The Scott Family

How deep is the snow at the Scott house?

2011-02-02T16:13:00.003-05:00

More Snow Day!

2011-02-02T16:05:00.002-05:00

Quincy was digging himself tunnels through the snow and then peeking his head out! He is currently covered in melting snowballs stuck to his fur...he graciously leaves them around the house for us to step on.

Julian was not crazy about being elbow-deep in snow, so we found toys in the garage instead.

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T15:58:00.002-05:00

All the neighbor kids playing in the snow!

I wasn't sure the snow blower was going to make it...

Owen tried out his snow shoes, but he ended up just hanging out wearing just one.

This snow bank is taller than Owen!

The Particular Gladness of Lemon Cake

2011-01-30T18:03:00.004-05:00

A celebration for a sunny Sunday afternoon! Jed made lemon cake with chocolate frosting (in honor of Aimee Bender's novel, "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake"). A good time was had by all. We even let Owen have a few candles just for fun!

And yes, the boys spent Sunday in their jammies. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Legos With Owen

2011-01-18T07:27:00.000-05:00

Owen has been enthralled with Legos since at least last summer. For Christmas, we got a little Smart Car set that seemed simple enough for him to do on his own (eight steps, pretty straightforward.) Gramma Queen got him a much more elaborate/collaborative set -- a sea plane. But since his first setup with me coaching, he's been dis- and re-assembling it on his own almost every day. Something like 40 steps! Don't believe me? I have photographic evidence!!

We begin with a pile of blocks.

Naturally, the first step is to sort by color. Naturally.

Assembly begins with the accessories and the body of the plane

Assembly continues...

The proud constructor.

And his perfectly constructed plane.

Jed

Thank You Grandma Lynne and Grandpa Tim!

2011-01-10T18:24:00.002-05:00

Owen spent part of his "computer money" from Grandma Lynne and Grandpa Tim in Las Vegas on a new Fireman costume. There was much excitement when the UPS truck arrived during dinner tonight!

Hess Lake

2011-01-10T18:19:00.003-05:00

We had a great visit up at Hess Lake on Saturday to visit Great Grandma Smith, Aunt Donna and Uncle Dale! Owen was too busy playing with toys to stop for pictures, but he was there too. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and wonderful catching up with everyone.

Up North - Snuggle Time

2011-01-06T19:20:00.003-05:00

Question: What do you do at the Real House?

Answer: Snuggle in Grandma Queen and Pop Pop's bed!

Up North - Playin' Trains

2011-01-06T19:17:00.003-05:00

Question: What else do you do at the Real House?

Answer: Play trains with Pop Pop!

Big Boots

2011-01-06T19:07:00.002-05:00

Mama's big boots are a big attraction...first with Owen (above), and now with Julian (below)!

SNOW!

2010-12-31T12:28:00.002-05:00

Julian went to play with Aunt Ginny and Greta while we took Owen to see Peter Pan at Civic Theater over break. Julian's favorite part of playing in the snow was catching snowflakes on his tongue. Thanks for sharing these pictures Aunt Ginny!

Stockings

2010-12-25T20:36:00.004-05:00

Here's a better picture of our stockings...I think Grandma Brooks has already started work on the fifth (and last) one for next year!

Christmas!

2010-12-25T20:07:00.006-05:00

Grandma Brooks made these beautiful hand-knit stockings for our family. She just finished Julian's in time for Christmas (behind Owen). Thank you Grandma Brooks!

Owen loves nothing more than to match Julian..."look, we're twins!"

This is Owen's note to Santa. If you look close, you'll see all the letters to read "Love Santa (signed Owen)" Santa wrote back, "I love you too, Owen."

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-23T08:53:00.004-05:00

It's the annual trip to Hart Christmas Tree Farm (formerly our across the street neighbors) to cut down a Frasier Fir. This year we had to settle for putting the tree in the car instead of dragging it back to our house. Owen is most excited about Christmas this year and has insisted on snuggling on the couch and looking at the Christmas tree lights in the dark every night before bed. Julian's favorite part was getting to ride on a tractor!

Merry Christmas with Pop Pop and Grandma Queen

2010-12-23T08:38:00.004-05:00

We took a trip to Meijer Gardens yesterday to look at all the Christmas trees, and (most important) the Christmas train. Owen was mostly a running blur chasing after the trains. A good time was had by all. Choo Choo!

