First Haircuts

This afternoon I took the kids to get their first haircuts. I think I could have gotten away with letting Olivia's hair grow a little more before a cut, but Owen's was starting to look scruffy. Olivia went first, and she did so well. She climbed right up in the chair and did exactly what was asked of her. Owen, however, was not so well behaved. He cried the entire time- poor little thing. I had to stand right beside him and hold his hand while Denise cut his hair. I'm actually amazed that Denise was able to cut it as well as she did with such little cooperation from Owen. Although I'm pleased with the result, I am sad that Owen lost all of his curls. He looks less like a baby now and more like a little boy. Anyway, after making it through the haircuts, we headed next door to the bakery to get a celebratory cookie. Maybe the memory of the cookie will remain with Owen so that he'll be more likely to cooperate next time.

Olivia's 3rd Birthday Party

Even though Olivia's actual birthday is next week, we had her party last night at my mom and dad's house. The theme of the party was "The Little Mermaid". A girl I went to high school with (Beth - see website) did a fantastic cake for the party. The cake was a big deal for Olivia this year, and it has been the topic of much discussion for the past several months. Since seeing Ava's "princess" cake in April, Olivia has talked nearly non-stop about what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. She stated numerous times- very specifically- that she wanted an "Ursula" cake. Yes, that's Ursula the evil sea witch from "The Little Mermaid". I didn't want Olivia to have a bad-guy cake, so I had Beth design a cake that featured Ursula but was not entirely devoted to her. I think that Beth did a fabulous job. Seriously, this was one of the cutest cakes that I have ever seen.

After eating the cake, it was time to open presents. Olivia received a lot of nice gifts this year including princess dress-up clothes, hairbows, everyday clothes, and an "I Spy" quilt from Aunt Connie . Her big gift from Brian and I was a kitchen set. She really liked it a lot and wanted to play with it the second that we got home. I think that she will get many hours of play out of it. After opening gifts, all of the kids (and some adults) loaded up and went on a hayride around the block. We did this last year, and had such a good time that we had to do it again this year. The kids liked seeing all of the animals in the neighborhood and really seemed to enjoy themselves. Overall, I think that the party was a success, and I can now take a break from party planning until March when Owen will turn 2.

Bear Down 5K

I'm not trying to bore everyone with all of my running posts, but I am really excited about the run that I did this morning. I ran at the Bear Down and Run 5K and got another new personal best time of 26:51. This is almost a full minute faster than what I ran 2 weeks ago. I am really pleased with this time- especially considering it was a cross-country race and not a road race. I was the only woman in my age group, so I got the first place trophy. The picture that I have posted is of me after the race with my friend, Carrie. She and her family were fellow participants in the racing events, and they also did very well.

Welcome, Audrey Kate

This afternoon I was able to meet the newest member of our family- Audrey Kate Boyett. My cousin, Jessica, and her husband, Franklin, welcomed Audrey into the world around 9:30 last night. As you can clearly see, she is a beautiful little girl and we are happy to have her with us (finally).

Harvest Run 5K

I just returned home from running my first 5K of this fall season. I was a little worried because I had not run on a road since the Swamp Run last March. I have been running on the treadmill, though, so I knew that I was in decent shape. Well, I am pleased to report that not only did I achieve a new personal best time (about 27:42), but I also placed second in my age division. This is the first time that I have ever won anything for running. I know that it's silly, but I am so proud of my little trophy. Winning it actually makes me just want to train harder and run more. Brian and the kids didn't get to go because it was a night race (and the race took place during the FSU game), but they were all waiting for me when I got home. When I walked in they all yelled "Good job, mommy". How sweet!

Guitar Heroes

We're not big video game players around here. That being said, Brian brought a game home from work last weekend that we have all been enjoying. It's called Guitar Hero 5, and two players can "play" a guitar along with different rock-n-roll songs. Usually, the players are Brian and I while Owen and Olivia are the "back-up dancers". Tonight, however, Olivia took a guitar and joined the band. (Well, the guitar wasn't plugged in, but she didn't know that). Could this be the beginning of a lucrative career as a family band? Probably not, but it is still a lot of fun to play.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

...It's Super-Owen.

(There is no story behind this picture- I just really like it and want to share.)