Christmas 2010

We had our family Christmas this evening. We always have to do it early because we travel among three states over the Christmas break. (Thank the Lord, Jason is a teacher!)

The boys seemed to really love and appreciate all their gifts. What was even more fun was Corwin's excitement to GIVE this year. And, what amazing choices he made! He chose a Crockpot for me, a Bible cover for Daddy (the cover on his Bible was falling apart), and a puzzle for Owen. He chose very well, and seemed to really enjoy it!

Here are a few pictures. We really had a good time! Enjoy the show!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Mee-rrry Christmas!!!

We took the boys to see Santa Claus today. He was at one of the local banks. (We like this Santa because he tells my boys that Jesus loves them, and that He is the reason for the season.) I was afraid that Owen would be terrified of him again this year, and that possibly Corwin would bore him with endless conversation. But, instead, Corwin acted strangely shy (which NEVER happens), and Owen was fine on Santa's lap... for about 5 seconds.

Corwin easily gave Santa his list of wants. When Santa asked Owen, Owen pointed at Jason and said, "Daddy." I think he wanted Jason to tell Santa what Owen wanted for Christmas. He was excited to see him, though. He kept telling everyone, "Ho, ho, ho." He just wasn't terribly excited to be that close to him for very long.

"Delicioso!"

Owen has increased his vocabulary by leaps and bounds in the past couple months. Recently, his big brother, Corwin, introduced him to the words "delcious" and it's Spanish equivilent "delicioso!" Now, nearly every meal (especially if he is in favor of what's on the menu), he will rub his tummy and say those words. Something I definitely had to catch on camera.... Enjoy!

Christmas Preparations

First, a picture of Owen enjoying a candy cane Oreo. I bought some of these the other day (because I LOVE them), and apparently so does Owen.

Anyway, on to the Christmas preparations....

Owen enjoyed helping decorate the Christmas tree this year. Jason would give him a ornament, and he'd commence decorating. Problem was, he thought they were magnets, I guess. He didn't understand how to use the hook, so most ornaments ended up on the floor. :) If they happened to stick on the tree, he'd applaud and cheer for himself. As you can see, the ones that recieved the applause are the ones that are close together on the tree. Note all the ornaments lying on the floor. I don't know why he didn't try to pick the fallen ones up and rehang them. Who knows. It was fun and cute, nonetheless.

Cookin' Up Christmas, Y'all!

This past Sunday was the kids' Christmas program. Corwin (and Owen) was a part of the Christmas choir. As you can see in the video, Owen didn't last long. Anyway, here are a couple of the songs from the program. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2010

Unfortunately, I didn't take hardly any pictures this Thanksgiving. Too busy, I guess. (Busy eating.) We had a splendid Thanksgiving in Arkansas this year. It was nice to see everyone again, even if only for a short amount of time.

The pictures I did get are of Corwin and Owen on the horses. Last month when we were down there for Owen's birthday, Owen didn't want ANYTHING to do with Uncle Brett's horses. This time, he couldn't leave them alone! He rode them, and petted them, and fed them.... He couldn't get enough.

Corwin was able to drive solo. Every time in the past that he rode the horses, he was led around by either Daddy or Uncle Brett. This time he got a lesson in driving the horse himself. He did a bang-up job, too. In the video you hear Owen crying. That's because Bubby was on the horse and not him. Ha ha. What a difference a month makes!

Not Me Monday!

Here we go again. I told you I had a plethora of things I should be ashamed of if they'd actually happened....

1. I do not typically sit on my tail during naptime. Most moms might sit in a chair, veg out in front of the TV or in a book, and think about how the house is a mess and how they should get up and do something about that. Most moms probably continue to sit there and do nothing about it. Not me! NO-ho-ho! I work like a horse during those two precious hours.

2. I never, ever, EVER ignore my boys. When they're screaming at each other, they have my undivided attention. When Corwin is begging and pleading with me, or when he's telling a riveting story, he has my full attention. Nope, I never tune out the boys. That would just be wrong.

