September - October 2009

Well, once again it has been several months since my last post....
The boys are just so cute right now. They love eachother so much. When Owen is at school and Drew is home with me all he wants to do is go pick up Wink-Wink from school. They are definitely all BOY!!! A lot of rough-housing goes on, but most of the time it is in fun - every now & then it is a full on brawl, which just about makes me crazy!

Some funny things lately...
Owen at bedtime prayer... "God, thank you for my clothes and thank you for my Big Ole Booty, Amen." I was lying with him and we both just started cracking up laughing... he just came up with that on his own - so funny!
Owen also calls remotes, commodes(he thinks he is saying remote) - which doesnt sound too funny, but when used in certain contexts it is highly innappropriate!

Drew is talking up a storm, and singing all the time! He sings songs from church, school and cartoons too...Thomas especially. He turns most name into a -y name. Bob the Builder, is Bobby. Thomas the Tank Engine is Tommy. He is just so cute!

We have all been doing great & staying busy this fall... Owen & Drew both are attending Bethany Methodist School. Owen goes 2 days each week and Drew goes 1 day each week. They love their teachers and classmates and are having so much fun. We also attend Community Bible Study on Wednesdays where they are a part of classes too.
Here are some pictures of their first days at school.

Owen started soccer this fall too. He is on the Mighty Meatballs! He loves being a part of the team, and running around, but isn't too competitive yet. Josh & I, being as competitive as we are, were expecting him to be competitive too! Not yet!! Maybe in 4 yr old soccer next year - HAHA. Here is Nana with Owen during a break.

Summer 2009

This summer has been a great one! Owen learned to swim & is now our little fish. He loves going to the pool! Drew also took lessons & was taught to float on his back - he wasn't crazy about the lessons, but since he has NO FEAR at the pool, it brought us a little bit of peace-of-mind! He stands on the edge & says "mark, set, go" and the dives right in... whether you are ready or not!

We had a great trip to Rosemary Beach. The drive is long, but 100% worth it! The beaches are beautiful, and the water clear. It was so much fun to spend time with family... here is a picture of the whole gang....

We also spent a weekend in Goliad with Josh's mom, Les & Josh's brother & his family. We had a fun time swimming & walking around Goliad.

Most of our summer has been spent right here at home... We would do our outings in the morning, and then spend the afternoons here at home in the AC - it is so HOT this summer... it is unbearable outside in the afternoon!

Drew had his 2nd trip to the ER this summer too.... :( he banged his head, and then.... eyes rolled back, and he passed out. It was scary, but after a check-up from the ER pediatrician, he was totally fine. We actually learned it is quite common that kids hit their heads, get shocked by the sensation & hold their breath until they pass out....We decided that even though it is "common" we are hoping for it NEVER to happen again - it was really scary!

Bethany Methodist School starts back in September. Owen will go back 2 days a week & little Drew will be going 1 day a week.... I love the school, and we are excited that we will be back to a schedule soon!

Drew nicknames his big brother...

Drew is a pretty big talker & he has nicknamed Owen - "wink-wink". It is absolutely the cutest thing (to us :) )! He calls for him when he cannot find him... "wink-wink, wink-wink". He loves his big brother so much! We are gonna try to get it on video, and we will post is if/when we do!
Both of the boys are doing so good swimming... I am so glad we did the ISR lessons! Owen jumped off the diving board (the pirate plank, as he calls it) this past weekend, no life jacket, no floaties... i couldn't believe it! Drew jumps in, goes under & swims a few feet! We are very proud parents!

blog slacker

okay... so obviously keeping up with this blog has not fallen very high on my priority list... I really love the idea of keeping funny stories, and great memories here... so here I go again to try to keep it current ;)

Josh & I spent the weekend in San Antonio this past weekend without kiddos... It was very very very relaxing! We stayed on the riverwalk and had a blast. The boys stayed with my parents. When we got home, Owen cried.... He didn't want us to be back! HA! After getting over the initial rejection ;) we thought it was so adorable & really great that he had so much fun!

Drew's latest funny phrase is... "in a mit" he does this while pointing is index finger at me... I am always telling owen things in minutes... "in 2 minutes we are going to leave"... or "you can have a turn for 1 minute".... Drew has obviously picked up on it & is using it in context... it just cracks me up! Tonight I asked him if he was ready to go up to bed, and he said "No" (while shaking his head very dramatically) and then looked at me, pointed his finger & said "in a mit (minute)" so cute!!!

The other day I banged my head really hard in the garage.... it actually made me cry.... i know it is funny, but not the point of the story.... When Owen found me in tears... he said, "Mommy, don't worry... Jesus doesn't want you to be sad - He will make you better." I then started crying even more at how precious he was... what an example of true "childlike" faith!

here are a few pics!

