The Roberts Family.....

It's Christmas Card Season.....

2010-11-23T16:33:00.003-05:00

Last Friday Chris and I took the kids to get photos taken so we'd have lots to choose from for this years Christmas card. I usually try to send my cards out the day after Thanksgiving. For years people have told me that mine is the first they receive each year. Not going to happen thing year. With a very active four year old and a 1 year old who is very newly into everything..... I am just a bit behind. None the less, I am trying to get them done and ordered asap.

I have shopped around a bit and decided that this year I am going to order some beautiful cards from Shutterfly. I use Shutterfly to upload and email photos, to order prints, to create photo books as well as to make some neat gifts such as photo calendars and photo coffee mugs. Their shipping charges are very reasonable and their turn around time is much shorter than some of their competitors.

Now, the problem I am facing now is which card to chose. 2 photos or 3. Or even 5 or 6 photos? A card that tells a story or a card that is simply and just spreads the message of holiday cheer? A flat card or folded? With so many awesome Shutterfly options I need to get on the ball because Thanksgiving is 2 short days away!

Follow this link to see some of Shutterfly's Holiday photo cards:http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

How about an awesome photo calendar for Grandma: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

Does Pop need a new coffee mug with photos of his favorite grandchildren? http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs

Whatever you are looking for, Shutterfly has a really neat photo gift solution! Hop on over to Shutterfly http://www.Shutterfly.com and get started today!

Olympic week @ preschool

2010-05-06T17:12:00.003-04:00

It was Olympic week at Owen's preschool this week. The staff and teachers organized "Olympic" events for the children such as long jump, bean bag toss, ring toss and potato sack races. Ms. Dawnna told me not only did Owen win the long jump contest, that he won it by leaps and bounds and maybe jumped further than any 3 year old she has ever had in class. Chris and I thought that was pretty cool. And appropriate because we see this kid jump all the time and jump high, far, fast and often. If you know Owen you know that the boy is always on the go! Today for all of their "Olympic efforts" they received a tiny little trophy and a medal to wear. Owen is so proud of himself and it is just fantastic to see. Heart melting almost:)

Olivia is 8 months old!

2010-05-06T17:00:00.004-04:00

Holy cow folks, she is 8 months old. So, okay, I am 3 days late with the blog post because her birthday was on Monday the 3rd, but who is really paying attention to that???? Nobody. On Monday we lowered the crib mattress because she was at that point that when she was pushing up on her tummy she was so high that her head went above the crib height. Still only 2 teeth. Loving YoBaby yogurt in all flavors, puffs, rice with apple cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots are her favorites. She will tolerate and eat some of the sweeter fruits like pears, and apples and such, but she much prefers the blander veggies. Olivia LOVES to watch Owen doing anything because he is ALWAYS on the go. Still a great sleeper but now she is a tummy sleeper about 80% of the time. Happy 8 month birthday to our sweet girl!

Earth Day

2010-04-23T10:59:00.007-04:00

I was trying to explain what exactly Earth Day was when getting Owen dressed for preschool yesterday morning. I explained it as a special day to celebrate our planet, Earth, kind of like Earth's birthday. I found a (too small) t-shirt in his closet from last Spring that said "Go Green" so that is what he wore to school. I also brought my camera to school when dropping him off yesterday because I don't have too many photos of him actually at school. Usually I have the baby with me and that leaves me with only one free hand. And with 13 3 year olds in his class, drop off and pick up are usually a hustle and bustle of kids, parents, seat work papers, projects, etc. After preschool, lunch and naps I took the kids to Pottery Barn Kids for a special Earth Day story reading, sing along and craft project. Owen had a great time. It was so neat to see him sit quietly and listen, as well as actively participate when the story lady asked questions.

In the spirit of Earth Day I made a mental list yesterday of all the "green" things we do in our house and the "non green" things we still do.

GREEN:

*recycle bottles, paper, magazines, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, styrofoam

*use refillable water bottles

*conserve water and electricity as much as possible

*we have a high efficiency washer and dryer

*I buy mostly organic dairy and produce, some organic meat

*we use re useable lunch containers instead of baggies mostly

*I always bring my own re useable bags to the grocery store

*I like to use "green" cleaning products

*I only run the dishwasher when it's a full load

NOT SO GREEN:

*we use WAY too many paper plates and paper towels

*disposable diapers are horrible for the environment, but I have never even given green diapers a second thought. Pampers all the way in this house!

*I still use plastic Target shopping bags for doogie poop pickup.

sweet girl is getting so big!

2010-04-20T22:57:00.003-04:00

Oh my gosh. So much has changed with Olivia in the past few weeks. She and I recently travelled back to Virginia for my sisters bridal shower. Originally I was going to bring both kids with me but I waited too long to book my tickets and by the time I did I paid an outrageous price for my Southwest ticket. And since all 4 of us are flying back in July for the wedding, well it just wasn't in the budget for Owen to make the trip this time. While we were gone Chris did lots of fun and special daddy things with him. He went and saw his first movie in the theater, "How to Train a Dragon" (and LOVED it). He just sat there mesmerized with his popcorn. They took park trips, went to The Original Pancake House for breakfast, out to dinner twice and spent countless hours playing and swinging on the swing set in the backyard. And it's worth mentioning that Chris let Owen's bedtime slide quite a bit in my absence. I am a huge stickler for the "routine" and getting the kids to bed on time each night is super important to me. Okay, back to Olivia. She was fantastic on the airplane. Didn't sleep much (about 40 mins only on the 5 hour flight) but didn't cry at all either. By the time we landed and got bags and met my sis, mom and niece at Dulles it was almost 6pm EST and she was exhausted and already the time clock/jet lag had gotten to her. I learned a few things in the coming days at Mom and Dads: 1) even super good babies who are super good sleepers get messed up with the time difference 2) our sweet girl who never cries while in her own home and environment can get very very upset in a new environment with tons of new faces all at once & 3) she pretty much feels happy and secure as long as her momma is the one holding her! None-the-less, she did fantastic given all the variables. It was her first time sleeping in a pack and play but she got used to it just in time for us to come back home. The day we returned home to Las Vegas she went to bed almost at her regular PST bedtime and slept thru the night no problems. Getting her back on "schedule" was not an issue thank goodness. So.... the whole point of this blog post was to tell you about all the things that have changed with her since our trip to Virginia. She is sitting up on her own (a much later sitter than her big brother Owen who sat up unsupported much earlier). She used to be happy and content to sleep on her back in her crib all night long and now she wants to do flips, turns, spins, cartwheels and summersaults all night long (crib is going to be lowered this week for sure). She has 2 teeth! They are so adorable. She is babbling. She is making an attempt to scoot around on her tummy trying to get to different toys that are spread out on a blanket. She thinks Owen is the most fabulous, funny person on the planet. Some of her fav foods are cereal, yogurt, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples and we are attempting cheerios this week. (Again, she is starting to eat "real" food soooooo much later than Owen did). And she is loving long stroller walks, runs and will take as much time swinging in her swing at the park or on our swing set as she can get.

super late- Easter photos

2010-04-20T22:40:00.005-04:00

So Easter was like ages ago. Well, like 3 weeks ago. It happened to fall the day after Chris and I's 6th wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner to one of our favorites, Roys, which is where we had our 5th wedding anniversary dinner in Jacksonville last year. Last year I was preggers with Olivia so of course no drinking for me. This year, def not preggers, so indulging and boozing I did thank you very much:) I had a couple Hawaiian martinis and then with dinner we had some wine. We had a great time. Came home and helped the Easter bunny make up the kids baskets and hide candy filled eggs, went to bed by 2am and of course we were up with both kiddos by 6 and 6:30. It was a long day. My cousin Jason said he was going to come over for Easter dinner so I made a spiral sliced ham, crescent rolls, mac and cheese and green beans. Owen had the best time hiding the Easter eggs over and over and over. He actually did this for days until Chris and I almost couldn't take it anymore.

summerlin st patty's day 5k

2010-03-14T23:30:00.002-04:00

saturday morning i ran in the summerlin st patty's day 5k. it was such a small event, maybe 150 or 175 people. i like to run in races every now and then just for the fun of it. lots of people ran with joggers and such and almost everybody was wearing green just to be in the spirit of the holiday. nobody told me that the first mile and three quarters were straight up hill. that part was not fun if you ask me. to my surprise (complete and total) post race when they were announcing winners the called my name for finishing first in my age division 25-29. yay me- i was pretty excited:)

i found my feet

2010-03-14T23:23:00.006-04:00

sweet girl just found her feet! she like to play with them and try to put them in her mouth. she is just too much! and it looks like now as her hair is finally growing that she is going to have that same pretty strawberry blonde color that owen has. lucky girl.

6 months old already!

2010-03-06T15:55:00.002-05:00

3 days ago on march 3rd olivia had her 6 month birthday. wowsers. could it really have gone by that fast? i guess so and i hate it. i want time to slow down because i would love for her to stay 6 months old for a while. she is sitting supported (by her boppy) and finally just this week started to eat solids (sort of). she likes her cereal but honestly most of the time she couldn't care less about eating. she is so content to just sit and stare at owen and all of the crazy things he does. it melts my heart to see her grin from ear to ear when he walks into the room. and they feeling is mutual. owen says over and over "i love my baby sister" and "i love you baby girl". ugh- preciousness at it's best. i know the 2 of them won't be like this all of their lives so i am just trying to soak it all up now.

her 6 month stats: 18 lb. 4 ounces & 27 3/4 inches tall. she's 90th percentile for weight and off the charts in height. looks like we've got a volleyball player on our hands:)

happy 32nd birthday chris

2010-02-12T15:26:00.005-05:00

well this week started off with chris's 32nd birthday! happy birthday babe! we had a wonderful evening out. thank you to my friend karen who babysat the kids. turned out to be a pretty easy gig for her, i gave the baby a bath, fed her and had her in her crib and asleep before karen even got to the house at 6. that left her just owen to entertain and get off to bed. chris and i had a fabulous dinner at nove, which is located on the 51st floor of the palms hotel and casino. awesome dinner (a passion fruit mojito, calamari, pinot grigio and a braised beef short rib raviolli in a brown butter sauce-yum!) after dinner we hit the casino and chris quickly lost at the poker tables and i made up for what he lost by playing a monopoly shot machine. chris and i paid for our night out the next day because we were so tired. we are in bed often around 9pm, and on monday we didn't get to bed until after 1am. we also both got sick this week. i have fluid behind the ears, new allergies and a sinus infection. chris has a severe sinus infection and the flu. woohoo. you see how old we are? 1 night out and we both are sick as dogs. we are now all set on antibiotics and on our way to feeling better.

thursday owen had a valentines day party at preschool. it was adorable. he and his school friends exchanged valentine cards and goodies, decorated and ate sugar cookies and cupcakes and made their mommy's a very special valentine. it is so sweet and special. it's a round foam heart with glitter and a little hand posed in the sign language symbol for 'i love you'. i love it so much.

one cool kid!

