It's Party Time

Owen had quite the "barnyard bash" on his actual birthday, November 20. Many close friends and family members received their invitation the first week of November and began sending their RSVPs soon thereafter. We had nice turnout with 41 people (including Austin, Owen, and myself)!! Guests enjoyed Domino's pizza, fruit and veggie tray options, sweet and unsweet tea as well as lemonade and fruit punch, and of course, CUPCAKES!! I failed to get many pictures of the guests and other goings-on during the party, but I did take some "before the party" pictures of the decorations and cupcakes.

Our family before the party.

The sign-in table with Owen's monthly pictures and a framed/matted "one" picture. People signed the mat with a happy birthday message to Owen.

A close-up of the monthly pictures.

The mantle decoration is the Little People farm set, which is one of Owen's gifts from Austin and me.

This is the view looking into the dining room and bar area. In other words, the food area!

Before...

...accessories (the frosting was sitting on another counter during this picture --- oops!!)...

...AFTER!!!!! This was a bettycrocker.com idea that I took and made my own. I did the pigs differently than "she" did, added a cow (that I researched and found on another website --- also making it more my own design ---) and used different cupcake flavors as opposed to one.

Cute, friendly little animals. How very sweet!

The red velvet barn complete with coconut hay, pretzel stick door and hay loft, and graham cracker roof!

Vanilla sheep with marshmallows, pink sparkle gel, and m&m eyes and nose.

Strawberry pig with pink and black sparkle gel, m&m eyes, and sugar wafer ears.

Lemon chick with coconut fuzz, black sparkle gel eyes, and (flattened) spice drop beak.

Vanilla cow with black and pink sparkle gel, french vanilla Jelly Belly ears, Good n Plenty horns, and m&m eyes.

Vanilla cupcake for the birthday boy!

The birthday boy approves!

Opening the first of many wonderful gifts! The boy was TIRED at this point!

We had such a nice time and loved having so many special people at our house to celebrate Owen's big day! From the birthday boy and his parents, thank you!!! :) Carianne

Happy 1st Birthday, Owen!!

Happy Birthday to You… Happy Birthday to You… Happy Birthday DEAR OWEN… Happy Birthday to You!!!!!

You are ONE YEAR OLD today, Owen!

Even though I have forgotten plenty (and I do mean PLENTY) in the 12 months you have been our son, I will never ever ever ever forget the day you were born. Mommy and Daddy left early in the morning to go to the hospital. It was still dark outside! Mommy wore a hot pink shirt, black pants, and flip flops and Daddy wore his trademark polo shirt and jeans. Grandpa took our picture right outside the front door of our house. See?

We knew that the next time we would go through that door, you would be with us and we would be a family of three! You can never know how excited we were....a little scared having never been parents before, but so ready to meet you…our son.

The nurses and doctors were so nice to us that day and the days following your arrival. There were so many other people who came to meet you that day, including Grammy and Papa from Odessa, Gramommy and Uncle Kyle from here in Lubbock, and Grandpa from Carlsbad. They were so excited to meet you, but not nearly as excited as us!

You made your debut at 9:28am on Friday, November 20, 2009 and today, it is Saturday, November 20, 2010. Can you believe it? One year has come and gone. Just. Like. That. There have been so many remarkable milestones we have watched you pass...holding your head up, sitting up, crawling, pulling up, walking, and so many others! It has been quite amazing watching you eat, sleep, play, laugh, and move the days away.

Today is your birthday party and we are expecting about 50 people. Most of those people will be family members, but there are lots of friends coming too. The house is ready for our guests, the pizza has been ordered, and the balloons are on their way! What a fun-filled day it will be.

Here are your 12-month measurements (coming Monday after your 12-month checkup with Dr. Dalton):

Weight: 26 lbs (90th percentile)

Height: 31.25 inches (90th percentile)

Head circumference: 49.75 cm = 19.6 inches (off the charts!!)

You are wearing a size 4 diaper (and a size 4 overnight diaper at night).

You are wearing size 18-month clothing and a few smaller 24-month things. More of your clothes were packed into a tote this week. Just for old-times sake, we peeked into a previous tote to compare your clothing then and now…and holy smokes those things were small! How did you grow up so fast?

You got your first pair of tennis shoes this month and they are pretty cute. You didn’t like them at all when you first wore them, but now you really don’t mind them. We put them on you a couple times a week, but since you stay home during the week, you just toddle around in your socks most of the time. You started walking A LOT the week after your 11-month birthday. You have incredible balance and you fall down very little. You are able to stand up without holding on to anything and you can bend at the waist or knees to pick something up off the ground without falling. You are walking soooo fast now, so Mommy and Daddy have to be just as fast so you don’t grab that dog food you are dying to taste. You like leaves too.

