Here at last!

Sorry I'm so late getting this first post up... if you know me, this is no surprise. :) I cannot believe it is already 2007. This year has blown by so fast. It's hard to believe that our little baby has turned into a little boy and we have a new little baby to enjoy now!

Owen is now 19 months old going on 3. He's a smart little stinker and amazes us every day. He's gotten into puzzles lately and is amazing how well he can do them. You just have to show him a couple of times and then he's off. He'll sit and do the same puzzle 15 times before he gets bored and moves on to something else. We got him a few new harder ones yesterday, so maybe they'll give him a bit more of a challenge. Today is his first day back at school after a 7 week break while I was on maternity leave. (I've still got a week and a half left, but we decided to let him go back so I can get things in order around here before I have to start working again.) He seemed to be pretty happy to be there when we dropped him off, so praise God for that. It's so tough enough to drop him off when he's happy. It's nearly impossible to drop him off when he gets upset, so we're very thankful for the happy mornings. :) We're praying for a fun first day back and healthy week without catching any bugs.

Ella Marie is such a beautiful blessing! She's a bit more feisty than her big brother was at this age, but we appreciate her attitude. :) She doesn't do the cute little whines that tell you she might be getting hungry. With her, it's a little more like she's perfectly happy sleeping or cuddling with someone and then BAM! "I'm starving! Mommy feed me now!" voiced to us in a scream you didnt know a 7-week old could make. :) She's so sweet though. She's definitely a cuddler. She's getting better at sleeping in her bed and being content for a few minutes on the floor or in a bouncy seat, but he favorite place is always in someone's arms. She's starting to smile every now and then and she's awake a little bit more (particularly from about 11pm-2am most nights....) Owen loves to give her little kisses and pats on the head. Overall he's very gentle with her and seems to like having her around. :)

Uncle Jordan and Aunt Tammie are in town from Alaska last week and this week and we've had lots of fun with them. We had not seen Jordan in a year and Tammie in a few months, so it's such a blessing to have them around for a little while. Uncle Jordan brought Owen a little sled dog stuffed animal that he just loves! He doesn't like to go anywhere or sleep without him. His name is "Ruh-Rut" (or something like that... it's hard to spell some of Owen's words still...). Aunt Tammie and Owen get a little wild and crazy playing chase and Owen loves it. We are so thankful that he's has gotten some quality time with them since it will be a while before we see them again after they go home.

One last note for this inaugural post is a special prayer request for our friend Darren who was recently diagnosed with what they believe to be kidney cancer. He's been blessed (and blesses all of us around him) with an amazing positive attitude and we just pray for guidance for the doctors and quick healing and recovery for Darren.

Well, this turned into a bit of a novel, but I'll be able to be more brief as these posts become more frequent. :) Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a blessed 2006 and look forward to a wonderful 2007!