The Spechts

Rowan's Favorite Books

2012-02-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

Rowan has loved this book since before he was 2 years old. He could sing most of the words, and would say, "This Land is Your Land, by Woodie Guthris. Pictures by Kathy Jakobsen." We've read it over and over and ove again.

This book we read after Lydia was born. For some reason this is what he wanted to read. It is a really sweet book about how a mother's love will follow their child wherever they go.

This has been a favorite for forever! I think Rowan sees a little of himself in Harriet when she has a fit and kicks over her blocks when her mother asks her to pick up her toys. He will say, "Uh-oh, Mommy. That's not good."

Em and I had this same version of Peter Pan when we were kids, and read it until we lost it in the woods behind our house one day. This has been a favorite of Rowan's for a while, though now he is a little afraid of Captain Hook.

These are all of Rowan's favorite books at the moment: Archie and the Pirates, The Amazing Adventures of Supercat!, The Honey-Cake Mix-Up, The Cat in the Hat, Going to the Zoo with Lily and Milo, A Treasury of Curious George, Mama's Right Here, Green Eggs and Ham, This Land is My Land, and This Tree Counts.

We read at least one book every night before bed, but we usually read three or more (depending on how early we get started). It is one of my favorite times of day, snuggled down under the covers in Rowan's room by the light of his little lap.

Lydia's first word: Ro-Ro

2012-01-30T11:47:00.003-08:00

Last night we were out to dinner. Kristi had joined us, so it was Em, Kristi, Rowan, Lydia, and me. I was talking to Lydia, and I said, "Ro-Ro?" and she said, "Ro-Ro." We were surprised, so I said, "Where's Ro-Ro?" and she turned her head around and reached in his direction and said, "Ro-Ro." I couldn't believe it! She was definitely talking about her brother. She says, "Mama," and "Da-Da," but it's hard to tell if they are just sounds or words, but with this we were pretty sure! It was very exciting.

Rowan's bike!

2012-01-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

Rowan got a bike for Christmas this year. He was ready to ride and put on his helmet. We went out in the rain on Christmas Day to ride for a little bit. One surprise is how much of a dare devil he has been on the bike. He rode through the yard, over the monkey grass, through mud puddles, and down the hill at full speed.

Over New Year's weekend, we went to the church parking lot up the hill, and Rowan had a blast on the bike. We realized right off that he was wanting to go off the curb on his bike, so Clarence taught him how to do it (he has the training wheels on...may try to take them off when he's a little taller).

Before we knew it, he was going off the curb unassisted (well with Clarence closeby).

And boy was he excited about it!

Little Blue Eyes

2012-01-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

I wonder if her eyes will stay this bright blue. Rowan's were blue until he was maybe 9 months old when they started changing colors, but I'm not sure that they were ever this blue.

She was eating sweet potatoes here and enjoying them thoroughly. She has the best appetite!

Great Grandmother's house

2012-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Every year since we were little girls, we went to Grandmother's house on Christmas afternoon at 4:00 sharp. We open gifts and eat Christmas dinner. I am so glad that Rowan and Lydia are able to share in this family tradition, and I hope they will have memories of it for years to come.

Everyone sits in roughly the same places each year. Grandmother in her red rocking chair, Alex and Liv on the couch, Em and I somewhere on the floor in front of the fire place.

Dad sits in the green chair, and Uncle Frank sits behind him. Harry and Sarah sit on the small loveseat on the opposite side of the room, and Gene and Carley sit in the floor near the Christmas tree.

Dad's gifts are always interesting:) Em, below, is trying on this year's gift.

Lydia and Uncle Frank

Christmas Morning

2012-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

Rowan woke up early Christmas morning. He was very groggy, and it took him a few minutes to get excited about things.

I know he will probably kill me for posting his picture with Lydia's little pacifier in his mouth. We need to work on getting rid of it, but for now...there it is.

Look at all those presents...

He got lots of art supplies, and he was very excited about that.

and a Curious George puzzle (in a lunch box). He has a Thomas the Tank Engine one just like it, and he loves it!

Emily gave him this game called "Go Away Monster." It's very age-appropriate and a lot of fun.

Lydia got lots of scrinkly, crunchy, chewy toys -

Rudolph -

Probably the biggest present of all were the radio-controlled helicopters that Clarence and Rowan got.

Also quite fun was this cardboard spaceship. It was huge put together!

We had delicious strada for breakfast that morning. This is a Specht family tradition that we have carried on in our smaller Specht household.

Emily comes over in the wee hours of Christmas morning, and Rowan LOVES it!!

Rowan just couldn't keep his hands off the helicopters;) -

Christmas Eve

2012-01-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve my Mom & Quinn, Aunt Rita & Mike, Emily, and Aunt Kathi all came over to our house to celebrate and enjoy being together.

Rowan had the best time playing with Papa Quinn and Mike. They were out in the yard half the day because it was beautiful and unseasonably warm that day.

Rita and Lydia:)

Presents under the tree...we think next year we will do Christmas Eve gifts in the living room and Christmas morning gifts (from Santa) in the den.

