Happy 1 year!

Today, Owen is 1 year old! I can hardly believe it! He is very good at putting his finger in the air and saying, "One" when asked how old he is. We celebrated today at my parent's home in PA--with a monkey cake! Owen enjoyed the frosting, but didn't really discover the actual cake part. Oh well...perhaps next year. We had a fun day today: Owen ate his favorite blueberry pancakes for breakfast, got his 1 year picture taken, and got a ride on a real lawnmower tractor from Grandpa S.! Lots of fun! We are having fun here in PA and look forward to celebrating more this weekend with Rachel's extended family. Shawn will join us on Friday---missed you Daddy!

Thanks for your love and support this past year...what a blessing!

Let the celebrations begin!

Last week, Shawn's parents came to town to see Owen, just before he turns the big 1! So, of course we had to have a pre-party! Rachel made a quite ugly lion cake--which actually didn't even resemble a lion, but tasted amazing! I guess that is why pre-parties are good too...you can see what works and what doesn't! Anyhow, Owen was a bit confused about the cake--he wasn't sure if he wanted to get into it or not. However, once he dug into it a bit, he started going "ummmmmmmm!!" That was cute! The Gerber G'parents got O a great farm set that Owen really enjoys, some adorable clothes and books. He can now say, "One!" and put up one finger when you ask him how old he is.

We spent the weekend together relaxing, playing games, and hiking/eating in Breckenridge, CO. It was so pretty there--we need to go back! Enjoy the pictures of the weekend...and as you can also see, Owen is becoming pretty adept at blowing bubbles and feeding himself! :)

A week in the life of an 11 month old...

Gotcha! I found you!


Are you watching me? Because, before you can blink...
Going swimming

Picking (or eating) strawberries

I can hardly believe that Owen is 11 months already...soon to be 1 year! It's truly crazy...this year in so many ways flew by (despite the fact that during some periods I never thought I'd live to see them through). Soon, I won't have a baby anymore, but a toddler, and before I know it, he'll be off to college. Actually, in a lot of ways, I already don't have a baby. If you've had a chance to meet "O", you know what I mean. He is incredibly independent--likes to explore, feed himself, and is so verbal. He'll let you know what he wants for sure! However, he is also incredibly loving and cuddly. A great mixture! Now, he knows the following animal sounds: cow, horse, sheep, bear, cat, dog, monkey, and he will do them on-cue. He loves to perform for any captured audience! He can also say tons of words. We now have to be sort of careful about what we say/do around him...for instance:

1. Shawn was laughing at dinner last night and pounded on the table, and Owen immediately perked up and laughed and hit his fist down as well. Shawn did it again, and Owen followed suit!

2. Another quick story is that Owen loves this Mother Goose book that Grandma S. got him--he'll read it over and over and over again. A little background: In the book, the last rhyme is "Wee Willie Winkie" and part of the rhyme is "...rapping at the window..." and I always knock on the book at that point. So, on Friday, when the babysitter was here, he crawled over to the basket of books and grabbed a few and went over and sat in her lap. Then when she got to the "Wee Willie Winkie" part, he started knocking on the book. So funny. The babysitter was impressed!

3. Owen also "prays" with us before meals, by shaking his hands as we sing the " Hands, hands, hands--we thank you God for hands..." blessing. Then he says, "Amen."

Wow, Owen is a gift---we are so thankful for him and his lively spirit! What a blessing. Thanks to all of you also, who have helped shape him, as well as offering Shawn and I support this past year. You are all a blessing to our life as well!

18 hours to Indiana and Michigan

We made it! Owen did fantastic on his first road trip--I think it helped that we drove through the night, so he slept 12 hours of it! Hey, whatever works, right? Here are some pictures of our time there. We spent some time in Goshen and then went to see Shawn's side at Amigo Centre in Michigan where his family reunion was. It was great seeing you all again. Wish we were closer...

Pictures include: reading with cousin Allie and Aunt Amy, visiting Kendra's new house in Goshen, squeezing in a bath in the camp sink (almost didn't fit!), going hiking with Grandma/pa Gerber, eating lunch on a picnic table with Great Great Aunt Alma, playing trains with cousin JP, hanging out by the campfire, Rachel/Shawn winners of Kubb--the best lawn game out there, and a posed Gerber family picture