the Scowden Fam

2010

2011-06-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, 2010 was a busy year. So busy I managed to not post a single blog entry. So here's to my Mid-Year's Resolution to post a little more regularly for all you crazy fans... (Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, etc... :) I love you guys! I'll try to be a bit better at updating, as life is going by so fast!

And now, to catch you up on 2010.

We looked toward the year with great expectancy. Many good things to come!

We developed a love for the "sauces".

Catsup with mac & cheese & yogurt? SURE!

We got in tune with our inner fashion sense...

Tried Pop Rocks... courtesy of Trina!

Welcomed a new nephew into the family.

Quality time with old friends.

Little Ellen DeGeneres??

Played in the rain lots! Rainboots courtesy of Trina.

April showers led to May flowers... which then led to...

SUMMER!!!

and...
Summer exhaustion.

And bellies...

and MORE bellies...

Then come birthdays!

And Birth Days!

Yay for cousins! and Pretty Grammy... :)

Now we're a family of 5.

And I'm a Momma of 3. No wonder I'm not getting any blogging done...

Oh but Leo Frederick, I'll take you any day over a blog! I love this happy little dude!

Now for more birthdays!
Turning 4 is a big deal.

You get the eat the ENTIRE viatmin! (instead of just a half, like a 3 yr old gets.)

And you can have princess parties.

Now stay tuned and maybe I'll get (close to) caught up on 2011.

Love,
The Scowdens

The New Car

2011-03-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

it's a good one today

2010-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my dear friend... who reminds me to pause today.

I'm not very good at doing this.

She sent me to one of our favorite blogs and reminds me to LOVE with skin like His. I'll post it here to share with you.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

May we love. May we transform each other. And this world.

Scowden girls visit Santa

2009-12-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus came to B-town last week. We went to go see him and it was a very exciting day for the Scowden girls. Stella was a little anxious at first...

The stand-off...

She eventually made it up onto his lap. I think her fingers were in her mouth the whole time... but somehow she managed to tell him she wanted a car for Christmas. A pink car.

Eisley had no inhabitions about seeing Santa.

Especially because candy was involved.

Did I mention the candy? Eisley kept sneaking over to the basket every chance she could to swipe some candy.

Stella warmed up to him as well. In fact, from the table we were sitting at, 6 ft away from Santa, she began the interview process. "Santa Claus, where are your shoes?" Santa Claus, where are your reindeer?" "Santa Claus, where is your girl?" He was a good sport about it and answered her every time.

Cookin' Pumpkin

2009-12-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I feel it's ok to take the pumpkins off our porch and get them ready for yummies like pies, bread, rolls...mmmmm.

So... we've been cooking pumpkin. LOTS of pumpkin. Thanks to Pepaw, who brought us pumpkins from the farm, I've got 52 cups of pumpkin in my freezer. This doesn't even count the biggest pumpkin I've yet to prepare.

Here are some pics from the day!

Play

2009-11-22T21:29:00.000-08:00

I tried having a no TV week last week. Though we still watched a few episodes of Word World and Super Why, we watched considerably less TV than previous weeks. We tried to focus in on Play!! In honor of Play Week, here are some pics.

Out of the hat box...

Stella is very into creating masterpieces out of her toys. Here are a few of her recent creations...

She's so proud!

I love how she's so methodical. Each block gets it's own little creature. She spends so much time making them just how she wants them.

My favorite part of this is how the princess are the gore (girl) are lying down, so as to extend the "line" of the masterpiece.

I was impressed with this one! All the blocks are so evenly spaced and so nicely lined up. Seriously?? I didn't know 2 yr olds did this kind of stuff.

Ok, so the blocks are all even facing the same way! No red or blue letters showing here! Just the wood side.

Chicken is driving. All the little people are riding. She's so purposeful.

What fun... I'm excited about another week of Play with my sweet, creative, crazy girls!

Getaway '09

2009-11-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

We try to take "just us" getaways every so often. Jeremy's parents were gracious enough to take the girls while we gotaway for a few days in Branson, MO.

I'm afraid I may be a 74 yr old in a 29 yr old's body because I discovered my LOVE for Branson! Seriously, I was all about it. Maybe it's because there's a patriotic themed segment to every show. Maybe it's because they use many opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Maybe it's because this is where my hubby and I usually retreat. I don't know why, but I may as well buy myself a red, white, and blue sequin flag cap and call it. I LOVE BRANSON!!