GG and Rowan stuck in Mom's necklace.

Kathi and Lydia:)

Rowan helping set the table for Christmas Eve dinner -

Santa Claus usually rides on a Hoover Fire Truck all around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve. Unofortunately this year he did not ride past our house. We waited (nervously)...

and we waited...

In the end, we decided to go in and read Christmas stories before bed. We read Twas the Night before Christmas and then we were reading the Nutcracker when...

And that was all she wrote for Christmas Eve....

More tutu and some Rowan

2012-01-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Huntsville

2012-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

We went to Huntsville the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with our family. We had such a wonderful Christmas. We ate delicious meals, decorated Christmas cookies, watched the traditional Christmas movie (Muppet Christmas Carol), and Grammy even gave us some Christmas jammies! Not sure why I don't have a picture of mine:) Here's Lydia in hers. Not sure why she looks so concerned.

Here we are opening presents...

Rowan loves his cousin, Andrew. He had such a good time playing with blocks.

We went to a Christmas service at church and sang Christmas carols.

Alex and Lydia

2012-01-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Clarence took the kids to visit the grandaddy and family today. Lydia is a happy camper with Alex:)

Photo shoot

2011-12-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

Lydia's little pink tutu.

Lydia's eating

2011-11-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Every time we eat, Lydia stares longingly at us and our chewing, smacks her lips, and overall seems to feel she's missing out on something. Our pediatrician asked me one day if she seems left-out at meal-time. He said if she does, then it may be time to start incorporating some solids into her diet. So that's what we did.

One Saturday Morning

2011-10-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hiking at Moss Rock

2011-10-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Grandaddy, GG, and Papa Quinn came over for a visit one Saturday. We all went hiking together. It was so much fun.

Around the House

2011-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Pop Pop Visit

2011-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in October is the Bluff Park Art Show. This October Grammy also had a class in Birmingham, so they came down on Friday and spent the night. We ordered take-out and had a relaxing Friday night. Then Saturday Grammy and Pop Pop went to class, and we went to the art show. We met back up, and then went to the Greek Festival. It was a nice weekend:)

Baby Connor

2011-09-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

We are so glad we got to meet you, Connor.

Rowan and Lydia

2011-09-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Life at the moment

2011-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Life is good, and life is stressful, as it is for most people. I am sure of that. Lydia is doing really well. She is such a happy baby. She's roly poly, smily. She has a good sense of humor, and she mainly cries if she is hungry or not feeling well. Usually when she's tired she sort of fusses and then falls asleep. Often, it sounds like she's talking when she is fussing. Even when she's fussy, it is sweet. She can throw the cutest bottom lip pucker, and you know you're done for.

Right now she is going to a daycare in Hoover. The teachers seem so kind and caring. They scoop her right up everey day and love on her and talk to her. I am very happy so far. Clarence takes her to school and picks her up. I take Rowan. In January, she will start to Rowan's school, unless something changes between now and then.

I was reading a post that I wrote last year at this time, and I can't believe how much Rowan has changed. He speaks in complete sentences, sometimes using words that completely surprise me (words like, "recognize" and "imitate"). He often times sounds like some of the 4 year-olds at his school with his speech. He is learning so much. You can explain something once, and many times he will bring it up weeks later and remember what you told him (I need to start doing some studying because he asks me questions all the time now). He is so inquisitive. He's so attentive. He loves to visit with family and talk about things. Really, he talks all the time. He also can recognize all the letters in his name, except the "N," which he thinks is a, "W." He is constantly "helping" around the house. He helps me do laundry, put away the dishes, clean. He helped me clean the house the other day, vacuuming, wiping, etc.

He's starting to become interested in more sporty and active play, which he hasn't really been as interested in before now. He LOVES to swim. He loves his grandparents, his aunts and uncles. And he loves his baby sister. There's a lot of love going on here. I can't express how much I enjoy watching him learn and reading books with him. It's really one of my favorite things to sit and read together. I love our games and watching his imagination take off.

Of course, he is three. We are going through some rough times. He's had a lot of change this summer, and we've noticed some serious meltdowns. He got a new sibling and lost some attention in the process. He's not quite used to his new classroom yet, and he got new teachers. We LOVED Maria and Deonne, and it's been hard on all of us, this change. But I've heard very good things about Miss LaPortia and Miss Kimberly, so we are hanging in there, just getting to know each other.

I want to remind myself daily of how positive life is. We have wonderful family. We have wonderful children. I have a job that seems to be getting better. And we're getting adjusted to being a family of 4, but it is a happy time.

Happy Birthday, Rowan!

2011-09-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, my sweet boy. I cannot believe you are already three. Life goes by too fast these days.

We had a wonderful birthday this year. Friday Rowan had a party at school. Clarence and I brought cupcakes and joined his friends and teachers, LaPortia and Kimberly, in a little party. Saturday we had a wonderful party at home. The guest list included GG, Emily, Grandaddy, T, Alex, Olivia, Grammy, PopPop, Jennifer, Andrew, Unlce Harry, Aunt Sarah, Amy, Ed, Eamon, Brady, Trisha, Kristi and her friend, Butch. I hope I didn't forget somebody. Please comment if I did!

