Just Life

5x7 Folded Card

2011-06-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

Picture In Portrait 5x7 folded card

Invitations, announcements and Valentine's Day cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Got $10 off my next order....so thought might as well. This is us at the zoo back in March!

Sweet Family Times!

2010-11-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

Just Added Today!

2010-11-04T15:08:00.001-07:00

Aubryn has added pulling up to her repertoire of things she can do :)!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin picture time!

Cheesy Daddy and Aubryn

"Running"....what Owen said was his favorite part of the pumpkin patch :)

6 Months....where did the time go?!?

2010-10-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today Aubryn turned 6 months old so thought it's time I post a little more about her.....

* She smiles more than any baby I've ever seen.....it's infectious and adorable!

* Her super stinky gas has subsided :)!

* She sits up all by herself.

* She loves bath time!

* She loves her big brother!

* She poops out her diaper about every fourth diaper !

* She's become a "Mommy's Girl" in the last couple of months.

* She puts everything in her mouth....there has to be a tooth coming soon!

* She still has us guessing on how to get her on a better sleep schedule....specifically one that will
get her to sleep through the entire night!

* Everyone always says "She's sooo happy!"

* Her favorite hang out place is the exersaucer.

:)..... :)

2010-10-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

September Pics

2010-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

She's a Dancin' Machine!

2010-09-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Pics from August...should've turned Aubryn's :)!

2010-08-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Broncos v. Chiefs

2010-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Looks as if my attempt to make him a Bronco has failed :(.

Aubryn's 4 Month Stats

2010-08-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Aubryn has had her 4 month well-baby check-up and here are the stats....

Height 25" = 75th percentile
Weight 13lb 12oz. = 50th percentile

She has come a long way since the first couple of months! She's much happier and we are much happier too :)! She has been able to roll over for a couple weeks now, doesn't do it a whole lot but does it if she's in the mood. Has the greatest smile, you can't help but smile when she flashes one at you! And she loves her big brother! Pictures to come soon and also hopefully more regular postings of all family happenings...one can always hope right?!?!

Traveling These Days

2010-06-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

So traveling has really changed these days. First of all it's a huge process just to get all of us out the door and into the van. Once we're all in there is a 90% chance that Aubryn will not be happy that we are in motion so if there are two adults present one then goes to the back set and "plugs" her til she falls asleep. If there aren't two adults Owen says "shhh" and pulls her toy for her...neither decreases the crying. As for Owen he has turned into quite the chatter box! Tonight on our way home from McPherson I'm pretty sure there wasn't an entire minute of silence :). He wanted "more tows (cows), more houses, more horses, more, more, more....as if we could make more appear upon his request for more :)! Traveling...it's quite the experience these days :)!

Oops Almost Forgot....

2010-06-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

Owen's 2 year old stats are:

30lbs. 5 oz. 80% percentile
35 3/4 inches 80% percentile

Our Little Farmer and his Grandpa

2010-06-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

A Little Bumbo Time!

2010-06-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

2010-06-18T06:45:00.001-07:00

Time to get back to blogging so I can look back in 20 years and remember this time in our lives!

Let's see the latest on Todd...
* He's in love with Hickory Hut's "Slammer"
* He has started working out on our latest garage sale purchase...a Total Gym
* He's officially our church's "Equipping Director" and "Youth Director"...2 jobs!
* He has gone from playing in Kingdom's Call every week to every other week.
* He's really seeking God's will right now.

Now for me....

* I'm challenged daily with now having 2 children :).
* I laugh daily at and with my son!
* I have cut out pop and coffee from my diet in order to lose leftover baby wieght.

Now Owen....

* He is still in love with balls and takes them to bed with him.
* He is understanding and comprehending more and more, it's really amazing!
* He adds words to his vocabulary almost everyday.
* He loves his baby sister, gives her kisses and hugs. He also says..."Aubryn
happy!"...or "Aubryn happy, no!"
* He loves "nacks" and it seems he could eat every hour of the day right now.
* He loves to run around the house chasing daddy.
* He has a pretty nice baseball swing, line drives most of the time, keeps us on
our toes!
* He helps clean the house with baby wipes...especially the TV :).

And finally Aubryn...

* She is definitely much different then Owen!
* She sleeps great at night anywhere from 5 to 8 1/2 hours at a time!
* She cat naps during the day...so there's the trade off.
* She really likes to be held when she's awake.
* She loves laying on her changing table and being changed..diaper and clothes.
* She has a cute smile :)!

