on her jacket.

I had already cleaned off the "messy snow" in this picture. It took a few minutes for her to calm down.

Here's Thomas trying to tell Elisabeth that snow is fun.

She just wanted to get away and get those boots clean.

Thomas was happy eating the snow.

David was just plain happy. (And, I adore this picture.)

Merry Christmas from the Owen Family

2010-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Family Time

2010-12-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

We are with family and lovin' every second.

Here are some photos of the kids with their cousins:

We've Been Good

2010-12-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Owen Kids

2010-12-10T00:29:00.000-08:00

Question of the Day

2010-12-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Question of the Day:

"Do you ever have privacy with Daddy?"

David (age 7)

Question of the Day

2010-12-06T21:23:00.001-08:00

Question of the Day:

"Why is it okay to say, 'head butt' but not okay to call someone a 'butt head'?"

Thomas, age 5

November Student of the Month

2010-12-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Thomas was chosen as the November student of the month for his class.

His award was for "his eagerness to learn. He is respectful and responsible."

Here is Thomas getting his picture taken after receiving his award:

It was extra special to receive the award when Gran and Daddo were in town.

Elisabeth is Three

2010-11-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

On November 17th, Elisabeth turned 3.

I took a ton of pictures. I want ~~Seth~~ you to see them all. So, instead of posting just a few pictures, I am sharing a slide show of 26 pictures (yes, there were quite a few more photos). Below the slideshow is a few of my very favorite pictures.

Owen Trick Or Treaters

2010-11-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

School Favorites

2010-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I asked the boys to tell me their favorite part of school, excluding recess and PE. I asked them to tell me a favorite learning (academic) activity.

Jonathan: Math Group

David: Center Time

Thomas: Fire drills and Earthquake drills
What?
Yes, I like it because sometimes my shoes get wet when we walk through the grass.

Soccer Saturday

2010-10-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today's 1st game was at 10:30 in Albany.

Today's second game was at 1:30 in Lebanon.

The 3rd game was at 4:00 in Lebanon.

Little sister was at every game.

Crazy Hair

2010-10-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

The boys are participating in an Awana program at a local church. The past few years Jonathan has been a part of cub scouts. He loved cub scouts but this year we couldn't make the cub scout schedule work for us. All three boys can go to Awana's and they are having a blast! This past Wednesday was Crazy Hair or Hat Night.

Aren't they cool?

A couple of pictures of David and Thomas playing games:

What does little sister do after Crazy Hair night at Awana's?

She wears a wig when we drop her brothers off at school. Then, she insists on wearing the wig to Safeway.

She was adorable -even if one amused clerk said she looked like a chia pet.

September Student of the Month

2010-09-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

David was chosen as a Student of the Month for his class for the month of September. He was chosen for "being a super thinker, a great example to others, and super Listening."

He received his award at a school assembly yesterday. Here's a video of him accepting the award:

Here's our September Student of the Month. We are super proud of him.

His First School Fight

2010-09-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

I jokingly asked Thomas if he got in trouble today. And, he said, "I almost did."

Surprised, I asked him to tell me more.

He said that he was fighting with another boy and then his teacher told him to stop.

I asked, "Were you play fighting or were you fighting because you were mad."

He said, "I wasn't playing. I was fighting."

Apparently, the other boy hit Thomas first. So, Thomas elbowed him back. Then, the boy hit him. So, naturally, Thomas hit him again. And, then Thomas poked the kid in the back of the neck. The kicker is, I am not sure if the poking happened before or after his teacher told him to stop.

A couple of side notes: I feel sort of guilty for saying, "His first school fight," as if I am expecting more. I also think I should feel guilty for joking about him getting in trouble. Although, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to talk to him about hitting at school.

Lastly, this boy has my heart. He is the toughest, tender-hearted kid I know.

Oh, and that other boy told on him. Can you believe it?