Look at this cake Shannon made for Rowan! It is too cute.

Choo-Choo

Here are some pictures from the party:

Twyla brought their bouncy castle for Rowan and Eamon to play in.

Rowan wanted 7 candles on his birthday cake.

Jumping on the rocket Pop Pop gave Rowan.

Lydia was there too.

Rowan loves having Trish come and play and spend the night! He had so much fun reading and playing hide and seek and just having fun.

The next day, we played and played with all his toys. He was loving it.

Here are Clarence and Rowan putting together this truck. This is also a gift from Pop Pop since he and Daddy used to build radio controlled cars when Daddy was young.

(Lydia's watching too)

This morning, we started the day off right with Trisha's cinnamon rolls and a few calls for happy birthday singing. Here he is on a call from Grammy and Pop Pop.

We had to have more birthday candles and singing too!

A birthday train (according to Rowan).

Presents from Mommy and Daddy.

That's his very own digital camera!

Due to Tropical Storm Lee that has rolled in from the gulf, we are inundated with rain at this point. So we made the best of it, and Rowan ran around in the yard hopping in all the puddles, getting completely soaked and muddy.

I think Rowan had a wonderful birthday. Thanks everybody for coming to his party and being a part of it. We love our family and friends very much:)

Rowan is fully potty trained

2011-09-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a while ago. He's potty trained!

Rowan was almost completely potty trained in May. He was wearing his pull ups, no accidents, etc. Then we changed classrooms. New teachers, new space. Then new sister! The new teacher encouraged us to hold back a bit before putting him in underwear, but by July, he was ready. We bought him some Mickey Mouse big boy undies (since he loves Mickey Mouse and his fave tv show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). He has had maybe had 2 accidents since then (maybe fewer). He's doing so well, and we are so proud of him! :)

Lydia at Two Months

2011-08-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

We had Lydia's 2-month appt today (She is actually 10 weeks old). She is growing and healthy. What a happy baby! She loves playing little games and already gives a chuckle when you pleasantly surprise her. She has the most intense little gaze. You can't help bu look back and talk to her.

Today, her appt went well. Everything looks good. Sometimes baby girls who were breech in the womb will have problems with their hips, but she had an ultrasound at 6 weeks. Everything looks good! She is already 13lbs, 8ozs. She's 24 inches long! That's off the charts for both weight and height. She is a roly poly happy girl, and we are happy too.

More beach

2011-08-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here's Lydie catching some rays in her bikini given to her by Trisha -

Smiling at Daddy -

Digging a hole-

And jumping in -

Talking to Em -

Beach trip with Grandaddy and Family

2011-08-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach last week with family, and we had so much fun. Actually we have taken a couple of beach trips this summer, and it has just been wonderful to get to spend so much time with everyone. Rowan had a blast. He is now swimming like a fish (with wings). He doesn't mind at all if his head goes under, and I feel like he's very close to getting the hang of the swimming thing if we just had more pool time.

He spent most of his time on this trip with either Livy, Alex, or Grandaddy. He wanted to go everywhere with them. The ocean was gorgeous and perfect for a toddler...very still and calm, very clear.

Here he is playing in the pool, bravely jumping off the side. At first he jumped to us, but by the end of the trip, he was jumping in all by himself, head going under and everything!

He wanted us all to jump at the same time...

Lydia thinks her brother is funny...

I didn't save these pictures "for the web", so they look a little grainy or weird or something. But maybe you can see how blue Lydia's eyes are below. I wonder if they will change. Rowan's eyes were blue like this too when he was this age.

One afternoon, I heard noises coming from the pantry. I opened the door to find this-

I have more pictures, but I'm having trouble with blogger at the moment, so I'll go ahead and post now:)

Rowan reading to Lydia

2011-08-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

His favorite book...Green Eggs and Ham

Lydia at One Month old

2011-08-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Lydia was one month old July 16. I took these on July 20th. She has already grown so much. She's a chubby little thing now.

Introducing the newest member of the Specht family...

2011-07-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lydia Marie Specht
Born on 06/16/2011 at 8lbs, 4ozs

It was quite an experience. Lydia was breech. So we went in for a scheduled cephalic version - where they try to manually turn the baby from the outside. They did a spinal block and an epidural (which took an hour to place due to my scoliosis - though I was very, very glad because I did not want to feel it if they ended up doing a c-section). The version was extremely intense. Our wonderful doctor, Dr. Hoover, is so positive. She really tried to get her to flip, but she was too long to turn and kept getting caught up on my hips. So we ended up with a c-section after all. That wasn't too bad. Just a lot of pressure. Recovery seemed harder though because I was so sore and bruised from the attempted flipping. What a day! But once I heard Liddy's little cries, it was all worth it.

This was the first moment I saw her. She was crying, and then Clarence held her up for me. I started talking. She stopped crying and nuzzled in to my cheek. It was one of the best moments of my life (aside from when Rowan was born). Something I will never forget. The anesthesiologist took this picture for us.

