Like Mother Like Son

When we got back from the grocery store last night, Owen put the cat food up all by himself.  I felt his pain about that left stack coming up one short.  That every kitty face on every single label isn't perfectly lined up tells me there is still hope for him.

Owen having a much less compulsive moment with a chocolate covered doughnut.

Signs

• I find myself cautioning Owen not to step on my bare feet.  All of a sudden it hurts now when he does it.

• I once could lay his shirts out flat inside his dresser drawers, but now I can't get them to fit unless I fold them like this:

• When I went into his room to get him out of his bed a few mornings ago, his first question of the day was, "Why Owen not itty baby anymore?" 

After leaving the beach one day...

Me:  Hey O, wanna come here so I can put your shoes on?
Owen:  No... Owen already has feets on.

Happy Monday

We're back from our week at the beach!  Owen has increased his tolerance of the place to include the sand, but not the water.  His favorite:  demolishing sandcastles.

I'll try to come back after lunch today with another post.  After a week away, I've got lots of stuff dancing in my head!

Go NeeNee!

Good Luck in the MS 150 this weekend Jenn.  We're proud of you!

You can go here to read about what she's doing.

Everyday Owen: Fever

And we had a field trip planned to the fire house today...

... at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Images via Hyperjet's Flikr photostream

After hearing of Owen's excitement about his new train table, my friend Elizabeth declared him ready for an outing to the train depot in Irondale.  The depot sits in front of the Irondale Cafe, inspiration for Fanny Flagg's Whistle Stop Cafe in Fried Green Tomatoes.

Elizabeth, Nancy and I packed picnic lunches and took the boys for an outing this morning, and here's how they felt when the first engine came down the line:

Here's how they felt after that engine sounded it's whistle:

But all's well that ends with banana pudding from the Irondale Cafe.  (I'll pass on the BBQ, though.)

Thanks Liz, Nancy and boys!  Idgie Threadgoode herself would have had to be there for it to have been any more fun.

Everyday Owen: Masters Sunday

Weally

Grand theft backhoe

Who would have thought I could raise a know-it-all?  It's downright shocking.

Sometimes he starts correcting me before he even gets out of his bed in the morning.

S:  Morning dear!

O:  (chin tucked, head shaking 'no') Eh... eh... Owen not weally a deer. 

The other day at the deli, he made the cashier laugh at me.

O:  Owen want some Cheetos?

S:  Sure hon.  You can get a bag of potato chips.

O:  (chin tucked again, head still shaking no) Eh... dey dey not weally chips. 

We were out in the yard working again today, and I told him I needed to get something out of the greenhouse.

O:  (chin ALWAYS tucked, head ALWAYS shaking no) It... it not weally green. 

I try to tell him it's not nice to correct people, but (as with any of his emerging habits that unsettle me) I know all he's done is process one of my faults and serve it back up to me.  Owen as mirror.  And I'm not talking about the forgiving skinny kind of mirror either.  This is the kind that they have in the bathrooms at fancy hotels that magnify your pores to the size of craters.  So sometimes I just placate him.

S:  You're absolutely right, Owen.  You are one smart cookie.

O:  Eh... eh...Owen not weally a cookie. 

*Fun news!  They featured Owen's train table on ohdeedoh.  

Two ways I know it's spring

Owen and I gardened a little yesterday and, ick, the pollen.  Owen is wearing his UGGs because he needs the lambswool lining to ease the pain of a blister on his right heel.  There is no excuse for why I'm wearing those sandals and have purple toenails though.  

And if you're watching The Masters today and see a guy in the gallery wearing a bright blue polo and an incredibly goofy, happy smile, that's Scott.  He finally scored a ticket to Augusta.

Just so I don't go breaking some mommy blogger code by making two consecutive posts without the appearance of my child's face, here's Owen enjoying some of Mimi's red velvet cake on Easter Sunday:

Before & After: Train Table

Before:

  

   After:

   

I don't have any true 'before' pics because I didn't remember to take them until after I'd already started stripping paint, so the table's pitiful original condition is a bit exaggerated.  What?  Plastic surgeons do it all the time.  At least I didn't photograph it under fluorescent light without any make-up and tell it to frown.

I found the table for $15 at The Salvation Army Store, and a mere 4 months and 20 hours of work later... tada!  The tabletop is cork on one side and chalkboard on the other, and I also lined the drawers with cork because they were cracked on the bottom.  I did spare another Thomas the Train topper that came with it.  Not my favorite, but I'm sure Owen will love it above all else.  

So there you have it.  Wait.  Let me just get turned around here.  There.  Now you can pat me on the back. (wink)(wink)

Egg Hunts and Such

GG's house in Alex City on Saturday

Owen's into showing his teeth for the camera now.

His shoes are missing because there may or may not have been an incident down by the pond.

I had a zoom photo of the drool running out of his mouth, but I think this shot makes the point well enough.  Kid was tie-erd.

Easter Sunday

Whew!  Really struggling with the formatting today.  Sorry for the weird spacing, but this is as good as it's gonna get.  I am almost finished re-doing a train table for Owen and I want to go get to work.  Up for some before-and-after shots this coming week?

Happy Easter!