Owen is One!

Today, my baby turned one! How is that even possible? He is "officially" a toddler and not a baby anymore.....tear! I know every parent says this, but his first year really did fly by. My Owie is such a sweet, cuddly boy and has the most precious little personality. He loves to snuggle much more then Gav did at this age, and I just love it! His favorite toys include any type of ball that he can throw and chase and anything that big brother seems interested in (much to the dismay of big bro!) He LOVES to eat! Some of his favorite foods include chicken, sweet potatoes, and cheerios. He is still nursing three to four times a day and I'm honestly in no hurry to wean him. He's got six teeth and wears either 18 or 24 month size clothes, depending on the brand (and recently has been able to fit into some 2T). When he was born, he received two little blankies (one from Uncle Shane and Aunt Kirstin and the other from his Grandpa Cliff) that we call his "soft softs" that he absolutely will NOT go to bed without. He doesn't prefer one over the other but must have one when he takes naps or goes to bed at night. He's been walking since 9 1/2 months and now RUNS! He's doing pretty good at keeping up with his big bro. His favorite thing to say (yell) is DADADADA, he will say mama but much prefers to say dada. He will also shake his head "no" when he hears the word. He waves bye bye, smacks his lips to give kisses, and claps when we say "yay!" Every day he seems to be growing more into a little boy and leaving the baby days behind. I love him more than words can say and can't wait to see the little boy he grows into in the coming years. I'm beyond blessed to be his mama!

This morning we walked up to the track to watch Daddy's JH track team at their meet. It was a beautiful morning and Owen fell asleep in the stroller on the walk back home so I just let him stay asleep while Gav and I played outside. We had plans to meet some friends at the park after lunch, but Gavin woke up with a nasty, hacky (is that even a word?) cough and I didn't want him to spread it to our friends kids so we had to cancel. Owen has also been fighting a cold/cough for what seems like FOREVER. I'm not sure if its the same cold/cough or if he just keeps getting re-infected somewhere. We have the boys well child checkups on Wednesday so hopefully we can get some answers as to if it's just a cold or something more. This afternoon, I made some carrot cake cupcakes for Owen and all of us to enjoy after supper and we also took a dip in our neighbors pool. It's heated and it feels WONDERFUL! We have very kind neighbors and they love the boys! Rem grilled some chicken for supper that was super yummy and CJ and Addie came over to enjoy some birthday cupcakes with us (We missed Steph, who was working at the teen center.) It was a beautiful day for Owen to turn one and both boys must have really been worn out because they both fell asleep before eight o'clock! I'm guessing it's going to be a very early morning......

 One year ago today, our sweet Owie boy joined our family!

 And one year later, here he is! Such a precious little boy!

                                                   

 He thoroughly enjoyed his carrot cake cupcake....and cried when I wouldn't let him eat the entire thing

Owen received lots of money from family for his birthday so we are putting it all together to go toward a swing set. I can't wait to get it and set it up. I know both boys will enjoy it so much this spring/summer and for many years to come! When we get it all set up, I will be sure to post pictures so everyone who gave Owen money can see what it went towards! A big thank you to all!

Easter at the Dyas House

We spent this past weekend with all of Rem's family in town. It was beautiful outside so we spent almost all weekend out in our back yard. The kids had so much fun playing and enjoying the sunshine. Gavin was EXHAUSTED last night and slept like a rock, I'm sure tonight will be the same. Something about playing out in the sun makes kids sleep so well! Yesterday, we had a cookout to celebrate Owen and Sabra's upcoming birthdays and Owen received money from everyone to put towards a swing set. I can't wait to get one picked out and set up! I think the boys will absolutely love playing on it! Gavin also got to die some Easter eggs and I think he got more color on his hands then he did on the eggs. He really enjoyed it though! Today, we celebrated Easter by going to church (although we didn't hear the message, due to two little boys who did not want to sit still), and having lunch as a family at our house. We spent the afternoon outside playing with the kids and hunting eggs. The boys got Resurrection Eggs in their Easter basket (if you have never seen these, they are a set of eggs that each contain a small something that helps tell the Easter story. You open the egg and read the corresponding story relating to each of the eggs) and so Rem hid all the eggs and had Gavin find them and then we all opened the eggs and read the stories together as a family. I think it really helps little ones understand the reason of why we celebrate Easter! This afternoon, Rem and CJ decided to plant a garden in our backyard so they spent the afternoon and evening pulling weeds, tilling the ground, and getting everything planted. I'm excited to see what kinds of crops the garden will yield! We had a wonderful weekend enjoying the beautiful spring weather and all it has to offer!