Here is a picture Clarence snapped-

Rowan loves being a big brother-

Lydia is now one month old. I've got to take some more pictures. When we went back for her 2-week checkup, she was already 9lbs and almost 23 inches long! She was off the charts for her height. She was in the 75th percentile for weight and head circumference, and she's even bigger now! So happy she's gaining weight and doing well.

Merlefest Videos

2011-05-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Wailin Jennys - not good video, but they have beautiful voices

Rowan dancing to Wayback's Hillside Album Hour - "One Way Out" is my favorite too! :)

Merlefest 2011

2011-05-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Merlefest is always so much fun. This year we got off to a rough start with storms in Alabama. As we left the state, the tornados rolled in and left in their path massive amounts of destruction. The worst in my lifetime. The only hard part this year was feeling sadness and concern for family back home.

But on to the festival:

Below is the Emmitt-Nershi Band (The guy on the far right is from String Cheese Incident, and the other guy in the middle is from Leftover Salmon)

This is the Hillside Stage - the most precarious in my opinion as it's on a steep hill

Rowan fell asleep with Daddy during many a show

This is the Wayback's album hour (again at the Hillside Stage). Joan Osborne sang with them as they covered the Allman Brothers' "Eat a Peach". It was really good...

and crowded.

Every year we camp at the wastewater treatment plant, now known as "Sewerfest". It's actually quite pleasant with lush green grass and nice bathhouses (no smell at all). It's run by the Wilksboro Fire Department. At night everyone gathers around the various campfires and plays music, sings, relaxes. It's such a neat atmosphere. Saturday night we chose not to go to the festival and just strolled around looking for music at our campground.

Below are the ceilings of the shuttle buses we ride to and from the festival. They are old school buses. Someone camping on the ridge of the treatment plant, put up a large sign with colorful lights that said, "Vista Poopay"...see writing below, "Having a Ball on Vista Poopay!"

Also see below where it says, "Spechts" with all the years the Specht family has been coming. '11 was added this year.

Fun with Andrew....

Here's Lyle Lovett. He was my favorite (aside from the Hillside Album Hour).

Here's Aunt Jean and Uncle Kyle. I'm so glad Rowan was able to spend time with them again this year. He really loves to play with Aunt Jean and Uncle Kyle. Aunt Jean brought him goodies every time she visited.

Rowan taking a walk with grandpa.

Family-

Sick Rowan

2011-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today I am at home with Rowan because he is sick. It looks like it's just a virus and will have to take it's course, but yesterday when we went to the pediatrician, he said, "Mommy, I have a cold!" And when we were waiting to see the doctor, I was describing what the doctor was going to do, and he said, "How do we get it out?" So I said, "How do we get what out?" and he said, "My cold."

I admit that it has been wonderful to be at home with him all day. All this time we have together, snuggling up on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We have probably watched 20 episodes today (we have them recorded).

I had a brief stomach-ache, and I said, "Hmm, my tummy hurts," and he said, "I feel it better!" and he got me a band-aid. He is so sweet.

Boating at Mom and Quinn's

2011-04-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

We went up to Mom and Quinn's on Saturday for a visit. Mom had an Easter basket ready for Rowan, and he was pretty excited about the M&M's.

After digging into the Easter basket, we went for a ride on the boat.

This was a favorite last year. Rowan LOVES to drive the boat with Papa Quinn.

Rowan also learned his right from his left. Quinn was telling him which way to turn the boat. Here Quinn said, "Which way is left?" Rowan held up that hand with confidence.

After we got back from boating, there was some resting....

Then there was some fishing....

Took a break from fishing to do a little strolling. We saw a mama duck on her nest under the neighbor's deck.

And here's another duck with her 3 little ducklings...

Back to fishing. Daddy and Rowan caught one! Rowan reeled it in, and then he got a little nervous. So Clarence pulled it in the rest of the way.

Here's the little fish. They let it go, of course. Sorry for the sideways pictures. I have no idea why it won't let me post them the right way.

PORSCHE 250 Race

2011-04-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

More train pictures

2011-04-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures Em took at the Thomas the Tank Engine Day.

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS

2011-04-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today we went to see Thomas the Tank Engine at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera. I would love to go back when it wasn't a Thomas-themed event because the museum seems really neat. Rowan had a great time watching and riding the trains. He got a Thomas tatoo on his arm and a Thomas balloon and was happy as a clam.

Here he is waving at some bystanders...

I think next time we go, we may try to ride in the inside cars to give it more of a real train-riding experience.

I don't know why this picture is sideways...

Here comes Thomas!!

Old picture - OCT 2009

2011-02-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

Emily sent this to me today, and it made me smile. Look at my little baby. My how he has grown!

Little Sister

2011-02-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

We are having another little one! I think everybody knows by now, but just in case...it looks like we're having a girl according to the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. Rowan was too cute telling our family, "My baby sister is in mommy's tummy. She's very little. She's not ready to come out yet!" It was so sweet. He just volunteered the information too, no prompting him. I think he will be a great big brother (with an adjustment period, I'm sure).