Treasuring Every Minute

2010-09-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth is slowly adjusting to her brothers all being in school. It is the cutest thing ever.

She brought her lunch box with her when we went to pick up her brother from the first day of Kindergarten. She's brought it with her most days. Sometimes I put a small snack in it, which really makes her smile.

On the second morning, she insisted on bringing "my backpack" and she really wanted to go to the lineup time before school. She really, really wanted to line up next to her brother.

When the kids went in to the school, she said, "I go to class! I'm a big girl."

The lunch box and backpack have joined us in the car for dropoff and pickup each day. This morning she wanted her lunch box. I told her I didn't have a lunch ready for her so she happily put her blanket and stuffed dog ("Baba" and "Doggie) in her backpack.

Thank goodness MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) starts this morning. Although, she's pulling on me right now saying "It's time to go!!" and we have 30 more minutes until it starts.

I'm treasuring every minute of this sweet girl.

Thomas's First Day of School

2010-09-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Thomas's First Day of Kindergarten.

He was very excited to go to school with his brothers.

Here are the boys before school. Can you tell how excited Thomas was?

Here's a group picture of the kids before school:

An excited Kindergartener:

This picture shows just how ready for school he was:

You see, he did not want to wait for Momma. He did not want to go to his classroom before lineup time outside. He wanted to go with his brothers. In fact, I snapped this picture after David yelled, "Momma, he's still coming with me." At that moment- or right before I took the picture- I decided to let him go. Better to be happy starting Kindergarten than sad! I met up with him on the playground and we got his stuff settled in his room after the lineup time outside.

Thomas's First Day Thoughts:

What did you do today?

"Momma, I'll tell you what I did. I made a raccoon and now it's hanging up."

"We looked around the school for hands with hearts. Some were on walls. Some people had them on their hands."

"We listened to the kissing hand story and 2 raccoon books."

What was your favorite part of the day?

"My favorite part of my day was... when she (his teacher) had paper animals that made letters and animal puppets."

Was there anything you didn't like?

"Ya, there was one girl that was grumpy. She had a grumpy face the whole entire time."

Tell me something you learned:

"Don't eat the blue stuff on the walls. It looks like gum but isn't gum."

(That's right, he's talking about blue sticky tack. I'm so glad he learned it isn't gum!)

Some Random Thomas comments:

"Did you know we have 9 girls and only 7 boys? There are a lot of girls."

"Two people fell at recess- only 1 was crying really hard. Well, I fell but I only got dirty."

"If you disobey the school rules, they don't do anything. The teachers just tell you to stop. I didn't do it. I just saw someone else."

(Oh boy...)

Jonathan and David's First Day of School

2010-09-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for Jonathan and David. In honor of that, here's a quote I saw today that I really like:

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead." ~Robert Brault

The REAL quote of the day was what Jonathan said when he got in the car after school:
"These people are crazy and this school is crazy!"

He could not believe he had tests on the first day of school. The tests were aptitude tests. Jonathan talked the whole way home from school. That was surprising. David is usually the talker. Jonathan is super excited that his teacher is reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to the class during their DEAL (Drop Everything And Listen) time.

Here's Jonathan before school.

David had a great first day of 1st grade. He is worn out. He has been fairly quiet, which is unusual. I had the opportunity to visit his class today. I read "Allie the Allergic Elephant" to the class. He seemed to be having a good time. He said one of his favorite things is the "book bunk" in his classroom. It is a loft for reading books. Today, they got to play under it.

Here is David before the first day of 1st Grade:

Here are both boys before school:

Here are all of the kids before school. (Thomas starts Kindergarten next week. He was excited about wearing his backpack around today.)

Don't Make Me Do It

2010-09-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Just now, Thomas came inside to throw away a popsicle stick. As he's walking through the house, he says,

"Momma, don't make me drop this grasshopper."

I helped him throw away his trash.

