R and R in Oklahoma

Videos from Rowynn's Big Day

2012-02-11T08:11:00.001-06:00

Sorry that his one is sideways... daddy isn't used to running the camera duties!

Guess Who's Two

2012-02-08T13:51:00.000-06:00

Though it is hard to say it, I am the mommy of a two year old! Here is the run down of our fun filled weekend:

The spoiled boy got his very own bounce house. Thank you grandpa and grandma Patty!

Brennyn's like a little puppy, he likes to carry his toys with him in his mouth.

I made Rowynn chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast...

all he ate was the bacon.

Later in the evening it was time to have a party at Chuck E. Cheese

Rowynn had a blast!

His friends, Parker and Chandler, and cousins, Justin and Jason, came to celebrate the big day.

I was a little worried about how he would do with Chuck E., but he loved him!

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

Yay!!

Time to dance with Chuck E.

Probably the highlight of his night!

Time for presents!

This is where it would have been nice to have a bit more room to ourselves. They pack the parties in like a can of sardines so there is little room for presents. It was also really hard for anyone to see what was going down since it was a long row.

Rowynn enjoyed opening a few but the rest were done at home because there was to much distraction.

Here are the friends and family that came:

This animatronic is what started all of his Chuck E. Cheese love. He loved getting up there and giving the thing a high five. Every time the curtain would open, Rowynn was front and center! It was pretty darn cute.

And this balloon has become his new best friend! He puts him in the bounce house with him, puts him in Brennyn's jumper, puts the crown on his head, covers him with a blanket and he even tried to give him his paci today!

I have videos to post but blogger is being difficult. I will post them to a separate post!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little man. It has been a WONDERFUL two years.

Pooptastrophe

2012-02-07T12:55:00.002-06:00

Today has a been one of the hardest days I have ever experienced as a stay-at-home mom of two. My day began with Brennyn having a major diaper malfunction. Also known as a "blowout". Also known as POOP EVERYWHERE.

When I say everywhere, I literally mean everywhere. I cleaned poop off my child, my child's hands, face and clothes. I also cleaned poop off of my rug, a balloon (yes, you read that correctly), the bumbo seat and toys. It was G-R-O-S-S.

After a bath, for Brennyn since thankfully I remained fairly poop free, and some major resolve action, I finally was able to get the mess cleaned up.

Then comes Rowynn with the paint palooza. My little Picasso decided to get paint all over my kitchen chair. Yes, it was my fault for not having a towel down. But it was still quite a shock. The paint thing has been an all morning occurrence since he enjoys his art so much. The chair was just the cherry to top off the whole morning.

Let's just say the sum total of laundry that was produced in the first four hours of this day surpassed a few days worth in a normal week. It has been the most stressful day and I am hoping that the afternoon will go a little smoother!

Photo Challenge

2012-02-04T06:26:00.000-06:00

3. "hands"

I love Brennyn's chubby little hands. Even if he has "finger jam".

A couple of other random pictures I took yesterday:

It hailed yesterday, we also got the most rain that we have had in a while.

My gutter was having to work overtime

Sorry for the lack of Rowynn pictures, as soon as I point the camera at him he tends to walk toward it. I think I attempted to get his picture for 10 minutes. Then I gave up and put away the camera.

Photo A Day Challenge

2012-02-02T15:30:00.002-06:00

I happened to repin this "Photo A Day Challenge" onto my Photography board on Pinterest and decided that instead of just repinning and then forgetting, I might as well jump on it!

For those of you who do not know what Pinterest is, oh my word! It is the BEST sight for putting all the junk you see on the web and want to revisit at some point. LOVE IT!

Here is how to find me on Pinterest <------ just click on "Pinterest"

1. "your view today"

This is the view from my porch swing. It has been a special spot for me since May 2008 because it is where Abigayl and I would sit almost every evening and wait for daddy to some home from work. It is now the spot where I sit with my boys and look at the garden we planted in honor of Abigayl. There is a bronze plaque on the heart that has a picture of Abigayl and 2008 written. I love this spot.