Phone Call

2011-01-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm here at work. Clarence is at home with Rowan because he is running a pretty high fever. I just got a phone call that went like this:

Rowan: Hi Mommy!
Me: Hi Rowan! Are you feeling better?
Rowan: Yeah! Yes!
Me: You are!! I'm so glad you're feeling better.
Rowan: I'm still burnin up though

hahaha. He's so cute and awfully cheerful for someone who's still burnin up;)

Old MacDonald

2011-01-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

Rowan loves to sing. He sings all the time. He got a CD player for Christmas, and we listen to music all day long when we are at home. I love to hear him singing along. Christmas songs were also a bit hit, and he knew almost every word to Jingle Bells this year. Here's a video of him singing Old MacDonald:)

Waaaar Eagle!

2010-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Walsh Family!

2010-10-25T15:07:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our friends, Amy, Ed, and Eamon for their new arrival! :)

Potty training

2010-10-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today I got a call from Maria at daycare. Unfortunately I was not in my office, so I just got a voicemail, but she told me that Rowan had something exciting to say. I heard his little voice in the background and she said, "Ok, you want to tell her? Ok, tell her what you did!," and he said, "I poo-poo in potty!!" He was so proud of himself. Ahh, we must remember this day. I'm sure he'll thank me for this blog post someday;)

Picnic again

2010-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Another video

Picnic

2010-10-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day Saturday, so we went on a picnic at the Botanical Gardens. Here's Alex giving Rowan a cookie. At first he thinks it is an apple (which is good that he gets as excited about apples as cookies, I suppose).

Flip!

2010-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe I should put him in a tumbling class or gymnastics or something:) Also note the cheering squad in the background. We are very enthusiastic! :)

Just real quick

2010-09-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break for a second to put this picture up. Dad sent this picture from Rowan's birthday. Too cute:)

Goodnight Thweehar

2010-09-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Rowan's favorite thing for us to sing to him: Goodnight Sweetheart (well it's time to go..do, do, do, do). He loves it, and he requests it by saying, "Goodnight thweehar, Mommy!"

He's talking all the time now, using almost complete sentences much of the time. In the mornings it's almost non-stop in the car on the way to work/daycare. He's been fascinated with the rain saying, "Mommy's car wet," and, "We need umbrella, Mommy!" (though he says umbrella with quite a few extra syllables). It's really cute. I'm really enjoying hearing all he has to say and can't wait to hear more.

Today we have to go to the doctor. That may not be very fun. He's been limping. I hope we don't have any sprains or breaks! But it is best to get all limps checked out.

Make pancakes!

2010-08-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of Rowan's favorite things to do is to make pancakes with his Daddy. We do this every Saturday morning. The first thing he says is , "Make pancakes!"

Our dogs

2010-08-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Laney looking at the ball ready for me to throw it already!

Bella checking things out in the yard.

and following Rowan

Zinn wants some attention.

Bella's googly eyes

Surprisingly, Bella is the most patient with Rowan. He can do just about anything with her, and she seems to eat up the attention. Zinn is a little wary of him, avoiding him most of the time. Laney is so loving and shows enthusiastic affection towards Rowan, but she's also just a wee bit clumsy and tends to knock him over at times.

Peter Pan

2010-08-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here is Rowan reading Peter Pan to Emily.

Hi Daddy!

2010-08-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

July 31- August 1st (fig picking, pool time)

2010-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken weekend before last. We played outside in the pool and just had a regular old wonderful weekend. Oh, and we picked figs from the fig tree in our yard. They were delicious!

Also about that picture of Clarence above - that's a little bubble blower grill that my friend, Teri, gave Rowan. He LOVES that grill and bubble wands. It also serves as a lovely fan on hot days:)

Love you, Clarence! I'll have some new pictures by this evening hopefully.

A visit with Aunt Kathi

2010-08-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Em and Kathi were pretending to be asleep, and then he'd say, "Wake up!!"

Hi Clarence

2010-08-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Clarence! Miss you already! Rowan woke up this morning and said, "Where Daddy go?!" Then he looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Work" and did the little sign which looks like this:

Probably what I should be doing right now, right?

Love you! :)

Hair Cut

2010-08-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

Above are the "Before" pictures

Rowan's hair

2010-08-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

I just made an appoitment to get Rowan's haircut. It's not technically the first time his hair has been cut (about a year ago, I cut the back of his hair just a little bit because he was getting a mullet). Anyway, I'm nervous because I LOVE his hair. Those curls. I never imagined myself to be so connected to hair, and yet here I am. But it's getting in his eyes, and it must be done. I only hope he will sit still and not fuss. I'm a little nervous about that as well. I'll take before and after pictures.

The lake (GG's and Papa Quinn's)

2010-08-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Rowan loves the lake! He loves going on the boat with GG and Papa Quinn. Papa Quinn lets him drive!!We were a little nervous because last year he did not like the life jacket much at all. But this year, he put it right on and was ready to go!

Eskimo kisses

4th of July

2010-08-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, we headed up to Huntsville to spend the day with our wonderful friends. I'll go ahead and apologize for the strange look of some of these pictures. I forgot to change one of the settings from the night before, so they are probably kind of grainy. Then I tried to fix it (and usually that just makes things worse).