 Gav and Addie enjoying the sand box

 Daddy and Owie

 Gav and Uncle CJ coloring some eggs

 Gav was pretty impressed by the colors

 He loves his daddy!

 Wow Dad, you're pretty good at this!

 SOOOO excited!

 Daddy drew a car on an egg for G

 Mr. Professional

 Hunting eggs after church

 I LOVE this photo! *Ignore the tennis shoes, mommy didn't realize that we had outgrown our dress shoes until this morning. Epic mommy fail!

 Dyas family. We couldn't get one with all 3 kids looking!

 Best family photo we could get. Our boys never want to cooperate at the same time!

 Dyas Ladies

 Owen exploring at the playground

 Love this one of Owie! Once again, both boys would not cooperate at the same time.

 My three handsome boys!

 So excited to get his eggs!

 Serious egg finder

 I think I found one mom!

I'm Gonna Pop Some Tags, Only Got Twenty Dollars In My Pocket

I laughed out loud the first time I heard Macklemore's song "Thrift Shop." Who knew so many people would be singing along to a song about going thrift shopping. I was never much of a thrift shopper before we moved to Hillsboro but we met some friends who considered it a hobby to see what kinds of treasures they could find at the thrift store. Rem caught the thrift shop bug quickly and we were soon making trips to all our local thrift shops. Most of the time, it's just kind of fun to find the crazy, tacky stuff people donate. Rem has found a love for shirts that depict wolves howling at moons or horses galloping through meadows (yes, he owns beautiful shirts like these). I was always under the impression that all you could find at second hand stores was junk, and many times this is true, but I have come to learn that if you take the time to look, you can find some pretty great kids clothes! The weather is starting to warm up and Gavin was in need of some warm weather play clothes. He received some money for his birthday from Grammie Berta and Papa Jim and we used that to buy him some nicer spring/summer clothes from Old Navy a few weeks ago but I hate when I buy him new clothes and he wears them outside and gets them stained or ripped so I like to buy him some clothes at our local consignment/thrift shops to wear to play outside in. Honestly about eighty percent of the clothes I buy my kids come from a consignment/thrift store. They always get cute new clothes from lots of family members for their birthday or Christmas so I honestly don't feel bad about buying used clothes for them to wear around the house/play in. I often come across name brand clothing that looks like it has barely been worn! I have found Gymboree, Children's Place, Old Navy, OshKosh, Nike, and Carter's just to name a few. I know there are times when the boys only get to wear an outfit a few times before they outgrow it (especially when they are tiny babies) and it still looks like new, and from what I have found at second hand stores, it seems like many parents are encountering the same thing at their house! Of course, there are clothes that are obviously very worn out but if you take the time to look, you can find some stuff that's still in great shape! Today, the boys and I walked uptown (which is basically two blocks from our house) and went to one of my favorite consignment shops and our local Salvation Army. I used to have a hard time buying things from thrift stores and would think to myself,  "I can afford to go buy my kids clothes at the mall, I don't need to be buying used clothes for them." Yes, I can choose to go spend one hundred dollars at the mall on clothes for the boys but I can honestly find the same brands at a second hand shop and get three times the amount of clothes! I would much rather spend twenty dollars on a whole season's worth of clothes and be able to do something fun with the money I have saved by buying second hand clothes. I obviously don't want my kids to look like they are wearing tattered, worn out clothing so I'm pretty selective when it comes to buying their clothes second hand. I don't buy anything that is stained, faded, or has holes in it. They are still dressed very well and I honestly don't think that people can tell that their clothes are from a consignment/thrift store just by looking at them! I often get compliments on what they are wearing and when I tell people "Oh, I found it at Salvy," they can't believe it.  The reason I LOVE thrift shopping is because the prices are RIDICULOUS!!! Today I got twelve shirts, six pairs or shorts, and a pair of summer jammies for $27.00! That's an average of $1.50 per item.  