2010-01-20T22:49:00.002-05:00

sleeping beauty

2010-01-20T22:46:00.002-05:00

she fell asleep, just like this. laying on her boppy on the couch, sucking on her giraffe. it was so precious.

what's so darn funny olivia?

2010-01-15T14:16:00.004-05:00

chris and i are always asking each other "how is she always so happy?" even on afternoons when she wakes up from her nap after sleeping for only 10 minutes. even on mornings when it seems all i have done with her is lug her around with me running errands. olivia always has a smile for you. she is so sweet, pleasant, happy, giggly. she is the light of all of ours lives, including her big brother. he just loves her and always wants to be hugging her or kissing her. just the nicest girl i have ever met. of course i am a bit biased though:)

happy 4 month birthday sweet olivia!

2010-01-04T17:02:00.004-05:00

today was olivia's 4 month well visit. it's also her 4 month birthday. she did great, smiled at the doctor the whole time. right up until the point where she got 4 vaccinations. it has not gotten any easier for me to watch my children get stuck with a needle and then cry in pain. she is 25 3/4 inches tall and weighs 16 lbs & 1 ounce. comparing her to owen at his 4 month well visit she is about an inch shorter and weighs about 2.5 lbs less. when olivia and i got home from the doctor owen was so happy we were back. he was very curious about his sister and how she did at her appointment. owen either calls her "baby olivia" or "baby girl". it's just so darn cute. so i asked him, "owen, what are you going to call her when she isn't a baby anymore, because one day she is going to be big like you?" of course his reply back was "mommy, i'm going to call her baby olivia". kind of like, duh mom, that's her name!!!

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-03T19:51:00.005-05:00

i know i know, it's almost as if i fell off the "blog" wagon for good this time. haha. just like everybody else we have been pretty busy. and when i do have ten minutes to myself it seems i like to catch up on a magazine, goof off on facebook or even catch a quick nap. also trying to squeeze exercise and laundry in when i can find the time. but, alas, the roberts family blog is back an i plan on updating like i used to! the kids are great. owen has been out of preschool since Dec. 22nd so i am so happy that he starts back up this tuesday. this makes me wonder what am i going to do to keep him busy all summer long. errrrrrrr??? he has started saying the funniest things. like today i caught him on the potty reading runners world magazine and i asked him "buddy, what are you up to?" he then turned to me and said "oh nothing to worry about mommy". laugh out loud. he thinks that he's 3 going on 13. or last week we were watching tv together and i was lightly touching his cheek and after about a minute he turned to me and said "mommy i love you, but that's enough". freaking hilarious. our ohio state buckeyes won the rose bowl yesterday. woohoo- go o-h-i-o! chris is busy like always with work. in 2 weeks he goes to jacksonville for an entire week. ugh. nothing makes you feel more alone then being home alone for a full week knowing your entire family is at least 2,200 miles away. i am just staying busy trying to keep with the kiddos. i haven't run much since the half marathon. instead for now i am concentrating on circuit training and spin classes at the gym. my sister melissa is getting married in july so owen, olivia and i will be flying back to n va for a week in april for her bridal shower. 5 hour cross country flight with 2 kids by myself- i say shoot me now:) and now miss olivia. she will be 4 months tomorrow. wow it has really flown. she is the happiest, sweetest most chill baby girl. she is content just to tag along with us anywhere we want to take her. sleeps great at night, some days she's just a so/so napper. only cries when she's over tired. this little girl always, and i really do mean always, has a smile for you. and her smiles can really just brighten up your entire day. she's sitting up well in the bumbo seat and her new pink tea party exersaucer is on it's way via ups. hope everybody is having an excellent start to the new year. 2009 was so so good to chris, owen, olivia and i and we are hoping 2010 will be even better.

my 2 sweet babies.....

2009-10-18T00:00:00.004-04:00

i have been so bad about updating our blog lately, promise to get better soon as soon as i get some time (and after i get some extra sleep- haha, yea right).

Halloween pj's

2009-10-11T22:02:00.002-04:00

brother and sister in their matching Halloween pj's. if chris would agree to it, i would put us all (including the dog) in matching ones. maybe he'll agree for christmas:)

owen loves his baby sister. and no, i am not just saying that. it has been a dream having him not acting jealous or hateful at all. he is not mad at us when we have to do things for her and having her here has brought out a super sweet side of my big boy! he likes to kiss her, hold her and help me do things with/for her. he has been a great help. maybe we just got super lucky, or maybe just maybe spacing them 3 years and 15 days apart worked out to be the perfect spacing in between siblings.

5 weeks old!

2009-10-10T23:39:00.000-04:00

been kind of busy.....

2009-09-19T13:18:00.002-04:00

So we have been kind of busy around here to say the least. Mom just left for the airport to fly back home to Virginia. It was so great having my Mom and Dad here. Owen isn't going to know what to do with himself without his Grammy here. We did lots and lots of playing and shopping and eating during their visit. I probably would not have made it through the past week and a half without my Moms help. She cleaned, did all the laundry, entertained Owen and got up with him at 6 am, or before, every morning. I guess that leaves us on this Saturday morning to watch football (bc of the time diff football games start at 9am!) and start to try find our new "normal". Olivia is doing great. She continues to be a much much more "chill" baby than Owen was. Owen had colic and reflux and didn't sleep all the time like newborns usually do. He also ate nearly every 1.5-2 hrs. Olivia is content to just be right with you. I have yet to really hear her "cry". When she is ready to eat she kind of just moans or groans. She is eating and sleeping very well. Knock on wood. I promise to post new pictures very soon.

Olivia Ray Roberts

2009-09-05T20:58:00.003-04:00

born September 3rd, 2009 @ 2:28pm. 7 lbs 5 ounces. once again god has blessed Chris and I with a magnificent, perfect little miracle. better blog entry with my labor and delivery story coming soon.

grape popsickle face

2009-09-01T17:13:00.002-04:00

just loved the pictures......had to share.

Owen's 1st day of preschool!

2009-09-01T17:02:00.003-04:00

This morning was Owen's 1st morning at preschool. I was nervous and crying behind my sunglasses the whole drive over there. Happy tears of course. I am so happy for him. He's growing up, he's going to gain some independence, make new friends, etc. All without mom by his side, all without any help from mom. I couldn't help but cry though. After we dropped him Chris and I enjoyed a morning at Starbucks and did a little shopping together, alone without Owen. But was it different. Nice, but, I did miss my little buddy and couldn't wait to pick him up at 11:30. When we arrived back at pickup he was happy to see us and proclaimed to Chris and I that he had "so much fun".

I've got my eye on the prize......

2009-08-29T00:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I went for my regular weekly obgyn checkup. Baby's heartrate was in the 130's (where it's been for a while now), still head down (b/c she is far too big now to do any flipping or flopping) and very low. The doctor could feel her head during the exam. I was about 1-2 cm dialated and already about 80% effaced. This is exactly where I was at this point during my pregnancy with Owen. Dr. King seems to think that Olivia is big, bigger than her brother who weighed alomost 9 lbs. at birth, therefore he suggested inducing me next Thursday September 3rd, exactly 7 days before my official due date. At this stage in the game she could be gaining 1-2 ounces per day, and this difference in a week could mean the difference in me delivering a 9 lbs baby or a 10 lbs baby. This means poor Owen is starting preschool and getting a sister in the same week, poor guy, so many changes for him all at once. I will be going in to the doctor Wednesday morning and he is planning on inserting a balloon (seriously, that's what it's called- google "pregnancy induction with balloon") that will get me started dilating. And with my previous history of a quick quick labor, this may be all she wrote and baby Olivia may come sometime Wednesday instead of me getting fully induced Thursday morning. Who knows what will happen at this point, it seems as if there are still so many things that could happen between now and then.

Look at me!!! I'm 3!!!

2009-08-22T00:51:00.005-04:00

So what is it they say? "terrible two's" and then you go on to the "trying three's"? Well we'll see and I will let you know next August when he turns 4. Haha:) Today Chris and I took Owen for his pictures and he was such a ham. He loved getting his pictures taken and did whatever the picture lady asked of him. I wanted to get her number and ask her if she ever babysits. Just a small sampling of some of the pictures, we bought a million of them so don't fret, I have plenty to mail out to family and friends. On a side note, I don't think he could look any more like his daddy, it's really quite a sight.

a visit from Cindy and Red Rock Canyons

2009-08-17T21:54:00.011-04:00

Our good friend Cindy was in town this past weekend from Columbus (for a nieces wedding) and we were able to steal her away from her group and spend lots of quality time with her Sunday. Cindy and her husband Rich used to live directly across the street from us when we lived in Columbus, Ohio. She had not seen Owen, except in pictures and on this blog, since he was a 5 month old baby. He has changed just a little to say the least. We picked her up at 9am, went out to breakfast, spent 2 hours catching up on old times and old neighbors while Owen thankfully took an over 2 hour nap. Then we went out to lunch and after that we drove the 13 mile loop through the Red Rock Canyons. It was a gorgeous drive through there and I am really glad Chris convinced me that we should do it despite the still very hot temperatures.

petting zoo

2009-08-11T21:41:00.011-04:00

Some pictures from our recent trip to a nearby petting zoo located right smack in the middle of the red rock canyons. It is truely beautiful out there. Something that people don't often associate with Las Vegas, but we are surrounded on all sides by gorgeous mountains. We got lucky on this particualr day because the high temps were ONLY in the mid 90's. Owen LOVED feeding the llamas and got a huge laugh when a deer tried to eat his daddy's shirt. He also said that the pig was stinky. Haha.

