Girlfriend # ????

You might have noticed that most of Owen's friends are little girls. Well, Rya Nicole Lawler is definitely growing up to be one of his new girlfriends. They had a great time playing, and Owen even gave her a couple of hugs and kisses.

Potty Time!!!!

Owen loves playing with Nana's bidet, so we thought it was time he started playing with his own toilet to start getting used to it. And so potty training begins...


(I love this, "What? I'm not doing anything." look he gave me.)


They say it is important to give babies plenty of "naked time" so that they are aware when they go to the bathroom. I say any chance to see that cute butt is welcomed. We let Owen play on the deck naked. Better there than our apartment. Then we gave him his "potty" to see what he thought. He responded well to it and had fun getting on and off. He even sat on it for a little bit before going into the screened-in area you see behind him to go poop on the deck. It was great!

Summer at the Lake

As much as we love the wonderful city of Chicago, sometimes it is nice to get away even if only for a long weekend. We love going to Nana and Papa's lake house during the summer and try to go as often as possible. So don't be surprised if you see a lot of posts from there over the summer.

Papa Jim recently restored a moped that he bought in 1978. You know the kind you have to pedal or run alongside to get the engine started. It is a lot of fun! Daddy took it for a spin to the local store for a few essentials (aka: beer run). Very funny!

Owen on the other hand was very busy shopping too. He had so much fun emptying his groceries all over the yard and then picking them back up again and throwing them in the basket. Every once in awhile he would take a break to watch the boats and jetskis.


We blew up the elephant pool for him, but he wasn't too sure about that. I have to admit the water was pretty cold. But after I got in with him and played for a little bit, he had fun splashing around and climbing in and out.




Owen also has a love/hate relationship with the jetskis. He wants to go on them whenever someone else rides, but then is a little hesitant once it is his turn.
I think he prefers lounging in the raft.



Here is Owen pointing to his nose. He can also say the word nose, and can point to his mouth, ears, and eyes. We love his new party tricks.

My "Little" Girls

After Owen finished taking a nap on the couch, we went to the beach with Becca, Meghan, and Maggie.


As you can see, they aren't my "little" girls anymore. Meghan and Maggie are now going into 8th grade (I started babysitting for them when they were in kindergarten), and Becca into her junior year in high school. I can't believe it! I couldn't believe how much they had grown when they were in my wedding five years ago, and now they babysit for me. Once again, I love the circle of life.

{Owen, Becca, Maggie, and Meghan}



Owen loved playing with the girls. He also loved being their little model.
















Thanks for a great day at the beach girls!

Happy Father's Day

Someday Owen will realize just how lucky he is to have a father like Mike. I have known for a very long time how lucky I am to have my dad, and now I feel even more blessed to have found such a wonderful dad for my children.
On Father's Day Nana and Papa took the train in from South Bend and we met them at Millenium Park for a picnic.






Owen playing with Papa's whiskers.





Owen made some new friends, like he does everywhere we go.




Owen's first Pop-Up!


Because Grandpa Bruce is on the east coast we couldn't share our picnic with him, but we are very thankful to have him too! He is an incredible father, father-in-law, and now Grandpa.

I love these pictures of when Owen was first born.