It's all just a blur...

It is Christmas Eve tomorrow and I have to say that the entire month of December has just been one big blur. I am not sure if I have just been trying to get through this month as fast as possible or if Owen and I have just been really busy, but I do not know where the time went.

Earlier this month Owen and I ventured out to the tree farm with Grandma Lori, Grandpa Buzz, Uncle Bob, Auntie Rachel and Brendan. In the eight years that I have been a part of the Prairie family, this was the first year that I had ever cut down a Christmas tree with them. One of the many things that Bryan looked forward to when we moved home was cutting down the tree with his family and decorating for the holidays. It was really hard to be there without him, but I just focused on making the memory perfect for Owen. Deep down, I just wished that Bryan would pop out of a pine tree acting like his goofy self, jumping around and making faces at us. I know that he was there in spirit though. I am convinced that he was the one that lead us to the Christmas tree that just so happened to have a perfect little birds nest in it....which I am told is a symbol of good luck.

After we picked out the perfect tree, we loaded it into the truck and headed home to decorate. I was not too sure how Owen would do, but surprisingly, he was really gentle and calm. It was a lot of fun to watch him touch the light bulbs with his fat little stubby fingers and attempt to get the bulbs off of the tree. He had a good time destroying boxes, pulling out decorations and playing with all of grandmas stuff. He even let me put on his little Santa hat for a few pictures.





Another big event that took place this month was Owen's first visit with Santa. Lately he has been pretty clingy and attached to my hip, so I knew that it was not going to be easy to get a photo with him on Santa's lap. After prying his fingers from my sweater we managed to get one photo of him. Although I wished he was smiling, his crocodile tears are pretty cute.


Although I know that tomorrow is going to be extremely hard, I am praying that it will go okay. I really want to make Owen's first Christmas perfect...full of love, family, and fun. I think he may have even gotten an early Christmas present because his two bottom teeth popped through today. I guess we will just have to wait and see what tomorrow will bring. I will keep you posted....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Busy Busy Boy

Now that Owen is officially on the move, it seems like time is just flying by. Not only has he learned how to crawl everywhere (at a fast speed) but he has also decided that he can go up the stairs...all by himself. Grandma Lori and I had to go out and buy gates last week to install in the living rooms because Owen is bound and determined to cover every square inch of the house. Even though it is a little scary to watch him try new things, I do love watching his chubby little legs and fat fingers work there way around. He is so smart and learns something new everyday. I continue to be amazed by his spirit and tenacity. He is one stubborn, happy, vivacious little boy.

Trying to get over the gate....

Going up the stairs.....

Standing up in bed....

Although it is fun watching Owen learn how to crawl and attempt to walk, I have also had to watch his temper develop throughout the week...and I have to say he has a big temper. Whenever Owen gets mad that he cannot move a toy just right or that he cannot stand up on his own for long enough, he starts to yell and hit....yes I said HIT. I have had to tell him to "be nice" a lot this week. Not only does he hit now, but he has also learned how to run my toes over in his new jeep walker that I bought him this past Saturday. Even though he has been a little more vocal and physical lately, he has also been giving more kisses, which out ways the naughty things he does. There is nothing better than a sloppy Owen kiss. He makes my day when I pick him up or he crawls over to me and nuzzles his face into mine, looks me in the eyes, opens his mouth, and kisses me. It has to be the best feeling in the whole world...It shows me that he loves me.

Not only have we had a busy week watching Owen grow, but this past week we also celebrated Thanksgiving. It was really hard to be without Bryan, but we all pulled through and remained thankful that we got as much time with him as we did. Owen got to spend time with both sides of his family (Prairie and Esson) and show of his new skills. He loved all of the love and attention he received that day, not to mention all of the turkey and mashed potatoes he got to eat.

To top it all of, we got the good news that Uncle Alec made the Armstrong basketball team! Bryan played basketball with Alec every week and really wanted him to make the high school team. I know that he would be so proud of him. After Bryan passed away in September, Alec said that he was going to continue playing basketball because it made him feel closer to Bryan. He even wrote Bryan's name on his basketball shoes so that he could be there in spirit with him, helping him through his game. When we found out that Alec made the team, Owen and I promised to go to every game and cheer him on. We attended his first game tonight against Edina and Alec's team won. I know that Bryan was there the entire time, yelling and screaming "Go Alec....get to that ball". I am so proud of my brother. In closing, I thought I would post a paragraph that Alec wrote on Bryan's facebook wall the day he made the team.

"Bryan I made the Armstrong team for you and I know your proud, but I give my success to you cause you taught me to become a good basketball player and even though I wont see you attend my games, I always know you'll be watching from the sky. But its hard not having someone to teach me and be there for me cause that was your job, you inspired me to be a better person. Miss you man"