2. "words"

During my Daniel Fast, one of the devotionals was about choosing 5 smooth stones (referring to the 5 stones David had to slay Goliath), by stones she meant scripture, to get me through whatever difficulty I was facing. I chose to work on my temper. I tend to be one that reacts first, thinks and then feels horrible about my words or actions. As you can see, Proverbs (the book I have been focusing on for my personal time) is full of great nuggets of truth. I have these hung all over the house so that when I feel my temper coming on, I can go read through the list a few times before I react. It is a process, but I have faith that I will be able to get passed it, eventually.

A Few Videos

2012-01-31T13:43:00.001-06:00

My "Daniel Fast" Journey

2012-01-30T07:33:00.000-06:00

On the first of January I decided to dive into a vegan diet that, along with cutting out any animal product, also cut out sugar and it is referred to as "The Daniel Fast". I picked up a copy of this book and used recipes from the book and this website. The Daniel Fast is a 21 day "fast" from animal products (meat, eggs, cheese, milk, etc.) but also from sugar and all drinks except water. I ended up setting my goal for 20 days but ended up doing 19 since I WAY cheated on the last day.

My original goal when starting this was strictly to lose weight, but after reading through the book it became much, much more. I began a journey in my faith that I have never taken before and that was diving feet first into the Bible and actually trying to understand the scripture I was reading. I have set out before to read my Bible but it wasn't to read it and understand, it was just to read it from cover to cover. I failed miserably at that! But by devoting my morning to the Bible and a relationship with the Lord, I have grown so much in the past 30 days. I say 30 because though my "fast" ended, my devotion to grow as a Christian did not.

In the book that I purchased, there is a 21 day devotional to go along with the 21 days of the fast. I decided to use the daily devotional, but I also started reading Proverbs. I chose to read one chapter of proverbs each day and then I would have Proverbs finished after 31 days. On the first devotional I had an "ah ha" moment, (as Oprah would put it) she talked about first fruits and how God wants the best of everything we have, including our time. He doesn't want to be second to anything or anyone. Seeing that my morning routine was to roll out of bed and immediately workout and then begin my day as mommy, I decided that I would roll out of bed and spend what time I needed to read and then use what time I had left to workout and then allow my day to begin after that. Though there were mornings that I didn't get to workout, I was able to grow spiritually and it set in motion a new way of thinking.

This was a wonderful way for me to grow, gain knowledge, gain understanding and find focus on what truly matters. I see myself taking this journey whenever I start feeling a need to focus on prayer or when I feel that I am drifting away.

As for the weight loss, in the 19 days that I cut out all the stuff I cut out, I lost 8 pounds and 7 3/4 inches!! Plus, I now have a whole bunch of go-to recipes to eat vegan/vegetarian. I plan to continue eating that way 3-5 day a week because I feel my body was in far better health when I was eating so many fruits, veggies and grains.

My running total for weight and inches lost since starting to workout and track starting in September: 14 pounds and 21 inches! I learned that the best way to see a difference is to cut out sugar (at least hone it in a little!) because I cut out sugar in October and lost 9.5 inches and 3 pounds. Therefore, October and January were my two biggest loss months. Bye, bye to my daily sugar fix and hello healthier lifestyle.

This And That

2012-01-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we were able to make a family trip to the zoo. It was an unseasonably warm day, which we have had a lot this year, and a nice afternoon out. Rowynn was able to ride the merry-go-round for the first time! He was very unsure at the beginning and was asking to get down almost as soon as I got him up on the tiger. After going round and round and up and down, he was asking for more as soon as the ride ended!

Brennyn just continues to grow! He now has his bottom two teeth and he has one of his top teeth poking through. The horrible part, he grinds his teeth together. I'm not sure how he is able to grind his teeth when the top tooth has barely broken the skin. Some how he pulls it off and he sends chills down my spine every time.

To aid in the teething, we decided to offer him a pacifier. I think this one was a little to small.

I sure love this super handsome boy

We now read lots of stories. He loves to grab a book and climb on a lap and just read and look at pictures.

I now combine bath time. I love it. It is cute and it saves me time. It will be wonderful when Brennyn can sit up and interact with Rowynn.

Big Boy

2012-01-03T14:11:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his six month check-up today and all I can say is HE IS HUGE!

I kind of already knew that we would be in for a big baby, especially since he is sporting twelve month clothes and wears a size four diaper, like his brother!

Here are the stats:
Length: 27 inches (75%)
Weight: 23 lbs 4.5 ozs (off the chart!)

