Owen's 2nd birthday.

We celebrated Owen's 2nd birthday over the course of 2 weekends. PawPaw, Grandma, & Aunt Erin visited on the weekend of Owen's birthday. We had a great time spending time together, eating birthday cupcakes, and having a birthday dinner with live music at McNamara's Irish Restaurant.

Owen's official birthday party was the next weekend. Grammy, Grampy, Auntie Cheri, Mrs. Laura,
and The Karpinos family joined us to celebrate with an "All Aboard" themed party since Owen loves trains right now. It was again a fun weekend.

It's still so hard to believe that our little man is 2!

Capturing time.

I love using pictures as a way to reflect, and sometimes pictures capture time far better than words...our little man is so grown up!
It's also glaringly obvious that it is now all but impossible to capture him for any still posed pictures...thus is life with a 2 year old boy!

A 2 year old.

Dear Owen,

How can it be that tomorrow you will be 2 years old? Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday that our home was filled with family & friends celebrating your first birthday. And on other days, it even feels like I was walking beside Daddy as we carried you into our home for the first time.

These two years with you have been an adventure & a blessing. I have loved watching you grow from a completely dependent squirmy baby to a constantly on-the-go little man seeking all the independence you can find.

You are curious, smart, loving, handsome, and full of fun. You love music, books, church, and of course-anything the color green. You love going to school, but you also love the days that you know we get to stay home together all day. You love weekend with Daddy home, and I love watching you two play together.

I wish I could capture all of our moments together in words. I pray that they will always be fresh in my mind. Being your mommy is my greatest joy!

I love you more & more every day. 

Love, 

Mommy

2014.

I have spent the first 17 days of this new year pondering over what I should resolve to accomplish in 2014. To be honest, I can't even remember my resolutions from last year, or the year before that. I don't want to end up in that same boat in a year from now. So...I'm keeping it simple. In fact, "keeping it simple" is my motto for 2014. I need to simplify my life...my stuff, my time, my plans.

Keeping it simple in 2014 directly relates to my 3 resolutions for 2014...
(1) Spending more time with God. I know that spending time with God should always be #1 on my to-do list everyday, but last year I just didn't make it happen regularly & because of it I suffered as a Christian & my relationships with others suffered as well. I resolve that it will not be that way in 2014.

(2) Devoting more time to my husband. Unfortunately, by the time Chris arrives home in the evening he's getting less than the best of his wife. I've been up for at least 12 hours already, I've worked all day (either outside the home, at home, or both), and I'm often just done with the day. "Our time" together from 8:30 p.m.-whenever I fall asleep on the couch is not truly the quality time that it needs to be. I resolve to focus on being more present and more of the wife I should be.

(3) Being a better mother. I don't think I'm a bad mother, but there are a few specific things I want to focus on in 2014 that I believe will make me a better mom.
    a) See resolutions 1 & 2.
    b) Parenting with more grace. We all need grace, every moment of every day. I need to be role
        modeling to Owen the most amazing grace that has been offered to each of us by Christ.
    c) Taking better care of me. Although my mind knows that I need to take care of me so I can take
        care of my family, my hands & feet often get in the way. I find myself looking to 'do' instead of
        looking to 'be'. I resolve to just 'be' more- to think more, to read more, & to laugh more.

And so, what am I doing about my resolutions already?

(1) Spending more time with God. I'm waking up a few minutes earlier every morning & am reading the daily devotion from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. It's not a new book & I've considered reading it before, but 2014 is the year. I love how God is already using it to speak to me & to change me.

(2) Devoting more time to my husband. I am trying to make our time together more meaningful. For us, it has to be about quality rather than quantity. It's a work in progress so far! Chris & I have also vowed to go on 6 dates this year-3 that he plans & 3 that I plan. I can't wait to see what fun we'll have together!

