Oh my goodness....

I just stumbled across this when I was looking through the blog for a specific picture from last year's beach trip. My big boy is SO big now. I cannot believe how quickly he is growing and changing!!!

http://threeabbotts.blogspot.com/2009/10/such-smart-boy.html

Beach Trip 2010!

For the past several years we have gone to the Outer Banks in NC for our summer beach trip. I absolutely love the beach and going there with my family is one of the things I look forward to the most about summer. We had such a wonderful time on our beach vacation! We stayed at a very nice and new condo right on the beach. It was really easy to get the boys dressed and down to play without having to walk far or get in the car.

Both boys really loved the beach. Ryan had a great time playing in the "huge sandbox" as he referred to it. He seemed to enjoy throwing sand in his hair, running into the water and then rolling around in the sand, building and destroying sand castles and the last day or so he decided to get very adventurous and brave with the water! Owen also loved playing in the sand. Thank goodness the child likes his pacifier because that probably saved us from having him put handfuls of sand into his mouth! He was not a fan of the water though. The first day I stuck his feet in and I think between the waves, the noises and trying to take in all of the excitement of a new environment, he got spooked. He started crying really hard and it broke my heart. He liked walking along the beach and being held as we waded in the water, but he would hold on so tight to you at the same time.

Some of my favorite photos from this year....

with waves like this you can see why Owen was a bit frightened...

I love this one...such an independent and fearless little boy

building a sandcastle requires lots of concentration..

Our little bug or cuddle monkey as we commonly refer to Owen..

Flying the kite..

And our "little man" or bub, Ryan

10 Months Old!!!

This post is a little late since we were on our way to the beach the day Owen turned 10 months old. I do have to say that he is in the most fun stage right now. The period between 6 months and 18 months is just so much fun!!! (Not that other stages aren't fun) Owen is into EVERYTHING lately. He tries to do everything that Ryan does, he tries to eat everything in sight, he crawls around everywhere, pulls up on anything he can pull up on and even tries to pull up on things that he shouldn't, he climbs the stairs like a pro, he babbles non-stop, he eats mostly table food and he can efficiently drink from a straw.

Owen is perhaps the easiest and happiest baby in the world. He is content to do just about anything, goes with the flow and rarely fusses one bit. He loves his Mommy and loves to be held. One of the cutest things that he does is crawl over to you, pull up on your leg and then he begs to be held. Once you pick him up he gives the biggest hugs and cuddles and just wants to snuggle. He also loves to give kisses almost as much as he likes to receive them.

If Ryan is laughing about something then Owen will automatically start giggling too. The sound fills my heart with so much joy.

I didn't do an actual photo shoot on the beach to document 10 months. I might have to stage one at home this long weekend!

Father & Son

About a month or so we took the boys on a picnic lunch. Ryan thought it was a blast to eat outside on a blanket and get to run around in between bites. I spent the majority of my time trying to keep Owen out of everyone's food and also making sure he wasn't eating the grass. Jeff spent most of his time making sure Ryan didn't run into the pond. :)

Comparison Picture

So people keep telling me that Ryan and Owen look so much a like and maybe it is because I am around them all the time, but I just don't see it like everyone else does. After looking at these two pictures I can see why people say that they look alike though. I see a lot of similarities in these pictures but still see SO many differences.

Now for Jeff and I as babies - not sure of our exact ages but I am guessing that each of us were around a year.

Things I notice -

Both kids get their chubby baby fat from - me (seriously - rolls in places where there are not joints!)

Ryan gets his baldness from - Jeff

Owen gets his hair from - me

Both boys have a similar chin to - me

Both boys are super cute thanks to - both of us!!! :)

What do you notice?

Jeff

sorry for the poor quality this is a pic of a pic - me

Tons of pictures

I have tons of pictures to upload and no time right now. For now there is a new album on my Facebook page with recent pics! :)

My smart boy

Ok I am way behind on the blog...what else is new? :) Ryan is getting so big! He is talking non-stop now and the things that he says just amaze me. Sometimes I wonder how he even learned different things. Last week he recited a whole book to me word for word over lunch. The book was sitting in his room, not at the table with us though. He has also started singing along to some of the songs that we sing all the time like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider and the ABCs. I can't believe that in just a few short weeks my big boy will be 2 1/2!