Merry Christmas with Julian

2010-12-23T08:31:00.003-05:00

Do you all see the mischief in these eyes?

Julian asks about 10 times a day if he can be a naked baby..."Beebee?" He's much better at saying the word "yes" than "no." So you ask him questions, like, "Julian, do you want to be a naked baby?"

Julian: "Essss!"

Merry Christmas with Owen

2010-12-23T08:23:00.003-05:00

Owen and Daddy before the Christmas Collage concert...any occasion to wear a tux!

Owen decided to wear a Christmas tie to his preschool Christmas party. Just like Daddy...

Strike A Pose...Don't Eat Your Toes

2010-10-11T14:12:00.003-04:00

Some candid shots from Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin's beautiful wedding weekend!

What's New Baby J?

2010-05-01T12:19:00.003-04:00

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What's new with Julian? Well, he's not yet a year and he's already walking all over the house like he owns the place. If he has to crawl, you better put on your running shoes because he's FAST! He does a pretty good job staying happy and keeping up with his big brother. May 16 is his first birthday...we can't believe that he's almost a year old!

Pooh Bear and The Astronaut

2010-05-01T12:13:00.001-04:00

Tire Swing

2010-05-01T12:11:00.001-04:00

The tire swing at Pond Hill Farm is amazing...can anyone figure out how to put one like this in our backyard?!

Owen and John Spring Break!

2010-05-01T12:07:00.002-04:00

Dancin' in my underpants

2010-02-16T14:26:00.003-05:00

Owen is officially potty-trained. It's all underpants, all the time. As a bonus, we have some awfully good dance parties around our house. Stop by sometime, and we'll show you are moves!

Climbin' in the laundry basket

2010-02-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Brothers

2010-02-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

Firefighter

2010-01-29T16:22:00.001-05:00

Every firefighter needs a rest and a trusty blankie after a hard day at work...

Dad

2010-01-29T16:12:00.003-05:00

Every Saturday morning that we are all home is officially "Blueberry Pancake Saturday" (as many of you know). The boys have this awesome Daddy who makes custom pancakes every weekend, and he's really cultivated quite a talent!

All pancake shapes are made on request, so you can be assured that Owen REQUESTED the underwear pancake. It's not just one more lame attempt to get him to actually wear underwear. All in his own time (which, by his calculations, is in about 15 years).

Besides being a compassionate, loving and extremely patient man, Jed also builds the coolest train tracks in town. I myself have just recently perfected the circle, so to me this looks like the Eiffel Tower of Thomas the Tank Engine.

8 Months Old!

2010-01-29T16:05:00.002-05:00

I believe the word you are searching for is...trouble.
(I mean, crawling behind the Christmas tree with easy access to extension cords, blinds and heating vents. Where's the harm in that?)

Sorry Baby J. This one was too cute to leave off the blog.

Volcanoes

2010-01-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

Owen has been pretty obsessed with volcanoes for the last few days. So obsessed he's been dreaming about them. Of course, being Owen, he didn't dream about volcanoes in general.

Daddy: What did you dream about?
Owen: I dreamed about the 1816 volcano. (Mt. Tambora)

The conversation was then peppered with a conversation about lava, magma, etc. Not bad for 5:15AM!

We've been using some great kids books about volcanoes, but a great help has been fabulous youtube clips of active volcanoes. So cool! An added benefit of parenting in the 21st century!

Jed

WELCOME

2009-12-27T05:21:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here comforting poor refluxy Julian at 5am(he's moaning and saying Dada...) and thought I ought to put up a post welcoming all the new visitors via our Christmas cards. We're glad you stopped by! Leave us a comment letting us know what you think and come back often to hear the latest about our wonderful boys. (or bookmark our RSS Feed...)

Merry Christmas from all of us!
Jed

Owen the Great Secret Keeper

2009-12-24T18:03:00.002-05:00

Conversation with Owen tonight:

(Backstory: Jed and Owen painted an ornament for Mommy a few days ago. It's a secret, shhh. We had extra ornaments around...)

Owen: Mama, is this an ornament?

Mama: Yes, it is.

Owen: Can we paint it?

Mama: Sure, Owen. Why, have you painted an ornament before?

Owen: Yes. For you. But I CAN'T tell. Dada said NO. It's a secret.

Merry Christmas Everyone!
May Santa bring you everything your heart desires...

ho ho ho!

2009-12-18T16:19:00.000-05:00

7 Months Old!

Ho Ho Ho!

