Lessons from the Day...

1. Always carry your cell phone
2. Always carry a diaper bag
3. AAA is the worth it
4. Have a baby with you

Let me explain...

B and I took Ella to the vet this morning for her yearly visit. The plan was to drop her off around 7:30am and then come home, eat breakfast (both B and I), go for a walk, do laundry, clean the house, take a shower, get Owen dressed etc.

This is what happened...

B and I dropped Ella off and walked back to the car. I put B in his car seat, put the stroller in the trunk, and then got myself into the car, buckled up, put the key in the ignition...and NOTHING! The car wouldn't even turn over...so I reach over to get my cell phone to call Chad and....NO CELL PHONE! I had forgotten it as Ella, B and I rushed out of the house this morning, I had the diaper bag...but not the phone. So I unbuckled, got B out, walked back up to the vet's office, knocked on the door, waited for someone to open the door and asked if I could use their phone...lesson #1.

I tried calling Chad, but couldn't get a hold of him so I called AAA...lesson #3. I explained my dilemma to a kind woman at the other end of the line and she dispatched a tow truck to come meet me in the parking lot...in an hour. She told me that they would call when they were close, I had to give her the vet's number and admit to not having my phone. At that point I realized that Owen had not eaten, he was still in his pajamas (because I thought it was going to be about a 20 minute trip to the vet) and I hadn't eaten or had my morning coffee. There is a Target not too far from the vet so Owen and I walked to the Target to get some coffee, water and breakfast all while trying to be quick because the tow truck driver couldn't call me and I didn't want to miss him. We rushed back to the vet and....waited...and waited...and waited. The kind people at the vet offered to let us sit inside but I was concerned that we would miss the tow truck, so we sat outside on the sidewalk. I realized that I had unintentionally left a bottle with powder formula in Owen's diaper bag...I was able to add water to it and then feed him, hoping that it would hold him over until we were able to get home....lesson #2.

The tow truck arrived about an hour later. The driver looked under the hood of my car, tested the battery and said "Ma'am, it's your battery...it's dead. " So I asked, "Can you charge it?" and he said, "I will try." He goes on to try and we both realize that the battery is so dead it won't hold a charge, he then went on to tell me that he could sell me one. He went back to his truck to get a new battery and realized he didn't have one, so I asked "Can you tow us?" He replies, "No, you'll have to call AAA back and get another tow truck to come out." At this point, I try to be as polite as possible and thank him for his time and walk back into the vet to use the phone. Long story short, we have to wait another hour and a half at the vet on the sidewalk waiting for another tow truck. When the tow truck arrived, the driver helped me get Owen (in his car seat) up into the cab of his truck (Owen's first big truck ride)...and then preceded to put the car onto the truck's bed with a massive hydraulic system. The driver asked where I wanted to go...I tell him where the previous driver had told me and he responds "That place will sell you a battery, but they won't put it in...you know that right?" Of course, I didn't know that. He preceded to tell me that he could take me there and that he would put the battery in for me, even though he isn't supposed to to things like that and that I can just tip him really well...I smile, say thank you for the offer and suggest going to another place...he shook his head and said "Okay, you'll pay more there!".

We finally arrived at the auto store to learn yet again...that my battery was completely dead! The polite man told me that it would be about two and a half hours to have the battery put in, that they didn't have a battery and would have to go and get one at another store, I panicked a little...thinking that Owen hadn't eaten in about three hours, not to mention he was still in his pajamas. The man must have seen the panic in my eyes, when he saw Owen he said "Just one minute." He left for a minute, came back and told me "We found a battery and we will try to get it in stalled in a few minutes"...lesson #4. I felt bad, there were about four customers in front of us...but they didn't have hungry babies!

15 minutes later, I was given the bill for an entirely too expensive battery...but I had a car that was able to turn over and drive us home.

All in all it has been quite a morning...I will never forget my cell phone at home again, I will always carry the diaper bag with me, I will gladly renew our AAA membership next year and I will continue to be so grateful for our little guy!

The Boys

It has been and continues to be such an honor to watch Chad evolve into a dad...
Owen is typically asleep when Chad leaves for work in the morning, so the evening is a special time for the two of them. Chad's face will light up when he sees Owen after walking in the door from work and Owen has started to smile when he hears Chad's voice (It is a pretty recognizable voice)...

