JATO Schieber Family Blog

Pics at the Park

2012-01-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

Today was a gorgeous day!! T-shirt weather in January?!!

Photography Blog and Website

2012-01-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

My friend and I started a photography venture this past year. So far, we have had several family photo shoots for friends and we provided the photography for the St. Jude "Give Thanks Walk" this past November. If you would like to check out some of our work- please visit our blog: http://capturedphoto.blogspot.com/

Some Misc Pics from 2011

2011-12-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

Christmas Pictures 2011

2011-12-24T07:17:00.000-05:00

We ventured out to Jetton Park at Lake Norman and I took the kids Christmas pictures this year.....

One of my favorite pictures from the day.....Jason was teaching the kids how to skip rocks on the lake.

Taylor's Christmas Concert

2011-12-24T07:03:00.000-05:00

So, it has been a long, long time since I have updated this old blog. Sorry folks for the delay :)

Taylor had her Christmas concert at school last week. Her class played a couple songs on their recorders. She looked so pretty in her Christmas dress and they all did a wonderful job!!

And a side note from the evening......

Just after the performance began, Owen started to throw a huge temper tantrum. When Owen gets upset, he kicks his shoes off. So, as I picked him up to take him out to the hallway, he kicked off one of his shoes and it hit a man in the head who was kneeling down taking pictures of his child. I took a couple more steps toward the door and Owen kicked off his other shoe, which hit the same man in the head, again! Once we got to the hallway, Owen screams at the top of his lungs "I wet my pants!" It was so embarrassing! And I missed the entire performance....I was so bummed. Luckily, Jason got to watch the show and he said Taylor and her classmates did an excellent job!

New Pic

2011-06-04T17:37:00.001-04:00

Took the kids to the park today while Jason completed massive amounts of homework. This one is my favorite pics of the day!

The Fountain at Birkdale Village

2011-05-29T17:29:00.000-04:00

Took the kids to the fountain today to cool off and give Jason some quite time to study. They had a blast and I had fun taking pictures!

New pics....

2011-05-16T19:27:00.000-04:00

I took the kids out to Latta Plantation Nature Preserve last weekend to scope out some areas to take Senior Pictures for a family friend of ours. I am excited to get some practice in and hope the pics turn out well. Here are a couple pictures from our trip.

2011-02-27T18:22:00.002-05:00

I left Owen in the bathroom for literally two seconds to grab a towel out of the very nearby closet, and Owen decided to climb into the bathtub with all of his cloths on. Socks and all- he thought it was pretty funny. I wanted to be upset, but had to laugh!

Father Daughter Dance

2011-02-24T18:11:00.000-05:00

Jason took Taylor to her first Father/Daughter Dance. They looked so cute! Got their picture taken at the dance and had a wonderful time! Here's a picture of them before they left.

Discovery Place

2011-01-21T21:18:00.012-05:00

Today was a teacher workday at Taylor's school, so I took the day off of work and we headed to the Discovery Place. It was so much more fun this visit because it wasn't crowded. This place is so cool, so many awesome exhibits for the kids to explore! They have a grocery store, restaurant, fire truck, doctors office, construction site and water zone- just to name a few. I took these pictures with my cell phone, so they aren't wonderful- but I think you can see how much fun they had.

Flying the plane together.

Up, up and away!

Owen insisted that his big sister fly with him.

Water works station---

Construction station---

Underwater adventure---

Owen in the submarine---

Checking out the baby at the Doctor's Office---

Driving the Fire Truck---

Shopping in the grocery store---

Taylor running the meat/cheese station--

Ooooops!

2011-01-17T19:23:00.000-05:00

Owen got a hold of the baby powder! Thank goodness that stuff smells good :)

Snow Day!!!

2011-01-10T18:42:00.000-05:00

Monday our area received 5+ inches of snow which may not seem like a lot to some, but for our area this was a big deal. Schools were closed so we took a snow day and had some fun. We took the kids to the soccer field at Taylor's school to go sledding. Everyone really enjoyed themselves!

Fall 2010

2010-11-09T13:13:00.049-05:00

This fall has been busy so far! Owen came down with his first real sickness; Bronchitis. He is all better now :) Jason broke his toe/foot a few weeks ago when he ran into the baby gate :( and he had to wear a boot for a couple weeks. There was a concern that if it didn't heal properly, he would need pins put in his foot. He fractured it in two spots- very painful! Luckily, it seems to be getting better and he is able to wear shoes again! Taylor has been busy keeping up with her school work and Girl Scouts. She has been doing terrific this year, we are so proud of her! All A's and B's except for one C which was due to a missed assignment. But she's working hard to bring that grade up! We told her if she can make the A/B honor roll, we will throw her a huge slumber party with her friends. I finally used my Real Estate license and signed up with Keller Williams Realty. I've been busy doing Real Estate computer work and mailings for a local Broker with Keller. I'm getting my feet wet to see if this might be something I'm interested in pursuing further, and I'm enjoying it so far. Down the road, I'll be helping with Open Houses!

The weather here has finally started to cool down. We had a month where we didn't have to have the AC or the heat on in the house and it was soooo nice! We were able to open the windows and doors and enjoy the fresh air! However, the last week has been chilly!! We are excited to be able to start cooking some of our favorite winter dishes again. Last weekend, Jason made homemade Split Pea, Potato and Ham soup! It was soooo good! I LOVE having a husband that loves to cook!

We took the kids to Carrigan Farms again this year to take the hayride and pick out pumpkins. It was a lot of fun! Taylor brought along her friend Brianna and the kids had fun petting the animals and waling the pumpkin patch in search of the best pumpkin. Of course, Jason was concerned with finding the largest pumpkin- thank goodness we went before he injured his foot! Owen finally got to sit on the tractor this year and was hamming it up waiving at all the admirers!

For Halloween, the Taylor dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and Owen as Robin (Boy Wonder). They both looked ADORABLE and got way too much candy! It only took Owen a couple of houses to figure out what the Trick-or-Treat thing was all about. After that, it was "all systems go" and he was running from house to house trying to keep up with Taylor. They were too cute!

I have tons of pictures to post from Halloween and also some from Taylor's B-day/Slumber Party. I'll get those on here as soon as I can find the time.

We hope everyone is doing well! Love you all and MISS YOU MORE!!!! XOXOXOX

First Day of Fourth Grade!

Taylor's 10th Birthday and Slumber Party

Pumpkin Carving

Monkey Roll

2010-08-21T08:46:00.001-04:00

For Owen's birthday, Great Grandma and Grandpa Richner sent Owen the cutest little monkey! His tail makes him roll around as he laughs- so darn cute!!!

Nick and Emily's visit

2010-08-08T18:27:00.000-04:00

Nick and Emily finally came back to NC all the way from Oregon to visit!! We haven't seen them in more three years, their visit was long overdue! In fact, this was the first time Nick and Emily met Owen. We really enjoyed seeing them and spending time together!
Saturday was Nick's birthday and we went to Karen's to visit with everyone. Merritt was also back in town from Colorado. It was nice to see everyone and we took some really nice pictures.

Nick and Owen playing piano together.

Owen walking through the garden

Nick, Merritt and Jason

Emily and Nick......Nick, get that silly look off your face!

Moments before Owen licked Karen on the face...

Aunt Karen was a good sport!

Owen's 2nd Birthday

2010-08-08T17:19:00.000-04:00

We had a small family celebration for Owen last Thursday. We ordered pizza for dinner- Owen's favorite food, and we had cupcakes for desert. Owen enjoyed playing with all his new toys- our family really spoiled the little guy! Thank you to everyone for the nice gifts and cards!

Pizza, Pizza!

Finally figured out how to use the timer on our camera! LOVE this picture!

Cute sweatshirt! Thanks Nana!!!

Lawn Mower!!!!

Thanks Taylor---Mr. Potato Head :)

Wow! That cupcake must be good!

Jammin' on the guitar

Organizing his workbench

Gotta gas-up the mower!

Those are cute pj's Owen!- Thanks Grandma and Papa!!

Time to mow the sidewalk :)

Gone Buckin' !

2010-07-28T10:47:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday we packed up the family and took a trip to Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Kiawah Island is located about 30 minutes south of Charleston, South Carolina.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait until our next trip back. Jason grew up going to Kiawah with his family and he was really excited to get back to visit. On our way into Kiawah, we stopped at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store to buy groceries for the trip. The last time we went to Kiawah , I forgot to get a picture- so this time I made sure to get one. I'm such a dork- I just had to take a picture of the Piggly Wiggly!

The road into Kiawah is gorgeous!

Here are a couple shots from the balcony of our condo.

The kids really enjoyed the beach. Jason and Taylor had fun going out into the waves and Owen was content playing in the sand.

This picture is the first one we took when we got to the beach. I love this picture!

All we had to do once we got to the beach was dig a big hole and Owen was happy! We called this "the babysitter" :)

This is one of my favorite pictures from our vacation!

Kiawah Beach-

We also enjoyed the playground-

We spent a lot of our time biking the miles and miles of bike trails on the island. Owen loved our bike trips and would ask to "go buckin' " :)

These are a few shots from one of the many nature observatory towers on the island. The scenery was beautiful!

On Sunday, took a much needed break from the sun and drove into Charleston. We visited the aqaurium, walked the trader's market and had lunch.

Here are the kids in front of Charleston habor.

Taylor got to hold a Sea Urchin!

Playing around at the condo-

Put your pants on Owen!

2010-03-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

I was folding laundry this morning and Owen was helping. He found a pair of his own jeans and sat down to put them on. Although they were backwards, he succeeded in getting his legs into the holes and pulling them up.

This past weekend, the weather was gorgeous so we took the kids to the park.

Talkin' up a storm

2010-02-15T09:14:00.004-05:00

Owen is talking up a storm! His vocabulary is over 20 words now.

