Bye, Bye Miss Melissa

Yesterday was Melissa's last day with us as our Nanny. Kate and Charlie really don't "get it." We hope she will be able to babysit every now and then, so the kids won't go into complete Melissa withdrawals. Good luck at your new job!!!!

Martinique

We just got back from the beach with the extended family. It was our first time to Orange Beach at place called Martinique on the Gulf. The house was beautiful and held all 12 of us without any trouble. Kate and Charlie had a ball learning how to "surf" on Uncle Tom's surfboard, swimming in the pool, and building sandcastles in the cool evenings. The adults spent most of our downtime working a 3,000 piece puzzle that Katherine brought (we will be finishing it at Christmastime). Uncle Michael and Aunt Sara enjoyed taking late walks on the beach, reading, and visiting with the kids. The Owen's branch of the family met Pops at the Blue Angels air show one morning in Pensacola and went to the flight museum afterward for a cool indoor activity. The kids loved "flying" the airplanes. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Fort Morgan where Tom grew up camping and exploring. I think my favorite pictures are from our time at Fort Morgan.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

Tom turned 40 July 19th. I tried to make it a little less traumatic by surprising him with the grill of his dreams - The Big Green Egg!! I think it is going to be a gift that keeps on giving. My meat dishes are taken care of for the rest of my life! Yea! Above are some pictures of his first chicken and pork roasts. The chicken was just skinless, boneless breasts with salt and pepper - normally dry and chewy on the grill. These were juicy and tender. The pork was tender as well, he smoked it all night with no worries. Go Tom! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

We spent the 4th of July at the lake with friends. The kids had a blast. We ate barbeque and swam with the children. The adults enjoyed skiing and wakeboarding and the kids loved the boat ride. Kate cannot wait until she can ski, too. I have to remind her - first, we need to learn to put our face in the water and blow bubbles. Leah passed out ice cream cones to all of the children at the end of the day. They had to be soaped down in the lake to get the sticky off before going inside. What a fine day.

Lips

Charlie found my make-up this morning. I don't know why I trusted him when he said, "No open." When I noticed how quiet the house was, I found him. He said, "Lips."

Happy 4th Birthday, Kate!

Kate turned 4 this past Sunday. She had lots of friends at her Kindermusik party at the Pink House. Everyone danced, played instruments, sang, and ate lots of cake. There were pink dresses and bows galore. Cousin Lola came down from Nashville and enjoyed an extended stay at our house. She and Charlie have both mastered the word "mine" at the same time. Mimi came up from Sylacauga and we celebrated her 81st birthday Saturday night at a Chinese restaurant. She is just as beautiful as ever. Happy Birthday to two beautiful ladies!

Beautifulest Butterfly

Beautifulest Butterfly from Tom on Vimeo

Charlie Dancing

Charlie Dances from Tom on Vimeo

Beach Trip

We just got back from a trip to the beach with the Dennards and their baby girl Avery. The water was beautiful as was the weather. We decided that going on vacation with kids is really not a vacation, it is a trip. Going away with your spouse without kids would be considered a true vacation. Even though it was a lot of work managing three toddlers, we had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Kate and Charlie discovered a "pond" full of tadpoles, Ryan caught crab and fish with his net, and we built many sandcastles. Charlie had a crush on our beach neighbor, Ella - I think she is his first kiss. He still talks about her.

Pell City Fly-in

Saturday morning we woke up early and got out of the house by 7:00 am - probably a record for all four of us. Tom drove the family to the Pell City airport fly-in breakfast to watch airplanes. For anyone who has never been to a fly-in: different airports host breakfast on various weekends of the month and pilots from all over "fly in" to eat and talk about flying. Basically, it is an excuse for pilots to get their airplanes out on beautiful days. Charlie and Kate had a ball and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Charlie Gets a Haircut

Lola's Visit

We loved having cousin Lola come for a visit this past week-end. She and Charlie are just about the same size and height. They spent most of their time trying to get whatever toy the other one possessed. Lola usually won. It is amazing how my children never play with certain toys and when a friend comes over, they fight over them. Human nature shining through. Thank the Lord for grace from above!

We're back!

Here are some new pictures of Kate and Charlie - finally! We really haven't gotten out the camera much since Christmas. Charlie's first year portfolio is pitifully small compared to Kate's. I'm afraid he is a typical second child in the photography department. Kate was ready for school watching the end of Diego! and Charlie was loving on her begging for attention - a typical scenario in our house. Charlie follows Kate around, and Kate spends most of her time trying to find a way get away from Charlie. It is funny how she misses him when they are apart.

Christmas Fun

Kate and Charlie had a fun-filled Christmas morning. They loved their new red car "like the one at the end of the street." Charlie is great at pushing it in reverse - we have a little work to do on forward. Thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Katherine for Kate's lovely butterfly raincoat and umbrella. As soon as she opened them, she put them on and went outside in the "rain" to test them out. Charlie is particularly fond of the umbrella and calls it "lella, lella, lella." He carries it around the house and gets frustrated because he can't open and close it himself.

Nativity Performance

We had another wonderful time at the Crabbe family Christmas. Aunt Carol organized a Nativity play (not just a scene this year). We thought that everyone did a good job - Kate the angel announced the birth of Christ, Ford, Joseph, asked everyone if there was room in the inn. Anne Carlton was Mary and Libby the wiseman brought her a gift. Finally, Charlie was the shepherd who danced as everyone sang Away in a Manger. He had no intention of keeping his costume on. We missed Lola terribly and will have to have an encore performance next year. Merry Christmas!

Penicillin allergy

Barring a small miracle, there will be no Christmas card pictures from the Owens family this year. Kate and Charlie have been sick off and on for 6 weeks. Kate finally had enough of run of the mill snot and decided to rupture her eardrum last week. She has been on Amoxicillin for 9 days and suddenly out popped the drug rash. Oh well. I am mostly disappointed because I didn't want her to be allergic to any antibiotics. They come in awfully handy when you need them, especially penicillin and its relatives. Charlie didn't want to be left out and ruptured his eardrum about four days ago and is also on Amoxicillin. I hope we don't see him in red spots this coming week.

Thanksgiving play

Kate's class put on a Thanksgiving play yesterday. Kate was a pilgrim and her friend Summer was an Indian. The three year olds did a wonderful job "acting out" the Thanksgiving story as their teacher narrated from a children's book. They even sang two sweet songs. Mostly they stood on stage and waved to their parents. A few, overcome with stage fright, sat with mom and dad. All in all the play lasted about 5 minutes - just enough time to get some cute pics.

A Princess Halloween

I know it is a little late for a Halloween post, but I just had to show off Kate as Cinderella and Tom's pumpkin carving skills. The children have both been sick, and I happened to catch a moment to blog while both of them are napping! The simultaneous nap with multiple children is a huge blessing. Charlie would not keep his bear costume on, so he went as himself this year. Kate loved trick or treating with her new friend Katie. Katie dressed as Little Bo Peep and her baby brother, Andrew, was the sheep. They were adorable. The girls were a little shy at first about approaching houses, but as soon as they got the hang of it, they were tearing it up. Kate had three lollipops in one night. I thought the sugar high would never end:)

Charlie's First Birthday

We celebrated Charlie's first birthday last Saturday. The house quickly filled up with family and friends. Charlie had a ball. Edgar's bakery made a separate "smash cake" just for him. He dug in, tasted the icing, and promptly spit it out. He prefered the apple slice I had given him earlier. We celebrated Uncle Lester's birthday, too. Mimi made him her special all-time-most-requested chocolate, fudge cake. Delicious!

I know it is in here somewhere...