In this photo, B had had a pretty grumpy evening...Chad took him out onto the front porch to rock in the rocker and it started to rain...the combination of being with his dad, being outside, rocking and the rain made him fall right to sleep!
Here, Chad is starting B off early...the two are reading from "The Dangerous Book for Boys". My brother, Jamey, gave this book to Chad for Christmas a couple years back. Chad has decided that he and Owen are going to read the book together as they rock before bed in Owen's glider. Chad read it from cover to cover as he brushed up on his knot tying, compass reading, fire starting, bear wrestling, hog tying skills. I can only imagine what Chad and Owen will be up to in our back yard in years to come...I better get the ice packs, band-aids and video camera ready!

Chad knows that J, will be (if he hasn't already started) reading this book to Trip...Chad wants to make sure that Owen will be up to par when he and Trip have their next play date!

Rice Cereal!

B went to the pediatrician last week for his four month check up...time has really flown by! B received a clean bill of health and the pediatrician encouraged us to slowly begin introducing B to solid foods. Of course we will start with the traditional and rather bland looking and smelling rice cereal before we attempt any other "solid" foods... At first he didn't know what to think of the spoon, we placed a little bit of cereal on the spoon and put it up to his mouth and he sort of spit it out...

He got the hang of the whole spoon thing after a couple tries and then got so excited that he started to sort of grunt in between spoonfuls...


We weren't sure if more cereal ended up on B's face or in his stomach? He did enjoy an impromptu bath after he finished his "snack"...

All in all it was a pretty successful first attempt with solid food. It is so amazing to think that we were just learning about our little guy this time last year...and now we look forward to simple daily rituals like feeding him rice cereal, giving him baths, reading him stories, etc.....my how life can change...we continue to be so grateful!

We will work on posting some video of B's first tastes of rice cereal...they were pretty funny, I don't know who was funnier...B or Chad and I laughing at our efforts to get the cereal into his mouth?

One More Quick Video

This is a video that I had wanted to post when I posted the photo of the mountain of laundry a few weeks back...

Here are my two cheerleaders...just picture me behind the camera bending down, taking clothes out of the dryer, folding the clothes and repeating the process...over and over again...most would think it to be a mundane task...but with this kind of encouragement, I couldn't help but keep going!

Video Test Run

With Chad's help...I have been able to upload some short videos that we have taken this summer. This video is from the other night when B was taking a bath...he is really starting to coo and "talk" more and will turn his head in the direction that he hears people talking...it is so much fun to talk to him and with him as you can hear both Chad and I doing in this video...

I wish I could bottle up his little voice as I know it will continue to change as he grows up, there is something about a baby's voice that draws you into their little world...it is truly a simple joy!

Our Water Baby

Okay...I am procrastinating from the laundry pile in our clothes hamper that seems quite perpetual...but my cousin was telling me about how much her daughter is enjoying her bath time with splashing in the water and playing with bath toys...so last night, in an effort to get B ready for bed, we got the bath toys out and let him enjoy some good old fashioned water fun...this photo was before we gave B a water mohawk for the first time... and the water mohawk...

and this just captures his precious eyes that make both Chad's and my heart melt. We continue to be so thankful for this little guy...

Ella

Ella headed to summer camp last week while we enjoyed out time in California...our friends, Kate & Andy we gracious enough to take care of Ella for us....thank you Kate & Andy! Ella enjoyed a fun filled weekend of playing with her buddy Berkley, going for walks, going to the dog park, getting brushed... for an funny and complete recap of her time at camp check out http://www.thefriederichsflock.blogspot.com/

Oh Happy Day

I am working to find the simple joys in my life right now and wanted to share a glimpse of the morning so far...
This morning I was able to go for a quick run with one of my favorite running companions, Ella. When I came home, I heard little peeps from B's nursery...I tip toed in and found a very sleepy and very hungry blue eyed boy waiting to be picked up and hugged. After a quick breakfast and a little time in his excersaucer (I had to capture a photo of him playing, just watching him brings a smile to my face)...B, Ella and I enjoyed a long walk around the neighborhood. Ella enjoyed sniffing a variety of things along our route and B cooed at the trees and birds as we walked. B fell asleep about half way through the walk and is enjoying the remainder of his nap in his crib...ohhh, the dog days of summer...I love them!

