A lesson in Owenese

I have been thinking about all of the words that Owen knows and there is too many to count! For the most part he speaks really clear, but there are a few words that come out a little different....Here are a few of the funny ones!

Woggy= Grammy (my mom)
Pissaw= chainsaw (when you hear this it sounds like piss off! haha!)
Biper= diaper
Shisherman= Fisherman (he's going to be a fisherman for Halloween)
poppy= potty
dirby= dirty
mysore= dinosaur
kibby= kitty



those are just a few of the funny ones, and there are more that I'll have to post as I think of them!

Owen's big boy bed!

We got Owen a big boy bed thanks to my friend Lindsey and her parents. They got the bed from Lindsey's mom's work, the Old Cannery. They had it extra and knew that Owen would need it eventually... so here he is with his new big boy bed! I took a video of him seeing it for the first time because Derek wasn't home yet... it's pretty cute how much he loved it! We're so thankful for the Borg's for giving us this bed!!!

When it was time for bed, he was all about getting into his new "big bed" as he calls it... when I tucked him in he looked at me and said "bye!" haha!
After he went to bed I turned on his monitor to see how he was doing... I heard him talking and he said "oh, big boy bed... Owen's big boy bed..." it was so cute!!!! Well, he eventually overcame the excitement and I found him out like a light an hour after bedtime...

Now each time we go into his room he squeals "big bed!!!" and has to get on it! I'm so glad this has been such a fun and easy transition!

Can I brag about my husband?

I am so thankful for Derek everyday, but the last few days he's just been amazing me! Yesterday I was telling him how badly I wanted Taco Bell for lunch... the next thing I know his dad shows up with lunch for me from Taco Bell!!! Derek called up his dad who lives just a few minutes from my work (we're a good 20 away) and asked him to pick me up lunch... it was amazing! Last night I was planning on making tortellini's for dinner and he decided to get Papa Murphy's pizza's so I didn't have to cook after being at work all day long... mind you he spent the majority of the day chopping wood (a hard job really!) And he told me that he'd wake up with Owen this morning so I could sleep in... that felt so good to just sleep in! When I woke up this morning I came downstairs to see Owen watching Tigger & Pooh, he had already eaten and Derek was just starting the dishwasher! I hadn't touched the dishes since Friday night and there was a pile forming in the sink... I was so thankful that he did them for me! PLUS he took out the recycles too! I feel kinda spoiled this morning! Anyways, I had to brag about my awesome husband and how great he is... I really appreciate the little things he does.

Dude::

Owen has been given the nickname "Dude" by me... Poor kid... I have no clue where it came from! Anyways, I've been trying to just soak him up and all of his cute faces the last few days. Yesterday we got a new camera... nothing special, just a Nikon point and shoot. I took a few of him yesterday and he's now got the concept that when you take a picture you can see it on the back... he loves it! He'll say "Wanna see!!!" and I show him his cute pictures. Anyways, here are a few that I took yesterday... he's become quite the ham in front of the camera!

Not really quite sure why he made this face...

He was trying to grab the camera to see his picture

Posing for mom...

This is my absolute favorite!

Hopefully I'll keep up with taking pictures of him and blogging about the cute things he says and does...

A little "brag session"

One of my dearest friends, Stepheni, has started a photography business... Mason Jar Photography! She definitely has an eye for some amazing shots and has an awesome passion for this. I just had to brag about her... today she came out to our house to shoot a family session. Derek ended up being late from work and he missed the great "sun lighting" so she went ahead and took some photos of Owen and I behind our house. I was amazed at house she directed us and could see an awesome image when all I saw was a pre-occupied kid! ;] I appreciate her so much... she's definitely going to go far in this business and I can't wait to see where it takes her! I love you Steph!!!!

How annoying is this?!

Just as I decided to take more pictures of Owen and blog about him more... my camera broke!!! I was taking some super cute photos of him in his Tonka hard hat when it slipped out of my hands and slammed on the floor... it won't turn on anymore and the lens is stuck out. I'm so irritated cause not only did our computer break, but so did the camera. I'd better save a little to get one in the next week so that I can document Owen's Halloween! Anyways, that is why I haven't been posting like I said I would :(

When will baby #2 come?!

This baby looks as about annoyed as I do when i get asked "When are you going to have another baby???" Here are some of the many comments I'd love to say (especially to strangers):

*Do I look like I need another?! (said as Owen is hanging from my pant leg shouting "MOMMY!!!!")

*Do I have to have more than one of these?! Sheesh! If I knew that I wouldn't have signed up for the first one!

*I think I'm done... I already have one perfect child ;)

*It's none of your damn business!!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong... Derek and I do want to have another baby. Although his desire to have another started when Owen was about 2 months old... mine has come and gone over the last year. We had decided to try for another last year around this time... I ended up deciding to put it off a few months so that I could lose a few pounds. Well, 1 year and 30 pounds later... I've continued to put it off.

