blessings

Owen Stewart Frost was given a name and a blessing on October 21st.  We felt very blessed that Grandma and Grandpa Frost were able to come to Texas for his baby blessing.  We also feel very blessed that Grandma was able to find a blessing outfit that fit our chubby little man when I discovered (at the last minute) that he had outgrown the outfit his two older brothers were blessed in.

Our handsome, chubby guy.

We were also very blessed to have my cousin Karin and Brian Brown and their boys drive down from Dallas for the blessing.

Friends and Cousins who attended the blessing.   Abbi was a little outnumbered by all the boys!

Three generations.

We were very grateful that the Campbell clan was in town for the weekend and they made time to come to Owen's blessing and help stand in the blessing circle.

Owen with Mom, Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Frost.

Love this chubby little baby boy.

Owen and Grandpa Frost.

Karin and Brian at lunch after the blessing.

After church,  we had a delicious lunch of BBQ pork sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad, spinach salad, pumpkin bread and mint chocolate brownies.  We're big believers that a celebration is only as good as the food you serve. 

Overall, we had a great day.... well, most of us did!

It's hard to be the little princess when it's not your special day!

A tale of three soccer players and a three month old baby boy

I love the Fall! Even in Texas when it is still 90 degrees, it starts to cool down at night and we get the occasional "jacket weather." One of my favorite things about the Fall is spending Saturday mornings at the soccer fields.  This season,  we have three little soccer players to cheer for.  Abbi has been asking for months (maybe even years) when she would be old enough to play soccer. Even though she missed the deadline to play this season by a couple of months,  I asked the soccer office if they would let her play and they said, "YES!"  (And because I asked in front of Abbi there was no turning back).  Every week we have six soccer practices and three soccer games.  This makes for a lot of dirty laundry and a perpetually dirty car, but it's a lot of fun.

Abbi's buddy Logan is on her soccer team and they are an absolute riot to watch.

Soccer buddies posing for a picture.

LOVE this little girl.

My three "big kids" after the games.

The other exciting thing that has been happening around here,  our little Owen if now three months old.  I can't tell you how much we love having this little one around.  Owen is such a ROUND,  happy baby.  He gets lots of attention from Mom and Dad and his older siblings.  Here are half a dozen pictures of his three month old "photo shoot"  (I had a hard time narrowing it down.)

Love his dimples and big, chubby cheeks.

We think he might have blue eyes.

He is constantly sucking on his hands and fingers.

Owen has a great pouty bottom lip.

Looking so grown up!

Two Months Old

My sweet baby boy is two months old.  I can honestly say that I have loved every minute of the last two months with him. I frequently think, "wow, what an amazing baby,"  and he is.  He sleeps through the night,  naps when I want/need him to nap, smiles and coos, is rarely fussy and likes to snuggle with me. Amazing.  On Owen's two month "birthday" I did a mini photo shoot with him.

I am not a professional photographer,  nor do I have any desire to be.  I do have a fancy pants camera that takes pretty decent pictures on "auto" and I have no desire to pay someone else a small fortune to take pictures for me. So I give it my best shot, take about 200 pictures to have 3 of them turn out and vow that someday I will take a photography class.  Someday when I'm not driving kids to soccer practices,  soccer games, tumbling classes,  dance classes, & cub scouts, teaching preschool, doing 12 loads of laundry a week and trying to fit in feedings every 2-3 hours for my hungry little growing baby.  It's definitley not the time or the season for photography classes, and I'm okay with that.

Here are the three that turned out:

I love this little chalkboard I picked up at Michaels for a couple of bucks.

Looks so much like his big brothers.

Owen is starting to hold his head up really well.

Just for fun,  here are some of the out takes.  I had a great three year old helper :)

Abbi helping Owen hold up his head.

Abbi giving Owen kisses.

This kid wants to suck on everything in sight.

See what I mean?

And Abbi rushes in to help.... again.

He looks a little bit like an alien in this one.

At two months Owen:

Weighs 13 lbs. 6 oz.

Wears size 1 diapers

Wears size 0 to 3 month clothes

sleeps 7-8 hours at night without waking

Still won't take a binkie

Smiles and Coos when we talk to him.

Likes the bath.

Does not like to be cold.

Horseshoe Bay

In August,  we were able to take a very quick, very impromptu trip down to the Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake Lindon B. Johnson.  Colby had some last minute surgery cancellations,  and we had a Marriott Rewards certificate that was about to expire.  We made a couple of phone calls and half an hour later we had packed up all the kids, including our six week old baby, and all their stuff (who says our days of being carefree and spontaneous are over?)  After a quick stop at Pizza Hut and the gas station, we were on our way.  We were only gone about 24 hours,  but that was long enough for all of us to recharge and it was the perfect way to end the Summer. 

We spent time exploring the beautiful resort grounds, 

I love these sweet kids!

Carter Ben exploring the trails.

Colby and the kids by the Lilly pads.

This waterfall was one of our favorite parts of the resort grounds.

We took advantage of all of the hotels amenities,  including smores making and a "dive-in movie" by the pool.

We swam in two of the three swimming pools, 

and the "largest hot tub in Texas."

For the kids, the highlight of the trip was playing on the sandy beach by the lake.

Building Sandcastles

Digging trenches

Somehow we all made it home the next day with smiles on our faces.

As with every trip,  the kids LOVED the hotel.  I think we could go to a hotel that was down the street from our house and they would think it was fabulous. Here are some pictures of our kiddos bright and early,  and excited to be waking up in a hotel.  (I might have forgotten to pack a comb for Abbi's hair)

Loving this little brother.

Owen is not so sure about this...

All ready to swim!  

Back to School

Last week,  the boys headed back to school.  I love having them home,  but I think we were all ready for a little more structure and a better routine.  This year they are riding the bus.  The good thing about riding the bus is I don't have to wake up and/or load up Abbi and Owen.  The bad news is the bus comes at 6:45 a.m.!  So far, they are loving school (even the early morning bus ride).  They both have great teachers and lots of friends in their classes.  Seeing how grown up they look in these pictures makes me want to freeze time.  I love this stage that they are at;  pretty independent but not too old to snuggle with me on the couch and watch cartoons. 

Ammon- Fourth Grade

Carter-Second Grade

Carter with Mrs. McGowan

Ammon gets a locker in the hallway this year!

This little peanut is sooo ready to start school,  and still has sooo long to wait!

Two more years until Kindergarten....

If you look closely, you can see where Abbi wrote her name- backwards!