In the words of my pediatrician: "you sure grow them big at your house".

The Daniel Fast

2012-01-02T08:29:00.001-06:00

A couple of years ago my brother-in-law did the Daniel fast. At the time, I had no idea what it was except that it was a very strict eating plan. Something along the lines of no dairy, meat and sugar. He pretty much only ate salads and fruit.

Well, I decided a week or so ago that maybe doing some sort of cleanse would benefit my body but also (most importantly!) my waistline. I originally was going to do Dr. Oz's 48 hour cleanse until I remembered Wayne doing the Daniel fast. I researched the Daniel fast and found that there were a couple of books available and headed straight for the bookstore.

I picked up a copy of The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory and my plan to help my body become more healthy (and my waistline smaller) turned into something much more. Through reading the book, I decided to use the next 20 days to grow my relationship with God. Since I rarely devote any time during the day to praying or studying I decided to abstain from Facebook (I am on it WAY to much), follow the diet (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts) and most importantly, study my Bible every morning before I workout (God doesn't want to be second best to anything, not even my workout!).

I have chosen to do the daily devotional provided in the book and also read a chapter of Proverbs each day. My goal is to gain a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father and spend time actually reading the one book on this earth that truly should be read cover-to-cover. I have yet to read my Bible cover-to-cover in my ~~thirty~~ twenty-nine (I only have 20 more days in my twenties. Yikes!) years on this earth. I know I am not doing it right now but, I think tackling one chapter at a time is the way to go.

I originally started down this road so lose a few extra pounds but I am hoping at the end of this 20 days I will have learned something, grown closer to my maker and be able to be a better roll model for my kids.

I did start yesterday. Well, partially since I had to do all of my grocery shopping. My breakfast was oatmeal with cinnamon and pecans(yup, no sugar). It was hard to choke down! I am so used to having one teaspoon of brown sugar in there and that one teaspoon makes a HUGE difference. I did cheat and have a cup of coffee (you're only supposed to drink water) and I did make a black eyed pea dip that had dairy in it. But, dinner was a vegan chili that was absolutely delicious. Even Rusty really enjoyed it!

Thankfully, Rusty is being very supportive of my decision to do this fast. He said he is willing to eat the vegan dinners with me at night so I am not having to whip up two meals. Thank goodness!!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Phone Pics

2012-01-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

Here are all of the pictures I had sitting in my phone. Just wanted to share all these sweet images.

Brennyn

All of the bundles our stork has brought!

This kid loves him some yogurt!

He also loves some cupcakes!

First time fishing...

He caught one!

Sleeping on daddy's chest

Tuckered out from a day of play with grandma and grandpa

Before...

After

His sweet cousin let him borrow her pillow pet

My big brother with my baby

It may be blurry but I still love it!

My boys!

Look at those eyes!

Chunky Monkey!

Rowynn's first art project

My favorite view... all of my guys

Probably one of the best pictures I have ever seen of myself

My ghostly groom on Halloween

Thanks grandpa

Mmmm.... whipped cream

Absolutely love

Time to paint!!

Rowynn's stockings

One cool dude

Oh my, how he has grown. I can't believe he is six months already.

Say, "cheese"!

For the Rim Family

2011-12-28T11:41:00.001-06:00

This post is to thank the Rim Family for the wonderful gifts they sent Rowynn and Brennyn. Kaitlyn, Ivan and Leslie, Rowynn loved opening all of his presents (his brother's too). He has been using his blanket often and we have watched the videos numerous times! Thank you all so much.

Lots of love from the Stampers.

Thank you so much!

Our Christmas

2011-12-27T15:30:00.002-06:00

Get ready for a long one! I can't have a Christmas with TWO kids and not have a ton of pictures. This has to be the best Christmas, ever! I loved getting to watch Rowynn open gifts and play with toys. It was a day full of relaxation, eating, gifts, playing, eating and relaxing. Perfection!

Our tree on Christmas morning. Look what all Santa brought the boys! (The table was a gift from Alaska grandma but we had to throw it in the mix)

Stockings were brimming with goodies from Santa

Here is Rowynn coming in on Christmas morning:

Time to play!!

Rowynn opening his stocking:

More playing!!

