Give me one more chance.

I get to open up presents tonight, Mommy.

We are celebrating Christmas tonight with the Hipps family. Owen is a little bit excited.

We have started vacation out right. We had the ultimate lazy, snow day yesterday and it was great! I skipped yoga, Jer skipped his Christmas shopping and we all lounged around our house all day. We did get bundled up to play in the fresh snow for a bit.

Today I did go to yoga and Jer & O are out doing their Christmas shopping now. I'm going to finish up some wrapping and maybe do a little baking before we head over to Joanne's to celebrate. Vacation is a good thing.

Roar

Walter has a new 'word' or maybe a sound. He says this with his fists clenched and raised in the air. Its pretty darn cute.

Today was a big day in our house. It was Owen's winter concert, followed by a pizza party for all the families of Sunny Hollow. At the last minute Jer & I decided bringing an 18 month old would make it a bit difficult so my dear mom's group friends came to the rescue and watched Walter while we were at the event. His class sang Fre're Jacques (in French, English & Ojibwa), Three Little Birds, and Let it Snow to a packed house. It was quite cute. During the last song, Owen decided it would be fun to sing with his hands on his head. Here's Three Little Birds, Owen is in the front row, second from the right.



Here are a few other photos from school. First, Owen & his teacher, Gina, followed by O & Jer.

I just need to finish this advertisement.

This is what Owen told me when I told him dinner was ready tonight. He has been making books all afternoon. I guess this one was a magazine.

I dropped Owen off at school this morning while still in my pj's. I'm struggling getting us out the door in time with all this intense winter gear these days. Children have no sense of urgency when it comes to time. Refreshing idea, but sometimes I wish they got it...like when we are running late for school!

We made cookies this afternoon. Owen was in charge of unwrapping the kisses and rolling the dough balls in sugar. He was pretty pumped about these cookies as we are bringing them to Sunny Hollow to share with the other families after his concert on Friday.

After dinner the boys took a bath together. There was tons of laughter and splashing going on in there tonight. The bathroom floor was drenched by the end of it all.

I need to get my santa hat.

This is what Owen said as I tucked him in to bed tonight. Here is the result:

In four years, I will be eight.

I am continually surprised by Owen's smarts. It is so fun to see and hear him learn. 

I have one and only one complaint about my minivan - which could easily pass as a complaint about our garage instead. This morning as I tried to get the boys in, one of the doors wouldn't open, it was frozen shut! I guess I remember this happening on previous cars, too. However the van doors are power doors, so when I try to open the door it will open just enough for the sensors to think its open. Thus, when we all finally get loaded in and are ready to be on our way, the interior lights stay on and the van dings over & over again warning me of an open door! Now on top of this, Owen is asking why the van is dinging, why the door won't open, why the door won't shut, why, why, why?!

Oh well, welcome to winter in lovely MN. Although incredibly freezing today, its fun to see everything so frozen, especially as we drive over the Mississippi to Sunny Hollow. Its beautiful.

And I'll make a thank you mat here.

We were making a fort with a cardboard box today and I told Owen I'd make a welcome mat in the front. This was his response. It took me a bit to get it...thank you & (your) welcome go hand & hand in his mind! I really wish this picture wasn't blurry, but oh well. This is the boys in the box and  Walter's 'cheese' face. So cute.

Peanut butter & jelly & honey.

For the past 2 weeks when I ask Owen what he wants for lunch when I pick him up from school, this is his answer. He makes it all by hisself and I supply a little fruit and veggie. Lunchtime made easy!

Owen made his first snow angel of the season yesterday when we were shoveling. He also threw a good amount of snowballs at me. He's loving the snow.

We've been listening to some Bob Marley lately to prep Owen for his winter concert and make us feel like we are in a warmer climate, too. Walter enjoys jamming to it, as you can see:

Can I do my projects now?

We hear this often throughout the day. Owen is Mr. Project. He loves doing arts & crafts. He's been busy recently making us necklaces, bracelets and ornaments for our tree.

We've had an exciting week of Christmas preparations. We've been receiving gifts left and right...a light up Santa from Great-Aunt Jeannie, ornaments and snowman cards from Grandma & Grandpa Harala, an outdoor light up deer from Great Grandma Donna and our annual delivery of a Christmas tree from Grandpa Monster. All these gifts and its not even Christmas yet. We are feeling the love! Owen has been the primary decorator of the Christmas tree this year. I'd say at least half of the ornaments are handmade by him over the past couple days. The boys and I made a batch of Christmas cookies on Wednesday. Jer & the boys went sledding today. The holidays are certainly upon us!