2009-12-13T11:45:00.003-05:00

Building Frosty

2009-12-04T16:03:00.006-05:00

Snow Day!

2009-12-04T10:49:00.005-05:00

Snow Day Activities include:
Shoveling SnowSledding

AHHHH! It's an Abominable Snow Dog!!!
(Just kidding, it's Quincy)

Making Snow Angels

Did I mention?
Eating Snow

And it's not even lunchtime folks!

The Evolution of a Snow Day

2009-12-04T10:27:00.003-05:00

The first snowflakes fell yesterday morning, and Owen asked right away, "Is it Christmas?!" Then he went running outside to play without a coat.

Later in the afternoon, the flakes started to stick, and he asked, "Can we build Frosty the Snowman?"

At bedtime last night, we read The Snowy Day a couple of times, and lo and behold...

The world was covered in snow when we woke up.
AND Mommy had a snow day and didn't have to go to work!

It's really fun to play in, but the best part is eating it!

Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin

2009-12-03T16:49:00.002-05:00

We were so excited to have Danny and Erin come and visit over Thanksgiving weekend!

Besides a great Thanksgiving Day, we had fun walking to the Christmas Tree farm next door and dragging our tree back to the house. The guys at the farm just laughed at us when we said we were walking our trees home!

There was an assortment of dogs over the weekend. Grandma Queen and Pop Pop came to visit, and then all canines were relegated to the deck. Of course, they really wanted to be inside. Look at those faces...

After our tree excursion, we came home and made pizza. Uncle Danny and Owen had a race to see who could eat the extra cheese the fastest!

Owen took this picture. Not bad for a 3 year old!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T16:08:00.003-05:00

We hosted Thanksgiving this year! 14 people (if you count Julian, but he doesn't eat much yet). We couldn't have done it without the help of Danny and Erin in the kitchen. Also, it was a VEGETARIAN feast, plus a small turkey meatloaf that Erin brought.

Greta helped with the cooking as well - she's a budding chef!

Special guest: Lorrie Klukloski. She played violin in the Grand Rapids Symphony for 50 years and has become a close friend of Grandma Brooks. We loved having her and I enjoyed playing the piano for a fellow musician.

Julian's Thanksgiving Feast - Pears and Rice Cereal. Yum!

Our pie selection included Jed's special Lemon Chess, Chocolate Chess and Dutch Apple Pies (with hand picked Northern Spy apples...see previous apple blog post).

Grandma Connie brought Baker's Square Pecan and Pumpkin Pie.

AND, Erin brought a cake shaped like a turkey.
The turkey cake was Owen's favorite part of Thanksgiving.

6 Months Old

2009-11-30T15:32:00.002-05:00

That's right...Julian is pretty much getting anywhere he wants to go! In this picture, imagine him starting out somewhere around the blue ring and the star. Then he crawled to the piano to get the red cup! He mostly gets around using the one-arm, army-style crawl. Hey, whatever works.

Also, he has a keen sense of what he's NOT supposed to have. He may not be motivated by his baby toys, but if something ends up on the floor that he's not supposed to have, he moves like gangbusters!

Apples, Apples Everywhere

2009-11-05T13:15:00.004-05:00

We went apple picking with our Earthkeeper Farm friends, Rachelle, Andrew and Baby Liam yesterday.

Here's the story: Michigan has too many apples this year, so some companies have stopped picking entirely.

The farm next to Andrew and Rachelle is one of those orchards, and it was abundant with fruit. We had a great time, and we came home with a few apples.

OK, 250 pounds of apples.

Seriously!
100 pounds of Golden Delicious
100 pounds of Northern Spy
50 pounds of Red Delicious

Halloween Spooks

2009-11-02T14:06:00.003-05:00

Don't be fooled. The beast looks tame in this picture, but you should hear him ROAR!

My sister, the banana.

Jed and I prefer the minimalist approach.

ROAR!!!!!!

Owen discovered the joys of free candy this year. At first, I think he thought the whole thing was a little scary. We went trick-or-treating on Brower Lake with Aunt Ginny, Uncle Bob, Spencer and Greta. By the third house, Owen was RUNNING (often he was running in no particular direction and needed to be herded to the door of the house) in excitement.

He's already asking when Halloween will come again and planning for his costume. This morning he told me he's going to be an owl next year. I told him that I think we have some time...

5 Months Old!

2009-11-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

Can't you see how much Julian adores his big brother?