Excuse Me

2010-09-01T09:36:00.001-07:00

"Excuse Me, Mr. Know Everything About Trucks, how is that going to stay on?" Thomas (age 5)

Big Changes for the Family

2010-08-21T10:47:00.001-07:00

This is Seth's last week at Target. He is starting a new job with Amazon.

Due to numerous reasons, Seth is going to move initially without the family. His new location is supposed to be "short term". We aren't sure how short term, yet. Due to that, school starting, and us owning a house in Oregon, we are going to wait to move the whole family.

We are very excited about the new job and opportunity. It will be challenging to be apart, though. We'd love your prayers. If you want more info, send us an email or message on Facebook.

Cub Scout Camp

2010-08-20T07:52:00.001-07:00

In July, Jonathan went to Cub Scout Day Camp. He loved it. He enjoyed everything, especially archery and shooting BB guns.

Here's a picture of him holding a snake. I wish I could say he hated it. Look a that smile!

Jonathan was part of the color guard during the closing ceremonies. He did a fantastic job.

Here's a picture of Jonathan and his buddy, Tyler, watching the closing ceremony. They had fun together all week.

Our Week

2010-07-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

This week~

Jonathan is going to Cub Scout Day Camp. He loves it. Yesterday he held a real snake (yikes). Today he gets to shoot a BB Gun. He's also made crafts, sang songs, ridden in a horse drawn wagon, and shot a bow and arrow.

David and Thomas are going to Vacation Bible School at a local church. The theme is Space. They have come home sharing Bible stories. Their favorite part is doing the wood crafts. They have hammered together a tool box and a chalk board.

Elisabeth and Momma have gone shopping and to the gym. Elisabeth loves the one-on-one time with Momma. She also fell in love with some pink sunglasses at Wal-mart.

Melted My Heart

2010-07-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight, after prayers, Thomas said:

"You are right under God."

"That's how much I love you."

Celebrated

2010-07-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 22, we celebrated 15 years of marriage. We went to dinner at The Gathering Together Farm. If you are local, don't miss this place. It was fantastic. The food was out-of-this-world amazing. Here's a picture of us getting ready to enjoy our dessert.

Best Day Ever

2010-07-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thomas: "Momma, is this my best day ever?"
Momma: "Thomas, I don't know. How could I know that?"
Thomas: "Just guess."
Momma: "Yes- it's your best day."
Thomas: "Nope! It's my best, best day ever."

Slip N' Slide Summer

2010-07-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

I took this picture yesterday. I smile every time I look at it. Every other time, I laugh out loud.

Two Desserts

2010-07-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

Last night, Seth got home later than expected. I had plans to walk with with a friend. I left right about the time dinner was ready. When I got back, Seth had to leave. I brought the kids inside to have a favorite dessert, ice cream with Magic Shell.

About the time they were all finishing up, Jonathan said,
"Uh, Momma, I forgot to tell you, Daddy already gave us dessert."

Smiling children, with messy chocolate mouths, were gazing at me to see my response. All I could do was laugh.

Teeth and Boogers

2010-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

David has 4 loose teeth right now. Two of the are very loose. He does not want to wiggle them. He does not want them pulled. He would rather let them fall out on their own.

In fact, he lost his first tooth without knowing it, while eating popcorn. He swallowed it. Ironically, his second tooth was also lost eating popcorn. He was eating his popcorn and then his tooth fell out on his hand. Now he doesn't want to eat popcorn anymore.

Letting his teeth fall out on their own means less blood (and little pain), which is what David is all about.

The other day we were trying to convince him to let us wiggle his teeth. He gave us an emphatic "No." He said he just wanted to wait for them to fall out. We tried to convince him otherwise by explaining he might swallow them but we couldn't persuade him.

Out of nowhere, he said,

"I wish my nose would fall off. Then, I wouldn't have any more boogers!"

I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. It was such a funny moment.

David's First Sleepover

2010-07-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

July 4th marked David's first sleepover at a friend's house. He has stayed with family and friends that we consider close enough to be family. This was the first time he spent the night with a buddy of his.