8 days

2009-08-11T21:05:00.002-04:00

Only 8 days until this sweet boy turns 3! Wow. I can hardly believe it. I just told him a minute ago that my stomach was hurting (darn baby is never still and now she is so big that every movement is painful) and he came over to me and asked if he could rub my tummy for me. He is such a sweet sweet child. Such a big heart in a tiny package.

back to school time

2009-08-06T17:35:00.002-04:00

So this is the first year that all this back to school hoopla means anything to us in our household. On Sept. 1, just about 24 short days away, Owen will start preschool. He is going to be attending Shadow Hills Baptist preschool 3 year old class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-11:30. His class even has a name, they are the Morning Glorys. How cute is that? Owen is excited, mommy and daddy are excited (even though we all know that mommy is going to be a basket case that first day). The handbook asks that you dress your child in footwear that allows your child to play and run and not risk hurting themselves. This means no Crocs or Owen's favorite Reef flip flops. I have bought him 2 new pairs of new school sneakers. These awesome Diesel ones and a pair of Pumas. And would you believe it if I told you that Owen wears an 11.5 shoe? He has a huge (square shaped) foot. He also has this awesome little green dinosaur backpack that I bought him last year. Can't wait to take 1st day of school pictures!

Olivia- 34 week ultrasound

2009-07-27T21:35:00.011-04:00

Well it should be no surprise to me, or anybody else I guess, that baby Olivia is already one healthy sized baby. Today I had a 34 week ultrasound and she is already 5 lbs. and 5 oz. If I go full term with her, as I did Owen, she will be a 9 lbs. baby, or bigger. She is head down and already practicing her breathing. Amniotic fluid level looked great and the doctor said she is looking perfect and that she is one pretty little girl profile. Got some great u/s pictures of her feet, her hands, etc. As these hot Las Vegas days keeping coming I am looking forward to her arrival more and more. I am still sleeping well, most nights, but am literally "growing" more and more uncomfortable each day.

more fun at the sprinkler park

2009-07-18T23:36:00.004-04:00

I will never, ever get tired of watching Owen run through the sprinklers at the park up the street. Just a short video of him once again having a blast!

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

2009-07-18T23:27:00.007-04:00

Owen's new wheels!

2009-07-06T22:13:00.001-04:00

Check out Owen in his new pimp ride. Thanks Grammy and Pop! He LOVES his new blue Jeep.

baby Olivia's room

2009-07-05T22:16:00.011-04:00

Chris and I worked (well.... more like Chris worked and I helped direct) on baby Olivia's nursery this afternoon. Our sweet tired boy Owen decided to take a 2.5 hour nap (woohoo!) which gave us plenty of time to put the crib together and get some stuff up on the walls.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T14:09:00.006-04:00

Pictures from this mornings Summerlin 4th of July parade. Don't you love the one of him and I (me=huge and Owen=digging for gold in his nostril).

pre 4th of July backyard fun

2009-07-03T22:20:00.007-04:00

Just some pre 4th of July fun in the kiddie blow up pool on our back patio. And yes, at different times, Chris and I each got in to play with Owen in there. Of course there was no way I was going to let a picture of me be taken in my maternity bathing suit. No way Jose.

updates....

2009-07-02T15:04:00.002-04:00

Just some mini updates from The Roberts Family here in Las Vegas.

I found 2 great preschools for Owen (so far). Both are very close by and both have waiting lists. Of course they do, It's July and school starts on August 24th. Good news is that he is in the #1 slot for one of them and the #2 slot for the other one. Very promising.
As I continue to explore the new area I am finding more and more things that make me like my new home. For example, this great restaurant and micro brewery called BJ's. It's right out of my neighborhood and down 2 stoplights. How perfect. Their food is awesome and I can't wait to take my parents there when they come in September. http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/
Today at 2:30p is my first visit with my new obgyn. Hello Dr. King. Nice to meet you. I am 30 weeks pregnant and just now meeting you for the first time. Funny stuff. Their office is 4.8 miles away, says my Garmin, and the hospital where I will deliver is right next to their office. Big thumbs up.
Pictures of the house coming this weekend. I wanted to wait until we did the babys room and we are going to get that done this weekend. I can't wait to see the finished (pink) product.

we're here in Las Vegas!

2009-06-28T22:19:00.010-04:00

Here is a much needed family blog update. It's been over 20 days since I last wrote something, but hey forgive me, we've had a thing or two going on. Owen, Mom and I flew out for the move June 18th. We were so lucky to have Mom for the flight (omg I couldn't have made it through those 5 hours without her). Owen truely was so super behaved (for him). It was just a long flight with a ton of turbulance and keeping Owen happy wasn't the easist. Every time my sweet potty traind boy looked at me and said that he had to pee the captain had the seatbelt light on. Ah, try explaining that to an almost 3 year old. But hey, we managed. Again, I am so lucky to have my Mom because she stayed for 8 whole days! Woohoo. The evening we got here we got right to work. Anybody who knows my mother knows why. She just isn't a "sit around" kind of person. But that is exactly what Chris and I needed. Especially with how pregnant (tired) I am, I would have procrastinated as much as I could have gotten away with. We had the kitchen done in less than a couple hours and we hit the sheets knowing just how much there was to be done. We also knew that Owen was going to be up at the crack of dawn with the 3 hour time difference. We had the entire house finished (with exception of the babys room and garage boxes) inside of 3 1/2 days. My mother is an amazing motivator and never ever runs out of energy. Nor did she complain even once. Having the house done so quickly meant that we had time to relax and shop and check out our new surroundings. We have this great park right around the corner from us that has sprinklers and such, as well as regular playground equipment. We tried out new local restaurants that we didn't have in Jacksonville and even drove down to the strip (only a 20 min drive and a much easier drive than I ever imagined) to do a little window shopping at Caesars Palace. Toy shopping at FAO Schwartz. New clothes shopping at Gap and just fun shopping with Grammy at Pottery Barn Kids (I love that place). Needless to say, I did not want my Mom to leave (sniff sniff) but she had to. And she and my dad will be out in September for 2 weeks right around the time of the baby's due date. This weekend we went out to breakfast, to our new pool, went cosmic bowling, picked up Chris' new grill from Lowes and bought some odds and ends from Bed Bath and Beyond. The temps are in the triple digits so my main goal is to keep Owen entertained while I keep myself and baby Olivia cool! On the agenda for this week: preschool tours, pool time, get the garage and babys room all done and a visit to my new obgyn. Just a couple pictures to share. Some are of Owen at the park and some are of him at the fish tank in Caesars Palace. Pictures of the new house and much more coming very soon.

3D ultrasound photos of Miss Olivia

2009-06-05T20:59:00.009-04:00

5 more days....

2009-06-02T18:38:00.003-04:00

Only 5 more days until I am no longer a resident of the sunshine state. Sad. Anybody who knows me knows how much I have loved living here. But with that said, I am so super duper excited about Las Vegas. It is going to be a fun, fabulous place to live for a few years. Chris is out in Las Vegas working this week, having ride days with some of his sales reps. He arrived yesterday mid afternoon and right away hit up the SuperTarget, yes I said SuperTarget, that is located a mere 5 mins from our new home. Oh how dangerous is this going to be. A SuperTarget that close means I can get my Starbucks, Target and grocery shopping done in one single trip from one single store. How marvelous. Especially with little baby on the way, getting to multiple stores with 2 kids in tow might not be the easiest of tasks at first. Anywho, back on track. Chris hit up SuperTarget right away because he is already in the new house and of course we have no furniture there yet. He bought a blow up queen sized mattress, a pillow, some toilet paper and a $9 pillow. Men. So basic.
As for Owen and I. I am getting cleaning out/junk removal done. If I don't clean out junk drawers and closets now the packers will just come and pack it all. We are also hitting up the pool each and every day, not any different than normal, to spend as much time as we can with our friends.
Chris will be home Thursday evening, late. Friday morning he has an appointment for his car for oil change/tire rotation/check up. My car went last Friday. And then Friday @3pm we go for our 3D 4D ultrasound that we are sooooooo excited about! Can't wait to share those pictures.

Harley is getting old!

2009-05-27T11:04:00.003-04:00

Harley turned 9 on March 24th of this year. While we think he's still got plenty of pep in his step, his body is starting to show some serious signs of ageing. This morning he had a scheduled vet appointment. We needed to get him up to date on vaccinations and whatever else before the big move, and also because it's required to have everything documented for airline pet travel. Well, according to his vet, Harley flying to Las Vegas is a no go. She said no way, not recommended, that she has seen too many young, healthy animals get put on planes and die. And our Harley boy isn't young, nor super duper healthy. This morning he was so excited at the vet that his temp was 103 and they couldn't give him any of his inoculations until he calmed down and his body temp lowered. On top of that: He has a little cyst in his ear that they have no idea what it is. As I type this he is having it surgically removed. Also, while they have him under anesthesia they are doing his teeth cleaning. He needs antibiotics for his ears and for a little rash on his bootie under his fur. He weighs 110 lbs, down from 114 lbs a year ago, but the vet says he needs a diet asap and to get him down to 100. She suggested a glucosomine supplement for his joints and said that he is not to be jumping up and down from our bed (his most favorite place in the world). This means that in the new house we will have to keep a baby gate at the bottom of the steps because he shouldn't be walking up and down those either. Good thing the master in the new house in downstairs and all the others are up. I can't help but sit here and be a little sad for my ageing dog. Sure, sometimes he's a pain in the a*s, and sometimes he drives me nuts, but he really is just a sweet old dog trying to get into doggie heaven.

nursery shopping @ Hobby Lobby

2009-05-26T17:02:00.004-04:00

I have been shopping for the nursery lately like crazy. It's not as if there won't be plenty of shopping for the baby's room in Las Vegas. I guess I am in a little bit of "mama bear" mode where I feel like I have to get everything now and bring it with us on the move. I know it's silly. Like last week I even bought a big box of Pampers Swaddlers. Duh. Why? There will be 216 count size 1 swaddlers in Vegas, Keri. See what I mean, I am in like hibernation mode of sorts. My friend Amanda, who is due with her second son in just 3 weeks, suggested I go to Hobby Lobby for cutesy, decorative stuff. And I did, and I bought a whole lot of stuff. I just couldn't help it. Owen was like "and this is for the baby too"? These pics show the stuff I got today for her room.

the move schedule

2009-05-26T14:25:00.002-04:00

Just got some specific dates about the move about an hour ago from Chris. And yes, Meredith, Christine, Megan and Missy too, I would LOVE to get together and see you girls! Maybe a playdate with kiddos one afternoon, and/or a dinner out at Tortilla Factory one night would be excellent!! Too bad no margarita's for me this time, or Missy or Meg either!