You still eat many of the same foods you have been eating but more on your own now. You have mastered the banana and you love feeding spaghetti to yourself. The wiggly noodles just fascinate you. You have continued to be moderately picky (insert sad face here) when it comes to eating, but we keep letting you try things! If Mommy had to pick one or two foods to call your favorites, it would have to be yogurt and graham crackers. Things that come to mind that you really enjoyed tasting for the first time recently are blueberry bran muffins, apple juice, whole milk (just tastes here and there), lunch meat, and fresh fruit smoothies (but they have yogurt in them, so no surprise there).

Your current tooth-count? Still 8. No new teeth poking through as of this evening. You love love love having your teeth brushed. We have a fluoride-free toothpaste that tastes like bubble gum and you love it. You let Mommy brush your teeth, your gums, and even your tongue!

You sleep 10-12 hours a night (which explains why we need an overnight diaper!!). You are still pretty consistent with your 2 naps each day, with an occasional third nap. You have always woken up happy and smiling with lots of “talking” so it makes us happy to know you are getting good, reenergizing rest!

You still don’t talk with real words yet, but you do make lots and lots and lots of sounds. The /b/, /d/, /g/, and /p/ sounds are your favorites. You are trying to repeat things so that has been fun. Things like “poo”, “ball”, “good”, etc. Of course you are not spot-on, but we know you are associating and attempting to replicate. It will be so fun when we can talk to each other. We know you have a lot to share, so when that day comes, we will be ready to listen and help you expand your vocabulary even more.

You got your 6^th haircut this month! We went to ProCuts for a trim and you look quite handsome!! (I think we are going to stop keeping count of haircuts now that you are a year old. We hope you don’t mind.)

The thing that fascinates you more than anything else is ELECTRONICS. You are your daddy’s son, no doubt about that!! If you see a power cord, a remote control, a light of some kind (like on the blu-ray player), a cell phone, a lap top, or whatever else…you GO FOR IT!! It is so funny because we think you can sniff out electronics! You practically come running and grabbing at anything black, gray, or silver. When you can’t get your hands and mouth on electronic devices, you are into anything with buttons and metal keys. You are interacting with your toys more and more so we have lots of fun playing with them!

Being our little November baby, we get to be reminded all month long to be thankful for you. We don’t really need reminding, but it’s nice to know that you were born around a holiday focused on thanks!

Here is what we are thankful for:

We are thankful for your bubbly personality. We are thankful for your healthy little body that grows and changes more each day. We are thankful for all that you are able to learn with the brain God has given you. We are thankful that you are a good sleeper. We are thankful that you are happy and energetic. We are thankful that we get to be your parents each and every day. We are thankful that you have made our lives so much better and so much more meaningful. We are thankful that you have taught us that life is less about ourselves and our agenda and more about togetherness and selflessness. We are thankful that you have a whole slew of relatives that love you, care for you, and adore you just as much as we do. We are thankful that you are you!! Most of all, we are thankful that you were hand-picked by God to be our son. Happy birthday, Son!!

All our love today and forever,

Mommy and Daddy

All things pumpkin...DESSERTS!!

Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to try several pumpkin recipes and I wanted to share them all! Pumpkin is low in fat and high in fiber, so it has been a lovely addition to my current diet. What you will be looking at are recipes for a dip, a pudding, a muffin, and a cobbler. Mmmmm. I have yet to try the cobbler, but I dare you to read through the ingredients and think "Hmmm, I bet that is disgusting." Go on. I dare you. :) Here is the recipe for Pumpkin Dip. I stumbled upon this a few weeks ago on another blog. 2 cups powdered sugar 2 8oz packages cream cheese (I used fat free.) 1 15oz can of pumpkin 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 cups whipped topping (I used fat free.) Beat softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in powdered sugar and blend well. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and blend well. Fold in whipped topping. Chill and serve. You can serve it with Nilla wafers, graham crackers, ginger snaps, or whatever else sounds yummy and dip-able! (The dip really resembles a cheesecake filling, so be ready for some rich flavor coming from the cream cheese...and mine was fat free! Can you imagine how delicious the full-fat version would be??) Moving on to Pumpkin Pudding. This recipe was given to me by Aunt Bev. It is actually a Weight Watchers recipe, so I will give the point value below the recipe. 1 15oz can of pumpkin 2 small pkgs of sugar-free fat-free vanilla instant pudding 1 cup skim milk 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon EACH of ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg Stir spices together with dry pudding mix. Add 1 cup of skim milk and then add canned pumpkin. Beat with wire whisk until well blended. Mixture will be thick. Chill. Serve with 2 tablespoons of fat free whipped topping. (Makes 8 servings. 1 point each -- 72 calories, 0 fat, 1/2 gram of fiber) Here is a yummy recipe for Pumpkin Muffins. I also got this from Aunt Bev and have made them a couple times because they are so scrumptious and filling. I posted this recipe on facebook a few days ago, so some of you may already have it. 1 box of spice cake mix*** 1 15oz can of pumpkin 1/2 cup water Mix together, divide batter among muffin tin cups and bake approx 21 min at 350 degrees. Makes 18 muffins...only 120 calories per muffin. On Weight Watchers, these are 1 point each. ***I have also used french vanilla cake mix and it was pretty good. The original recipe calls for a chocolate or German chocolate cake mix...go figure. My advice is stick with the spice. It's a lovely compliment to the pumpkin. Now...for the granddaddy of them all. Pumpkin Cobbler. This will be the dessert I make for Thanksgiving next week and I am quite excited. I got this recipe from Austin's school nurse at Mackenzie Middle School. I think it was passed along to her in an e-mail. Crust: 1 box carrot cake or spice cake mix, reserve 1 cup 1/2 stick butter (melted) 1 egg Mix together and spread in 9x13 glass pan. Filling: 1 large can pumpkin (not sure how many ounces are in the large can. 15oz is the average sized can) 3 eggs 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup milk 2 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoon all spice, ground cloves, or pumpkin pie spice Mix together and pour over crust. Topping: 1 cup (reserved) cake mix 1/4 cup butter (melted) 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup chopped nuts of your choice Sprinkle on top of filling. Bake at 350 degrees, 55-60 minutes. Serve with or without whipped topping. That about does it for me. I am so glad I could share these yummy (and somewhat healthy) desserts with you. Take care one and all, Carianne

Day-by-Day

Once or twice a day, I have the chance to get on facebook for a few minutes to see what my 231 facebook "friends" are up to. Over the last year and a half, it has been fun to reconnect with old friends (elementary, high school, and college), family members, teachers, as well as other people from my past and present. There are some days when I have a fun "status update" to share and then other days, I simply draw a blank. I can almost guarantee that is the case with most other people on facebook too! Whatever day it is and whatever is (or isn't) on my mind, it is nice to see people comment and ask about things going on with me and it is equally fun to comment and ask other people what is going on with them! Like I said...just a fun way to reconnect. At the end of October, there was a "universal" status update being posted by some of my friends suggesting that you be thankful for something each day in November and post it as your status update. I thought to myself "Hey, I can do that!!" ...and so I have. It is just now the mid-way point in November, but I wanted to share the thankfulness I have felt during the first half of the month with the blogging world! I thought it would get harder and harder to be thankful for things as the days go (I mean FLY) by, but I have had no trouble thinking of things. To some, a few of my statements of thanks may seem silly, but to me, they are genuine! It's been a tough 6 months with my sweet nephew (Deuce) being gone. I am trying to work through my anger toward God for taking Deuce away from us and find appreciation in the things He has given me. I think that is the main reason I jumped on board the facebook day-by-day activity! Maybe it is helping me heal. Maybe it isn't. I don't really know. I do know that the hard part has been this: In my being thankful, I don't want people to think I am "back to normal." I will never be "back to normal" but I still need to "praise God in the storm" that shattered our family on May 1. (The song "Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns was sung in church today and I listened to the words differently than I usually do.) Here is the list of status updates I have posted on facebook thus far...and I have plenty more ideas in my head for upcoming days. Tis the season of thanks, so despite the storm, I am finding it within myself to say "Thanks be to God." Just as I am saying thanks day-by-day, I too, am mending my broken heart day-by-day. Nov 1 ~ I am thankful for my hard-working, sweet husband who puts up with me day after day. I love him for all that he is and for all that he does for our family.

Nov 2 ~ I am thankful for common "luxuries" such as shelter, a vehicle, a full refrigerator, clean running water, and heat (on these cool autumn mornings).

Nov 3 ~ I am thankful for the precious boy that belongs to the sweet little singing voice I am listening to in the baby monitor at the moment. Oh, how much better my life has become...Oh, how it's not about me anymore...Oh, how blessed I am...

Nov 4 ~ I am thankful for the gift of laughter. Of course friends and family are the main source, but there's one other source I rely on for some gut-busting laughter...a blogging "friend" named BooMama. She has me in stitches with nearly every post she writes. She is quite clever with her word choice and it just makes me happy to read her silly musings. Today, I am thankful for BooMama.

Nov 5 ~ I am thankful for my bathroom scale. I have lost 10 pounds since October 18!!

