So...it's been a while!  I can't believe it has been over two years since I have last blogged.  There have been a lot of fun and exciting things that have gone on over the last couple of years.  Over the next several weeks, I will try to get you all caught up.

Perhaps THE most exciting thing that has happened is this...

OWEN IS A BIG BROTHER!  We are thrilled to announce the referral of our son, Lincoln James Williams, who was born in South Korea March 25, 2012.  We received our referral in September and we have been told to expect to wait at least a year to bring him home.  Please join us in praying for a speedy homecoming.  We would love for the wait to be much shorter.  There is of course much more to say.  I will post more in the days a head.

We are overwhelmed with the love an support we have received so far from our friends and family.  You all are the best.  We know that both of our boys are well loved.

Owl

Halloween

Library Time

One of the highlights of Owen's week is going to story time at the public library. Here are some pictures of a recent trip.

Summer Recap

Then and Now

I tried to capture a couple of pictures yesterday to show "Then and Now." These days it is hard to "capture" Owen at all...he is on the go. He is a lot of fun! He's still prefers to push his car rather than drive it and loves to be outside. Ok...one final picture! Here he is "helping" Daddy with the yard work.

Union Pacific Steam Engine 844

Guess who go to get up close and personal with a real Steam Engine train?

Union Pacific Steam Engine 844 toured through our area this weekend. We took Owen to see the parked engine on Friday night and then on Saturday, we drug him out of bed and took him to the railroad crossing to stand and watch the train go by. The look on his face was priceless. His eyes were huge and his jaw was on the ground as the train whizzed by us in about 16 seconds. When it was gone his phrase was "More train!" He has been telling everyone since that he saw a "BIG TRAIN!" Good times!

Easter Photos

You think some body had fun on Easter? I don't know if he had too much candy or what, but he sure was happy!















Grammy and Grampy came down for Easter lunch and brought this fabulous Elmo balloon that is bigger than he is!









These are the twins that Grandma watches a couple of days a week. Can you believe that they all three had color coordinated outfits? I promise, we didn't plan it.

Happy 2nd Birthday Owen

Today our sweet boy turned 2! In this video he is opening a dinosaur train. Video is complete with his best Dino "Roar!" We celebrated at home tonight with a cupcake cake (Elmo and Big Bird), his favorite meal (Meatballs) and presents. We had a great time. Here is a collage of all the fun!

Now...one quick story about how smart he is. Of course I think he's smart...I'm his Mom! I was getting the Easter stuff ready for storage and he asked to play with the colored cups we used for dying eggs. I walked away for a minute and he came and found me to show me what he had done. He put the appropriate color plastic egg in matching plastic cup (green eggs in green cup, blue in blue and so on). I was amazed!

We feel so blessed to be Owen's parents. We never forget what a miracle our family is. My prayer for Owen is that he grows up to be a man who loves God and whom God uses.

Thank you to all of you who love us and support us! We are overwhelmed when we think about how many people support us and love our little boy!

Easter Egg Hunt

We went to the Mayor's Easter Egg Hunt today and Owen had a blast! Owen hunted eggs. Each kid was given an egg crate and escorted into the hunting area to pick up a dozen eggs. Owen hunted with Hannah and as you can see from the video, he had so much fun, he wanted to throw the eggs back down so he could pick them up again. He got up close and personal with a fire truck. He went down a GIANT inflatable slide that looked fun from the ground than it actually was from the top (when he got to the top, his Daddy said Owen said "Momma").The Easter Bunny made an appearance but Owen wouldn't sit with him, but he gave him a high five and fist bump. Momma and Daddy ate hot dogs and he ate a WHOLE bag of HOT chips. They were too spicy for me, but he loved them! He fell asleep on the way home...he's still there now.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Sorry for the lack of posting...someone keeps us very busy and we love it!

Here a few "Oldies but Goodies." These are a few of Owen's favorite things. His "night, nights", trains, cars, really soft things, balloons, "my car", snow and "weeee." Owen loves to play and laugh. He is so much fun. He tries to say everything we say (we have to be careful). My favorite things he says are helicopter ("helicopper"), police car ("plice car"), library (can't even start to type how he says this, you have to hear it for yourself). Really, he says the cutest stuff.