Oh well. You still get the idea. We had a wonderful time! So much fun with Rachel and Nathan and the girls, Trisha, Amy and Eamon, Emily, Allison and Weston.

The kids were having a really good time with the water balloons. Rowan was hilarious. He was very serious about the whole thing, and he would just sort of walk the balloons over and drop them (the picture below with Rowan and Rosie both staring at the ground).

After I posted those pictures above, I remember Allison taking them (the ones of all 5 in the hammock). They turned out cute!

Potty Training

2010-08-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

I got a call from daycare today. We are slowly beginning the process of potty training, and Maria (Rowan's teacher) wanted him to tell me what he did. She handed the phone over to Rowan who said, "Pottied, Mommy!" and then I could hear him bouncing around the room saying, "Pee-pee. Potty!" It was so cute. When it was time to hang up, she put him back on the phone and he said, "Bye!.....wuv ooo!" It was so cute and sweet. I wish I could get that phone call every day:) Reminds me of how much I like our daycare. I love the personal calls I get with updates on Rowan and how they will put him on the phone with me. I feel very fortunate.

Magical swirling ocean (better viewed in the dark...hehe)

2010-07-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the stars over the roof of the house. It was a beautiful night.

Cool shades

2010-07-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

We got Rowan these sunglasses, and he actually wore them! I was shocked. In fact, he wore them most of the way home in the car.

"OIL" or alternate title, "BP's going to pay for this"

2010-07-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Moving porta potties for the clean-up crews. These things went up and down the beach all day every day, and so did the clean-up guys. Florida is being VERY "pro-active" about the oil. We only saw a few tarballs the first couple of days, but by the end of the week, there seemed to be more oil. Maybe it was from the tropical storm that was moving in. All I know is that Emily had to spend quite some time in the shower scrubbing the bottoms of her feet. BP's going to pay for that new pumice stone she's going to have to buy.

Leisure

2010-07-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Clarence and I got to go out one night by ourselves. Though we missed having Rowan, it was nice to not have to worry about making a scene at a restaurant and keeping a small child entertained. He seemed to have a great time with my Dad and Twyla, his aunts and uncle, great aunt and uncle and cousins. He was well taken care of.

We borrowed the jeep and headed down to Rosemary Beach but stopped off at Alice Beach for a minute to explore. The picture below basically sums up the feel of Alice Beach.

Rosemary Beach is below. Lots of bikers. I want to come down again and ride bikes and just travel all up and down the little towns down 30A from Grayton Beach all the way to Rosemary Beach. I think that would be a lot of fun. I really love 30A. One of my favorite places to be.

We had dinner at a place that served tapas and chocolate. We had a whole mess of food there - crab cakes, tuna tartare, paiella, something I can't remember. Then there was the chocolate. We had chocolate fondue, and the restaurant gave us some sort of chocolate layer thing (free b/c the crab cakes took so long), and then churros with chocolate dip. Yummy.

Angelo's and the Maze

2010-07-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Every year when we go to the beach, we take a trip to Panama City to go to Angelo's Steakhouse. My Dad has been going there since he was a little boy, and we used to go there when we were little too. And after dinner, we usually head to the maze to run around like rats for an hour or so. We actually always have a pretty good time, and Rowan seemed to enjoy it this year too.

Are you tired of the beach pictures yet?

2010-07-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Emily!!!

2010-07-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Emily's birthday was Monday of the beach vacation. We had a very nice dinner out and Em wore the cutest dress. I wish I had taken a better picture of it. We had a nice time. Love you, Em!! Happy Birthday!!!

Family

2010-07-27T16:29:00.001-07:00

2010-07-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

More beach scenes

2010-07-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

The deer

2010-07-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Text conversation from this morning:

Emily: Hey, Ash....The deer is all gone!
Me: The door?
Emily: He's probably in the barn...Or washing a boat. He likes to stay busy.

At grandaddy's house is one of those fake deer used as a target for bow shooting. Everyone who lives in East Alabama is required to have one of these deer. If you do not have one, you are probably a "yankee" or a "yankee wannabee". Anyway, Rowan was terrified of this deer. So terrified that Olivia decided she was going to get rid of the thing. She wrestled it and tore it's head off because she is a warrior princess. Ever since, every time he goes to grandaddy's house, he asks, "Deer? Deer is all gone?" And we reassure him that, yes, it is all gone. For some reason at the beach, he kept talking about the deer. On the porch outside near the pool, he pointed out to the sand dunes, and it was always, "Deer is all gone!" immediately followed by, "Door. Door. Barn."So he went through a door. Or he was in the barn. Then he started talking about the deer as we were riding down the road. We passed a guy washing his boat, and he said, "Deer. Wash.....boat". haha. The deer was everywhere we went.

Some beach pictures

2010-07-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

Car ride to the beach

2010-07-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Baby Pool Fun

2010-07-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Grandaddy and my Dad

2010-07-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

This is my Grandaddy and my Dad (obviously this picture was not taken in 2008). I think it's neat how much Rowan looks like my Dad. But he also looks a lot like an Eaton. Anyway, I'm just testing my new photo size option and updated blog layout. I found this picture on my computer.