Miss Aubryn's 2 Month Stats

2010-06-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Aubryn had her two month appointment today and she is 22 inches long (50th percentile) and 10lbs. 5 oz. (50th percentile).

FINALLY!!!

2010-06-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

She's here and has been here now exactly 2 months! Here are some day 1 to day 56 pics!

Bedtime Buddies?

2010-01-28T20:34:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd post what Owen took to bed with him for his nap this afternoon...

* Elmo
* J.J. (stuffed monkey)
* Winnie the Pooh
* Beanie Baby Dog
* Clifford the Big Red Dog
* Another stuffed dog
* 5 Blankets....4 of them knitted ones
* A plastic cucumber
* Plastic Spoon
* Plastic Spatula
* Elmo Sticker Book
* A pair of mittens
* And...two pillows

Other things he has taken books (up to 10!), balls (including a varsity sized football. The fun thing is that before he gets out of bed he must hand you everything one at a time!

Week 22...I Think!

2009-12-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

From 22 weeks

Poor 2nd child...already being neglected. We've been meaning for months to get a profile pic of the little...well not little...girl!

Pride Comes Before a Fall

2009-12-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

So for the past couple of weeks I have been proudly telling people who ask that Owen has been doing super when it comes to the Christmas tree. He only takes off "his" ornaments and for the most part leaves the tree alone! Until yesterday :). I was getting lunch ready in the kitchen only to turn around and see this! Total loss .... 3 ball ornaments and 1 icicle. Does a parent laugh, be mad, or play it neutral on this one?!

A Boy and His Snowglobe!

2009-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

Decorating or Destroying?

2009-12-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Father and Son

2009-12-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving '09

2009-12-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

Found Out Early This Time!

2009-12-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Owen will be a Big brother to a new baby SISTER come April!

18 Months Old!

2009-11-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Owen had his 18 month appointment today, so I thought I'd record the stats and high points and low points to look back on someday!

Height - 32 3/4 inches - 60th percentile
Weight - 27. 1 lbs. - 60th percentile

Developmentally he would be ahead of schedule except for his speech. His gross and fine motor skills are in high gear, but speech is lagging behind. The Dr. recommended we get a speech evaluation done on him. This isn't the first person who has recommended it so it looks like we'll get one scheduled. Ears are looking good....woo-hoo! And last the Dr. kindly told me that the "terrible 2's" begin now :)! Thought I'd include a pic of his latest "face" that cracks us up....Daddy taught it to him :)!

Third Anniversary and Fall Fun

2009-11-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

B-E-A-UTIFUL!!!!!

2009-10-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today......more progress :)!

2009-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

As of noon today we have some new shrubs on the south side of our house and a new fence going up! It's just amazing! More pics to come at the end of the day!

HOORAY!!!!

2009-10-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

First two days of backyard progress!!!! Dirt, dirt, dirt, gotta love it :)!!!

Scary O!!

2009-09-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tiiimmmmbbber!!

2009-09-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Uncle Kyle requested some pics of the very exciting life of Owen :). So here are a few and I think I'll put a video on too, since he asked so nicely :)!

First we have cousin Brayden's Birthday Party...O was teething and wore a bib the whole time.

And now we have Owen's second trip to the zoo. Owen's ability to point and make a noise when he sees an animal made it a step above our first trip when he was 3 months old.

August Pictures

2009-08-23T01:00:00.001-07:00

2009-08-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Latest

2009-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

I took a few minutes and glanced back over previous months and found I have been doing horrible as of late. So I'm going to try and sum up the last couple of months worth of activities.
Starting with what Owen has been up to:
* Balls, balls, balls, balls. Throwing them mostly but now and then shooting them into his basket. Every garage sale we went to one Saturday he found either a ball he wanted or an actual basketball goal...and all but one were not for sale :)! We are currently working on distinguishing that balls can be thrown but piggy banks, books, shoes, cups, etc. can't be :)!
* He also loves his piggy banks. He has four of them and we put money in them at least once a day. Let me clarify....I open up the bottom of the piggy bank and get money out that can be put back in. We ran out of change so we're recycling!
* Fly swatting is another favorite activity. Daddy taught him this one.
* And most recently he discovered the fun of flashlights (we were using one to look for Mommy's lost cell phone)!