Scott Family Cousins

2009-10-27T20:25:00.003-04:00

Little Tiger

2009-10-27T20:17:00.003-04:00

Grandma Brooks made Owen's costume this year! He spotted this tiger costume in the fabric store and couldn't wait to start ROARING!

Owen really wanted to be there to see Grandma sew it together, so here is a glimpse of the last stages of sewing a tiger costume. Once he got it on, he was a very scary (and very loud) tiger.

Cousin John John surprised us this weekend by coming to Grosse Pointe, and we just happened to have our old Pooh costume with us to mail to them. John was so excited that he couldn't stop jumping up and down. Once Owen got his tiger costume on they literally started running in circles and hugging until they fell over.

Our camera had a foggy lens from coming inside from a cold car, so it looks like they're hugging in some kind of dream world...one where they get to where their Halloween costumes all day, every day.

Dreams Really Do Come True!

2009-10-27T19:29:00.004-04:00

I know that many of you may think that we are crazy to support this habit at such an early age, but Owen has been passionate about drumming for quite some time, and well...we just can't help ourselves. This drum set is from Owen's "mentor drummer," and our dear friend, Mr. Bob.

Mr. Bob found this tiny little, pint-sized drum set on Craiglist for a steal and he fixed it up just for Owen. Man, are we lucky.

Owen is thrilled, and he frequently runs down to the basement to get a little drumming in before dinner. Honest, we're not even annoyed (yet). It's just cute to hear all his drumming "songs."

In a performance earlier today, I asked if he knew any quiet songs. He looked at me like I was nuts and said, "Mama, I like LOUD songs."

Mama's Boys

2009-10-10T10:11:00.000-04:00

Guess Who?

2009-09-21T20:40:00.004-04:00

Can you tell which is Owen and which is Julian??????

PS: Mandy posted this, and I just want to confess that when she showed me this post, I got it WRONG!!!! - Jed

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

2009-09-21T20:29:00.004-04:00

Aunt Ginny, Spencer and Greta took Owen to see Laura Numeroff at the local bookstore, and of course she read "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." The pictures look more like what happens if you give Owen a cookie...

Then they got a signed copy of the book "What Brothers Do Best." What a night...Owen had a blast!

Conversation Du Jour

2009-09-17T08:57:00.002-04:00

We had NPR on, and there was a passing reference to Aaron Copland.

O: Did they say Aaron Copland?
J: Yes. What did he write?
O: Fanfare for the Common Man!
J: Owen, you're so smart!
O: Yeah. Wooshee Gaga.

-Jed

Captain Funny Face (and his little brother...)

2009-09-16T14:03:00.001-04:00

Four Months Old!

2009-09-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Tim

2009-09-16T13:54:00.003-04:00

Grandpa Tim was in town last weekend for his 50th high school reunion, and he had the chance to meet Julian and hang out with us at the house. Owen especially liked being tickled...good times!

Happy Guy

2009-09-05T12:55:00.002-04:00

Fancy Cart

2009-09-04T13:52:00.002-04:00

After his first trip to Meijer with his Dad, Owen bemoaned the fact that the "fancy carts were lonely" because he wasn't allowed to ride in them. The fancy carts at Meijer cost a dollar and include TV! Episodes of Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train...you get the idea.

Then one day Grandma Queen came to visit, and OF COURSE he got to ride in the fancy cart at Meijer! Of course.

We went back one day after Grandma Queen was gone, and again Owen was denied the fancy cart (I mean a dollar for a cart! And TV! Really...) I made up some story about how only Grandma's could buy and push the fancy carts. Then Owen made our shopping trip Meijer misery.

The next time I caved. A fancy cart? Of course! Owen brought up the problem of needing Grandma Queen. "Will she be there today?" Oops. Then I had to pretend that I was impersonating Grandma Queen in order to justify the fancy cart. It all got very complicated, but the ending was a happy one. I mean look at his face.

Plus, the pony rides are still only one cent.

And you don't even have to be a Grandma to let your kids ride!

Julian at 3 Months

2009-08-31T15:48:00.002-04:00

Yes, that's right. He's already holding his head up, rolling over both ways, and working on his first composition. OK, so not the last part, but really...I think he's going to be crawling any day now!

Where's the Butterfly?

2009-08-31T15:40:00.002-04:00

We were so lucky to have a visit from Grandma Queen and Pop Pop last night! Grandma Queen has been conditioning Owen from a very young age to find her butterfly tattoo under her shirt. She was always asking him, "Where's the butterfly?" On this visit, it was the first thing that Owen looked for! How do we explain this to future girlfriends? Oh boy...