B's Cousin Mia

B had the opportunity to "hang out" with his cousin, Amelia (Mia) while we were in California. It was so much fun to see the two babies together. Mia is my cousin, Marissa's, daughter she is three weeks older than Owen. Since Mia lives in Minnesota, our visits are few and far between, but we will savor every play date we can get. It was hysterical watching B and Mia together, they have quite different personalities. Mia is the life of the party, she talks almost constantly...you can hear her happy squeals from a across a room. B on the other hand, just took it all in, he would just sit, watch and listen to Mia as she talked...we would crinkle up his eye brows and forehead when he heard some of the sounds that she made. B was the "thinker" of the two, while Mia was more of the "free spirit". When we took this photo of the two babies together, Owen just laid there while Mia tried to roll over close to him to "eat" his hands and face...we all laughed so hard! I can't wait to watch the two of them grow up and see if the personality differences follow them both as they get older...Mia, B can't wait till his next visit!

California

We are settling back into our routine and the warm Texas temperatures after enjoying a special trip to California to celebrate my brother's wedding. We were able to catch up with several family members during our trip in between the different wedding festivities. I apologize, the photos are not all in chronological order...I am still getting in the hang of blogging...

Through the awesome powers of facebook I was able to copy and paste a photo of Jeff and Amanda...and Jeff and B, I will never forget my camera at a wedding again...Amanda was truly glowing in her beautiful gown and Jeff looked pretty handsome himself!

After rehearsing for the big day, we enjoyed a fantastic rehearsal dinner over looking West lake, near where Amanda grew up. We couldn't have asked the Lord to provide a more beautiful sunset as the backdrop for the evening, the night was filled with family, friends and lots of funny Jeff and Amanda stories. This photo is of Jeff and his beautiful bride, Amanda, thanking everyone at the rehearsal dinner.

We spent one evening enjoying some beautiful southern California weather at my mom's cousin's house. The night was filled with a lot of catching up between cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles...it was great to be able to sit outside, watch the water and simply enjoy being together...
my mom's cousin has an incredible gift of hospitality, our time there was so special!

B enjoyed a couple trips to the pool at our hotel. He loves to swim and be in the water, but does not like to sit in his wet swimsuit after he is done swimming...yes, this photo is capturing him just chillin' in a towel....hopefully we aren't developing any inappropriate habits!

Are these two related? B is looking more and more like different members of both of our families...it is so much fun to see the similarities.

B enjoying some good diaper time and a bottle from his Great Grandpa Bob. My grandparents babysat Owen for an hour or two while I attended different wedding related events...they seemed to really enjoy that time with him...I think B enjoyed it too! My grandpa gives great big bear hugs...B can't wait for his next one...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

B enjoying a quick nap on his Great Grandma Marion's shoulder resting up for the big day!

Swimming with Uncle Jamey...

Just about to hit his limit...

We were able to take a couple quick trips to the beach after all the wedding festivities had come to an end. B wasn't real impressed by the cold Pacific water...but for the sake of the baby book...his toes did get wet! This photo is of the three of us at the beach near the Santa Monica Pier, the Ferris wheel is just behind B's head. We couldn't decide what was better at the beach...the sun, sand and water or the people watching?

B was awesome during the rehearsal dinner...he slept through it! This is him parked and asleep while people ate. He woke up about half way through the toasts and started to fuss a little...I have to admit that when he started to fuss I thought "Oh no, some one's baby is getting unhappy...then I thought to myself...oh, that's my baby!" After waking up, he enjoyed sitting with Chad as the toasts came to an end.

This photo captures Owen and Chad toasting with one another...

It's so hard to get photos of the three of us together...we will take advantage of every opportunity we can get!

I don't have much of a caption for this photo...but the photo speaks for itself...B is blessing us everyday with lots and lots of reasons to smile and laugh!

B's first convertible ride...he wasn't real impressed, he fell asleep! And again, was not real impressed by the sunglasses!

On the day of the wedding I forgot our camera, so unfortunately I don't have photos of the beautiful bride, handsome groom and other gussied up family members...hopefully I will be able to get some from friends and family. B looked adorable in his little smocked outfit...I wish I could get Chad to let me dress him like this more often! The ceremony and reception were beautiful...but what matters most is that Jeff and Amanda are now officially married and our family has grown...praise God for the gift of marriage!