Our little chunk

Funny story about Rusty's gift. I went out one day to find him the perfect rocker/recliner. I made sure I didn't give away what stores I went to or what I was even looking for. I got home late that evening and had been unable to drop it off at a friend's house before heading home. We woke up that Sunday morning and Rusty said, "sorry we didn't make it to church this morning." I replied, "That's okay. I didn't think we would be going this morning anyway since the recliner is in the back of the van." He replied, "Oh, so that's what you got me?" At that point, I believe a look of shock and horror crossed my face as I threw my hands to my face and just started crying. I tried so hard to keep it a secret and then I just blurted it out.

No one said I was the brightest bulb in the box!

Here is Rusty's recliner. He did great and didn't open it until Christmas day. He tried to make me feel better by saying that he may have known what it was but he had no clue what color or fabric it was. Such a sweet husband.

I'm not sure who likes it more, Rowynn or Rusty.

Our Christmas dinner was horseradish crusted prime rib, mashed potatoes, burgundy mushrooms, maple bacon brussel sprouts and buttery rosemary rolls.

Rowynn's face in the above picture cracks me up!

Rowynn helped Brennyn play with his new toy

Rowynn will most likely be a musician, he received drums and a keyboard this year and hasn't stopped playing since he got them.

All-in-all, it was an amazing day. We are so blessed. It was a wonderful day with our family as we celebrated our saviors birth. We will always instill the true meaning of Christmas to our children.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T09:34:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was spent with Rusty's dad, step-mother, brother (and family) and sister (and family). It is always so wonderful to get together with everyone. Though we are all within close proximity to each other, it seems as though we only see them a few times a year. I always enjoy getting together for Christmas because all of the family is in one room.

Rowynn certainly enjoyed himself! He was SPOILED this year.

Brennyn got spoiled too!

Going to bed in their matching jammies and ready for Christmas!!

2011-12-22T11:28:00.001-06:00

How cute are they?! I love seeing them together. It never gets old.

The other day I bought Rowynn these foam stockings and my friend Katie said she had a bunch of stickers that she would give me for him to decorate with. He had a BLAST! I think Rowynn is sticker crazy.

Here he is, hard at work.

He was saying, "cheeese"

Always wanting mommy's camera

Rowynn's sticker creations!

I was so happy that all three of us made it in the picture! Awesome.

Here is my happy, chunky baby. Who, by the way, is getting his two bottom teeth! I can't believe he is getting so big.

Rowynn is also changing everyday. He says new words every day and is becoming a little more independent. I'm loving every moment with these boys.

Merry Christmas Abigayl

2011-12-21T15:24:00.001-06:00

Gingerbread Fun

2011-12-21T10:32:00.002-06:00

Last week I got together with four of my girlfriends and their little ones to decorated gingerbread nativity scenes.

After a stressful few hours of trying to make a template, I decided a simple design for the scene would save my sanity.

So, here's what I came up with! I cut the 3 walls all the same size rectangle and them cut a big rectangle for the roof. I hot glued the walls together and left the roof detached so the kids could decorated the inside.

I made the manger out of 3 pieces of a graham cracker where one laid flat with a stripe of icing and then the other two pieces made a "V" in the icing.

Baby Jesus was made of 3 gum drops on a toothpick and then wrapped in fruit roll-up.

I ran out of gingerbread dough so I made Mary, Joseph, an angel and a star out of sugar cookies.

This was probably only 1/3 the candy and sprinkles that we had!

How can you celebrate Jesus' birthday and not have a cake?!

Let the decorating begin!!!

Rowynn did a ~~little~~ lot more eating than decorating so I "helped" him decorate. By help, I mean that I decorated Rowynn's first gingerbread house!

I love the kids' faces in the next few pictures! It is funny to see how their attention to the camera changed in each shot:

Rowynn's nativity

Rhema Time

2011-12-14T06:59:00.000-06:00

Going to Rhema Bible College is a yearly Christmas tradition. The lights are so magical and the displays seem to get bigger every year.

It was wonderful having two babies to take this year and they both seemed to enjoy looking at all the pretty lights.

Out of four attempts, this was my favorite!

Our sweet, blurry Brennyn

I think this was Rowynn's favorite part. It is a duck pond with lots of ducks and a fountain. He was pointing saying, "duck, duck".

I'm thankful that we went last night, the temperature was ~~warm~~ warmer and though it had rained on and off during the day, there was no rain!