Owen's vocabulary:

Dada
Mama
Tay Tay
bye-bye
ta-da
this
that
Papa
Nana
more
ball
baby
go
no
what
puppy
is
the
cookie
box
truck
Bob-Bob (the name of his favorite stuffed toy)
bear
back
coke

His first two sentences so far:

What is that?
This is a ball.

We bought Owen his first potty chair! He has shown a little bit of interest in using the big boy potty, so we thought we'd give it a shot. Here is a picture of Owen on his potty chair.

Here is a shot of the kids snuggling together on the couch.

Snow!!!

2010-02-01T08:21:00.006-05:00

Friday evening our area was blessed with a winter storm! Saturday morning the kids played a little outside. Unfortunately, the snow was too icy for making snowmen but we still had fun playing and throwing snowballs at each other.

December 2009

2010-01-10T07:46:00.035-05:00

Whew! December was a busy month for us and I'm happy to say that it is over! We enjoyed our Christmas together and are very blessed to have had such a wonderful holiday! Here are some photos:

Taylor was lucky to have the chance to see the Nutcracker Ballet with Nana and Aunt Karen. Here is a photo of the three lovely ladies before they headed out. Here's Owen playing with our new Christmas Jingle puppy- the puppy barks Jingle Bells. So Cute! Owen couldn't get enough of this dog. Christmas Eve we took the kids out to look at Christmas lights around the neighborhood. Then we came home and the kids got to open their Christmas PJ's. Jason surprised me with a pair of Christmas PJ's, too! After opening our PJ's, we opened a gift that Grandma and Papa sent for the kids. It was a recordable book of The Night Before Christmas! We all truly enjoyed listening to Papa read the story! This will definitely become a Schieber tradition to read this book on Christmas Eve. Here are some pictures from Christmas morning- Owen got his very own vacuum cleaner! The story behind this gift...Owen loves to play with our vacuum cleaner, so we decided to keep him from playing with the real vacuum all the time, it would be a great idea to get him one of his own. Plus, it's never too early to teach good cleaning habits! Taylor in her new winter hat...she's so cute! Taylor snuggling with her new Webkin and blanket Owen in his matching sweater and hat The kids coloring in their new coloring books Christmas morning Taylor playing Super Mario Bros on the Wii And finally.....Owen has learned how to climb out of his playpen. After weeks of practice he finally mastered the skill! It was January 2nd and I was making breakfast. I put him in the playpen to finish up a few things and before I knew it he was right under my feet again. I took a minute to record the second attempt- here it is, complete with Taylor acting as the cheer squad in the background- too cute! The landing was a bit rough so I shortened the video. Don't worry, he's alright!

Trip to see Santa

2009-12-07T20:01:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we took the kids to see Santa at the local mall. They had the line area set up in The Polar Express theme, complete with fake falling snow. Jason got some really cute pictures!

Family Photos 2009 and Monkey Joes

2009-11-28T22:54:00.012-05:00

We had our annual family photos taken last weekend. I wanted something really casual and I think the pics came out great! It's so funny to look at last years photos and compare them to these...both kids have grown so much in a year, it's amazing! On another note, Jason had to work this weekend so I took the kids to Monkey Joe's to burn off some energy. Monkey Joe's is an indoor inflatable amusement park with all sorts of inflatable bouncers and slides for the kids to play on. Taylor LOVES this place, but this was Owen's first trip. Taylor had fun playing with her friend Jaclyn and I spent my time in the toddler area keeping an eye on Owen while he explored his new surroundings. Here is some video of Owen playing:

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T20:27:00.038-04:00

Here are some pics from last weekend. We carved our pumpkins and took some family photos outside our home. Taylor did a wonderful job on her pumpkin this year- she was so creative deciding how to carve it. Owen was curious about the insides of the pumkin. He kept trying to eat the pumkin seeds straight out of the pumpkin. We really had to keep our eye on him.

During the day today we took Taylor, Owen and Taylor's friend Jaclyn to the raptor center for their "Hoot and Howl" event. The kids had fun painting pumpkins, decorating cookies and looking at the birds.

Taylor standing right next to a Barred Owel- look to the right of Taylor. This poor owel is blind and can never be released back into the wild.

Owen just hung out in the Kelty and enjoyed the ride.

After the raptor center, we came home for a bit then went out trick-or-treating. Taylor dressed up as Tess Tyler from one of her favorite movies Camp Rock and Owen dressed up as Yoda from Star Wars. The kids were so cute together! Taylor was a wonderful big sister and showed Owen the ropes at the first few homes we went to. Then from there, all Owen wanted to do was walk. He walked a good 3/4 of a mile around the neighborhood- pooped himself out!

Candy we must get!

Our little rock star- Tess Tyler.

Taylor got a huge bag of candy and was sweet enough to share with Owen when we got home. Owen had his first taste of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Oreo cookies. After that, he was wired! View the picture below for proof....he was climbing up on the couch and trying to dive into the toy bucket after toys. I held onto his ankles to keep him from going over.

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

A trip to Carrigan Farms

2009-10-19T19:55:00.024-04:00

This past weekend we took a trip to the pumpkin patch at Carrigan Farms.
We rode a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, got to see some farm animals and drank fresh apple cider. It was a bit chilly and windy but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Owen was memorized with the tractor. I was hoping he would get an invitation to sit in the tractor seat, but the wheel was a close as we got :( Maybe next year.

The kids had a ball picking out their pumpkins. Taylor was such a strong girl and carried her pumpkin all the way back to the hayride by herself! It's not a small pumpkin either. I wish we could have taken a picture, but between two kids and four pumpkins, we had our hands full.

Happy Fall!!

Oh no! Here we go!

2009-09-20T15:02:00.005-04:00

Owen has begun to climb the furniture. Oh, how I wish this stage had waited to arrive for just a few months longer! He has figured out how to climb onto the ottoman and arm chair in our living room. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if he wasn't so darn smart! He knows now that he can push the ottoman over to the desk, climb up on the ottoman and get to the papers and misc. on the desk. Little booger!

Some cute pics

2009-09-14T20:35:00.015-04:00

As Owen gets older, Taylor has had more fun playing with him. The new favorite game in our household is the "Huggies car". We have a box from one of our many boxes of diapers, and Owen loves to get inside so Taylor can push him around. I think he would probably sit in that box all day, as long as Taylor is pushing him. Taylor enjoys it just as much as he does. They are going to be best buddies...I can see it already, and it makes me smile!

Here's a photo of Owen riding on his wooden rocking horse, made by Grandpa Norb. He loves his horsey, but tries his hardest to flip it over while he's riding. Go figure..we truly have a little boy on our hands!

We are teaching Owen to use his spoon while eating. This has been a messy lesson, to say the least. Although, our dogs appreciate it! We don't dare take his spoon from him or he'll throw a huge fit! Notice his monkey bib- good pick Taylor...and his monkey bowl:)

Dancing video

2009-09-07T09:29:00.004-04:00

Owen loves to dance. Yesterday, we turned up the music and got some cute video. Enjoy!

3rd grade and 9th B-day party

2009-08-29T19:20:00.054-04:00

Last week was back to school for Taylor. Her third grade teacher is Ms. Grose. She was super excited to return to school because two of her friends from our neighborhood are in her class. Here are a couple pictures of Taylor looking super cute (as always) before school on her first day of third grade.

**Click on the photos to enlarge**

New backpack and back-to-school outfit. Stylin'!

Today, we had Taylor's 9th birthday party. She decided she wanted her party to be held at the bowling alley. 10 of her friends arrived and they had a blast bowling and playing laser tag. Then they ate pizza, cupcakes and played video games. It was a great day and a lot of fun for everyone!

Putting on their bowling shoes-

Some cute pics of Taylor and her friends-

All ready to go in their laser tag gear-

Time for pizza and cupcakes-

Taylor's cupcake cake- Camp Rock!

Taylor and Sydney on the virtual roller coaster ride-

Daddy and Taylor playing a dance video game-

Time to blow out the candles-

And here are a couple photos of the kids playing in their box- a box we had left over from one of Owen's new car seats. They have had so much fun with this cardboard box- makes me regret buying all of the expensive toys we have :)

Garden Spider

2009-08-23T10:03:00.003-04:00

We have a HUGE garden spider that has made his home outside our shed. I think he likes it there because the huge butterfly bush nearby attracts tons of bugs. He is a well-fed spider for sure.

Big Boy Car Seat

2009-08-15T17:08:00.004-04:00

The time has come for Owen to switch from riding in his infant car seat to a forward-facing "Big Boy" car seat. His infant car seat was just too small for him anymore. His legs hung off the end horribly, beside the fact he was about near impossible to continue lugging around in that thing. We checked into the weight and height specifications and found that it would be safe to make the transition.
Unfortunately, we couldn't use Taylor's old car seats because apparently car seats have an expiration date. So, here we are stimulating the economy- one car seat at a time.

Enjoy the pics!

12 month Dr. Visit

2009-08-07T07:21:00.006-04:00

Owen had his 12 month well-child visit yesterday- he is 22 pounds 4 ounces and 29 inches tall. He is in the 50th percentile for both his weight and height. Our baby boy is growing fast! He had two shots yesterday and did very well with both of them, no fever or side effects. He is perfectly healthy and happy! In fact, Owen has only had one cold, which was only a month or so ago. And, he has never had an ear infection! I attribute a lot of his healthiness to breast feeding. The doctor was super surprised that he hasn't even had one ear infection. I guess that means we're doing something right! :)
I had to work the late shift last night. Twice a month we are required to work 11-8 because we've had such a large amount of work. But hey- job security is good, right? Anyhow, Jason called me at work so I could say goodnight to Owen (Taylor is a Nana's house visiting until Saturday). When Owen heard my voice over the phone he started to giggle- it totally made my day!