All in all it was a sweet trip spent with family and friends...and some great California sunshine!

Mini Austin Vacay

We enjoyed a quick trip to Austin last weekend to spend some time with Chad's sister, Beth and to see some dear friends...J, Rachael and Trip. Beth was gracious to open up her apartment to us, we spent the weekend enjoying fantastic food at some highly recommended Austin dives, took a trip to Barton Springs- where we were surprised by the frigid water temperature, saw the bats fly at sunset & attended Austin Stone Bible Church.
B enjoyed some quality time with Aunt Beth, however, he was pretty over the bats by this point in the evening.

Beth captured a photo of us before heading into church on Sunday morning, this was after we had enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Magnolia Cafe (Chad's favorite meal of the weekend). We all really enjoyed Austin Stone, the teaching was great and so was the music. I was only able to listen to about half of the sermon, about mid way through, I felt something very warm on my leg...I put two and two together and realized that Owen had decided to leak through his diaper...I was very grateful for the extra change of clothes in his diaper bag, if only they had been my size!
This is B and his buddy Trip in their pj's ready for a good night's sleep. Trip was born one week before Owen. If their dad's have anything so say about it, Owen and Trip will have many fun & silly adventures together in the future...all of them safe adventures of course!
This photo is of Aunt Beth trying to figure out how to put Owen's pajamas on him...the snaps were a little tricky. Chad thinks they should color code the snaps on baby clothes...just to make the process a little easier!
Probably the most hysterical J and Chad moment of our Austin weekend trip was watching/listening to the two of them try to put our pack and play crib together. J had mastered assembling Trip's crib...Chad had never assembled Owen's crib before so the entire process was entertaining to say the least...there was lots of laughing involved!

The Dog Days of Summer

We haven't had a home improvement update in awhile...Owen has taken center stage...
This is Chad's recent feat...a new shrub bed around the side of the house. We chose shrubs that we had already planted in the front yard, this gave us a little more confidence in keeping them all alive. I am so grateful for all of his hard work, I can't say that I really helped much on this project. This is how B fell asleep in his swing the other afternoon...his head was on the swing...we tried to reposition him, but to no avail...we added the blanket for a little extra cushioning...consequently he woke up with a little red spot on his forehead...I guess sleeping can be hard work!

B has started to use his legs to kick and try to stand more, so we decided it was time to get the "excersaucer" out for him to play in...this toy has been my new lease on life...he loves it! B will play in the saucer for 20-30 minutes completely content...which means I can do things like fold laundry! B needs a little help to prevent wobbling so we stuff a baby blanket in around him, hopefully his core control will come soon. It is so precious to watch his little toes kick up and down as he sits in the saucer. There is a little button that he can press that makes cow, duck, dog and cat noises...his eyes light up when he hears the noises, he doesn't understand that he is responsible for what he is hearing. There is one botton that plays "Old MacDonald"...I haven't been able to figure out what button plays the song, but he has played it on several occasions...each time I hear it, I try to figure out which part of the saucer it is coming from...I still don't know...he has me stumped and giggles as I try to figure it out!

(Also, in this photo he is wearing one of my favorite little onsies- it has a dog on it with a red collar and reads "Good things come in small packages". I got it on sale at Gap Kids before he was born, despite the fact that it had words on it, and now...as the photo reveals...the arms are too short and the bottons hardly button...it has been washed, folded up and put away...he is getting SO big.)

My two boys, enjoying a simple summer evening...life is good!

The Fourth of July

We enjoyed some sweet time with Chad's extended family at his parent's house on the Fourth of July. There were lots of laughs, great food and a chance to cool off in the pool. Afterwards, we enjoyed some fantastic fireworks back in Fort Worth...B was AMAZING he slept through the entire show! B chose to be very patriotic!

The whole group...it was tricky trying to get everyone in the photo and looking at the camera at the same time...even Sophie, Beth's dog, made an appearance!

Owen and his Grandma and Grandpa Underwood right before enjoying a quick dip in the pool.