As for Todd and Myself:
* First, the back yard. Well, I can pretty much sum it up in two words.....no progress. Kind of a bummer, but we are hopeful it'll be done soon.
* Todd has taken on an additional title at church called "Equipping Director". In a nutshell he is trying to help our congregation discover what gifts God has specifically given each of them to use in ministry, and then to have them serve God in that ministry. A pretty big job!
* I'm still at home with O and loving it!
* Todd and I got the opportunity to go to one of my oldest friend's weddings, and Todd performed his first wedding ceremony...very cool!

More Harvest '09 and Rick & Mary Lou's Last Sunday

2009-08-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

A Dancin' Machine!

2009-07-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Owen decided to bust out the dance moves yesterday! He's almost as good as his Daddy already :)!!

Backyard......BEFORE

2009-06-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Omaha Getaway

2009-06-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm-Mmmmmm Cheesecake Factory!

Todd's usual: Louisiana Chicken Pasta

Melissa's usual: Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut-Cilantro Vinaigrette

This time we tried new cheesecakes....Dutch Apple Carmel Streusel and Dulce De Leche Carmel Cheesecake (I can highly recommend the 2nd one).

First Combine Ride

2009-06-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Owen's first combine ride...woo-hoo! He did well for the first five or six minutes then it was time to move around. Get down stand for a minute, sit on my lap for a minute, stand on my lap for a minute and then repeat! Later that day when we got home we discovered that he is pretty allergic to something out in the field...maybe wheat...ugh!

Best Darn Daddy Ever!

2009-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

1 Year Old Running His First Scam.....on his Grandparents of course :)!

2009-06-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

He must have made $3 off them before the night was over :)!

Coming Soon.......A NEW BACKYARD!!!!!

2009-06-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

We found out about an hour ago that we won the "Ugliest Backyard" contest....I still can hardly believe it!!! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who supported us through their votes. We have the most amazing friends and family..... We're so blessed! From what we understand the votes are what got us the new backyard! So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! Pictures to come soon :)!!

Live Action from the Splash Park!

2009-05-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Splish Splash!

2009-05-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Went to the splash park today, O loved it!

Sportin' the new ear plugs :)!

We Need Your Help...

2009-05-22T08:02:00.001-07:00

We need your help. Todd and I entered a contest for the world's ugliest backyard and we got picked as a finalist. We get a backyard makeover for free if we win. Vote for us!!

Go to http://worldsugliestbackyard.com Vote for option D. I don't think you have to vote for 3. Go option D! Thanks!!

O's New Can and Cannot Do Lists

2009-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

After one year of life Owen can.....

....walk upright

....put Denver's dog food in Denver's water bowl to make it nice and soggy for him

....throw and catch pretty good for a 1 year old

....SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT...HALLELUJAH!!!

....flirt (see video), shamelessly as the other guests at the restaurant said

....eat and like every fruit in sight...he's officially a "fruititarian" with a bottle of milk thrown in

After one year of life Owen cannot.....

.....consistently drink from any form of a cup, he's still mostly a bottle boy

.....understand the word no....or is that just selective hearing?

.....understand why he cannot have a cell phone

.....go on any longer than 30 minute shopping trips....a true man's man

.....be outside enough, it's his favorite place to be

.....get Denver to stay still long enough to lay down and cuddle with him

Stats

2009-05-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Owen's 1 year stats are.....30 and 1/2 inches, 75%tile for height and 23 lbs. 1 oz, 55th%tile for weight. Dr. said he's doin' great!

Owen's Official Birthday!

2009-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

More Flirting

2009-05-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

2009-05-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

Owen had a "thing" for a waitress at the Kirby House. Whenever she looked at him he'd smile really big and then hide his face. It was hilarious, and the other people eating in our room got a bang out of it too :)!

Mother's Day Pics

2009-05-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this Mother's Day was quite different than my first. A lot less stressful and painful :)! For those of you who don't know I was in labor for a good portion of Mother's Day last year, and at 7:23 p.m. I was officially able to celebrate it :)! So for this post I of course want to post some pics, but would also like to do a little reflecting of my first year of motherhood.

First, what a blessing it is to have Owen in my life. I said to Todd one day a while back, sometimes when I wake up I get the same feeling I do on Christmas morning. It's that little excitement that there's a present waiting for you in the other room, and I just can't wait to go get him. Now, to be completely honest I don't have that feeling every morning, but thankfully those don't come as often.

