The Story of Christmas

It wasn't snowing, just the hay in the air!
The three wisemen presenting Jesus with the gifts.
Joseph, Mary, and their son Jesus!
Baby Jesus!
Owen and cousin Paul, who was showing Owen the ropes. He was Jesus last year.

For the last 25 years the Adam family has been reading the story of Christmas. Each year family members, extended family, and friends join together in Billy and Gigi's barn to hear the story and watch the reenactment. All of the kids in the family and even sometimes the adults (if a space needs filling) participate. Hot cider and popcorn are served while the music books are being passed around. The crowd fills in and sit on bales of hay which have been stacked like a stadium. The children are changed into their costumers, which have been collected an hand sewn by Gigi over the years. The animals are also prepped for the performance. They include sheep, goats, chickens, a camel (not a real one), and even a dog.

Matt took me to see this display the first year we started dating. I have been forever telling my family and friends about how neat I think it is. First, it is great to see all of these family members together and embracing the holiday season. Second, it really reminds you why we celebrate Christmas. And last, to see the smile or frowns on the kids faces is priceless.

So this year Owen got to play the part of baby Jesus. Each year the youngest baby gets to play the part, so it is a pretty big deal. Matt was very skeptical about how Owen would behave. He didn't think Owen would last a second in the manger, but low and behold, he did a wonderful job!

After the performance is over everyone loads into Billy and Gigi's house and enjoys a spaghetti dinner. Followed by a visit from Santa Claus for the kids. It is a great time full of laughter and smiles. I hope the tradition continues to live on. Merry Christmas to all!

Owen Matthew---Month 7

Hanging with sissy before bed.
Lil' Cowboy
Sitting by the fire with sissy!
Owen's first Christmas jammies!

Stud Muffin!

Milestones:
-Weighs 20.4 pounds, height 28 inches.
-Sits up pretty good by himself.
-No longer enjoys getting in his car seat or having his clothes changed.
-Likes to suck on his lips and make noises with his mouth. We hear a lot of, "UMMMMMMM..."
-Pulled the letter "D" off of the computer. I didn't realize how often I used the letter "D" until it wasn't there any more.
-Scratches the back of his head, which is really cute.
-Still will not sleep through the night, but has been making it until about 4 a.m. without a bottle. We have pretty much figured out that he cannot go longer than 8 hours without eating. I just wish the 8 hours was the same 8 hours I want to sleep.
-Mommy attempted a hair trim above the ears and snipped the top of Owen's ear! No tears from Owen, but I cried.
-Loves trips to Target sitting in the cart and observing EVERYTHING! Dad says he is very nosey.
-Has been getting great report cards home from day care. Very independent there now.
-Owen really wants to crawl, he moves from place to place on his belly, but gets upset after a while.
-He is now eating 3 square meals a day, and does not like peas!
-Doesn't care much about the Christmas tree, but has been staring at the presents.

Like I say in every post the time just keeps on flying by. Every day is a new adventure for us. Today I was taking a shower and Owen was sitting in his bouncy seat like he has every day since he was born, but today when I pulled back the shower curtain to check on him, he was completely sitting up! So scary if he would have fell forward, even though he was strapped in. I guess from here on out he is confined to his crib or bumbo during shower time. It is the little things like this that show how much he is changing every day!

He loves more than ever to help his dad do chores. Especially lately since we SOLD our house! We have been having lots of inspections so we have had to really tidy things up both inside an outside of our house. No decision yet as to what our next move is. We may rent or bunk in with the Mahoneys for a while. Either way our goal is to save enough money to buy a home where are family will live for a long time. It is really a bitter sweet feeling. We love our home! It is going to be so hard to leave it with all of its charm, but we know the next step will put us in a better, bigger place. Escrow is supposed to close the end of January or first of February and we haven't packed a box. Just making sure everything pans out first before we load up.

Owen also went to see the Pediatric Opthamologist this week and he said it is in fact a clogged tear duct, but is hoping it will clear up before his first birthday. If not, a small surgical procedure will have to be done, but let's hope not. Until then all we can do is make sure to keep it clean.

What we are working on for month 8:
-Crawling
-Sitting up confidently
-Sleeping through the night
-Using a sippy cup

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dear Family and Friends,

This year has definitely been the highlight of our lives. Owen has been the biggest blessing! We were listening to Christmas music the other day and the lyrics said, “the closest thing to heaven is a child.” Wow, it couldn’t be truer! Owen is the best gift we could ever receive. Every day he is changing and growing and we are trying so hard to absorb every moment of it.

This year has also blessed us with great health and another new nephew, Mason. We are having so much fun spending time watching Owen and all of his cousins grow up together.

Matt received a promotion this year with Kendall Jackson Family Wines and is now the Vineyard Manager at Cambria Vineyards…cheers! As for myself, I couldn’t have a better job. I am teaching second grade Language Arts three hours a day. It is the best job I could ask for while watching Owen grow through his first year.

The first seven months of Owen’s life have flown by, but we try our hardest to keep recent pictures and stories updated on our blog. Please check frequently or stop by our house if you ever feel like popping in for a visit!