My New Middle Name

I am amazed at how many loads of laundry a family of three can create...it is my new perpetual task in life...I get excited that I can finally see the bottom of the laundry hamper and then I blink and it is heaping again. I can't complain though...I am thankful that our washer and dryer are in working condition, I have the ability to do our laundry in our home and I have company from two of my favorite companions...B and Ella.
These photos were taken while I was folding one of the many loads that I did today...it is almost as if Owen is thinking..."Go mom, go!" I would fold laundry all day with this kind of encouragement!

Ella came to enjoy the laundry party...I think she must be thinking "The quicker you fold that laundry, means the quicker you will let me outside to play ball!"

Here is evidence of the perpetual task I am talking about...I really don't mind washing, drying and even folding...putting it all away is the hard part...so this mountain stands until Chad or I get up enough initiative to put it away! And then the process starts all over again...

Rangers Game

B can officially say that he has been to a major league baseball game...

On Wednesday we ventured out, despite the heat, to watch the Rangers with some dear friends from college..B was wide eyed as the crowd cheered the Rangers on until he fell asleep during the 7th inning stretch...it was a fun night and great to see some friends that we haven't gotten to see in awhile!

B's First Trip Up North

We packed up the Jeep (most of the items belonging to the youngest member in our family) and headed north for some good quality family time and cool weather...Owen can now check Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota & Wisconsin off his list of places he has visited...he wasn't real impressed by Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri or Iowa but he and Ella were troopers as we made the long drive.

Before heading up to the cabin, Owen got to meet several special people who have been patiently waiting for his first trip up north...

My dad's parents, Great Mimi & Great Grandpa Ben

My mom's parents, Great Grandma Marion & Great Grandpa Bob (Owen enjoyed his first big bear hug!)

My dear friend, Mackenzie

His "Aunt" Marissa & "Cousin" Mia (Mia is almost a month older than Owen)

Then we headed up to the cabin...it was so special to bring Owen to one of my favorite places in the whole world. My family has been going up to the cabin since my youngest brother, Jamey, was a baby. We have spent countless hours enjoying the lake, campfires and family meals around the table.

Many laughs have been and continue to be had around this table, let me paint a picture...there are usually anywhere between 1-3 dogs laying under the table as we eat, towels wrapped around wet swimsuits, half opened cans of soda (somewhat of a novelty), and everyone sitting in their own designated place around the table...

B enjoyed being invited to the table, even though it meant he was sitting in his stroller.

This is my attempt to take a "self take" with B...Jamey decided to jump in at the last minute...I love both B & Jamey's faces in this photo...B looks so curious almost like he can see Jamey's face behind him

B loves his baths and the water, but did NOT like his life jacket...we had to go tubing (the boat went at less than a mile or two an hour) and capture of photo for his baby book, he really did enjoy the tube...just not the life jacket!

My mom found this baby play pool for B to play in while everyone else played in the water and got towed behind the boat...Jamey's dog, Gatsby, was quite curious about the pool

This photo is a little shout out to the great state of Texas...well really more to Baylor...Owen is enjoying his "Big Kid" shirt (it doesn't have buttons between the legs), courtesy of his Uncle Jamey

B received another "Big Kid" shirt from his future Aunt Amanda and Uncle Jeff. (who hope he may be an Eagle someday)..He enjoyed a quick visit from Aunt Amanda and is really excited for his next big trip out to California to see Amanda & Jeff get married in less than two weeks!

While at the cabin, Owen slept in a crib that I used to sleep in as a baby. This is Owen catching some zzzz's after a big afternoon of playing outside...I love the baby size rash gaurd & board shorts (with his belly hanging out). This is a classic Owen pose, we call it the "touch down" position...it is how he sleeps the majority of the time.

Enjoying the swing as Ella fetched balls that Chad threw into the Lake...when we are at the cabin, Ella is swimming after tennis balls almost 100% of the time...she loves it!

Enjoying the hammock before a camp fire...

Just chillin' in the Bumbo chair, watching everyone play in the water...don't let the photo fool you...he did NOT like the sunglasses...

All packed up and ready to head home...it was a fantastic trip, we are so grateful for our time up north...we can't wait until next year to enjoy some more meals around the table, pulls behind the boat, tennis balls in the lake, cool weather, Owen enjoying the water more, time with precious family and friends (one of the hard realities of living so far away).