Austin

We couldn't be 80 miles away from Austin and not pop in for an afternoon!  So we did.  It was a beautiful day.  The kids both slept in the car on the way to Austin, but Hadley was screaming in the car during the rush hour traffic later.  Lovely.  It was her dinner time, and she doesn't do bottles (see below).  At least she was calmed by the bjorn for the rest of it.

Anyway, we hit up Mount Bonnell, thinking that all of the stairs would tire Owen, but he hardly stayed still, leading us back and forth and up and down the park.  Our good friend, Juan, joined us for the afternoon!  And did I mention that the mountain laurels were already in full bloom and so fragrant, too?  Sigh...  It was a perfect afternoon.

Then we headed down the road to a neat little preserve on the water called Mayfield Park.  It has some gardens, koi ponds, trails down to the river, and a historic cottage surrounded by peacocks. Such a cool place, I wish I'd spent more time there when we lived in town!

The peafowl were everywhere in full plumage.  We nearly walked under one high up in a tree before we noticed him up there.  How many do you see?

Lastly, we headed to dinner with our friends.  It was so good to see them!  We definitely miss Austin this time of year.

A couple of days later, we boarded a plane for the ride home.  Our layover in Salt Lake City was only 30 minutes, and our plane was a little late, we were on the back of the plane, and our connecting gate was at the opposite end of the airport.  Needless to say, we had to run just to make last call boarding.  Owen was riding on Daddy's shoulders during the run, and didn't duck to fit through the gate door.  Thunk!  With blood rushing down his face, we still had to jog down the ground terminal to make it to our little hopper in time.  Poor guy!  We rushed onto the plane late, sweaty, bleeding profusely from the head and wailing, and with two small children.  I'm sure everyone on board was ecstatic to see us!  :)  The flight attendant got us some ice and wet napkins to address Owen's wound while we got settled and the plane took off.  Luckily, it stopped bleeding after a few minutes of compression, and Owen fell asleep on the 40-minute flight.

Hadley, too, slept on the plane.  I had to take a picture because her eyes never really shut!  After checking that she was really passed out, it cracked me up.  She was a great air traveler - woohoo!

She also held her own bottle for the first time!  This was amusing because she still doesn't understand bottles.  I think she's under the impression that they are for teething, because she sticks it in the corner of her mouth and smacks like she's got Big League Chew in there.  Oh well.  At least she managed to get an ounce or two down her throat instead of her chin!

Until next time, Texas!  (Probably next early spring when cabin fever hits, wink, wink.)

Thistle Ranch

Now for the ranch-y part of the trip...  
It must be said that the ranch always makes us sleepy.  It seems to have had the same effect on Hadley, too. Maybe it's the fresh air or the busy work outside or the lack of idle distractions...  Naps are encouraged for all!  :)  I also discovered that the 5 S's seem to help Hadley nap more.  (It's really 4 in her case: swaddle, side, sway, shhh.  The 5th, suck, has never appealed to her.)

Owen enjoyed rides on the mule, though he called it something more like "mee-yule".  There's no better way to see the ranch!  And he was impressed with Grandad's firewood pile and fire skills.  We had a fire in the fireplace every night!  It did get below 50 degrees, after all.  :)

Hadley got a kick out of playing peekaboo under this blanket.  

Owen tried out these historic monkey bars, which were in my backyard as a kid.  He was a pretty good climber considering the gaps were big for his legspan.

It's no surprise that Owen enjoyed taking walks around the ranch.  He called them 'trailers' instead of trails, probably a hang-over from his truck play.  :)  He also enjoyed kicking leaves, throwing sticks into the pond, and moving bigger 'logs' out of the path.  I think he'll make a good ranch hand someday.

And, of course, he requested time on the tractor.  He had a great time pretending to drive it, pushing buttons, jiggling levers and making machine noises.

Most importantly, the kids got some good, quality time with Granna and Grandad.

Houston

As previously stated, we packed up the kids and strategized carry-ons (and checked bags) for a plane trip to Texas to see family and friends in Houston, Austin, and 'the ranch', as we call it.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really on the ball with the camera during the Houston leg of the trip (I'm going to say due to being under the weather), but here are some highlights...

Hadley's first plane flight!  The Bjorn was very necessary in getting her around in the airport.  Good thing she loves it.  And we got lucky in that 3 of the 4 flights had an empty seat next to us, so we could stretch out a bit.  I was worried about her not wanting to be seated for 3 hours, but she did great and even slept some.  Yea!

Across the aisle - the handsome boys!  As long as Owen is supplied with a copious variety of snacks, Bo, and an iPad, he's a great traveler.  And as long as the adults accept that air travel is no longer about their own magazines, movies, or music, all can survive.