*June 1- last FL obgyn appt, glucose test
*June 2- movers picking up Chris's car and driving it out to Vegas, est. arrival 6-16 days. Also, Chris leaving for Vegas to go out and work for the week
*June 5- 3D/4D ultrasound
*June 8- packers packing whole house/Owen and I flying to Mom and Dads
*June 9- packers loading moving truck, including my SUV, and driving it out to Las Vegas, est. arrival 6-16 days

With all that said, Owen and I will be in Sterling until at least June 18th or so. I am SO thankfull to have wonderful parents who are so willing to host me and my rowdy toddler in for 7-12 days.

I've been a bad blogger

2009-05-24T21:45:00.003-04:00

I have been a bad blogger as of late. And it's not because I have a lack of things going on (I have PLENTY of things going on!) We are moving from Jacksonville to Las Vegas. And it's happening so fast. Well, all the PSS moves happen pretty fast. When we were moving from Ohio to Florida Chris got the job the week of Christmas 2006 and we were here by the second week in February. This time Chris officially started as a sales leader on May 18th and if all goes according to plan we will be leaving Florida the week of June 8th. That is in two weeks! Wow. The hardest part, well one of them, has been taken care of. Chris found us a gorgeous home in a terrific area in 3 days. Nice work husband! The packers will come on the 8th and pack our entire home. That will also be the day that Owen and I get on a plane to go visit and stay at my parents in Sterling while all our crap is en route to Vegas. We'll probably stay a week to 10 days. On the 9th they will come and load the truck and begin the 36 hour drive with all of our crap. We are having them ship both cars as well. This means that Chris's travel department/relocation team are searching for a direct flight from Jacksonville to Las Vegas that will allow Chris to bring the dog. Hard to find an air conditioned cargo on a plane right now because of the heat. Poor Harley, he is going to be soooooo pissed off about being sedated, crated and wheeled through 2 airports. Oh well. It's better than Chris having to take 4 days to drive him out there while putting 3,000 miles on my SUV. I have my last obgyn visit here on June 1st and we have a 3D ultrasound scheduled for June 5th. Lots and lots and lots of little things to get done in the next 2 weeks!

Happy Mothers Day.....

2009-05-10T09:42:00.002-04:00

to me! This is what we woke up to this morning. Owen had climbed up on top of the dresser and gotten a bottle of sunblock down. Nice. It was everywhere, including caked all in Owen's eyes. This little boy of mine keeps me on my toes every single day.

We're moving!

2009-05-05T13:58:00.002-04:00

......to Las Vegas, NV. Chris got a promotion (woohoo- way to go babe!) and his official start date is May 18th. Wow. This means we have got a lot of things to get done in a short amount of time. More details to come.

the new boat bed

2009-04-21T08:33:00.005-04:00

Our good friend Cindy from our neighborhood in Ohio called last night to catch up. We hadn't talked in a little bit and she wanted to make sure things were okay with us since I hadn't written on this blog in a while. Yes, everything is going great, just didn't have much to share I thought. My sister and Maddie came for a visit arriving Easter Sunday. They stayed thru that Thursday afternoon. We did some outlet shopping, went to the pool, lunch @ Sweet Tomatoes (try this place, it's fantastic), Target, had the kids picture taken and she watched Owen one night so Chris and I could go eat alone and have a date. Owen just about drove Maddie crazy because he would not leave her alone for a single second. She was a trooper though. My sister and I had a few spats because that's just the kind of sisters we are. We both make mountains out of molehills and are too stubborn to apologize afterwards. She told me I was turning into my mother. Ha. Funny. I don't totally find that to be a bad thing:) I kind of struggled with Owen and the potty while they were here. He just didn't want to take time out from all of the excitement to go sit on the potty and do his thing. He didn't have many accidents, but I felt like I was dragging him kicking and screaming to the potty all week long.

As for the transition to his new bed, awesome!! Amazing how he just up and switched, so we could have the crib back, and didn't give it a second thought. He is sleeping great! Here are just a few pictures of his new boat bed. Notice the book bins on each side of the bed? That is what he is supposed to do when he wakes up at the crack of dawn before the sun comes up when mommy isnt ready to get up too. Lately he's been up at 6:15, or before, every morning. Ugghh. I don't like to rise before the sun does. Instead of reading this morning he got out all of his shoes and lined them up on the chair in his room. Funny stuff. We bought him this bed in hopes to transition him easily and hope that maybe it lasts him a year before we have to move him and buy him a big boy double bed.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T20:07:00.002-04:00

It's a .........

2009-04-07T11:18:00.004-04:00

GIRL!!! Even though we kind of already knew it was a girl (b/c there were no visable boy parts 4 weeks ago and if they were there, they would have been visable) I was still shocked when the ultrasound tech gave us the news. She said that the baby's heart and other organs were looking perfect and that the baby was growing right on schedule for a Sept. 10 due date. Ten fingers and ten toes. Then she said "do you see those 2 white lines right there?" I said "yes". Then she said "It's a girl". Chris squeezed my hand so tight. He was really hoping for a girl this time around. Still trying to wrap my mind around it all. All I know is boy, and I am darn good at having a boy. Owen is my world, my little buddy, my pal, my sidekick. Now we've got to make room in this partnership for a little sister. My mom and sister and mother in law are all so thrilled for us and were thrilled at the news of a new baby girl in the family. Now onto names. I was pretty darn set on Benjamin for a boy, but now thinking ahead to girls names. Chris wants to go with the name we had picked out 3 years ago before we knew Owen was a boy. I'm not so sure. 3 years has passed and I think I want a new name for her.

Two nights ago we've moved Owen into his new bed. His old bed was a crib/toddler bed/double bed combo. But since we'll need the crib for the baby in September we decided to switch Owen now. We asked him what kind of bed he wanted and he told us a boat bed, so that's what we got him. No, not the PBK's $1700 boat bed, but this is a cute, cheaper alternative. His room was formerly done in airplanes, but with the new boat bed we (I) get the fun of redoing his bedroom. I have had lots of fun buying things for this new nautical themed big boy room. I've gotten some great stuff at Home Goods (I love that store!), PBK's, and The Land of Nod catalog. I will post some pictures once the room is complete.

On another note, Owen is potty trained! What a victory. Will he never have an accident again? Yeah right, but I can say that he gets it. He does much better in underwear than a Pullup b/c Pullups feel just like diapers and he even calls them his Diego diapers. Still wearing a Pullup or diaper for nap and bedtime, but I find that most days he wakes up dry from his nap.

2009-04-07T11:14:00.002-04:00

April 3, 2009. Our 5th wedding anniversary. 5 years later we've got an amazing little boy and another baby on the way. It's been a fun filled, terrific 5 years, and I can't wait to be sitting here 5 years from now thinking about our 10 year anniversary.

Easter egg hunt

2009-04-04T09:46:00.004-04:00

Here is a little video of Owen at our neighborhood Easter egg hunt last weekend. He did really good, got about 12 eggs or so in his bucket. And of course he wanted to eat every bit if the candy right away. At the end of the video you can here him saying "see daddy, got lots of eggs daddy". Really cute. Too bad Chris stood 100 yards away from us while he did the video on my camera instead of actually walking towards us while we were getting eggs. Silly husband.

Owen's 1st pony ride

2009-03-29T12:30:00.006-04:00

Yesterday in the afternoon we went to a local folk festival. They had Bluegrass music (which Chris loves), story telling, food and beverage vendors and a petting zoo that included pony and horse rides. Owen was all about having his 1st pony ride and didn't show even the slightest bit of hesitation. The funniest thing to him was the farting pig. That thing just kept letting them rip and Owen would die laughing.

a night out with friends

2009-03-23T13:54:00.002-04:00

Friday night we had Debbie our babysitter come over so Chris and I could enjoy a night out with good friends. Our friend Mike Deckard (center of photo) was visiting in town from Ohio so we went out with him and the Rosses, Dylan and Jenn. Great night, great food, great company. Aqua Grill in Ponte Vedra is an excellent restaurant! Before we left we had the hostess take our picture. I like how the sweater under my arm and the takeout container kind of hide how well, or how not well, my pre pregnancy jeans are fitting right about now @ 4 months preggers. I am in my final week or two of squeezing into those things.

potty training, day 2

2009-03-13T12:17:00.003-04:00

Today is potty training, day 2. I have to say that I don't think that I could be more proud of Owen. He is transitioning very very well. With that said, we are by no means out of the woods, there will be plenty of potty accidents in our future. I had a few reasons for starting right now with this whole process. 1) He is 2 yrs & 7 months old. Lots of boys don't begin to be ready until 3, but I knew Owen was ready. He is smart, communicates his wants and needs perfectly and had already been going on the potty with a fair amount of regularity. 2) For his preschool class in the Fall they have to be 100% potty trained, enough said, no exceptions 3) I am in my 2nd trimester now and I actually have the patience and energy to deal with the task. Yesterday he had 2 pee in his underwear accidents before 10 in the morning. These were because his favorite cartoon was on and he didn't want to bother missing any to go pee on the potty. He peed in his underwear and through his shorts both times but came to tell me what had happened right away. "I peed on the floor" he said. At least he came and told me though. Then all day he did great. He even peed twice in the public restroom when we went grocery shopping. Once before we started shopping and once after. He loved flushing the toilet there and washing his hands in public. In the evening last night he was playing in his bedroom and pooped in his underwear. Thank goodness it was a big solid nugget, made it easier for cleanup. Owen's biggest issue is simply sitting still long enough to go. He has ants in his pants all the time and can't wait to move on to the next task. So far here is what is working for us:

* wearing big boy underwear, no Pullups. To him, those things just feel like diapers. If he wets his pants, oh well, I will just change his undies and his shorts.

