Room to Grow...

First off, Happy 2014!! I cannot wait to see what adventures and blessings are in store for this year!

Now...this last year, we had a little boy that was about to become a big brother. And, he needed room to grow. He needed his official big boy room! We decided to keep the baby room where it was, so O got bumped to the back guest/catch-all room. So we needed to do some work.

Joe and I decided we still wanted to have a place for guests, and with only three bedrooms, we really didn't have many options. Enter the Murphy Bed! Folds down when you need it, and up when you don't! Joe did an amazing job, and with a bed kit from Rockler, made the bed and accompanying shelving. Awesome!!!

We also put in a new door with glass only on half, because having a full panel glass door with small children scared the bejeebers out of me. And, as any good home project goes, we messed up the wall taking the old door out. But honestly, our stained wood wall looks amazing and kicks that old 'crow's foot' wall in the teeth.

I chose a classic comforter in hopes that O and his brother would have it for several years. O's bed is a bunk bed, and when the boys get a little older, I can't wait to bunk them. We had the dresser built with an extra thick top we stained to match the wall, and a great red color for a bit of pop and to go with the bedding.

We painted the walls a warm grey color to complement the walnut stained wall. We then chose a lighter grey for the bed and shelves as to lighten the back wall, but not be a giant white spot either. I love love love it. In addition to the grey, we painted the inside panel  of the Murphy Bed with chalkboard paint. As you can see, O's nana did a wonderful job using the chalkboard to bring the room a little holiday cheer. All the plane paintings were also done by Nana Holly. She is an amazing artist, and we are so blessed to have her art decorate our home.

This room was quite the process, with many decisions...by me, by Joe, and by Owen. In the end, I love it. Owen shows it off to anyone who comes over. And we have room to grow, play and have fun!

Way to go team!

I LOVE FALL!

Seriously.

I love it.

The cooler weather, which we so desperately need after a long, hot summer (where I was very pregnant, too)! Long sleeves. Leaves. And pumpkins.

Ever since we moved to Coppell, we've made a tradition out of visiting the pumpkin patch at a local church. We have enjoyed visiting each year, first with Jennifer and Jamie, then adding Owen, and now Madelyn and Corbin. It's so fun to watch our family grow!

Now, for the pumpkins!!

He just keeps growing! 

My sweet niece! Love her smile!

The Colvin Fam!

(I think this is how family photos are going to be for us for a while!)

Feel free to check out a bit more on Corbs on the O'Baby blog.

Some Pretty Exciting Goings-on...

Hop on over to the O'Baby blog to learn a little more about what's been going on in the O'Brien household the last month or so!

You'll get to see more about this guy:

And, get to meet this guy!!:

A Busy Summer...kinda.

This August marked two great things!

First, the END of Joe's 2+ year commitment to getting his MBA. For the past 2+ years, Joe has been going to night classes every Monday and Thursday from 6-10 pm, plus travel time from his work by the Rangers to way up north to Frisco. This meant his wife, son, and dog didn't get to see him much. Coupled with studying and group projects...we didn't get to see him a lot. Though, as awesome as Joe is, he doggedly woke up early and stayed up late to study and do projects so we COULD have as much family time as possible.

WAY TO GO JOE!!!

We also took our first out of town Pate/Colvin/O'Brien vacation too! We have, of course, all stayed at mom and dad's, but had yet to go on an adventure together. So, with the accomplishment of the boys graduating (Jamie too), we decided to pack up the families and meet in Eureka Springs, AR.

A lovely cabin, beautiful views, cooler weather (even just a little), and fun family time were just what the doctor ordered. (We also just made it under the wire for my "no traveling while pregnant doctor orders.") Of course traveling with a toddler and a 4-month old was a trick in itself. Everyone had different nap times and eating times. So not much site-seeing was done, but we still had an enjoyable time. I can't wait to do it again. O is already asking to go to the beach again, since we didn't make it this year. Poor spoiled kid has gone every summer since he's been alive amazingly...though we were by a river...see...water!!!