I don't have many pics b/c one of us gets mocked for being picture happy, and the other doesn't take pics. So...

us. on the Branson Belle.

The largest zucchini I've ever seen.

God bless Branson.

Pumpkin Patch - Round 2

2009-11-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

You may remember our pumpking patch experience from last year. Well, we went again this year, too. We went on Halloween so there was no one there. We had the place to ourselves and it was nice!

We had several knee-highs with us and among them we had...

a goat

a frog.
she said she wanted to be a RED frog.
we tried to go the tropical theme route, but...well...
check out the "webbed" feet.

a cookie monster

a bat
though you can't really see his ears or his webbed arm-wings in this pic

a ladybug
and many others.

You may also recall the "jumping horse". Well, for those of you who listened to Stella tell and retell the story of being scared of the "jumping horse" for the past year, here it is!!! ...In all of it's horsey glory! I think it's actually more of a dragon of sorts??

Inside the belly of the "Jumping Horse"...

After the Jumping Horse, we had a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. We found some goodies out here! Each kiddo got to pick a little pumpkin and take it home. mmmm...those will be pumpkin pie in a few days.

a few pics of the Love familia out at the patch...

and us...

Fun times. We're living the dream. Living life with our best friends, raising our kids together... can't get much better than this. Thank you, Lord. We're grateful.

Miss Dot and friends

2009-11-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

We have some new friends and we're SO glad about it! The girls especially love Miss Dot and Mr. Dick. Miss Dot accompanied us to the park a few weeks back. Dick couldn't come because he was having MAN day with some friends. We missed him, but we were glad for some time with Miss Dot!

It was a beautiful day! The leaves were falling and turning colors... it was so pretty! ...and needless to say, the girls enjoyed themselves!

Miss Dot was great at helping with the girls. I totally appreciate that!

...but of course, Stella was pretty insistent that SHE get Miss Dot for the majority of the time. Miss Dot was a gracious play mate! Stella wanted to try out each and EVERY swing so she would swing in one for 10 seconds, then on to the next one. Did I mention that Miss Dot was a gracious play mate?

Miss Dot is as tidy as Grandma Judy, so I had no worries of Stella's shoes getting muddy from the puddles!

Beanie got a little Miss Dot to herself as well... they had a nice little walk around the park.

I tried to get a few pics of the sisters, but that doesn't usually go too well. This wasn't any uncommon occurrence.

More snapshots from the day...

After the park, Miss Dot took us to McDonalds and bought us lunch! I don't have any pics so you'll just have to take my word for it. It was a fun morning. Thanks, Miss Dot!

Stella's rendition on the keys

2009-11-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Now... Stella's turn.

Bean rocks the keys

2009-10-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, my little prodigy. Doesn't it even look like she's using a pedal? She's so sweet!

Eisley's 1st Bow

2009-10-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Bean's always been a bit of a bald'y. Well, she just barely has enough hair now... the other day I managed to get it up in a bow. Had to document the occasion.

I wouldn't say she was way pumped about it. But she's cute!

Parade Day

2009-10-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

SBU homecoming parade...

Getting ready to go...

This was a busy day for us and we knew we needed to make a quick getaway after the parade. Thus, the best place for us to sit on that day was at the very front, where the parade started.

The girls got lots of candy. We didn't bring a bag..."whoops"... I told Stella she could take home whatever she could creatively carry. (We're still trying to finish up Halloween candy from LAST year.) She managed to fit a LOT of candy in that little yellow picnic basket of hers.

That little goose loves her parades. Just ask Mimi Hen.

Bean dominates the basketball

2009-10-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

If you watch til the end, you see a little bit of Bean's Spider Monkey Crawl... I'm just glad we got it documented.

The Burgundy Ball

2009-10-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Once again, we got to go where we don't belong... The very schmancy Burgundy Ball. It's a ritzy fundraiser for the hospital here in town. Richie is awesome and got us tickets again. Instead of paying $100 per plate, Jeremy just had to valet park cars IN THE RAIN!! What a sweet hubby!

Ode to the kitty

2009-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

We decided quite impulsively on a Monday morning to get a kitty. Little Murray Sparkles came home with us that afternoon from the pound. He's just the sweetest little thing! Jeremy did a great job picking our kitty out of all the sweet little kitties who were at the pound. It's a shame we couldn't take all of them. I mean, I guess we could, then Jeremy's dream of having a free roaming cat ranch would finally come to fruition.