Almost forgot to mention our first born, Lucy…she is “pawing” her new brother perfectly. She loves Owen at this stage and she will really love him once he can start feeding her! I will have to say their love is mutual and neither one of them can get enough of the other.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and blessed New Year!

Love always,

Matt, Ashley, Owen, and Lucy

*I know many of you already received this via mail, but for those of you who did not...enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

The big cuz crew

Woof, woof...
Ava and Mason
Lil' cuz crew

Sweet pup

The night before Halloween we had a "cousin's open house.". The point of it was to get Owen together with all of his cousin's. We don't get to see them very often, so I thought this would be a great way to spend a Sunday evening. We feasted on chili and apple cider.

The following night we met up with the other set of cousin's and took a lot of pictures at Nana's house. It was great seeing all of the kids together. We are hoping for many more of these gatherings!

6 MONTHS---Our baby is getting so big!

Swinging away in Avila
Fell asleep in his high chair! Look at those yummy prunes on his lips!
Loves the beach and watching his sis play!
"Look at me mommy!"
New sheriff in town!

Our little man is really growing up and becoming his own person. For me this is so sad! I just want to keep him the way he is forever. He definitely has had a lot of changes this month. Every day Matt calls to check on Owen he asks, "who do we have today, Owen James or Owen Matthew?" Owen James is feisty (just like mommy) and Owen Matthew is sweet and patient (just like daddy). Matt and I both prefer Owen Matthew, but Owen James can be a riot too. Especially, when he wants to talk back to us. We having these "babble" matches where he talks, then we talk, and on, and on, and on.

Owen continues to explore new things this month. He discovered his ears early this month and pulled on them for a short bit, but got over that quickly. Still loves his stinky feet in his mouth! Is infatuated with his sister, Lucy! Lucy has been very patient allowing Owen to poke and prod her every chance he gets. The "sand man" has become his new friend and visits him when he is tired. Owen has also discovered pulling on mommy and daddy's noses and face. Also, loves to grab my hair (especially when he is tired). This drives me crazy!

I used to be able to talk on the phone, hold the remote control, or type on the computer while holding him, but not anymore. Mister Owen wants to EXPLORE! He still loves his exersaucer and loves to "take care of business" in it!---Thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Marilee!

Owen has become a really good napper! He really enjoys taking his morning nap, which can be a bummer for me when I have to wake him up to go to daycare. But other times it works out great if I get him down early enough. He is now sleeping in his crib (most of the time). Which helps me sleep better, but I still wake up several times a night checking the monitor. Unfortunately, Owen is still not sleeping through the night. We have tried letting him cry it out and it works, but only for a short time. We have finally made it through the night without feeding him, but with the time change, he is waking up at 5 a.m.!!!

We are really looking forward to spending our first holiday season with Owen. It is going to be so much fun! I can hardly wait to see what he thinks of all the lights.

Milestones:
-Currently weighs 18 lbs, 2 ounces (60%) and measures 27.8 inches (87%).
-Rolls over from back to tummy and sometimes from tummy to back.
-Can sit up for a few QUICK seconds.
-Is eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
-Loves to stand on his legs. Who knows he may walk before he crawls!
-Totally giggles now, but mostly only at mommy being silly.
-Loves to go to the horse races with his daddy. Owen is the newest horse jockey for Jackson Family Enterprises!
-Continues to have a blocked tear duct, but is going to see a Pediatric Opthamologist in December.
-Had his first skin reaction to Huggies diapers...Doctor diagnosed it as a yeast infection, but once I changed the diapers the rash went away...hmmmm!
-Also had his first "kiss." That's right a girl named Lily in the nursery tagged him. Owen's teacher, Miss Angie, who was also my preschool teacher, witnessed it. She said Owen was so embarrassed and when Lily went in for second kiss, he turned his head. So sweet! I also caught Miss Lily kissing another man later that week. Little does she know, Owen is a one woman man. His woman is ME!

What we are working on for month 7:
-Sitting up, confidently!
-Crawling
-Sleeping through the night!!!!!!

Bette Midler- Wind Beneath My Wings - Lyrics

Not goodbye---just see you later.

On September 10, 2011, this world said "see you later" to a beauiful girl. Delaney Patricia Lemus joined the angels that day. We will never know the pain that she suffered, but what we do know is, she is now with her Savior. Laney is smiling down upon us all and saying, "cowgirls don't cry..."

Early that morning Owen and I were laying in bed talking on the phone to my sister, Ami. We were discussing the unbelievable thunderstorm that we experienced in the early morning hours. Ami had to called to check on Owen and I because she knew Matt had left for work very early that morning (3:00 am). Without either of us mentioning we were both wondering if the weather was some sort of a "sign." Within minutes I received the most devastating news from my mother-in-law, Carol. She had shared the news of Laney's passing. I looked down at my miracle that very moment and realized that every breath God gives us is a gift!

Not a day goes by that we don't think about Laney and the BLESSINGS in our life. We are praying for her family and hope that each passing day finds some sort of relief for them!

So Laney this is for you:

"Cowgirl don't cry...ride, baby, ride! Lessons in life show us all in time. Too soon God will let you know why. If you fall get right back up on. The Good Lord calls everybody home. Cowgirl don't cry"