I am so ready for Christmas!! The presents are all bought and wrapped. That just leaves us with waiting.

To Use or Not to Use

2011-12-08T14:42:00.001-06:00

For the first time in my 10+ years that I have been on "the pill", I looked up how it works and now I am having inner conflict.

With all the hormonal contraceptives and the IUD, it doesn't necessarily prevent the fertilization of the egg but it does make an "inhospitable environment in the lining of the uterus where a fertilized egg can't imbed". So, that means that there is a chance that an egg can be fertilized but just not have a place to go. Which leads me to the conclusion that my birth control pills are, in a way, acting as an abortion.

Seeing that I do not support abortion and that I believe that conception starts the minute an egg is fertilized, I guess I can no longer use medicinal forms of contraception?! Yikes, let's hope God isn't ready to bless us with another little one any time soon!!

Rowynn Words

2011-12-08T11:07:00.001-06:00

Rowynn has started making an effort at some verbal attempts. Here are some that he's working on:
juice (oose), jump (yump), here you go (hereago), there you go (ereago), shoes (oosh) (he said daddy shoes today!), keys (ees), cheese (sounds like keys), yuck, duck, knock, train, bye, hello (hewhoh), down, thank you, please plus, his first animal sound was "hee haw" like a donkey but he has also added monkey sounds to his repertoire.

With all of that he still uses his sign language for more, please and all done. Plus, when he wants to wash his hands he will rub his hands together and point to the sink.

Just Like Daddy

2011-12-06T06:51:00.001-06:00

Dinner Adventure

2011-12-03T06:09:00.001-06:00

First I want to start out by telling you that ~~the whole week~~ yesterday was a true test of my patience. Brennyn, who is typically a baby that doesn't cry, wanted me to hold him all day and cried a lot. Where Rowynn was just super fussy (pretty normal), didn't want to play by himself and wanted to drag me all over the house.

Rusty called me on his way home to see if I wanted to try to take the kids out to dinner. Yay! I get to change out of my mommy sweats and actually look like a real woman. I spring at the chance.

I put Brennyn in his swing while I went to make myself decent. I had to listen to Brennyn cry for 10 minutes before he put himself to sleep and I think my blood pressure was through the roof the entire time. For those of you with kids, you know how hard it is to hear your baby cry. I knew he was super tired though and I wanted him to have a couple of minutes of sleep before we headed out. Whew, one kid was taken care of for the moment.

Rowynn on the other hand joined me in the bathroom while I beautified my face. This kid will not stay out of my make-up case! I push it to the back of the counter and he just stands on his tippy toes to reach. I tell him no touch and he tests me. While putting on my mascara I hear a bunch of stuff hit the floor. Thankfully he didn't break one of my eye shadows again but by the look of it, he broke an eyeliner. AAHHAAHH!!

Nope not broken. Whew. I hate having to spend unnecessary money.

We load up and head to Cracker Barrel. We walk in to a line 10 people deep and are unsure whether it's to put a name on the list or just to be sat. We really didn't want to wait in a line for 10 minutes just to find out there was a 30 minute wait so we headed back out.

Rusty suggested we head down to Tulsa to have Famous Dave's. They are our trusty standby since then never have a wait. After a 25 minute drive we pull in to a packed parking lot. Unload, once again, to find out they have a 35 minute wait! What? Are you serious? I just want some food in my belly.

Next up on the suggestion list was a to go order from The Cheesecake Factory. After a quick run inside to grab a menu, I accidentally hit on the poor guy behind the counter. I asked "Can I get your number? Well, this number. Sorry, didn't mean to hit on you! My husband sure wouldn't like that!!"

We call in the order, after a 8 minutes on hold, which actually I had started to walk into the restaurant when she came back on the line. Seeing that it was a 20 minute wait for the food, we headed over to get some Baskin Robbins. We thought rewarding Rowynn for sitting in the car for almost two hours with almost no complaint was in order. Plus, we thought 20 minutes of just sitting in a car with it not going anywhere wouldn't have worked out well!

After almost two hours out trying to snag some dinner we were joyfully on our way back home. Eating way to much bread. Truthfully, after a cake bite from Baskin Robbins, the 4 pieces of bread in the car and the half of a Tex Mex egg roll on the way home, I only took 4 bites of my chicken Marsala. My cheesecake went in the fridge untouched.

