BOTH KIDS ARE AT SCHOOL! WOOOHOOO!!
Category Archives: Owen
Papa wanted some new pics of them with the kids!
The first batch of Papa’s cookies!
Spa morning with my boy!
Owen’s first in-person day of 6th grade!
We had not planned to send the kids back to school but due to unforeseen circumstances, we changed our minds.
This is definitely not what we had anticipated for his first day of middle school but we’re rolling with it!
And waiting at the bus stop! Normally his stop would be in front of our house but with remote learning plus hybrid and whatnot, everything is abnormal.
The kids are swimming again!
The kids were super excited to get back to the pool! They haven’t been in lessons in over a year, but they both got right back into it like pros.
A little mask to start our day!
Owen decided he wanted to start clearing up his face so we’re doing all the things!
14 days of love notes for the kids
I’ve wanted to do this before but finally got my crap together this year. Every night we’d put a love note on the kids’ doors.
This is how we get some decorations down!
Don’t worry! These were just wrapped empty boxes! Katie was a little worried about standing on the ledge but she did okay!
Owen’s 6th grade yearbook picture!
We were tasked with sending in a school picture for the yearbook. We don’t have any blank walls with good lighting so this was the best one I took (and then I removed the background).
Owen’s second birthday dessert!
This was his second dessert but the actual official birthday dessert—a chocolate peanut butter ice cream pie from Oberweis. It was tasty.
Birthday cupcakes and brownies!
Celebrating with our bubble!
Owen’s birthday present!
We just gave Owen his birthday present—a personalized video from a YouTuber we watch all the time—and he freaking loved it! (If you don’t watch Charlie on YouTube, you should.)
Here’s the original video if you want to watch without Owen’s reaction.
If you want your own personalized video from any number of people, check out Cameo.
The birthday boy!
Yes, he’s in PJ pants because that’s the new school uniform.
Awwwww. Birthday hugs.
Happy #12 to the kid that made me a mom!
Wowza has the time flown… You are such an amazing kid I can’t wait to see what your future holds!!
PS It was near impossible to pick 12 pics so I went with just what was on my phone and it was still hard!
No one can push in a damn chair.
Better them than me!
We got a bit of snow today so David offered to take the kids sledding. Yay!
Waiting for their ride!
I didn’t intend to take this picture.
I had to go turn off an alarm on Owen’s phone that he set for PM instead of AM so since I was there anyway…
Yes, he picked that color bedding.
Owen gets a new bed!
Long story short, a neighbor friend and I decided to switch beds. She had a Queen that due to previous circumstances had been cut into but was still good (but you couldn’t really sell it) and we had been talking about getting Owen a new bed…so we agreed to trade and she took his bed and headboard for her youngest!
We borrowed another neighbor’s truck and moved everything Clampett-style around the corner (they’re on a different street but only like 12 houses away).
I missed the pic of taking Owen’s old twin bed to their house but it was similarly precarious.
Owen had to help a little.
And both kids enjoying hanging out on it that night.
I’m sure it won’t be the last time.
When you don’t pay attention to who you’re texting and you text your son where the ginger beer is at Binny’s.
Happy Inauguration Day!
I felt today was momentous enough I needed to do a patriotic eye look! But hmmm… What red lippy to wear for this momentous day?
It was a tough call between Fly Girl and Hurricane Red…but I went with Fly Girl! Let’s get this inauguration going! (If you want any of the awesome products I used for this look, check out https://www.senegence.com/livinglippy!)
I’m not a political person at all, but after the last four years, I felt like I needed to watch in solidarity. And it was honestly more emotional than I thought it would be. At one point during the ceremony I was crying—and Owen noticed and came and held my hand (which made me cry a little more because the last time he did that was when he was little and came to hold my hand during one specific scene in Tangled).
Of course Owen being Owen he had a million questions but I was trying to listen to everything so I had to keep telling him I’d answer everything later!
Taking a break for some self care!