It's Fun to be One!

2009-08-05T17:58:00.025-04:00

Well folks, Owen is officially one year old! We had a small party for him this afternoon and he opened his gifts and had his first taste of birthday cake. When we sang the birthday song to Owen, he started to dance. It was the cutest thing to watch- take a look in the video below!
He wasn't quite sure how to dig into the cake but he enjoyed the frosting. He got tons of adorable outfits from Grandma and Papa- I cannot wait to dress him up! His toy collection grew today with a new Leap Frog Learning Table, also from Grandma and Papa, a toy train from Taylor and an interactive stuffed dog named Scout, from Mommy and Daddy. Aunt Karen and Merrit gave Owen the cutest toy submarine for the bathtub- it was the perfect toy for bath time after our cake!
It's so hard to believe that our baby boy is already one year old. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Now, we simply cannot imaging life without him! We are truly blessed to have two beautiful, happy and healthy children. Happy Birthday Owen!!!

Opening his first gift- from Taylor

Opening Grandma and Papa's gift

Yay Cake!!

Playing with his new Leap Frog Learning table

Taylor reading Owen his new Scooby Doo book

Bath time fun with his new toy submarine

A monkey cake for our little monkey

2009-08-04T15:14:00.019-04:00

Owen's 1st birthday is tomorrow, can you believe it? One of Owen's nicknames is "monkey", and in honor of that, Taylor and I each made him a monkey cake. Taylor did such a great job- her cake is adorable!!

The eyes are made of York peppermint patties, the nose is made of licorice Jelly Belly jelly beans, the hair is made of chocolate sprinkles and the ears are mini chocolate donuts. The only part missing are three little shoots of hair at the top of the cake that are supposed to be made from chocolate Twizzlers, but I couldn't find chocolate Twizzlers anywhere. The cake is still darn cute without it though- don't you agree?

Check tomorrow for pictures of Owen tearing into his cake. No worries, we will be sure to remove the peppermint patties, donuts and jelly beans before giving the cake to the little guy :)

Here is the original cake design. I think we did a pretty darn good job (even though it's sans Twizzlers).

Cooking lessons with Daddy

2009-08-04T07:10:00.017-04:00

Sunday night, Jason asked Taylor if she would like to cook dinner. He let her choose the dish- Taylor decided on burritos. Jason helped Taylor every step of the way and he even let her use the "real" knives to cut up the veges. Taylor did an EXCELLENT job! It was so cute how much fun they were both having, they really enjoyed this time together. I enjoyed being the photographer :)

Jason explaining knife safety

Taylor cutting up the tomatoes...fresh from the garden!

Chopping up the lettuce

Measuring water for the seasoning

Mixing the meat

Putting the burritos together

Look what I made!!!

FIRST STEPS!!! (sort of...)

2009-08-01T18:06:00.008-04:00

Owen has been taking a few steps here and there for weeks now but like "Bigfoot" he has managed to avoid all of our attempts to capture video evidence. Here is a short video of him taking a few steps before reverting back to all fours.

Look...I can feed myself!

2009-07-14T18:54:00.004-04:00

Summer doldrums...can't wait for basketball season!!!

No more formula!!!

2009-07-11T21:07:00.004-04:00

Last month Owen stopped drinking all of his bottle at each feeding- which was really weird for him. We took him to the Doctor and asked him about it and he said that since Owen is growing well (his last weight check was 20.5 pounds) that we could start doing half milk and half formula. We have been doing half and half for a couple weeks with no problems and ran out of formula on Friday. No more formula!! Think of the money we'll save:)

New shoes, First haircut and Fireworks

2009-07-05T09:50:00.046-04:00

Owen has started to take a few steps here and there but he hasn't worn shoes yet, except for his soft crib shoes- but I don't think those count. Now that he is on the verge of walking I figured we needed to get him some real shoes. He was a riot in the store when I tried his first pair of shoes on; a little pair of navy blue Crocs. I guess he really liked them because he threw a fit when I took them off. Taylor was so cute helping me pick out shoes. She was so excited that Owen was finally getting shoes! She really wanted Owen to have a pair of red Spiderman sandals, but they didn't have Owen's size....bummer. :( We took home the blue Crocs and two pairs of tennis shoes instead.
When we got home I let him wear his new Crocs around the house and it was the funniest thing to watch. He sat on the floor for probably five minutes just looking and playing with his feet. Then, once he was ready to get up and move around, he kept stopping to look down at his feet. He wasn't quite sure what to think about his new shoes.

Here is the video of Owen's first pair of shoes. We know it's long, but it's totally worth it!

Riding on my Hippo with my new shoes on

Another first for Owen this weekend....his first haircut. We tried putting off cutting Owen's hair because we didn't want to cut his baby hair yet. However, his hair was getting so long that we couldn't wait any longer. Jason gave Owen his first haircut Saturday night. Owen didn't mind the sound or feeling of the clippers at all. He sat completely still for Jason the entire time. What a big boy!

Before the haircut...

During....

After....

The 4th was a lot of fun. Friday we went down to South Carolina to get fireworks and I wish we would have had the camera. We purchased our fireworks at our usual store but the funny thing about this store is that it's a fireworks store/ gas station. Can you believe that? We laugh every year we go and are amazed it's still standing!

Taylor learning how to light fireworks-- Daddy insisted she was old enough. I was a little nervous but she had fun and Jason made sure she was safe.

Ta Da!

2009-06-30T20:11:00.003-04:00

Owen has been saying Dada, Mama and Nana for a while now. Just recently he has started saying All Gone, Ta Da and Tay Tay. We took him to the doctor last week because he caught his first cold, and the doctor said his vocabulary is very advanced for his age!

Here is a video of Owen saying Ta Da- his favorite phrase thus far! Enjoy!!

And yes, we know that Owen's hair is long...but we just can't bring ourselves to cut it yet :)

Father's Day

2009-06-21T16:17:00.007-04:00

Father's Day was calm and quiet at the Schieber household. Sunday morning I let Jason sleep in and took the kids to the grocery store. When we got home I made Jason one of his favorite meals for breakfast...biscuits and gravy. Then Jason went out to mow the lawn while Taylor and I cleaned the house and did laundry. I know, what an exciting life we lead sometimes :) However, it was exactly the kind of day Jason said he wanted since we've been so busy this past month.
After lunch we blew up a new kiddie pool I bought for the kids and filled it with water. We have had near 100 degree temps the last couple of days with horrible humidity and the water felt wonderful!!

Snack time after the pool- our little boy is so handsome!

Lake Norman

2009-06-14T09:02:00.015-04:00

Yesterday, I took the kids to Lake Norman to meet up with my friends Ellen and Leah and their families. We were supposed to go camping with them to the lake this weekend but Jason ended up having to work. So, instead we met them at the beach of Lake Norman to swim and visit for a while. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the water was perfect! Taylor brought along her friend Jaclyn and they both had a blast.
Owen loved the water- as he always does!
After the lake Taylor and Jaclyn had their first sleepover of the summer. They played Wii and played in the sandbox outside. Then I made them a place to sleep on the floor downstairs in front of the big TV and they fell asleep while watching a movie. I think they had a good time.

Here are some photos from the lake---

Swim beach at Lake Norman State Park- Lake Norman, North Carolina

Ellen and Owen

Jaclyn and Taylor

Taylor and Leah's youngest Abby

There are little fish in that bucket and Owen went wild when he saw them- he loves fishies!

Jacyln, Taylor and Abby on the pier

Leah and Owen lounging on the beach towels

Here's a new video....Owen playing with his car toy. Maybe we have a future Dale Jr on our hands? Honk, Honk..get out of the way for Owen!!!

To Colorado and back

2009-06-07T09:58:00.016-04:00

Last week my Grandfather passed away. He was 92 years old- what a good long life he had. I find comfort in knowing that he is finally with my Grandmother in heaven- no longer in pain.
We flew out to Colorado last Saturday for the funeral. I loved going home to visit but wish that our visit had been for other reasons. We had a wonderful visit and it was hard for me to get on the plane to come home.
On a happy note- my cousin Alison gave birth to her first child while we were there. She and her husband Ben are now proud parents to a beautiful baby girl who they named Avery Elizabeth. I feel so lucky to have been there when she came into the world and so happy that I got to meet her. Avery is one of the prettiest babies I've seen!
While we were there I wanted to get up to the mountains and do some hiking. Thursday we rented a car and drove up the the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. I fell in love with this zoo! It is built right into the side of a mountain. Taylor had so much fun. She got to feed giraffes, pet a wallaby and take a pony ride. Owen was in the Kelty the entire time and didn't fuss once. It was a great visit. After the zoo we went to lunch at Chili's, then we headed to Garden of the Gods to go hiking. Garden of the Gods is an open space park in Colorado Springs- absolutely gorgeous!!

Here are some pictures from our trip--

Owen's 9 month Dr. Visit

2009-05-11T19:44:00.013-04:00

Sorry it's taken me a while to post to the blog---we've been busy:)

Owen was 9 months old two Tuesday's ago and had his 9 month doctor visit two Friday's ago.
No shots this month- although he is still in need of one HIB shot. There has been a shortage of this shot for the last year but he will make it up at his one year appointment, which is fine.
Owen weighed in at 19 lbs. 9 oz and 28 1/2 inches tall. He is a very healthy, happy boy! His vocabulary continues to grow everyday. He now says Mama, Nana, Baba and has started to pronounce his T's in an attempt to say Tay Tay. The doctor said that he is ahead of the game with his speech.
He is moving all over the house at an amazing speed- you really cannot take your eyes off of him for one second! Owen is super brave- we haven't found anything that scares him. He has attempted a couple of times already to take his first steps but he falls as soon as he lets go of the couch. He is trying to climb the stairs too. We really need to get a baby gate- a great goal for the weekend!

