Friends They Are Jewels

Let the summer of visits begin! We are excited for all of our visitors, and have enjoyed those who have already been here. Here's a recap:

Our first little visitor was Arden, the 11-month old son of our friends from church. They went on an anniversary trip, so we got to have Arden for the weekend. We were delighted, particularly Owen. Turns out Owen is a huge cuddler. It is so cute seeing him hug Arden, who is very patient with him. Fortunately they're about the same size since Owen's such a peanut, so Arden can handle it. The boys thought it would be hilarious to alternate taking naps, so we had a pretty calm Saturday. Then we went to the park and Owen got to play in the water playground there. He loved it, which makes no sense since he hates having water on his head during bathtime.


Owen joined Arden in crawling all over the house, and they ended up in all sorts of places. We had a great weekend together, and Owen definitely loved having his buddy around.

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Here's a video from early April that I've been meaning to post. Owen learned this sign and then started saying, "hot," like a week later. And yes, Zach always looks that good when he's lighting fires.

Pay no attention to the fact that I still call my 16-month old, "Baby." I'm really trying to cut back.

In the Kitchen

Helping Daddy unload the dishwasher



By bringing the silverware to the living room




Heading back for more...did I mention these are dirty dishes?


Wait a second...


Signing, "More?"

What a little goose we have. Thanks for the cute pjs, Queenie!

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.

Boss DJ

Zach and I pride ourselves on being music connoisseurs. Whether or not this is true, we almost always have music playing in the house from a wide variety of sources. Owen, dear boy, has rhythm that can't be beat, and he loves to shake his tailfeather to almost any song. But he definitely has his favorites.

Owen's Top Ten Songs

1. Geico Ringtone Commercial - Super annoying. Many thanks to my neighbor who played this for us, leaving Owen to desperately sign "more" after it ended. He now asks for it ("ning ning?") and really gets down whenever its playing.



2. Little Bit - Lykke Li - Aunt Rachel first introduced this song to me, and now whenever Owen hears the beginning percussion, he gets ready to boogie.
3. Single Ladies - Beyonce - Why do babies love this song? I don't know, but Owen certainly does. I find it hilarious that I can sing it in my own peculiar and out of tune manner and he'll still start dancing.
4. I Love You Lord - Classic song. This is one that helps calm down the baby when he's pissed that his face is getting wiped (heaven forbid!) or right before bedtime.
5. You Really Got A Hold On Me - She & Him - Slow dance time. Owen will sway to it, and he looks so darn cute I just gotta pick him up and get a dance in there.
6. Old MacDonald - Another classic that Owen is just getting into. This really helped us on our drive up to San Francisco. It might not be a dancing song, but he really enjoys it.
7. Lisztomania - Phoenix - Maybe it's just because Zach and I always start dancing when we hear it, but Owen starts doing "fast feet" when it comes on.
8. The Arsonist - The Extraordinaires - This one's a holdover from our cross-country trip. Zach used to sing it all the time to Owen and he would right away pay attention and seem to be really listening. I think I heard Zach sing this song 100 times before I ever heard the actual band's version.
9. Ring Around the Rosie - Yep, we're there. He's old enough to do this and loves it. Owen asks for this by signing "more" and then spinning in a circle. But he likes to have his Lion with him.
10. Owen's Medley - This involves starting the demo song on his keyboard, hitting the music button on this caterpillar toy which results in a samba-esque rhythm, and then sprinting to the kitchen to play the music on his Jumperoo and hit the fridge magnet that plays music. This cacophony brings the boy much happiness.

So, what are you guys listening to?

We Laugh Indoors

Owen mastered fake laughing. Ironically, it's genuinely hilarious.

Welcome Back

I make no apologies for how long it has been. Do I regret not having a post dedicated to Owen's first birthday? Yes. Do I wish I had kept up with all the going-ons and shared them with you, dear reader? Of course. Do I have plenty of excuses? You tell me.
I started working again. Just 20-25 hours a week, but it turns out that's a lot when you have toddler in the house. A toddler who took two 30 minute naps per day. Fortunately, the coworker I was "subbing" for came back from maternity before my breaking point...or at least shortly after it. I think both Zach and Owen can attest that I was stressed, which was ridiculous considering Zach was encouraging me not to work as much (or even at all). I'm still picking up some days here and there, but nothing consistent.

Next up: Owen-face. The little dear went back to his favorite sleep-deprived state. He started waking in the night again, and only falling asleep in his swing. It all started with traveling for the holidays, then a well baby visit to the doctor's office which brought on a two-week long cold, then letting him sleep propped up in his swing "just for a little while..." You can imagine how this all worked out. When we finally tried to get him back on track (you know, falling asleep in his crib and sleeping through the night like a ONE YEAR OLD should be able to do), it was pretty horrific. I'm talking three hour crying spells. Oy. I don't like revisiting these memories. Moving on.And now for the final excuse. It's one you aren't expecting. We have a social life again! Yay! In general, Zach and I are homebodies. It's nice just to hang out at home as a family, and we're content playing a game (Scrabble Apple is my new favorite, by the way) or watching a movie while eating baked goods. It's a simple life and one we enjoy. Now that we have an amazing church - Valley Presbyterian - we have had lots a great opportunities to hang out with fun people. Plus, we're going to a "young marrieds" Biblestudy once a week, which inevitably leads to more plans made for later in the week. Throw in some park play dates and a few weekend trips and that's a busy schedule. I think Owen really enjoyed all of our adventures.

I will update more frequently because, guys, this kid is ridiculous.