Sandy Fun

I've found something that can keep Owen in one place for over 10 minutes at a time....

The Sandbox!

I took him to the park yesterday afternoon to burn off some energy, and after making countless

laps around the play equipment and numerous trips in and out of the tennis courts, 

the sandbox finally caught his eye.  

One of the other kids was nice enough to share a bucket and shovel with Owen, and he was more than content with just those two things.  I don't think he moved for a good 15 minutes.  In fact, the only reason I ended up taking him out was because he decided it would be a good idea to eat the sand.  After a couple attempts to dump it in his mouth, I figured we'd had enough sand for one day.  He was so covered in it I had to strip him down to his onesie before putting him in the car.  Complete mess, but totally worth it!  Now I can't wait to set up the water/sand

table I bought for the summer.  He's going to love it!  

Big Brother

It's official!  Owen is going to be a big brother.  :)

Ryan and I are SO excited!!  We knew we'd like our kids about 2 years apart,
so when Owen turned one and I stopped pumping milk for him, we decided to let nature take its course.  I got pregnant the very next month so it worked out perfectly.  With Owen it took 4 or 5 months to get pregnant, so this was a welcomed surprise.  

Owen will be just shy of 22 months at the new baby's due date.  I'm sure I'll have my hands full, but I love that he and the new baby will be so close in age.  I've already had a few ultrasounds at 6, 9 and 12 weeks so here is a little glimpse at the baby.  

9 Weeks

12 Weeks 

It is always so amazing to me how they grow into little babies so quickly.  I'm already going crazy wondering if it is a boy or a girl.  I'm the type that loves to know because it is so 
fun for me to envision what life is going to be like once he or she gets here.  As far as my
prediction, I'm still undecided.  At first I thought girl, then I was convinced it was a boy, and now I am back to thinking girl.  I am sure it will change a few more times before we actually find out.
Either way will be super exciting and we can hardly wait to meet the newest Kalita addition.

Michigan Avenue Visit

 Owen and I were downtown and had some time to kill, so we decided to walk down Michigan Avenue.  There is a huge open area right across from the Wrigley building so I let Owen

run around until his little heart was content.  I figured the more energy he spent 

running, the better he would sit still during my doctor's appointment.  :)

He had so much fun and honestly would have kept going and going had we not had to leave.

The energy this little guy has is unreal.  I'm just happy he's a little more steady 

on his feet now so I can give him some distance and let him go.

#1 Reason Why We Need More Sunny Days...

Because this is what our living room looks like on rainy days!

 

Bring on the Sun

After all the rainy and chilly days we've been having, the temperature finally

hit 70 degrees today...WOO!!  It was so nice outside!!

 

We took Owen's wagon out and let him walk up and down the sidewalk until his little heart was content.  With his constant need for speed it makes it a lot easier having something for 

him to hang on to.  He's doing really well with walking, but he gets so excited he 

takes off running and his little legs can't keep up with him.  The wagon helps

to slow him down a little bit and prevents the majority of falls.

 

Some of the neighbor girls walked down to 7-11 to get Slurpees, and I couldn't help myself.  

It was 70 degrees after all, so I had to join in.  I figured it would be fun for Owen to try one.

Though the cold caught him by surprise, he quickly got used to it and couldn't get enough.

The pure sugar is probably why he laid up in his bed singing to himself and 

kicking his legs for a good 30 minutes after we laid him down.

 

And speaking of neighbor girls, they definitely took a liking to Owen.  

He was quite the little ladies man.

  

He might not realize it now, but at some point he is going to grow to love this 

unbalanced ratio of girls to boys on our block.  ;)

New Friends

Lesa and I met when we took our sons to the same music class.

We enjoyed each other's company so we decided to meet with the boys outside of class

for playdates, walks to the parks and other crazy adventures.

We've been getting together for a few months now, but last night we decided to make it official and let the husbands meet.  She invited us over for dinner and we had such a great time.

The boys play great together, and with all the delicious food, drinks and fun company 

it would be safe to say the adults had a great time too.

We are so thankful to have met such great new friends.

SUPER Owen

Spring is definitely here, which means lots and lots of rain!

We've been spending most of our time dashing in and out of stores and staying home

doing our best to keep dry.  Not much to blog about with that.  ;)

But while we were playing inside yesterday, the funniest thing happened.

 Let me just preface this by saying this was not planned or practiced.  I had Owen dressed

in his Superman shirt, so I thought it would be at the very least amusing to him if I yelled out "Super Owen" and raised my arms above my head.  Much to my surprise, he quickly caught on and joined in on the fun.  Thank goodness I always have my phone nearby so I was able

to catch it on video.  So cute!

Hooray for Spring!!

Finally, we can get outside!!

 It seemed like Winter was never going to end, so now that the temperature is up 

in the 50s and yes, even 60s, we've been taking full advantage.

  We take Marley for a nice long walk every day when Owen wakes up from his 2nd nap,

 And then finish off our afternoons at the park.

Owen goes non stop, so I get my exercise for the day chasing after him.

It will be much easier once he is a little more steady on his feet, but for now he has

absolutely no fear and runs as fast as his little legs can carry him from one thing to the next.  

So I am always running one step behind him waiting to pick him up and brush him off when he loses his balance, or redirect him when he makes a beeline for the cement.  

I'm not sure who is more tired by the time we leave the park, Owen or me?

"Hey Mom, Can I get a little static guard in here?"

From Walking to Running

It's been a full time job diligently chasing after Owen as he perfects his walking.

He's quickly dropped his Frankenstein walk and has instead taken up a full on sprint.  

He's so excited to be walking that he gets going and his little legs 

can hardly keep up with him.  It's hilarious to watch him, but at

the same time I'm constantly trailing him because there seem to be a lot

more tumbles since he's increased his speed.  He takes off running, stumbles, speed crawls

to the nearest wall or piece of furniture to help himself back up and takes off running again.

I might have to buy this little guy some knee pads.