We found an awesome summer camp for Taylor to attend. It is at Huntersville Presbyterian Church. They do all sorts of cool things with the kids and I really like the director. Taylor's last day of school is June 10th! She got her progress report last week....All 3's and one 2+ (in Math, of course)!!!!! TRULY AWESOME!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF HER!!

The two boys just hanging out. Owen has become quite the Daddy's boy all of the sudden.

Taylor got a new haircut and new glasses. She's so cute!!

I LOVE this picture!

Trying on Daddy's hat.

Volunteering

2009-04-25T21:39:00.009-04:00

Every year my company has a month devoted to raising awareness about volunteering projects in the local community. This year I signed up to volunteer for a few projects with Taylor in mind. She is at the perfect age to start doing some volunteering with me. It also gives us an excellent opportunity for some "girl" time.
Today we joined 20 other people and did yard work for the Carolina Raptor Center. We pulled weeds and mulched their plant bed out front of the center. It was super hot- temps in the upper 80's, but we had a nice time. Afterward, Jason and Owen met us there to walk the trails and view the birds.
It was a nice day!
Our next project is in May when we will volunteer at the Charlotte Children's Theater!

Owen in the Kelty-- he LOVES that thing!!!

Taylor and I hot and sweaty -- ew!

Oh My Goodness!!!

2009-04-13T19:43:00.019-04:00

So much has happened- I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with Easter...

We took Taylor to an Easter egg hunt at the Latta Plantation. Latta an 1800 cotton plantation and living history farm that is surrounded by miles of nature preserve. It is literally down the street from our house so it is super convenient. We take Tay to their egg hunt every year and then we usually walk around to visit with the farm animals and walk through the old buildings. Unfortunately, it was pretty muddy because it rained a ton the day before so we didn't stay as long as usual.

Just down the street from Latta is this beautiful old stone built church with a large stone wall out front of it. Every time we drive past the church I mention to Jason how I would love to stop and take pictures by the stone wall- and we finally did it! I want to take the kids back to take some more pictures when it isn't so muddy out. There are these gorgeous stone steps out front of the church that would be so nice for taking pictures on.

Here are a couple photos from another egg hunt we took the kids to the week before Easter--

Owen's said his first word last Thursday. We were waiting in line at the grocery store and out of nowhere he started yelling "Dada, Dada, Dada!" Jason was thrilled, of course.

Owen is also pulling himself up all over the house now. Last Saturday Jason was sitting on the floor playing with him and he crawled over to Jason and pulled himself right up like he'd been doing it forever. Jason called for me and I got pictures!!!
His favorite spot to pull himself up is on the window seal in the living room. He loves to look outside and talk to the birds when we have the window open. It's too cute!

In doggy news, Sos is going to school! We enrolled him in training classes at PetsMart. His first class was last Sunday and he did excellent! There are only two other dogs in his class, which is great because that meens less distraction for Sos. Hopefully these classes will help teach us how to train Sos not to dig and chew on the deck! Cross your fingers!

Whew! That was a lot!

Owen's new game

2009-04-11T08:43:00.007-04:00

Owen has figured out how to make Mommy, Daddy and Taylor fetch!

I know some people were wondering how to get to our YouTube page.
You should be able to go to the following link and it will take you straight to our videos.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=aliciaschieber&view=videos

We upload them pretty regularly, so check often!

Owen's first eye exam and Easter Egg Decorating

2009-04-09T16:41:00.021-04:00

Owen had his first eye exam today. They say it's a good idea to have babies eyes checked early and since Taylor has glasses we figured it probably wasn't a bad idea. The doctor did a few different eye tests to make sure Owen's eyes are tracking properly. Then he put some drops in his eyes to dilate them. Owen passed all the tests with flying colors and didn't even cry once! Doctor Hamp said his eyes are super healthy and are developing as they should be! Good news!!
After his visit we came home and Taylor invited some of her friends over to play. It is spring break this week for her school district. I boiled some eggs and let the kids dye eggs in the backyard. They all had a lot of fun and I got some really great pictures. It was such a nice day today! I'm ready for the warm weather!

The Stonegate Farms Troop (from Left) Jaclynn, Chandler, Taylor and Trevor

Taylor and Jaclynn

And a couple pics from our front porch. Everything is so green from all the rain we've had. Beautiful!

Papa came to visit

2009-04-03T21:09:00.017-04:00

For my 30th birthday, my Mom surprised me with a visit from my Dad. What an excellent gift! It was so nice to see my Dad considering the last time I saw him was during our visit home in August 2007. Way too long ago!
We had a wonderful visit. He met Owen for the first time. Owen immediately fell in love with my Dad. It was like they were long lost buddies. The first time he held Owen, Owen got a huge smile on his face then laid his head down on my Dad's shoulder. It was too cute!
Taylor was beside herself with excitement to see her Papa. They had a great time riding go-carts at the local mall. It's kind of their thing to do together.
We had a lot of fun and as always the time went by way too fast. Hopefully it won't be much longer before we can put our house on the market and move home.

Here are some great pics from the visit.

What a great picture!

Papa and Taylor at the race track

Tay's visit to see the Easter bunny.

This is my favorite picture!!!

How cute does my little man look? Anyone up for a round of golf???

We're mobile!!

2009-03-22T15:52:00.015-04:00

Owen has started crawling, sort of. He is moving all over the house by way of the "Army Crawl". It's the funniest thing to watch! He is getting into everything and is super curious.

Hello Grandma and Papa video

2009-03-15T16:12:00.009-04:00

So, I tried to download some of the video of the kids last week from our camcorder (Taylor's concert and Owen's first swing ride) but I started having problems again with our video editing software. I was so sick of messing with this thing and super frustrated because I know how much people love to see video of the kids ....and frankly, I love to share it!!! Anyhow, my birthday is coming up soon...and Jason and the kids got me an early gift---a Flip video camera. I thought I would try it out...it is super easy to use and upload video. I abosolutly LOVE IT!!! No more headaches!!! Here are the first of many videos to come! Yay!!!

Weekend trip to the park

2009-03-08T17:42:00.007-04:00

We had temps in the high 70's this weekend, so I took advantage of it and took the kids to the park in our neighborhood yesterday. It was Owen's first swing ride. He loved it and I got some great pictures of both kids.
Enjoy!
I also have some awesome video of the kids- Taylor at her concert at school last week and Owen's first swing ride- but I need to find time to play with it.
Hopefully this next weekend.

Can you see my first tooth????

Snow Day!!!

2009-03-02T08:18:00.004-05:00

It snowed for the second time this year! After all was said and done we received almost 4 inches of snow!
We woke this morning and immediately wanted to go play outside. We got bundled up with what few winter necessities we own. Our winter clothing selection is small considering our geographical location. I managed to get Taylor ready by bundling her in two pair of sweatpants, two pair of cotton gloves and plastic bags over her feet to keep them dry.
Taylor was disappointed when she found the snow was too dry to pack. She tried to make a snow angel instead but the snow was too hard.
Sorry Grandma and Papa- no snowman or snow angels. We tried :(

Surgery and misc...

2009-02-28T09:10:00.018-05:00

So, months ago, Jason injured his hand at work. He was going to physical therapy twice a week, which really wasn't improving anything. His doctor even tried two separate Cortisone shots, which seemed to help the swelling and pain at first but in the long run they really didn't change anything. So, after months of the conventional approach, the doctor decided they better operate. His surgery was Wednesday morning. We had to be at the hospital bright and early at 5:00am. They started the surgery around 7:00 and we were on our way home by 8:30. I was surprised at how quickly it was over! His doctor said the surgery went well- no concerns. Jason is doing great so far with the recovery. He has to wear a bandage wrap on his hand for two weeks, then he will meet with the doctor to have it checked out. We'll keep everyone posted- hopefully this takes care of his problem!

We bought Owen his first sippy cup yesterday. We put a little bit of water in it and let him play around with it. He was super interested in his new "toy" and was able to get it in his mouth and take a sip a couple times. He wasn't very fond of the taste of the water. I think we'll try a little milk in it today to see how he likes it.

Taylor brought her report card home last week. She is doing extremely well! The grading system in 2nd grade is still a numbered system with 3 being the highest score. Taylor had seventeen 3's and three 2's. Fantastic! We are so proud of her!

Here are some recent pictures of the kids.
Owen is doing really well sitting up on his own. He loves to play with the music toy that Grandma and Papa sent him for Christmas.

Taylor playing on the computer--

Owen standing up-- he loves to stand on his legs. Who knows, maybe he'll walk before he crawls!

6 months old, shots and bath time

2009-02-10T19:40:00.011-05:00

Owen is now 6 months old and counting. His half birthday was last Thursday. Wow, how time does fly! I can't believe it's been 6 months since our little man came into our world, and yet it seems like he has been with us for much longer than that.
He had his 6 month check-up and shots this morning and has grown to 16 lbs. 1oz. and is 28 inches long. He is in the 45th percentile for his weight/ 90th percentile for his height. Over the last two months, he gained more than two and a half pounds. The doctor said that they typically look for a weight gain of a pound a month, so Owen is doing very well! Owen has been an extremely healthy baby thus far. I believe the breastfeeding has a lot to do with his continued health. I am still breastfeeding the majority of the time. We do have to supplement a formula bottle once or twice a day during the week, but other than that Owen is still getting Mommy's milk. I don't know how much longer I plan to keep this up. I want to go as long as I can, but I have doubts I can continue once Owen gets his first tooth. He is already a biter and I was never much into body piercings!
Here are some new photos-- Owen is sitting in a big boy seat during his baths! He loves the water- just like Taylor does.