Taking a break on prepping orders (since the mail has come for the day) and indulging in some self care with the kids. Owen and I are doing the Hollywood Magic Mask and Katie is just doing the Detox mask.
Back at the table already.
Yep, I’m back to babysitting the kids at the kitchen table because they were both caught watching YouTube instead of being in class. Again. After just two days back in school after holiday break.
We thought Owen was in class. Had the chromebook out and looked busy. As usual. Then we got the email from attendance asking where he was. And the email from his teachers asking where he was. After some questioning and change of heart, Owen finally admitted he had been watching YouTube for two straight days.
So he got assigned to the table.
Katie felt all high and mighty because she didn’t have to sit at the table (the known punishment) and then got caught on YouTube an hour later. Hence them both being at the table.
Yes I am thankful that I have an at-home business where I can work at the table with them. Or at the very least walk through the kitchen or by their desks throughout the day. But this is exhausting.
I posted in a Facebook group and I am not alone. By a long shot.
Just look at this cool kid.
Technically it’s “just look at this cool ass pre-teen we have here in his new hand-me-down Ray Bans” but that was too long of a title.
Well, they’re happy at least.
We’ve been wondering when we’d start getting snow…and tonight was it. We are supposed to get 4-9″ but it has thus far stopped at about three. Hopefully there’s still enough tomorrow so they can go out for HOURS.
Katie’s card for Tom
So long story short, the kids didn’t get anything for Tom for Christmas because I told them it was up to them to give me some ideas and tell me when they wanted to go shopping. It never happened because, well, kids. And it’s always all about them.
Of course we don’t care if we get anything from them, but we’re trying to teach them to think about others. ON THEIR OWN.
So when I asked on Christmas Eve what they had gotten for him, they both looked so sad. I suggested they make him cards with coupons in them—which they both liked but didn’t get around to actually doing until today after I’d reminded them TWICE. And when they eventually did sit down to do it, they still didn’t really grasp the concept of coupons. And of course they didn’t really want to listen to me because they know everything. And I kind of hoped that a lightbulb would go off for Owen (because he hadn’t gotten me anything and was sad about it when he realized it) but nope. No lightbulb whatsoever.
So anyway—look at all the options Katie gave him of things he can choose. Yep, they’re pretty much all stuff she wants to do. Merry Christmas?!
Sidenote: Owen went shopping with Tom to get Katie something but didn’t think to get me anything. Gramma Jean asked him what he got me and he just hung his head and looked ashamed.
Katie, Buddy, and Owen
I had to take a quick photo before Buddy came down for the season. I always said I wasn’t a fan of blow up decorations but I finally gave in when I saw this one!
The Santa hats aren’t working this year.
I take these pics every year. This year they just aren’t working. The hat didn’t fit. Someone can’t find their hat. They have the wrong hat. They aren’t in the mood. They don’t look cute. The lighting is off. The pics don’t turn out. They have to have the tiny hands in them…
Sigh.
So this is what we have thus far.
I guess 7:15 wasn’t too bad.
Tom and I had both taken Tylenol PM so we were both zonked in the morning when the kids came in together at 7:15 with a loud MERRY CHRISTMAS and hopped in bed with us! We always leave their phones outside their doors so they can let us sleep longer but apparently 30 minutes was all they could handle!
I must be slacking on my old age because I didn’t take any pictures! But they started with their stockings and were thrilled to find a ton of Lego Minifigure packs so they started building those right away! Before we knew it, this is what the room looked like (and I think this is after one mid-opening cleaning).
Santa brought the kids a few things they asked for so they were thrilled—Owen got a game for his computer (he was super sneaky and actually installed it on the computer!) and some video game cash and Katie got some dolls she asked for.
Katie was proud of her wrapping job. And she knows me…it was a stemless wineglass that said BEST MOM EVER.
Then we video chatted with both sets of grandparents AND had a zoom call with the Schwalmlettes. (We might have been a little unprepared since we were thinking it was noon our time. But it was noon Eastern. I am never going to get used to being CST.)