The Zoo

2010-07-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Grammy, I finally got around to putting new pictures on the blog! Sorry about that. I promise I have been trying. Hope you are feeling good and hope to see you soon!

Last weekend we went to the zoo with Amy, Ed, and Eamon. Rowan and Eamon had a really good time. Rowan was pretty happy to see him, and they walked along holding hands. Nobody told them to do that:) It was too cute.

They were all sitting there together, but Eamon doesn't stay in one place for long (neither does Rowan really:)

Eamon and Rowan had a great time in the water squirters at the zoo, although Rowan was a little overwhelmed by all the other children.

And we finished off the day with yogurt in the baby pool:)

DEAR GRAMMY

2010-07-07T06:47:00.001-07:00

WE ARE ALL THINKING ABOUT YOU TODAY! WE LOVE YOU AND WISH WE COULD BE THERE WITH YOU!!!!

Happy Birthday, GG!

2010-06-23T10:13:00.001-07:00

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Our New House

2010-06-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to post pictures of our new house, but I thought maybe I could wait until some things were on the walls, etc. But, since it looks like that time isn't going to come anytime soon, here are some pictures to get started.

It's just your typical 60's square block house (built in 1963). But the surrounding and the neighborhood is really awesome. We are LOVING it here. There is a playground not even two blocks up our street and a community swimming pool. There is great walking and a sense of community. There are some shops and a hamburger place up the hill. Lots to do and a huge back-yard, and birds singing in the trees. It's wonderful:) Rowan's loving the yard and the back deck. The dogs are loving all their room.

Here's the outside. I admit, not much to look at. But I have great plans! :)

There's a great front porch -

The entryway (love the bamboo floors) - and a bathroom at the end of the hall-

Rowan's room -

Here's the kitchen and breakfast area. I love the brick floors -

Here's the den and sliding glass doors to the deck and the backyard -

More den (sorry for the mess and dogginess) -

I'll post some pictures of the deck and the backyard later. I also didn't put pictures of the living room, dining room, mud room, garage, or our bedroom and bathroom b/c they are all either really messy or full of boxes. But I'll try to get some on soon so we can do some before and after type of thing.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I'm a day late, but I hope everybody had a Happy Father's Day. To our Dad's that we didn't get to see on the day, I hope you had a very nice day:) We love and miss you.

I think Clarence enjoyed his Father's Day. We started the day in the sprinkler.

Then we moved to the sandbox which we had turned into a pool for the day.

I'm sure he was saying, "Daddy, awwwun". That's the best way I can spell the funny way he says "on".

After a trip to the organic market and a quick bite to eat, it was time for Rowan to nap. After he woke up, we headed to the zoo. We had a great time there.

Rowan still points to the "boo-boo" on his head and says, "band-aid". I'm not sure why this sweet gum ball he found reminded him of his boo-boo.

Here they're checking out some raccoons on the other side of the wall.

Rowan is drinking out of a bottled water, and he hardly spilled any of it!

Saturday mornings

2010-06-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of a Saturday morning: Rowan eating buckwheat pancakes in his diaper (because syrup is really sticky!), crumbs everywhere, a foot kicked up on the table (we're working on that).

He's trying to open the window.

In the picture below, he's calling, "Laaaaney!" because the dogs were outside, and he wanted to see them.

Fun with Em!

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

We spent time outside yesterday just playing on the deck and in the hose.

If the tongue is out, you know he's really concentrating.

Dallas World Aquarium

2010-05-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

When I was in Dallas, I visited the Dallas World Aquarium. If in Dallas, I would highly recommend visiting if you are trying to figure out what to do with some extra time. Here's the website: www.dwazoo.com.

While I'm away

2010-05-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is what Clarence and Rowan are doing while I'm in Dallas. PARTAY! hehe. Just kidding. But he does look like he's having fun, doesn't he? Also, thanks for watering my flowers, guys!

Chattanooga (on the way to Merlefest)

2010-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we stopped in Chattanooga on our way up to North Carolina. We decided to break up the trip around Rowan's nap/bedtime. So he took his nap on the way to Chattanooga, and we left at his bedtime and drove for another few hours.

The first thing we did was walk across the pedestrian bridge. We were trying to tire Rowan, but we ended up tiring ourselves quite a bit.

Here's Rowan looking out over the river.

What's he pointing at? The boat!

On the other side of the river these guys were playing polo on their bikes. Rowan was pretty interested in all that.

And here the toddler temper is coming out. Not so pretty, eh?

The Festival

2010-05-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

We didn't spend as much time at the festival as we have in years past. But we still got to see some pretty good shows. Here are Clarence and Rowan on the bus on the way to the festival. Rowan LOVED the bus. He would get so excited every time we'd start walking to the bus stop shouting, "BUS! BUS!" And one night after two of the buses died, and we had to wait at the festival for 45 minutes, he kept the crowd entertained by getting really excited about all the buses that were coming and going. He was one of the only ones in a good mood about the whole thing (except Clarence and me - we were enjoying watching him). ;)

Part of the band Wylie and Wild West -

Here's Wylie - Wylie's claim to fame? The "Yahoooo" at the end of Yahoo commercials. That's right.