It may be cheesecake for breakfast and at least I have lunch for tomorrow, with no drama to get it!!

Fair Fun

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-06:00

It looks as though I never posted the pictures from our state fair this year. Well, it may be 3 months late but here we go!

Before ever having kids, the petting zoo was the highlight of my fair trip. Now that we have kids, it is still pretty high up there but I sure don't get the opportunity to do much petting! I am far to busy chasing.

Rowynn really enjoyed getting to see all the different animals but he was pretty partial to the....

emu?!

I think it may have been for the fact that the emu stayed right there in the corner and Rowynn could actually reach out and "pet" the giant bird.

After our adventure at the petting zoo, we headed to a building I had never been in. It was a building full of kid activities. Inside and out of the heat! Score.

His first activity was playing on all the toys with wheels. He had a blast but I had to keep from having a heart attack every time the little girl perched on the scooter that looks like Rowynn's would zoom to close. See the lady in pink? The one on the cell phone? Well, that was her mom. It wasn't until I flashed a couple of dirty looks at the little girl that she finally reigned her in, a little.

Next up was the GIANT sand pit. Rowynn's reaction when he first stuck his bare feet in the sand, priceless. It was like he stepped in doggy mess! After some time of being shoeless together, he eased up and started playing.

He preferred sitting for a while but I think watching all of the other kids play really helped encourage him to move around.

Of course, playing and petting animals weren't our only activities. There was lots of eating to do! Rowynn had some chocolate chip cookies (mine are way better) and Rusty and I didn't eat as much as we usually do at the fair.

I was on a "30 days no sugar" thing but I splurged that day to eat a DELICIOUS caramel apple! It is worth the calories every time. There is one specific cart we go to every year. The caramel is soft and the apples are set in sugar to keep them from sticking to the paper liner. YUM!!!

Solids for Brennyn

2011-12-02T11:25:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his first taste of brown rice cereal!!!

Being the plump little guy that he is, he loved it.

He had rice cereal for a few days before I introduced some yummy veggies.

I found Ella's Kitchen baby food and I really like it. It comes in a squeeze packet and I feel like I waste less. So far my chunky baby has had: broccoli, pears and peas and also spinach, apples and rutabaga. He didn't reject either one!

Maybe this boy won't be a picky eater? I can hope and dream! Rowynn won't even take a bite of macaroni and cheese. That's a whole other post!

Family Photo Fun

2011-11-25T15:13:00.001-06:00

We had a spectacular Thanksgiving surrounded by a lot of Rusty's family. Rowynn enjoyed running around being a little ham while Brennyn just smiled his face off at anyone who would look at him.

The only thing Rowynn would eat, during the four hours we were there, was a chocolate chip cookie. A full on Thanksgiving feast and all the kid will take a bite of is a stinking cookie? How is this kid mine? He is so picky. I'll eat anything you put in front of my face.

After we got home and I realized I didn't take one single picture, my husband prompted me to set the camera up with the timer. Good thing I'm married to such a quick thinker because I was on the fast track to a Debbie downer moment. I mean, it was Brennyn's first Thanksgiving and I didn't have one speck of evidence. It is so hard juggling two little ones and trying to throw a camera in the mix.

So, here are our attempts at a family photo:

Oh crud, no flash...

Still no flash but the lighting is somehow better?!

Brennyn, look at the camera! Wow, mommy is bug eyed and Rowynn is tired.

Finally, we are all looking. The colors are a bit on the bright side but oh well, it will do.

Big Boy Bath

2011-11-18T06:34:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his first bath in the big tub! I think he really enjoyed getting to splash his legs and feet in the water. I'm sure stretching out was also nice. Normally he's pretty packed into the baby bath tub.

After Brennyn's bath, I tried my hand at giving this boy a much needed hair cut.

I think it turned out all right!

It is amazing how much a hair cut can make my baby look like a toddler.

On a side note, last night Brennyn rolled from his back to his belly for the first time!!

Rowynn in Video

2011-11-17T15:20:00.001-06:00

Rowynn claimed this walker as soon as I brought it out of storage! When I would put Brennyn in it he would try to get him out. Silly boy.

And, here's what Rowynn thinks of spiders...

