Baby Day

Today was "Baby Day" at Doak Field in Raleigh.  We hadn't planned on going, but we thought it might be fun to take Owen to a State baseball game.  After Pat mowed the grass we packed up and headed out.  We were surprised by how hot it was!  I forgot to bring sunscreen for Owen, but thankfully, we were able to get some at the game (thank you Rex, for the free samples!).

 Baby Day meant families with children under the age of two got in free.  They also had a "Diaper Derby" race on the field.  Owen had a blast running around with all the other children!

Patiently waiting to go on the field:

 You can barely see it (bottom left corner), but he was obsessed with the big broom they used: 

 Looking for daddy up in the stands:

 I had to drag him off the field!

 Mommy's little slugger!

A busy day meant one 45 minute nap, and in the bed by 6pm. 

swimwear 2012

frosted spruce was no longer an option

so I opted for radio red:

 pool opens in 5 weeks

we are psyched! 

E-I-E-I-O

Old MacDonald's Ingram's Farm...

Up close and personal with the cow 

 Watching the chickens

 We also saw lots of baby goats, horses, pigs, and dogs.

 Riding behind a tractor!

 Nanny and Pops introduced O to a new snack:

Happy Saturday!

Takin' It Back...

YOU KNEW YOU GREW UP IN THE 80'S/90'S IF...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE".
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belair"
4. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tired to
start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that "WHOA" comes from Joey on Blossom.
8. Two words: M.C. Hammer
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock".
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars.
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales".
12. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
13. You wore a pony tail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big
screen.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer
class at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your
shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH" (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House) with friends at school.
18. You wore Jordache jean jacket and you were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear.....
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" in Kindergarten.
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all
the Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore, fluorescent, if you will, clothing.
25. You can remember what Micheal Jackson looked like before his
nose fell off...
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took Lunch Pales to school.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favourite band.
32. Yo u thought Sheena and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you
exchanged friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know
what you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line
skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this list occasionally saying "This wasn't
from the 80's
42. You remember Popples.
43. "Dont worry, be happy"
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top
Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down.
46. "Miss MARY MARY MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK"
47. You remember boom boxes vs cd players.
48. You remember watching both " Gremlins" movies.
49. You know what it maeant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
50. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and My Little Pony Tales"
51. You thought Doogie Howser was hot.
52. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories
on "Saved By the Bell", the ORIGINAL class.
55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THRU THE HEART

Food

Owen's new favorite food:

black olives.

He.  Can't.  Get.  Enough.

Speaking To A Crowd

I'm not big on public speaking.  Never have been.  Never will be.

However, when speaking on a topic I have a huge passion for, I learned today, that it's not so bad!  My co-teacher and I taught three workshops on portfolios for children:

Guilford County Partnership for Children
12th Annual Spring Conference
Caring for the Whole Child


A-7 Portfolios:  A Collection of Stories       
Kristi Umfleet, Teacher and Melissa Lehman, Teacher, UNCG Child Care Education Program                    
*T, D, F
This workshop will focus on portfolios for children. The emphasis will be on collecting, 
organizing, and using information to track children’s progress over time. Participants will be 
shown that portfolios can be fun, easy, and something to be proud of! (Topic area: Child 
growth and development) 


As we were leaving today, we had several people tell us they heard nothing but great things about our presentations!  They also wanted to know if and when we would be available to present at other conferences.

 Not bad for first-timers!

Necklace

Need the perfect necklace to complete the perfect outfit?

If so, check out Eclectic Ornaments on Etsy. I stumbled upon this shop and immediately fell in love! You can buy necklaces already made, or you can design your own.

I am eagerly waiting on this one:

Art

I forgot to share Owen's artwork from Nursery on Sunday:

Looks like red might be his favorite color!

Owen loves to be outside. He loves playing ball, going for a bike/stroller ride, playing in the sensory table, driving his trucks, helping me plant flowers, and watching daddy mow! Today, he watched Pat's every move. First, he mowed. Then, he used the weed-eater. Finally, he blew all the grass away. Here was Owen:

How early is too early??

After completing our yard work, we decided to take Owen to the playground for a picnic. Nanny and Pops live right next to the playground so they met us there. Nanny snapped a few shots on her phone:

I often remind myself that Owen is only 17 months old. Sometimes he just seems so grown up!

Strawberry Picking

Strawberry season started a little earlier this year, and we couldn't be happier! All three of us LOVE strawberries. We also love supporting local farmers and small businesses. Bernice Kenan, owner of Bernie's Berries, was Pat's high school math teacher.

Our Saturday morning ritual is to eat breakfast at Delicious Bakery. The best part for Owen is sitting in the leather chair reading while eating:

Watching people come in:

Laughing at complete strangers:

After Delicious, we headed over to Friendly Center so Owen could get his hair cut. That didn't go so well. However, he LOVED using their broom to sweep up his hair!

Going for an afternoon bike ride:

Knob

Isn't this fused glass baseball knob precious? Kathryn made several of them for Owen's big boy bedroom.

Just because.

He melts my heart.