Springtime

Oh Owen, how quickly the time goes. Quick! Write about it! We've officially switched to one nap a day, and it has changed my life. He now sleeps for at least two hours (up to three and a half) and I don't have to fight to get him to sleep. Owen can now say both, "socks" and "shoes," and he'll try to get them on his little feet. He gets his shoes when asked, and then tries to put my keys in the door so we can go outside.

Owen is quite the little helper. He gets out all of the pots and pans, plus the mixer, so that I can get cooking. He hands me the vacuum accessories that fall off during the (apparently powerful) vacuuming I do. Owen has just a hint of the OC Disorder and likes to put the wipes right back where they belong on the chest in the playroom. He loves bathtime and excitedly throws his bath toys into the tub whenever we're in the bathroom. He enjoys hide and seek with the neighborhood kids and freaked out over the fort I made the other day. He would just go sit in it and giggle. We recently took him camping after a practice run at home, and he did amazing! He slept great and particularly loved playing in the creek. The group we were with kept him very entertained and he loved running back and forth between the two campsites. Yes, he did deck on his face at one point (and came away with a huge bruise and gravel-sized cuts on his forehead) but I still call the weekend a success. On the way home, we decided we might as well go to the beach. In true Manning fashion, Joel had the same idea and we met at Zuma. Despite the frigid water (55 degrees), we got a brief swim in. Owen loved seeing his cousins and being held as I ran towards the waves then quickly ran away.
Owen just loves to be outside. There are dangers, of course. I quite nearly stepped on a rattlesnake - which quickly began to rattle - while Owen was in the backpack. Another snake slithered right in front of us as he and I were walking around the ranch. And there was the infamous coyote episode as well. Owen has taken an accidental dip into a creek and roll down a hill. Nevertheless, his love grows for the great outdoors and I'm delighted.