* having a travel potty to bring with us in the car, under the stroller for trips to the park and to the beach (until he is able to hold it for longer). Baby Bjorn makes a little white one that's about $10. It's small and very portable.

* using a potty ring on the big toilet but also having his little potty out and available where he can see it, like in his playroom

* not nagging him if he has to go potty every 10 minutes. Instead I pick him up and put him on the potty about once every 45 mins and ask him to "try hard to make a pee pee".

* reminding him to come tell me when he has to pee or poop and not to go in his big boy underwear

* he's still in a diaper for naps and night night. Hopefully within a few weeks I can leave him in undies for at least nap.

Yesterday was a long, exhausting day for both of us, but today I am enjoying the potty training and would almost say that I am having fun. Almost.

Roberts baby #2 1st pictures

2009-03-09T12:18:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post 2 pictures of the baby. I went in this morning for an ultrasound and checkup and things are looking great. My cervix is long and closed (what they were hoping for) and doesn't look as if it will open early and cause premature labor to begin around the 20 week mark. We saw the baby do a little flip and he/she waved at us. It was fantastic! Due date is the same, September 11. We go April 6th for my next checkup and ultrasound where we will find out the baby's gender. This morning the tech said that she saw "no boy parts" but it didn't mean that the baby was a girl.

Disney World trip

2009-03-06T11:44:00.004-05:00

Tuesday afternoon we got into the car and headed down to Disney World. We are so fortunate that it's only about a 2 hr and 15 minute drive from our house here in Jacksonville. Check in @ The Animal Kingdom Lodge wasn't until 3p so we didn't rush to get there much before that. Upon check in they called Owen "master Owen", which I thought was really cute and they were pretty much hitting the nail on the head. After getting our room, which was located on the same floor as the lobby which I love, we walked around and checked out the place and some of the neat animals they have on property. Giraffes, Zebras, buffalo, flamingos, etc. We then boarded the bus for Downtown Disney b/c we had 5pm dinner reservations at "T Rex Experience". It's just like Rainforest Cafe, same owners, but with all dinosaurs. Owen freaking loved it! He was very particular about Chris not putting his hands in any of the dino's mouths though which was hysterical. He'd say, "no daddy, dinosaur going to eat you." Connected to T Rex was a "Build a Dino" (which is "Build a Bear" but only with dinosaurs) so Owen made a dino and he insisted that his dino have 2 hears inside instead of just 1. Funny. After dinner we walked around and shopped and played and what not. Bed time for all 3 of us was a very late 9pm. The next day Owen was up at 7am sharp which allowed us to eat some breakfast and be at the Magic Kingdom when the gates opened. It was not too crowded at all. For future reference, this was an awesome time to be visiting Disney, weather wise and crowd wise. There were lots of European families there we noticed. We went in some of the mainstreet stores and bought a few souvenirs like a stuffed Mickey and Mickey Mouse ears with Owen's name on the back. We rode rides until about noon. Owen loved the teacups, driving race cars with Chris, the Barnbuster roller coaster, the train and Winnie the Pooh. We watched the parade at noon, ate some lunch and then headed back to the hotel to swim, see more animals and take a nap. After a not long enough nap we ate again and headed back to the Magic Kingdom for more Disney fun and again we were in bed that night by about 9pm. The next morning Owen was up promptly at 6:15 and clearly he was still tired and lacking a few hours of sleep. We played at the AK Lodge playground, got some breakfast and did more animal sight seeing. We LOVED The Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was awesome and we highly recommend it. Although it's in the same deluxe category as The Polynesian and The Grand Floridian, it was not as expensive per night as either of those. We checked out by 11 and headed back down to Downtown Disney for more shopping and lunch. We had a great trip! Just a couple pictures to share b/c I already put pictures on Facebook and emailed them out as a Shutterfly album to lots of friends and family. If anybody is reading this who isn't on Facebook and wants to see the whole album just leave a comment and I can email them to you.

my rock star

2009-02-27T11:54:00.004-05:00

Owen is really into playing daddy's guitar/guitar hero. He picks it up and says "I'm going to make music. Want to dance Mommy? Want to dance?" It is hilarious. Just wish my pictures didn't come out so blurry.

We are busy getting excited for Disney next week. Tomorrow we are watching our 3 nephews and niece while Chris's brother and his wife Sherri go house hunting. Sunday we have a birthday party. Other than that, I am just excited thinking about all the Disney World fun we are about to have as our little family of three!

disappearing post?

2009-02-24T13:12:00.004-05:00

Where did my last blog post go? It just up and disappeared. Weird.

Chris is in Chicago tonight but back home in FL tomorrow.

Nothing too new to report except that my nauseau and food adversions are all but gone. Holy cow, thank goodness. It's really hard to live life when every single food smell makes you want to lay down and die.

My sister and Maddie booked flights to come visit us April 12-16. Yea. So excited. That is right around the time that we'll find out the gender of the baby, so it will make their visit even more exciting.

This time next week we'll be in Disney World. So excited. Owen told us this morning that he indeed wants to go to "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". I think in his little 2 1/2 year old mind he thinks all of Disney is going to be like the cartoon.

new layout and a head cold

2009-02-19T14:09:00.002-05:00

So I finally got with it and edited my page to put up a cute layout. I decided to go with something cute and Spring like. Spring is right around the corner, and here in Florida most days it already feels like Spring (except this weekend it is only going to reach highs into the 60's!). Also, I put up a little ticker at the top that does our baby #2 countdown. How cute are the little chicks and the little egg that represents the baby? I thought it was cute. Owen and I have a nasty headcold. Sore throats, runny noses and tons of congestion. And yeay, I am pregnant and can't take anything. Stinks.

Valentines Day

2009-02-14T15:40:00.004-05:00

Just a few pictures from our morning. Nothing terrible exciting at all. Chris and I bought Owen an art easel and he seems to be really liking it thus far.

Tonight we'll probably get yummy takeout for dinner from somewhere. What a wild life we live these days.....Hahaha.

coming home

2009-02-12T18:15:00.003-05:00

Chris comes home from Canada tonight. He loses 3 hours with the time change and that really stinks for him b/c he has a 9am meeting. He is going to be a bear in the am, but Owen is going to be SO happy to see him. Strangely, all week long Owen has been asking about where daddy's tootbrush is (b/c it isn't in the toothbrush holder in our bathroom). Only once at bedtime has he actually cried for daddy. Tomorrow I am hosting a Valentines Day playdate at our house and hopefully I can help Chris get his bags unpacked enough that I can find my camera and take pictures. Owen's Valentine's shirt is long sleeved so he probably won't get to wear it tomorrow, looks like it's going to be another warm one. Not complaining. Not one bit.

a new Snuggie and a trip to Canada

2009-02-09T08:37:00.003-05:00

So I have not been posting new blogs lately. Frankly, that is because in my spare time, aka Owen's naptime, I am not spending an hour screwing around on the internet. Instead I am napping myself. Ah, pregnancy. It's amazing that this little bugger, the size of a garden beetle (that's what the pregnancy book says for this week) can suck all the life out of me the way it does. Chris left this morning for Whistler, Canada for a work trip. Don't worry though, he's going to get plenty of skiing and recreation in as well. He sent me a text from the airport saying that his bag was 2 lbs. overweight and Air Canada charged him a $125 fee. Nice. Also, Chris made my week last night my presenting me with 2 gifts. A blue Snuggie and a box of ShamWows. So excited. Clearly, if you know what either of these 2 items are, you watch as much tv as I do:)

So........

2009-02-04T10:52:00.003-05:00

We are happy to announce that in September this cute little boy, my Owen, will be a big brother! Yup, that's right, I am announcing that I am pregnant with another little peanut. Saw him/her on an ultrasound just a couple hours ago. With the difficulties I have had (lost 2 pregnancies since Owen) it's hard for me to share this news so early, but what the heck. We are darn excited! Baby had a strong heartbeat this morning. Friday I will be 10 weeks. And because I am "special" I get to (yippee) have ultrasounds a whole lot more frequent than the average preggo chic. I go back in another 4 weeks, which will be right after our Disney World trip, for another ultrasound so they can just check on me (and my cervix). Keep us in your daily prayers please....

roller skating party

2009-01-26T11:58:00.006-05:00

Saturday afternoon our good friends Richards and Sharon had a roller skating birthday party for their daughter Angelina. I have not skated since the 5th grade and wasn't about to try it. Chris, on the other hand, was a little more ambitious and decided to give it a whirl and skate with Owen. And Owen really loved it! Just a couple photos (with the still broken camera).

TGIF!

2009-01-23T13:57:00.002-05:00

The "real feel" temperature says that it's 72 outside right now. So immediately after I am done typing this I am getting Owen's shoes on, sippy cup and snack ready, and we are heading out the door for a run/walk and then to the park. We have had 2 weeks of awful, cold, unseasonable weather and it's been horrible. After 4 years in Columbus, you'd think I was used to a little cold, but I have hated every minute of it. A few things from this week:

*no pictures to post. My camera is still broke and getting it fixed/replaced is turning out to be harder than I expected. I bought it almost 2 years ago from Circuit City and now that they are bankrupt and closing their stores, well, you can imagine how much they really want to help people out who have extended service plans.