I spend a lot of time thinking about "letting go" with David due to his severe peanut allergy. I imagine things like sleep-overs and summer camps and I instantly feel nervous. His first sleep-over was great- for him and me. Of course, the very first time I met his friend's mom we discussed how she has a niece with a severe peanut allergy. There's no doubt about it, knowing she knows how to care for someone with a food allergy made all the difference in me getting a good night's rest that night.

Here's David and his friend Luke before the sleepover.

The next day David said:
"Momma, I had too much fun to think about missing you much."

July 4th: Friends

2010-07-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

On the evening of the 4th, we got together with friends. It was calm, peaceful, and downright relaxing... oooookay, I'm just kidding.

There were 15 kids there. It was wild, loud, and downright hilarious at times.

Here are the kids (minus one):

Here's the amazing family that hosted us all:
The photo credit on this one goes to their tripod. It was taken earlier on the 4th. Isn't it amazing?

The Walker family:

Our family as we watched fireworks:

There were other families there (thus the 15 kids) but I didn't get more family photos.

Thomas loved his 4th of July Cupcake:

Elisabeth and David enjoying the trampoline:

Jonathan and Masen eating dinner:

My favorite picture of Elisabeth and Derek. She was telling him "NO!"

Boys bein' boys:

A sweet photo of Jamie and Laci.

More 4th of July pictures coming up in the next post: July 4th: Fireworks.

July 4th: Family

2010-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

I took loads of pictures on the 4th. I tend to overdue the picture taking on holidays... but I love doing it.

We had a fabulous 4th of July:

We went to church in the morning and enjoyed a fabulous 4th of July breakfast.
We came home and had grilled hamburgers, chips and watermelon for lunch.
We took a few pictures outside and then relaxed in the afternoon.
We spent the evening with friends enjoying food and fireworks (those pictures will be in July 4th: Friends).

Breakfast:

After Church:

Grilling:

Like Father Like Son:

Watermelon Sweetness:

Enjoying Lunch:

Momma and Daughter Picture:

The Kids 1:

The Kids 2:

The Kids 3:

Showtime

2010-07-03T23:43:00.001-07:00

Today we took the kids to Toy Story 3. This was our first movie trip as a whole family. It was Elisabeth's first movie in the theater. It was also in 3D.

Elisabeth in her 3D glasses before the show:

Elisabeth by the Movie Poster:

All of the kids (the sun was really bright):

The movie that the boys want to see:

Bubble Fun

2010-07-03T09:23:00.001-07:00

This week Thomas discovered that although bubble wands are fun, using your hands to blow bubbles is really cool.

Pool Time

2010-06-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend it was hot in Oregon. We were sooo excited. We went to the pool in the neighboring town of Albany.

Daddy's Day

2010-06-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

(This picture published without permission. It was, in fact, taken and published while subject was sleeping.)

David: "I'm not sure this has been a good Father's Day."

Momma: "Oh, I think it has. Sleeping is one of Daddy's favorite things."

David: "Oh, you're right!
Thomas: "#1 is sleeping."
Jonathan: "#2 is playing on his Ipad."
David: "And, #3 is giving Momma hugs and kisses."

Do You Know?

2010-06-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Thomas: "Momma, do you know what I am going to say next?"

Momma: "Um, no."

Thomas (with a big triumphant smile on his face): "Well, God does!"

First Day of Summer Break

2010-06-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

On the 1st day of Summer break, Jonathan donned his Tennessee jersey. David spilled his milk on his clothes at breakfast. So, he decided he wanted to wear his jersey, too. Thomas wasn't dressed yet. He asked me to get his jersey. After breakfast, Elisabeth kept saying something over and over. It took me a few times before I realized that she was saying "My Albem". She was asking for her Alabama clothes. It was too precious to pass up.

This is what my kids looked like on the first day of summer break.