(3) Being a better mother. I am working on reminding myself every day that some things can wait. When Owen naps on days I'm home, I'm working on taking some of that time to sit, to read, to think. I'm putting together a reading list for 2014 (soon to come) so that I'm never without something to read. I'm also trying to take better care of my physical body & have committed to a spin class once a week on Thursday mornings at 6:30 a.m. (yikes!). I'm 2 weeks in & love it so far. (I know that 1 day of exercise/week isn't sufficient, but it's a start!)

I'm always refreshed by the promise of a new year and am looking forward to reflecting back on where God takes me in 2014.

A gift for our little man.

For months I have wanted Owen to have his own little table & chairs.
We searched around & couldn't settle on an affordable option & so I tried to put it out of my mind. However, Pinterest gets the best of me some time (that's another story!) and I stumbled upon this piece of inspiration back in October. I loved this particular one because the table sits high enough and the chairs are big enough that he can use it for years.

The author of this blog and the designer of the plans convinced me that it was do-able, but that was the easy part. Convincing Chris was a bit more challenging! After pondering over it for a while, he agreed that we could do it.

It definitely took us longer to construct than the plans suggest, but that's to be expected for 2 pretty much novice carpenters!

The second weekend we worked on it it was so cold that we did most of our construction in the house. Chris let Owen help with the drill which he thought was amazing. I of course love that we have pictures of him 'working' on his own table.

We're both so happy with our workmanship. It's definitely not perfect, but it is a most special gift that will last for many years to come (we hope!).

Holiday recap.

Happy New Year!
We had a hectic, yet wonderful Christmas season. I wish I had more time to share all of the moments we shared, but a quick recap will have to suffice.

Just a few days prior to Christmas, Owen seemed to have a heightened interest in Christmas so we spent lots of sweet moments talking about "baby Jesus", Joseph, Mary, shepherds, and donkeys. One day Owen told me that "baby Jesus didn't cry". It took me a minute, but then I remembered that we had been learning Away in a Manger and he was remembering that lyric.

Chris, Owen, & I spent our first Christmas Eve & Christmas Day here in Nashville. From reindeer pancakes for Christmas Eve breakfast to Woodmont's candlelight Christmas Eve service, we enjoyed lots of memorable moments.

Christmas morning was so fun as Owen really enjoyed opening a few wrapped packages and playing with his new toys (a toy leaf blower, a tent with a tunnel, a doctor's kit, & a small train set). We all enjoyed our time as a family of 3.

Chris & I built Owen his very own table and chairs which was our big gift to him. More on that later...

We then spent the day after Christmas through New Year's Day in Atlanta with our families which we also enjoyed.

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from our holiday...

Christmas fun.

We have had so much fun celebrating the Christmas season with Owen. We've made lots of wonderful memories and started some fun traditions.

"Walk with me Mommy".

Sweet words from my precious little man today...love little moments like this!

Owen's favorites.

Owen is a busy, busy boy meaning that I am one busy, busy momma.
I feel like the months of October, November, and now almost December have flown by with little time for me to share some of my favorite memories and things about our little Owen.

Now 23 months, Owen has definite favorite things...

The color green- He wants to wear only green clothes & has a clear preference for toys/objects that are green. He loves to say "My favorite color is green!"

Music- This boy loves music. About 2 months ago he began to sing. We love listening to his "singing voice" which is really just a deeper version of his talking voice. He has an amazing knack for picking up song lyrics. He & Chris listen to songs & watch music videos in the evening while I clean up dinner. They have quite the playlist...anything from classic rock, Irish folk songs, C is for Cookie, to Rocky Top. Right now Owen's favorite songs are "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "The Unicorn Song".

Reading- We must read for atleast an hour everyday. Our boy loves books! To be such a busy little guy, I'm amazed that he'll sit for 15-20 minutes at a time to listen to stories. Right now some of his favorite books are "Good Night, Good Night Construction Site", "All About Trucks", and "Frosty the Snowman".

