Baby O

Owen will be 18 months old this week.  He is so fun and reaching new milestones each day.  He has begun using many new words.  He says:
-go - I don't want it. -I want it. -Mama - Daddy- ba ba 

He loves to make animal noises like a cat or dog.  As we walk and play outside he always notices birds, squirrels, and rabbits.  He gets so excited by them. 

 Owen just recently began sleeping through most of the night.  Mommy insisted a few weeks ago, that it was unnecessary for him to have a 2am feeding like a newborn.  We are in the process of weaning, but it is hard for Mommy as well as baby, knowing this is probably the last baby. 

 Owen loves his slicky blanket that my Dad bought for Alexander when he was a baby.  Owen also sleeps with this baby doll that our friend Lisa in Nebraska gave us.  He kisses the blanket and the baby and rocks his baby.  He still likes his pacifier as you can see here. 

Owen is quite a Mommy's boy and has lots of separation anxiety when he goes to the church nursery.  He adores his brother and sister.  He hugs, kisses and pats on them when they are hurt.  He is quite a boy though.  He is rough and loves to play ball. 

Miss Auj Goes to School

 Audrey started preschool at Cathedral Preschool this week.  Her teacher is her grandmother- Nana.  She is so excited to help Nana clean up the classroom and earn a Skittle.  Audrey has been waiting for August to arrive for months.  She attends school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  She is eager to learn and loves to draw, color, and create.  After just a few days of school it has been interesting to see the difference in boys and girls.  Audrey willingly shares most of her school experiences from the day while Alexander has to be begged to share any information. 

 Audrey loves "reading" books to herself and playing with Play Doh.  She recently found one of Adam's Economist magazines.  I found her reading it in her bed. 

We look forward to Audrey developing new friends at school and learning a lot. 

Alexander is in Kindergarten

 August 6th was Alexander's first day of Kindergarten at Sutton Elementary School.  So far he loves school and his teacher Ms. DeWitt. 

                            He had his first soccer practice last week. 

 Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the fine young boy he has become.  He has a heart for Jesus and loves to sing for the Lord.  At night or nap time we often hear him singing along with the music on his ipod. 

 It is hard to believe that we were blessed with this precious boy almost six years ago.  In just a few short weeks we will be celebrating Alexander's birthday.  It is such a joy to be Mommy to this sweet boy. 

Home Sweet Home(s)

 We built this home in Lexington in 2006.  It was the home where we brought our first two children home from the hospital.  It was a labor of love.  Adam worked so hard to maintain the beautiful green grass.  I loved planting flowers there.  We grew strawberries and blueberries in the back yard.  My brothers built a great fence to contain Alexander and Audrey.  The large maple tree in the back yard was a gift from Mama and Daddy. 

 

We spent 5 wonderful years there.  When we moved to Nebraska in October of 2011 we rented it to our dear friends Derek and Jessica.  After moving back to Kentucky and purchasing a new home in Owensboro we decided it was time to sell this home.  The home sold in May.  It was a little difficult to leave for the last time. 
The blue and green vertical stripes I had tediously painted and then repainted for Audrey with pink and green.  And the crown molding hung by Daddy and Adam were some of the special features of this home. 

 

 In late June we began a major renovation on our Owensboro home.  Unfortunately this was not a renovation we had hoped to experience so quickly.  The basement leaked water with any rainfall large or small. 

With the help of our church family we did some demolition to remove the drywall, studs and flooring in the basement.  This is what we found behind the drywall, mold and water stains.  

A sump pump was installed after a week of jack hammering and carrying out buckets of concrete.  The walls were wrapped in a plastic material and new windows were installed.  Now we have the pleasure of putting up new studs and hanging new drywall.  We have a lot to learn.  We are anxious to get our basement back to normal, especially for the kids.  It will be a great living space when it is complete, but man am I glad that is the only renovation needed for hopefully many more years.  We love our home and look forward to raising our kids here and being here for many years to come. 

Dancing Girl

 Audrey had a busy weekend of dancing.  Saturday she had dance rehearsal.  She was a little nervous to go on the big stage, but with a little encouragement she put on quite a show. 

 She loved wearing her costume for the "Good Ship Lollipop."  She called it the Friendship Lollipop. 

 On Sunday she was excited to perform again.  She did a great job of showing off her plies. 

On Saturday evening, Audrey got to demonstrate more of her freestyle dancing at Jill's wedding.  Auj loved dancing with the big girls, Jill, Madeline, Emily, and Ellen.  She was enchanted by their dresses, especially Jill's wedding gown. Audrey put on quite a show by dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies."  

Audrey is definitely into fine arts.  She loves music, dance, and creating things with paint, markers, and play dough.  She is our beautiful princess and will tell you that.  She is quite the entertainer. 

Alexander's Preschool Graduation

 

Alexander had an amazing year at Cathedral Preschool.  

He attended from January to May

  Nana, Adam's mom, picked him up for school each day.  He attended Monday-Thursday from 8:00am until noon.  He loved his teachers Mrs. Katchuk and Ms. Minton.  He learned so much and was able to apply his prior knowledge and make great strides academically and socially. 

        He developed some great friends.  His best buddy is Charlie in the red shirt.  

 Alexander had a lot of emotions about the end of the school year.  He was sad about missing his teachers and friends.  He was also anxious about going to a new school for Kindergarten without all his friends from Cathedral. 

 

The last days of school were celebrated with an art show.  There were creative displays of the art work they created throughout the year.  The silhouettes were my favorite.  

Alexander and Mommy celebrated Mother's Day at Chick Fil A's Mother Son Date Night.  We had a great time sipping our milk shakes and getting Knighted.  

We are so proud of our big boy.  He is learning so much and a great example to his friends and family of living for Jesus. 

Easter 2014

It was a beautiful Easter this year.  The kids all enjoyed a great Easter dinner at Nana's.  We had a great time hunting eggs and eating lots of candy.  It was a delightful day celebrating our Risen Savior.