Halloween

First Halloween with Owen means we only have 2 "first holidays" left! I can't believe he is already 10 months old. Unfortunately, Jack was not able to go trick-or-treating with us because he had class, but we were able to "trunk-or-treat" together a couple days before Halloween as a family in Lincoln with Jacks parents and our niece Alyssa. Owen was baby Harry Potter and Jack and I were Lily and James Potter. Owens costume was a black turtle neck with an "H" for Hogwarts that I ironed on. He had glasses too, which he kept on for about a minute before they went in his mouth haha. We couldn't give him the lightning bolt since Jack and I went as his parents and were still alive.
Last night, on real Halloween, Owen and I had so much fun with our dear friend Caryl and her family, trick or treating, and Sophie and Tricia came along too. What would Halloween be for Owen without his little side kick? We went in Caryl's neighborhood, which was really nice because it is small and safe. There were so many kids running from house to house and it's good to see there are still some neighborhoods where the tradition can go on in a safe and happy environment. I didn't get as many pictures as I had hoped of the three of us as a family, but we got some cute ones of Owen and all his trick or treating buddies.

Our pumpkins in front of our house

"You're a wizard Harry" haha

Maybe Harry didn't really need glasses yet haha

Little Sophie as a lady bug

Best friends!

I didn't have to do much for my costume. But now I have a sweet Gryffindor scarf to rock this winter haha

The gang of trick-or-treaters. That's Charlie Sheen holding Owen haha. It's really Caryl's grandson but he did a really good impression! And little Colton who is 2 was a chicken, it was really cute!

Fall time festivities

I think most would agree, fall is the best season of all (that is until its almost time for spring/summer and everyone is tired of the cold). Personally, I think fall is the best time of year. I love bundling up in sweaters and scarves, and I think Owen is absolutely adorable in jeans and sweaters/flannels. Plus it's the beginning of the holiday season, which is always exciting, especially since it's our first with our little guy=). Having a child of our own makes all the festivities that much more fun and exciting, especially since Owen has been developing so much this past month. He has cut 7 teeth in the last month and a half, and is pulling himself up to a standing position all the time. He has even started cruising a little bit on the furniture. It seems like he loves his new found ability and the view that comes with it.

We have had a lot of fun gearing up for Halloween with pumpkin patches, Apple Hill, and carving pumpkins with the family. We are really excited for Halloween, and most people close to us know what Owen, Jack and I are going to be and we are really excited to dress up on Saturday night for a "trunk or treat" with our family!

Love his cheesy smile

Setting off for Apple Hill

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Owens very own pumpkin

After Apple Hill we stopped at a diner in Placerville called Chucks. It was such a dive, as you can see from their ancient high chair, but the food was amazing!

I can't get over the high chair haha

Sneak peek at Owens costume!

Carving pumpkins

My little vampire=)

When I put Owen down in the living room to play he heads straight for the T.V. to stand up

Playing peek-a-boo with Owens candy bucket. No, he won't be getting any candy haha.

A couple days ago I took Owen in for his well baby check up and while I was undressing him he tipped forward off the table=( He is fine, he had an x-ray in case of a fracture in his nose, but it came back negative. I felt so terrible, I cried all day. Seeing your baby in pain and feeling like it's your fault is the worst, it was by far the hardest day I have had as a mother. I thought all that red would be bruising, but now it looks like it's rug burn. This was his first big boo boo, and I just don't see how I am going to handle him breaking an arm or needing stitches or anything that causes him pain. Can't I just cover him in bubble wrap for the rest of his life?!

Family pictures

A couple weeks ago, Jacks cousin Chelsea was visiting from Georgia with her new sweet little daughter, Eve. She is an amazing photographer, and she did some pictures of us and Owen. Here are some of my favorites, they are absolutely beautiful. Chelsea, thank you so much for capturing our little guy so flawlessly!

Owen with little Miss Eve, Cheleas adorable baby girl

Can't wait until Chelsea and Eve come back again, and hopefully Doyle can too!

Camping at Uvas Canyon

Before I start I want to share the good news! As some may know, Jack was laid off from his job in June. Rather than looking for a new one right away, we made the decision to have him double up on his classes to finish his first year more quickly. About a month ago, Jack started interning at a law office, and last week, Jack was offered a position there as a bankruptcy paralegal. This is such a sigh of relief for us, and I am so happy and very proud of him. He officially starts on Monday, October 3rd, but is spending this week learning the details of the position. We are really excited as this could not have come at a better time for us=D

This past weekend we took Owen on his first camping trip at Uvas Canyon in Morgan Hill California with Jacks parents, his sisters (minus Letty=/) and their families (minus Dave=/). I have to say, I really expected it to go much worse than it did. Owen is so well crib trained, it is sometimes a struggle to get him to sleep elsewhere. But he did really well. Chrissy and I drove down to Gins house in Campbell Friday morning and spent the afternoon with her and her two kids while we waited for Gins husband, Jason, to get home from work. Then we all set out to the camp site. Jack and his parents were there already setting up. The first night went well, Owen fussed for about 20 minutes before falling asleep, and he woke up around 2 a.m. but went right back down after a bottle. That morning, after breakfast we all set out for a hike (7 adults, 3 babies, 1 toddler and 1 kid). I don't think any of us really expected the hike to be quite what it was, but we all survived the 2 1/2 hour trek of narrow paths, steep inclines and downgrades, rocks and tree stumps. We only had one stroller which was pretty bitter sweet since it was nice to have to carry some of the babies in, but a pain to push along the trail.
Some of us set out on another hike that afternoon after babies were napped and adults were rested. It was much easier than the first one, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. That night, we ate, roasted marshmallows and played a few games of Sequence, which is my new favorite game=D Everyone went to bed pretty early, and it was a bit colder than the night before. Owen woke up pretty upset at about 10:30. He screamed for a good half hour, I don't think he was very happy about a cold bottle. He slept with Jack and I until about 1 a.m., and we moved him back to his play pen. He slept pretty well the rest of the night.

On the first morning. I am one of those moms who didn't want him crawling in the dirt. I'll get over it eventually haha

Setting out on the first hike

Our sweet little niece, Alyssa

Stacy shared some of the weight with Jack and I

Gin Jack and Alyssa. You can kind of see how narrow the trail was here

Max, our nephew, was so awesome for the whole hike.

Poor Nathan didn't enjoy the hike very much

I think this is where the trail peaked, and we all stopped to rest.

Just look at those thighs, they are so bite-able!

This is on the second hike we took

The trail ended at what looked like would be a waterfall during the rainy season, and a little cove of creek. It was really pretty

Max and Owen playing while we packed up

All in all, it was a really good time. I am really glad we are lucky enough to have the family we do, and Owen will be able to grow up doing things like this with all of his cousins. Although I think we will put off camping again until we no longer need to bring bottles and Owen is walking and talking.