Being a mother has been the most humbling experience I've ever gone through. Just when you think you're getting the hang of it things change and you start all over again. It's also humbling because I have been eating a lot of my words, especially phrases that started with "when I have kids I'm not going to....or they aren't going to..." :).

I know God has blessed me with exactly the child I need. I can see that I will be growing a lot along side him. It is going to be a great adventure and I look forward to each day, both good and bad. Speaking of...he's waking up from his nap gotta go!

1st Birthday Party!

2009-05-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

And Today....

2009-04-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday....

2009-04-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Messin' :)

2009-04-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

The First Hunt

2009-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

Owen's first big Easter Egg Hunt at Aunt Janice's. Due to inclement weather it was held in the old flower shop, hence why Owen is hunting under a table for the "hidden" treats. There was some stiff competition, but in the end I'd say he held his own :)! By the way there were 40 plus people there, they are who you hear in the background.

Fun at Oakdale Park

2009-04-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure he needed a little more height, but he sure gave it a good try :)!

Playing the chimes.

O doin' a little "rock wall" climbing at the park.

The Return of Tater Tot Owen!

2009-04-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Potato Jack "The Ambush" Pt 2

2009-03-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Potato Jack "The Ambush" Pt 1

2009-03-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Every year Todd has a potato bar fundraiser for the Youth Group. For the last 3 years he has put together these little "ads" for it. He uses kids from the Youth Group to "act" in it and he stars as "Potato Jack". This is part one of Potato Jack's adventure for this year :)!

One of O's Favorite Toys....The Ball Popper!

2009-03-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Kissin' ?!?!?

2009-03-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

O hasn't quite mastered the placement or techniques of kissing, but it's sure funny watching and experiencing his version :)!

Quick Update

2009-03-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Good news, good news...Owen's ears are getting better! For the last few months we have been taking him to a chiropractor in hopes that his ear infections would go away and we could avoid tubes. This past Wednesday we got a great report saying they are looking pretty good! Hooray, an answer to many prayers! As for walking, he is now standing quite a few times a day for about 10 seconds or so but not more than a couple steps. He bent down to pick up a book while standing by himself. Problem is he has no idea he's doing it. Yesterday we went to the little mall playground and he went up some steps of a slide/tunnel thing and by the time I got to the other side (less than 2 seconds) he'd already started on his way down...head first of course! Don't worry I caught him ...I'm not that slow :)! Let's see what else...Salina now has a Kohl's...more options is always nice ;). And we got a Freddy's Frozen Custard....hooray! Todd and I stood in line for 1 hour to get free, yes free food and frozen custard....they were training the staff! It was a huge highlight of my week! Other than that just looking forward to the good weather staying, and Owen's big 1st birthday!

A Dad and His Boy

2009-03-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

"Just" Some Family Time

2009-03-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Meeting in the middle! Gramps, Grammy and Uncle Kyle came from western Kansas and Uncle Eric, Aunt Andrea and cousin Brayden came from eastern Kansas. It was a beautiful day and good times were had by all!

2009-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to do a quick update and post a few pics that Grandma got. Todd has started his trek to becoming a deacon in the Methodist church. It'll take approximately three years and for those of you who want to know what it means...Todd says, "I'll be able to marry and bury". He also is keeping busy with work, Owen and me! As for me, I'm still enjoying being at home with Owen. We've really enjoyed the great weather in February getting out for walks and exploring a little. I'm pretty convinced that Owen's going to be an "outdoors" man :). Todd and I attended a simulcast called "Focus on Marriage" this past Saturday. It was a day well spent, the speakers were great and we also got to meet and chat with lots of people. And now for the little guy. He is unfortunately still fighting an ear infection, but we have faith that he will be healed. Today he is getting his two front teeth in...ouch! As for the walking lastnight he took another couple steps, but nothing that I would call all out walking. I think the ear infection messes with his balance...that's my professional medical opinion of course :)! Oh, and you might not be able to tell, but he IS getting more hair :)! He's almost 10 months old, just two short months til the big year...hard to believe. Speaking of Owen...I hear him waking up....gotta go!

February Pics!

2009-02-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

Owen's Best Friend :)!

2009-02-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

FIRST STEPS!!!!!

2009-02-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

For weeks and weeks people have been saying..."It won't be long til he's walking". The day has come! Today while I was away cleaning and Todd was home with Owen he took his first 2 steps! Todd said that as soon as he realized what was going on he got scared and started crying :). Well, it's in the books - 1st Day of Walking - it's gonna be a whole new ballgame now :)!

