Happy 60th Birthday Papa!

My dad turned the big 6-0 on Friday so we made the trip down to Columbia on Saturday to visit and to celebrate his birthday!

 The Easter Bunny had already paid a visit to the boys in Columbia bringing buckets full of eggs, toys and candy!

 Both boys loved spending time reading with Mimi...

 

 Papa tried his hardest to keep Owen away from the brick fireplace.  Owen was determined to climb on top of it but Papa always swooped in just in time!

 Both boys LOVE checking out all the fun toys in Mimi and Papa's toy box!  Every time we visit there are new goodies waiting in there for them.

 Later that evening we met the rest of the family out for a celebratory dinner at Bonefish.

 It was Austin's idea to get Papa a birthday cake.  His favorite part is blowing out the candles and making a wish...and then eating it of course!

He also enjoyed dipping his carrot sticks in the icing and licking it off.  A little icing on your veggies never hurt, right?

Owen is looking forward to his birthday when he gets to squish his little hands through some of that sugary delicious icing!

Happy 60th Birthday Papa!!  We love you sooooo much!

It's Official!

We signed the papers and set the date....

we'll officially be North Carolina residents as of May 1st!!

After 6 months of Ryan working almost 2 hours away and only having the weekends to spend as a family of four, we couldn't be happier that the wait is finally over and we'll all be in the same state once again.  Not only will we be in the same state, but only 15 minutes away from Ryan's office in a small town called Harrisburg, just north of Charlotte.

That's right, the Harris' are moving to Harrisburg!  Fitting, isn't it?

I really can't express how sad I am to be leaving Greenville and the friends and family that we've had close by for the past 4 years, but Ryan loves his new job and we love him and just aren't a true family when he's not around.  Moving day will be bittersweet to say the least.

I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed seeing as how we've still got A LOT of packing and moving to do and I'm not sure how we're going to do it with two kids hanging by our side at every waking moment.  We've also got a couple of birthday parties to attend, a baby shower, Easter and Owen's big 1st birthday party to plan for.  It's going to get crazy around here these next few weeks!  I am of course open to any moving  w/ children tips or advice and will gladly welcome any babysitting offers from known and reliable sources.  :-)

I am extremely excited about the new house we will be living in and can't wait to see the boys' reaction to their new home.  It's bigger, with wide open spaces, all bedrooms on the same floor, and lots of great hardwoods (perfect for racing cars and riding toys around on).  I am most excited about my new kitchen and hope to be spending a lot more time in there when I finally have a husband who will be home in time for dinner most nights!

Our new home

My new kitchen

Just Pictures

First trip to the zoo this Spring!

Owen admiring the giant turtles

Zooming through Whole Foods

Sweet Owen!

Austin playing with his next door buddy, Daniel

Hard at work making Papa's birthday card

Me:  "You're a silly willy!"

Austin:  "No mom, I'm Austin."

Owen and his favorite snack, baby goldfish!

After riding the choo choo at the mall

"Get this thing OFF!"

"Wheeeee!"

It's electric!

(boogie woogie woogie)

Watch Owen Go!

Owen is 11 Months!

Oh, Owen!  What a busy month this has been!  11 months down and one to go before the big 1st birthday. Where has my little baby gone?  I have no idea...but I'm loving every minute with my almost toddler!

Now here are those 11 month facts you've been waiting for...

-Saying mama, dada, baba, and bye bye

-Clapping his hands all the time and waving bye-bye (so cute!)

-Took his first unassisted steps on 4/3/11, but is still a little apprehensive about walking on his own

-Loves to push his walker around the house (video coming soon!)

-Has learned to blow bubbles in the bath and is really proud of himself when he does so

-Also likes to blow raspberries on mommy, daddy and Austin's bellies!

-Loves, loves, loves his books, especially Pat the Bunny and any book with flaps

-Frozen yogurt is by far his new favorite treat

-Transitioning to just one long nap a day

-Not quite 20lbs. yet, but close

-Wearing size 9-12 month clothes and a size 3 diaper

-Got his first pair of Stride Rites the other day in size 4.5 and loves them!

