We love Fall!

Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. So many people are SO into it (in a crazy way!) that I think it makes me feel the opposite. But, there is no denying that this time of year is absolutely one of my very favorites! I'm looking out the window now and getting excited for Owen to wake from his nap so I can put him in his costume and try to take some pictures of him under the sunshine in our back yard. If only we had a tree or two to show off the pretty leaves....sadly, we have NO trees at this house!

I've started a list of the fun new things Owen has accomplished since my last post. I'm sure I've missed some, but I realized recently that if I don't start writing these down, I'm going to miss more and more because he does something new almost every day! So, here's the latest:

• I'm not sure how it started, but over at G'ma and G'pa's house recently, O tried jumping for the first time. His feet don't actually leave the ground, of course, but I'm not sure if he knows that. He gets so excited squatting down (with his butt almost touching the ground when he really gets into it) and swinging his arms on the uptake. Need to get that one on video!

• He also discovered every child's favorite past-time, walking around in a circle until he gets so dizzy he falls. The best part is watching him get up, only to fall right back down again!

• Some new words include, "Ah-dee" (def. "all done," heard after most meals), "bah-by" (def. "baby," in reference to new cousin baby Brody), "hhhhhot" (def. "hot," obviously, regarding the stove, coffee mugs, and some things that are actually cold - he must be confused on the real meaning of that one), and "BOWWW!" (def. "Pouch!," which is the name of one of his books about a baby kangaroo that gets scared and repeatedly cries out to go back to the safety of his mama's pouch).

Pictures

This one shows O's joy at the fact that his head touched the top of this tunnel at the park.

Just hangin' back with G'ma's cell phone, calling my homies.

Aren't we the cutest cousins you've ever seen?

Learning to share Grandma's love.

Big shoes to fill...checking out Aunt Jackie's kicks.

On the way to church with Mommy.

Hangin' with G'ma V on a gorgeous early Fall day.

Mama's coffee mug is much more fun than my sippy cup!

Hmmmm...what kind of trouble can I get into with this hose?

Gus has found a new buddy.

Visiting a small pumpkin farm in Muscatine, Owen enjoyed the little games and toys they had set up. He especially liked the hay maze, but unfortunately, none of those pictures came out very well.

According to this chart, he's about 30 inches tall. According to the doctor, he's actually 31 1/4 inches.

Goofing off with Daddy at the pumpkin farm!

He insisted on riding in the wagon with the pumpkins we picked out.

Our "salesman" farmer pulling our loot into the barn to weigh. I doctored this photo a little bit, and think it looks so retro and charming!

Mama trying to teach O how to color with toddler crayons. He didn't really get it. Maybe in a few months...

Pasta face! Uhhh, how much does he look like Ryan in this picture???

Mommy and Owen's very first pumpkin carving experience. O had fun smashing the guts all over the kitchen table while I carved. Didn't get any pictures of that because we were all by ourselves and covered in goop! But he did VERY well sitting on the kitchen table while we worked and then playing with his toys while I cleaned up. My little guy is getting to be such a BIG boy!

Stay tuned for (hopefully) some fun shots of Owen the Lion. Grrrrrr......!

Welcome, Cousin Brody!

Owen's first cousin on his Mom's side was born this week. Aunt Jackie gave birth to a very handsome boy named Brody Lee Petersen on Tuesday morning (Grandma Vera's birthday!) and Owen can't wait until he gets big enough that they can be best buddies! Ok, so maybe it's Mama that is excited about that one. So far, Owen has shown no real interest in the new baby upon meeting him for the first time, but I know they will be very close one day...getting into all kinds of trouble, no doubt.

Here's a couple shots of the gorgeous little Brody. Isn't he adorable? Mom and baby are both doing well and adjusting to their new lives together. Our family is so blessed!

Gazing lovingly up at his Mama.

Such a little bundle of joy!

Here are a few other pics from the past week or so.

Reading books with Papa Vern.

Picnic lunch with Mommy's MOPS group at Wilson's Apple Orchard in Iowa City.

Owen wasn't so much interested in the apples at the orchard (we actually left before the picking even began), but he sure was intrigued by the pumpkins!

"This one looks different."

"This sure is a funny looking ball."

It wouldn't be a successful trip to a pumpkin patch (or apple orchard, as it were) without getting a little dirt on your pants.

"Hold on a sec, Mom, I'm playing with the mulch."

Too bad that sun was right in his eyes or this would have been a cute(r) photo.

Enough said.

Pretty mums. "Be gentle," says Mommy.

The John Deere tractor that pulled our group on a "hayrack ride" through the orchard.

Videos!

So, I finally figured out an easier way to upload the many, many, many videos on here (thanks to Krista's tip about creating a YouTube account...thanks, Krista!) So, here's a bunch that I've been wanting to post over the past few months, but couldn't. Enjoy.

(P.S. Just ignore the other videos that YouTube automatically posts when my video is done. Don't know how to get it not to do that.)

Mr. Mischief

Hey, I got my new shoes on...