Here's an ode to the latest addition to our family, Little Murray Sparkles.

She looks so sweet with him, doesn't she?? Last week she got in big trouble for throwing him up into the air as high as she could... repeatedly. He was a good sport about it, at least.

Little Murray Sparkles is always a hit when our friends come over. These Love boys just couldn't get enough of him... especially Jett!!

Little Murray Sparkles, welcome to the Scowden fam!

Random Stuff

2009-09-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

So, it's been forever... Here are a few recents. The other day it was such a nice, steady rain. We went outside and Stella got to play in the rain. It was so fun!!

She LOVES her umbrella... what can I say?

Then she got cold and requested a towel.

Oh man, that's my girl. She's crazy!!

She looks so sweet here!

Eisley Bean's first day of BUM Kids!! She's such a big girl now, walking and everything! This little Bean's personality is coming out... more to come of The Bean later...

stressed out

2009-05-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

This morning I walked into Stella's room to get her out of bed. The very first thing she said to me was, "Mommy, I so 'tressed out!" I asked her, "Why are you so stressed out?" Turns out, it was because she took her pillow case off her pillow and couldn't get it back on. I love how she puts her words together.

Stella Smile

2009-05-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

So, Stella has this new "smile" she does. Whenever we ask her to smile so pretty, this is what we get.

2009-05-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

A day in the life...

So maybe I let her get away with a little more than usual here, but it was too funny. Grandparents, I thought you guys would get a kick out of this. She's crazy!!

2009-03-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our day. We had a little couch time and we read our respective books. Stella checking out her "Highlights" magazine, and Eisley reading her giant, fabric, it's-ok-to-eat-it book about bugs.

Stella obliges me for a moment and looks up.

...but she's just too into what she's doing.

Eisley, on the other hand...she's all about the camera. That little bean is way too cute!

Then, we had some play dough time!

The thing on the table is a snake, in case you were curious.

This girl is all into her play dough.

This is play dough "daddy".

Play dough daddy needed clothes on...apparently...so we gave him a nice button up shirt. He also needed ears, eyes and a smile. He's so handsome!

and bath time, of course...

notice that crazy smile on Stella? that's the smile I get every time I ask her to smile for the camera. she's so crazy!

mad moves

2009-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Stella's got some mad moves when it comes to the exersaucer. This isn't the best trick she's got- she's got one where she goes in headfirst and backwards, then flips over. That, by far, is the best move. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it on video. Here's the next best...

A day in the life...

2009-03-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Some footage taken from a pretty average evening. Grandparents and Great Grandparents, this should give you a good idea of what we've been up to! Love you all and I'll see you next week!

Eisley's First Food

2009-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here's Eisley's first taste of something other than "milkies".

She's going to be ok with this whole "eating solids" bit, don't you think?

picture tag

2009-01-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

Trina tagged me. The rules are...

1. Go to where you store your digital photo folders & open the 4th folder.
2. Go to the 4th picture and post it.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag an additional 4 people.

Wow, this is a fantastic picture for this. My friend Ryder was trying to see how far through our doggy door he could fit. I should post the other pictures too...

I'm tagging Lisa C., Carey B., Beth R., WOB.

Kung Foo Elmo

2009-01-14T15:04:00.001-08:00

These were too funny not to put both of them on there.

What are these things on the ends of my arms?

2009-01-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

Eisley is learning to use her hands!

2009-01-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is a fun stage- where Stella discovers her imagination. Or, rather, we discover it.

The other day at lunch she took a few bites out of her chip. Then she held it up and said, "Look momma, a hippo!"

I can see it.

Saber Sauce

2008-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. We officially lied to our child and told her that a big, jolly man comes down our chimney (which doesn't exist), out of our fake gas fireplace, and into our home...to eat cookies, drink milk, and leave her a present. I'm feeling a little guilty about this lie. It's not like when I tell her that she will turn into a ball of Play Dough if she eats it or that Eisley's head will stay the same size forever if Stella keeps hitting it. Ok. So, those things are lies too...but figuratively, you know? They could be true "figuratively". Anyway...

...We made cookies for Santa. We talked about it all day. We've been singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" all week long. Actually, Stella calls him Saber Sauce so sometimes we sing that instead. On car rides she says, "Sing not pout, not cry!!" So we sing. Over and over and over. That evening we put out chocolate chip cookies and milk. These just so happen to be mommy's favorite. Check out how excited she was about cookies and milk out for Santa.

Ok, and this video is AWESOME! Check out the look on her face when she realizes that "Saber Sauce" ate all the cookies and drank all the milk. I love this little girl.

2008-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

A few random and fun videos from Christmas break...

ok, so I always forget and hold the camera the wrong way.

Play-Dough stella...

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

This holiday, we didn't travel too much and we were able to celebrate with just our family. Stella is getting quite into the Christmas spirit...especially the part about presents. Trying to focus on the "reason" for the season, we asked her earlier in the week to tell us her favorite thing about Jesus. She said, "No room. Sleep with animals." Her little answer was more profound than she can know. My brother-in-law, Matt, reminded us how precious it is that God still sent Jesus, even knowing what Christmas would become. We make room for presents, family, food, shopping...but all too often we forget to make room for Jesus.

We really enjoyed having a quiet day...just the four of us. We went to a Christmas Eve service at church, then we went out with friends for supper. We came home and Stella opened a few presents before she went to bed. (We didn't forget Eisley...she just doesn't "open" presents yet.)

Stella was pretty pumped about getting socks.

not really.

Pea was especially excited about her blocks...

but perhaps not as excited as she was about Mr. Potato Head...

Eisley participating in the festivities...

The recorder was a hit too...

The whole family got in on the recorder playing experience.

2008-12-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

We love our friends! Here's a few pics from our "lunch club"...

A few Ludden girls...

Kaelin (how do you spell, Erin?) rocking out...

The Reeds...eager to meet sweet Isabella (who at that date was still inside Jill's cute little belly!)

We heart the Bethells!

Cooper was pushing Stella around in this baby doll stroller. So funny!

awwww...the Coop. he's too cute for just one pic on here.

Stella turns 2!

2008-12-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

We had such fun celebrating Stella's 2nd birthday! It's so fun now because she understands even more of what's going on. We copied an idea from our friends, thanks Mani, and had decided to fill her crib with balloons when she woke up. She actually woke up before we got in there, so we just ran in there with as many balloons as we could hold, we threw them all at her in her crib, and we sang "happy birthday" to her. A bit overwhelming for the average kid, perhaps, but nothing out of the ordinary for her. Probably why she's always in everyone else's face. I guess you all have us to thank for that.

Here's our big two year old!

After the ballon extravaganza and the photo shoot, we opened a gift from Grammy Lin. Stella was quite excited about the Aquadoodle...as was Mommy. I colored every page of that thing later that afternoon. So cool! and after it dries and you can do it all over again! Stella then went to B.U.M. kids. Afterword, we met Daddy and went out to eat at Stella's favorite restaurant (a tradition Jeremy grew up with)...Pizza Hut...also happens to be one of our favorites! After Stella woke up from her nap, we were excitedly awaiting Daddy's arrival. Stella for some reason got Eisley's coat and put it on...upside down. This was completely HILARIOUS!

* note the duct tape on Stella's diaper. She's been taking her diaper off during nap time. Now that she's pretty much potty trained, she really hates being in a dirty diaper so she is quick to take it off when- you guessed it- she's "stinky". We call it her "big boy belt" because cousin Wil went through this same stage. Thanks for the tip, Wilby.

** I love how she carried that balloon with her everywhere she went. Our waitress at Pizza Hut gave it to her.

Then we had supper. Stella had a massive, and I do mean HUGE chocolate chip birthday cookie. Toward the end of the cookie we decided that she had eaten entirely too much cookie in one sitting so Jeremy distracted her while I stole peices of cookie off her tray.

That was some yummy cookie. I seriously ate probably half of the batch that day. I made them huge, so when I ate 4 cookies in one day, it was a bigger deal because I only made 9 total. wow.

Then we opened presents. It was a home made birthday. I made her a pillow and a hat. Now she has a hat just like her Momma. and she doesn't have to sleep on her basketball anymore.

We had a fun day celebrating our little goose. We love our family! Look at these two...they're cute either way you look!

(Thanks, Grammy Lin, for the jammies! They're our new favs!)

We took a birthday party.

2008-12-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today was Stella's birthday party. We wanted those of you who were busy baking cookies and being deathly ill to be a part also! She's been so excited about "Birthday Party Day". She's been talking about it for weeks. Whenever I'd ask her what she wanted to do at her birthday party, she always said "Birthday cake!!". We had decorated the night before and when she came out of her room she was so excited to see everything all done up.

*I especially like the way she breaks out into a nice rendition of "hoppy birf-day to Jew, Stella" at the end...

She was seriously so excited she just played around the living room with all the balloons. I'm pretty sure she thought that was her birthday party. She kept saying "I take a birthday party!". I guess like you take a bath or take a drink. She also asked Jeremy to "come play birthday party" with her.

So he did...she loves basket rides!

After we "took a birthday party" we finished making our sugar cookies. You know...for the turkeys.

Here's Eisley getting ready for the party. Jeremy calls this one "balloon-on-head".

So, we partied. I didn't video much of it, but believe me. We partied. Here we are....

*a few notes
Zach, sorry I cut off your head.
Craig, at least I didn't cut off your head.
Avery, nice purse.
Richie, Jeremy has a special name for you now. It's kind of like your mom's nickname, but it ends with "mouth" instead of "brain". This pic is so hilarious.
All my pregos...Na Na, sorry I didn't get you in this pic! That's right everyone, Chandra is pregnant...again!

Anyway, back to the party. Stella was way excited about everyone singing to her. She's been singing "hoppy birf-day to Jew, Stella" for the past two weeks.

We had a blast! We love our friends and we love our little 2 year old goose!

naked day

2008-12-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

This morning I walked into Stella's room only to find that she had stripped down COMPLETELY naked...diaper and all. Thank goodness she had just pee in her diaper. It was so funny, I took pics, planning to let you all share in the experience, but somehow it felt a little weird posting naked pics of my daughter on the web.

So...we're following in the footsteps of the Bethells and instead, posting shots of her in her prancing around in her undies. I mean, Coop most certainly wasn't "prancing", but that's what little girls do.

Ok, so maybe she's not so much prancing...more like she's a woman on a mission...

...cuttin' a rug...literally...

...and riding Watson...a regular occurance at our house.

Yay for naked day!!

No, no, Watson.

2008-12-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

The situation often comes up where Stella is carrying yummy snacks around the house. Watson loves this. He follows her around and waits for just the right moment when she is unexpecting and he quickly snags the treat from her little hands. The following is the defense mechanism she has developed in order to keep Watson from stealing her treats.

She walks around the house, taunting poor Watson with her treat. She repeats, "No, No, Watson. This is Stella's.". Poor little dog.

I like how in the beginning, she says "close your eyes" and shuts them real tight.

"I make a mess!"

2008-12-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

A seemingly quiet morning in the Scowden household quickly turned unto...

Rest assured that if you have to pee while you're at our house over the next week, your TP roll will look like this:

Immanuel

2008-12-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight we attended a special Christmas service at our church. Our pastor talked of how familiar and precious this season is because it's the same, sweet story year after year. He reminded us that there is one thing, however, that does change. Each year we come into this season a different person than the last.

So, what is it about your life that makes you a different person today than you were on this day last year?

Whatever that thing, we can rest in the fact that God is Immanuel. God is with us. In all the ways that I have become a different person this year, God has walked with me. In all of our struggles, in all of our victories, in everything He is with us. Even when I haven't realized it, He's been there.

Therefore, since He is with us, we have the great privilege of sharing him with others. May we be love incarnate to all those we meet. May we start by showing love through simple acts of kindness. That's all it takes. Immanuel. God is with us.

Proverbs 3:5

2008-11-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

This morning we decided to surprise Jeremy with blueberry muffins for breakfast. Stella's had this terrible cough all week. As we were cooking, I told her to cover her mouth with her arm when she coughed to ensure our muffins were free from Stella-snot.

We finished breakfast and I was clearing the table before I got her out of her chair. I walked into the dining room just as I heard her coughing and saw her covering her mouth with her arm. I was quite excited to see her implementing the strategies we had earlier discussed. The look on her face was so sweet as I told her "Good job!!" for covering her mouth when she coughed.

I guess she was feeling proud of her accomplishments. Out of nowhere she started reciting this verse she learned at B.U.M. kids a few weeks ago. I had never heard her say it all by herself without any promptings from me. It's amazing what kids are capable of...especially so young! I got her down from breakfast and asked her to say it again on camera. So...here you go!

Oh yeah, for those of you who don't speak "Stella-ese", here's the translation:

"Trust (in the) Lord (with) all (your) heart (and) lean not (on your) own understanding. I look at pictures!"

"I did it!"

"I love ("you" understood)."

*Note the motions...I LOVE the motions!

we got Elfed!

2008-11-25T21:23:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the bean

2008-11-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

We are a family full of nick names. Stella, for a short while, was Sweet Pea, which then turned to just Pea, now has morphed into Pea Mae. So, the bean. Eisley Jean...Eisley Jean-Steen...Eisley Bean...the Bean-Steen. Well, today's blog features the Bean. (Though she's sure not skinny like a string bean. More chubby like a kidney bean or something like that.) Anyway, I present to you, The Bean.

The Pea and the Bean... Little Old Man Bean. She looks like an old man in these pics...I love it!

Here are some good smiles from The Bean. She always gives her daddy the best smiles!

and The Bean's attempt to stand.

Note the Crunchberry's in our sink...nice. (We were potty training that weekend. one crunchberry for going with a good attitude, two crunchberries for going with a good attitude and for actually going in the potty, and a whopping three crunchberries for going poo poo in the potty. ahhh...gotta love some crunchberries.)

We sure love our little Bean!

piggyback

2008-11-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

I watched Avery last week. Stella had fun...not sure that Avery did. I think by the end of the night he was traumatized from Stella and Watson.

I took these pics while Stella was jumping on Avery's back yelling, "PIGGYBACK!!"

get candy

2008-11-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

We all know the main thought that runs through a child's brain is, "get candy."

Get candy. Get candy. Get candy.

Wait a second...you mean to tell me that everyone I know is just giving out CANDY?? What do I need to do? I'll do anything!

I can wear that.

(for all you Jerey Seinfeld fans)

thus the case with my girls. I usually like to have a theme...no theme this year. we went with cost effective. this is why we had a horse and Dorothy.

Stella is complete with Toto and picnic basket. That little picnic basket is where she collected all her candy. and wouldn't you know that she wouldn't let us touch that basket. too funny!

last year we were swedish goat herders. check out our little goat! (and Jeremy's obscenely too tight cordurorys. actually, don't check out Jeremy's...uh... his cordurorys.)

hometown visit

2008-11-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

So, I went back to my hometown for the ole' 10 year HS reunion. Good times. I took the girls a few days early and we had a good time visiting family.

Mom had Stella on the swing for a photo shoot...

We went out to the farm to see Mema...

we also visited Papa Dave...

note mouthful of M&M's. i'm surprised that girl didn't turn into an M&M or a tic tac with all the candy she was getting from grandparents...

well, there we are. the class of '98. minus like 40 of us.

Us just before we headed home.

I took a baf

2008-11-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

So...in case you can't tell, I just figured out a way to get our videos on here. I'm sure you'll see "Chocolate Face" just before this one, and note we added a video to the No Tits entry. Bet you can't guess what's on there. Anyway, here's Stella's first complete sentence.

Chocolate Face

2008-11-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

the pumpkin patch

2008-11-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of our trip to the pumpkin patch. We went with the Ringwalds, Shulers and the Loves, though somehow i managed not to get a pic of the whole fam together.

We first went on a hayride that took us out to the pumpkin patch. Stella was a little stressed about the hayride.

She loved the pumpkin patch, however.

Upon returning, Stella got to sit on the pony. We didn't ride, though. It cost extra...plus, we didn't think she'd go for the horse actually moving. It had been a stressful day for the goose.

Eisley tagged along as usual. We feel a little bad that she isn't the star of as many pics as Stella, but I guess that's the way it is in this time of life.

We ended the afternoon with a bonfire. Roasted hot dogs and s'mores...mmmmm...yummy! fun afternoon!

Unc Boots

2008-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

So Stella gets into our closet and I hear her in there saying, "Unc boots. Unc boots." She comes out with these massive beasts of boot. She needed a little help getting in. That Goose sure loves her unc. and she must think that he keeps his boots in our closet.

The City

2008-10-12T20:56:00.001-07:00

So we went to Silver Dollar City with the Loves and the Ringwalds. We brought the kiddos. Stella had her first experience with "roller coaster rides"...well, what she rode on can hardly be called a roller coaster. anyway, i'll say that she was a little stressed about the whole situation.

unfortunately she wasn't tall enough to ride the ladybugs...i think she was ok with that.