*we booked our Disney trip, we are going the first week in March, and we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was my first choice and Chris and I agreed that it was worth it because Owen is going to love staying there. The picture posted is a view of the pool there, which is the view we opted for (because the Savannah views were outrageously priced) from our room/balcony.

*Yesterday was open enrollment at Fruit Cove Baptist Weekday Preschool and I registered Owen. He is going to be in a 3 year old class, Tues & Thurs from 9:30-1. I am so excited for him, my big boy! I know he is going to have a blast and learn so much, it is going to be way hard for me on the other hand.

wooden blocks

2009-01-16T09:41:00.011-05:00

One of the best Christmas gifts Owen received was a set of 60 wooden Melissa & Doug blocks. He can play with these things for hours. He sets them up and has the best time knocking them down and doing it all over again.

A few random things going on with us:

* Owen has taken to hiding toys in his bed under his pillows and blankets and between the mattress and the bed frame. He hides them so at bedtime he can pull them out and play, instead of going to sleep. It's really funny that he didn't imagine that he would get caught. So before bed and nap I have to check his bed for contraband.

* Monday afternoon Harley ate an entire diaper. Disgusting. We are talking about a #2 diaper people. Foul. Obviously he can not digest a whole diaper so we are just waiting for him to throw it up. Lovely.

* We switched our home phone from Comcast to Vonage, Thrilling, I know. But it cut our bill in half. That means an extra $25 a month for me to spend randomly at Target on things we don't need:) If anybody else needs to cut their home phone plan in half (unlimited long distance too) let me refer you and they will give me a month free.

* Here is the part where I want to yell and complain about how cold it is here this week, but I know it's nothing compared to how cold it is everywhere else. Brrr, it was in the 20's this morning here. This is Florida people, record lows.

*Owen is expanding his tv horizons. In addition to loving Elmo, Thomas and the Wiggles, he is now interested in Calliou (I can't stand that annoying kid!) and Handy Manny.

Owens photography

2009-01-16T09:34:00.007-05:00

Just a small sample of the wonderful photographs Owen took this morning, while I was vacuuming, which resulted in a broken digital camera for me. The power botton is now flashing a green light quickly, if you try to delete a picture the camera automatically shuts off and the switch view mode is now functioning as the power button. Oh Owen. I can't take my eye off you for a second.

"O wan sum more lotion"

2009-01-15T09:12:00.004-05:00

Every morning, or afternoon (don't judge), when I am getting out of the shower, putting on lotion and getting dressed, Owen likes to get ready too. He sits on the edge of my unmade bed and patiently waits for me to put toothpaste on his toothbrush and lotion on both his hands. Again, don't judge on my messy bed, between Owen and our dog Harley- the thing really only gets made on the day I change sheets. Here are a few pictures of him getting his lotion for the day. After I put a dab on each hand and he rubs them together he says "O wan sum more lotion". He will do this as many times as I will keep putting lotion on his hands. It's pretty cute. Chris and I have noticed a lot latley that when refering to himself, instead of saying his whole name Owen, he will shorten it and refer to himself as just O. He's quite a character.

Christmas '08

2008-12-29T11:59:00.008-05:00

Christmas week was fun, chaotic (both sides of our family came to Florida this year), hot (weather was in the 80's), and I am sure like most of you, we are happy that it's over! My inlaws and sister in law came into town on Monday. My sister, neice and parents came Tuesday. Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we ate dinner out at P.F. Changs and then went to a friends party. Christmas Day we had dinner at my brother and sister in laws house and we proceeded to drink all day long. Brilliant idea. Friday we did outlet shopping and went to the alligator farm in St. Augustine. Saturday the whole family left and sadly I am still trying to clean up and get Owen back on his regular schedule. Blah blah blah. This is the sort of boring post that is going to make my sister Melissa say that my blogs are boring.

Jacksonville Bank half marathon

2008-12-22T10:53:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was the Jacksonville Bank marathon and half marathon. We had sunny weather, about 65 at the 7am start and well into the 70 degree range at the finish. A little on the warm side for distance running you could say. After not running for almost 3 weeks I didn't have the expectation that I would have a really excellent time. It wasn't even a month ago that I had a laser procedure on both my legs that left me barely able to walk for weeks, sore and very very bruised. I hadn't trained for this race really at all. By that I mean I hadn't run a distance further than 6 miles since October. I drank water and gatorade at every water station and I took a GU at miles 5.5 and 10 (discovering that my 2 new fav's are strawberry banana and triberry). My goal was 13.1 miles in under 2.5 hours, and I accomplished that goal, finishing with an official chip time of 2:28:59 (the picture shows 2:30:15 but that doesn't take into account that at the start of a race it takes a couple mins to cross the start line and actually start running). The race ended in the stadium on the track of a nearby private school. As you entered the stadium to finish they announced your name on the loud speaker for everybody to hear, that was pretty neat. It was so amazing to have Chris and Owen at the finish line cheering me on and taking my picture.

"I am not sitting on Santa's lap mommy!"

2008-12-20T18:40:00.004-05:00

Thursday night was Chris's office Christmas party. It was held at a beautiful cottage in Ponte Vedra Beach, appropriately named The Cottage at Palm Valley Gardens. This place was almost breathtaking. All lit up with Christmas lights, gorgeous. So wouldn't you know it, I had too much to drink and didn't take a single picture. Isn't that awful? Started out drinking Stoli and gingers and moved on to white wine. I payed for my over indulgence the next day with a killer headache. The only picture I have is this generic one from the locations website. Lame.

This evening was our Christmas party at our Clubhouse here in our neighborhood. They always have a Santa photo op which is great so you can avoid that long line at the mall. Just like I knew was going to happen, Owen refused to sit on Santa's lap. You can see in these 2 pictures how I was trying to convince him otherwise. Pretty funny.

Jeff, Murray, Anthony & Sam

2008-12-15T11:25:00.003-05:00

Chris and I had been talking about getting Owen a pet goldfish for a couple of weeks now. He loves Elmo and Elmo has a pet goldfish named Dorothy. We actually went last weekend and almost got a tank and a fish, but wouldn't you know it, Chris and I just couldn't get our act together and agree which tank to get. I wanted the "smaller, more sleek, will look cute in the kitchen fish tank" and Chris wanted the "this one is bigger and $20 cheaper fish tank". So Saturday we went back for round two at Petsmart and this time we had success. We got the one I wanted. It's really cute, called a BiOrb. Look at the site here: http://www.biorbfishtanks.com/

Saturday we got the tank and got it all set up and let the chemicals and water sit and yesterday we put Owen's new pet fish in. The fish guy suggested that we get 3-5 smaller fish instead of 1-2 goldfish. He convinced us goldfish eat more, therefore they "mess" more and that is just more for me to clean. We got 4 little tropical guys and named them Jeff, Murray, Anthony and Sam (after The Wiggles- Owen's favorites!) And Owen is loving them so far. He just pulls his little bathroom stool up to the counter and watches them swim and tells me that they are funny.

a letter to my favorite no cal sweetener

2008-12-11T11:40:00.003-05:00

Dear Splenda:
When you and I met over 2 years ago I thought you were the best thing since sliced bread. You have no calories, you taste way better than Equal or Sweet N Low, and should I ever get the inclination to bake something from scratch (yeah, right) I could use you instead of sugar. Your claim to fame is that you taste just like real sugar without an unpleasant aftertaste like other artificial sweeteners. Agreed, you do. You are made from sucralose (whatever that means). I use 2 packets of you every morning in each cup of coffee that I drink. Some mornings that means one cup, often it means at least two. Now, out of the blue, there is all this coverage in the media that you are bad for me. Turns out that you are not "natural" like you once claimed to be. You are a chlorinated artificial sweetener. Also, studies have shown that you, Splenda, suppress beneficial bacteria and block the absorbtion of nutrients. What am I to do now? I don't think I can just leave you high and dry. I can't possibly quit you cold turkey Splenda, you mean too much to me. I guess I will just group you with my other best friend, Diet Coke, and add you to my long list of things "that ARE NOT good for me but who cares I am going to eat/drink you anyways". Sincerely, your most loyal of friends, Keri

cool Nike womens half race shwag

2008-12-08T13:58:00.004-05:00

Part of the fun in running races is the race packet stuff that you get when you go pick up your bib number for race day. Lot's of times there isn't too much to get excited about, just a cotton tshirt (and you can't run wearing cotton here in Florida most months of the year because it's too humid and cotton doesn't wick moisture) and a few flyers or small samples. Not so with the Nike+ womens half that I ran back in October. This afternoon the FedEx man delivered my package with my Nike+ Womens half marathon finisher race schwag. Pretty cool stuff. The tshirt is a technical shirt, made of that cool drifit fabric. The Tiffnay and Co. keychain is pretty neat too. Not so sure that I like the navy blue leather (wish it was like pink or purple maybe) but whatever, I'm not complaining.

Today is 2 weeks post leg procedure and I am happy to report that I am almost pain free! After Owen wakes up we are going to go run (1st run for me in over 2 weeks!) because it is a gorgeous 64 degrees out and sunny. Wish me luck!

P.S. Jacksonville Bank half marathon is 2 weeks from yesterday. Yikes.

putting lights up on the house

2008-12-08T13:52:00.009-05:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving Chris put Christmas lights up on the house. Owen was fascinated with this process this year. Partly because he loves to help daddy "fix it" and party because he loved climbing on the ladder with Chris. Chris did a great job and the lights look great.