3. My husband brought home a contraption the other day that calculates your B.M.I. (Body Mass Index) so I could check it out and evaluate my weight loss program. After seeing my numbers, I DID NOT GET MAD AT HIM for bringing the stupid thing home. I didn't get even angrier when I saw HIS numbers. Nope. That would be awfully shallow of me.

4. I did not use the excuse of needing jeans to go to Goodwill and pilfer through their racks kid-free last Saturday. Nope. Not me. I would never desire to be away from my precious boys and enjoy some peace and quiet, and hopefully find something nice at a cheap price for myself... and not have to hear the whining and crying of "I want this", or chase a 5-year-old around the store, or... anyway. I didn't do that, so there's no reason to give you 12 reasons why a mom needs some time alone.

5. I did not feed my boys popcorn, a popular SNACK, for supper the other day. Shame on other moms out there that don't always prepare a nutritious, home-cooked meal for their children. Shame, shame.

6. Finally, I have not found myself so bored lately that I sit on Facebook waiting for something to happen. Wouldn't that be pathetic!??! No, my social life is thriving! I don't need a computer-generated one! Ha. No. NOT ME!

Boat!

As we were finishing up lunch the other day I heard Owen saying, "Boat. Mom. Boat." (Which, of course, sounds more like, "Bo. Ma. Bo.") He said it over and over and over. In frustration he yelled, "Hey! See! Ma. Bo!" Finally, he had my attention, and this is what he thought was so fascinating!

"Ha ha. You're right, Owen. It does look like a boat!" He laughed and then ate his boat. :) He's so fun right now. :)

Not Me Monday!

Well, it has been awhile since I've posted embarassing things that have not happened to me. So, I have plenty to boast about...

1. I most certainly did not let my oldest walk through Walmart the other day with his Iron Man mask on. (Even though, I think it might be justified since he'd just purchased the gem with newly acquired birthday funds.) I also did not enjoy the smiles and snickers other Walmart patrons were sending Iron Man's way.

2. I have seen other mothers with their children in superhero or princess costumes before at Walmart and I HAVE NOT thought, "Ha ha. Not me. Not my kid." That would not be a thought that ever crossed my mind. I'm not judgemental like that. (Especially since I didn't recently walk through Walmart with Iron Man.)

3. I did not give my 2-year-old Tylenol the other day without concrete evidence of illness. He was cranky, but didn't have fever or show signs of pain. I would never give my child medicine if it wasn't warranted! And, I certainly didn't do this so as not to miss church because my Sunday School class was going out to lunch afterwards. How selfish would that be!??!

4. I do not still have a rotting Jack-O-Lantern on my front porch. Disgusting! I do not pass that jack-o-lantern a couple times a day and think, "That thing needs to be thrown in the trash," then proceed into the house thinking I will do it later. Not me. No way.

5. And, finally (for now), I did not let both boys consume large amounts of ice cream at the restaurant yesterday. Huh-uh. Corwin asked for another ice cream cone, but was told by his father that he could only have some after he ate more real food. I then did not lead my child to get some nachos (ha - real food), watch him consume those nachos, then allow him to go get his second ice cream cone. Owen was not allowed a second bowl of ice cream merely because he wanted it. Nope. NOT ME!

A "New" Bed! And, More!

We have graduated Owen to a toddler bed. Well, it's just his crib with the front gate off. But, he has thoroughly enjoyed his new-found freedom, and has done very well. We've padded the floor below with blankets to cushion his fall. He's has only fallen out two or three times in the past week. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

The video below is a montage of events. First, the introduction of his "new" bed. Second is he and his brother sitting and watching "Curious George". I overheard their gafaws and had to get them on tape. Of course, I wish you could've heard them in the beginning. (Primarily before CORWIN knew the camera was on.) And, thirdly, is Owen busting some moves to his music. Again, I wish these boys would ignore the pretty red camera and just be themselves. If you can imagine, their animation is about 10 times more than what you see on these videos. They hear the "ding" of the camera, and suddenly they're more interested in me. Anyway, enjoy the show.

