In my last post, I mentioned how Owen and I spent our winter days locked up in the house in our pajamas playing with toys all day. That's not entirely true. While we do spend many days like that, we do manage to get out every now and then. We have been to the aquarium, the children's museum, countless trips to Target (just to "get out of the house"...although I always somehow manage to "need" something). This past week, we went to this really cool place called Recreations Outlet - it was this huge indoor warehouse that basically had 10 about giant playgrounds set up that kids could play on. There were also trampolines, basketball goals, and a lot of other fun stuff like that. Tuesdays - Thursdays from 9-11, it's free, so...jackpot for Cassie :)

If I were you, I might be thinking, "Hey, those things sound kinda fun...I bet there will be a lot of cute pictures of Owen with some sharks from the aquarium in the background" or "I bet Owen had fun at the museum...I bet there are some cute pictures." WRONG! Guess who didn't have her camera!?!?! If you haven't noticed, this is a recurring theme in my blog posts. I suppose it's getting worse and worse since Baby Myers #2 is sucking all of my brain power away. UGH - pregnancy!

This week, Owen and I also ventured to Barnes and Noble. Armed with a small point-and-shoot camera we bought this summer that has now found a permanent home in my diaper bag, I was ready! Owen had a good time playing with the train table, but I think he had a better time demolishing anything and everything that had any sort of order to it.

This train table is pretty cool!

Hey...where'd it go?!?!

This is more my style - the messier, the better!

Checking out his new doggie book

VACATION!!!

Last September (yes, that same September that occurred four months ago), we took a vacation with my family to Gulf Shores, AL. I am not really sure why I never really got around to posting about it, though. It was during that trip that we found out about Baby Myers #2...the crappy feelings soon started. It was four days after we got back from that trip that Owen stopped sleeping, which meant when he slept during the day, I slept too...which meant no free time to be on the computer.

I figured since it was in the middle of winter and my blogging choices are either to go back four months and blog about awesome sun and sand or blog about how Owen and I spend every day in our pajamas playing with toys...you might pick the former. That's what I am banking on, at least :)

I apologize for all of the pictures...I suppose I could break them out in a couple of different posts, but a). I am lazy, and b). one post from four months ago is embarrassing enough!

Who-dey!!! We watched the first Bengals game of the season here. Stupid Brandon Stokley!!

It's sunscreen time!! He's all ready for his Jersey Shore audition!

Whoa...I need to think about this for a second.

Jonah had no problem diving right in.

Umm, excuse me. Wait for me!

Hey! This is fun!

Double time!!

By the end of the week, Owen was Mr. Personality of the pool. He "talked" to everyone!

Cousin Jonah was by far his favorite buddy, of course.

These buddies had a fun time hanging out by the pool, too :)

This vacation was the first time Owen has been able to play at the beach. He's been on the South Carolina beach a few times, but this time, he actually got to get down and PLAY!! He wasn't a huge fan...we spent the majority of the time at the pool.

Strolling out to the beach for the first time.

Building castles in the sand isn't so bad.

I hate this! Get me outta here!!!

The Myers/Newton clan

We had a fantastic week (thanks, Mom and Dad...vacations are always nicer when you don't have to pay for room and board or plane tickets! :), great weather, great food, and great times. We also went to a really cute little zoo. We have a lot of pictures from there, but I will spare you any more pictures! Of course we had a few minor squabbles, but that's to be expected with a 13-month old, a 9-month old and two pregnant chicks, right?!?! But really, I hate being away from my family, and truly cherish every minute we get to spend together...even if it looks as though WWIII might be starting! :)

A funny look back

I was going through all of our pictures the other day, and found Christmas pictures of my family that had been taken in the exact same place from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 (I'm not really sure how 2008 got skipped??). Some of you might not care to see how we've all changed in the past four years, but I think it's pretty funny - especially when you get to 2009! It's funny to look back and see the changing hairstyles. I think I may have had a new one every year! It's funny to see how I went from a some-what (and I'll use that term very loosely) stylish 25 year-old newlywed to a 29 year-old, couldn't care less, no make-up wearing, stay-at-home mom...ah, how times have changed!!! :) (except for Justin, who looks pretty much exactly the same)

2005

Our first Christmas as a married couple

2006

Katie & Ben's first Christmas as a married couple

2007

An artistic approach with the camera angle

2009

One-out-of-eight actually looking at the camera isn't bad! And just think...next year - we'll be adding TWO more!!! Yowza!!!