Nov 6 ~ I am thankful for MY MOM!! I could write page after page and use adjective after adjective to describe her and just how much I love her. The words that describe her the best would have to be: amazing, loving, selfless, patient, helpful, compassionate, thoughtful, and generous. I am so thankful that out of all the moms, God put me with her!! She's coming for a visit today and I am quite excited!!

Nov 7 ~ I am thankful for sewing time today! I made great progress on a quilt top I am making for Owen's birthday!! It's 11 rows of 20 squares to represent his birthday (11-20)!! I can't wait to see it finished. Now, I am off to play on the floor with my handsome little man. Ahhh, Sunday evenings!!

Nov 8 ~ I am thankful for every type of friend there is...those I see weekly, those I see every 5 years, elementary and junior high friends, high school and college friends, friends that live nearby as well as those that live far away, those I have taught with and even teachers I have learned from. My life's memories have friends sprinkled throughout and I am so thankful!

Nov 9 ~ I am thankful for the "unit" that is my parents!! I already described my mom's best qualities on Saturday, so here goes for my dad. He is the most incredible man I know...kind, talented, patient, generous, loving, and hard-working!! Together, they are love personified. They are the example I follow for my own marriage. They are as selfless as can be. They are the best parents a girl could EVER ask for!!!

Nov 10 ~ I am thankful for our sweet, furry children (Olive & Shelby). Olive is my snuggle bug and Shelby is our gentle protector. They have added so much joy to our lives and we love them to pieces.

Nov 11 ~ I am thankful that today is a new day because yesterday I was a G.R.U.M.P. Also, I am thankful for all the fine people in uniform that fight for us so that we can be The Land of the Free. This day reminds me of a funny story that took place last year in my husband's band hall when his middle school students were confused about what day it was…Veteran's Day, Vegetarian's Day, or Veterinarian's Day. He set the record straight!!! Thank you to all the veterans.

Nov 12 ~ I am thankful for Austin's family that became my family on June 26, 2004. I am so blessed with amazing in-laws that I love very much. Everyone from my mother-in-law to my brother-in-law to my father-in-law to aunts, uncles, cousins, and a few more grandparents definitely made my life more complete the moment Austin and I married.

Nov 13 ~ I am thankful for Saturdays!! I don't have a tough day-to-day schedule during the week, but just like the next person, I love weekends!! Austin is home and we get to be with Owen together!! Plus, I get to do load after load after load of laundry!! Who doesn't love that?!?!

Nov 14 ~ I am thankful for the church we've been visiting the last several months. The preacher's sermons make me want to BE more and DO more every single day. It really isn't about me, my life, my agenda, and my hobbies. Oh, how often I forget that. Isn't that the purpose of a sermon? To plant these sort of "thought seeds" in people? Today, I am thankful that seeds are being planted in my thoughts and in my heart!

Taking it day-by-day,

Carianne

Owen's First Halloween

On Halloween last year, I was 36 weeks pregnant! It's hard to think about what I was doing at that time. Most likely, I was lounging around enjoying the last few weeks of my pregnancy, eating massive amounts of Halloween candy, finishing up last minute before-the-baby-arrives projects, and feeling Owen kick and squirm around in my belly. This year on Halloween, our soon-to-be one-year-old boy got to go a few places for trick-or-treating fun! Since Owen can't have candy and going around our neighborhood to the houses of people we don't know very well didn't sound like too much fun, we decided to hand pick a few places to go show off our little monkey. He had a great time and so did Mommy, Daddy, and Gramommy (Austin's mom). We started the evening at the Tucker's house. This is Debbie, the mom of Davis (one of my students going on 4 years now). Next, we went to Grammie Lu's house so Owen could play with her round, orange, plastic canvas, yarn coasters. He loves those things and went right for them when we put him down. Here's Little Monkey with his great-grandma, the GREAT Grammie Lu! Our next stop was the Monterey Church of Christ Trunk or Treat! Dear friends Kyle and Stephanie (that I met at Angelo State 13 years ago) invited us. Here you see their twins Jacen (Spiderman) and Nathan (Superman) along with Owen. It was nice to see them among the chaos of kids, cars, candy, costumes, and people! It has been waaaaay too long since we have gotten together and we had a really nice time walking around and visiting with them. Next stop...the Brazell's house. This is Casey...girlfriend of Owen's Uncle Kyle. She is a wonderful, kind-hearted, Godly girl, and our whole family loves her, including Monkey Boy! Our last stop was the Moss' house. I thought I had a better picture on my camera, but as it turns out, I didn't. Sorry to Amy for having to use a closed-eye picture. Nice smile there, James! Thanks to James and Amy for loving our boy almost as much as we do! Hope all of you were able to make some fun Halloween memories. :) Carianne