New Photos...

No time to write at the moment....just wanted to give you some new pics. Owen is doing great and we love him to pieces! He is 28 inches long and weighs 19.75 pounds! He's getting so big...as a matter of fact, his doctor said that if he didn't know any better, he would say that Owen is 7 or 8 months old. Oh...Owen has two teeth now and he turns 6 months old a week from this coming Saturday. More teeth and updates later!

Steak anyone?

One hanger steak for Owen please!! His first tooth (bottom front left) popped through yesterday and there's another one on the way. He hasn't really been fussy or anything. As a matter of fact, he had a doctor appointment last Monday and the doctor said that he wasn't teething at all. We're going to switch doctors. Not just because of that...but because of a number of little things. He's really really old and we think we want someone a little younger who is more with it. Anyway...he was wrong about the teething thing.













These pictures were all taken at Ava's 3rd birthday party a couple weekends ago. It was Owen's first kid birthday party!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. There has been so much going on lately. Last weekend we babysat Ava and Sophie from Friday to Sunday. It was tons of fun but left no time for blogging. Three kids is a lot of work....we'll be stopping at two...maybe one.

Owen did something else yesterday for the first time...he reached for Grandma Pat. It was really sweet.

Here is a sweet photo of Uncle Mike and Owen at Ava's birthday party. He loves his Uncle Mike and Uncle Ty. They are going to babysit him Saturday night so we can go to the movies or something.

Sadly Jen's grandma (her dad's mother), Olga, passed away last Friday. Owen's presence was requested at the lunch after the funeral and there was a snow storm that morning. So, we didn't want to drive across the cities to get him for lunch...so he just came with us for the day. He was really good at the funeral....Aunt Jean said it's nice to hear a baby at a funeral. He didn't cry...just happy sounds. So sweet. Then when we got to the lunch, we took his hat off leaving his hair sticking up and fuzzy.....he just looked around and shot smiles to all the people!! He is quite the charmer.

Jen was just in the other room trying to put Owen to sleep while I am updating the blog. He is wide awake and refuses to go to sleep. So, I guess we'll play. Yes!!! More later.

I heart my toes.

So much to tell...so little time. The boy is busy! He's playing with his toes, eating vegetables, trying to sit up, trying to roll over and possibly cutting some teeth. It's constant activity around this house and we wouldn't trade it for the world.

We have a nice family weekend planned (sad...it's only Tuesday and I'm looking forward to the weekend). Dennis, Kiana and Kayla are coming over Friday evening and we are going to have a pizza night....create your own. Should be interestingly funny because I'm going to try to be creative with the toppings. Then on Saturday....we have a free day! Looking forward to that! On Sunday, we are going to Ava Tonander's birthday party. She's going to be three years old. It's hard to believe that she has been with Mike, Ty and Sophie for almost a full year already.












I took Mr. Smiley to the new Minneapolis library downtown last week and we got some movies (some for me and some for him). He loves the movies that they have for babies...I guess they are educational but they just seem oddly scary to me....he loves them though! He usually watches about 15 minutes of one of these movies a day..in the morning as I finish getting ready. He gets pretty excited about them. We also went to the zoo last week....he seemed to like the monkeys pretty well. I can tell he's going to be a monkey himself. He wants to be busy all the time. Looking forward to what all he has in store for us.

One funny thing that Owen has been doing for a while now is he helps us change his diaper. When we unsnap his pants his legs go straight up in the air. Diaper comes off and we put a new one underneath him...as we pull the front of the diaper up to fasten it, he puts his legs down and shoots them out really fast so they are perfectly straight. It's like he knows that it makes it easier for us if he does this....it is pretty cute and he is really consistent. I guess we do praise him for helping us...so, maybe that's why he keeps it up. Regardless, it's the cutest thing ever. Oh the little things that make us parents happy..........we just love him.

Owen's shout out this week is to Great Grandma Jerry! Owen says hello and he enjoyed talking to you on the phone the other night. He'll be calling you again very soon. We love you lots!

One last photo of our Mr. Blue Eyes

Hats off to Owen......

He's been our hat boy from the beginning!



























Here's one for Grandpa Western....he's a John Deere kid.














Here is a pic of Owen in his new cool stocking hat that Auntie Mel sent him. It reminds me of a hat I had when I was a kid.








Here is a photo taken of Owen with Aunti Em and Uncle Boots just this past weekend at Owen's Great Aunt Jean and Uncle Terry's house. We celebrated Christmas with them and Grandma and Grandpa Trudeau. Uncle Brian, Aunt Nikki and Ava were supposed to be there but Ava has been sick. We missed seeing her and hope that she is feeling much better.

Christmas and New Year!

I'm trying to get you caught up on the Holidays....so bare with me. Ok...Christmas in Missouri was great! Owen really enjoyed his first Christmas with all of his family. We got together with grandmas, grandpas, great g&gs, cousins, uncles and the list goes on. He received lots of nice gifts, hugs and kisses from everyone.



Here is a picture of Owen, his cousins and their Great Grandma Jerry. She loves all her grandchildren so much and makes each one of us feel special. We all love her and are very proud to have her as the matriarch of our family! Not only was it Owen's first Christmas but it was also Rigo's first Christmas. Here is the cutest picture ever!
I can't even tell you how cute, sweet and cuddly this little guy is.....perfect! I could just hold and hug him all day long.

We did Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Bowers a little different this year. We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning like we always have...but it was really fun. Grandma Cindy had all these cute special things for the two boys. She's even mentioned that she wants to have Santa come in and bring toys to them in the future....when they are old enough. That should be fun!

Happy New Year! Well, it finally snowed in Minnesota on New Years Eve! So, we decided to take Owen out on his first snowy adventure. We walked down to Lake Calhoun. Along the way, we stopped and made snow angels and snow chairs. It was fun. We're going to start looking for an infant sled! It would be so much fun.

Here is a photo of Owen in his custom-made snow chair......



...and another one of him in snow angel action (kind of).



Wondering what's on underneath his cute LL Bean snowsuit?




Yep, he has on his long handles!





He was extra toasty warm...so, Grandmas... you don't need to worry!













Here's a photo of him with his new John Deere tractor that he got from Grandpa Western. He now has a tractor, cowboy boots, spurs, Wrangler jeans and a cowboy hat (and John Deere farm cap)...thanks to Grandpa Western! Now all he needs is a pony from Grandma Cindy ;) Speaking of ponies.....if you haven't already watched Owen's Christmas and New Year's jig, just click on the link under the Link section above right that is titled "Owen sends you Seasons Greetings....Watch Now".



Probably our biggest news is that Owen started eating rice cereal on New Years Eve! We have a video of it..it's pretty funny. At first, he got an alarmed look on his face. Then, the next bite...he was trying to figure it out....but a couple more bites and he was opening his mouth before the spoon even left the bowl. He loves it! We have a feeling he's going to be a good eater.












Owen wants to give a shout out to Grandpa Bowers!! Happy Happy Birthday to you, Grandpa!!

He also wants to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2007!!

Do I look like my mommy...or what?

These are just two of the pictures that we've found that share a resemblence. Aren't we cute???!!!! My mom says that he looks so much like I did at this age, that it's scary. Poor poor kid.

Christmas was great! Before I give a Christmas post, I want to catch up on some other things. I am really behind in my postings! Please forgive me. Now that the Holidays are almost over, I should be more consistant (hopefully).

Just before Christmas, Owen, Jen and I were honored to be invited to Kiana's cheerleading recital. For those of you who don't know who Kiana is...she is one of my cousin's (Dennis') two little girls! Kiana did such a great job!! You talk about cute....take a look at her showing her cheerleading moves! Ready? OK!












Her sister, Kayla, is just as cute. Here's a photo of Jen and Kayla at the recital. When I was pregnant, Kayla used to point at my tummy and beg me to take the baby out. Very cute! Anyway, we had a nice time at the recital and it really great to see the girls....warming us up for Christmas in Missouri with them.












Other things:

Owen misses his Grandma Pat....a lot! She is currently in Baltimore through the New Year. She, Aunt Mel and Uncle Michael spent Christmas with Uncle Matt and Aunt Jocelyn and the kiddies (Caleb, Anna and Aaron). We missed them all this year and will hopefully see them next year at Christmas time! We pick Grandma Pat up from the airport on New Year's Day. Owen is excited!

No day care this week! Kris and Tess have both been really sick. So between Jen and I, we've been juggling Owen and work. We hope everyone gets better by next week! :)

Owen was very happy to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Bowers and Grandpa Western over the holiday weekend. I'll be uploading some pictures from Christmas soon. Stay tuned......

The Lollipop Guild Loves Clifford the Big Red Dog!

Presenting....a very upstanding member of the Lollipop Guild. He welcomes you to Munchkin Land. Enjoy your stay.....










Owen's new thing is to watch Clifford the Big Red Dog on PBS when he gets home from Kris' house.He gets so excited when Clifford comes on the screen.....he kicks his legs and becomes very vocal. It is way too cute!




Watching television will not become a habit...but look how excited he gets! We can't resist.

















Sad but true....I had to step in front of the tv for this shot.
Last week, Kris took Owen and Tess to the mall to meet Santa. Owen looks so little and squished up in this picture...like a cute little munchkin! It was very nice of Kris to take them to see Santa and to give us a 5x7 of the photo. Today, Kris took them to meet Frosty the Snowman. She reports that Owen loved Frosty! She also reports that Owen has been very talkative lately. We've noticed this too. He has so much to say....you can see it in his face and hear it in his sweet little voice!

Owen is looking forward to going to Missouri for Christmas next week!

Owen's shout out this week is to Grandma Bowers! He misses and loves Grammie lots and lots. See you soon, Grammie!

Has it been three months already??