Now, we are back home. House projects are piling up in anticipation for new baby. We are building built-ins and a murphy bed in our back room, where O will be moving. Then we'll need to clean and re-purpose O's old room back into a baby room. Then...then...then.... It seems there is always something else, and people, we are getting down to the wire!!! 

32 DAYS PEOPLE! September 24 is coming fast!!!

In this last bit of August, our sweet puppy has turned 6. I still don't know how we've had him that long. As much as he drives us crazy, I love him more and more.

AND, both of O's awesome uncles celebrate their respective birthdays. Whew!! What a hot, crazy month!

Pinatas = Fun

Before O's 3rd birthday, we got to go to our friend Jacob's 4th birthday. Jake and his family always throw a fun party. This year they had a pinata, which seemed to leave a great impression on Owen.

You see, O is a boy...who is turning three. If you've been around one of these creatures before, you might remember that sword fighting and hitting things is a BIG deal and LOTS of fun!

I asked Owen if he'd like to have a pinata at his party and he said yes. We even found a coupon for one at Target and he picked out the big blue sneaker! 

O did a great job taking charge and running into battle to clobber the shoe to death. But, he did just as great of a job sharing with his buds and cheering everyone on. It was awesome and hilarious. 

Seeing my son in a crouched down, hands-on-knees stance cheering on his friends gave me a glimpse of sports to come and maybe one day being a coach.

Our 5yo friend, Austin, had the honors of giving the shoe the death blow! And all the boys shared the candy well too!

Mr. Pinata, you gave us great joy! I think we'll invite you back!

When You're Three

Some blue-eyed, blond-haired crazy sweet boy turned 3 in this house last week. You, guessed it! It's the O'Bear!

We had fun celebrating the birthday boy with a fun swim party, cake, presents, friends and family. We then got to celebrate our favorite dads the next day. It made for a very celebratory weekend.

So...being three...did you know that this comes with the ability for all sorts of new adventures?

What kind, you ask.

Well, when the sky brings rain and your yard has dirt, and the three-year-old of the house asks to play in the mud, surprisingly, the mom says yes.

I know, I was kinda shocked too. But, hey, it's just laundry and bath time. And the smiles and the laughs were well worth it!

And, without further ado, O'Bear and Mommy present, "Mudding--An Ode to Being Three."

Feeling it out with Chuck...

 Hey, this is pretty sweet. Cold and squishy!

 Stomp!!

 Stomp! Splash! Stomp!

 It's so squishy!! 

Hehehe!!!!! Mmmuuuudddd!!!!

The event concluded with a ceremonial hose-off followed by a warm bath. The three-year-old went back for an encore before we left to get dinner. The encore was sadly met with motherly opposition for the performer, and a strong reprimand was given. It seems old-fart adults need to be mentally prepared for these events.

We Survived the Vet

I received the post card in the mail. I put it on the fridge. And I stared at it for a week or two off and on -- The Vet.

Don't get my wrong, the people at the vet we go to are always very gracious. It's just well, it's kinda like when you have a baby.You are charged with this life you have to take care of basically 24/7 and they can't really tell you a blasted thing. It's a lot of guessing. Eventually your kid starts to tell you stuff, but after 5 years with this guy, I'm still left in the dark on most things.

We have had numerous ups and downs with Ryker dog...thankfully more ups than downs and I would never want to not have my pupster around. That said, this dog drives me bonkers a lot. The one thing that was gnawing at me about this visit was his teeth.

Ryker...or his alter ego, NoNoBadDog, chipped both his top canines pretty darn bad. So bad that the one on the left is broken off just about right at the gum line. I cried when I saw this. I felt I let me dog down. Why does he feel the need to freak out so badly when we leave that he can be so destructive?

