Eight

There was a perfect pregnancy, a slightly dramatic delivery, and more love than I knew existed.

On this day, eight years ago, I became a mama.




We didn't know what his name would be until we saw him, but it took all of about thirty seconds to know that he was Owen.

Owen is wise beyond his years; he has a hunger for knowledge. He impresses me daily with the questions he asks and the things he thinks about. He's not content just knowing what something IS, he wants to know WHY something is what it is.

He loves nature-everything from bugs to animals to the changing seasons to his very favorite thing: tornadoes. That boy can talk ENDLESSLY about tornadoes. He lays in bed at night, with a flashlight, reading book after book about tornadoes.

Also? He's got a thing for Star Wars. And it's not just the movies-it's everything about Star Wars. He has MANY books, describing the characters, the weapons, the good versus evil. He has action figures, and light sabers and costumes. Pro tip: If you're going to have a conversation with Owen about Star Wars, YOU'D BETTER BE PREPARED.

And then there's the funniness. Owen's not a stand-up-and-tell-jokes kinda kid. He's funny. He has these one-liners that KILL me. Someone told me once that you have to be smart to be funny, and that is SO true. The things he says are funny because they are REAL.

One more thing: Could he be ANY sweeter?! Owen is the best big brother EVER. He would do anything to help out his brother and sisters. He routinely sacrifices the things that he has to make them happy. He's gentle, and kind-hearted and giving.

Today my little boy turned eight. For eight years he's been in my life. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm so excited to see what the future holds for Owen, but I can wait. I'm enjoying this time with him while he's still my little boy.




I'm not quite sure how I got so lucky, but Owen makes me feel so proud to be his mama.

A Time For Family

Last week wasn't just Thanksgiving, it was a week-long celebration. We planned to leave Wedsnesday for Michigan, but got a little antsy, packed things up a day early and headed out Tuesday afternoon. I just had a few things to do before we could leave town...

First up: A feast with Greyson at his school. He was so excited to have Alayna and me there. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.







Next on the agenda: A celebration with Emerson's class. It was nice to put faces with the names she talks about every day, and I was especially amused to see Em and her BFF, Zoe, in action.





We drove half of the night, in the rain, but it was worth it to have an extra day in Michigan. There was a new arrival we were DYING to snuggle with.





And the kids had a lot of cousin time to catch up on, while the adults did some catching up of their own.















Of course, on Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with as much family as we could get. You can read about that day here.





On Friday, we headed over to see some old family friends for brunch. It was a fabulous afternoon, filled with laughter and memories and good food and sunshine.





















We couldn't let the day end so soon, so we all headed over to Nana and Grandpa's house for MORE fun and MORE food and a hayride that held FOUR GENERATIONS.























And then, just when you thought we couldn't possibly cram anything more into our trip, on Saturday we celebrated Owen's 8th birthday along with my birthday. It was just a small gathering of 30-ish people. The night was jam-packed with babies and jeeps and presents and pie and more food, and even sleep...

























It was a whirlwind trip, but it was so good to be with our family and friends. We'll be heading back in a month to celebrate Christmas. CHRISTMAS! Already!



Thank you to everyone who took the time out of your busy lives to spend time with us. We love you all.