And here are a few pictures of Owen on his half birthday-

January Gone

2009-02-01T20:16:00.009-05:00

Wow, this year is already flying by! I cannot believe January has come and gone! We have been busy as usual. Taylor had her first church lock-in last Friday night with her girl scout troop. They stayed up until 1 am doing science experiments and watching movies. Then, on Saturday she had a birthday party to attend, so she was one tired girl on Sunday.
Owen is almost 6 months old if you can believe that! He is sitting up on his own for a few seconds at a time, and is almost crawling. He is pushing up on his arms and getting his knees underneath him, but is still not quite strong enough to crawl. We bought him a jumperoo to exercise his legs and he loves it. Taylor taught him how to jump in it- I wish I had the camera out. It was so funny. Taylor would jump up and down and Owen would mimic her. They both laughed so hard at each other.
This weekend Jason took Taylor to get her first pair of roller blades. When Taylor was younger, Jason and I used to roller blade while taking turns pushing Taylor in the jogging stroller. We used to have so much fun- and it's great exercise! I am excited that now Taylor can join us while we push Owen around!

Snow!!!

2009-01-20T09:38:00.014-05:00

Or should I say FLURRIES?!! Tuesday morning we woke to snow flurries. The forecast called for much more than we actually received- which unfortunately is often the case here. For those of us who actually want snow- it is a bit disappointing. Oh well, at least we got to see some of the white stuff this year.
The schools closed for the day, so I got an extra day to chill at home with the kids, which I can't complain about. This was the first snowfall for Sos. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. Anytime it gets cold here the dogs go nuts, but the snow was an added bonus for them this morning. Lanai was excited too, but she is getting too old to run around much, so she hung out on the deck while Sos and I played. Taylor was bummed that she couldn't make a snow man. All she wants is enough snow to make a snowman and do snow angels. There definitely was not enough snow for that this morning, and this could be all the snow we see this year. Pathetic!

As for the rest of the day, I think Taylor and I will sit down and watch some of the Inauguration. This is a huge bit of history playing right before our eyes and I want to make sure we remember it well.

The accumulation on our back deck and car and an action shot of Sos playing and sniffing the snow:

Poor Sos :(

2009-01-13T19:37:00.006-05:00

Last Friday was dooms day for Sos. We finally got him "fixed". The worst part about it all is that when we dropped him off at the vet, I found out I had scheduled his surgery on his 2nd birthday! How mean am I? I truly had no idea until it was too late. Oh well, he had no idea...and at least it's over. Besides, he got a nice big bone out of the deal.

We bought an E-collar for him because he keeps trying to lick his incision. He has been running into everything with it on! The e-collar eventually cracked from the repeated beatings and we had to tape it up with duct tape. Good thing Sos will only have to wear it a few more days. Until then, we'll call him the ghetto hel-mutt dog.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-04T08:31:00.010-05:00

We had an uneventful New Years Eve- just the way I like it!! We really tried to make it to midnight, but Taylor and I sacked out around 11:15 and Jason was not far behind, making it to bed at 11:30. Are we pathetic or what? I like to think we're just smart. Anytime I can find time to sleep I'm all for it!
New Years Day Taylor and I went to see Marley and Me. What an excellent movie!!! If you have not seen it yet, be prepared to cry. At the end of the movie everyone in the theater was sniffling and when the credits began to run, we all just sat there sobbing. I don't think I have ever been to a movie where it affected the audience the way this one did. Don't get me wrong, even though I cried, I would definitely go see it again. It is one of those movies that makes you take your entire life into perspective and appreciate all you have- even though things may not always be perfect. I think we all need a little dose of that sometimes.
After the movie we went to lunch. Taylor got to pick the restaurant and she chose Red Robin. I had a delicious Apple Walnut salad and Taylor enjoyed the Chicken Parmesan Noodles. Then, as a special treat, we shared the Mud Pie for desert! I love our girly days together.

In the last post, I shared some video of Owen rolling over. He has become quite a pro at this. However, now it has become a problem of sorts. According to our pediatrician, the overall consensus is that babies should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS. Now that Owen can roll over, he prefers to sleep on his stomach. We have tried everything we can think of to get him to stay on his back at night but our efforts have failed. I even went out and bought a sleep positioner to keep him on his back, but the little bugger wiggles his way out of it and rolls over anyway. I'm at a loss, I don't know what to do now. Fortunately, our Doctor said that he should be doing 360 degree rolls within the next 6-8 weeks. Once he is good at rolling over both directions (back to stomach, stomach to back) he will be fine to sleep on his stomach. Let's hope he figures out how to do this sooner rather than later!

Interesting tid-bit: We have a pro football player living right down the street from us! One of the players from the Carolina Panthers lives 4 houses down from us. Nana was up watching the kids last week and they were out taking a walk through the neighborhood. Taylor went across the street to play with Chandler, a little boy from her class. A man and a woman walked by the kids and Chandler got really exited and started waving to this man. Come to find out this man is #11 Jason Carter from the Carolina Panthers. He stopped and talked to the kids for a while which I thought was pretty cool of him. Now that I think about it- he came to the garage sale we had last year and purchased some of Taylor's old books. Too funny! Now, I still root for the Broncos, they will always be my team (no matter how badly they play). But hey, it's still pretty cool to have a pro athlete living in your neighborhood :)

I was on a website ordering a birthday name keepsake for Owen. Go to www.bkeepsakes.com to see what I'm talking about. We have one of these for Taylor and are getting one for Owen now. They are so fun to have and are super cute. Anyway, I looked up the meaning of Owen's name and found out that it means:

OWEN is the Welsh variation of Eugene, from the Greek and means "lucky" or "one of noble descent." Owen is also from the Gaelic eoin, a Celtic form of John, meaning "God is gracious; God is merciful."

I was so excited when I saw this because my Dad's middle name is Eugene. I had no idea that Owen was the Welsh variation of Eugene. Too cool! Owen has a bit of his Papa in his name!

Christmas and misc

2008-12-31T21:47:00.027-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Although the temperature during the month of December was often near 70 degrees, it turned out to be nice. It makes it hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's so warm outside. However, once we decorated the house and made our traditional Christmas cookies, it finally felt like Christmas.
We spent Christmas Eve at Aunt Karen's house in Charlotte. Barb, Margaret and Garrett flew in from Nebraska and Merritt was home from his first semester at CU Boulder. It was so nice to see everyone and I especially enjoyed hearing how much Merritt was enjoying school, and how he has fallen in love with Boulder. How could anyone not love that town?
Owen did alright at his first big family get-together despite all the new faces and stimulation. He had a couple crying fits when he got too tired to stand all the chaos. We had to seclude him to a quite room a couple of times until he calmed down and fell asleep. Not too bad! I remember those days with Taylor, who was completely inconsolable at family get-togethers. Owen was a piece of cake compared to her!
We arrived home late Christmas Eve night but Taylor made sure not to forget to leave out the cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and his reindeer (she left one baby carrot for each reindeer- so sweet!)
Santa arrived right on time and left a tree full of gifts for us! Taylor and Owen received toys and clothes. Jason got a new pair of shoes and Santa spoiled me with a new watch, new shoes and lotion (Santa was only supposed to buy me one gift per our mutual agreement, but apparently he forgot- silly Santa :)! Then later Christmas day, we were invited to dinner at Chris and Jen's. It was a very nice day!

Owen has been rolling over sporadically since he was two months old- but just recently he has taught himself to roll over at will. He is very excited about this new skill and so are we. He has only been rolling from his back to his stomach, so far. Once he gets himself over to his stomach he tries so hard to crawl- but to no avail. If anything he ends up pushing himself backward instead of crawling forward. It's so much fun to watch! He is doing great with the baby foods. He is a pro at swallowing now and usually eats a whole serving of the Gerber food at a sitting. I have not had a chance yet to make any of my own baby food at home- who was I kidding to think I would have the time for that?!?
Taylor starts Girl Scout Cookie sales January 1st- so if anyone would like to order some cookies- we would be happy to fulfill your request. We'll even ship them to you!

We don't have any plans for New Years Eve. Honestly, I would much rather stay in the safety of my own home then venture out on this night. There are too many crazy people out there these days!
Taylor and I have plans to go have a girls day out tomorrow! We plan to see the movie Marley and Me and then have lunch together. I can't wait!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Have a happy and safe New Year!! Enjoy the new video and pictures!!

Here is Taylor decorating her Gingerbread house that Grandma and Papa sent. She is wearing an apron that Jen gave her for Christmas. In fact, Jen gave Mommy a matching apron so we can both wear our matching aprons when we bake together! Too cute! Thanks Jen!!

Here is Owen with Barb. Owen fell in love with Barb. Barb was the only person, other than Mommy, who was able to calm Owen down when he was getting grumpy. I think Barb was pretty fond of Owen as well!

Taylor and Margaret opening gifts.

Taylor in her new coat from Aunt Karen.

Garrett opening his gifts.

Taylor got new books from Nana!!!

Owen with his new teething toy.

Taylor got to open one gift Christmas Eve night and it was her new Christmas PJ's- Aren't they adorable!!!

Christmas morning- Taylor actually waited until 6:30am to wake us up this year. That's late!!

Taylor in her Christmas dress....isn't she beautiful!?! Her dress came with a matching dress for her doll!

Owen in his Christmas PJ's

Taylor in her cook uniform set Grandma and Papa sent. Too Cute!

Bumbo Video

2008-12-20T08:23:00.004-05:00

First Foods

2008-12-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday night began the journey into new tastes and textures for Owen. He had his first taste of baby food....bananas!! I'd give him a bite, he would look at me like he was worried, then he would play with it in his mouth for a minute and spit it out. I don't think he actually "ate" any of the bananas.
We tried the bananas again Friday night, and I think he's getting the hang of this eating thing. He ate, and kept down, about a tablespoon altogether of bananas.
We'll finish the bananas Saturday night, then Sunday it's on to peas!