My fear was that our vet, Dr. Clawson (ha! I know), would say we'd have to pull his teeth. Not only would this be expensive. Joy. It would be so sad. I'd have this beautiful, fluffy dog with no teeth.

But I sucked it up. Called the vet. Hauled me and all three boys (baby counts at this stage, I feel) to the vet, and we waited.

Ryker passed with flying colors on the health scene. I asked about his teeth. He did a little poking and after examining, he said that though yes, pretty bad, he was fine and showed no signs of pain.

Thank you Lord!

I know, it's silly to be grateful to God about your dog's teeth. But it was my worry. I didn't want him to suffer. Knowing he's ok makes me a happy puppy mom, and so thankful we can take our silly concerns to our Father and he helps us through.

I have my fuzzbutt curled up with me as I type this. And I just gotta say, I love my crazy, stupid, snaggle-toothed dog.

It's Here!

Summer!

We made it! Now what??

I have so enjoyed watching O grow and learn this last year in his preschool. Now he's out for summer. And I feel overwhelmed. What do I do to entertain this spitfire 7 days a week now? Any summer fun suggestions or learning plans would be greatly appreciated.

Movies!! Summer movies are here too. Joe and I had the opportunity to go on an afternoon date to see Star Trek: Into Darkness. It was a LOT of fun. Action, good store line, great villain, and just fun to revisit these iconic characters. I am also looking forward to taking O to the movies this summer too. There are some awesome kids' movies coming up: Monsters' Inc., II,  Despicable Me II, and Planes to name a few.

Someone's birthday!! In very short order, our house's No. 1 toddler will be turning 3!! This still baffles me. I love getting to see his imagination take off at this stage. He can now play pretty well "by himself" while I'm doing laundry or something. Another thing I've noticed is that when he gets in trouble or scared, he makes up a story about another little boy or "his brother" to help get his feelings across. Sometimes these stories are a little sad, and other times, these stories are so stinkin' funny I have to turn away not to upset him with my laughter!

The end of the MBA!! Joe will be done with his MBA at the end of July. We are so proud of Joe's accomplishments and dedication in this program, but losing him for two days a week plus studying and weekend meetups with groups is not high on our family fun list. We will all be so happy when Joe (and our bro-in-law Jamie) completes this goal!!

Moving closer to baby!! Sheesh...it seems September is closer than it should. I can't believe I'll have a 3yo and a newborn pretty soon!

Summer 2013 seems to be bringing all sorts of fun and excitement. Bring it on and bring on the pool while we're at it...or cooler temps. One can dream, right??

Bows or Bowties?

If you popped on over to the O'Baby O'Brien blog, you might have seen we had a gender reveal party this weekend for O'Baby 2.0! It was a wonderful evening filled with silliness, friends, family, food, and an answered surprise!

...and it almost didn't happen!

I got a called on Monday from my doctor's office asking me to return their call to reschedule the sonogram because their sonographer would be out. WHAT? WHAAATTTT??? I have plans! I have people coming in! I have plans! Joe and I want to find out!!

So, I did what any other person in my position would do -- I called my sister panicked! After I vented and we talked about it, I 'calmly' called my doctor's office to reschedule thankfully Thursday before our party on Friday. Joe and I also decided we would make the event a surprise for us too, so, we sealed up the detailed photos and a note from the sonographer, and I shoved it in the glove box as soon as I got to the car!

Man! That was hard for the first few minutes, but then I was ok! I couldn't wait to find out with Joe and Owen and our family and friends the next day. On Friday, I delivered the mystery envelope to my pal Emily, who was privileged to know before us all and prepare the news in the form of silly string.

Guests were asked to vote Bows or Bowties/Mustaches on whether O'Baby 2.0 would be a boy or girl when they arrived. They could also suggest a name, because...we are awful at names! After a bit of eating and visiting, we all moseyed out to the backyard with our cans, said a count down and were all momentarily confused!

What color was the string??

