Finding your Passion

My life is full of chasing an almost 2 year old around 24/7. This is in no way a complaint! I am still in shock that my boy is only a few weeks away from being 2. He is the biggest blessing that God could have ever given me.


Let me rewind a little....growing up softball was my passion. It was the one thing in life I felt I was 100% myself. When I was playing I had no fear, stress, only my love for the game! My senior year I decided that I didn't want to play softball. I had a different path in mind, I wanted to get married. My heart wanted to start a family but my head was spinning with thoughts about what would I be without softball. It may sound silly because softball is just a game right ?! It is just a game but after spending 14 years to better yourself and it being the center of your world it starts to define you. Casey and I got married and it was amazing. We traveled and did things as a couple, he is the man of my dreams. But that feeling of doing something that you love that was just for myself I missed. Casey has a passion for hunting and fishing and he prides himself on being a hunter. I was learning to be a wife ( which I love ) but other than that I had nothing. I needed something that was a passion !


Fast Forward....I have found that passion again! Being a mother is my passion. 100% it is what I love. It isn't exactly stress free....its more of a I wear my heart on my sleeve deal but it is my love. I don't just want to get through the day I want to be all I can. I want to make Bowen proud. I am learning each and every day. I can't speak for all mothers but I truly feel like God put me on this earth to be a mother, it is the hardest job I have but it so much more rewarding that I can explain. So no matter what the day brings Bowen will get my all !


Off the mushy gushy stuff ...


Bowen is a very active little boy! Sitting still is NOT an option. He has such a precious personality. He is so outgoing and silly. In fact, just the other day we were at the Dollar Store and every time we saw someone he would wave and say Hi, how are you? & if that person didn't acknowledge him he would get louder and louder until that person had no other choice but to speak lol. I'm glad he doesn't meet a stranger, he totally gets that from his daddy! On the other had he can definitely be as stubborn as the day is long. We have to get his attention quite often.


Bowen :


-wears size 18 months to 24 month clothes
- he only wears a diaper when he sleeps
- He can carry on a full conversation ( which still amazes me )
- He LOVES the vacuum
- Nemo is his new found movie
- He eats just about anything
- He typically goes to bed around 8:30 & will sleep in until 9 am
- He likes to take pictures
- He can count to 10 ( he misses # 8 sometimes )
- He can spell his name
- He loves to swim


We went on a river trip back in June with my family and we had a blast! We are hoping to go back again next summer.


This December we are going to Disney World with Casey's family and we can not wait!


October 12th will be Bowen's 2nd birthday yes it is Nemo themed !


I am looking forward to what the future holds. Birthdays, trips, Christmas and so much more!

 

xoxox Lacey

The Best 18 Months of My Life.

As always Bowen is growing up way too fast. I feel like I have blinked and he is already a year and a half old. My baby boy is so full of life, and ALL BOY ! I have given up on Bowen ever having flawless skin without any bumps, bruises, "Bo-Bo's ", or scars.  He is my active rug rat ! If it involves climbing, running , outside, or any other active verb you can think of , Bowen is doing it.


He likes to watch bits of Barney or Mickey Mouse but the longest I have ever gotten him to sit still and watch TV is about 10 minutes but I'm not complaining. I love that he likes to be active. Heck I wish I had all of his energy to burn !!! This boy LOVES to eat , I seriously can not believe that he doesn't weigh so much more than he does. He will just about eat ANYTHING ! He's constantly asking for a snack, or telling me he wants to eat. He still has one nap per day. Usually it falls from about noon to 2, on occasion it will be 12-3. Bedtime is between 7:30 & 8:30 depending on his naps. Recently he has started wanting to sleep with his Simba stuffed animal ( you can only imagine my excitement for this considering his WHOLE room is in Lion King :) )  Most nights he loves bath time, he will lay on his belly and put his mouth under water and blow bubbles. I tried to teach him how to float one night in the bath tub but it was very unsuccessful and extremely scary so I have not attempted that again lol.


He amazes me with his vocabulary. I cant even count how many words he knows right now. He is such a little parrot that he continues to learn words it seems like daily. Here are just a few of the two or 3 words he puts together off the top of my head:


-love you
-hold you
-shoes on
-Mama ...love you
- up above world ( when he singing twinkle twinkle little star.
- bite of dat (that)  please
- SIT DOWN ! ( he yells at Rebel and Dixie )
- more please


When he cooperates he will count to ten well kind of lol ! I say 1 he says 2 , I say 3..4, he says 5-6 , I say 7 and he says 8, 9, and 10 !


He also knows some ABC's   ... only A B C D E ! but its a start




 He is OBSESSED with the vacuum, it's totally not normal ! He will ask for the vacuum several times a day and go to the linen closet waiting for me to show it to him. He's a nut :) My parents bought him a rocking horse when he was only like 2 month old but just the other day I got it out so he could play with it. It's a horse that when you push his ear he makes horse noise and moves his head ...OMGSH Bowen freaked out on me! It was kind of funny until these big crocodile tears came pouring out, then I was just broken hearted knowing it scared him that bad.


