3

Owen you are three now. Well technically your three and almost a month- but since your loving momma cant keep up with her blogging and breathing at the same time- this is my tribute to you being three.
This is going to be sappy and poorly written because its coming straight from my heart and lets face it I am sappy and I don't write well.

I cant believe you are 3!! The time has passed by way to quickly (the way all seasoned mothers told me it would). I continue to fall more and more crazy in love with you every day. Its funny that you after only 3 years have extracted more love from me than I knew myself capable of producing in an entire lifetime.

We do spend all of our time together so I guess its not strange but for me to know you like the back of my own hand (better than that really). I never anticipated knowing another person the way I know you. I know your reactions before they come. I can tell in the morning if its going to be an easy or a hard day for you just by taking you in. I know your smell, your voice, and the feel of your tiny hands (all perfect). I know each smile and each furrow. And still Little, you suprise me with your newness on a daily basis.

You are full of compassion sensitive to the emotions of others the way few children are, You are contemplative and wild, You are inquisitive and passionate about the way things work. You love with a fierce undiscriminating love that your Father in heaven is most definitely proud of.
I am proud of you
I love being your momma
I love you.
momma

The ultimate omelet. Turkey, Gouda, mushrooms, and avocado on top. Thanks to a friend I am back on my healthy (eggs in the morning) wagon. That expression "on the wagon" is a funny one. According to a reliable source back in the day of the pioneers (and wagon travel) when prisoners were being transported, if they were well liked by their guards they would be let "off the wagon" at night for a drink around the fire. If the guards disliked them... well they stayed "on the wagon".
So I am not sure what this says about me. ( comments welcome)
But thanks Haley for the yummy suggestion of putting turkey in the omelet.
I enjoyed every last healthy bite.

Sweet Tooth

The best doughnuts in town From Easy orchards They have this great little produce market and gift/kitchen shop. As well as a wonderful pumpkin patch that we visit each year. They always give the kiddos one of their fresh handmade doughnuts and a cup of hand pressed apple cider after the hay ride and the tour of the apple orchards.
Owen loves a good doughnut... well he has only ever had these doughnuts but they are good and he knows it.

This is the way I get to take pictures of Owen now. From behind while chasing him. I am his own personal paparazzi. I say things like "Owen this way" and "smile at your Mommy" but nothing seems to matter he runs and says "no take the pictures Mommy come on".

So this it. the pumpkin patch.

Autumn:fall, fruitage, fruition, garnering, gathering, harvest-time, harvesting, ingathering, intake, output, produce, reaping, repercussion, result,

This Autumn has turned out to be intensely yet joyfully busy. Owen and I have started a new weekly bible study/preschool program, we also started our job working as child care providers for a drug court program 3 time per month and, our family is part of a new missoinal community starting up through our Church, and Michael has been taking two college courses after working ours.With all of this new activity and our regular activities we have basically been full to the brim with life.

Some days I feel like I am barely keeping my head above the water when I realize that I am living a truly fruitful life. I am grateful to be a mother who stays home with her crazy awesome little boy. I am thankful beyond belief for a husband who has a tenacious love for me and a special gift of patience. I am blessed to see that God works in trials, and that I am firmly in His grasp.

He Sleeps At Last!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 3.5 weeks of no naps Owen is sleeping. He has been sleeping since 1:45!!

I asked him to pray that God would help him sleep... he said dee Gah please sleep me, Amen.

And it worked!

Its true God loves to here his little ones pray.

Lately

Lately Owen has been really going through a rough patch. He is almost three now and just entering the “ I found out I have free will ” phase. Plus he rarely takes naps anymore which exasperates the situation because a tired Owen is a sight to marvel at in and of its self and adding the toughies to the tired is well… (Sigh). So I have been really just moving from one lesson about natural consequences to another with little time to spare for anything else.

I really wish that I could take times from my past and cut and paste them into times now… I feel like I really need those three and a half months in Italy now. I needed it then too (for totally different reasons) of course. But I sure would enjoy it now as well. Even a really nice weeklong road/ camping trip would be fun.

But apparently every parent goes through this stage (save those w/nanny’s). Every one seems to be alive and even normal after this process as well, which I am still boggled by. I am still getting over the whole newborn trauma. But in truth I know I have had it pretty easy thus far. Now I am experiencing life the way it honestly should be with a healthy and normally developing child. And those are all things to be grateful for. So I am grateful and tired at the same time.