We are Fam-i-ly! I've Got All My Cousins with Me!

We have had such a crazy August, it's been almost a month since our last post! We've had visits from Cousin Bebe and Steve and Kara and Ricky, as well as a whirlwind trip to LA, Bakersfield, and then LA again! In the past month, it's been amazing to see how much Owen has been growing and changing.

 He now sits up entirely by himself, and appears interested in books. His favorite book is currently DOG (a fun book from our friends Phil and Gail).

He can pull himself into standing position, and does so whenever the opportunity arises (although he's still not too sure about how to sit down gracefully from this position).

Owen has been more and more interested in "people food" (you know, as opposed to the dog food we typically feed him). He now gets angry if you eat in front of him and don't plan on sharing. He has also mastered the two finger grab, and only uses his entire fist to pick things up occasionally. Our current teeth count is 5 (his 5th poked through just last week)!!

On our recent trip to LA and Bakersfield (and then back again), Owen had a chance to spend some quality pool time with all four of his cousins! At this point, he's the only boy in the mix!

Owen had a great time with Brooke and Sophie in Bakersfield.

 Whenever we were out by the pool in LA, Owen had to be in the water. Sometimes this meant that there simply wasn't enough time to grab a bathing suit.

Bella absolutely adores Owen! It's so sweet!

After a nice day in the pool, there's nothing like relaxing on the couch with your favorite balloon and watching some good old fashioned Sesame Street. 

Baby Darby wasn't too sure about Owen. 

While we were in LA, we went to Bella's 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese! I don't know if Owen or Jen had more fun. 

Uncle Brett is pretty sure he can turn Owen into a motorcycle junkie. Little does he know, this is the last time Owen will ever be on a bike. ;)



We got home last night, and are kicking off a week with Grammy and Papa. Once we've had some sleep and return to a somewhat normal routine, we'll write a more witty post. For now, this will have to suffice!

Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!



 This past weekend, the three of us went to Austin, Texas. You may be thinking, "Who in their right mind would choose Austin in August?" I assure you it was work-related. We are planning our 2012 conference, and my job was to go pick a hotel. Since I had lived in Austin for about a year in 2003-2004, I was excited to take Jen and Owen to the city full of "hippies and homos". What I managed to forget was how ungodly hot Texas can be in the summer. Nonetheless, we packed as if were going to visit Aunt Beast in China, and headed to the airport!

 Owen had a GREAT time before we even got on the plane!

We were nervous about how he'd do on his longest flight to date (3.5 hours), but he was a rockstar! Before we even reached a comfortable cruising altitude, that baby was passed out on Jen's chest where he remained for a solid 2 hours!

So part of the fun of choosing a hotel to hold a national conference is that the hotels REALLY want to impress you. We wound up staying at The Driskill in downtown Austin in a complimentary suite. I'm pretty sure our room was bigger than our apartment, which worked out well seeing as how we spent much of our visit escaping from the heat in luxury.

While I was out scouting hotels, Jen and Owen spent the morning at Austin's Children's Museum (conveniently open only to babies on Monday mornings!).

Later that day, we did the only reasonable activity for when the thermometer hits over 104 degrees...we went swimming at Barton Springs (by "we", I mean Bub and I. Jen felt it was her moral obligation to remain fully clothed and photograph the event). This kid cannot get enough of the water! He doesn't care if he's in a tub, a pool, a river, or a lake. As long as he can splash those little hands, he's a happy boy!

 

If we're being honest, there may have been another reason we chose to visit Texas at the height of their Hell-like summer. Best Friend (also known as Aunt Sarah) just so happened to be visiting the city at the same time. The last time Aunt Sarah saw Bub he was barely holding his head up on his own! Oh how things have changed.

 

So what have we learned about traveling with a baby? Let's make a little list.

1) Don't be foolish enough to think you can maintain a "typical" schedule while traveling. While it's a great goal, flexibility is a necessity!

2) Don't schedule your trip so the baby (and his parents) only has one day between flying. This creates a VERY antsy baby on the way home.

3) If you are going to bring your laptop so the baby can watch a DVD on the flight, be sure to bring the external drive which plays the DVD.

4) If you are going to be dealing with a time change, don't plan on sleeping...much.

5) Just bring the baby into bed. Fighting with the pack-n-play will only end in sleep deprivation, screaming, and possible complaints from neighboring rooms.

6) If you're going to be traveling to a city where the average monthly temperature is over 100 degrees, don't go.

In all seriousness, we did have a nice time despite the heat, and look forward to returning to Austin when we can enjoy all the city has to offer!