Imitating Daddy

2009-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

January Happenings

2009-01-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here's the last couple of weeks of "Just" life...haven't used that pun this year so thought I better :)! Grandpa finished 30 years of working at the Minneapolis dealership and Owen scored the balloons after we visited him. Made the trek out west to go hunting with the youth boys and their dads. Tough trip both ways.....lots, and lots, and lots of crying. The picture of O eating should read "typical first bite". When ever he eats a new solid he can't figure out what to make of it. Today we had a play date with little Miss Maddie, O's "southern bell". It was really fun to watch them interact, especailly when Maddie decided to "taste/lick" Owen :)! And can't forget that Todd got his Master's diploma in the mail today....whoo-hoo, sure glad we're done with that!

Can Do's and Cannot's

2009-01-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

I had an idea a while back to do Owen's "Can Do's" and "Cannot's" for the record. So here goes.....

Owen can....
* Crawl.....and quite quickly once he has his sights on something he
wants...usually the dog's bowls.

* Laugh :)

* Pull up on everything, the latest is our pant legs.

* Say he has two teeth...well not actually "say it" :)

* Get mad when he doesn't get his way....gets that from his Daddy :).

* Fart....again got it from his Daddy :).

* Speak his own language from manly grunts to cute cooing.

* Climb over....us, Denver, toys, guitar cases, steps, etc.

* Eat Gerber puffs, with the funniest faces.

* Say "mama" and "dada" but not intentionally directed at us.

Owen cannot....

* Sleep through the night....ARGH!

* Get those top teeth to come in....drool and chew and drool and chew and nothin'!

* Hold still while his diaper is being changed.

* Like his nose being wiped.

* Stay in one place for very long, or sit on a lap or be held period very long.

* Understand that Denver's tail is not a toy.

* Help looking just like his Daddy (that's what most people say at least).

Laughing - At the Strangest Things!

2009-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Who knows who this is funny ?!?!?

Indoor Sledding Part 2 - Different Ending!

2009-01-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas #4

2009-01-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

Final Christmas with Grammy and Gramps, Uncle Kyle, Uncle Eric, Aunt Andrea and Cousin Brayden!

Christmas #3

2009-01-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Justs'.

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

All the "little ones" at Aunt Janice's Christmas Eve night.

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Some December Pics

2008-12-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

Indoor Sledding

2008-12-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

HO, HO, HO MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
Love - Todd, Melissa and Owen

The Answer

2008-12-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me lastnight if Owen is crawling on all fours now. Guess the video answers that question! He got started on November 9 (two days before his 6 month b-day) and in the last two weeks he's picked up some decent speed :)!

The Sounds O Makes!

2008-12-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

Just Pics :)!

2008-12-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

Thanksgivings!

2008-12-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgivings...yes plural. This year we attended 3. The first one was on Thanksgiving and in Bennington at my parents. Owen was basically a chic magnet to my youngest girl cousins. And Mommy and Daddy ate and ate and fought Owen to go down for a nap....must not of wanted to miss out on any excitement. The second Thanksgiving was on Friday and in Aulne at Todd's Grandma and Grandpa Just's. Owen was not at his best for some reason and Mommy and Daddy battled him over a nap almost all day...ugh! Oh and of course we ate and ate! The third Thanksgiving was in Newton at a church with Todd's Mom's side (the Bowers). Owen had a super day...whoo-hoo! And of course we ate and ate again!

Owen Stats

2008-11-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Owen now weighs 17 lbs. 14 oz. and is 27 inches long.
He is in the 55th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height.
Just a little FYI :)!

Keepin' It Short!

2008-11-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by another blog I visit, she keeps things nice and short and you don't feel like you've read a novel by the end so here goes my attempt at "short and sweet"!

Owen's first experience with " real? food happened today we discovered likes sweet potatoes both mouth surrounding area ;)! His latest thing pulling up, he does it on everything....especially me! Todd is done calling football games...yea, and he?s downhill with master?s....only few weeks go whoo-pee! As for me, not much report.. just trying establish some kind of schedule so I can workout, read Bible, do laundry, etc. on a regular basis....unfortunately Owen doesn?t seem to have the word ?schedule? in his vocabulary yet :).