Salvation Army Angel Tree

2008-12-03T13:57:00.003-05:00

This morning Owen and I went to the mall to pick out our "angel" on the Salvation Army Angel Tree. This has become a tradition in my family. My mom has been picking an angel for years, usually multiple each Christmas season. I always pick out a little boy, because now after having Owen, that is what my expertise is in. I also try for my boy to be around Owen's age, again, because I will have a good idea of what a little boy at this age wants for Christmas. The guidelines for the Angel Tree are as follows: each child should receive a minimum of 1 new complete clothing outfit, at least 1 new age approriate toy and you are not to give gift cards or gift wrap any of the toys. Our family's angel this year is named James. He is 4 years old, wears a size 4 top and pant, a size 10.5 shoe and his Christmas wish is for a bike. How cute is that? I think most 3 and 4 year old boys want a bike for Christmas. You don't have to buy what their "want" is, you can buy whatever you want, whatever you can afford. But the point of this whole Angel Tree is to give a child a better Christmas then what they would have had without your help. I know this time of the year is financially draining, and the economy is in a major slump, but I think each person can dig into their pockets a little deeper to help a child out at Christmas. I just got online at oldnavy.com and ordered James a new pair of jeans, a pair of fleece pants, a hoodie and 4 long sleeve shirts and barely spent $25. I also bought him some bath toys, a few trucks, a train set and I am pretty positive that Chris is going to insist that we find James an inexpensive bike somewhere. We all want the very best for our children and to give them the world at Christmas time. Parents of these Angel children want that too, they just can't afford to. So to anybody who is reading this, please go to the mall and pick an angel off the tree. Do it soon, the deadline to turn stuff in is about 10 days away.

black Friday shopping, dinosaurs and turkey leftovers!

2008-11-29T12:21:00.003-05:00

Friday morning I got up before 5 so I could be out the door and at Target before they opened at 6. This year my sister in law Sheri wanted to come along. Just like every year, I had no real reason for doing this, except for the fun of it. As they unlocked the doors at 6am they reminded shoppers over the intercom "no running" which seemed like common sense, until I heard an employee at a NY Walmart was trampled to death. I think I set a personal best record for spending (lack of) at Target, a whopping $28. I am a firm believer that you can't go into Target without spending at least $50-$100 purely on things you didn't know that you needed. Obviously tv's and other electronics were the big ticket items and we don't need any more of that stuff. I bought dryer sheets, a Playdough gift set and Owen a pair of Thomas the Train pajamas. After Target I hit up Starbucks, Pottery Barn Kids (where I splurged on some 'Winter Wonderland' bedding and pillows for Owen's room), Baby Gap (where sweaters were buy 1 get 1 free) and finally to Toys R Us. Toys R Us was a madhouse and since I was just there earlier in the week while my mom was in town all I bought was 2 rolls of Sesame Street wrapping paper.

After the madness of Black Friday shopping I returned home to hang out with Chris and Owen before they left to go see the 'Walking with Dinosaurs' show. Chris and Owen went with Chris's brother Mike and his 2 oldest kiddos. Chris said it was so awesome and that once it began Owen was "frozen" in is seat and loved it. No flash photography was allowed so our pictures and video aren't that great. He did manage to get this video (below) and it's decent. In the beginning you can hear Owen say "scary" and "wow" and at the very end you can hear him say "daddy eat it". How cute is he?

While Chris and Owen were gone I managed to take my very bruised, sore, slow, post-procedure legs out for a walk. I mean, I think I must have been barely moving because it took me 35 minutes to walk just under 2 miles. I could not have physically gone any faster than that though. This has been hard on me.

Today Chris wants to watch football all afternoon. I do not. OSU's schedule is over (until bowl games are announced) so I don't care so much. It's going to be 77 here today and I want to be outside. I want Chris to put the Christmas lights up on the house but he is saying he'll do that tomorrow. Maybe we can come up with some sort of compromise (or maybe he'll just give in). I think tonight after Owen goes down to bed we are going to put the Christmas tree up and decorate the inside of the house.

And lastly, I think I am just about done with turkey leftovers. Yesterday after shopping we ate turkey chunks on a salad. Last night we had turkey salad (like chicken salad but with turkey) on open faced pitas with sliced tomatoes. This afternoon I made a pizza on a whole wheat Bobolli with fresh tomatoes, lo fat mozzarella and turkey. I am all set on leftovers!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T13:13:00.001-05:00

Happy early Turkey Day!!!

oh holy crap I am so so so sore!

2008-11-25T19:30:00.006-05:00

So this may very well be my first post where I include way too much information. But here I go anyway. Yesterday and today I had two separate laser procedures done on the veins in my legs. Yesterday at noon was my right leg and today at noon was my left. Let's just call them what they are, varicose veins. Blame them on genetics (thanks mom and dad on this one!) or blame it on the fact that I stood for 8-9 hours everyday until I was 39 weeks and 3 days preggo with Owen, but alas, I had some nasty! ugly! unsightly! varicose veins. The technical term for the procedure is endovenous laser ablation. This is what I had done (stole this off of my vascular surgeons website):

This relatively new technique, along with the radiofrequency-closure procedure, has made varicose vein stripping obsolete, except in rare instances. The purpose of the procedure is to correct the underlying “leaky” refluxing saphenous vein that is causing the visible bulging varicose veins.Under sonographic visualization, a tiny laser fiber is passed up the vein through a small needle puncture, typically near the knee. The laser is activated and gradually retracted from the vein. This causes the vein to collapse, shrivel up and eventually dissolve. Patients experience very little discomfort. The procedure is performed in the office under local anesthesia, and patients can return to normal activities the following day.

So I am so so so sore right now. I am to wear ankle to thigh support stockings day and night for 3 days (taking them off only to shower) and then just daily for the following 7. No running for me for up to 10 days, we'll see. But right now, running would be impossible. I am sore and limping and wishing my mom was still here! I have prescriptions for 800 mgs of Ibuprofen and a 10 day supply of Darvocet for the pain. (I took 2 the first day, I am not so much into taking meds!) So ladies, thank your lucky stars that you yourself don't have varicose veins because they aren't pretty and getting rid of them hurts!

so.....

2008-11-19T14:28:00.003-05:00

So this about sums it up:) I love this t shirt and I am pretty sure I am going to buy it and wear it often!

We have had a few chilly mornings here in Jacksonville but I am happy to report that it should be back up into the 70's tomorrow and Friday. Thank goodness.

Chris is having Lasik eye surgery Friday morning and he (me too!) is so excited about it. It's about time he gets around to doing it because he has been talking about it for years.

My mom is flying down Friday morning and is staying until Tuesday night. Yeay. I am so excited to see her. Owen knows all about her visit too. I said to him earlier "Owen, who's coming in 2 days that we have to pick up from the airport?" he responds by saying "Grammmmmmieeeeeeee". Needless to say, he is pretty pumped.

Saturday afternoon at noon is the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. As an OSU fan it is argueably the most important game of the college football season.

Lastly, Saturday is also my 28th birthday, enough said on that one.

Native Sun Mandarin 10K

2008-11-15T18:48:00.003-05:00

This morning Jen, aka my running partner, and I ran a 10K race. I had oh so foolishly not looked at the weather forcast at all. Got there 40 minutes before the start, and got an excellent parking spot about 300 yards from the starting line. Hit up the port a potties and got our timing chips. Then it started pooring. I mean, we were drenched. My feet were so wet that Jen just kept laughing because with each stride you could hear all the water sloshing around in my shoes. It was funny, but are you going to do? At least it wasn't 85 degrees and 100% humidity like yesterday. Our official time:

248 198 39 Jennifer Ross, 26, Jacksonville, FL 1:06:06 10:38 1:06:34

249 199 40 Keri Roberts, 27, Jacksonville, FL 1:06:06 10:38 1:06:34

long time no post

2008-11-10T11:44:00.007-05:00

Well it's been about 10 days since my last blog post. That is because there just hasn't been too much new in the world of The Roberts to write about. The weather here in Jacksonville has changed. It's cool in the morning and overnight, but the daytime temps climb into the 70's (which is perfect to me).

Saturday afternoon Chris and I decided to convert Owen's crib into a toddler bed as an experiment and see how he does. The verdict is still out, we may keep it as a bed or we may turn it back into a crib. We'll just have to see. My mom's advice was, and still is, to keep him in the crib because naptime/bedtime is never a hastle, he goes right down and naps for 2+ hrs a day and sleeps for at least 12 hrs per night. This has not happened since the bed switch-a-roo. Owen really is a kid who had always valued his sleep. I guess I am asking myself, if it wasn't broke what was I trying to fix?

Just a few pictures to share of Owen "helping" out while I watched my nephew Corban one afternoon. It really is precious to see Owen in the "big brother" role, and I pray and pray that one day he will actually get to be a big brother!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T12:21:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween everybody. I hope that you all are blessed with nice trick-or-treat weather and get lots of the good candy in your treat bags!

Jags lose to the Browns:(

2008-10-29T12:01:00.006-04:00

So I assume that most of the people who read this little blog of mine have already seen the pictures on Facebook, but I just wanted to post a few. Sunday afternoon Chris and I went downtown to the Jaguars vs. Browns game. We waited for Owen to wake up from his nap and then we brought him over to Mike and Sheri's (bro and sis in law) so we could go to the game and not have to pay a babysitter like $70. In addition to that, we were given tickets to sit in Chris's company's luxury suite and a great free parking pass that allowed us to park right outside the stadium. So free sitters, free tickets and parking pass and in the suite we had all the free food and drinks we could consume. How awesome is that? We had such a kick butt time.

Halloween Costume Party

2008-10-26T10:47:00.006-04:00

Last night we went to a costume party for Halloween at a friends house. Owen had a blast and got to stay up WAY past his bedtime. He also insisted in ripping his Batman cape off over and over again. Just a few pictures:

new running shoes- take II

2008-10-23T19:35:00.003-04:00

So 2 pairs of Asics and 2 trips to my local running store and now I finally have a new, perfect pair of running shoes. For whatever reason, Asics are just not a good fit for me. I have narrow feet (totally not fair that my feet are the skinniest part of my body) but both pairs of the Asics were not a good fit and felt bad on my ankles. Oh well. These new babies are the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8. They are the most comfy shoe I have ever put on my feet. Hello, I love them. They came right out of the box, onto my feet, and I ran 6 miles in them yesterday. No breaking in period required. And they were $25 cheaper than the 2nd pair of Asics I tried out. I swear this is my last post on running footwear because I am going to buy this same pair over and over and over.