School: Before and After

2010-06-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Jonathan: 1st and Last Day of 3rd Grade

Favorite Last Day Moment: Jonathan could not wait to get to the car to check out his report card. He read every single line of it to me.

David: First and Last Day of Kindergarten

Favorite Picture at the End of the Day: I told David to show me how excited he was to be a first grader. He could hardly contain his excitement.

Thomas: First and Last Day of Preschool

My Favorite End of Preschool Moment: Thomas was really excited about his preschool graduation and reception. I loved watching him run around with his friends. I was really glad he got a picture with a couple of his best preschool friends.

School's Out for Summer

2010-06-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

The kids are a little excited about summer break...

Strawberry Festival 2010

2010-06-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated Strawberries. We enjoyed the 101st Lebanon Strawberry Festival. Elisabeth and Momma watched the parade. Daddy and the boys walked in the parade with the AYSO soccer float. We all had a fantastic time.

Here are 2 of my favorite pictures of Elisabeth.

Elisabeth and Momma:

Here are a few pictures of the boys in the parade.

Things To Do

2010-05-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

Found while cleaning out paper clutter:

I have no idea when Jonathan wrote this. What a funny boy!

Ice Cream for Breakfast

2010-05-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2010

My husband let the boys bring me breakfast in bed. He let them choose my breakfast.
It was quite the feast.

Thomas chose for me to have pancakes.
David chose for me to have a bacon egg sandwich.
Jonathan chose for me to have ice cream.

They said, "And Daddy... he did the drink". Yes, I had coffee. And, yes, Daddy did just a tiny bit more than just the drink.

The rest of the day was wonderful, too. More about that soon.

Tulip Festival

2010-04-18T22:24:00.001-07:00

Today, we went with Gran and Daddo to the Tulip Festival. The flowers were beautiful. The weather was gorgeous. The kids managed to smile in most of the pictures. Right after our walk through the tulips, we took the kids to the kid area (which had inflatable slides, bounce houses, swings, wooden shoes to climb in and much more).

Soccer Sludge Practice

2010-04-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

He said it was the best practice ever.

I am so glad he wore that white shirt. He purposely rolled in mud.

Honestly, what coach lets the boys throw mud at each other after practice? Oh right, my husband- his dad- is the coach.

Just so you know, the picture doesn't do those muddy black socks justice...they were muuuudy.

Oh, for the love of Heinz

2010-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

At dinner tonight, Momma and the boys were discussing foods.

Jonathan: What's Daddo's favorite food?

Momma: I don't know - maybe steak.

Jonathan: My favorite food is pizza.

David: My favorite food is Chili!

Thomas: My favorite is Ketchup.

Computer Kid Love Story

2010-04-07T07:16:00.001-07:00

Thomas got in trouble right before bed last night. I wonder if this inspired his "I don't love you" computer thoughts this morning.

Thomas (age 4):

Momma, I am a computer and I write down bad stuff... and sometimes good stuff.

Momma: Oh really?

Thomas: Yes. One time I wrote down that I didn't love you but then I deleted it.

(pause)

Thomas: Then, I wrote that I love you more than you love me.

Easter Pictures

2010-04-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Our Easter celebration was fantastic. I always take a ton of pictures. This morning I tried to select a few favorites and I ended up with 20 pictures saved as "EasterFavs". I'll post the Easter Egg pictures in the next post.

David wakes up first in our house. On Easter morning, he colored while waiting for his brothers to wake up. He didn't even touch his basket.

Jonathan asked and asked for a chocolate bunny this year. I told him I might find one. In truth, I had a hard time finding one that didn't have a peanut allergy warning. He was really happy with his bunny.

Thomas is the messiest eater in our house. He does not mind being messy.

Thomas played a drum at church. He was precious. I adore this picture of him.

Elisabeth was beautiful. Her dress was made with love by Mimi.

