We're Expecting!

That's right. . .we're expecting you to be on your toes tomorrow.  This is your public service announcement that tomorrow is April Fools Day.  You have been warned.

And just to be clear, Owen is not going to be a big brother yet.

O-TV

On today's episode of Cribs, we will head to the humble abode of Owen, a pretty cool little (almost) 10 month old residing in North Champaign.  Today he invited us into his home to show us around his crib.  He also wanted to be sure Grace saw what her home looks like now that he moved in. :)

Here is where I sit in the lap of luxury.  Well, really I never sit on the couch.  My parents let me sit on a blanket on the floor.  But I'm usually surrounded by lots of toys, so I'm perfectly fine with that.  But I have heard my parents comments many times how they're very glad they went with leather for the furniture now that I arrived.

 

This is the "dining room."  Note the flowers my dad got for my mom.  I've heard the ladies like flowers. 

Here's the kitchen.  This is where my my mom cooks and my dad does the dishes.  The baby food that comes from this place is pretty darn good if I say so myself.  Yesterday, she made this Classic Curry Chicken and I couldn't stop coughing because of the spices.  But my dad said it was delicious.  I'll have wait a year or 2 until I get to try this myself.

This is the guest bathroom.  Although if you come over and I'm sleeping, my mom will probably make you use her bathroom so as not to wake me up because it's connected to my room.  Just warning.

This is my parents bedroom.  Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, I can make my way into this bed if I cry hard enough. 

This is my room.  I don't really love hanging in here, because as you can see, my crib is in here.  And crib=sleep and you all know I really hate that sleep word.  My dad told my mom she couldn't hang anything unless there was already a hole in the wall, so hence the pretty bare walls.  My mom promises me a pretty cool toddler room someday when we move to our "forever" house someday.

Thanks for joining me on the tour.  Come visit soon, cuz I keep hearing my parents talking about moving to P-town.  I know, moving again, really?

Ok, I'm out.  Peace, love, and sloppy baby kisses.

his newest moves

Just thought you might want to check out Owen's newest tricks: waving and snorting. Please ignore my obnoxious prompting.

9.5 month pics

I know most of you have seen this on facebook. . .but I just can't help posting some again. My sister came over on Monday to take Owen's "9" month pictures.  It was a beautiful day before the cold hit again.  We just went to park close to our place and then in the backyard.  Although Owen wasn't very cooperative, Jenna amazes me at the pictures she gets.  And then her editing. . .swoon. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for all the pictures, click here and here

make a little picture book

I was looking through my pictures and totally forgot to post this!  If you're ever looking for a fun, cheap gift here ya go.  Isabell was turning 4 and I needed something else to go along with her puzzle and fairy wand.  She LOVES LOVES LOVES Sophie.  So I thought why not give her a little book full of pictures of her?  I bought a $.99 photo book and filled it with 25 pictures of Sophie.  Then on the opposite page, I wrote something about Sophie and then asked Isabell a question.  So that way, it becomes an interactive book.  You could do it with any group of pictures you have!

St. Paddy's Day Review

So, a week late but that's ok right? Owen had a SUPER packed first St. Patrick's Day last week. Here it is with pictures:

First, he had a little photo shoot with mommy to show off the shirt I made him. I used a cheap onesie, my Silhouette machine, and their heat transfer material.  It said "Who needs to be Irish when I'm this cute?"

Then, around lunch time Summer and 2 of her girls came over after visiting the doctor.  We ate lunch and then walked to the park for a little while.  I just LOVE how much those girls love Owen and Sophie Cat.

Then, we practiced drinking from our sippy cup. Yes, we have lots of fancy sippy cups that don't spill. But which one does my child prefer? The cheap "disposable" ones from Target that spill all over. Oh well. Anything to learn about cup drinking right?

Then, we cleaned off the little play set I got a $1 on Craigslist. That's right folks, $1! He wasn't quite sure about it yet, but it will be perfect when he's a bit bigger I think!

 

And then, just when we thought our day was winding down, Amy and Troy stopped by to drop off some fondue pots she had borrowed. The other evening, we were all hanging out for our M4 Marriage Small Group and Owen was loving this toy of Troy's.  So she got him one.  Isn't that so super sweet.  It's now one of Owen's favorites.  O and Troy had fun checking each other out and can't wait to have another play date together! Whew, what a packed day!

It's ok man.  My mom dresses me up for holidays too.

wanna be friends?

This dude's alright.  Can he come play again?

Owen's OALAHWI!

That means he's been Out As Long As He Was In! 40 weeks and 1 day, Owen came into the world after being in my stomach (ok, uterus) for 40 weeks and 1 day! It was the start of this great adventure of parenting!

just arrived!

about 24 hours old

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

and from today.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Eve

Owen has his outfit all ready for tomorrow.  Are you pinch proofed?

shower gift

Two of my cousins are getting married this summer!  I very sadly had to miss their shower this past weekend due to the prom dress giveaway.  But I've been planning their gift for awhile.  I've seen this idea floating around the blog-o-sphere for awhile, and I'd been dying to try it. 

Supplies needed:

*pans - I got a set of 3 Pyrex pans with lids from Target (I love mine and use them all the time)

*contact paper or vinyl (something that has a sticky side)

*Silhouette machine or scissors/exacto knife

*glass etching cream - I got mine at Michaels using my 40% off coupon

*fun things to fill the pans - spatulas, whisk, measuring cups/spoons, cookie mix, and my favorite recipes

 

Here's how to do it:

1. Decide what you want each pan to say.  Then cut the words out BACKWARDS into your vinyl or contact paper.  I had my handy dandy Silhouette machine do this for me, but you could print out your words on paper, then use that as a stencil and cut it out of the contact paper with an exacto knife. 
   
2. Carefully peel off the back of your vinyl and stick them to the pan.  I'll be honest, this step is a pain especially for those of us that are perfectionists.  Your words should be backwards on the pans, meaning you can read them when holding the pan right side up
    
   
3. Make sure the vinyl is really stuck on there.  I used my pampered chef scraper to really go over the vinyl before putting on the etching cream.

4. Put on your nice cleaning gloves since this stuff is powerful.  Put a generous amount of etching cream on the words.  I couldn't find a paintbrush, so I made do with a old toothbrush.
5. Let the cream sit on there for 10-30 minutes.  I was impatient and 10 minutes worked just fine!
6. Scrape off the extra cream and put it back in the bottle!  You can reuse this tons of times.  And it's pricy stuff, so definitely don't skip this step.
7. Then, simply wash off, peel off the vinyl/contact paper and wash your pans. The pans can be washed and washed and they'll still look like that!  And Alyssa and Audra will always know which pans are theirs.
8. I then put all the fun stuff in the pans and wrapped them up.  Ok, well my mom actually wrapped them up for me. :)  A perfect gift for the ladies getting ready to stock their kitchens for the first time!
9. Now I'm off to etch everything glass in my house!

Audra's

Alyssa's