Trick or Treat! Smell My Feet!

Well, we got plenty of "good to eat!" Too much, in fact. Sunday evening was Trick-or-Treating for my boys. We got started early because our church had "Hallowed Heroes", a walk-through Hall of Fame. Anyway, Owen went as a dinosaur or dragon. I don't know which. I just know I got the costume for $4 at Goodwill. And, Corwin saved his birthday money to buy his Darth Vader costume.

Let me tell you the story behind his costume. Corwin has a football uniform (complete with helmet) and a Superman costume that he could have worn for Halloween. And, he was okay with that until... he saw a Target ad in Parenting magazine. He saw a Darth Vader costume for $20 that he "needed" desperately. Unfortunately, his parents weren't going to buy him another costume when he had two perfectly good ones in the toy box. Well, thanks to Mimmy and Pappy, the boy received $20 of birthday money. He knew immediately what he wanted to do with it. And, how can I argue? So, we went to Target a couple days later and bought him his Darth Vader costume. He has played in that thing more than I imagined he would!

There's no story for Owen's costume. Just a good find at Goodwill. Well, actually, I'd bought it for Corwin two years ago, thinking he'd fit into it. When I got it home, it was WAY too small for him, so I decided to put it in the closet for Owen's future. This is the year of the dinosaur. And, it was nearly too small for him! But, ain't he cute!!!

The second half of the evening was spent at church's "Hallowed Heroes" event. I was in charge of the "David and Goliath" scene. Kids would file through our church annex and hear a very short version of a Bible story and receive a memorable trinket. For example, they'd hear a short story of David and Goliath and received a beautiful, smooth stone to remind them of God's faithfulness. Next was Ruth and Boaz, John the Baptist, and Queen Esther. I thought it was a huge success! Thanks to Goliath (a.k.a. Matt) for being a willing participant. Corwin enjoyed being David for about 30 minutes. Good thing we had four other Davids waiting for their shift.

We had a lot of fun Halloween evening. It was fun to also serve our community as well. But, now we're dealing with that mound of Halloween candy in the pantry. I wish it'd quit calling my name....

Crazy Carvers!

We carved a pumpkin today. This was the first year that the boys seemed really interested in it. Corwin has always been curious, but not interested in touching all that gooey mess inside. Owen was curious last year, but too small to participate.

Corwin enjoyed doing some of the carving. Carving meant he could use "his" carving knife. (Don't worry. It's one of those pumpkin carving knives. Not sharp.) Anyway, he worked hard on his masterpiece.

Owen enjoyed chopping on the remnants.

And...here is the finished product. I love these next three pictures. It definitely shows the personality and spunk of my two boys. I promised them they could make goofy faces if they gave me one good smile. Thus, the second and third shots. The first one? I couldn't get them to shut up so I could get a decent shot. Oddly enough, it's probably my favorite.

Birthday Blast

This past weekend we went to Arkansas for a birthday celebration!

Owen turned two on October 20th, and his cousin Jack turned 1 on the 21st. So, we Mommies thought it would be fun to have a joint birthday party for the two boys, and fun it was. On Friday the boys played and enjoyed the outdoors. Here's Corwin and Jack on Buck. Owen wanted nothing to do with being on that monstrous animal.

This is on Saturday before (or possibly during) the party. Owen saw Pa sitting on the bench swing, and thought he'd take a ride. It lasted about 2 seconds before he was ready to move on. It made a cute Kodak moment, nonetheless.

We had several games for the cousins to play. We started out with a skeleton scavenger hunt. The kids did an excellent job at finding all the skeleton pieces scattered around the yard. It was fun to see their wheels turning while the clue was read, then the light-bulb-moment, then the dash to find the piece.

We also played a relay with birdseed. Let me tell you, there were some fierce competitors among this crew.