The boys got to play the Wii on Easter afternoon. They were happy and handsome.

Happy Easter from the Owen Family

2010-04-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

I never get tired

2010-04-03T20:13:00.001-07:00

David (age 6):

"Momma, I usually never get tired but my body totally does."

April Fool's Dinner

2010-04-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

The whole family enjoyed an April Fool's style dinner tonight.

The kids were delighted with the surprise dessert pizza.

The kids thought the jello drink was really funny.

Read the whole story, complete with lots of pictures, here: Our April Fool's Day Dinner

Love to an 8 year old

2010-03-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Allow me to relay my latest Truck Talk with my 8 (almost 9) year old.

Me: Jonnie, I love you.
Jonnie: Ok
Me: Hey! You don't say 'Ok' when someone says they love you! Well, unless its a girl and you don't really love her. You might like kissing her, or talking to her, or hanging out with her, but you don't love her. In that case you have to find something else to say.
Jonnie: ...(blank stare)
Me: you know, like... 'I like you a lot', or 'We sure have a lot of fun together', or ... ummm...
Jonnie: Or you run away screaming?
Me: Yeah, thats probably a good option.

Funny Boys

2010-03-16T16:14:00.001-07:00

Momma: Why do boys think farting is so funny?

Jonathan (age 8): Because! It IS funny.

David (age 6): Because sometimes boys like (their) privates.

Thomas (age 4): Momma, did you know on Penguins of Madagascar their is a penguin named Private?

This Momma let the conversation end right there.

Sunday Afternoon

2010-03-15T10:26:00.001-07:00

My favorite weekend photo was taken on Sunday afternoon:

Snow Flurries in Oregon

2010-03-09T00:11:00.000-08:00

We haven't had any snow where we live in Oregon. We have just had rain, rain, and more rain. When I got the boys home from school on Monday, they were delighted to see snow flurries. I mean, delighted. They ran around outside laughing. It was such a fun few moments. The snow didn't last but these pictures sure make me smile.

Elisabeth loves Bubbles

2010-03-07T21:17:00.001-08:00

My sweet girl loves bubbles. She calls so many things "bubbles".

Polka dots are bubbles. She prefers to wear "bubbles" everyday. It's really hard to find something with polka dots for her to wear EVERY day. She is happy if she has her bubbles on.

Check out the outfit she wore to bed the other night.

Balls can also be considered bubbles. For example, she asks for "Bubble" cereal. (Okay, yes, sometimes she eats sugary cereal. It's true.) She loves it when she gets Captain Crunch with Berries. That's Bubble Cereal.

She gets so excited about bubbles. I am really ready for sunny weather. We sure are going to have fun blowing bubbles.

Windex Factory

2010-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

My house smells like a Windex Factory right now. When Thomas washes windows, he uses way too much Windex.

Thomas and Elisabeth also cleaned the tables.

Here they are, my adorable helpers:

TV Kid

2010-02-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Jonathan (age, 8):

Hey Momma, if you have another kid, I want you to name him 'TV'. That way, when you ask me what I am doing, I can say, 'Watching TV.'

I guess he wasn't ready for his "screen time" to be over. Such a creative kid!

A Beautiful Sunset

2010-02-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Last night, Thomas noticed the sunset and said:

"Momma! It's beautiful. It's like a painting from God."

Jonnie's Gig

2010-02-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

A fiddle player came and gave fiddle lessons at Jonathan's and David's Elementary School. Here's an article about it that was in the local paper: Fiddler Teaches Art at Cascades

Jonathan had his fiddle performance on January 16. It was fun watching him.

Here he is warming up.

A couple pictures of him performing:

A video of part of his performance:

Posing for Mama:

1 Minute Under Water

2010-01-24T21:08:00.001-08:00

"Hey Mom! I figured out how to stay under water for one minute."

"Do you want to see how?"

[He was so proud. He ran to show off his trick to Daddy. AFTER, a big drink of water.]