One favorite thing that we don't have a picture of is Elmo. I have no idea where he got this, but he has suddenly developed a love of Elmo. He has a small Elmo that goes where ever he goes. He accidentally left Elmo home today and you should have heard him squeal when he saw him at home. So cute...it was like a long lost friend.

I promise to be more faithful with my posting. Watch for more updates soon!

Gotcha Day

Today marks the one year anniversary of Owen joining our family. We are so in love with this little guy. It is amazing to think about how much he has grown and matured over the last year. We are all forever changed!

We celebrated tonight by spending time at Grandma and Grandpa's with Aunt Amy, Uncle Craig, Turner and Carter. We had cupcakes for dessert along with presents. Those pictures are on the right hand side of the collage.

This week has brought back a flood of memories for us. It is hard to believe that it has been a year already. It is a year that we will we treasure and never forget.

We are truly blessed!

It's Final!

November 4, 2009

We Have a Winner

Adoptive Families Magazine
2009 Photo Contest Runner Up
Photographer: LeighAnn Hasley

Thanks LeighAnn for making such wonderful pictures of our family. We have always been so pleased with all the pictures you have made...you are truly very talented!

check our her website
www.stillmomentsbyleighann.com

or check out the magazine website
This photo was chosen as a winner out of more than 5,000 entries. What fun!

Halloween Panda

SLIDE!

Happy Fall Y'all

These are pictures of Owen and his Daddy at the Pumpkin Patch....Momma was the photographer. As you can see...he's learned to walk with his hands behind his back! Isn't that the cutest? I think his favorite part of the day was the riding in the wagon. You can see the excitement on his face. We LOVE fall at our house! I have made plans to go to all the Fall Festivals/Pumpkin Patches we can find. It is a great excuse to get out in this pretty weather.

Ok...one other quick picture. I got Owen dressed this particular day and realized he was dressed just like his Daddy would be for a typical day of work. I tried really hard to get a picture of him and this was the best one I got.




We are so in love with this little guy! It is hard to believe that this week he will be 18 months old. He loves trains, balloons, balls and is a very happy little boy. He is trying to talk, mostly just one word at a time and mostly when you say "Can you say..." he will repeat you. He tells you when something is "All Gone," and he asks for his balloon or points out balloons in a store or wherever he happens to see one. He can identify pictures in a book when you ask "Where is the...," and just yesterday, he out smarted me by showing me it was a sticker on the bottom of his shoe making the noise. I thought I left tissue in the toes of his new shoes! He is very loving and a good snuggler - we love that!

We are so blessed to be his parents!

Celebrations!

We have done a lot of celebrating lately! Here are a few:

My niece Brittni's Baptisim
We are so proud of her for making the best decision she could ever make, to follow Jesus for the rest of her life!

Grammy's Birthday

These pictures were taken after dinner at her favorite restaurant, P.F. Chang. As you can see, trying to get a picture with all three grandkids...well it's trying. She was thrilled with her "His and Her John Deer tumblers."

Family Reunion in Missouri

We had so much fun on our trip to Missouri. Not only did we spend time with Grandpa's family but we celebrated Grandpa's birthday too. What a great weekend it was!

Finally, can I just say, "Come on Autumn!" We love fall at our house and we are so ready! Here is a picture to get you in the mood for Autumn, if you aren't already.

Owen's Weekend

Owen attended his first birthday party for a friend this weekend. Actually...friends. His friends, B&B turned 1. After the party, Daddy said "Let's go to the park." We had a blast. Owen loved the slide the best. Sorry that the pictures a bit blurry, it is hard to catch a moving object!


The best thing about the birthday party for Owen...balloons! He went crazy for the balloons and thank goodness he got to bring on home. He's not smiling in this picture, but he loves his balloon! Who knew something so simple could make him so happy.

Hope you all have a great week!