The Polar Express

I have mentioned Owen's love for The Polar Express. It is a love that runs deep and that is independent from the Christmas season. It is rare for a day to pass without reading it, and on many days we have read it so many times that the reader has to insist on a break for fear of compromising his or her sanity.

One day a few weeks ago, when I was feeling especially tired, I told Owen that I couldn't read The Polar Express to him again, but that he could read it to me if he wanted. And he did. He has the whole thing memorized.

Anyway, here is Owen taking a break from reading PE to ham it up for the camera:
ALL ABOARD!

Picnic

We spent one beautiful Sunday in February picnicking with our friends Meg, Dino, Olive, and Luca at White Point Gardens. The park was FILLED with families and college students and new puppies and frisbees and other such warm-weather delights.

Here was our spread:
Owen, Olive, and baby Luca take in the afternoon:
Owen helps me take my shoes off and stay awhile:
Owen charming baby Luca:
A gentle touch:
I think Owen is going to be a natural at this whole big brother thing:
And here are a few shots of Owen and Mama:

8 1/2

Here I am after eating a REALLY big lunch, drinking LOTS of Silver Bullet, and then hiding some of Owen's stuffed animals under my shirt. Just kidding. I'm pregnant! 8 1/2 months to be exact.

Owen & Jase on Folly

In February, we shared an evening at Folly Beach with our friends Shayna, Travis, and Jase. Owen and Jase are besties, and it has been a ball to watch them play with each other in these last few months (rather than just alongside each other).

Here is how they roll if someone breaks out a camera. One of them gives a huge smile, while the other one looks away:
Then they switch:
Here they are getting a snack on the go (I love this picture - they look like such boys):
Here's the photo-shoot-phenomenon again - first a big smile from Owen:
Then a big smile from Jase (They probably are just saving us from ourselves. If they both smiled at once, our heads would explode from a cuteness overdose):
I mean, seriously. How cute are they sharing a chair for their snack??:
Playing with Thomas the Train together:
Enjoying Shayna's fabulous blueberry pancakes the next morning - yum! (Owen was hooked):
AND, Owen even slept on a twin mattress for the very first time. He wasn't necessarily thrilled with the idea at first, but he eventually went to sleep with some coaxing from his Dad.

A fabulous overnight: many thanks, friends!!

Bedtime Stories

Here is a picture that Bill took of Owen and I reading together in his new twin bed before bedtime.
'The Polar Express' is Owen's favorite book (I didn't have the heart to put it away when Christmas was over...he loves it so much), but it may be close to being edged out by 'The Country Mouse and the City Mouse.' Runners up: 'The Little Red Caboose,' 'The Little Blue Truck,' and 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.' And 'Jamberry' and 'Big Red Barn' are always close by, too.

The Many Expressions of Owen Hunt Russell

Here are a few shots from Boo's birthday celebration in early February (Owen is sporting the VERY handsome sweater that he got from his Aunt Pat for Christmas - he likes to rock it zipped ALL the way up to the top).
Somebody get this kid some skis and a mug of hot cocoa:Cracking Boo up:Pretty cute, these two:

And here are a few more shots from later that afternoon:
Bill says this is a spitting image of me when I'm mad:
If you ask Owen to "make a cute face" and he's in the mood, this is what you get:
We think this is what Owen might look like when he's 18:

The first weekend in February, Owen was sick: fever, throwing up, feeling rotten in general. It was the sickest he's ever been, and we felt terrible for him. That Saturday morning, we broke out one of his 2nd birthday gifts from Pooh and PapaRuss: DVDs from the first three seasons of Sesame Street.

Here are Owen, Bill, and Bruno snuggling on the couch:
Checking out Kermit:
Owen had never seen Sesame Street before, and it seemed quite fitting that the first episode he saw was the first episode ever: the pilot episode from November, 1969. It was FABULOUS. Owen fell immediately in love with Big Bird. And we enjoyed it just as much as he did.

Goofaroo

Bill calls Owen by all sorts of playful names depending on the occasion: Scrimshaw, Handsome Sampson, Dimples, etc. When he is doing something ridiculous, Bill calls him Goofaroo.

Here was an occasion that warranted the name Goofaroo:
Owen's favorite response to any of these is to say, "Don't call me Goofaroo! My name is OWEN."

Guitar Duet

This video was taken the first week in January, still recovering from Christmas and still having holiday songs in our heads. Bill was playing his guitar and teaching Owen how to strum and sing at the same time.



(In case you need translation: at the end of the video, Owen says, "I want a new pick! I want a purple pick!")

2011

Hooray to finally posting about 2011! The year we become parents of two! The year Owen becomes a big brother! The year Bruno has to endure yet another obstacle on his climb to the top of the More Food & More Rubs ladder! (Owen, while a major setback in the beginning, has been making hefty contributions to Bruno's career success for a while now.)

Here we are in the New Year - we stepped outside to snap a belly photo of 27 weeks, and Owen decided to assist (thus obscuring the belly):
Ok, here's the belly:
Here's Creature #1 (in order of arrival only...sorry Bruns):
Here's Creature #2:
Me and my baby:

A Christmas Tradition

A few days after Christmas, Nana and Uncle Alex came down to Charleston for a quick visit and continued Christmas-ing. Lynnee has a special tradition of giving us each an ornament every Christmas. And every time I add someone to our family, the tradition expands to include them. It is basically because of this two-decade-long tradition that our Christmas tree is so chock-full of beautiful and special ornaments from over the years. Here is the ornament that she gave Owen this year (the year he got his first tricycle):
And the baby also got an ornament this year! (A baby bottle) His or her first ornament and first gift. :)

Here are Uncle Alex and Owen admiring the tree:
And Nana and Owen sharing a Christmas hug:

Poppie to the Rescue

When Owen woke up from his nap on Christmas Day, he was inconsolable. Sometimes, when there is so much festive celebration and energy and favorite people and special presents and big love, the only thing that will save you from bursting is a good cry (I know about this firsthand from our wedding: the dam broke with all of the amazing toasts at the rehearsal dinner, and I was holding back tears for the next 24 hours). Anyway, Owen was probably crying for a solid 20 minutes after waking up, and I was holding him and quietly singing Carol Hall's "It's Alright to Cry," from the phenomenal 1972 Free to Be You and Me record that was one of my favorites growing up. If anyone else tried to look at him or talk to him, he would cry harder. But then...

Poppie arrived. He pulled in the driveway, walked in the door, and sat down on the floor next to Owen. And the spell was broken. And Owen dove right into his arms. It was a fabulous sight to behold.

A few snaps of our visit to the fancy Holiday Inn on Folly Beach a few days later: