Summer Happenings 2010!

Summer fun. One would think the Owens girls had webbed feet with as much swimming they did. Hadley grew at an amazing pace (funny how that happens in the first year!) Here are some of my favorite moments from this past summer.

Cadence was one tired Princess!

Sleeping Beauty!

Here is my niece Megan (Edward & Margaret's second) & she's holding Hadley & Jacob. Jacob is my brother Bobby & Lisa's 4th child & he's eight days older than Hadley.

Hadley really wanted in the bathtub, too!

Blanco County Fair & Rodeo parade! Morgan is a natural waver! ;)

Dripping Springs or Bust!

Well...here she is! My beast of a house! This is the only house we looked at when we came home to go house hunting. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the one. We knew we were going to look at a foreclosure, which meant more home for our money, a fixer upper, & a probable close from you know where. She sits in the middle of nowhere in Hays county, off Fitzhugh towards the Blanco County Line, in a nice little neighborhood. She was meant for us! We put in our offer & it was accepted within 30 minutes. Did I mention it was meant to be?! Since moving in... we have had a new road built, Steve fenced in a garden, refinished the concrete floors, added carpet to the bedrooms, excavated the back yard, built rock patios & flowerbeds on the front & cleared cedar. Right now, I'm in the process of painting the interior. I'm sure we've done more, I just can't remember it all! We've been busy! My honey~do list is a mile long & Steve should get an award for appeasing me!

The subdivision we live in has free range cattle. The following pictures were my friendly reminder that we need not forget to shut the gate! The Longhorns certainly didn't mind stopping by for a visit!

Birth Announcement: Hadley was born a year ago!!

Hadley was born into a whirlwind of a situation! My pregnancy with her went better than I could have asked for.

Towards the end, Steve was given the opportunity to transfer to Austin & we went for it. We put the house up for sell (with the help of Kristen & a certain St. Joseph... a story that deserves a blog post of it's own!) & closed on the sell the day after Hadley was born. Luckily, we had worked a lease back clause for the following 2 weeks! Thank goodness for my Mom & Steve. They did most of the work of packing up what was left in the house. And, let's not forget the movers...(Bobby, Edward & many other family members!) How will I ever repay them?! Ahem, Ahem...back to Hadley! She was an Angel! Morgan & Cadence stayed by her side & made sure I wasn't forgetting about her. I guess it shouldn't be a big surprise that she's a little spoiled with all the attention she received & still receives!

A Beehive!

A Beehive! That's me, with all my buzzing busy bees all around me!

Yes, I decided to check in on my blog & realized I have only made one post this year. Sad! This has been an exciting year for us & I plan to add the highlights within the next few days. Highlights should include the birth of Hadley, our move to a new home in Dripping Springs, the girls starting a new preschool & MDO, Cadence in Wonderland's 3rd birthday, Morgan's Chuck E Cheese 5yr Adventure, Thanksgiving in our new home, school programs, and much more! 2010 came & went in a flash & I certainly hope time slows down for us in the years to come. My busy bees are growing up too fast!

Three Girls!

Wow. I'm the mother of three girls! I can't wait to see how they grow together & take this world by storm! Morgan Faith Cadence Emily
Hadley Michelle
The Owens Sisters

Spring 2010

Morgan is Four!!

Morgan's birthday landed on Thanksgiving day this year. With me being pregnant I decided to take the easy way out & have her party at my parents' home. Mom was cooking anyways, right?! Luckily, neither Mom nor Morgan minded! Morgan loved having all her cousins there to celebrate!

How Sweet It Is To Be Two!

Morgan & her Daddy

It looks like Steve & I are bringing another little girl into the world. Stevie is a wonderful Daddy to little girls and he has one in particular that stole his heart & broke him in good! Our lovely Morgan. From the beginning, she has loved falling asleep on him & I noticed that I have gotten a few pictures over time. She has managed to get sooo big & she's only about to be four years old. How time flies! It seems like just yesterday she was that little bundle of joy that forever changed our lives.

Happy Friday!

Well, I know I haven't posted anything in quite a while. I was just looking through my pictures of the summer and found my favorite.
This picture has everything in it that I love. Who could ask for anything more? Happy Friday.

My Sweet Cadence Emily!

Too funny for words!

Quote of the Day.....

"This is my cat. [serious face] She speaks meow. " Morgan Faith

"The greatest prayer is patience.” Buddha

As I begin writing, this post has taken a spin! I like the discussion it hails for. Our tank is in the beginning stages therefore it is a little bare still. They say patience goes a long way in this hobby. Ha! What's patience?! When I began researching saltwater tanks I read the word 'patience' alot. It has always been a word for me that was almost a joke. Patience is a virtue, right?! It's also a process I stride to teach my sweet daughters everyday. I just looked up Patience on the internet and......instantly.....I had a ton of quotes on hand. hmmmmn, so inspirational! I wanted to share....

"I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures." Lao Tzu

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience" Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Every dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world." Harriet Tubman

This one is for Marilyn :)..... (I love to garden as well!)
"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace." May Sarton

And lastly,
"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." Victor Hugo

Here is our tank 30 days in..... we have a long way to go in order to reach our end goal of a reef tank.

A New Love.....

Yes, my friends! A new love has taken over our household. Steve and I have managed to finally get a fish tank up and running! Steve has always wanted a Saltwater tank and it has always seemed a little intimidating to me. For goodness sakes, I killed a Betta once. I knew I would like it....I didn't know I would LOVE it! We started the process about a month ago and it is alot of work. I'd say it's all worth it. Morgan and Cadence love it as much as we do....perhaps one will become a Marine Biologist someday. The tank is teeming with life and we want soooo much more. Too bad our tank is only 72 gallons! Alright then, we have taken the plunge and here it is!