Leaf blowers- Yes, leaf blowers. Owen is obsessed with them. He looks for leaf blowers when we're outside or riding in the car. He listens for leaf blowers when we're both inside & outside. He talks about leaf blowers constantly, and he pretends that empty wrapping paper tubes or toilet paper rolls are his leaf blowers.

Construction sites- I'm pretty sure we could spend a day at a construction site & Owen would be happy for a while. He loves to point out "dozers" & "diggers" and also knows about excavators, bucket trucks, cranes, and backhoes. I've definitely broadened my scope of construction equipment knowledge recently!

Hugs & kisses- For such a busy, busy boy, Owen still loves to snuggle and receive and give hugs and kisses. They're also lots of head bumps and fist bumps thrown in there too!

Loving watching our little man grow up!

Meeting Santa.

We took Owen to meet Santa Claus this past Saturday.
Although we don't push the Santa Claus thing, we did talk about Santa being such a nice man who likes to meet boys and girls. Owen talked about sitting in Santa's lap until just before it was his turn when he changed his mind.
I'm pretty sure you can see his lip quivering in the picture...no tears were actually cried, but we were close.

Owen did love the book he got from Santa and keeps talking about seeing Santa and getting a book.
He recovered quickly & agreed to pose for a couple of sweet pictures.

Little Bear.

Meet "Little Bear"...

Little Bear was the very first "baby" thing I bought after finding out we were pregnant with Owen. I traveled with Chris to Stockholm Sweden in June of 2012 for a chemistry conference where he had an opportunity to present some of his research. I was about 7 weeks pregnant. One day while Chris was busy at the conference, I took the bus to the world's first Ikea just outside of Stockholm. I spent much of the day perusing & dining on Swedish meatballs & ligonberry sauce...yum!

Although I spent hours there, I made only 2 purchases-a unique shaped coffee mug & this bear.

Fast forward months later...we found out that our little one was indeed & boy, moved, & began decorating Owen's nursery. I found a sweet little place for this little bear on a wall shelf. I propped him next to some wooden blocks & loved the way he looked there. 

When Owen was nearing a year old, I happened to take the little bear down for him to see & hold. There appeared to be no immediate connection until about six months ago. Chris & I had been calling him "Little Bear" & Owen adopted that name. Then Little Bear became an even better friend when Owen parted ways with his "binky" in September. Prior to that, Little Bear was mostly a friend to cuddle with for naps and at bedtime. Suddenly Little Bear was showing up everywhere. 

Fast forward again to this past Thursday...Owen & I ventured to Kohl's with our 30% off our total purchase coupon in hand in an effort to finish our Christmas shopping. Little Bear usually makes car trips with us but is not routinely allowed in stores. However, Owen was tired, mommy was tired, & he was not thrilled with the prospect of riding in the stroller without his bear friend. I caved & let Little Bear come along for the shopping trip. We had several things in various departments to scope out, so we covered a lot of territory before I realized that Little Bear was no where to be found. After retracing our steps multiple times, I proceeded to the Customer Service counter to report Little Bear missing. 

It is quite possible that the Kohl's Customer Service representative deemed me crazy as I described the missing bear as if he was my own child..."He's about 6 inches, tan color with brown eyes, a little blue & white striped jumper with a heart in the middle. He looks old & loved on." I jotted my name & number on on a piece of paper and nearly begged her to please help me find him. 

We returned to the car-Owen asking for Little Bear &  me feeling defeated & nearly in tears. At a loss, I prayed simply for God to help someone find Little Bear & return him to his sweet little rightful owner. 

I shared the sad news with Chris & knew we had to move on. After asking multiple times, I decided to tell Owen that Little Bear hard more shopping to do at Kohl's & we would hopefully be able to see him soon. Meanwhile, Chris was making plans to get a new bear here ASAP. Getting an "extra" bear had been on our to-do list for a while, but they're not available online at IKEA meaning we would have to make a trip to the store. The closest IKEA is in Atlanta, but there was simply not time at Thanksgiving to go. Chris talked to his sister who happened to be downtown that day. She was so kind to head to IKEA & get us some more bears. My sweet parents arranged to get the bears from my sister-in-law Friday before they made the trip here for an already planned visit. I was somewhat relieved to know that at least a "new" Little Bear was headed our way, but was still sad to know that it would never be that sweet little bear that I brought home from Stockholm.

