The boys (and some wonderful help!)...

Today, the Dahl clan graciously gave up their Saturday to help us put up our swing set. The boys played super well together all day, Leah and I enjoyed a day long visit (while she so kindly held Silas for most of the day), and Jeff and C.J. spent the entire day putting together the play set (only to get half way done!). Seriously, they spoiled us. We so appreciate all of the help...and the company! Dahl crew, we love you!

In other growing up news...

Silas ate his first food tonight! I know, why rush the growing up when I'm feeling so sentimental? Well...because I'm hoping it will maybe help him sleep better. As I mentioned in the last post, he was up 4 times last night to nurse. And only a few weeks ago he had gotten into a rhythm of getting up only once, maybe twice. I don't know what has made him regress, but I do wonder if he is growing so much that my milk just isn't filling him up. I'm probably wrong, but I figured it was worth a shot. So, we gave him a bit of baby oatmeal tonight. The first couple bites were quite amusing, but he quickly got the hang of it. He ate the whole bowl! I'll keep you posted on his sleep tonight...unless you hear nothing....then just assume that it was a total flop!

What happened?

I came across this picture today. It is one of my all time favorites of Owen. We were out doing yardwork one day, and he fell out of his sandbox into the dirt minutes after I had lathered his face with sunscreen. It's one of my favorite memories and I love his sweet little face in it. But the point of this isn't that I love the picture (even though I do)...it's that he has grown up WAY too fast. Honestly, it seems like just a few weeks ago that this happened. How did he go from being my baby to being my big boy all of the sudden? I mean, I love seeing him grow and learn and blossom into a sweet young boy, but I just wish it would all slow down. My sister, Allison, has always said that she wishes you could wake up every day to a random day from your child's life (like one day they are 3, the next day they are 12, the next day they are 2 weeks, etc.) That way, you would be sure to cherish the blessings of each stage and not the struggles. I kinda agree with her. But since that won't ever happen, I sure am glad we have videos. I mean, pictures are wonderful, but there's something so special about being able to go back and hear their voices, see their toddling, re-live moments from their childhood, etc. I know none of this is profound and I know every mother has mixed feelings about watching their children grow...but today, I'm sentimental. I love my boys and I love this time in their lives. I wish I could put life on pause for a while and enjoy this stage longer (even in spite of waking up 4 times last night to feed my baby). Thank you, Lord, for my children.

Cousins...

Happy Birthday to our sweet 3 year old!

Yesterday, Owen turned 3. And I just need to say that getting to know our sweet boy over the past 3 years has been more of a joy than I can express. Owen, we love you to pieces. You bring so much joy to our lives, and we are so proud of the boy you are. The 3 years we've had you in our lives have been the best ever! Happy Birthday my boy!

Here are some pictures of the party. I feel like I should mention that I actually saw this idea for a puppy party on a photographer's blog that I follow so I can't really take credit for the creativity. Owen and I just thought it was pretty cute so we decided to borrow her ideas! However, per Owen's request, we adapted it to be a puppy and kitty party. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to all of our friends and family for coming! We love you all!







We had a little obedience school. The kids (all 3 that were willing to play) did various puppy tricks and got treats (candy) if they performed them well:




Owen was not one of the 3, even though we had practiced several times before the party:



We also played "fetch." We threw a doggie bone and the kids took turns running to get it. Although the games turned into a bit of a free-for-all, the kids had fun...and that's what matters, right? Maybe when they're all a bit older we can count on some more structured activities. Lesson learned!



Cake time...



I had also planned to have the kids eat their cake in puppy fashion...on their tummies with no hands. However, we only had a few takers. But it was quite entertaining!




And finally, here are just a few random shots of the party-goers:








P.S. I have no idea who took these pictures. They are all from my camera and I did take a few myself, but there were several other people behind the camera throughout the day. So thanks for taking them Ryker or Alli or Leah or anyone else!

The Labbee Offspring...

Today we attempted to get a picture of all the grandkids. I think they speak for themselves:

















And earlier, Owen and I tried to take some pictures of us together. We came up with this:




Because we were obviously so successful, we had Alli take a picture of us with Silas: