What a difference...part2

From January:

From December:

Plus a pic from a year ago:

Owen still asks to hold Eden, and occasionally she allows him a few seconds of "holding time." The day is never complete until Owen has kissed his sister goodnight. Though during the day they have their moments of sibling rivalry, I am so thankful for the bond that is growing between them.

What a difference a year makes

From January:

From December:

I'll post a couple of Eden soon too.

A Self Portrait by Owen Cramer

Owen loves to color and draw. He has a dry-erase table and markers. A few nights ago HE WROTE HIS NAME! I wasn't able to get a picture (he's a bit eraser-happy), but I did capture this later:He drew this, and said "See, mom? Owen!" I asked "Is that a picture of Owen?" He said "Yeah! Owen!"

Pretty amazing kid.

Decorating the Tree

Owen & Matt's Christmas Tree Photo Journal

There's Something About Bob

Have you met Bob?

This fuzzy creature entered our lives just after Owen was born. He was a baby gift from Group, and I used him to stuff in the corner of Owen's crib to keep him from getting an arm or leg stuck between slats.
After a night or two, it was obvious that Owen had adopted this sheep as his comfort item. Owen wasn't even two years old when he started asking for "Baahb." We had no idea what he was talking about. He cried and cried, pleading for "Baaaaahhhhhb." After pointing at everything in the house, it finally became clear who "Bob" was. A day or two later we understood how Bob got his name. Owen's favorite book was "Moo, Baa, La La La" by Sandra Boynton. "A sheep says Baa..."

After Bob was showing signs of being loved, we thought it prudent to buy a "back-up" Bob. No easy task. Matt finally found one on Ebay. We got it, and hid it. Not very well though, because Owen found back-up Bob. Owen named him "Bobbie." Seriously.
Along comes Eden. She has a few stuffed creatures in her crib:

Not like Owen though:

We even got her a fuzzy, Bob-like bunny for her birthday:
Guess whom she prefers? Original Bob (my name for him).

(photo by Owen)

Owen MUST have Bobbie, but has generously shared Original Bob with Eden. Not at bedtime or naptime though, OH HEAVENS NO. During playtime the two of them walk around with the Bobs having a blast. If Eden is hurt or starts to cry for any reason, Owen runs in with Original Bob to soothe his sister's heart. It's stinking precious.

Movie night with Bob and Bobbie:

There's just something about Bob.

Farewell to Fall

Hello Winter. We've had a light dusting of snow a couple times since Thanksgiving--nothing compared to last year (this was taken the day we brought Eden home from the hospital, which was the day before Thanksgiving 2007): Eden discovered chairs in November. She is particularly fond of her brother's rocker (which, is great because Matt is almost done building one for her). While I was washing dishes, I turned to find her standing on a chair:

Time with Daddy is so special around here. Both kids squeal the second they hear those keys jingling in the door. As soon as they see him, Owen screams "Daddy's HOME!" Eden even has her own greeting that sounds like "HI DA!" She includes a little wave, and toddles as quickly as her chubby little legs will get her to him. Owen rushes Matt, gives a hug, and starts jabbering away at whatever has been on his big heart all day (from camping to Christmas trees to trains to coloring). Here's a snippet of the kiddos enjoying having daddy home:

***I started this post several days ago, and since then we've had two very nice snow storms. We got over 8"! I'll post some pictures of Owen playing in the snow, and his adventure into the moutains to chop down our Christmas tree soon.