Hiding out

The new "tummy time"

September Update

Man, it's hard to find time to update this thing. Sorry for the delay, folks. Here's what's new with Mr. Owen Peterson these days...

• He recently discovered how nicely his finger fits inside his nostril. I don't think he's "picking" (yet), but he thinks he's pretty clever for finding a new hole to stick his grubby little fingers into.

• I am having a hard time keeping him away from Kinnick's dog food. I think he just enjoys reaching into the bowl and picking up a handful of kibble, but if I don't catch him in time, he also thinks it's ok to put a piece or two in his mouth. You would think that he would have discovered that it doesn't taste that great by now and stop doing it, but alas, he must be a slow learner.

• One of the cuter things he started doing is "standing" on his head. He likes to bend over and rest his head on the floor and just stay that way for a moment or two. Not sure where the fun is in that, but he seems amused.

• The boy finally claps!!! I've been working with him on that for several months now and just when I had given up, he started doing it out of the blue. He loves to congratulate himself on all kinds of things. We're pretty proud of him, too.

• It's no mystery where he picked it up (since I only say it about 400 times a day), but he's started saying "no." It's more like, "niyo," so it's awfully cute, and I don't think he's actually communicating "no" (yet); he is just imitating the sound he hears Mommy make over, and over, and over again. Another continued favorite is "uh-oh" which he says A LOT!

• His favorite toy is is little lion - and has been for several months now, but I hadn't ever documented that anywhere and thought it was worth mentioning. I haven't figured out what he calls lion yet (I just refer to him as "lion"), but he definitely makes a specific sound when he reclaims him (after tossing him over the crib repeatedly) and gets very excited to be reunited with his little pal.

• He's pretty well down to one nap a day on most days, though I think that's because Mommy's been keeping him pretty busy with activities throughout the day. On days when we don't go to the library, MOPS, or some other place where he gets to play and keep occupied, he does still tend to take 2 naps, but those days are becoming less and less frequent (which is fun for Mommy!)

• Owen really loves books. He has a special drawer in the living room designated for all his books that is usually wide open with books strewn about the living room (similar to the Tupperware drawer in the picture below). When he wants you to read to him, he will come up to you with a book in his hand, saying "uh, uh, uh" until you stop whatever it is you are doing, put him in your lap, and read it to him. Sometimes he makes it through a whole book and then gets up to get another one. Other times, he makes it a few pages in and then abandons it for some other toy or sippy cup lying around.

Photos

How my kitchen looks on a typical day...

Mr. Mischief: "What?"

Go Hawkeyes!

Our own little Ricki Stanzi.

Getting another haircut. I had planned to let it grow out for that cute shaggy look that's in style now, but I just couldn't stand it any longer. It was driving me nuts!

Handsome boy!

Carousel attempt #2. It went a little better this time than the last time (at the Great River Days festival). This one was at the Coralville Mall. He's still pretty unimpressed with it, though.

Another new favorite thing (he's revisiting this, actually, as he used to enjoy this a few months ago) is hanging out in Kinnick's dog bed. He just climbs in there and gets comfy with a book, a ball, or - this time - a remote. Poor Kinnick has to share everything!

Here's what we've been up to this afternoon...

Lake house with Tim and Kat

Ahhh...we are just back from a relaxing weekend (despite the 3 1/2 hour drive each way) in Clear Lake, IA with our very loved and missed friends Tim and Katherine Oleson. A couple that we spent LOTS of fun times with when we lived in Seattle, I feel refreshed now that I've had a dose of the friendship that I've been missing for so long (although, it would have been nice to spend even more time together). I think we'll have to make this an annual trip. We had amazing weather and just enough time to lounge around and just BE...together. Exactly what we needed!

The beautiful view from the lake house we rented. Ryan and Tim spent the better part of the weekend out there fishing. Good times.

Being silly on our stroll through town.

Smart sign. Beautiful friend!

All of us. Too bad Owen decided to look back and see what we were all doing behind him instead of smiling for the camera.

Ready to get out of the stroller and...

SWING!!!

I think Daddy had more fun going down this slide than Owen. He's still a little timid on playground equipment, but he really seemed to enjoy himself here.

Can't wait until next year to do this again! Missin' me some Kat already!!!

Summer is flying by!

Ahhhh...how did it get to be the middle of August already? Time seems to move so much faster these days.

Owen is starting to say a few more words lately, like "uh-oh" anytime he drops something on the floor (which is often). Another favorite is "yum-yum" when he's hungry or enjoying a particularly tasty bite of something. And "bu-bye," although we can't seem to combine that with a wave just yet. He tries very hard to say banana, and definitely knows what that is, but it comes out more like "baba." He's also mastered the concept of putting a phone up to his ear (and sometimes other random objects) when someone says "hello?" My mom thinks he's trying to say "hello" when he utters "oh, oh, oh," but I'm not sure. Maybe...

Here are a few recent pics.

Mischief.

A very HOT summer day at the park.

Mmmmm...blocks.

Pony ride with Daddy!

Hello? I see you in there, clothes...