Happy Labor Day

We got a chance to see some friends that we haven't seen in forever (the Petersons and the Summervilles) and some that we see a ton (the Ogburns). Everyone came over to hang out and eat of course play Rock Band :) It was madness in our house, especially once the kids got fueled up on sugar and ran around terrorizing the animals. Here are some pics!

Luke getting his color on

Owen locked up in Handstand Butterfly's cage

Owen and Lauren rocking out

Jeff, Joel and Bryan keeping a close eye on their six combined children

Then the Peterson kids have a turn

Mystery solved

The beautiful necklace was a gift from Rita, a sweet friend from Pearland who lost her own son Charlie when he was only a few days old. Besides being a great friend, she is a genuine Lousisiana girl who I could listen to talk about her adventures there anyday. Especially after she's had a few cocktails :)

The secret room is done

The secret room is actually a big closet under our stairs but from the first time we looked at the house, Owen claimed it as his own. We finally went through all of his toys and organized them so now he's got his very own little playroom. Which is nice since Bryan has taken over the entire playroom downstairs with his massive TV :)

Some crazy kid doing karate in his underwear in the secret room

Necklace

Today I got this beautiful necklace in the mail in honor of Baby Bree. It looks just like the one to the right except it has a ruby as her birthstone. The necklace is called "Baby Tears" and came with the following poem.

Baby Tears

We never heard your first tiny cry

never wiped the teardrops from your eyes.

And though our hearts grieve,

and we are bereft

we carry your teardrops,

they are all we have left...

We carry them with us ,

tucked next to our heart

your memory with us always

we are never apart

It's absolutely beautiful but it didn't say who sent it. It came from Canada so I've got some guesses but PLEASE, if you sent it, let me know so I can thank you properly!!

Didn't we move from the Pear???

On Saturday, we went to Bryan's office picnic. While it was nice to meet a bunch of his work people, I have NO idea why they have it in August at noon. It was hot but Owen had a great time getting every square inch of his body painted by the clown and he also got a cool balloon parrot that sat on his shoulder. After the picnic we headed down to the Pear once again to hang out. We got to see the Morrisons, the Pagets, AND Angie :) Here's a pic of Bryan reading to Charlie and Owen. Notice the hand on his head. He's actually twirling his hair which is something he's done since he was an infant. I've kept his hair really short for the last few years and just decided to grow it longer. And the DAY it got long enough to twirl, he was right back to it. The last time it was this long he ended up with a bald spot right at the top of his head. And since Popi is his grandfather, he needs to hang on to his hair as long as he can!!!
And Hope dancing. She kept telling everyone to be quiet and WATCH her!!!
Underwear sprinkler time!!!!!!!!!!!!
And because Jill, Patty and Angie read this blog, I had to put in this gorgeous shot of them!! We are SO excited about baby boy Paget and can't wait to meet him. I have no idea why the picture was taken crooked and off-centered......

Owen LOVES his goggles

Family Weekend

On Friday, Bryan and I went out on a date for the first time in a LONG time. We went to Dave Matthews and Lita and Owen hung out at home. Owen REALLY wanted to go on the date with us but sadly was made to stay home. On Saturday, Leigh and Adam came over and brought Rock Band. I don't know how Owen slept through it later that night, but the McAfee/Hulshof/Rodrigue band was AWESOME! The band:

Bryan on drums. Every so often you could catch a glimpse of him and I swear he thought he was really on stage.

Adam on guitar/bass. Again with the delusions of actually being a rock star.

Leigh on guitar/bass. Serious yet oh so good. I think she may have practiced a bit.

Steph on vocals. Mostly because I wasn't skilled enough to do the others and it had NOTHING to do with having too many cocktails. I do remember hearing things like "voice of an angel" and "is that Amy Winehouse?".

And finally, a self portrait by Owen the camera man.

We didn't get a picture but Mimi took to the guitar like you wouldn't believe. I think she felt like she was back at a John Denver concert with Popi asking him why the smoke smelled so funny :)

Popi wasn't as inclined to be in the band but he and Owen did have a showdown in the backyard on the soccer field.

Popi seemed to be REALLY excited about blocking a shot kicked by a four year old.

And a picture of Num Nums (her new name) snuggling with Diego. Owen took the picture and totally staged it but when are kittens ever not cute????

AND, I just booked our tickets to LA for October. Bryan's going for work and Owen and I are coming along to go to Legoland and Disney. Can't wait!!!

Necklace

After Bree was born, my sister in law sent me a necklace to honor both Bree and Owen. A jeweler named Lisa Leonard made it and it is BEAUTIFUL. Below is a picture of what it looks like but of course has the kids names on it :) If you're looking for a unique and personal piece of jewelry, I highly recommend Lisa!
http://lisaleonardonline.com/

Is that David Beckham???

We tried soccer in Pearland when Owen was just 3 and it was not the best experience. The kids were WAY too young and it was WAY too hot. So we're going to try it again this year and Owen is so excited about it. He and Bryan went and got him shin guards and cleats this weekend tonight they practiced in the backyard. The only thing that I dread is the Saturday games only because I know that this is probably the beginning of the end of my Saturday morning sleep ins.

Diving Board

We started the summer with Owen in a floatie refusing to put his face in the water. With the summer almost over, Owen is officially a swimmer using his arms and legs, doing flips underwater, handstands and trying to touch the bottom in the deep end of the pool. The other day he decided that he wanted to try the diving board and now is a master of cannonballs and the pencil dive (see pic below).

The next picture is unique only because Owen has his swim shirt off. You can kind of see the famer's tan he has because he has this weird phobia of people seeing his "buttons" (those would be his nips). I have no idea where this comes from but today he decided to go without the shirt. Yes, he's an odd kid :)

Friends at last

Despite Fat Cat's determined efforts not to like the kitten, the two of them are getting along really well lately. The big one is exhausted as she is gigantic and I don't think she's quite used to all of the energy that Brownie has. But Fat Cat has been more active than she has been in months so it has to be good for her!!

Cousin Camp Part 3

Sadly, the first annual Cousin Camp has ended but according to Owen it was a huge success. Today he told me he was going to ask Mimi if the next one can be 10 days long. I went out with them to Uncle Dick's house at Lake Conroe for a day on the boat yesterday. We had a lot of fun but I guess I should remember that sunscreen isn't just for kids!

Cousins on the dock ready to get on the boat

Owen, Popi and Kayla in the lake

Owen and I on the boat, pre-sunburn

All the cousin campers taking a swim

Popi and Owen on the inner tube

All 3 kids in the inner tube

Not that you can tell, but that's Owen's head :)

Driving the boat with Uncle Dick

Owen and Cam