SKP - Brennyn 3 months

2011-11-16T10:25:00.001-06:00

Our wonderful photographer, Kristen Mackey (Son Kissed Photography), once again did a fantastic job! Here's our sweet little man at his three month session.

This and That

2011-11-14T14:55:00.001-06:00

As you may know, from my lack of blogging, things around our house are a little hectic. Rowynn does well at playing by himself but, he wants you in whatever room he is playing in. Also, he is not keen on the idea of me sitting at the computer. I assume it must be the fact that my back is turned to all of his cuteness.

And there is a lot of cuteness.

Rowynn continues to be such a wonderful big brother. He constantly kisses Brennyn and tries to "share" his toys. His big heart never seizes to amaze me.

Now that Rowynn is 21 months, he not only enjoys being covered up with a blanket but we have finally allowed him to have one in his crib with him. I started by letting him have a blanket during his nap and then camping out by the monitor for the two hours that he slept. Once I was comfortable enough with that we moved on to letting him have one all night.

Brennyn is huge. We had his 4 month check-up a couple of weeks ago and he weighed 18 lbs 12.5 ozs (97%). He measured in at 25 inches (85%).

Rowynn has a new found enjoyment in coloring (with mommy's lip stick that he stole from my purse), crafts and playdoh. I am trying to find activities for his age. I'm hoping to get him a little table and an art easel for Christmas so he will have his own space to do crafts.

Rowynn has also turned into quite the climber. He can now get on our bed all by himself. He enjoys getting up there and sitting on a pillow, covering up with a blanket and turning on our TV.

Not only is he climbing, he can reach ALL of the door knobs (and deadbolts) in the house and the light switches. Thank heavens for the child protectors for the doors. Who knows where he would be!

Our chunky bear is all smiles, all day. He wakes up with a smile and when I put him down for his rests he typically smiles up at me. He rarely cries. He is really good about sitting in his swing, bouncy chair, jumper or walker, with no complaint.

He loves bath time.

I love seeing all of his rolls and dough like skin.

Just look at those thighs!

I think this was the only toy I have ever seen Rowynn not willing to share with his brother. I pulled it out of storage so Brennyn could watch me do dishes and Rowynn claimed it. Crawled in it and wouldn't get out!

That is a mischievous face if I have ever seen one!

I sure love this little stinker.

Rowynn plays with his playdoh at least once a day. I have finally given in and let him use a handful of my kitchen utensils. Eventually I may look into what kind of playdoh tools are available so I can have all of my kitchen items back!

Now, I'll try not to wait 2 weeks before my next post!!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T13:54:00.002-05:00

Halloween was an absolute blast this year. We decided to dress Rowynn as a fisherman and Brennyn as a clown fish. It was such a cute combination!

Here's the little fisherman now. He had to explore the yard before we could head out. In all actuality, this was the only way to allow Rusty time to get his costume on.

Here is my hat and pole mama!

Look at that catch!

And here is our little clown fish!

Happy as a clam. No wait, happy as a fish.

That's a HUGE fish!

Has to get a better look....

*smooch*

Rusty and I decided last minute to dress up. Thankfully we have a few costumes on hand so we were able to get ready fairly quickly. We decided on him being a ghost groom and I was his ice princess bride.

Thankfully we went trick-or-treating with our friends and their kids so it allowed Rowynn a glimpse at how this whole Halloween thing works. He was a little skittish at first but, he warmed up by the third or forth house.

Once he was used to going up to doors and getting to put candy in his net, he then wanted to take things a bit further and try to enter their house. Yup, our boy has no fear of strangers.

He would even get more candy out of their bowls after he had already gotten a piece. He just got down right demanding toward the end of the night.

It was all right though. He seemed to have really enjoyed his evening and that's all that mattered to me.

Having fun with my angel of a friend.

Love that Katie is a picture taker. She got some shots I didn't think to! Like: Daddy and son

Brennyn on his first ever trick-or-treating adventure

Rowynn with his minnow net candy bag

This is how I spent the majority of the night, pushing the fish around the neighborhood.

Rowynn trick-or-treating

I am so glad that Katie and her family let us join them on their Halloween festivities. Seeing that we live "in the country", it was nice to have a neighborhood to go have fun in. It was also nice getting to just visit with me friend while the kiddos made their rounds.

It was a perfect night!