Pop Pop and his boys. Owen was so excited to play trains with Pop Pop and hear his rendition of "Go, Dog, Go!" Good times were had by all!

Chicago: The Wheeler Family

2009-08-26T13:30:00.003-04:00

Chicago: Madelyn

2009-08-26T13:18:00.002-04:00

One of my closest friends, Katie, lives in Virginia, but her mom lives in downtown Chicago. We were so excited to see our Goddaughter Madelyn and her sister Rysa. Madelyn is quite a dynamo. She insisted that she and Owen hold hands wherever we went...

Madelyn and Owen gave us a little musical performance
(what else do you expect from children of musicians?).

But the real highlight was Madelyn doing Owen's nails. After she gave me a most gorgeous manicure, she turned to Owen. We said she could do ONE finger. Leave it to Madelyn to be a little sneaky, and pretty soon after Owen was crying, "She was only supposed to do one!"
She did all five fingers a lovely shade of pale pink.

Chicago: TRAINS!

2009-08-26T13:02:00.004-04:00

Owen and Julian got to ride on a real, live train in Chicago.
The first look of amazement...here we go!

I suppose it was less monumental for Julian, but it still counts...

Wait, is that Derek Fawcett on the train? Derek, what are you doing here?
And why are you pushing an empty stroller? Oh, Derek...

Chicago: Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin

2009-08-26T12:46:00.003-04:00

We had a great time hanging out in Chicago last weekend with Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin! Owen and I tried out the Wii Fit, and he's getting pretty good at some of the yoga poses.

Breakfast at Over Easy was GOOD FOOD! I had the Sunrise Omelette with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and gouda, while Jed had the Boston Creme French Toast. Oh my...

Then we walked to the park near their house. What a great place to play!

Play Hard, Sleep Hard

2009-08-05T08:34:00.002-04:00

Baby on Board

2009-07-29T07:11:00.003-04:00

You might be wondering how Julian is spending his time here at Interlochen.
Well, he enjoys coming to rehearsals in his free time...

(David is giving Owen a little music lesson during rehearsal in this picture.)

And I think it's safe to say that he's having a pretty good time!

Me and My Shadow

2009-07-26T11:06:00.003-04:00

Owen will basically follow Spencer to the ends of the earth...whatever Spencer is doing is the coolest thing ever. What's Spencer getting at the Melody Freeze? I'll have a tangerine slushie too!

Spencer and Owen cuddling in bed one morning during a thunder storm. Owen is making his scared face because of the thunder!

Astonaut buddies.

Watching the Intermediate Orchestra rehearse Carry On My Wayward Son (really!).

Here We Are!

2009-07-25T14:08:00.002-04:00

Here we are when we pulled into Interlochen on a rainy Saturday.
Owen found the bears right away!

We took everyone to the orchestra concert on Sunday night because they opened with Owen's favorite piece...Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland. We first played this piece for Owen because he saw a picture of a tam-tam and wanted to know what it sounded like. He's been hooked on it for a while, so we were really excited to see that the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO for short) would be playing it LIVE for Owen to hear!

Unfortunately, Owen got really scared about how loud the drums are when you hear them and see them live in concert. He covered his ears and cried through the whole piece! Needless to say, we left shortly after and watched the concert from far away. Owen told me that Fanfare for the Common Man was really loud, but the next piece was just right. We saw Chris Thile from Nickel Creek perform some Bach on the mandolin. At least we can say we tried!

Interlochen

2009-07-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

We leave for Interlochen tomorrow! This is our third year, and we love every minute of teaching music and seeing friends. Here's our trusty little cabin...with the addition of baby Julian and cousin Spencer, we're up to four people and a dog. Should be cozy!

Here's Owen in 2008. There's a little story that the campers tell us about the bears, but it might ruin the picture for you. I'll save it for another day.

Here's our family the first year that we came to Interlochen in 2007. Owen was still such a little baby! We had hoped that he would take his first steps at Interlochen, and he sure came awfully close.

Quirky

2009-07-15T18:27:00.002-04:00

Whenever we get a Land's End catalogue in the mail, Owen finds the shoe pages and has me read all the colors..."sunset coral, salsa orange, light lime, light turquoise". He's becoming quite the expert.

