Oh What Fun!

 

After singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" for weeks at bedtime and a visit at school from the big man himself (which terrified Owen), Santa made an impressive appearance at the Linker house.  

Santa brought new socks and candy for the grown-ups and a play kitchen and a Star Wars loot for Owen. There were books, toys, clothes and kitchen accessories galore from our families. 

But the crown jewel of the 2014 holiday season were Owen's new Octonaut toys from Grandpa. Here's Owen after an exhausting day of play. Two words. Christmas hangover.

Photo Shoot

I try to capture life's exciting moments like Mitchell sitting up on his own and Owen catching a ball. Unfortunately, life's exciting moments always seem to be blurry. Enter the professionals.

Despite scarred faces, runny noses and general late afternoon crankiness, we took the Linker boys for a holiday photo shoot. I felt a little better about my lack of skills when the photographer told me that Owen and Mitchell are at "really hard ages to photograph." I'm pretty sure she said this as Owen was tackling his baby brother. While in focus, we only got a handful of good pictures. The out takes, however, are still pretty fun.

"Take Me To Your Leader."

"Hmm, not quite sure what's going on here," says Mitch.

 "Hey, Mitchell, why are Mom and Dad waving and jumping? They look like a couple of idiots."

"Yup," says Mitch. "Pretty much."

My Middle Name is Kohler

Steve suggested we change Mitchell's middle name to Kohler. Like the faucet. It's fitting. This baby is a drooly mess. Owen often demands that I clean his toys after Mitchell gets his slimy little mitts on them. This has been going on for months with no tooth bud in sight.

Teething is certainly an adventure and while I remember Owen being a bear while he was getting his molars and angry-teeth (the canines), I do not remember drool and discomfort like this. We literally plow through multiple bibs and shirts a day.

Here is Mitch in his natural state. Without sock and toy munching. We even tried a Baltic amber teething necklace which is supposed to slow the faucet down to a trickle. The necklace was no match for this fierce drool monster.

 

Sleep tight drooly one...

O is for Owen

  

O is for Owen! My little smarty pants likes to point out the most important letter in the alphabet every chance he gets. I'd like to take credit for teaching Owen to identify letters but that honor distinctly goes to his teachers at daycare. I'd also like take credit for orchestrating leaf play but that was all Daddy. F is for fun!

Piece of Cake

The Linkers. Making travel look easy. Don't we look like a happy well-rested family? If you only knew the chaos that immediately preceded this picture.

We just returned to Rhode Island from a California adventure. While Owen is a seasoned bi-coastal traveler, this was Mitchell's first journey to the west coast. Three cities, Halloween and a wedding - our itinerary was ambitious. The three hour time change and daylight savings made things even more interesting. We were up everyday before the sun allowing for plenty of togetherness.

A few things I learned...traveling with a baby is exponentially easier than traveling with a toddler. You don't realize how long a six hour plane ride is until you've had to entertain kids. Along those same lines, playing video games helps pass the time while holding a sleeping baby. A friendly husband and cute kids helps to make friends and sympathizers. It also helps to have a loving aunt and Bubbie (aka Bubs) waiting in sunny California. One more thing, watching the sun set over the Pacific will never ever get old.

Here are some of the best memories from our trip.

Happy Halloween. A cop, his prisoner, a couple of ninjas and a little mermaid!

We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary at Kim and Artie's wedding. Yay!

Mitchell's first ride in the baby swing rocked his world;

And playing in the ocean rocked his!

Mitchell couldn't get enough of playing with his Bubbie and Aunt Amy. I think it's fair to say that the feeling was mutual. It's impossible not to fall prey to this sweet baby's charm.

Bunny. Bath. Brothers.

Good Times at Schartner Farms

A hayride, pumpkins, a corn maze and a even visit from Mr. October. All of this before nap time!

My Life in Cliches

Insert your preferred cliche about the passage of time but how is it possible that Mitchell is six months old? It seems like just yesterday he was smoosh faced newborn and now he's a smiley chubby baby. The last six months have been a complete whirlwind. Again with the cliches!