2008-11-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Owen Update - 1st Halloween, he was a fireman if you couldn't tell :). Thanks to Gavin and Stace for letting him borrow the outfit! He "trick or treated" in Bennington at Grandma and Grandpa's and then at his Mommy's best friend's old house. Surprisingly with only hitting two houses he made out really well :)! Grammy and Gramps came to visit along with Uncle Eric, Aunt Andrea and cousin Brayden. Owen wasn't too much for socializing and slept almost the enitre afternoon. Later, Sat. afternoon he went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa in Bennington. Let's see... he now sits up and still has his funky style of army crawling, but he's gotten much faster at it. And just this morning Daddy discovered two teeth poking through on the bottom! We figure he must be able to handle teething fairly well, because he really wasn't too fussy, hopefully it's that way for the rest of them too! Sleeping through the night you may wonder? The answer is still "NO!". He goes to bed around 8:00 and is up at around 2:00 to eat and then again at 6:30 to eat and stay up. Car rides have taken a sudden turn for the worse lately. It seems about 75% of the time now he's not really enjoying them. The crazy thing is now he cries when the van is moving and stops at stop lights...wierd!

Todd and Melissa Update - We celebrated our 2nd anniversary! It was fantastic! Todd did a great job of surprising me and took me to a B&B in Wichita. We ate at a great seafood restaurant and then headed back to the B&B to catch the Texas vs. Texas Tech game, which unfortunately I could not stay awake for the end :(. The next day was Sunday so we attended Chapel Hill church and heard an amazing guest speaker named Jerry Traylor. We got some lunch at a place called Doc Green, it's this awesome sandwhich and salad place...we highly recommend it. On Sundays they give you a 15% discount if you have your church bulletin with you, how cool is that! After that we spent the rest of the day shopping and then of course had to eat one more time at good ol' Chipotle. I realize with each and every time we getaway how much I love to be with Todd and it doesn't matter what we're doing...I'm very blessed!

I told you awhile ago that I'd update on how our "Fireproof" study is going and I'm happy to say it's going quite well. I really feel God is blessing this study. Just tonight we had a little time to share and two couples already have seen major changes in their marriage....Praise the Lord! I'm really excited to see what He has in store for the next 4 weeks of the study. It has also been a blessing to work with Todd on getting the lessons ready and doing our homework for it. I still highly recommend seeing the film and if it's made available to you doing the study as well. Well, I think that takes care of the highlights from the last week and a half!

Monday Night Laughs and Workout!

2008-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Owen's big workout before he takes a bath! Dad wants to make sure that everyone understands that his hands are not on O and that O's feet weren't holding much his weight. Mom wants everyone to understand she was scared to death!!!

This is O's laugh, ran out of time on the video otherwise it would have been longer! Gotta love hearing baby laughs....they are contagious ;)!

2008-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is what Owen has been working on today (10/22)! Not sure what you call this method of moving from one place to the another, but I'm sure it will someday evolve into a crawl!

2008-10-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

I just keep waiting for that one week where there was nothing going on and life was just boring. Pretty sure that's never going to happen! Todd turned 29 on Wednesday....I know, must be nice! We went out to eat Tuesday night with my folks to celebrate. Wednesday he had youth group so Owen and I went over to the church to have supper and give him his presents from "O". Thursday night I had the second half of my massage (a baby shower gift....the best ever!) and then went to see Sacred Heart play VB over at Central. Afterwards went to The Scheme to catch up with old coaching buddies and their kids...good times! Friday was the big South v. Central football game. Todd did color for this game instead of play-by-play. Owen slept the first half, with a few startles from erruptions of fans cheering. He made it all the way through the 3rd quarter and into some of the 4th before we headed home. As for the game....didn't turn out the way we would have liked it, the Stangs lost by a touchdown :(. Saturday marked the first day of baking in our new house ...whoo-hoo! When we moved in the stove was pretty ancient, and we decided around August we should look for a new one. First we got a gas range, it didn't work out to be what we wanted. So had to take that back and get an electric which was installed on Friday...yeah! I never thought I'd be so excited to bake and cook :)! We wrapped up the week with a trip to Sunny Side Pumpkin Patch with some church friends. It was a great day to be outside and Todd enjoyed his yearly corn maze challenge. Owen got to see goats and ducks, stand on a pumpkin and shoot a gourd....oh so fun!

Did This One All By Myself :)!