Here's a video of the boys having some fun with bubble wrap:

Muskie Hunter & In Fisherman

These are the "books" the boys picked out for their bedtime stories tonight. Whatever happened to The Little Engine that Could?

Reality hit us today as Jer went back to work after being off for a week. Just three more weeks and then we have two weeks off together again for Christmas!

Owen enjoyed his first taste of snow for the season yesterday. He was outside making snowballs and eating the snow. Today as I was unloading Walter from the van I looked over and saw him crunched over licking up some more. 

Walter & I spent the morning at playgroup. He's enjoying his new social life. Tomorrow we have music. He's playing more and more like a big boy these days.

Our house is the world and these planes are flying around it.

Jer and Owen have been making paper airplanes this week. Yesterday Owen told me this. He said his planes were full of people going to places like Asia and Hawaii.

Jon & Rachel went back to Tennessee yesterday. We met at Red Savoy for a farewell lunch of pizza. When we got home we started organizing the storage side of our basement that got destroyed in prep for the boys' bedroom reorg, Owen's birthday party, and Thanksgiving. When the kids went to bed Jer & I had big plans of watching a movie in the basement. I think I made it through 5 minutes and Jer said he made it through about 10 before falling asleep. Maybe we'll have better luck tonight!

Here's a video of sweet Walter being silly (he's really interested in trying to get himself dressed lately) and showing some of his tricks:

Is it Christmas today, Mommy?

I've been telling Owen, first its your birthday, then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. The first thing he asked me this morning was whether or not today was Christmas. He is very excited to decorate for the upcoming holiday!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving here with the Hipps family yesterday. Jon, Rachel & Isabelle were here from Tennessee. Anita was here from Las Vegas. The rest of us were here to eat too much food. Jer & I hosted Thanksgiving right after we were married and the turkey wasn't cooked well enough. This time around was much better! I thought the food was quite good, the atmosphere was warm and calm, and the company was wonderful. We did have lots of help from Joanne and my sister, thankfully.

We've had a few big days at Sunny Hollow that I haven't talked about yet. First, a week ago, we had Owen's birthday celebration. We got to meet all his classmates, tell stories about Owen's life and after, Owen got to show us all his work alone, while the rest of the class was in the gym. It was great to see what he enjoys working on and how proud he is of his classroom. Then, on Wednesday we had our first parent/teacher conference with his 3 teachers. He certainly made us proud. They told us he was very kind to everyone and really interested in following all the steps of a presentation. They said he was certainly excelling in this environment. We couldn't agree more. Although still a quiet boy, I can see his confidence growing. I'm so happy with this whole situation.

I've kind of been focusing on Owen on the blog lately between his birthday and all the Sunny Hollow excitement, so here's a little update on our sweet Walter. His favorite word is now fish. (I wonder why!?) He probably says it about every other word. He's turning into a little goof-ball. He likes to try get people to laugh and loves seeing his bro do silly things. He can sure make a person smile. He thoroughly enjoyed his first real Thanksgiving meal yesterday! (And the left-overs for dinner tonight!)

What does that spell?

Owen's on to my spelling tricks these days. If I need to say something without him understanding, of course I do the old parent ploy of spelling. Unfortunately now he wants to know what I'm spelling!

We had Owen's birthday party with all the 3 & 4 year olds from my moms group on Friday. They all came too...all 14 of them! Wow. It was interesting. We had a fishing party (for obvious reasons) and the kids went fishing, dressed up like fishermen, got fish face paintings and made their own lures. We had pizza and fish cupcakes, too. I think everyone had a good time...with the exception of the adults that were here helping. It was crazy, crazy, crazy! Here's some proof:

I'm just so excited to see what's in there!

As you know, today is Owen's birthday. Although his new bedding was his main present, you know I couldn't leave it at that. I told him that after dinner he could open his gifts. At dinner, he said this a few times. Once he did find out what was in there, the fish stapler was by far the most exciting gift.