Life here is crazy. I keep hoping that things will get easier, become a little more manageable. I am told that I can expect this to happen around the time that we send Mitchell to kindergarten. Kindergarten! In the remaining 5+ years, I need to learn to embrace chaos, irrational little people and utter exhaustion. A tall order for this fun-loving control freak (how's that for a positive spin?). But, as they say, when the going gets tough...the tough get on the potty.

Ah, a picture's worth a thousand words. Sorry. Last one. Promise.

For the record, Owen is reading Good Night Chicago.  And no, he did not successfully use the potty. Figure it's a good start, though.

Three Sleeping Linkers

Today was a big day. In a giant step toward boyhood, Owen threw his pacifier in the garbage right before his nap. Yeah, that pretty much went over like a lead balloon.

I escaped to the grocery store after about 10 minutes of Owen screaming, "MOMMY" at the top of his lungs. I came home to a quiet house and some seriously cute desperation napping. 

When Grandma Comes to Visit

When Grandma comes to Rhode Island, we have the most fun! She gives us ice cream and lots of hugs. She takes us for walks in the woods and by the ocean.

She captures our curiosities;

our cuteness;

and our neighbors...

Nom Nom Good

Much to Mitchell's delight and occasional disgust, we have boldly headed into the exciting world of table food. I was optimistic that filling his tummy with cereal and fruity goodness would help him sleep through the night. Unfortunately, I cannot yet count 12 hours of straight sleep (too ambitious?) as one of his many tricks. However, Mitch rolls over like a champ, munches on his feet like no one's business, talks up a storm and laughs in the face of a screaming toddler, a barking dog and an occasionally (often is probably more accurate) frustrated Mommy.

Owen's new purpose in life is to make Mitchell laugh and mine is to make sure that no one gets seriously injured in the process. While Owen gets a gold star for being loving and very enthusiastic, we still have to work on being quiet and gentle. Regardless, hearing these two boys squeal with delight is pretty amazing.

I can't believe this little munchkin is already five months old...

In a boat. On the water.

Last weekend, we four Linkers headed north to Conway, New Hampshire. Steve's co-worker has a cabin and teenagers and claims to miss the non-stop action of the infant and toddler daze. We appreciated a weekend away but this trip may have been the highlight of Owen's short life. Why? Owen got to ride, "In a boat. On the water."

It's true. Owen got his sea (rather lake) legs.

He even got to drive the boat;

And go swimming.

My happy boy! Little does he know that he's about to endure an interminable car ride home.

We Heart Summer

Out of the Mouths of Babes

What can I say, Owen is a character. Well, at least Steve, Mitchell and I find him very entertaining. From the emphatic way he says, "I had fun" and "NOOOOOO, I don't want a waffle. I want a MUFFIN!" to the fact that we sing "Happy Birthday to Owen" and have pretend cupcakes practically everyday. The kid is a crack-up. Case in point. 

His teachers describe him as, "very quiet." I find this hard to believe since he pretty much narrates his every move here at home. I can barely remember what Owen was like before had so many interesting things to say. 

And Mitch? Well, he's vocal too. In a happy, giggly, squawking kind of way. 

A Boy's Lair - Squared

This weekend we were able to put some finishing touches on Owen and Mitchell's bedrooms. While not Houzz-worthy,  I know that someday I'll want to remember a time when yellow chevron animals, paper airplanes and cribs were age appropriate. The first set of pictures are Mitchell's nursery and the second are Owen's bedroom in the "new house."

Monkey

Summer Goings-on

Summer is in full swing and we've been having lots of fun. Owen started going to a new school. As you can see, they rolled out the red carpet on his first day. While he doesn't have much fun saying goodbye to Daddy in the morning, we're told that he's having a great time.

Admit a torrential rainstorm, Mitchell turned 3 months on July 4th. Our chubby Yankee Doodle!

After spending the holiday pent up indoors, the next day we headed to Newport for a picnic and kite flying. Owen picked out a "Nemo" kite and we all had fun flying it.

Mitch kicked back in the shade but enjoyed himself, nonetheless. 

And it just wouldn't be summer without some good times with old friends;

and a little downtime for quiet reflection.