Owen Is Three!

Owen is three today. He's big and strong and full of life. He's sensitive and caring. He's an awesome little boy.

Progress

I just learned in my photography class that if you focus on the eyes, the eyes are in focus and look really cool. Part of me can't believe I had to pay someone to tell me that, but most of me is so happy I know that now!







Also, a strapped in baby in her stroller is much easier to photograph! I figured that out on my own : )

Mighty Ducks

Last night we went out to a Anaheim Ducks Hockey game with our friends the Clarks. The team has a Sunday night family deal: tickets, hotdog and a drink for $20. Sunday night activities are great because they put off the specter of Monday morning for a while. We got to the stadium and found our seats. They were very high up, and the seating was very steep. I got a little nervous that the boys would trip and fall down all the way to the ice! You know what would have been a good idea? Seatbelts. And not just for the little kids, but for the adults that get a little tipsy too. Although I don't think anyone could afford to get too tipsy, the beers were $11!

The ducks scored within a couple of minutes of the start of the game and the stadium went crazy! Crazy loud. Sarah had a meltdown. We thought she'd calm down, but the Ducks kept scoring! So Sarah and I left and hung out in the lobby and explored the stadium away from the action and took some pictures (none of actual hockey though!). She was riding in the backpack and having a great time. The boys lasted until half time when a giant inflatable sheep started circling and then Andrew freaked out.


Yes, that sheep freaked out Andrew.

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Tulips

Big milestone this week - the boys got their first flip-flops!

This was not my idea. I think these are very impractical for little kids. We went to buy them another set of Crocs and tennis-shoes. BUT the boys saw the DINOSAUR flip-flops and we weren't getting out of there without them. On the bright side, I picked out their tennis-shoes without protest: Converse, no lights.

During the trying-on and testing out, Andrew started calling the flip-flops "tulips" - we're not sure why, but we thought it was so funny!

Daddy and me

Daddy and me, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Sarah got a little daddy time today after a long week away.

Didn't quite make it to t-ball today

Didn't quite make it to t-ball today, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

After a big day of playgrounds, basketball practice, a trip to Toys r Us to pick out his birthday present, and a visit with Grammy K, the little guy was wiped out. We didn't make it to t-ball today. We'll try again next week.

G'day Mate

DSC_0102_2, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Having fun with Sarah at Basketball today.

Basketball

The parade of sports continues! The boys started basketball on Thursday. It was Owen's lucky day. The coach took one look at him and asked him how old he was, I said two weeks shy of his third birthday, and the coach said he could play!

Owen had a blast, but there's a big difference between the 3 year olds and 5 year olds. Owen was done about 40 minutes into the hour long practice. Then a kid bit him and then he was really done. Andrew had a great time.

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Sarah and her stuff

We have become masters of toy storage. At the end of the day, we're able to put most of the kids toys out of the way and out of sight. Sarah has her own baskets of goodies, and she loves to dig around and discover toys on her own. Here are a few shots of typical play time with Sarah.

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Go Dodgers!

Andrew had his first official t-ball game yesterday. We were almost rained out again, but the weather held. Watching 4 and 5 year olds play organized sports is hilarious: kids facing wrong way, kids not really sure which way to run or if they are supposed to run. In fairness, this was the first game, and by the end of the season, I'm sure it will be a much different scene. Andrew had a good time. Although I think he may have liked the after-game snack the best. Several of his friends are in the league too: Maverick, Garrett, Colton and William (that I know of, there may be more.)

I'm just so proud of Andrew and his willingness and eagerness to participate in sports. He's come a long way from the little guy that cried at swimming lessons.

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Last Day of Soccer

Andrew finished up Half-Pint Soccer yesterday. He enjoyed it.
Next week: Half-Pint Hoops.

Look for Owen participation in April. Once he's three he can join in too. I can't wait!

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Andrew and his airplane

This weekend GeGe and G-pa brought early birthday presents to the boys. I think they made a fantastic choice.

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Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

Opening day for T-ball was rained out on Saturday - huge bummer. GeGe and G-pa were in town and we were excited for them to seen Andrew play. But thanks to Eric's perseverance he found an awesome alternative: the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. We'd never heard of it before - but it is a perfect place to take young kids. Its much more laid back yet more scientific than the Long Beach Aquarium. We happened to be there on their "Hawaii Day" event and after exploring tons of cool aquarium tanks, and touched all the hands-on exhibits we saw a mini Daniel Ho concert. We capped the trip with lunch at the Omelette and Waffle Shop ! Yum

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Nature Walk

Thursday morning I took the kids down to Crystal Cove for a nature walk. We had a fun time counting the number of birds we saw, finding different kinds of flowers and discovering treasures on the beach. We're going to put our findings in our field journal* this week.

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*Yes, I get my best parenting ideas from Go Diego Go!