Then, the popcorn eating contest. Kerrie Beth placed first place, Corwin second, and Macey third. But, they were all stuffing their faces trying to get that popcorn down. The little guys didn't care for eating it like a dog. But, they did appreciate the snack.

Here are the Birthday Boys, and their miniature cakes.

Owen insisted on eating his cake with a fork. I guess 2-year-olds are much more civilized than 1-year-olds. But, I think Jack had much more fun!

And, as is custom, there were entirely too many gifts. But, let me tell you, the boys are sure enjoying them today. Monster trucks, motorcycles, tractors, books, trains, flashlights, puzzles, games, and the list goes on...and on, and on....

Finally, the kids decorated pumpkins and received their treat bags. Corwin was too cool to put in his vampire teeth.

That evening was the annual Stroud Family Fall Festival. This event is hosted by Jeff and Vernetta, and their church is invited to attend. The boys had a ball. They played hard, rode the hayride, played in sand and dirt, ate hot dogs, and then left a mud pile in the bathtub afterwards. They were SO filthy!

We had an amazing time. The boys had so much fun with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They were spoiled rotten, and now I get to deal with it today. Oh, well. That's the way it's supposed to be, isn't it?

Terrific Two!

Two years ago we were blessed with Owen Scott. He is such a blessing! He is sweet and funny, quiet and self-entertaining. Don't get me wrong; with the approach of year 2 comes a temper and the ability to voice that temper. But, for the most part, he is quiet and tolerant (of his big brother).

This morning I was praying for Owen, and quickly realized that he is not mine. He is God's, and God has entrusted him in my care for a time. I cannot wait and see what He has planned for Big O. And, I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be his mom. It is such an honor.

We had a pretty uneventful birthday. (The festivities will ensue this weekend.) His friends came over for awhile. He thoroughly enjoyed that. Then, we had cake to celebrate. He even helped make it. I think enjoys licking the beaters just as much as the cake itself.

Happy Birthday, Owen! I pray there are many, many, MANY more to come!

Cheese! Drink...Please!

I have been on myself for not being more dilligent in video recording Owen as he learns to talk. Well, the camera happened to be handy when he came up asking for a drink. He does a very strange thing when asking for a beverage. He garggles. Whether it's milk, juice, or water, he garggles. And, he's persistent. He will stand by your side garggling, garggling, garggling, until his thirst is quenched.

Let me translate his words in this video. He starts out by saying "Cheese" because that's what you do when a camera is pointed at you. Secondly, he answers my question by garggling "water", then ends the clip with a sweet "please". Enjoy!

Corwin Can Ride a Two-Wheeler

While at Pomme de Terre Lake, Corwin had a lot of time and a lot of space to ride his bicycle. Daddy and Cousin Jeremy took the training wheels off so he could try his hand (or feet) at a two-wheeler. We started off in the grass, and after several successful treks, we graduated to the asphalt. He is now a pro!

This video doesn't show how good he is at it now, but it shows the process. It took him one good day to master the art. I've never seen him so determined to conquer something! I am so proud of him! He would practice going around the loop over and over and over. He put many miles on those little tires. But, he got better, and faster, and is a pretty good little bike rider now!

Enjoy the video!

October Fishing Frenzy...or Flop

We just got back from a 35+-year family tradition. Over 35 years ago my Grandpa Draper and his brothers embarked on a fall fishing frenzy. They would spend a couple weeks fishing, catching a myriad of fish. Jason and I have participated in this event for the past 5 or 6 years. Unfortunately, the fishing has been more of a FLOP since we have participated. This year was no exception. It was more of a Fishing Flop.

Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable time with family. Only two of the original Drapers are left--my Grandpa and my great Uncle Coday. Thankfully, they were still able to participate in the tradition. Grandpa isn't really able to fish anymore, but we did definitely enjoy his company around the campfire.

The boys enjoyed being outdoors for four days. Owen LOVES the boat! Here he is "driving" Grandpa's boat:

This year was unique in that the weather was exceptionally warm. Corwin even went "swimming" one day, when the high got up into the upper 80s. He didn't swim much. He found the water was much too cold. But, he did go wading with Grandma, picking up rocks and shells, and getting stuck in the mud.

