Growing up...

I remember Owen getting this cool baseball jacket as a gift. It was a 3T, a size we thought it would take him forever to fit into. And here he is looking all suave and ready for spring...and spring training. He's been watching the old Twins Championship tapes with Daddy and has found a new sports hero: Kirby Puckett. Owen loves it when Kirby "jumps way up there" and every time Kirby hits, he shouts, "Home run"! He loves helping me with household chores, especially vaccuming or sweeping. He's also pretty good at cleaning up the dishes when I've just made chocolate brownies. He LOVES spending time with his brother. We're just hoping that Evan will want to play as much with Owen as Owen will want to play with him!

Evan is almost 6 months old and loves showing off his prized pair of bottom teeth. (He'll also leave some puncture wounds behind if you're not careful.) He's figured out how to roll over to what he wants to see, and we're betting he's going to crawl before he's even able to sit. He loves to growl and suck his lips in making him look like he forgot his dentures. He's an easygoing, jovial kid who already looks up to his big bro.

Enjoy the pics!

Kelly Jo for the fam

FUN IN THE SUN

Baseball, Checkups, & Teachable Moments

Over this past weekend, our family and my Dad took an outing to Twinsfest to get our baseball fix during this cold winter. I think the highlight for my Dad was to see some of the baseball Hall of Fame materials they have on display. Owen's hightlight was being able to high-five a man in a bright yellow Dinosaur costume (not really sure what that had to do with baseball). Evan's highlight was chewing on the baby carrier all day while Mom carried him around. My wife's highlight was actually getting to touch Mike Redmond's locker (yes, my wife's favorite player is the backup catcher...go figure). My highlight was eating one of the Stadium hot dogs! One of the items that we were given was a small "poster" with a picture of Joe Mauer on it. When we got home we taped it up on the wall in Owen's room. He was very excited to have something new to look at in his room. It was a good time had by all and has us ready for the new baseball season to begin. Maybe we'll get a few pictures from the weekend up here soon.

Evan had his big 4 month checkup today! He is a big, healthy boy, at over 26 inches long and just a shade under 17 pounds (that's what you get when a guy writes about it on a blog...you get general specifics. Maybe later Kelly Jo will give you the exact height and weight!). He is rolling over onto his stomach, but hasn't figured out how to roll back, which makes him mad. That's okay though. I'm confident he will figure it out eventually...he's a smart kid!

And here is the "cute kid" story of the week...

So last night I was putting Owen down for bed. We did our usual routine. Get changed, read a couple of books, sing a few songs, pray for him, and then say good night. Well, as I was laying him down in his bed I asked him "Owen, do you know who is watching over you tonight? Is Jesus watching over you?" Here I am trying to use bedtime as a teachable moment, to teach my son that Jesus is with us and loves us, even when we are sleeping.

Owen's response, "Joe Mauer watching you".

Oh well! Close enough I guess...they both start with a J : )

Hi all. We've got a little video to share with you. It is a touching video of a father teaching his son some of the important things in life...along with a few laughs thrown in. Enjoy.