Bathing Beauty

Here is a cute little video of Amelia in the tub.  She just LOVES to kick her little legs in the water. I think she also likes the echo and therefore is a little chatty Cathy in there too!  (nevermind her brother Mason singing in the background... there is never a quiet moment in the Lochhead abode!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Owen's kindergarten class had a little Thanksgiving play today.  They were a little shy, but so very cute!   (Owen is the 2nd Pilgrim from the left!)

Here is the video:

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2011 has come and gone.  Halloween fell on a Monday this year, but it was still full of multiple festivities.  Sunday morning we carved our pumpkin... Owen designed the face and for the first time didn't mind scooping out the goop from inside the pumpkin! 

We then moved on to the neighborhood "spook-out" on the afternoon of the 30th.  The kids were excited to put on their costumes, but Mason refused to wear the hat and glasses that came with his (DJ Lance Rock sans hat and glasses made Mason look like a candy corn!)  Nevertheless, I was able to get my one and only picture of the three kids in their costumes. 

The next day was Halloween and Owen and Mason's classes at Great Falls Elementary school were both holding costume parades and Owen's class also had a small party.   It was fun to see all of the kids in their school environment and all the kid's costumes. 



Here is Mason with his alter ego, DJ Lance Rock ...

And here is Owen practicing his ninja moves and another with his Kindergarten class...

And finally a picture of our little kitty cat, Amelia.

We finished the day with some trick or treating at the Great Falls Village Center and then back at home in the neighborhood.  When the day was done, the kids were full of candy, exhausted and ready for bed! (and so were we!)

3 months?? (a catch up post)

Wow ... it's been well over 3 months since I last posted!!  Guess we've been a little busy since welcoming our newest little Lochhead, Amelia Josephine, on August 5, 2011.  After 2 months on bed rest and a relatively easy labor, we were all so happy to finally meet her!

Our first family picture of FIVE

From day one, the boys have been nothing short of miraculous with their baby sister.  They love her, dote on her, comfort her... I  keep waiting for the honeymoon to end, but so far so good!

Big brothers visiting little sister in the hospital

Such loving brothers

Giggling siblings

Enjoying a beautiful fall day

In the time since my last post, we also enjoyed a nice long visit from my sister Tracey and her daughter Alexa as well as a visit from Brian's dad and step-mom from Las Vegas.  It was so great to spend quality time with family and reminded us how much we wish they both lived closer!!

The big kid cousins

Amelia with Aunt Tracey and Cousin Alexa

All four Brooks cousins

Grandpa, Nana and the Grandkids

Grandpa, Nana and their newest grandbaby

And that brings us up to November 2011.  My November resolution is to try to be a little more often with my blog posts!

The big FIVE

Owen turned 5 on Saturday.  Five.  Wow.  Five years since I first became a mama.  Five years since we were blessed with our first baby boy.  We had no idea of the adventures we had waiting for us.  Looking back the years have flown by, but I still remember those first sleepless nights, the temper tantrums and the "phases" I thought would never end.  But out the other side came my sweet Owen.  He is sensitive, caring and thoughtful, constantly bringing me flowers when he sees them in the yard.   Even at 5, Owen is a mama's boy who still loves to snuggle.  He is a big brother in the truest sense of those words.  Owen loves Mason unconditionally -  he encourages him in his struggles and praises his successes.  And to be perfectly honest, I don't know why Owen doesn't get more upset with Mason when he takes his toys and bosses him around.  Truly one of a kind.  And that is why I love celebrating Owen's birthday.  Not only is it a celebration of the day I became a mother, but also a celebration of the kid that Owen is becoming each day.  We must be doing something right ... I just don't know what it is! 

Here are some pictures of Owen' birthday weekend - a celebration fit for a king!

Getting ready to open some presents (still in pajamas!)

Trying out his new skateboard

At Sport Bounce for Owen's birthday party

The birthday party crowd!

Star Wars cake!

the family

Family celebration the next day - our King and his brother, the Prince!

Graduation Day!

I remember when Owen was a baby and I went on tours of daycare centers.  They always talked about "graduation" once they are ready to go onto Kindergarten.  And I rolled my eyes to myself, thinking, really?  A pre-school graduation?  Fast forward 5 years and my first born, Owen, is graduating from pre-Kindergarten ... and I couldn't be more proud.  Sure, it's not quite like working towards a high school or college graduation, but my baby is growing up!  And it's to be celebrated.  I cheated on my bed rest and had my mom accompany me to Owen's pre-school graduation.  As I saw all of the kids lined up in their red cap and gowns, looking all cool with their matching red shades, the tears started rolling.  Pomp and Circumstance played and as Owen and his friends walked by, I thought how fast the past 5 years have flown by and my mind fast-forwarded to a high school graduation 13 short years away.  And I wanted to cherish every moment.  Well, I wanted to stop time, but I knew that wasn't possible.  We are so proud of all that Owen has learned and accomplished in the past 5 years and we know that he is ready for Kindergarten this Fall.  He has grown in to a thoughtful, caring, smart (especially with math!) and patient (most of the time!) little boy!

Below is a video of the best of the best parts of the graduation and a little photo montage at the end.  Enjoy!

(sorry, Tracey, I used a copyrighted song so it's not available in Germany. Only Germany.  Not sure why??  I'll do a different version for you without Leann Womack so you can view!)

Birthdays and Bed Rest

Yesterday, June 8, 2011 was Mason's 3rd birthday.  3 years ago yesterday we celebrated the end of my bed rest, the birth of our much anticipated second child and the beginning of a beautiful journey.  Yesterday, I was placed on bed rest for the duration of our pregnancy with our third child.  Ironic?  Life is just one big circle it seems.

First, let's focus on the positives.  Mason is three!!  We are so proud of all our little boy has accomplished in his 3 years.  He is thriving at home and at school.  A little defiant and stubborn at times, but he's my kid so what do you expect?  At three, Mason loves most of all to play with his older brother.  They play Star Wars, Superheroes, wrestling, and more.  We can even get them to agree on what TV show or movie to watch every once in a while!  We had a small party over the weekend, but Mason didn't seem like enjoy the invasion of other children on his home turf and was not too keen on the birthday celebration.  But, we did a small family birthday last night with a simple piece of cake and three candles and he loved it.  Happy happy birthday to our beautiful big boy ... as I've said before, I never dreamed three years ago that our little boy would teach ME so much about living life to its fullest, persevering through things that come difficult, and accepting what God has given you and making the most of it each day.  We are truly blessed.   

Now onto the not so fun stuff. Basically I've been put on bed rest due to contractions and results of certain predictive tests that increase my "odds" of giving birth in the next 2 weeks up to 40% coupled with my prior pre term labor experience with Mason. The baby has been given steroid shots to speed up lung development and I am on medication to try and calm the contractions. I am 30 1/2 weeks and really need to get to 34 - 36 weeks to be in any kind of "safe" zone.  Brian is being a trooper and picking up all slack when it comes to the kids.  I know this is as hard on him as it is for me to lay on the couch and not lift a finger.  But together we will get through this.  Because that's what we do.  And this is what we have to look forward to:

Isn't our little girl adorable?   As excited as we are for her to join our family out here, please pray that she stays put for a few more weeks!