A Little Owens Time

This last weekend Adam's Dad, Maeve's Grandpa, was in town. We were able to see him for a picnic lunch on Sunday and had a family dinner with some of our Dallas/Fort Worth family Monday night.

Uncle Jacob and Miss Maeve

Full of giggles for Aunt Cynthia!

One of Maeve's newest things is touching faces. She feels around your cheeks and lips, and especially loves to stick her wet little hands in your mouth while you talk. If you make munching noises it's all the better.

After a few grabs and Grandpa's nose, he began explaining to her just what it was she was honking.

Maevey Bean and Grandpa in their blue jeans.

My favorite picture of the weekend; Maeve and her cousin Daniel. Hard to believe they're only two years apart! They were complete hams in front of the camera, and Daniel was keeping an eye out for Maeve. He pinned her down when she attempted to throw herself off the chair! That'a boy!

Botanical Gardens

The Friday before New Years found Maeve and me in the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens with Adam's sister and her two children. It was only 70* out, and most of the garden was in winter hybernation, though the roses were in bloom. A whole section if the grassey hills was covered in orange and red fallen leaves. Elizabeth ran around making "leaf angels" and Ethan was rolling cartwheels through the crunchy carpeting.

Maevey girl, the weekend of her 3mo birthday...

Aside from a few steps, and hills too good not to run down, my neice's request was to guide the stroller throught the park, and I was happy for the break. It seems impossible to me that the girl who was just three when Adam and I began dating will be in college before our oldest is even in the third grade. For now, she adores her baby cousin, asking to hold her, begging her to smile. I'm sure in the coming years Maeve will hold her up with admiration while Elizabeth tries to sweetly shake free of her, and we'll smile and remind her of these days.

The afternoon sunlight through the trees by the pond. Sometimes I forget how good it feels to just be outside.

Lil' Cousins

After our first week home, my 'frousin' Shannon and her youngest, Allie V, came to visit us! Just 14wks apart, I'm excited to see our girls relationship develop and grow over the years. I'm also curious as to how Allie's older sister Meg will do with two little girls to play with and boss around! ;)

Shannon, Allie V and my Mom, Gigi

The Bean and her "Aunt" Shannon meeting for the first time.

"Great Aunt" Gigi and lil' Allie V

Frousins Big and Small

This Labor Day weekend Adam and I were gifted a brief visit from my dear frousin Shannon and her sweetest chunk 'o monk addition Alice Virginia. Although it was a brief visit we were able to enjoy conversations about 001's eventual arrival, admire and enjoy sweet Alice, practice swaddling on that patient girl, and talk and talk and talk. You won't find the following pictures on facebook as I am shocked by seeing on film just how big I really am, but I wanted to share with my readers and friends who I trust won't give me too hard a time. :) It's hard to believe the next time we see the VanHeests we'll have a little girl in our arms to show off!!

For Megan :) Here we are at a gloriously huge 36wks. Come on 001, I'm ready to be done!!

Dutchess says "Who isss this?"

Adam keeping Alice Virginia company at lunch.

A refresher, here's the last belly picture of the two of us in April. Kaitlin and 001 at 14wks, Shannon and Alice Virginia at 30wks.

Here we are, Kaitlin 36wks and Shannon with Miss Alice Virginia, 2.5mo old!

Fathers Day

Fathers Day weekend this year is a little different then those of the past. While I'm celebrating with my Dad, who is off in New England with my younger brother, I am lucky to have almost all my family here in Hawaii to celebrate with our patriarch, my Pappy. A weekend of cousins giggling in the distant bedroom, uncles cooking in the kitchen and grandparents beaming with the luck of having almost all of us here at once for the first time in years.

Jade & I were together often when we were younger, trips to my great-grandmother's in Pennsylvania, the first trip to Disneyland when we were toddlers, and many summers at my grandparent's on Oahu. The older we've gotten, the less we've seen each other, and it had been 5 years since we'd last gotten together. It didn't take long to start laughing and joking again, and was fun to include "baby" Sarah this time. Weekends like this make me incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful family, and strengthen my desire to have children, because I know how lucky our kids will be to come into a family like this.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving for my family has almost always been out of town. The last 5 go like this 1) New Orleans 2) New Orleans 3) Hawaii 4) Italy 5) Italy. When it was announced we'd all be in Amarillo....it was weird. What was neat was that Shannon & Kyle (cousins) came down from Oklahoma City to my parents for the holiday, a special treat. An even better treat, Cyndey and Brandon came over for dinner one night, having come home early from India! I have never been happier to see Cyd! Ryan, Adam and I took Shannon & Kyle out to Palo Duro (I mean really, what else is there to do in Amarillo) for an afternoon and cave-climbed.

Can you tell we're cousins? Haha... On Thanksgiving itself, Adam's parents and brother Jacob came over for dinner and shared in the celebration with the O'Connells and VanHeests--it was really nice to get to be with all different types of family for the holiday. Afterwards was a long treck back to FtWorth and back to the grind. *sigh*