Addi and Rams sure had fun on the ladybugs, though!

at this point, stella is stressed out aboout Addi and Ramsey being on the ladybugs.

Still stressed...now about her next ride.

next up, the caterpillar/butterfly thing.

ahhhh...the wait.

maybe Jeremy should have opted this one out and let me ride.

hey, is that dude 6'4" and riding in the caterpillar/butterfly thing??
oh, yes he is.

the friendly fellow running the ride suggested that Jeremy ride side saddle.

this was probably his best option.
smile!

HALLELUJAH! Stella was ready to move on.

time for a drink break.

pouty girl wants more.

we headed home shortly after this...well, the adults first took turns riding Powderkeg, but we unfortunately don't have any pictures of this. the best pic would have been Andy sitting in a corner with three strollers and four tired kids, none of whom had naps, by the way. thanks Andy, for letting us ride!

the wings

the loves

us

the generations...

2008-10-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

a fun weekend visit from Grammy Lin and Great-Grandma...whoa...that's weird calling Grandma "Great-Grandma"! she sure is great, though!

2008-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

can you tell who's who?

or how about these?

No Tits.

2008-10-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

So today Stella was playing outside. I told her it was time to come inside for supper. She started screaming and throwing this fit. I told her she needed to stop otherwise she'd have a consequence. She didn't stop...in fact she screamed louder and started throwing herself about. So, I brought her inside, spanked her, and set her on the couch for some time out. After she calmed down a little bit I went over to her and we talked about why she got spanked and had to sit in time out. "Stella, do you know why I put you in a time out? I put you in a time out because you were throwing a fit. We do not throw fits. You know that. No fits." to which Stella replies, "No tits." "That's right. No fits." "No tits." sure...whatever...no tits.

just like momma...

2008-09-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

the girl's got style! she likes to accessorize.
strike a pose, there's nothing to it! vogue...

Eis wide open

2008-09-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

here's a good one of Eisley w/her eyes open.

you are my sunshine!

2008-09-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

Grammy Lin got Stella this sweet "hat" (as Stella calls it). She'll put it on, then say, "mirror! mirror!" b/c she wants to go see herself. too cute.

The Burgundy Ball

2008-09-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

...but you have to say it like "The Buuuhhhrrrgundy Ball". it's that fancy. we were so out of our league! thanks to Richie who got us tickets because he's all big and important. it's a fundraiser for the hospital here in town. like, $100 per seat type of deal. it's fun to get all dressed up and go out w/o the kiddos.

it was us...

the shulers..

the mani...

and the wings...

the gals...

our boys...aren't they cute???!!

it was a fabulous evening! thanks for the tickets, Richie!

"unc" and "unt"

2008-09-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

so it seems that "unt" is fast approaching grandparent status. or maybe that's just what "unt" status really is. either way, Stella LOVES her Aunt Danielle or "unt" as she calls her. here's some piggyback fun with the fam. as they were trying to leave, Stella didn't want them to go. she kept prolonging the process by giving unt kisses and hugs. when they finally made it out the door, Stella was looking out crying "unt...unt...piggybaaaaack!!!"

"Unc" rates pretty high also.

that was probably an understatement.

Dad's big debut

2008-09-07T20:35:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

*note
As if the hat wasn't enough of a clue, the "voter" at the end of the jib jab is my daddy!

2008-09-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

so sweet!

2008-09-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

We watched the Love boys tonight. Check out these couch buddies! They were all mesmerized by watching "The Incredibles".

Jett was more into pushing buttons on my laptop.

bunkids

2008-09-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Stella's first day at B.U.M. Kids. Or "bunkids" as Stella calls it. Bolivar United Methodist has a program where she goes one morning a week. There, she will learn Bible stories, make crafts, learn alphabet and numbers. She is so excited about it! She talks about it all the time. We had to take a picture of her first day at "school". Isn't she such a big girl? She's growing up so fast!

The Wings

2008-09-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Our fabulous friends, the Ringwalds, brought supper over for us last week. Stella and Addison had a blast with Stella's collection of sunglasses.