At 10:15 p.m. Thursday evening, I got a call from a wonderfully excited Kohl's employee who told me that Little Bear had been found!!! To say that I was overjoyed would have been an understatement. It was in fact an answered prayer. 

We returned to Kohl's Friday morning to bring Little Bear back home. His sweet little owner was so elated to see his bear friend & this mommy is so thankful that Little Bear is back home. 

P.S. Little Bear now has another "bear friend" but he'll definitely never be the favorite and the "real" Little Bear will not be allowed to make any more shopping trips again!

More on Samaritan's Purse.

Operation Christmas Child is likely one of the most known missions of Samaritan's Purse, but they sponsor and support so many other worthy causes in our country and beyond.

Several years ago we received a Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog. It highlights very specific areas of need among their various missions and shares the way that your donation will support their work. You can contribute funds to help build hospitals, houses, churches or to buy livestock, chickens, & fruit trees to support families in needs. You can give money to buy Bibles, children's storybook Bibles, blankets, athletic equipment, or bicycles. One of my favorite options is to contribute to purchase musical "Jesus Loves Me Lambs" for children in difficult situations. I truly love reading through the catalog and learning more about the heart of Samaritan's Purse.

You can purchase gifts in honor or memory of family & friends. Every holiday season, we review the catalog & pray about which specific missions to support and then we purchase a few "gifts" in honor of some family on our gift list who are "difficult to buy for" or who request no gifts.

Check out the 2013 gift catalog by clicking the picture below. Happy shopping & happy giving!

Operation Christmas Child.

Twelve years ago I began participating in a mission that has now become one of the most significant Christmas traditions for me, and now our family.

As a freshman in high school, I was introduced to Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child project through a volunteer service organization. I shopped & packed a shoe box, complete with a letter to an unknown child and felt so impacted by the action that I continued doing it annually as a high schooler. After going away to college, I continued to seek out the opportunity to pack my shoe box each year and send it off packed with toys, treats, and love. When Chris & I married, it became our very first "married holiday tradition". We have continued the tradition, and 2 Christmases ago when we were expecting Owen, we began packing a third shoe box. Last year Owen was a mere 10 months old, but we took him shopping to "pack" his own shoe box.

Several Sundays ago, we stayed for a few minutes following our worship service to pack shoe boxes as a part of our church's quarterly Day of Mission project. We helped Owen color a picture and select items off of a table to pack into shoe boxes to send to "friends" for Christmas. He continues to talk about "packing a box for a friend".

Last weekend we all went shopping for items to pack in our own boxes. Owen announced that he wanted to pack a "yellow car" and "play doh" in his friend's box. This past Sunday during our worship service the three of us, along with other members of our church family, walked our shoe boxes to the front of the sanctuary where we stacked them and then prayed over the boxes, the children who would receive them, and the impact that we know they will have on their recipients.

This year the mission of Operation Christmas Child has an even deeper, more personal meaning for me. It is so important to us to teach Owen the importance of serving others even at his young age. My heart was so full when I listened to him talk about sharing toys with a "friend" and watched him walk his shoe box to the front of our church. Although packing the shoe boxes may seem like a simple gesture, the impact of the love contained with in each box and the story of the greatest love of all placed in each box reaches deeper than any of us may ever know.

There are so many wonderful stories of the impact of the boxes...check them out here.

Pumpkin Carving.

We carved our pumpkin Tuesday evening. We wanted Owen to be able to participate so we kept it simple.

Owen wasn't sure at first, but quickly got into picking out the seeds (one at the time) & scooping out the inside. His favorite part by far was putting the "fire" in the pumpkin.

Such a mess, yet so much fun!