My Baby Turned 7!!!!

Yesterday, my baby, my little boy, the miracle that completed our family, well, he turned 7 on me.  Thank God he still declares his love for me at least 20 times a day and calls out needing me about 75 more.  I still need that.  I need him to need me, and to still resemble a "little" kid.  Those hugs, kisses, and lengthy bedtime routines need to stay in place for a while yet.  I have a feeling they will, it seems we BOTH need that.  :-)

Owen is an extremely loving, caring little boy.  He's a creature of habit and comfort and doesn't like to venture out of his safety zones.  We're working on that!  At his pace.  Admittedly sometimes with more patience than others....don't get me started on trying to find clothes for him.  He's crazy smart, silly, athletic, and truly, just kindhearted.  No matter what his big brother has done to him, he's always working on getting him out of trouble.  He's a lovable quirky old soul.  Owen is also a very black and white thinker.  He could have had a great day and then when one thing happens in the evening that makes him upset, well, he declares the day to be the "worst day of his life!"  Really?  That bad because we ran out of strawberries?  That's my boy!  My buddy!  He hates that he has curly hair and always tries to flatten his curls.  He loves history, Star Wars, action figures, the military, and has a serious sweet tooth!  He's playing baseball for the first time this year.  Another thing to venture out of his comfort zone.  He's always played soccer and enjoyed it, but all of his new friends are playing baseball, so he went out on a limb and chose that instead.  So far, so good!  To encourage him with his new adventure we planned a baseball themed party for him!

So, for Owen's big day I took the day off of work and chaperoned his all-day field trip to a nature center.  Then we went to my office to celebrate my boss's birthday (yup, same day) and then it was back to the house to get ready for his party!

Listening to the info about what we'd find during our pond exploration.

Digging for a huge scoop of muck to see what we can find!

Um, notice that he's digging through the muck with a little scoop?  He was not about to put his hands in there.  I did.  The other girls did.  The boys???  Not so much!

We scored 1 fish and 2 juicy tadpoles in that net!

Then we went back into the classroom and looked at the things we found under a microscope.  Pretty cool!

It was a beautiful day so lunch was outside.  At one point this mama goose and her babies came walking by and ALL of the kids got distracted.  

For the afternoon we took a nature walk and found edible trees, stinky plants, and prickly branches.  

The party at home was a huge success.  Lots of kids running around, jumping on the trampoline, playing games, eating "baseball" food, and causing a ruckus in general!

The awesome cake our neighbor made!

The dizzy bat game.  Spin around with your head on the bat then run the bases!  Everyone got a kick out of this one! 

The intended effect!  :-)  Greyson fell down and look at those boys laughing!  Notice the lack of shoes???  Half of them had their shoes off because they were on and off the trampoline all evening.

Pinata time!

Brian had fun moving that thing up and down so everyone could have a turn before it broke.   Every time he'd move it up and someone would miss all of the kids would burst out laughing.  It was so cute!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

The Dog Did It

Last night while I was working out in our home gym I heard a bit of a ruckus coming from the playroom.  The boys had been put to bed.  I wasn't sure who the culprit was, but I had a hunch.  I quick grabbed my phone to take a video for evidence.

So, this morning while I boys were eating breakfast I told them that they needed to clean up the play room.  I said it was a MESS!  Owen said Greyson must have done it because he didn't make a mess.  Greyson loudly protested his innocence.  They both tried to blame the other for a minute and then I asked if that meant the dog did it....the standard excuse when one is "needed."  They both said, yes!  It must have been Henry!

Then I showed them this!

And they both yelled, "MIN-NIE!!!!"

For the record, they still needed to clean up the mess.  I mean, if they had put the bins away in the closet where they belonged she wouldn't have been able to take 50 toys out!  Right?  Right!  

I'm Definitely A Mom To Boys!!!

After our hike at the cabin on Sunday I went back inside to start packing things for the trip home.  When I made my way into the kitchen I found a  surprise.

Snake skin on the counter.  Lovely.  I asked Greyson if he did left it.  You know, since he WAS the boy who brought a fish to me in the shower once.  He said he'd thrown his outside.  I asked Brian about it.  He said to  have whoever put it there clean it up and walked away.  I finally tracked Owen down.  Yup, it was his.  Nope, he really didn't want to remove it.  Newsflash people....I am deathly afraid of snakes and I am NOT going to be the one to clean up that mess.  Owen was ushered into the kitchen and I have no idea what he did with the snake skin.  Nor do I care.  Unless of course I find it under my pillow or something.  

I'm so glad to know that some big ol snake left that in the woods near the cabin.  I'm pretty sure he's out there waiting to eat me while I try to relax by the pond in the next few months.  

Breaking In The Pond

Yesterday afternoon the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the pond was calling the names of two little boys!  We took a walk down to the edge of the pond with my dad and it all just became too much for my little adventurers.  They HAD to get in!

 

A boxer in the water?  Unheard of!  

Eventually Brian offered them both $1.00 if they would walk across but they only made it about 3/4 of the way before turning back.

My Dad Was In The Army

Owen has a new fascination with the military and history.  The Easter bunny even brought him a book about U.S. Presidents.  He can often be heard telling anyone who mentions the military, that his dad was in the Army and jumped out of airplanes in the war.  His facts are partially correct.  His dad was in fact in the Army, and the 82nd Airborne, thus he did jump out of airplanes, and although he did serve in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, he did not jump out of airplanes while there.  We'll let Owen go on with his story in his head though.  It's innocent and cute.

With all of that, he has also been asking to see all of Brian's "Army stuff" as he puts it.  We finally had a quiet weekend at home and we lugged the heavy keepsake tote up stairs and he sat with the boys looking at pictures, clothing, medals, and other military related keepsakes while I made breakfast.  Owen was in heaven and looked at everything for the next hour or so by himself.

Hey, did you know Owen's dad was in the Army?  :-)

Scooting

I took a few minutes while I prepared dinner last night and watched the boys outside playing in the sunshine.  It's been such a long winter and slow spring that I just couldn't resist.  I also had to remind them (for the first time ever) to PUT THEIR HELMETS ON!!!  While it was only in the 40's they still opted for no jackets and I didn't fuss.  I figured that at their ages they could figure out if they were cold and needed a jacket or sweatshirt.

 

 

Love that face when he's doing tricks.  :-)