Looks like Craig enjoyed himself as well...

spoon

2008-09-02T11:35:00.001-07:00

So Stella is getting pretty handy with a spoon...at least when it comes to eating yogurt. Today I gave her a spoon and some strawberry yogurt and watched her go at it. She was impressive. In fact, as I sat and watched her I was taken aback at how intent she was in her yogurt eating. I looked into her little eyes and couldn't help but wonder what it was she was thinking about while she spooned bite after bite. She was concentrating so hard, surely she was comtemplating something quite meaningful. How could I ever know the deep thoughts that occupy the mind of my toddler? I guess I could always just ask. "Stella, what are you thinking about?" She said, "Yogurt." Of course, mom. She may not be contemplating the meaning of life or anything like that, but she sure is into her yogurt.

Pretzel Belly

2008-08-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

So this is at lunch today. Stella was lifting her shirt and putting her pretzels on her belly. I asked her what she was doing, to which she exclaimed, "Pitzel belly!!" I decided to try and capture the moment on video, hoping she'd say "pitzel belly" again. She wasn't cooperating. However, it still made for some funny video. I especially like how she is using her shirt as some sort of eating utensil in order to get the "pitzels" to her mouth. Other highlights include: a large amount of pitzel chunks exiting her mouth, and stay tuned in until the very end for a spectacular finale!

"tuck...cheeaair"

2008-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

That's Pea Mae for "stuck...chair" in case you hadn't figured it out. This is what she says now, whenever she sees her booster seat. So...I always buckle her into her seat. This was one of those things where I thought to myself, "Ok, I probably should, but what's the worst that can happen?"

Well, here it is. She writhes in pain while her momma is laughing uncontrollably, grabs the camera and says to herself, "This is SO blog material." Her pain is now your gain.

Can I get a little help here, mom?

HEY!!! Do you not see what's happening here?

That's it! I'm calling DFS as soon as you get me out of here!

No Pea Mae's were harmed in the creating of this post.

Pretty Eis...

2008-08-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

We caught her with her eyes open! Jeremy says this is a rarity...except for in the middle of the night. He teases though, she's actually doing quite well. She's starting to get the hang of the whole "day and night" thing. We do look forward, however, to once again having more than just 3-4 hours hours of continuous sleep at a time.

pizza night

2008-08-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

Here's me and the Pea...i think we were making pizza. These were taken before Eisley was breathing air.

bringing home baby

2008-08-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

We're officially home with the little one. Stella is doing well with "baby Eisley" except for the occasional eye poke and the violent episodes of "swing rocking". Other than that, she's adjusting for the most part.

Here are a few pics from the day we came home.

Eisley Jean has arrived!!!

2008-08-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can probably guess by the title, SHE'S HERE!!! Another perfect little girl... 7 lbs, 9.2 oz. 20.5" long, born at 3:36 on Saturday morning (8/9/08). Stella is still a little unsure of this new intruder, but she's going to be a great big sister. She's OK with her for the most part, as long as mom isn't holding her.

Blastoff???

2008-08-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, evidently, Kim has a "very favorable cervix." I think that's a compliment. I guess no one ever accused Dr. Shoe of being a smooth talker with the ladies... It seems like the contractions are getting closer together, and starting to intensify, so tonight might be it! Here's the "before" pic. We'll post what weight watchers can do at a later date. (Hopefully very soon!)

Puny Pea

2008-08-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a hard day for the little Pea. She's been a bit puny. She threw up during Sesame Street. I gave her a bath afterword and that helped some, however by lunch time it was back to puny. Here are some pics of us at lunch. And yes, she is sitting in her booster seat with her "me" (blanket)...that's a first. But hey, whatever she wants when she's this puny.

Dr. Shoe and the baby

2008-08-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today we went to check "status" on the little babe. Stella gets very excited about going to see "Dr. Shoe" and hearing the baby's heartbeat. So, here it is. Dr. Shoe's internet video debut...guest starring along with my giant belly, and of course, Stella Mae.

So, I guess I should clue you in on "status". I'll spare you the details, but let's just say this baby could come any day now! Baby is in launch position and ready for takeoff. T- minus 3, T- minus 2, T- minus 1...

There's Pea in the Pool!

2008-07-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

That's PEA! Her first day in the baby pool. The water was a little cold...she didn't want to sit down. Notice her counting...she likes to skip "one". Enjoy the video!

trying the blog thing

2008-07-31T19:30:00.001-07:00

Well here we are with our own "blogspot". We'll see how this goes. Seems to be a good way of keeping family updated. Here, we can post messages, pictures, and even videos. So...you can check it out every so often and see what new things are going on with this Scowden Family...especially for those of you who are many miles away! Now, let's hope we can just keep this thing updated.

love you all!