I have so many fears of having another baby. I fear that I won't have enough time for myself, that I won't be able to care for Owen as well as I do now, and that my housework will be neglected and I'll live in a pig sty. My biggest fear though, is gaining weight and becoming fat again. I can't help but be scared to see that scale go up and up and up... it's something no woman really likes to see, but it's worse when you have no control over it. Also, I didn't enjoy pregnancy one bit and I don't want to spend another 10 months in misery...

Anyways, to answer many inquiring minds... we'll be hoping to have another baby around September-December 2009 (if we have no problems conceiving) I'm going to bite the bullet and give Owen a sibling and more importantly, Derek another baby. Stay tuned over the next few months...

Something I've neglected...

I've always been what I like to call a "tanorexic" haha! For the last 7 years I've always had a membership at some tanning place. Usually it's at Pink Coconut because they have the best deals on one year memberships. Anyways, I got one for my birthday/mother's day this year and I have barely used it and it's almost 6 months into my membership! YIKES! I'm trying to make a conscious effort to use it more and bring my tanning lotion with me all the time. After work I'll be stopping in at the Pink Coconut down the road from my work. What sucks is that now that we've moved there isn't one close by our house, so I either have to drive up to Bonney Lake, Puyallup or Sumner... bummer! Oh well... I'm hoping to go at least 4 times in the next 7 days... we have a Halloween Party on Saturday and I am hoping to not be pasty white haha!

On a totally different note... during my boring day on the internet at work, I found a great site! Hand Bag Planet. I am hoping to purchase something on here soon! It's been over a year since my last splurge and I'm in desperate need!!!

Back in the swing of things

As some of you may know, I have been a workout-a-holic for the last 10 months. I started in January and haven't been able to get myself away from the gym. Well, when we decided to move into the new house we needed to save money and I put our YMCA membership on hold... this was super hard for me because it's something Owen and I do every day. We get up eat breakfast, get dressed and go to the Y. So, I thought our membership was still on hold until they took the next payment out... I was wrong! It was only for the month of September and I could've been going for the last 2 weeks grrr!!! Anyways, we went this morning and man it felt good! I've missed it so much... When we pulled into the parking lot Owen kept saying "Play, play!!!" He was so happy to be back too! I walked him to the day care and he ran inside! When I picked him up after my workout, he was having such a good time playing with a firetruck... I am so glad we get to start going again so he has that time to himself too. On our way home he kept telling me "Mommy, I play... I have fun!!!" it was so cute!!!!

It looks as if we'll be back in our old routine in no time and I'm so happy!!!!

The new house!

I finally took some photos of the new house... Here they are!!!

Our cute house!

The living room

Owen's play room off of the living room

The dining room

My kitchen! (which I am totally in love with!)

The back yard

The downstairs bathroom

Master bedroom

Another view of the master... walk in closet and bathroom doors

Laundry and linen closets

built in desk upstairs

Owen's bathroom

The empty spare room

Owen's room

another view of Owen's room... I'm going to decorate when we get his big boy bed put up and I choose a bedding set for him.

Well, that's it! I hope you've enjoyed a virtual tour ;]

Pumpkin Heaven!

Derek and Owen went for a walk today and ended up at the Pumpkin Festival in Orting. They got there toward the end and were given free hot dogs, sandwiches, popcorn and PUMPKINS! They came home with 11... count them 11 pumpkins! Oh and 2 corn stalks. I was so happy cause I have been wanting some corn stalks and pumpkins to decorate the front porch with! Well, he sent me these photos while I was at a candle party and so the quality isn't that great... oh well! Also, this is my 3rd post today... that's a record haha!

Food for thought

I am, for the most part, a stay at home mom. I spend 24 hours a day Monday-Friday with my son. I love my "job" even though I don't get paid. It gets tough at times, but is more than worth it. My husband and I often get criticized for having a one income household. It gets frustrating because it's our decision, not theirs. It's like if I were to get on someone for choosing what kind of car to buy... it's really none of my business. I do work, not full time, but I do work every Saturday and Sunday. I also work during the week at Weight Watchers (one evening usually) and I take care of my friends little boy, Aidan. I'm not exactly giving Donald Trump a run for his money on how much money I make, but I am contributing. So, here it is... I did a little research and along with the money I make at my jobs outside the home I calculated how much a stay at home mom should be making if she were paid for each "job" she did in the home.