Snow Day

It snowed this week in Cincinnati! It really was only like 6 inches, but you would have thought it was 6 feet the way people around here acted...it was hilarious! Schools were cancelled...before it even started snowing! Grocery stores ran out of milk and bread! We're talking SIX INCHES, people!!!

As much as I truly despise the cold weather, I was actually excited about this snowfall. Any excuse to stay inside in our pajamas all day is alright in my book! It was also the first time it has snowed since Owen has been old enough to "enjoy" it. Thursday afternoon, we took the opportunity to introduce Owen to playing in the snow! It took me 30 minutes to get Owen bundled up...we maybe lasted 7 minutes outside :)

Surprise, surprise...we have no pictures. Justin took Owen outside as I ran upstairs to grab the camera. The battery was dead. Ugh - I was so ticked. Instead, we have some video!

Coming Attraction

The Myers' family has some exciting news to share - we will be adding a new member to our family in a couple of months! Owen will be a big brother to little brother Myers on or around May 21! Although, if our new little guy is anything like Owen, it will be closer to June! Owen was almost two weeks late!

This pregnancy came to us as a pretty big shock. Yes, we are fully aware of how these things happen, but we definitely weren't planning on it to happen! When we found out our new little peanut was coming, Owen had just turned 9 months old! Honestly, I really struggled with the idea at first - for a while, really. I had this crazy, irrational fear that Owen would think he did something wrong or he wasn't good enough, so we needed a "new model". I knew Owen wouldn't know any different - that he wouldn't remember life without his little sibling, but that made me sad, too (stupid pregnancy hormones!!).

This pregnancy has been a little more difficult than my first. In the beginning, I was quite a bit sicker than with Owen. Oh yeah - I also had to keep up with an almost-toddler. A stinker of an almost-toddler who stopped sleeping one week after we found out I was pregnant. He went from 11 1/2 hour nights to waking up multiple times throughout the night. This went on for three months!!! Luckily, Owen has the best daddy (and I have the best husband), and he helped out A LOT. I am pretty sure I wouldn't have survived those first months had it not been for Justin!

Things have really gotten a lot better since the shock of the baby has worn off, and the queasiness of the first trimester has passed. I am super excited about our new little guy. And super excited about Owen being a big brother. He will be a great big brother - he loves hugging other kids (although, he often ends up tackling). He has a long way to go with sharing, though :) We had our 20-week ultrasound this week, and things with Baby Myers #2 (I get tempted to be lazy and just type B.M. #2, but that makes me think of bowel movement, and I don't like referring to my children as crap...unless I mean to :) are looking great. He's right on schedule, and definitely a boy!

It's a boy!

Even though Owen has no idea what's in store for him, I think he's getting pretty excited for his new little brother, too :)

Christmas

Mommy and daddy dropped the ball big time at Christmas by not taking very many pictures. I know, I know - what kind of parent does that?!?! I mean, last year, we SORT of had an excuse, right? A three-week old, no sleep, blah, blah, blah, but, this year, we get a big fat F. Maybe one of these years, we'll learn.

We spent yet another Christmas mostly in the car, traveling all over the place and to many different celebrations in not that many days. I think that is one of the big reasons why we did not take many pictures. :( We were too busy making sure we had all of the gifts going to the right places, all of our stuff, all of Owen's stuff, Owen :)...that right then in that moment, the camera wasn't really a priority. In hindsight, I wish we had made it one.

We had a great holiday, though. It was great to be around friends and family.

We got to see a lot of family we hadn't seen in a while, and Owen had a blast getting to know some of his cousins! Between both sides of Justin's family and my family, he has seven cousins that were born within eight months of him! Of course, I don't have any pictures (except the few that I stole from Facebook), but it's pretty insane!

Sorry, Hoop - it wouldn't be a post about family without an obligatory "Burton Boys" picture! This get-together actually involved some minor pushing and toy-stealing...it's getting interesting!!

Hey! Santa brought me a kitchen. Yes, Santa is lazy and didn't put it together first. And yes, it's purple and for a girl (there ARE boys on the back of the box), but I play with it all the time!!

Jonah's toys look cooler than mine!

Inspecting each other's toys

We actually managed to get one with them BOTH looking up!!