We were in Houston for Aunt Loni and Uncle Lampe's reception downtown.  Very nice setting and an open bar.  :)

And back to the kids...  Hadley trying out a Mum Mum for the first time.  We suspect that this may have made her sick later, but remains to be tested conclusively.

Hanging out with Oma.  

Hadley's mobility is making strides, but she's still not crawling yet.  She can rotate, roll, and scooch backwards with the best of them though!  Here, she's wedging herself under the couch.

Aunt Jenn made homemade play dough for Owen!  He loved it, especially making tire tracks from some of his cars.  The top picture is him displaying his "strong face" as he squishes it down.  :)

Uncky Dan, Aunt Jenn and the kids getting some floor time.

Owen likes to "wrestle" with Hadley, wherein he rolls close to her and lets her grab, poke, and pull until he's had enough.  What a good big brother!

Skinny 8 Months!

Miss H celebrated her 8-month milestone in the sky, flying home from Texas.  I haven't even looked at the pictures from that trip yet, but here's a few to mark her new month.  Owen was 'helping' by holding her up for the camera.  :)

I took her in for her monthly measurements, which the doctor requested, and wasn't too thrilled with the results.  She weighed in at 14 lbs, 10 oz, which is around the 5% mark, and her length is 27", which is 50%.  I'm going to chalk up the low weight to her being ill most of February, and I have my fingers crossed that we'll see some more gain before the next 2-week weigh-in.  We're trying to supplement with formula after feeding and even adding butter or formula to her solid foods, too.

She does love her brother!

And I thought this was a funny picture of Owen with all of his cars.  Of course, this does not include any cars usually kept downstairs or any of the larger cars he owns either.  Even so, we were numbering above 70, if I recall, of just the ones pictured here.

Sick Days

We've been sidelined the past week(s) with illnesses.  Owen started with a cold that ended with his first ear infections, though we caught them before they actually bothered him.  A few days later, Hadley was diagnosed with RSV and dual ear infections, too.  She also had a wheeze that required breathing treatments and steroids.  Now they are both taking the same pink antibiotic twice a day, and Hadley got breathing treatments every 4 hours for a few days.  Made for a fun week!

Pre-illness, Owen enjoyed a gymnastics class, which was free to try.  We may join up for a few months when we get back from our trip, since he really seemed to enjoy it.  I was just nervous watching him "follow" directions.  They had to stand in line and wait their turn, and he was easily distracted by all of the fun stuff around.

Other than that, we've been laying low, healing, and not letting the weather get us down.  Check out this snow bridge that someone made in our neighborhood.  Pretty sweet!

The bike is still in demand.  Thankfully, the driveway and sidewalks are pretty clear, so we can continue biking/walking when it's warm enough.  He tells me every time I start the car, "Be careful on the roads, Mommy!  It might be slippery."  I guess we've told him that enough times that he took it to heart.  :)

Owen still likes to rock, so I got him a "guitar" for Christmas.  Now he'll strum this instead of Bo.  He requests "big" songs, which means fast-paced with a good beat.  And he still loves to dance, though it's more running in circles around the couch and coffee table.  So much energy!

Speaking of dancing, he and Jacob had a blast dancing (and tackling each other) to Beyonce at half time during the Super Bowl.



As for Hadley, she really likes bath time!

She's still not really interested in her own reflection, but she likes to look at Mommy's reflection in the mirror.  Oh, and she loves this towel rack!  Maybe because it's kind of like a steering wheel...?  Notice her feet in the second picture.  She always stands with her feet very close, if not straight in a line, which makes her very wobbly.  So proper and dainty though!

She adores paper.  The crinkling sound, crunching it up from pristine sheets, and apparently even the taste!

Not really sure about this sippy cup.  Since she's not fond of bottles, I was hoping we could go straight to a sippy, but I think it will be a while.

Miss 7 months

Hadley is now 7 months old!  She celebrated by getting in Tooth #2.  They are both hanging out close to the gum, so they are elusive on film, but she seems to be in better spirits since they are through.

Gotta love baby drool!

We went to the doctor to weigh her this morning because of their concern with her weight percentiles dropping.  She weighs 14 lbs 12 oz (~13%) and is 26.75" long (~70%).  So she gained some weight but still slipped a percent or two.  Nothing too concerning yet, but we'll still try to fatten her up a bit!  I'm hoping the pain of new teeth slowed her down and we'll pick back up now.

She rolled over to grab one of Owen's toys.  This is her "caught red-handed" expression!