I have a hard time not laughing while I'm reading, but I try to take his interest seriously. "Yes, Owen, that canal blue color shoe does match the one on the other page." Perhaps he has a future in marketing? Or art? Or Land's End shoes?

Sweet Brothers

2009-07-15T15:19:00.004-04:00

I admit, I keep expecting the novelty of Baby Julian to wear off for Owen. Instead, he keeps surprising me with his gentleness and sweetness towards his little brother. He'll pass by the swing and say, "Baby Julian's awake! He's saying, 'There's my big brother!."

Almost every day he asks to hold Julian in his lap, and he gets himself all settled into a chair with his hands up and ready. Today, he really wanted Julian to take a nap in his room with him. Soon enough, Owen...soon enough.

First Trip to the Dentist

2009-07-15T11:16:00.004-04:00

i

We were so proud of Owen at his first official dentist appointment this week. He was so brave! He kept his mouth wide open as soon as he sat in the chair. (Donna had to keep telling him he could close his mouth if he wanted to.) They gave him sunglasses because the light is so bright, and then they polished his teeth and painted flouride on them. I kept telling him he was a rock star!

Speaking of rock stars...we absolutely love our dentist. He's worth the 45 minute drive to Kalamazoo. In fact, he's not only the best dentist we know, he also owns a vegan food company and he's about to publish his first book on the subject. Check out his website here for more information on Dr. Ope!

Grandma Brooks and Grandpa Doug

2009-07-13T21:00:00.003-04:00

We've had some nice visits with Grandma Brooks and Grandpa Doug this week. They live on a beautiful golf course, so we'll go for a long walk and then visit on the porch.

Grandma and Grandpa found this Radio Flyer tricycle at a garage sale this summer, and Owen loves biking up and down the street with Grandma.

A Fingerpainting Journey

2009-07-13T20:42:00.007-04:00

It used to be that Owen was a fairly cautious finger painter. He would carefully dip a finger in some paint and have a go at creating his masterpiece. Then one day, he and John decided to finger paint together. It all started innocently enough, and then John showed Owen the "wild side" of finger painting. (It can go in your hair?!)

When John finished painting, he looked something like this.

Then we got back to our home, and Owen was painting this morning. I looked up to see him putting paint in his hair, and you know what his response was to me?

"John does it!"

Oh boy.

Children's Museum

2009-07-12T14:39:00.002-04:00

We've been meaning to pay a visit to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum since we moved here, and we finally had our chance this week. Owen loved every minute of it, and there were so many things for him to explore and play with. He was exhausted by the time we got in the car! We're already looking forward to our next visit.

Happy 30th Aunt Abby!

2009-07-11T12:13:00.002-04:00

Click here for a link to Abby's blog. Happy Birthday Abby!

Birthday presents!

Um, Uncle D...are you teaching the boys to make cocktails?

You really can never have too much frosting when you're 2.

Thanks to Uncle D and Aunt Erin for bringing all the decorations.
Jed and Grandma Queen made the cake. It was fabulous!

4th of July

2009-07-11T12:01:00.002-04:00

A ride in the Morgan with Pop Pop in the Cross Village parade.

Uncle D teaches the boys all about fireworks!

Owen Takes Flight

2009-07-09T22:01:00.001-04:00

Pond Hill Farm

2009-07-09T20:47:00.003-04:00

We had a lovely outing to Pond Hill Farm with friends and family last week. Grandma Queen, Pop Pop and Uncle Jeff went to Petosky, but the rest of the gang is pictured here.

New friends! (Well, sort of...) Brad, Devin and Lucas.

Aunt Erin and Uncle Danny.

Birthday girl! Aunt Abby and John John.

Owen and John both have big crushes on Tashi. Owen was lucky enough to have Tashi read bedtime books one day, and we stumbled across a French phrase in one of our George and Martha books..."Voulez-vous embrasser Tashi?" Will you give me a kiss? Owen always blushes and gets shy. Also, his French is very sweet.

Adorable

2009-07-09T18:45:00.001-04:00

Is that an adorable baby yawning in a froggy hat? Why, yes it is. I don't think they come much cuter than this.

Bee Keeping

2009-07-09T18:36:00.003-04:00

Last night we paid a visit to Earthkeeper Farm to watch them open the bee hives and do some work. Jed has been reading up on beekeeping, and they invited him to "suit up" and help out. Owen, Julian and I watched from a distance, but I have to say that the bees were much more mild mannered than I had imagined. After the work was finished, we enjoyed some homemade bread and honey!