Yep, we celebrated Owen's three month birthday today by decorating his first Christmas tree! We can't believe it's only been three months.....it seems like he's always been here with us. Here's a picture of Owen in his 'First Christmas' outfit that Auntie Peg sent him. Isn't he cute???!!! Merry Christmas (a little early) to Great Great Auntie Peg and Great Great Uncle Ken in St. Louis! We hope that you aren't snowed in down there.We ended up having a very fun and relaxing family Christmas weekend. Overall, we think that Owen is going to like this holiday the best....due in part to all the colorful twinkling lights. Saturday morning was dreamy. We got up, had our coffee, breakfast and a nap. Then we went to pick out our Christmas tree (we had a voucher for a free Christmas tree this year, which makes it even more exciting)!!We were surprised that this tree is one of the nicest trees we've ever had....and it was free! Grandma Pat came over this afternoon to visit Owen on his 3 month Birthday! We think that our beautiful mesmerizing free Christmas tree made Grandma Pat get the urge to pick one up on her way home.....we wonder if she did or not.Not only did we pick out the tree and decorate the tree, Owen met Santa on Saturday! It appears that Owen was thinking about what was on his list so he could tell Santa but we don't think he ever remembered. Santa finally quit asking.Here's a big shout-out from Owen to his cousins Anna and Aaron (Jen's brother Matt's 2-year old twins who live in Baltimore). "Hey cuzzes....I can't wait to meet you!!" Owen also asks Aunt Jocelyn to give both of them (and big brother Caleb) a big hug and kiss to thank them for calling to talk to him this weekend. It was a nice treat!

Good times with my cousin Ava....

Ava: "Uncle Michael says that I'm pretty and that I should have my picture taken by myself....even if Owen and I have on matching shirts."

Owen: "Man!!??!! Thanks a lot Uncle Michael! I thought us boys were supposed to stick together."



Ava: " Hey Oooo-weeee, stay out of my cute picture...will ya???"

Owen: "Hey Lady....don't touch me! The last thing I need are girl germs!"



Owen: "See my finger, see my thumb, see my fist, you'd better run!"



Ava: "Oh Owen, I'm sorry. You can be in my picture, buddy old pal."



Ava: "Just kiddin! Take that! Girlz rule and boyz drool! I'm ready for my photo shoot, please. "

Owen says "Have a Happy Thanksgiving... Kapeesh?"

Now, where did I put my cigar? Owen wants to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! He's pretty excited because he is going to Chicago tomorrow with his moms and Grandma Pat to see Uncle Brian, Aunt Nikki, Cousin Ava, Aunt Melinda and Uncle Michael. Uncle Michael is flying in from Boston! He's never met Owen or Ava...is he ever in for a treat! We are looking forward to it. We leave tomorrow around 1:00 and plan to come back to Minneapolis on Saturday.

Yeehaaa! Grandpa Western bought this cowboy hat on a trail riding trip for Owen a couple months ago. Isn't he cute?? Soon, he'll be able to fit into his Wranglers, cowboy boots and spurs. Thanks to Grandpa, Lisa and Jan...Owen will be a regular old cowboy/outlaw. His name even exudes outlaw: Owen James Western Trudeau.
Here is a super cute picture of Jen and Owen playing. She is such a great Mom....he adores her and she adores him. It really is sweet. I am so thankful to have both of them in my life. I couldn't be happier.I'm sorry to say that I can't get any other videos to upload but I'm going to keep trying. Well, I better go pack. Have a great Thanksgiving and remember that we love you all very much!

p.s. Happy Happy Birthday to Auntie Voon! We love you and hope you have a great day.

Finally....video!

Here is a video of Owen when he was only 4.5 weeks old...he was so little! He was also just starting to smile here. You should see him smile now! This is nothing. I'll be updating the blog with current video in the next couple of days. :) Enjoy....

Mike, Ty, Sophie & Ava Article

Well...this was another good weekend! Friday night the three of us rented a movie, made dinner and just relaxed. Then on Saturday during the day, we did more relaxing around the house. Dinner with Katrina, Tony and Ian on Saturday night, brunch with Grandma Pat on Sunday and Tess' Birthday party Sunday night.

We've noticed over the past few days how much Owen is starting to notice his hands (he's gifted, you know). ;)

Unfortunately Grandma, we didn't take any new pictures this weekend. We'll get some this week some time and will update the blog with them. For now, here's an older one we took....I think it's super cute!

Something exciting....Mike, Ty, Sophie and Ava were featured in an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ava made the very front page....what a cutie!! You can see the images from the article below. They will get larger if you double click on them....you should be able to read the article as well once you double click on it. For those of you (like Aunt Peg and others) who haven't met or know of Mike, Ty, Sophie and Ava, they are our best friends and have been for many years.










































































Here are some photos from the hospital. Uncle Ty was there when Owen was born! What a treat to have him there with us during such an important time in our lives. p.s. look how small Owen was!