I think its safe to say Owen had a special 4th birthday. He received all sorts of phone calls from family and friends, a visit from our neighbors and Auntie Kindi, and I'm not sure I told him no once today. He had macaroni & cheese for lunch & dinner, he got to watch a movie tonight, we made cupcakes that he decorated, we did a few art projects and we built a house for his little people. I reaped the benefits of many 'I love you, Mommy's' throughout the day. He's such a good boy...and so big!

"Don't worry, about a thing....

'cause every little thing is going to be alright." Today during quiet time Owen was playing down stairs and I kept hearing him sing this Bob Marley song as he built a house with his Lincoln Logs. They must have played it or sang it at school today.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Owen's birthday is tomorrow, which means I was in labor all day today. I really like thinking about what we were doing 4 years ago throughout the day. At 10:30 p.m. four years ago, I had just received the epidural, they pumped up the pitocin and told me to try and get some sleep. I remember thinking that was just a crazy idea. He was born at 1:24 a.m.

We got Owen's school pictures back today and although I'm sure this is illegal, I have scanned in a copy to share. Isn't he one of the two cutest boys you've ever seen? (Oops - I mean THREE, Jer!)

I know, we have to use our mental muscle.

I asked Owen how we were going to remember to bring the milk caps (Kemps nickel's for schools) to Sunny Hollow tomorrow, as we've forgotten 3 school days in row now. This was his response.

The highlight of our weekend was getting Owen's 'new' big boy bed. It is actually the bed his daddy slept in as a kid. He is so proud of it. At 6 pm on Saturday he asked if he could get in his pajamas and go to bed - no book or story. Of course we said o.k. and of course he did not actually stay in bed, but it sure has been easy to get him in bed the past few nights. The only problem is getting us out - it sure is a cozy bed! Here is a video of the boys giggling in the bed - Owen was copying Walter.

I don't want to take a bath until Christmas.

The bath battles have begun.

Owen went back to school today after having two sick days off. He was excited to bring with him a rock from Grandpa Harala. I'm not sure when/if he'll decide to bring it home. We will be going there for his birthday celebration next Friday and I plan on emptying out his locker then. I can think of at least three sweatshirts he has stashed in there.

Walter & I went to playgroup at Maggie's today. Jer & her husband were in a similar group as small children. How fun it is that we are doing this now with our children. Walter loved playing with the big kids. He tries so hard to keep up with them. Generally, they are all so patient with him, too. 

Can I make some coffee for myself?

Jer made Owen a special kid's coffee this weekend (hot chocolate) so as I was making some tea this evening, Owen asked if he could make himself some coffee.

Owen had his first sick day today. He has an ear infection and got some medication today. While we were at the pediatrician's Walter got his second half of his flu shot. He then got a fever...in addition to the onset of a cold. I'm also starting to partake in the party, so we are going through tissues like crazy. Awe, winter.

We decided to take a family drive out to Roger's this weekend to see the huge fish tanks at Cabella's. The boys loved it. They also have all sorts of animal displays. Kind of a funny road trip, but it was enjoyable. We stopped by Lindsay & Andreas' house after to see a 3D picture of their baby. Lindsay is due early April and I'm nothing short of stoked!

Aren't they darling?

Owen is sleeping in his dog costume (that is two sizes too small) again tonight. He started pulling out all his dog stuffed animals this evening and after we set them up on the couch for a group photo (Walter is the owner according to Owen...I mean 'Golden Retriever'), he said this. After the photo, he made individual beds for all the dogs on the floor of their bedroom.

I'm not much for pushing my views on people, but I have to just say that I have been smiling all day today. What a fabulous, energetic 24 hours it has been! Congrats, President-Elect Obama!!! This is going to be good.

ba-ball and bu-ball

In true Hipps baby form, Walter is nowing saying 'baseball' & 'football'. He walks around saying these words throughout the day, which sometimes I can't quite distinguish between. His other favorite word is 'dat' (that) which he says while pointing at something he wants. Every once in a while he'll say mama, dada and choo-choo, too. He is one busy boy trying hard to keep up with and follow his big brother. I like to call him Mr. Personality these days. Today we had music class, which is always fun.

My dad swung in to pick up my mom this afternoon. I think they both had a good time with the kids and my dad enjoyed his hunting trip. I know for sure that my boys enjoyed their time with them and I can say I enjoyed all the help and trips to yoga.

