Two Too Much

Owen took his time learning to walk, isn't yet talking our ears off, and lags behind many of his peers in the head of hair category, but our boy has hit the trying twos right on schedule. The no napping, toy throwing, cat harassing, opposite direction running, crib bailing, time-out tempting, "you talking to me?" twos. Oh don't get me wrong - he's still a great kid and a joy 98% of the time, but there are some moments!

Today was his two year check-up and all looks great health wise. He's now 34 point something inches and just under 25 pounds, with a head circumference that is off the charts. He did well too on all those silly questions they ask that always give me fits; the only one I couldn't answer affirmatively was if he used first and last names (seriously? at two??).

Deb's Vision

My cousin Scott's wife Deb is an amazing photographer (and beautiful person). The cutie on the couch with Owen is her daughter Malia.

I love the quiet detail of these shots; I love seeing the party through Deb's eyes.

The Big Party!

Note to self: during big events (like this weekend's combination Graduation/Birthday/Birthday party) hand the camera to someone and ask them to please take pictures! This year Bob and I were so busy cooking, talking, and enjoying the party that we didn't get many good pictures of the festivities, but we sure did have fun!

We were thrilled to welcome family and friends to our house to help us celebrate three big milestones and our two awesome kids. Cearra and Owen were feted with two ice cream cakes (a Kaufmann family tradition), a yummy car cake made with love by Nana, a pile of presents, and a visit from the neighborhood's newest stars: Brody and Chrissy, the adorable 9 week old Golden Retriever pups that have taken over Bruce and Sherry's (GiGi) home and hearts.

The weather was hot, hot, hot but a few challenging games of Corn Hole and plenty of cold drinks kept everyone happy. Big thanks to Uncle Rich for custom building our new Corn Hole boards for us! For his efforts he had the honor of being named the "Official Corn Hole Official" for the day and was decked out with a special shirt, whistle and game play card.

We were all happily exhausted by the end of the party, and hope you all had as much fun as we did!

Nana and Pop-pop stayed the night as we had planned to attend a Zydeco concert on Sunday at Westminster's City Park. We loaded into the van in hopes that the rain would stop and the show would go on, but alas Mother Nature wasn't in the mood for music. We did enjoy watching Owen "drive" and play with the windshield wipers as we waited out the storm though!

The next day - Owen's actual birthday - we said goodbye to Nana and Pop-pop and headed off to get some professional pictures taken. Owen is no where near the model his cousin Samantha is, but thanks to Cearra's patience and ability to make him happy, plus some good editing, we did manage to get a few really cute shots.

On Tuesday it was time to put Cearra back on the plane to Norfolk. Owen sure does miss his beloved big sis - he walks down the hall to her room calling "Zee-zee" (Cee-cee) and pushes open the door expecting to find her. We'll just have to get her back here real soon!

Happy Birthday Owen!

Our beautiful baby boy is two! Pictures and story to follow once we all recover from the weekend (smile)!

A Summer Day with Hose, Pool and Cup!

Happy Birthday Bonus

I've never liked the term "step-mom" or "step-daughter". The undertone of half best, or second rate, or even mean and evil (thanks Disney). The way I think of it, the way I've felt since I married Bob 12 years ago, is that Cearra is my bonus daughter.

Dictionary.com defines "bonus" as something extra or additional given freely. And that is indeed what Cearra has been in my life. A wonderful gift that I didn't expect; a beautiful addition to my world.

And today Cearra turns 18! It's so hard to believe that the little girl with a curly ponytail is now this gorgeous young woman, with, sometimes still, a curly ponytail. It has been a pleasure to watch her grow and achieve and laugh and learn.

So many, many times she has blown me away with her wisdom, her passion, her insight. A few times she has made me shake my head with her ... let's call it determination. And yes, there have been moments when she's made me cry (I'm sure I haven't always been her favorite person either). But through it all, I've always known how lucky I am to know her.

I hope that today she is happy. I hope she is excited about her future. And I hope she knows how much she is loved - not just by her dad (who calls her his special princess and means it), but by her whole family, and me ... her "bonus mom".

Love you C.

When Owen Met Riley

Owen and I went up to Pennsylvania for a few days and Aunt Kris and cute cousin Riley flew in from Wisconsin; so the boys got to meet! We assured Owen that Riley would be a better playmate in a few years - and that he'd be very glad to have a male cousin during family get togethers.

Of course no visit to Nana and Pop-pop's is complete without a trip to our favorite ice cream parlor. Owen enjoyed sampling every one's cone and playing a little game of "ring around the parking lot pole" with Pop-pop and Uncle Rich (who just so happened to color coordinate with him!).

My dad is home recovering from his surgery - thank you for your prayers and well wishes.