2008-10-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

So...did this one all by myself....my husband will fall off his chair at work he'll be so impressed :)! Let's see our weekly update... Owen laughed for the first time on Saturday night while we were playing peek-a-boo! He hasn't done it again since, kind of like the rollover he did it one day and didn't do it again for a few days afterward....strange :)! This was a big week of firsts for "O". He had his first tractor ride with Grandpa. Grandma rode too, and said "O" was into watching the tire out the window and the drill, but eventually gave into the steady hum of the tractor and fell asleep. After the farming adventure we headed to Pastor Troy's for their open house and "O" went on his first hay-rack ride. No idea if I spelled hay-rack right, but it didn't have a little red line under it so must be somewhere in the neighborhood of right :). Saturday, we went to Bethany for Homecoming. We walked all over campus...they have put some major improvements in! Then we went to the game and saw BC's first win...we must be good luck for them. Owen did great at the game didn't fuss once, just hung out with Dad and his old baseball buddies. Well, I'm trying to shorten these up a little, I can get a little long-winded so there's the latest week of Just life!

Catching Up!

2008-10-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well, as I anticipated I wouldn't be able to keep up a once a week update! Oh well, we all just do the best we can..right? On Saturday, September 20th Todd lost his Grandpa Bowers and we had his funeral the following Tuesday. It was a very nice service and it was good to see family. Friday Todd and I drove to Goddard with Tyler and Elina (the color guy and wife) to call the football game. We had a good time chatting and look forward to some more road trips with them. Owen spent his first night at Grandma and Grandpa's while we were at the ballgame. And I must say that was the best night of sleep I've ever had! You don't know know what you're missin' til you get it back :)! Saturday, Todd and I went to the movie "Fireproof". Excellent, an absolute must see for all married couples, engaged couples, those who hope to be married someday, etc. ! We are going to be leading a small group study based on it at our church, I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

The following week found Todd and I making a pretty spontaneous trip to Hutchinson to see "Shane and Shane" in concert (Todd's favorite group). It ended up being a "Pastor Appreciation" gift...bonus :) thanks Pam! And luckily we have a grandma on stand by that is always ready to spend time with her grandson. A plug for "Shane and Shane"....they're awesome!! Two genuine, authentic, humble, godly men that are very talented and have a great message in their music, so if you ever get a chance check em' out! Tuesday we ate at Gutierrez for staff appreciation dinner...mmm,mmm good! Thursday Todd went to a conference at COR (church of the resurrection) so Grandma came over after work to keep us company and take us out to eat...well, not Owen he doesn't eat anything but cereal. Uncle Kyle drove up from Southwestern college Friday to stay the night and ride out with us to surprise Gramps for his 50th birthday. I'd say mission was accomplished with the surprise, Rick had no idea :)! You can see Owen is up to a few new things in the pictures. He still LOVES walking (with someone's hands) he's even added a little hop/jump when he's super excited to get to his destination. He talks like Donald Duck now, he's closer to doing a somersault than crawling, he's losing a little of his "love for the road", and he got his first ear infection...but loves the amoxicillan :) Well, there you have it!

Out and About In The Great September Weather!

2008-09-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Just's took advantage of the fabulous weather that God has provided this week and got outside! Tuesday night Todd played two softball games with the church team while Owen and I cheered :). Owen has become a challenge to hold (he moves, and moves and moves) especially for two ballgames so Pam gave my muscles a break (she's who is holding him in the first picture). Friday night we attended Owen's first Salina South football game. He was pretty tuckered out by halftime so we watched the band and headed back home to eat some cereal and head to bed. Saturday found us at the Rolling Hills Refuge zoo. As you can see Owen wasn't super enthused with the animals, but Mommy and Daddy enjoyed them. At one point Owen was sleeping, but was awoken by the sweet smell of rhino poo :)! The picture of Todd watching the giraffes is the "G" rated one, they were feeling pretty frisky that day. We were worried we were going to have to give Owen "the talk" :). Other events this week included getting a new stove...woohoo! It's offically in the house and should be hooked up tomorrow by my handy dandy husband. The one that came with the house was ancient, and put out a few smells we weren't entirely comfortable with. Let's see, I lost another pregnancy pound, but am still 5 from being to my pre-preggo weight. I'm just waiting for Owen to take off and then I know it'll be gone in no time. And to wrap it up, today Owen spent the afternoon with the Jones' and had a great time!

I've Gone Blog Crazy Tonight!

2008-09-13T19:54:00.000-07:00