It's warmer closer to that line.

Owen and Jer were talking about the seasonal changes and Owen kept saying 'but its warmer closer to the line.' When Jer asked him what line, he said 'um...the equator'. Um, wow, thank you Sunny Hollow!

Walter got his first full fledged mommy haircut today. I've been so reluctant to cut it as I think haircuts always make them look older. Jer talked me into it and of course, he looks so cute, but what's new. My baby is growing up.

Tonight we used the Mall of America ride tickets Owen got trick or treating last night. It was a fun family night!

But I don't want to wear this!

Today was picture day at Sunny Hollow. Normally I let Owen pick out whatever he wants to wear (within reason) and today I picked out his clothes. He was fine putting everything on until we got to the sweater - to which he said this. I told him there are a few days a year that I get to pick out everyone's clothes, even Daddy's, and today was one of them. What a handsome fellow.

Once school was done it was among the longest afternoon's of Owen's life. He was waiting and waiting for it to get dark. Once it did, the boys turned into little buckaroo's and hit up the neighborhood looking for treats. Walter tried his hardest to keep up with his brother but his horse just wasn't quite as speedy or graceful. Owen got to go out twice, once with Jer & me and a second time with my

 mom and aunt. He 

certainly hit the motherload tonight and I'm not sure what we're going to do with all this candy. I have pretty much zero will power and have been avoiding having this kind of stuff in our house. Now it is downstairs just calling my name. I wouldn't be surprised if Jer wakes up in the morning to see chocolate all over my face and a trail of wrappers around the house.

Cougars.

I had a wonderful time away with some fellow moms this past weekend. We decided to celebrate 3 years of friendship and motherhood with a girls getaway in Chicago. It was super fun. We were total girls doing lots of shopping, taking eons to get ready, trying on each other's clothes, putting make-up on and gabbing one another's ears off. It was fabulous and very refreshing. We kept commenting on how strange it was to be only responsible for our selves, to finish conversations, and eat entire meals while they were still warm! Jer called us 'cougars' and I'll let him explain that one to you sometime!

Jer and the boys seemed to have had a nice weekend. Apparently they were busy doing projects as I've been finding things like leafs all over the house (from their wax paper leafs) and homemade frozen yogurts in the fridge. They managed to do some fishing and spent some time raking over at Donna & Bruce's, too. It sounds like they got some good male bonding in.

When I went to get a permit for our new deck last week, the city told me that I could not do a deck or porch or anything except replace our cracking front stoop. So, after feeling frustrated and bad about all the time Al had sunk into designing it for us, we've moved on to new ideas. Gardeneer came out on Thursday and took out our old front stoop and walkway. (Thank you, Al!) We contemplated trying to pour a new front stoop and little patio area immediately, but with temperatures dipping into the 20's at night, the concrete guru advised us to wait. So for the time being, my dad, Owen & Walter built us a temporary front stoop today. We will be patient and finish our curb appeal in the spring. 

The tiger walked on the tight rope like this.

This statement was of course followed by Owen walking on his tip toes with claw hands saying 'roar, roar, roar'. He had a great time with Al & Joanne at the circus Saturday and continues to talk about the tigers. He was originally pleading for me to make him a costume. That plea has subsided, which is just fine with me. I have too many unfinished sewing projects to start another.

We had a day full of visitors and fun today. Walter and I had music to start the day off. We were singing some song on the ride there and he started doing the hand motions to one song! Sounds small, but it was exciting to me. He's just so darn cute. He enjoyed music and even got his groove on a little (usually he's too busy watching everyone to dance).

After school, a friend from Sunny Hollow and his mom came over for lunch. The boys played well together after, while Walter slept, so the mom and I actually got to have some pretty good, full conversations! Amazing.

Tonight Arianna & Ella came over for dinner. We used to swap children weekly if not more and hadn't for a while due to some life changes. It is so great to have them more frequently in our lives again. They are such good girls and all play quite well together. Owen & Ella butt heads every so often and I even heard Owen pull out the "Ella June" a couple times, which just made me laugh. Once they figure it all out, Ella just blows it off and goes on to play. Owen, however, keeps holding on. Funny.

Owen is camping out tonight on his bedroom floor. I tried to encourage him to wait until my parents come next week, but he had to do it tonight!