Apple Picking

I am sure we have mentioned that this wonderful land we are currently living on is part apple orchard. Last weekend our good friend Kenny and his two kids, Felix and Tate, came to pick apples. Unfortunately I had to work, but I couldn't believe the pictures of how much they have grown. It's amazing really. The last time I saw them, which was just around a year ago, it seemed like they were still the little toddlers I knew climbing all over me. Now they are probably taller than me! It is sad to think of all the people we know all over the world and how much of their lives we miss out on. But at the same time, it is comforting to know that when we do get the chance to see our friends and family, it is just like we were never apart.

Made With Love

Wow! Another amazing gift made with love from the very talented Aunt Bev and Grandpa Bruce. What a collaboration between these two yet again. Grandpa Bruce cut out the wood for this awesome rocking chair and sent it to Aunt Bev, who painted it and added the finishing touches. We can't thank them enough for all of their hard work. This rocker will be cherished for generations to come!












As you can see, Owen loves it! And we love Aunt Bev and Grandpa Bruce! Thank you!

18 Months

I know it is cliche to say that your child is amazing, but it is true, Owen is amazing. He learns and grows so quickly that sometimes I find it hard to keep up. When I was trying to find a daycare facility for Owen they asked me if I wanted to put him in the Yearlings classroom, which is one to two year olds, or if he should go in the Toddler classroom, which is two to three year olds. I wasn't sure which one would be better so the director asked me a couple of questions. Does he walk? Well, he walks occasionally, but most often he is running, jumping, and climbing over everything. Does he say any words yet like Mama? I thought to myself and then said to her that I thought he probably had about fifteen words and could sign a few key things too. Then I thought about it more and realized that he probably had even more words than that, and decided that I would write down all the words that Owen says at 18 months old. Here is what I came up with, but I am sure there are some I am forgetting. Oh, and after the director met Owen and saw that he is as big as all the toddlers and bigger than quite a few, could use his words better than some, and was more agile than most, she put him in the Toddler Room. On Owen's first full day of daycare he cried in the morning and then quickly made himself at home. At snack time he ate his snack and then everyone else's at the table. Thought you would enjoy that!

Owen's Words at 18 Months:
Balloon (still Bvoom)
Shoe
GiGi (Great Gram), also the name of one of his little girlfriends in daycare
Danger (This is one of our favorites because of the way that he says it. "Danga")
Up
Down
Out (As soon as we are up and out of bed he is at the front door saying out!)
Hot
On
Off
Open
Hat
Bubble(s) I don't think he really says the 's'.
Again (This one Riley Rose made famous and Owen is following suit.)
Diesel
I know, I know, I know (Very funny!)
Hey!
No
Key (He loves the car, tractor, anything that has a key and he knows where they go.)
Drink
Apple (Another one of our favorties because of how sweet his voice is when he says it.)
Mama
Dadda
Why?
Mine (Doesn't really use it yet, thank goodness.)
Ball
Bike
Bye-Bye
Baby
Boat
Bird
Ouch (Often referring to Angela's bird because it bites.)
Bite
Barn
Ice
Eye
Ear
Nose
He can identify the above body parts, as well as hair, head, mouth, chin, hand, and foot. (All of which he knows if I ask him in Swedish although we haven't done that in a while.)
Hi
Uh-oh
Oh-no
Nej (for Horse)
Meow (for cat)
Makes other animal noises, but doesn't refer to the animals by them like cat and horse.
Animal noises: pig, cow, duck, horse, cat, goat/sheep, anything that says "rar" like a tiger, lion, bear, etc.
Stinks (Our word for going to the bathroom.)
Vroom (This is for motorcycles, jetskis, cool cars, trucks, and all those things little boys like.)
Bam! Boom! Boomba!
Dink (This means he wants to clink glasses to say cheers. He loves that.)
Riley
Kika (This is our nickname for Aunt Karen. Owen pronounces it Kiki-a.)
Nana
Papa

Still makes signs for: eat (this one happens all day long), drink, more, and all done

THE BIG 30!!!!

On September 3rd Mike had his 30th birthday, and I finally surprised him! After knowing Mike for the past ten years, it has been very hard for me to keep anything from him even the littlest things. Most special occasions he has guessed his present long before I even actually purchased it, for example his ten pack season tickets to the Celtics that I bought him for this birthday. However, this time I was able to pull off a little surprise party for the old man, thanks to our good friends Pat and Amy Greene who graciously hosted. I told Mike that we were going into Providence for a romantic dinner and that the Greene's were babysitting so we had to drop off Owen. But when we arrived, surprise!

Pat and Amy Greene
We love our dear friends and can't thank them enough for their hard work.


Bruce and Angela catching up with Pat's mom Mary. It is so nice to be home on the east coast so that they can be a part of our lives, and help celebrate thirty years of their wonderful son's life.


The birthday boy with his new co-teacher Shawn and "Deardorf".


Shawn's son Asher taking a ride on the "pony" we hired.



Owen helping himself to Daddy's birthday cake.



Owen had fun playing with Riley and his little cousin Aidan. Aren't the three little blondies adorable. I loved watching him watch them. It was a challenge trying to get them to stop playing to take a picture. Someday.




Owen at his best.

Happy birthday Daddy. We love you so much.

The Ocean State Update

Living in Rhode Island, the "Ocean State", it is only natural that people spend their time going to the beach and eating seafood. Also, because the states are so small, people often go on little day trips to other states. We took Owen to another new state for him, New Hampshire, to a neat little beach town called Hampton Beach. We stopped at the famous seafood restaurant Brown's, where to no surprise Owen ate whatever we put in front of him including scallops, haddock, clams, and coleslaw.





The beach was a sea of people in both directions.



A couple of days later Owen and I met up with Amy and Riley to do what else, but go to the beach. This time we went to Second Beach in Newport. I didn't stay very long, hence the single photo, because I had to find a daycare facility for Owen to go to. Amy kindly watched the boys while I was away. A very brave pregnant lady she is.


Yes, Owen will be going to daycare now three days a week because I accepted a job at Design Within Reach in Providence. Like most things, it is very bitter-sweet. I am excited about my new job and think it will be a great place for me to start out here, but I am sad that Owen will now be going to daycare. However, I also think it will be good for him, and that Growing Children of Providence will do just what its name implies and help him to learn and grow. On another note, our condo in Chicago finally closed on Friday, so we are officially east coasters. Our search for the best house here still continues, but we are excited that things are falling into place and couldn't be happier.

The Toy Park

Moving to a new place is always exciting because you get to explore and find new favorites. New favorite restaurants, stores, and of course parks. Amy and Riley took us to one of their favorite parks the other day. We aren't sure what it is called, but Riley calls it, "the park with all the toys." The story is that a wealthy family that lived in the area, a little over 100 years ago, had a little girl who died suddenly. They bought the piece of land and made it into a children's park in her honor. Now the park is filled with toys, cars, and tricycles that people bring and leave for others to enjoy. It is a very nice park filled with so much love, sharing, and joy.