Drew... our climber - ahhhh!

Drew's 1st trip to the ER

Last week we spent a very long afternoon in the ER with sweet Drew... He fell running in the house & hit his head on the end table... He was so tough...mommy on the other hand, not so tough! I held it together, but inside I was so upset. Thank God for our great neighbors, they let Owen come over & play & they took me to ER so I didnt have to drive Drew myself. By the time we got to the ER he was happy as can be & flirted with everyone there! He ended up with 4 stitches. Here is a picture the night we got home...

Life in February 2009

We have had another fun and busy month, we cannot believe how fast March has arrived!

Drew is talking up a storm... toddler talk that is. Sometimes you can make out what he is saying & other times he leaves us completely stumped, though he is certain he is being clear :). His favorite things right now are books (Brown Bear Brown Bear & Polar Bear Polar Bear), Handy Manny tools, and balls. He is so cute when he wants to read a book. He hands Josh or I the book then turns around and backs up into us and plops down. One time through the book is not enough, each book must be read over & over until he is satisfied! He loves his Handy Manny tools that play music. He dances around in circles waving his arms & bouncing up & down - priceless! Owen amazes us with how much he is learning. His vocabulary grows and grows everyday! He is very thoughtful & polite all of the sudden too! I was lying on the floor, exhuasted, half playing with the boys & Owen asked, "Mom, you feeling ok? I think you need a break." I think he was right! He still is telling us, Happy ValentiMes Day & gives us kisses. The boys are starting to really play together... Drew still doesnt play "right" all the time, but Owen is starting to really enjoy him as a playmate. Below are some recent pics!

the boys playing together... or wrestling?!

Owen playing "crash" on his scooter.... all boy!

Josh reading to Drew.

Houston Adventure

This past weekend we packed up & headed to Houston. Friday night, we did nothing because 5 minutes after we got into my parents house Drew got sick! I was so bummed, but he did fine the next day, which was full of seeing friends. First we headed to Town & Country and did a little shopping, playing at Barnes & Noble and then had a fun lunch with Meagan. We then headed home so Drew could nap. When he woke up, we did a little more shopping at Highland Village & then got to visit Nat & Scott and their sweet baby boy, Oliver (seriously maybe the best baby EVER). From there we headed to the wedding reception at the Heights Firehouse. Josh's cousin Liana got married in Argentina the beginning of January. We had never met the groom and we soon found out that I went to high school with him!!! I couldn't believe... it really is a small world!

Today we were talking about Aunt Nicole having a baby in her tummy, and it is a little girl. I asked him what the baby's name should be, and he told me "the other Drew". All babies are Drew to him - it is really cute! He also said, "I want a baby in my tummy." I told him, only grown-up girls have babies in their tummies - and that he would be a daddy one day. He said, "oh great, I'll be a daddy on the roof". He was so thrilled that he will eventually be allowed on the roof!

Owen Spiderman

We have been trying to teach Owen is full name, Owen Caleb Norrell.... He, of course, knows that his first name is Owen and when you ask him, "what is your name?" he responds, "Owen". We kept telling him that his last name is Norrell, and he would repeat it... "No - well". It was really cute. A little while later, we asked him again, "What is your full name?" he said, "Owen" and we asked, "what about your last name?" he out of nowhere, responded, "Spiderman". Josh and I just cracked up. I am not sure how he even knows about Spiderman. We have never watched a Spiderman cartoon, we have one ball that has Spiderman on it, but nothing else! He continues, a week since the initial name change, to call himself Spiderman.

We were at the Gap trying to get him some new blue jeans (he is still growing like a weed - and has grown out of his 3T jeans - which i cannot believe!) and saw this Spiderman t-shirt... we couldn't resist!

The start to 2009 has been a crazy one!

Some of you know that poor lil Drew has had a real tough time battling ear infections over the last few months.... Last week we had tubes put in his ears & he seems to be doing so much better. He hadn't slept through the night in months, and the he has been sleeping so great since the procedure. I am so glad that we went ahead and did it. He doesn't like wearing the earplugs in the bath, but I would much rather deal with him fussing about the ear plugs than the countless ear infections we have been dealing with...

Owen started back to Mothers Day Out Tue & Thur - we love his school! He has learned so much & has made some great lil friends. We also attend a Bible Study on Wednesdays at Hyde Park Baptist Church, it has been great for the all of us.... We are settling back into our routine after a fun, and crazy holiday season.

Time to start our family blog....

I have watched countless friends start up blogs & decided that it was time to start one up myself. We have so many precious moments happening with the little guys, and this will be the perfect way to share the memories and preserve them so that we can enjoy them later!