What is this?

This is weird!

Not today!

4 months old and second set of shots

2008-12-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

Time has completly flown by and Owen is already 4 months old. We took him to the doctor today for his second round of shots. Owen is now 13 pounds 14 ounces and 25 inches long. He is in the 60th percentile for his height and 30th percentile for his weight. As the doctor put it, Owen is "long and lean". I was a little worried when I heard that he was only in the 30th percentile for his weight, but our doctor said that he has no concerns at all. In fact, he said that we would only need to worry if Owen were to have two consecutive visits at or below the 5th percentile. Owen is well above that!
As far as Owen's development, he is right on track. Owen is holding his head on his own very well and is even sitting up on his own for a few seconds at a time. He has rolled over on his own a few times, though that skill has not yet become routine. He is tracking with his eyes and grabbing for his toys. He is also super interested in food. When we sit down to eat in the evening, we pull Owen up to the table in his car seat so he can sit with us while we eat. Sometimes he gets cranky and wants to be held. For the past week or so when I hold him at the table while I'm eating, he grabs for my food and plate. The other night he nearly pulled my plate off the table. Little booger! The doctor said that is a good sign that he is ready for solids. We can start to feed him rice cereal and 1st step baby foods. I think I may dabble and make some of our own baby foods at home.
Owen has also learned how to make himself cough. He has figured out that if he coughs it will get our attention. It is too funny- he'll cough a couple times to get us to look over at him- then he just smiles like "Ha, Ha- fooled ya!"
We bought Owen a Bumbo seat so he can sit and play and we have some great video of him playing with his toys. I'll try to get that uploaded this weekend.

Happy Holidays!

Visit to see Santa

2008-12-07T16:07:00.000-05:00

This weekend we took the kids(gosh, it still feels weird to say that- kids? plural?)to the mall to see Santa. Taylor was super excited, as she always is, except she was a little upset that she forgot her list for Santa at home. I made her feel better by explaining I had already emailed the list to Santa, and I was sure he would know exactly what she wanted for Christmas. Owen did fine- He got a little fussy while we waited in line, but Jason helped by walking him around, and that seemed to keep him happy.
Once we got up to see Santa, I handed Owen over and Santa propped him up on his lap. I just knew Owen would scream, but he didn't. He just sat there staring at Taylor while she told Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

I included a slideshow with the pictures from today. Plus, I added some photos from last weekend when we decorated the house for Christmas. And there is a special photo of Taylor holding her latest Math test. She has been struggling with Math this year. Poor thing, I was horrible at Math and I think she got my Math gene's. But she came home on Friday with an excellent score on her Math test. We are so proud of her!!! Great job Taylor- hard work pays off!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:15:00.001-05:00

Today was a good day. We made a 15 pound turkey with all the fixin's and had Jason's Mom over for dinner. It was only the five of us (Jason, Taylor, Owen, Connie and I) but it was nice-- comfortable and stress-free. We ate too much, then took the dogs on a walk to burn off some of the turkey dinner. Now we are boiling down the turkey carcass with some herbs, onions and carrots to make turkey stock. We'll use the stock to make turkey noodle soup this weekend. Yummy!! The entire house smells amazing. I wish I could bottle it up!

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. This time of year is hard being away from home. I miss the huge family gatherings, the food and the company. Hopefully I won't have to experience many more Thanksgiving's away from home.

To keep with the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would list a few things I am thankful for:
I'm most thankful for my family! I'm thankful to have the two most amazing and beautiful children and I'm thankful that God gives me the chance each day to wake up and be their Mommy. I'm thankful for my husband who is an excellent father to our two children and is a loving and caring companion to me. I'm thankful for my health and the health of my family. I'm thankful for my house- in a time when so many are losing theirs, we are blessed to have a house to call home. I'm thankful for my job. I'm thankful for breastfeeding- without it I wouldn't have lost all my baby weight so fast!!
I'm thankful for my parents who are always there when I need them. I'm thankful for my heart-to-heart talks with my Mom. I'm thankful for my dogs, even though they tore up the couch and chewed a hole in the carpet this past week, they still manage to make me smile. I'm thankful I have so many things to be thankful for!!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! God Bless!!

Finally....VIDEO!!!

2008-11-22T09:51:00.001-05:00

OK, It took me forever, but I finally figured out how to upload video. Don't ask me how to do it again- purely trail and error:) Here it is....the first moments after Owen was born!

And here is a recent video of Owen and Taylor. The beginning of the video is Owen doing his "Ahhh". After his bath I give him a massage with lotion-- he loves to have his legs massaged. When I massage his legs I will say "Ahhhh" to him, and he has been saying it back to me! He's such a sweetie!

Here are some recent pics:

The kids hanging out in their robes....aren't they cute?!?!!

Back to work and Halloween

2008-11-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

So, I have been back to work for two weeks now. I am finally getting adjusted to the new schedule. It took me a couple days to get through all me emails at work- I think I had almost 600! And there have been all sorts of changes so I have been working hard to bring myself up to speed.
Yesterday afternoon I took some time off to go vote. I only stood in line for an hour and a half. I was lucky enough to end up in line next to an older gentleman who spent the entire time sharing stories about past elections and his family. He was a very interesting person and made the time fly! I love it when out-of-the-blue you meet someone interesting with great stories to tell-- somehow it makes your day. As far as who I voted for, I won't say. But let's just hope the best man for the job wins!! Don't forget to vote---it is so important to make your voice heard! Especially in this election!!! Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now :)

Last weekend we carved our Halloween pumpkin. Taylor was actually really into it this year. In the past she hasn't really cared for carving the pumpkin because she hates putting her hand inside of it to pull out the seeds and mess. Typical girl! Anyhow, this year she really enjoyed it. She had a little help from Jason on marking out where she would carve, but she did all the carving herself. It turned out great!

Last night we went around the neighborhood to Trick-or-Treat. Taylor got tons of candy. But being that it was a Friday and Halloween, all the freaks and nuts were out. So, needless to say, we didn't stay out for too long. But Taylor got all the candy she needed, considering we had to dump out last years Halloween candy to make room for the new. Yeah, we don't let her eat candy all that often.
Taylor dressed up as a bunny rabbit. She was too cute! Owen wore a little PJ outfit that said "My Little Pumpkin". It was adorable on him, but the fabric was a bit thick and he got hot, so he didn't wear it for long.

We hope everyone had a safe Halloween! Enjoy the new pictures!!!

Video

2008-10-13T08:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, we need help. We have video of the kids we have taken with our camcorder that we would like to cut down, rearrange and post to the blog. We spent all weekend trying to figure out how to do this but have had a horrible time. I know it can't be this difficult! We tried downloading a couple different software programs from cnet.com but both of them proved to be too complicated! Does anyone know if a simple, cut-and-dry program where we can upload our video, cut out scenes and post them to the blog with ease? Please help!!!

The Amazing Maize Maze

2008-10-11T07:47:00.000-04:00

Friday night we went with Taylor and her girl scout troop to the Amazing Maize Maze. It is a cornfield maze that is right down the street from our house. I have always wanted to take Taylor, in fact, we tried to go last year but once we got to the farm we found out they had already closed the maze for the year. Bummer!
Anyhow, we finally got our chance to go and we had a blast! The maze is huge but it only took us 20 minutes to find our way out the first time. Jason studied the map before we started and figured out if we stayed on the outside of the maze we could get out. Once we navigated our way out using that technique we went back and tried to find the inner route out. So, overall, we were in the maze for a little over an hour. It was tons of fun!

This is part of our group inside the maze.

Taylor posing on the victory bridge. That is the corn maze behind her.

Here is Taylor ringing the victory bell at the end of the maze.

Owen's First Shots

2008-10-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

We vistited the doctor yesterday for Owen's first shots. Owen now weighs 12 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long! He is in the 75th percential for his weight and 50th percentail for his height. Doing good!! Owen did not enjoy his shots. He cried so hard and had huge tears in his eyes by the time it was all over. Poor guy! I had a hard time watching it. I kept holding up my hands to show Owen I wasn't the one hurting him. I know he had no idea what I was doing but it made me feel better. He did well for the rest of the day and slept a ton- no fever which was good. Today we are back to the same 'ole same 'ole.
Jason has been going to Physical Therapy for the last week for his wrist. He injured it somehow at work- he is always pushing himself too hard! They took an x-ray last week and were unable to determine if he has broken his wrist or torn ligaments. So, for now they are having him go to PT until Friday when they will take another x-ray. If he hasn't increased his range of motion in his wrist by Friday they may do an MRI. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

We're Rolling!

2008-10-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm excited about this and a bit sad at the same time. My baby boy is growing and developing too quickly! The other night after dinner I placed a blanket on the floor and laid Owen down for some "tummy time". This is a nightly ritual where we lay Owen on his tummy so he can exercise his arms and neck. We were playing as usual when out of nowhere Owen rolled himself over to his back! Once he did this he got a startled look on his face then began to cry. I, on the other hand, was so excited! I scooped Owen up, ran upstairs and banged on the bathroom door to tell Jason. "You missed it!" I yelled. "Owen rolled over!" "No Way!" Jason yelled back. Then I ran back downstairs, grabbed the video camera and tried to get him to do it again, which of course he would not. Jason promptly ended his shower and came downstairs to see if he would do it again. No Luck- and he hasn't done it again since.
So- for the record, October 2nd- the first time Owen rolled over from his tummy to back!!! Yeah Owen!!!

Awesome Recipe!

