Rowan Mae and The Great Pumpkin

We took Rowan pumpkin picking on Saturday. It was lots of fun! Rowan really loved riding in the wagon and even picked out her very own pumpkin with Daddy. It was so so precious. And Grandpa Allen came along too and had fun showing Rowee all the fun things at the Pumpkin Patch. Here are a few (well, quite a few) shots from our day...

hey this is kind of fun...


on a wagon ride with Grandpa


that one daddy, that one!


I got it! This sucker is mine...all mine!


I got it!


what the heck is this stuff?


if mommy likes it, it must be fun


look at our pumpkins


be afraid..be very afraid!


i love pumpkins!

Popcorn Fest

Derek and I took Rowan to her 1st parade last month at the Valpo Popcorn Fest. It was actually pretty hot that day, so we didn't stick around too long afterwards. We did manage to meet up with Katie and Haley downtown and even saw Grandma Gora, Aunt Janel & the kids, Aunt Jenny, Aunt Liz, and Cousin Margaret (oh and of course Margaret's fiance Tam!).

We didn't take any pictures, but Rowan's Aunt Jenny was home for a visit from Houston and she got a few cute shots!

Ponytail and a Party

Rowan sported her very first ponytail over the weekend! Very exciting! Especially since we had to wait 12 whole months for her lovely locks of hair.

Mimi and Papa came over Saturday and played with Rowee. They went on a bike-ride, played ball, played gymnastics on the wood rack, and drank lots of yummy orange drink. Rowan was especially fond of Mimi's glass and ice cubes...something new for her I guess.

Later that night we headed over to Aunt Janel's house for a combined birthday party: Cousin Cort's 1st birthday, Cousin Lorelei's 3rd birthday, and buddy Alivia's 3rd birthday....so it was a PARTY! Lot's of crazy kids, fun princess hats and even a candy bracelet (Rowee's personal favorite).

Lil' Gardener

Rowan and Daddy did some gardening one afternoon...well Daddy did most of the gardening and Rowan ripped the tops off the flowers and played in the dirt. Here's a cute clip...


Other noteworthy moments include...
Decapitating flowers...and then gently placing the flower on top of the bunch...a nice gesture I guess. Here she is caught in the act...


getting dirty of course


Daddy trying to feed the baby worms - ew.

Rowan's 1st Birthday!

Well, this is late -- but it's hard to find time these days to blog! We had Rowan's 1st birthday party a few weeks ago and despite a little bit of rain and a packed house -- it was a success!

Rowan had fun opening up presents with mommy and playing with her cousins and friends. She was (as usual) a little shy with all of the commotion and people...but she warmed up eventually and got right down to the business of playing. She wasn't too much of a fan of the singing and everyone staring at her during the cake part...but it was at least amusing for all of us to watch her squirm. My mom said I was exactly like Rowan at her age and put my head down at my 1st party to hide when everyone sang to me. So she gets it honest I guess :)

Here are some pics...


Daddy's girl


Mommy I want to play!


mmmm yummy cupcake


I hate singing...


Look at me look at me!


Ride em' cowgirl


Rowan and Haley sitting in their big girl chairs

Rowan loves shoes

Rowan is growing up so fast...she recently discovered what SHOES mean to us girls. She's been carrying around her little baby shoes and has even been trying to walk around in mine. It's so funny! Last night we helped her put on Mommy's flip flops and she just stood there and bounced with excitement...so sweet :)

One day last week she tried on one of my slippers (obviously without help) and wore it around all morning on her leg! See pic...

Little Dancer

Rowan is turning into a little dancing queen. We've had this little radio set up on the floor where she can reach it and she absolutely loves it. She turns it on and off and on again and dances the whole time. She really likes Kenny Chesney too...Check out some of her moves...

Fun on a Saturday

Rowan and I went over to her Grandma Gora's on Saturday and went swimming! It was a quick dip because Rowan was ready for a nap...but it was all we needed. Earlier that morning we went to Derek's baseball game and sweated it out; it was almost 90° out. Here are some shots of our day...

what a stud!


later at Grandma's...

Rowan's Birthday Party Invitation

Here's Rowan's 1st Birthday invite...we're emailing it to everyone instead of printing and mailing. We're poor! hahaha.

We had hoped to have Rowan's Aunt Linda take a pic of her to use on it - but we both had busy weeks and never got together. So, it's not as fabulous as it could have been...but it works :) This is the best I could do with a squirmy, headstrong 1 month old. And look -- the little monkey almost smiled! She's a tough little cookie when it comes to smiling for the camera. Ahhhh!

Triplets?

You decide...



Daddy, Rowan and Mommy as babies. Crazy alike, aren't they?