-Has 8 teeth, top and bottom 4

-Has entered the climbing phase and will try to scale anything within reach

-Loves to give high fives

-Tries to imitate everything he sees!

-Gives the best slobbery kisses, but watch out, sometimes he bites!

-Has to sleep with his yellow duckie lovie

-Still a very sweet and laid back little boy who can melt his mommy and daddy's hearts with just the smallest little smile!

10 Things I learned from the stomach flu

1.  Just go ahead and ditch the potty training efforts for a few days and stock up on a few extra diapers.  You will be thankful when you are only scrubbing regurgitated banana out of your carpet as opposed to...well...you know...

2.  Hydrocortisone cream and warm baking soda baths are a HUGE help with soothing that horrible hieny rash.

3.  Buy the store brand Pedialyte and save some money...it's most likely gonna come back up anyway.  Oh, and stay away from grape flavor or any other flavor who's color doesn't blend in with your living room decor.

4.  Zofran is a miracle drug, call your doctor and get some.

5.  Keep wipes and towels within arms reach at all times.  Make sure you've got some clean crib sheets on hand as well.

6.  Moms make excellent targets for the expelling of bodily fluids.  Just remember, it's a lot easier to take a shower and wash clothes than it is to scrub down a stretch of carpet or a cloth sofa.

7.  Milkshakes make everything better.

8.  Dust off some of those old Disney movies that you enjoyed from your childhood.  Episode after episode of Dora, Mickey Mouse and Team Umizoomi will get old....fast!

9.  Children who are sick can be ultra sensitive and quite irritable.  Keep reminding yourself that it won't last forever, try to stay calm, and don't forget to take deep breaths.

10.  Don't beat yourself up because your child has been watching a lot more tv than normal, hasn't eaten a well-balanced meal in a week, and you haven't left the house in days. Even though it's not your idea of a productive week, cartoons, milkshakes, french fries, and staying in your pjs all day seems like a pretty good deal to a kid!

(FYI-my previous post was an April Fool's joke...I am definitely NOT pregnant!!!)

Oops, we did it again...

APRIL FOOLS!

Mister Blue Eyes

Kelli over at ForThisChildiPrayed.net is hosting a fun little "link up" that is right up my alley!
She's asking people to share a favorite picture and talk about why they love it.

I have thousands and thousands of pictures and really don't have just one...or two or even three favorites.  Any picture of my boys is special to me and I could never narrow it down!  I really wanted to find one for this link up though, so I opened my March picture folder (which so far contains 618 pictures), and after lots and lots of looking, finally found the perfect one...

I love this picture because it is completely natural and not staged.  I just grabbed my camera the other day (when Owen was looking particularly cute) snapped a few quick pictures, put the camera away and then went back to playing with my sweet boy.  That night I downloaded the pictures I had taken and this one just popped out at me.  It was one of the few that was actually in focus (something that is truly hard to capture when you have a baby making a b-line for you and your camera), but it caught my eye for several other reasons as well.  

I love the sweet, innocent look on Owen's face and the fact that his big, pale, blue eyes really stand out.  I love how his hair is swooped to the side giving him that real "little boy" look and I adore those little wisps of hair standing up on the top of his head.  I like how Owen's silhouette really pops against the simple, slightly blurred, background and how the focus is off center, which as Kelli mentions in her post, is often more appealing to the eye.

Of course my favorite thing about this picture is that Owen looks so stinkin' cute here and every time I look at it I want to hold him and squeeze him and kiss those sweet little cheeks.  And look at that...only about 7 hours left until I'll get to do just that, so I better wrap it up before that number starts decreasing. :-)

And don't forget to head on over to Kelli's blog and link up your favorite photo, too!

Let me introduce you to...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Owen

and...

Super Austin!

Wedding Pictures!!

Some of the fabulous wedding pictures courtesy of the very talented 

Lindsay Alexander Photography! 

and finally...

The Movie:  Catherine & Nick!