Earning Statement
Our Family

For the year ending: October 2008

Job title
Hourly Rate
Hours worked

Housekeeper
$9.94
936

Day Care Center Teacher
$13.59
884

Cook
$13.80
520

Computer Operator
$15.88
416

Laundry Machine Operator
$10.20
520

Janitor
$10.46
364

Facilities Manager
$35.67
364

Chief Executive Officer
$70.00
312

Van Driver
$16.40
416

Psychologist
$37.60
416

Interior Designer
$19.01
0

Administrative Assistant
$17.19
0

Event Planner
$25.93
0

Bookkeeper
$16.97
0

General Maintenance Worker
$14.63
0

Groundskeeper
$12.55
0

Nutritionist
$23.17
0

Staff Nurse - RN
$28.49
0

Plumber
$16.45
0

Logistics Analyst
$22.81
0

Total Value

Regular Hourly Rate
$19.72
2,080
$41,013

Over Time Rate
$29.58
3,068
$90,741
Total:
$131,754

That's a lot of money! Although, I don't bring that in... just imagine how much would be coming out of pocket if we paid for all of the services I do for free.... DANG! I also calculated how much it'd cost for daycare if I were to go back to work full time. The national average for daycare for a toddler is $525 a month or $6300 a year. If I were to go back to work and pay for daycare, subtract gas and lunch money and I'd be bringing home around $700 a month which is what I already bring home if not more. So, I'd rather stay at home and work a few part time jobs and have the time to have my house clean, laundry done, food prepared, errands ran, and son taken care of and have time when Derek comes home to spend with him. I feel that's a winning deal ! ;]

Photos

I have been awefully bored here at work and I have been looking at a lot of other blogs. So many moms are so amazing at taking so many pictures of their kids and posting them on their blogs. I've noticed that I really don't have any recent photos of Owen on here... I am feeling like a bad mom now! I am from here on out gonna start taking more pictures of Owen and documenting his little adventures on here as well as my own. I also need to take photos of our new place (which I'll probably do tomorrow) and post them for everyone to see!

I was tagged!!!

I was tagged by my friend Keren to post 10 of Derek's favorite things... I'm hoping this goes smoothly and they won't be in exact order... Here goes!!!


10. Basketball! He loves to play and watch it... constantly! The only reason he has a YMCA membership is to play basketball lol! I go and work out while he plays a few games on the court.

9. Tabasco sauce. This kid will pour it on everything! I have to buy a Costco size bottle every couple months. Thanks to our friends Joe and Stepheni who bought him some for his birthday I won't have to for a little while ;]

8. Trees... cutting them down especially. I have never seen one person get so excited about wood ever! He actually called me the other day and was asking me if I noticed some tree on the side of the road... what?! Who really checks out the trees along the road haha!

7. Camping. I love to also, so it makes it fun! He always is so pumped to go and have a great time, building camp fires, hanging out and relaxing... he gets ready a few days in advance and I never have to do anything but pack some food and clothes.

6. Bon Fires. He loves to sit outside, even by himself and enjoy a nice fire.

5. People. He knows everyone and if he doesn't know them yet, he will! He's a definate people person and has a lot of compassion for even the worst of kinds.

4. His cell phone. Every night he falls asleep with it in his hand... he takes it EVERYWHERE! He even takes it to the bathroom! I had to increase our cell phone minutes because he talks so much!

3. Diet Coke. When I met him it surprised me how much he loved the stuff. He can drink a 12 pack within a day or so... I stopped buying it cause it's so not good for him!

2. Food. He has such an appreciation for food. Some will pick on him for this, but he appreciates it unlike otheres. His dad is a chef and Derek has always been exposed to great foods. He loves to cook and try so many different things... too bad I'm so darn picky!

1. His Family. Owen and I are the world to Derek. He may not express it perfectly to me, but I know we are. He will send me a text every morning at 7am when he knows we're awake to say "have a good day, I love you" I look forward to it each morning! Owen is blessed to have such a great dad. He and Derek have so much fun doing "guy stuff" and just hanging out. I know while I'm at work they enjoy every minute!

Ok, now for tagging others... I don't know who all reads this so I'll just name a few that I know read it ;]

Danielle Mealy
Brittany Harney
Alyssa Christensen
Hannah Eastwood

Broken computers suck!

Well, our computer is busted... not to the extent in the photo. It shuts off telling me there is some kind of error. It's old and was in need of being replaced, so now's the time to save. Thank God for my mom and her letting me veg out on her computer tonight as Owen watches Nemo! ;] I guess the move was just too much for my poor brittle computer.

We got all moved in and unpacked! I am not one to live amongst boxes, so I had it all done yesterday afternoon. Derek was shocked when he came home to a clean organized home with even some pictures on the wall! Also, I think the move has made Owen a little weird haha! He does this thing now where every time I tell him no he goes "nuts!". Daddy taught him that one! (thanks daddy!!!) Also, he was at the back door checking out the chickens next door (yes we have chickens next door to us now... gotta love Orting!) and he looked at me and said "come here mommy!" but he also motioned me over with his little hand... too cute!!! He loves the stairs and the fact that he has a play room. Last night while Daddy was still working he and I ran around the living room and dining area... I even did a cartwheel for him! (I can't believe my house is big enough for cartwheels haha!) Anyways, I may not be able to post photos for a little while cause my computer is gone... hopefully soon though!!!