Owen was mostly excited about seeing the tractor again. When Andrew offered to take him for a ride, a minor meltdown ensued (it's kind of loud and scary!). We settled for feeding the chickens instead. Andrew and Rachelle just built a new coop for the chickens, so they're getting used to a new home. Rachelle said it's like an Easter egg hunt every morning because they're laying their eggs all over the place.

Julian

2009-06-30T23:50:00.001-04:00

Some of our latest pictures of Julian. He's getting more adorable every day!

Earthkeeper Farm (Continued)

2009-06-30T23:40:00.002-04:00

Week 1 share included strawberries (not pictured), bok choy, kale, garlic scapes, spicy mix lettuce, purple lettuce, arugula and cilantro. We're splitting the CSA with Ginny and the family, so every week we lay it all out and divide it up between us.

I'm sad to report that these adorable pigs are named Patty and Link. You get the idea.

Week 2 share included cherries, strawberries, bok choy, kale, dill, snow peas, and more lettuce. The peonies were from the Farmer's Market (aren't they beautiful?!).

Earthkeeper Farm

2009-06-30T23:31:00.005-04:00

Earthkeeper Farm is a local organic farm, and we've recently purchased a share in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This means that we get a box every Saturday at the Farmer's Market that has goodies from their latest harvest. Rachelle and Andrew are the farmers, and they invited us out to see the farm this past week. Part of our agreement in the CSA is that we will work 8 hours on the farm sometime between now and October. We look forward to spending some time lending a hand!

Visit Earthkeeper on the web!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Kent-City-MI/Earthkeeper-Farm/72884718846?ref=ts

http://www.earthkeeperfarm.com

We can come out any time and cut fresh flowers! This is Rachelle (she's expecting and due in September).

They have a few animals just for fun, and Owen got to feed the sheep.

The best part for Owen was getting to sit on Andrew's tractor!

Strawberries

2009-06-30T23:25:00.002-04:00

Owen and Jed have been strawberry picking (well, mostly Jed). Here are the stats:

44 pounds of strawberries picked
2 gallons of jam made by Jed (Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb and Strawberry Preserves)
25 pounds of strawberries frozen and bagged for smoothies

Oh my!

Hess Lake

2009-06-30T23:17:00.002-04:00

We had a lovely visit up at Hess Lake this past weekend. Brings back childhood memories for me since I used to spend lots of time at the cottage water skiing, swimming and eating Double Chocolate Almond ice cream when I was a kid!

Owen's first swim in Hess Lake...lounging the day away. Later on in the day, he tucked himself in for a nap in the back room. Just like I used to do!

Aunt Donna and Uncle Dale live right next door to Grandma, so we had a nice time seeing everyone.

Mama Midwife

2009-06-30T23:14:00.003-04:00

I had my six week check up with our midwife, Gail, this week (Owen calls her the "Mama Midwife"), and the whole family went along. We'll miss seeing her as often as we have been. Owen especially, since he gets chocolate at every visit!

Summer Fun with Greta

2009-06-30T23:07:00.003-04:00

Owen is so lucky to have Greta and Spencer so close. They love to play with him, and they are SO good with him.

Swimming with Daddy

2009-06-30T23:04:00.004-04:00

There's a great little park near our house, and we've started going over in the mornings to let Owen swim. Looks like they're having fun, doesn't it?

Owen's Dream Come True

2009-06-30T23:00:00.003-04:00

The greatest gift for Owen...

Bob invited us to Star of the Sea, where he teaches elementary band during the school year. He let Owen play any instrument in the room, but the best of all was the DRUMS! He was in heaven and played for nearly an hour.

Friends

2009-06-30T22:54:00.002-04:00

Does it get much cuter than this? Owen and Lucinda having a snack together.

Oh, how we miss Cheryl and Bob!

Bob took some convincing to hold Julian, but of course, they took to each other right away!

Grosse Pointe Visit

2009-06-30T22:44:00.002-04:00

Grandma Queen reading to Owen and Parker.

See this beautiful woman? This is Aunt Kristen the amazing photographer...check out her pictures at www.kristenscottphoto.com.

Julian is weighing in at nearly 13 pounds lately!

(Sniff, sniff) A sad picture indeed. This is Owen and Pop Pop saying goodbye to the BMW on Father's Day. The neighbors bought the car, so it will never be far away. Still, it was a hard morning for Pop Pop, especially since Owen suddenly expressed a keen interest in knowing everything about the yellow car!

Aunt Abby and Potty Time

2009-06-30T22:38:00.002-04:00

Abby, Jeff and John came to spend the night for the birthday weekend. There was quite a lot of potty talk going on...

Aunt Abby and Julian meeting for the first time.

John and Owen playing with the awesome tool set that was a birthday present from Aunt Abby and Uncle Jeff.

More potty time. Always bring a good book!

Happy Birthday (Continued...)

2009-06-30T22:27:00.003-04:00

Birthday Buddies! John calls Owen "Bubby," and Owen thinks that's pretty cool.

The whole party gang in a self-timed picture. You can see that Owen is excited to see how the picture turned out. He's kind of an expert on the self-timer thanks to Aunt Ginny. Also, I can't explain why Spencer's making that face...not even he knows why.

Owen, Pop Pop and John watching some Thomas the Train DVD's to unwind after the party.

Sweet, sweet cousins.

Happy Birthday Owen and John!

2009-06-30T22:13:00.003-04:00

Owen turns 3 years old!

Is this a GLITTER BALL Greta? These are the latest rage among Rockford kids. We got Greta a glitter ball for her birthday, and she got Owen one for his birthday (with fish inside!). She also got me my very own mini glitter ball for my birthday. We are all set on glitter balls around here!

Lots and lots of presents...including Owen's latest obsession, a car transporter.

A poetry book from Aunt Ginny (My Dog May Be a Genius, by Jack Prelutsky), which included a personalized poem written by Ginny. I don't think Ginny will mind if I share (it made me cry when I read it). I must say that we are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful family.

You're three, You're three
How can that be?
When yesterday
Only two were you

You were two, just two
O' beautiful nephew
Learning to talk and run
Leaping beyond simply one

You were one, just one
And before that none
But a dream for a lad
Your mom and dad had

I can't remember when you were not
In my heart, you hold a special spot
Bigger than you'll ever know'n
Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet, Sweet, Owen

Dinner on the porch with Grandma Brooks. A little quiet time amidst all the partying!

Little Guy

2009-06-30T22:04:00.003-04:00

Not so little anymore...but still our "Little Guy."

Baking Cakes

2009-06-30T21:55:00.003-04:00

Jed and I have been doing quite a bit of baking in the last month. Most recently, I made homemade "Hostess" cupcakes just for fun. I found the recipe in a Food Network magazine. Since I had to pipe the icing either way, I decided to put names on our cupcakes!

For my birthday, Jed made a beautiful yellow layer cake with Magnolia Bakery buttercream frosting. And for Greta's birthday, we made her "dream cake"...half chocolate cake, half vanilla cake, white frosting with a rainbow. Consider it done, dear Greta.

Finally, when Owen and John had their birthday bash, Jed made yellow cake with buttercream frosting and my job was to create Thomas the Tank Engine out of frosting (whew!).

Still More

2009-06-22T20:42:00.002-04:00

More Kristen Pictures...

2009-06-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Aunt Kristen's Photos

2009-06-22T20:28:00.002-04:00

Here are a few of the pictures from our recent photo shoot...Kristen is an amazing photographer!

Bongos

2009-06-12T09:32:00.003-04:00

While watching the selection from West Side Story on the Tony Awards, Owen casually remarks.."I hear bongos!" Sure enough, there they were in the back of the orchestration.

We've created a monster.

Jed

Thank You Wheeler Family!

2009-06-11T17:40:00.004-04:00

What a cool birthday gift! Katie found this handmade gift on etsy.com, and we love it. The artist is Erin Meissner (info@elmsudiosonline.com). We sure wish the Wheeler's lived closer...we miss you!

Aunt Ginny

2009-06-02T20:19:00.001-04:00

Aunt Ginny can't get enough cuddle time with her new nephew...meanwhile, she is keeping up her "Super Aunt" status by taking Owen to baseball games, the park and out to ice cream whenever she gets the chance.

Great-Grandma Smith

2009-06-02T20:03:00.002-04:00

Great-Grandma Smith and her friend Bill made this BEAUTIFUL Noah's Ark quilt for Julian. I can't imagine the hours they spent putting this together!Great-Grandma Smith's 85th Birthday luncheon ended at the hospital to meet baby Julian. Left to right in the picture: Aunt Ginny, Great-Grandma Smith, Mandy and Julian, Grandma Brooks and Great-Aunt Donna.