2008-09-28T08:32:00.000-04:00

Jason and I love to cook! We love to find and try out new recipes. In fact, one of our favorite television stations is the Food Network. The other day I was watching Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger and she was making Pasta Primavera. It looked delicious so I went to the store that afternoon and picked up the ingredients to make it. Let me tell you, this dish was awesome!! This recipe has tons of veges (I love a recipe with tons of veges) and the sauce is light enough that you don't feel overfull after eating it with the pasta. I decided I had to let everyone know about this recipe. Trust me, if you make it you will fall in love with it too. I have decided we will have this for dinner often! Enjoy!!!

Pasta Primavera

Prep Time:
30 min
Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, cleaned, seeded and cut into strips (6 ounces)
1/2 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup sliced button mushrooms (4 ounces)
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 (6 ounces)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, dissolved in
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large carrot (6 ounces) peeled and sliced into strips with a peeler (about 2 cups carrot ribbons) 3/4 pound whole-wheat linguine
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/4 cup shredded basil leaves

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Add peppers and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes and cook until softened, an additional 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot strips.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with vegetables and sauce. Add pasta water, if necessary, to loosen mixture. Serve garnished with Parmesan, parsley and basil.
Per Serving Serving Size, 2 cups pasta plus 2 tablespoons cheese, plus parsley and basil Calories 480; Total Fat 11 g; (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 0.5 g) ; Protein 22 g; Carb 76 g; Fiber 10 g; Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 610 mg Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium Good source of: Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, Selenium
Tags: Healthy, Heart Healthy, Diabetic, High Fiber, Low Cholesterol

***You can also view this recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_224729,00.html

HAPPY COOKING!!!

Red is not Owen's color

2008-09-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

Jason's family in Lincoln, Nebraska (Barb, Margaret and Garrett) were so sweet to send us the cutest old fashioned PJ set for Owen. It's one of those that has the little flap in the back. They had Owen's name embroidered on the back flap- too cute! The only problem is, they ordered it in Nebraska Red! Don't they know we are CU fans? Just kidding. We have actually had a friendly feud between us since Taylor was born. They are huge Nebraska Husker fans and we are huge Colorado Buffaloe fans. In fact, when Taylor was born they sent us a CU outfit and included a card that read something like "We thought we would send this to you since it's only fit for a little girl to wear!" So funny..HA, HA! Can you sense my sarcasm? Anyway, we wanted to show everyone some pictures of Owen in the cute little outfit. Thanks Barb, Margaret and Garrett!

AND........

We wanted to include a special picture. This one's for all the Nebraska fans out there!

GO BUFFS!!!!!

Taylor's 8th Birthday Party

2008-08-30T20:06:00.000-04:00

Taylor's birthday is tomorrow but we had her birthday party today. She invited some of her friends to celebrate her birthday at Ray's Splash Planet. Ray's Splash Planet is an indoor swim park in downtown Charlotte. All the kids had a great time playing together. They especially enjoyed going down the large water slide. This trip was the first time Taylor was tall enough to go down the big slide and she was super excited. I think she must have gone down that slide at least 30 times!
After two hours of playing in the water we went into the party room for pizza, cake and ice cream and gifts. The theme of the party was Hannah Montana- go figure! :)

After the party we came home. Nana was nice enough to watch Owen for us while we took Taylor to her birthday party. Owen did great and was a good boy for Nana. Then, Nana surprised Taylor with a birthday gift. Nana got Taylor a guitar! Taylor has wanted a guitar for a while now and could hardly contain her excitement when she ripped open the large package. It is a pink Daisy Rock acoustic guitar- perfect for Tay. Monday we're going to get Taylor signed up for guitar lessons. I think we have a future rock star on our hands!!

Under Water!

2008-08-27T18:26:00.000-04:00

Can you say rain, rain and more rain? The past 24 hours have been wet here in good ole' N.C. Our area has been graced with the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay which has inundated us with more than 8 inches of rain. The storms were most aggressive last night bringing tornado and flood warnings/watches. The lighting and thunder were intense! This morning we woke to reports of more than 12 thousand people without power and multiple road closures due to flooding. In fact, just down the street from our house a major road was closed due to the flooding of a nearby creek. The large nature preserve in front of our house is completely flooded. I've never seen the water so high! Taylor's new school also flooded and all the kids had to start classes in the Gym this morning. Poor kids! I don't know why they didn't just cancel school for the day.
Fortunately, our house and cars have gone untouched and we remain above water. Some of the neighborhoods around us have not been so lucky. The worst part is the forecast is calling for more rain tonight. They are also worrying about the rain we might see if the remnants of Gustav make way into our area. We can only wait and see what happens.

This house is in the neighborhood just down the street from us.

This is a shot of one of the many flooded streets in Charlotte.

Doctor, School, Misc...

2008-08-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

Owen's two week check-up was Wednesday. He now weighs 7 lbs 15 oz which means he has gained a total of 1 lb 3 oz since he was discharged from the hospital less than two weeks ago! The doctor was very surprised to see how quickly he is gaining weight. Maybe we have a future linebacker on our hands! Owen's color is much better- so no more worries about jaundice. Funny side note- Owen peed on the doctor! :) I had to have his diaper off to have him weighed and then the doctor started examining him and got a shower in the process! The doctor had a good laugh and said "at least we know his pipes work!" Too funny!

We went to Back to School Night on Thursday at Taylor's school. We got to see the brand new school where Taylor will attend 2nd grade and meet her teacher Ms. De Long. The new school is beautiful and her teacher seems really nice. We are so glad they built a new school and that Taylor was one of the lucky kids chosen to attend school there. Her old school was built in the 1920s and was just a bit run down.

Taylor's first day of school was yesterday. She wanted to wear some of her new school clothes that Great Grandma Rose got her. She looked so pretty! I can't believe she's already going into 2nd grade. It seems like only yesterday I was taking her to her first day of kindergarten. I hate it that kids grow up so fast!! On top of that- Taylor turns 8 this weekend! Where does the time go?

Here's Taylor on the morning of the first day of 2nd grade. New dress, new shoes, new backpack. Stylin'!

This is another new outfit Taylor got from Great Grandma Rose. It is a Hannah Montana outfit. Taylor wore this on the second day of school. She is too cute!

I had to add these two photos. Jason was trying to feed Owen his first bottle. Owen wasn't taking it very well. He wouldn't eat from the bottle unless I was feeding it to him. I guess Owen is just used to me being the "milk machine" :)

What's happening......

2008-08-16T09:08:00.000-04:00

Owen had his first doctor appointment on Wednesday. He is doing well. As all babies do after birth, Owen lost weight and weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. when we discharged from the hospital on 8/7. As of Wednesday 8/13, Owen has gained all of his weight back and more, weighing in at 7 lbs. 5 oz.!! Owen was showing some signs of jaundice so he had some blood work done to check his bilirubin levels. Turns out Owen's bilirubin count was a bit elevated. But upon a second blood test on Friday 8/15, the count has gone down. So we have just been instructed to keep an eye on him. Typically once the bilirubin count starts to decline it does not increase again. The doctor also told us that jaundice is common in breast fed babies. So, no worries! We are all doing well. Owen is such a good baby. He wakes up every two hours during the day to eat and between 2-3 hours at night. Once he is fed at night he usually goes right back to sleep.
Taylor is adjusting well. She loves her little brother very much and is eager to help out. To give her some "Daddy time" we took her to NASCAR Speed park to play video games with Jason. She had a blast. I included some pics from the trip. Owen slept the entire time even though it was extremely noisy.
I also included some photos of Taylor singing in her bedroom. She likes to put her Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers CDs on and lip-sync to the songs. She pretends she is putting on a concert- it is too cute!

Taylor's legs weren't quite long enough to reach the pedals.

Daddy and Owen taking a nap- how sweet!

Tay in her "I'm the Big Sister" T-Shirt

Tay at her "concert"

Go Buffs!

2008-08-10T17:05:00.000-04:00

I just had to update the blog with these new pics of Owen. My Dad bought Owen his first CU outfit- he looks so cute in it! Go Buffs!!!

"You know who's #1"

Owen has arrived!!

2008-08-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

I apologize for taking so long to update everyone on Owen's birth. The last few days have been hectic as you might expect. After 13 hours of labor, Owen came into the world on August 5th at 2:31 am. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20 inches long. Owen and I were released from the hospital on Thursday and since then we have all been trying to establish some sort of routine. Owen is doing great. He is a very healthy and happy baby. Taylor is such a proud big sister. She really enjoys having her baby brother around although she does not enjoy hearing the baby cry. Owen has a very healthy set of lungs! The dogs are also trying to adjust to our new family member. Lanai has been through this before, so she has been fine. Sos, on the other hand, is very curious. He gets up to check on Owen at every little peep. I will continue to update the blog when I have time- Enjoy the pictures!

Just born

Proud big sister

Grandma and Owen

Update

2008-08-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

Well, no news to report. We did not hear from the hospital Thursday or Friday and they do not do elective inductions over the weekend. We'll see if they call on Monday. My Mom comes into town tomorrow- so excited! It will be so nice to have her here.
We haven't been up to a lot these last couple of days. Taylor and I have done some art projects together and watched a few movies. It has been extremely hot and humid here which makes it hard to be outside for too long. We tried to walk up to the playground in our neighborhood, which can't be more than a mile away, and that proved to be a bad idea. We didn't stay at the playground for more than a half hour before we were tired of the heat and needed to get back to the air conditioning.

I took Taylor and her friend to play in "the fountain" at Birkdale today. This fountain is one of our favorite places to go. The kids always have such a blast and it's a great way for them to cool off. Below are some pictures.

Taylor and Brianna- I love this picture!

Tay being silly.