Great Grandma and Owen are watching the boats of fishermen come in. Waiting to see if anyone caught anything this time....

And, if there is a snack out, Owen's eating.

Here's Jason getting ready to go out. There is much prep work to be done before launching the boat. Owen and Corwin are standing by, ready to help.

Owen learned a few skills from the elders. Between Aunt Betty, Great Grandma, and Grandpa, he got pretty good at reeling in his bait. Jason even took him out one morning, and Owen was able to help him reel in a fish!

Here's Owen out on the lake in Grandpa's boat. Jason said he LOVED the boat rides!

Grandpa is going on a walk with the boys. I think he's actually going to spy on a boat out on the water. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Dedication and Celebration

We had an eventful weekend. We FINALLY had Owen's baby dedication. Jason and I tend to choose to do "Toddler" dedications. When I was pregnant with both boys, Jason took new jobs that relocated our family. Therefore, when each child was born only weeks after the move, we were overwhelmed with a new home, a new baby, a new church, etc. Then, time slips away and the boys are nearing their second birthdays. Oh, well. The important thing is, we have committed to God and our church family that we will strive to teach our boys to love and serve God. I guess it doesn't matter their age.

Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed the service. It was sweet and special. Family came in for the special event, and once again, we were faced with how truly blessed we really are.




After the service we came back to the house to celebrate Corwin's 5th birthday with the family. He's a lucky kid! How many of us get TWO birthday cakes and TWO celebrations? He certainly loves the attention.

Our pastor gave Owen a gift for his special day. It was perfect because he had something to open along with Bubby. And, Pastor Greg (or his wife) did good! The boys LOVES trains. He loved this specific train gift so much, he wore out the batteries on the first day. That thing ran solid for about four hours!

Cousin Jack came to join the party. He was so fun! Jack and Owen are exactly one year and one day apart. It's amazing to see the difference a year makes.

We had an amazing weekend. It's always good to spend time with family. And this time was special because WE didn't have to travel afterwards! We could rest and relax after the crowd left. Ahhhh.... So good!

Don't Spill the Beans!

Corwin and Owen were playing the game "Don't Spill the Beans" yesterday, and Owen got to laughing so hard, he could barely catch his breath. Naturally, I scrambled for the camera to get it on film. But, he had calmed down considerably by then. But, I did get a good ol' Owen laugh or two, and some facial expressions. You can also hear him say "CHEESE" twice. He did see the camera, after all.

Not Just Any Ol' Day

I chose to take pictures of a rare and special event that occurred at our house yesterday. I hope you're sitting down for this one; if not, you might need to find yourself a chair. Below you will find pictures of Corwin...PARTICIPATING IN AN ART PROJECT! If you have ever had my oldest son in Sunday School or ever tried to make him sit down and color, you will understand the magnatude of this event. It just doesn't happen! He will sit still long enough to color the smallest object on the page, and then he's done! The boy simply doesn't care to be creative! Now, Owen, on the other hand, will sit for an hour.

It all started with a card I printed out for the boys' Nana's birthday. I told Corwin to color the front, then we handed it off to Owen to finish on the inside. Well, that led to Corwin drawing Darth Vader, then a space ship, then punching holes, etc. I decided the event was momentous enough to document on film (or SD card).

Oh, and I'll explain the Wahl "Color Pro" hair clipper on the table. I got tired of paying $20 to get the boys' haircut, when I have watched it plenty of times! Surely, I decided, I can do the same thing. Especially when the set of clippers was only $35! Think of all the money we'll be saving! Anyway, just prior to "art time" I gave the boys a haircut. That also explains Owen being shirtless. :) Just for your information, you see....

That evening we had pizza and movie night. This was my view. Aren't they the cutest little guys!!?? They both immediately assumed the movie-watching position...hands behind your head, and feet crossed. Too cute!