Really!? Where else are you gonna find a shirt or pair of shorts for $1.50? There have been times where I have found name brand jeans for $3.00! Even a pair of jeans on sale at Old Navy still cost around $10.00. We save TONS of money by buying used. If you have ever watched the Duggar family of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting on TV (shout out to Nana Brecken!) then you are familiar with their saying "buy used, save the difference." I totally agree with this when it comes to things for kids. I found the jumperoo that Owen used for ten bucks at the Salvation Army. It was in great condition and I was super pumped because those babies cost eighty bucks at Babies R Us! I also find lots of books for the boys at the thrift shop. Can't beat a .25 cent book!  I encourage all the mom's out there to check out your local consignment/thrift stores and see what you think! You may not find something the first time you go, but the next time, you may find tons of great stuff. Our area has great consignment/thrift stores and I can always find the brands of clothes that I like without a problem! These places are GREAT for finding dress clothes also. How many times do you buy your child an outfit for a program, special holiday, etc. and they only wear it one or two times? I know I don't dress my kids in their Christmas outfits on a daily basis and they still look brand new. Well, other parents are in the same boat and so they go consign/donate basically brand new dress clothes. I found both of my boys Christmas sweaters this past year at Goodwill for under three bucks each. Owen's looked brand new and was from The Children's Place. I guarantee when it was bought brand new it was ten to fifteen dollars (if not more). Talk about savings! I understand that there is a social stigma that "only poor people shop at thrift stores." Well, I think "smart people shop at thrift stores." Yes, I understand that there are people who definitely can not afford to shop for their clothes at the mall and must rely on second hand stores for their entire wardrobe but I also believe that just because you can afford to buy three hundred dollars worth of clothes doesn't mean you have to! Especially kids clothes, which more than likely will end up stained, ripped, or grown out of in a matter of months. There was an incident at our house a few months back where a certain person in our family (cough-daddy) decided to do some laundry (very kind, but forgot to check pockets) and an ink pen went through our wash. There were several items damaged, which included some of Gavin's clothes. I was very thankful that most of what was damaged of his came from the thrift store and it amounted to about ten dollars worth of clothes. I wasn't so lucky....my VS Pink sweatpants also were attacked by the pen and ruined. My one item of clothing cost more than all of his put together. I'm by no means saying that you should never buy your clothes new, Rem and I buy most of ours new because we will wear them longer and put less wear and tear on them then our boys do, but for kids I absolutely think that you can get some great clothing items at thrift stores and if they get ruined while they are outside playing, you don't have to feel terrible about it! I encourage you to try thrifting and see what kind of great deals you can find!

Here's our haul from the consignment store today. 12 shirts, 6 shorts, and a pair of PJ's!

Today was such a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lots of outdoor time. Rem was busy most of the day with work, helping a farmer, and coaching his track kids. It was so beautiful out that I kind of forgot (uhhhh......ok, I didn't want to spend time inside) to cook supper. Since daddy wasn't home, the boys and I decided to pack a picnic supper and take it to the Free Methodist Church to play and eat. The FM church (where CJ works) put in a really neat wooden play area for kids a year or two ago. It looks like a big ship with a bridge to a castle. Gavin absolutely LOVES going up there to play and this evening was gorgeous! He thought eating our picnic supper at the playground was probably the greatest thing he's ever done! Here are some pictures of our evening!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty nice day also and daddy is home all day YAY! I'm looking forward to enjoying the day with my family! I'm not sure what our plans are yet but I'm sure we'll have fun no matter what we choose to do!