Here is Great Big Sea. They're from Newfoundland, and they sing traditional Newfoundland songs and some new songs of their own. They put on a really good show too! Lead singer is really funny.

Here's Cadillac Sky on the cabin stage- one of my favorites from this year.

Rowan with a mouthfull of Goldfish.

Can you spot Pop pop and Rowan?

They have the Little Pickers area for kids. Very cute. Lots of activities. I'm sure as Rowan gets older this will be one of his favorite spots.

I've been spotted..

Daddy tickling Rowan's feet trying to get the sand off.

Here was Rowan's favorite activity. Painting.

Here's where we start to get off course....

He's quite the artist! :)

Poor thing. We had to finally drag him away.

Here's Bearfoot from Alaska -

Who's that guy in the white sports coat? Steve Martin! And he was good...and hilarious. Is it me, or is he looking straight at the camera?

Now the guy from the Steep Canyon Rangers is looking straight at the camera.

Mother's Day present from Rowan

2010-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

I thought this was really cute. They made them at daycare, so I supposed it's really daycare's present to me:) But it is cute and cheery on my desk.

Merlefest Fun with Family

2010-05-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Family. We had so much fun at Merlefest. I'll have to break up the trip into a few different posts.

We actually spent quite a bit of time at the campsite this year since I was supposed to take it easy, and boy did I! Clarence, Rowan, and I spent a whole day relaxing and just playing around.

Here is Rowan making coffee. The first day we were there, Clarence decided to make coffee on the hood of the car because he was concerned about it falling over on Rowan. Later in the trip Rowan decided he wanted to make coffee too, so he grabbed the pot and kept trying to put it on the hood. Man, if you ever need to entertain a toddler, try a percolator (preferably not in use;). Rowan played with that thing for hours.

Nap time. Pop pop, Clarence, and Rowan all sound asleep....

Here's our campsite (and me). We camp in style. We also have two tents here. Thanks, Amy and Ed for letting us borrow yours!! It was much more spacious.

Family:)

Rowan's holding the hair dryer and brush that Aunt Jean let him take home. He loved to play with Aunt Jean. He just played and played when we visited their RV. She was so sweet and bought him stickers and glow sticks and he had a ball playing with those at night during the festival.

Grammy took him on a walk here.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hope everybody had a really happy Mother's Day today!

I had a wonderful day - slept late, had a wonderful breakfast, and planted some flowers. Mom, I wanted to post some pictures to show you the potted plants that I put together (with your help). I think they turned out pretty well. I'm so looking forward to seeing how they grow.

I know people have asked to see pictures of the new house. I was going to take some pictures today, but I got a little side-tracked. Here's a shot out into the backyard. The deck and backyard are the best parts of the house. I think we've spent more time out here than in the house.

Here's a couple of colorful chairs we bought today and a little one for Rowan (forgot to take the plastic off before taking the picture).

Some peppers....

Dad, Rowan really likes the bird book -

But I think I like it even more. The neighbors probably think we have all kinds of strange birds in our yard. haha.

Today we saw a bluebird flutter by. I ran into the house and grabbed the bird book, and guess what?! I hit the bluebird call and next thing I knew there were five (FIVE) bluebirds all right around us! It was amazing. So I got these pictures (these are cropped, not taken with a zoom lens, so they are a little funny looking), but check out the bluebirds. Turns out there are a LOT of them up here. I'm going to get a birdhouse to face East so maybe we can have our own little family of them.

Fun times

2010-04-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Eating ice cream at Dad's house with Em -

Hanging out in Liv's room -

2010-04-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Rowan's musical talent:)

2010-04-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Happy 21st Birthday, Shannon!

2010-04-13T12:31:00.001-07:00

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Happy Birthday, Alex!!! 15!!! WOOT!

2010-04-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

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A couple of random pictures

2010-04-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get caught up on posting. We've been really busy lately. I can't wait to write a good post about the new house, the old house, Easter, etc. But I don't have time tonight. Hopefully soon:)

Pajama Day

2010-04-06T19:51:00.001-07:00

Rowan had pajama day at school, so he went in his '50's pajamas and bathrobe that Trisha got him. He went all out.

My favorite things

2010-04-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Rowan loves to vacuum. I think a lot of kids must like vacuum cleaners because they have a toy one at daycare that seems to get quite a lot of action. It's funny because Rowan will pretend various things are vacuum cleaners. He even makes the sound.

And hair dryers....

What can I say?

I'm sure someday he's going to kill me for this post;)

February

2010-04-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

One weekend in February, the sun finally came out. It was a beautiful day, and we spent the day outside at Oak Mountain (along with the rest of Birmingham). It was so much fun. We had a picnic and went on a hike. Here's Rowan rolling around in the leaves and pine straw.

Bubbles!

2010-03-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

Rowan asks for bubbles every time he gets into the bath:)