North Florida Race for the Cure

2008-10-19T19:10:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning was the North Florida Race for the Cure. It was great, perfect weather, a great cause and people standing all along the 5K race route just to cheer you along and shout nice things about beating breast cancer. As anybody who's ever done the Race for the Cure knows, it's pretty slow going. They announce that unless you have a timing chip, to please start in the back of the pack, but people don't listen. So at 8am the gun goes off and...everybody in front of me is walking. So it took me over 2 minutes to even cross the start and then at least another 3 to dodge all the walkers. I know, I know, the point of this race is not your time or to set a PR. I know all this. Not an excellent 5K time, certainly not a PR, I finished in 30:39.

Today, Sunday, I ran my first half marathon, it was the Nike+ Womens Half. And today, unlike yesterday, it was a cold morning. I am talking like 58 degrees (cold for Florida) and I was COLD. Started the run with gloves and a jacket on. 4 miles into it those gloves were off and the jacket was around my waist, but while running in the shade I was cold. I barely broke a sweat the whole time. It felt so good to know that I was running further than my legs had ever run before. My legs got so tired but I just kept on and I am so glad I did. The goal in the back of my mind was to do it in 2.5 hours. My "secret" goal was to do it in 2 hrs 20 mins. My actual finish time was 2 hours 18 minutes and 5 seconds. I am so pleased and proud of myself. After Owen napped we went and did a litttle family shopping trip (always fun). And after that it got even better. Chris took me out for an awesome seafood dinner. I had fresh crabcakes with green beans, a brown rice with blackened shrimp and 2 draft beers! Awesome awesome day!!

dinner out with Sheri

2008-10-16T11:26:00.004-04:00

Last night my sister-in-law Sheri and I went out for a "girls" night. This meant leaving the kids home with the daddy's (Sheri and Mike have 4 under the age of 5!) and having a night on the town. Just kidding. We went to Sephora and shopped and then to P.F. Chang's for a drink and dinner. Yummy. Sheri had never been to Sephora or P.F. Chang's, so it was an especially exciting evening for her. Chris decided to keep Owen up late, and of course he woke up this morning at normal time, so he has been extra cranky all day and I am praying he takes a super long nap. But he won't:)

Owen's presidential vote goes to....

2008-10-13T16:32:00.005-04:00

Spiderman! Baby Gap has their new Junk Food tee's out for the Fall and I loved this one! (I also picked up the Rolling Stones tee, couldn't resist).

little pumpkins & big pumpkins

2008-10-11T13:51:00.010-04:00

Just a handful of pictures from this morning at the pumpkin patch. Owen kept telling us that we were going to get "little pumpkins big pumpkins" so that's what we did. We brought home a variety in a few different sizes. It's crazy for me to look at the picture of Owen and I (that I have on the desk right here next to my computer) at the pumpkin patch last year. He was just a baby- and now he's such a big boy. He was also shorter and less mobile. A year later, and he's very tall and very fast. Ugghh, it's flying by way too quickly for my liking.

new running kicks

2008-10-08T12:22:00.003-04:00

So here are my new Asics running shoes that I purchased yesterday. I was so excited to get home and get them on and wear them around the house after buying them. I also was so excited all day yesterday at the thought on lacing them up and going for a run this morning to break them in. But guess what, I didn't. I put them on and they felt so good, they had that awesome new shoe smell, but I chickened out. What a wuss. I decided to put them back in their box and just wear my old ones instead of risking getting them dirty. Dirty? I mean, come on Keri, they are going to get plenty dirty. I will run somewhere between 300-500 miles in these shoes and there is bound to be dirt (and mud, chewing gum, puddles and probably dog poop) along the way. I guess I just like to keep "new" things "new" for a while. 11 days until my half marathon so I guess I will officially break them in after that.

George pooped

2008-10-07T13:35:00.003-04:00

Kids really do say some of the craziest & funniest things don't they? Moments ago Owen told me that George (as in his Curious George stuffed animal) pooped and that he needed to be changed. That is why in the picture George is wearing a Pampers pull up. Owen insisted.

As for the rest of our day, I was hoping to get an afternoon in at the pool, but it has started to sprinkle outside. That means after one episode of The Wiggles we are headed to Publix to get the grocery shopping that I was putting off done.

Owen's hearts desire

2008-10-04T19:20:00.003-04:00

Here he is, Owen's hearts desire. Fisher Price says "He walks. He blinks. He growls. He roars. He’s the ultra dinosaur!" They have a display in Target and Owen can sit in the front of the shopping cart and press the button to watch Spike for at least half an hour. I told him this afternoon, that if he continued to be a very good boy for the rest of the year, that maybe Santa would bring him to our house for Christmas. To that he replied at least one hundred times "Spike- our house- Christmas". So sweet.

Happy 2nd birthday Isabella

2008-10-04T18:37:00.012-04:00

My morning started off with a 7.5 mile run with Jen and Patricia @ 7am. Following our run, and a really large cup of coffee, we went to Owen's girlfriend Isabella's 2nd birthday party. (We have had a ton of birthday party's lately!) It was right here in our neighborhood at the Bartram Club in the kiddie pool area. How convienant. When it came time to open her gifts, Isabella wasn't interested but Owen was all too happy to help her out:)

Amanda's 30th birthday at Pussers

2008-10-03T08:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my friend Amanda's 30th birthday. Her husband has planned some birthday activities for her this weekend so last night, along with 3 other friends, we took her to Pussers in Ponte Vedra Beach for dinner. It was so yummy. There are only 3 locations of this place. One here, one in Annapolis, MD and one in the British Virgin Islands. I wish I had been sitting and eating dinner in the B.V.I. location! I took just a few pictures. I have also decided that no matter how humid the weather is, I am not using my flatiron on my hair while it is short. It looks awful being so stick straight (why hasn't anybody told me this?) Also, on a happy note: Amanda and Patricia (the 2 in the center of this picture) announced 2nd pregnancies yesterday. Angela, on the far right with the headband, is already almost 4 months along in her 2nd pregnancy.

a little bit of chaos

2008-10-02T11:37:00.003-04:00

So I know I may have mentioned this before somewhere on here, but my brother and sister in law just moved here to Jacksonville. Chris and his older brother Mike both work for the same company and as you move higher up in the PSS ranks, it is expected that at some point you will come down here to Jacksonville and work at Corporate headquarters. Live in Florida for a few years = not so shabby. Mike just took a position that is equivalent to Chris's boss Jerry, but Mike has no say at all with Chris's job, they wouldn't put two brothers on the same team, one working under the other. Anywho, Mike and his wife Sheri have 4 children together and Sheri has a daughter from a previous marriage. Back to the title of my post. With the help of my wonderful friend Jen, together we watched all the kids yesterday from 7:30am-2:45pm while the truck with all their possesions was being unloaded into their new home. Good news is they moved into our neighborhood, and from our front door to theirs is about a 4 minute walk. So it was Jen, me, a 5 yr old, a 4 yr old, Owen, a 16 month old and a 4 week old. Plus 2 dogs, one theirs one ours. Man was I worn out (and had a huge headache) when the 4 that weren't mine left.

On another note: Rarely do I mention Chris on this blog, even though it is suppossed to be our family blog. But this I feel is totally worth mentioning. This Monday Chris began a 12 week power challenge along with some other colleagues. This entails a very strict diet, meeting with a nutritionist often and this is the kicker, waking up at 4am 4 days per week to meet with his trainer and work out from 5am-6am before showering and heading off to work a very long day. I am so proud of him and he has done so so so good this week.

Mizu Suishi

2008-09-26T11:37:00.006-04:00

Last nights dinner didn't go as well as you would hope that a dinner with 2 two year olds would go. Mizu Suishi last night was Chris, Owen, me, Dylan, Jen, Patricia, Isabella and Hector (who was the real reason we were going b/c he leaves for Iraq in less than 2 weeks, but he didn't end up even coming because he had aggreed to help a friend move bags of gravel for a new driveway). This is my theory: with Owen and Isabella in the same car riding to dinner together they probably thought that they were going somewhere fun to play. Not that they were going to be going to a suishi restaurant and have to sit and high chairs and use inside voices. In general, Owen is awesome in restaurants. He colors, eats, plays with misc. toys that I have brought for him, etc. Not last night. He and Isabella fought over toys, snacks, crayons and whatever else they could possibly fight over. And Owen kept saying to me "hold you" b/c he wanted me to hold him instead of eating my dinner. The food was, by the way, very very good. Lesson learned. A few pictures of them outside after they just couldn't take sitting any longer:

Anybody doing anything fun this weekend?

just signed up.....Jacksonville Bank 1/2 Marathon

2008-09-25T15:21:00.001-04:00

Just signed up for another one and I haven't even run the 1st yet! I am running with my friend Jen Ross. It's been a great day fo far: coffee, run, Owen's nap, watched the Sex & The City movie on dvd and meeting Chris and friends for suishi at 5:15p.

Nike September Clearance sale

2008-09-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

I love a good sale and this is a really good one. Nike.com has a ton of great things on clearance (like I just got a pair of Nike Tempo running shorts for $11) and they emailed me a promo code (SEPTCLEAR) that will give you an additional 20% the clearance prices. Call me a bum, call me lazy, but I wear my workout shorts all the time even when not working out.

Race for the Cure 10/18

2008-09-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

Well I am proud to report that I am only $5 away from reaching my $175 goal for this years Race for the Cure. 3 weeks left to go before the race on October 18th. Turns out though, that this is the day before my half marathon. I didn't plan it like this on purpose, but I really am happy to be doing both. My half marathon sponsors the leukemia and lymphoma society. Both are great causes.

rainy blah Monday

2008-09-22T13:23:00.001-04:00

So it's rainy and blah here today. I hate that. Even Owen has a case of the Mondays. This morning he layed on the couch and watched Sesame Street as I cleaned and did laundry. My oh my I need something to do this afternoon.......