39 Weeks

2008-07-31T09:07:00.000-04:00

I had my 39 week check-up on Tuesday. I am dilated to 3 cm and 70% effaced. So, it appears I'm moving right along. I am having a hard time sleeping at this point. With all of my tossing-and-turning, I am making it hard for Jason to sleep as well. Poor guy! He has really been such a trooper and so understanding of me. I really am lucky to have such a wonderful husband!
With my body progressing the way it has been, the doctor has given me the option to induce once I am 39 weeks along (Thursday 7/31). Both Jason and I have decided this is a good idea. My name has been placed on a waiting list at the hospital. Starting Thursday, they may call me to come in if their patient count is low.
This induction would be good for me and the baby in a couple of ways. One, I am more than ready to be done being pregnant. Two, I am a carrier of Group B Strep (GBS). Group B strep is a bacteria (not to be confused with Group A strep which causes "strep throat") that is commonly found in the human body. This bacteria usually does not cause any symptoms and most women don't know they are carriers until a blood test is preformed during pregnancy. About 10-35% of all adult women are carriers. This bacteria can become dangerous if the newborn comes in contact with it while in the uterus or during delivery. Babies that have been infected with GBS can develop sepsis (bloodstream infection), pneumonia or meningitis. To safeguard the newborn against contracting this bacteria, the mother is given antibiotics during labor. In my case, I will be given two doses of the antibiotic, four hours apart. Taylor had a little trouble when she came in contact with GBS when she was born. Luckily nothing too serious, but she did have some breathing problems as a result. The early administration of the antibiotic gives a better chance the baby will be safe.
So, we will see when or if the hospital calls. We will be sure to update the blog with any news and of course will post pictures once Owen arrives.

38 Weeks

2008-07-25T07:19:00.000-04:00

So, I am officially 38 weeks along as of yesterday. No more work for now which will be nice. I got home last night and had an overwhelming urge to clean the refrigerator and do laundry. Then Jason helped me get my huge tub of scrap booking supplies out of the closet. I used to scrapbook all the time when Taylor was a baby but have been really bad about keeping up with it. I thought it would be nice for Taylor to do some scrap booking with me. I think she'll enjoy making a book with the pictures she has of her friends.
This weekend Taylor has three birthday parties she has been invited to. Can you say little socialite? I don't think I was ever invited to so many parties. We're going to go broke just buying the gifts for these kids!
Jason's birthday is Sunday so I think Tay and I will make him a cake. Jason is convinced Owen is going to arrive on his birthday. Who knows, we'll see.

Here Wii Go!!!

2008-07-19T13:43:00.000-04:00

Nana came to pick Taylor up at our house and while she was here Jason taught her how to play Wii. I took some pictures and thought they were too cute not to share! Enjoy!!

Action shot! Jason instructing Nana on the proper Wii Bowling technique.

Nana and Taylor bowling

More Bowling

Jason and Nana playing tennis

Dead Tired

2008-07-18T07:50:00.000-04:00

I am so tired this morning! I didn't sleep at all last night. Owen woke me up around 1:00am with the hiccups. Throughout my pregnancy, Owen has had the hiccups often and they usually only last a few minutes. However, last night he had them for almost an hour long! I almost started to worry that something was wrong! Finally, they stopped and I was able to get back to sleep. Then, around 4:00am I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.
Thank God it's Friday! Nana is taking Taylor for us Saturday night, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up on some sleep. I bet I might even be able to talk Jason into giving me another foot massage Saturday night to help me relax! He has been such a good husband. Every weekend he gives me over an hour long foot/back massage to help me relax! I'm so spoiled :)
I only have four more days of work left before my maternity leave begins! My last day is next Thursday. I'm taking off two weeks prior to my due date to give me some time to relax and get the house ready for Owen. I can't wait!
Then, my Mom flies in August 3rd to come visit for two weeks! My Dad isn't able to make it due to work, which kind of stinks. But I'm very excited to see my Mom! I haven't seen her since last August when Taylor and I went home to Colorado to visit.

Well, I really should get back to work. Come on 4:30!!!

Doctor Visit

2008-07-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

I had my doctor appointment today for my 37 week check-up. Everything looks good. I have actually lost weight since my last visit- two pounds to be exact. The nurse said that this shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't continue to lose weight. I haven't been eating any differently so I was very surprised to see I had lost weight. I am currently one centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. The Doctor said that one centimeter is not anything to worry about. In fact, they won't worry about my progression until I'm at least 4 centimeters dilated. My next appointment is Wednesday. I'll keep you posted!!

Hospital Tour

2008-07-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

Today we visited the hospital where I will be delivering Owen. Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville is where it will take place. It is conveniently located about 5 minutes from our house and is also brand new! The Maternity Tour lasted about 45 minutes and gave us all the info we needed so there should be no surprises once the "time" comes. I was so excited to see the delivery rooms....they are huge! Each room has it's own bathroom that includes a full size jacuzzi tub. The rooms also have a huge couch that can be made up for the Father to sleep on. These rooms are so much nicer than the rooms we had at Boulder Community Hospital where Taylor was delivered. Plus, this hospital allows the baby to remain in the room with the parents/family once born so the parents have time to adjust to taking care of the newborn before going home.

I think Taylor really enjoyed the tour. Even though she won't be present at delivery, at least now she knows what to expect once she comes to the hospital after Owen is born. One of the nurses even gave Taylor a huge sheet of stickers to help make her feel special. That was very sweet!

So, now we wait! I will be 37 weeks along on Thursday which is considered full term even though my due date isn't until August 7th. Taylor was born at exactly 38 weeks, so it will be interesting to see when Owen decides to make his arrival. I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a while now, but in the past week they have become more frequent. Braxton Hicks contractions- for those of you who may be foreign to pregnancy lingo- are spontaneous contractions the body has to prepare itself for actual labor. These contractions are not painful but can be a bit uncomfortable. My next doctor visit is tomorrow and I will be sure to update everyone if there is anything new to report.

*************************************************************************************

These pictures of Taylor were taken at our house on Saturday. She was invited to a birthday party and wanted to dress up. The birthday party was for a little boy named Jay who attends school with Taylor and absolutely adores her. In fact, Jay refers to Taylor as his girlfriend. Completely innocent and too cute!!!

Doesn't she look pretty?

Our baby girl is growing up!

We are blessed!

2008-07-07T20:02:00.000-04:00

It occured to me today that I only have a few weeks left of this pregnancy and I have been spending these last few days complaining. I should be thankful for the opportunity God has given me to bring another life into the world. This will most likely be the last child we have and therefore the last pregnancy I experience. I hadn't looked at it this way before and it makes me sad. I vow from now on to enjoy these last moments of my pregnancy. I will embrace each kick and smile at each swollen toe. I will laugh at the way I wobble when I walk and cherish each trip to the bathroom!
Thank you Lord for blessing us with a beautiful daughter! We are so lucky to have Taylor. Now we have been blessed again to expect a son! What more could you ask for? We are truly blessed!

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-06T17:30:00.000-04:00

The 4th turned out to be a wonderful day. Taylor and I got our pedicure- so relaxing! Then we went over to the Chris and Jen's next door for the BBQ. We had chicken burgers and sausages, corn, and a delicious pasta salad that Mia brought over that had avocado, yellow peppers and grape tomatoes in it. Yummy! Everyone sipped on Corona's and a pineapple Mojito that Elizabeth made. Of course, my drink of choice was water, but everyone said the Mojito's were delicious.

Unfortunately, it rained until around 9:30 so I didn't get any pictures because it was dark by the time we got the fireworks started. I'm not a big fan of setting off your own fireworks, especially in the dark. So the girls and I chose to watch the fireworks from inside Chris and Jen's house while the boys and Taylor ventured outside to light them.

Saturday we got up early so we could visit the Habitat for Humanity store in search of a dresser for Owen's room. No luck! On the way home Jason spotted a couple consignment furniture stores that we stopped at as well. Still no luck, but it was fun to look at all the furniture. Some of the pieces were antiques. We love looking at old furniture. Jason likes to look at how well the old pieces of furniture were made compared to furniture made today.

Saturday evening we went to Olive Garden for dinner. It's Taylor's favorite restaurant and her pick for the evening. Every time we go there I'm reminded why I don't like Olive Garden all that much anymore....horrible service and the food is not that great. But it was really nice to get out of the house and have a family dinner out. Once Owen gets here we won't be able to do that for a while.

Sunday we went to see Wall.E. What a cute movie! I would definitely recommend this one! It's a great family flick that adults can enjoy as well.

So, that was our 4th of July weekend! We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe weekend as well!!

Where to begin?

2008-07-03T19:54:00.000-04:00

I decided to start a blog of my own after reading Ali's blog over the past few weeks. I think this is such a fun way to stay connected with the family even though I may be miles and miles away.

As you all know, we are expecting our second child August 7th. We have decided on naming him Owen Anthony Charles Schieber (Anthony and Charles coming from Jason and my grandfathers).

We are very excited for Owen's arrival. Everything is ready to go, including me! Let me just tell you how DONE I am with this pregnancy thing. Each day my stomach gets bigger. My feet are so swollen, Jason calls me the "Michelin Man". And in order for me to try to keep the swelling down I have to drink tons of water, which means I have to use the ladies room every 5 minutes...and that is no exaggeration! On top of all of that, it has been in the high 90's with horrible humidity and I am extremly homesick!

I'm trying to remain positive. I keep reminding myself it's almost over. I only have 14 days of work left...so that keeps me going.

This weekend should be a lot of fun. I have made plans for a "girls day" for Taylor and I tomorrow. We are going to get our feet done and do a little shopping.

Tomorrow night we are going to a BBQ at our neighbors house. Then Jason has plans to set off fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in N.C, so every year we drive down to S.C to purchase them. This has become a Schieber Family tradition. The fourth of July is Jason's favorite holiday, and since we won't have the chance next year to do this because we'll be on our way home....Jason went a little crazy and purchased more fireworks than usual. He really wants to make this 4th memorable for Taylor. I'll post some pictures of the festivities this weekend.