Seems the chemical reaction in the silly string takes just a moment to mix when sprayed!!! It looked white, light pink, blue???? BLUE!!! IT WAS BLUE!!!

We're having a boy!! O's going to have a little brother!!

Oh, HAPPY DAY!! Joe and I are blessed with two boys.

For the record, I voted boy, Joe voted girl, and O voted boy (on that day)!

And with this news, I ask for your prayers. Two boys?? Oh, Lordy!

In the Trenches

There was a man named Joe. And Joe had a dream.

Joe dreamed of a lush, green yard.

Joe had a hard, spotty green and brown yard.

So, Joe decided to get to work.

First, he killed! He killed it all. The green, the bad, the good, the ugly...all dead. Dead.

Next, he tilled. He tried to soften our hard back yard and loosened it up for the next round.

What's next you ask? A sprinkler system...we want green, remember!?

Trenches and dirt everywhere. Dirt in the yard. Dirt in the driveway. Dirt in the living room. :(

It works! Joy! Triumph!

Now, to add the green. To be delivered and deposited this weekend we hope.

Joe had a dream. Joe makes dreams come true! Way to go, Joe.

(now, next project...to sit back, relax and enjoy the green!

An Evening with the Croods

It all started with a groupon to Studio Movie Grill.

They run a great deal so often for a $5 ticket that includes a soda. SOLD!

Joe and I enjoy the occasional date night there, because we can enjoy a movie and dinner without running ourselves ragged trying to make a movie in time or not stay out too long for those watching the O'Bear.

I realized our tickets were about to expire, and we were either booked or didn't quite have childcare lined up. No date night for us. So, I started asking friends and family. Seems EVERYONE is busy being responsible....NO TAKERS.

That's when Joe had the great idea, let's take Owen. If we're going to have to let them go, might as well make an experiment out of it. They were playing the movie The Croods at 6:30 last night -- PERFECT. And as it happens, Tuesday is Ladies Night for $5. Woohoo.

We ordered a burger and chicken to split, broke out the fruit snacks while we waited and settled in.

IT WAS AWESOME!

O did a great job of staying in his seat, staying relatively quiet, and eating his dinner.

The movie was hysterical...I loved all the imaginative primitive creatures and funny jokes they added in. And amazingly it wasn't much of a mind-stretch to consider Nick Cage as a caveman! ;)

I am so excited we have a new family entertainment option. I loved spending the evening with my two favorite movie-goers.

What Happened to March?

Well, it appears March happened.

How did a whole month roll past that quickly. March was a great month though. You ask, "How great??"

I got a whole new title...AUNT. I'd say that's pretty great.

My beautiful niece Madelyn arrived on March 19th after her mother and father served her an eviction notice. She had stayed over her 40 weeks with mommy and we were all so ready to meet her and love her. It was a long day for the Colvin family, but I'd say they are pretty happy with the outcome. My beautiful niece!

We also had some pretty fab birthdays to celebrate. Two of my favorite people. My wonderful hubby Joe was celebrated with BBQ and friends and a weekend of baseball fun and family.

And my bestie Lydia was sent a care-package of fun and well wishes. I love birthdays! I love celebrating the ones we love and giving them a special day (week, month, whatever). (We can just start leaving off the years!)

We had a happy fun Easter with our O'Brien family. We did a fun Easter event on Saturday with Owen up at the church, complete with egg hunt (in plain sight), carnival games, bounce houses, clowns and learning about Jesus. There are some things I wish our church did differently, but the way we love our community makes me so proud all the time!! We also enjoyed a wonderful, joyful, worshipful Easter service at church. Our takeaway -- Don't look for it where it ain't! It's not going to be there. (Check out great sermons here!)

Owen was treated to a special delivery from the Easter Bunny, an egg hunt for him and his great-aunt Jill, and a fun time with family.

March...you went by like a blur, but you were a blast. April, what cha got?