England 2010

b









After a long time without posting, we are back! Many apologies for the delay, we've had a LOT going on. The past month has brought a 2 week vacation to England, selling our house in Ohio, moving across the country to Washington State, mommy starting a new job, living in a hotel for a week, moving into an empty house and then finally our furniture arriving from Ohio. We are starting to unpack now, but back on line and promise to post many new pictures!

These are some shots from our trip to England. We had a wonderful time and really savored some much-needed family time together. Owen dazzled us with some new skills... he started walking! It was about a week before he turned 11 months, and he's really picked up his skills quickly. Now he can walk, bend down to pick something up and then stand back up and walk away on his own. All before his first birthday! He also got his very first tooth in England as well. His bottom left front tooth popped through first.

We also discovered one of Colin's favorite things on Earth - CUSTARD! He gobbles the stuff up like there is no tomorrow. (As you can see in one of the pictures) He had a great time enjoying all the treats that England has to offer.

Owen is on the MOVE!

Owen has been honing his walking skills lately. He's been pulling up on things for a long while now and cruises the furniture like a pro already. He will also grab your hands and have you help him walk down the halls. Even Colin joins in the fun of helping Owen walk, as you can see. He will stand unsupported for 10 seconds or so and then drop to the ground. We are all waiting for those first steps!

The Many Faces of Colin

Colin was making faces for the camera the other day and they turned out pretty well. Thought you'd all enjoy seeing the many faces of Colin. Aside from the mustache shot, they were all taken just a few seconds apart.

Friends!

Here are some shots with a few friends who have been over to visit lately. One is with Janice, a friend who just adores Colin & Owen and another is Mommy with her dear friend Nicole who was in town for a visit recently. (Nicole pictured with her almost 4 month old daughter Sadie) Colin took a few pictures of himself, here is the least blurry of them all. He's taken quite a liking to using the camera and although not usually centered, he takes decent pictures!

Colin and his Diggers

Colin definitely loves diggers, in any shape or form (and dirt). We stumbled upon a small project at the school up the street where 3 diggers were working for a few weeks. Every night we walked up to check out what they'd done that day. Here are some cute shots of Colin checking out the job site.

Some Random Shots of Owen

Here are some cute random shots of Owen that were taken recently. Among others, you can see him fitting perfectly in Colin's dump truck and making a huge mess of a biscuit with his dinner.

Owen's 9 Month Check

Owen had his 9 month checkup today with Dr. Messick. (although he's not 9 months until the 26th) He is now 19 pounds 15 ounces and measures 28.25 inches long. (that was after a light breakfast and filling his diaper beforehand!) He's right about the 50th percentile for both height and weight and Dr. Messick was very happy with his progress. He is now crawling quite quickly and thinks nothing of crossing the house. He also pulls himself up on everything and anything he can and has mastered "falling" down from his standing position. He has just this week started furniture cruising. Mobility is fun for all and he's so much happier now that he can control where he goes. He is eating all sorts of foods now, I'm trying all sorts of new finger foods with him. He loves blueberries (quartered) and just tried pasta for the first time. He is really coming into his own personality and it's so fun to watch!

Colin's Bike

Colin has really taken off on his bike the past month or so. He rides around the block and has a lot of fun making "skid" marks on the sidewalks. Of course we are so proud of our little cyclist and hope to see him riding the Tour de France someday! He and Daddy were watching the Tour a few days ago and he asked whether Daddy could ride in the race. Daddy replied no, that he wasn't fast enough for the Tour. Colin immediately asked what he could do to be in the Tour. Daddy smiled ear to ear and told Colin to ride his bike as much as possible and get super fast. Colin is trying!

Crawling - a race between brothers

Owen is much faster with his crawling now. He also thinks nothing of crawling the entire length of the house and going from room to room. Tonight he and Colin were crawling (a "race" of sorts) down the hall together. Colin was being a great sport about it and even let Owen "win".

Sparklers!

Colin's routine each evening involves a trip around the block on his bike followed by lighting some sparklers in our driveway. (We know, not the best activity for a 3 year old, but he is supervised!) Tonight he was lighting them in the yard and having a ball. Even Owen was enjoying the festivities, watching Colin's every move.

Water Park!

Upper Arlington has a great water park that Colin just adores. They have slides and water sprays and a lot of shallow water for the kids to enjoy. Amazingly enough, it is included as part of the summer pool pass that you can buy as an Upper Arlington resident. Here are some shots of Colin & Owen enjoying the fun.

Crib Fun

The boys have taken to playing in Owen's crib. This time it was brought on by lowering the mattress. It's especially fun since Owen can pull himself up on the railing now. He smiles ear-to-ear with his accomplishment.

Slip-N-Slide

Colin had fun playing with his slip-n-slide this weekend. That is, until he took the hose off and then broke the slip-n-slide trying to put it back on! Here on some shots "before" the big break... Have no fear, a Target trip was had to replace the slip-n-slide. Next time we won't let him be so clever with the hose!