Bowen was officially potty trained at 17 months ! I am so grateful that he only wears a diaper when he sleeps. I love little boy undies :)  There was some negativity from people for potty training at a young age but I knew my own child and knew that he was showing signs that he was ready. Its my job to teach him things not hold him back. Anyways, he has done really well. Accidents will happen occasionally but that's okay :)


We wear size 2t undies :)
size 12 months in some things and size 18 months in some !
size 4 or 5 shoes !



We are in a "NO" phase right now. At first it was all fun and cute but after a few times of telling me NO I realized we have to stop this right now . So Bowen is getting some spats for being the NO word. He is starting to catch on. But my mom always told me that one of my kids would be my payback and I whole hearted believe that Bowen is it ! I wouldn't trade him for the world though !


Casey and Bowen have a wonderful relationship but I would still have to say he is a Momma's boy! I will enjoy it now because I know it wont be long and Bowen will want to be with Daddy fishing and hunting and doing whatever boys do !


These have been the best 18 months of my life as Bowen's mommy. Watching him grow is such a beautiful blessing. I know I say this over and over but my heart is just so full of love, I really can't explain it. It's an endless love that grows more each day. Love you baby boy !

All this time and we're still in love !

Baby when I look at you with your hair fallin' down and your baby blues
Standing there across the room I get so lost in the way you move
It makes me reminisce back to years ago on a night like this
Teary eyed as you took my hand and I told you that I'd be your man
So many things have come so many things have gone
one thing that's stayed the same is our love is still growing strong

 Baby just look at us all this time and we're still in love
Something like this just don't exist
Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess
People said it would never work out
Living our dreams has shattered all doubts
It feels good to prove 'em wrong
Living our love song

Oh darling would you look at me
With my heart beating fast and my shaking knees
It's pretty hard to believe after all these years I still need you this badly
You're dancing in my arms with a spotlight moon in a sea of stars
Girl we've come so far everything I want is everything that you are
I just want to lay you down
Say I love you without a sound
I think you know what I'm talking about
 Baby just look at us all this time and we're still in love
Something like this just don't exist
Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess
People said it would never work out
Living our dreams has shattered all doubts
It feels good to prove 'em wrong
Living our love song

 Feels good to prove 'em wrong
Just living our love song

 

 

 

 

This song pretty much sums up Casey and I . From the beginning there were so many people against us because of me being a freshman and him being a senior, but we knew it was something special and something no one else could take away from us. Our love has grown leaps and bounds over the past 8.5 years. There isn't anyone else in the world I would want as an example for Bowen and any future children. He has been my best friend and rock and I can't thank him enough for all that he has given me. Our love will forever be growing and changing but I promise that we will grow together and not let life bring us apart. I love you through the good and bad times Casey. You hold the key to my heart not only on this day but everyday.

 

 

XoXo - Lacey - 

The life of Bowen

Here lately my life consists of Bowen yelling one of the following at me

"BITE OF DAT" ( bite of that )
 "POO-POO"
"NACK ( snack )
"DINK" ( for drink )
"POBBY" ( potty )
"TEEF " (brushing his teeth which he is totally obsessed with)

He has become quite the talker. He knows what he wants and he is VERY vocal about it. Sometimes its all cute and sweet and other times he is screaming in public places and I am so embarrassed. It's something we are working on ! I just can't imagine where he could get his loud mouth trait from ;) 

From about the time he turned 15 months old Bowen has become a complete Mommy's Boy. I am not exaggerating when I say he will not let Casey or anyone else do anything for him if I am in the room. He constantly is telling me "hold you" which is so not like him. He has always been my baby on the go. I secretly am loving every minute of this Mommy's boy phase. I know eventually there will come a time that loving on mom will be the last thing on his mind so for now as long as he wants me I'm there.

We started potty training on January 12th. The first day he did tee-tee and poo-poo on the potty but he also had many accidents. Resolve became my best friend and once again Bowen was teaching me patience. Day 2, 3 , 4 , 5 there were less accidents each day and more successful potty breaks ! Day 6 was the first day with ZERO accidents ! In the beginning I would set a timer and I would take him every 20 minutes, once I saw he was learning to hold it at the 20 min time frame we moved it to 30 minutes and so on and so forth.  We are now about a month into it and I only take him once every hour unless he tells me he need to go " pobby ".  He tells us that he needs to go about 75 percent of the time. The other times I ask and he will tell us no-no or pobby. He definitely recognizes when he has an accident, He will constantly say Uh-Oh over and over ! Right now at 15 1/2 months old I would say Bowen might have an accident every couple of days. its mostly when he's sitting in his high chair.  None the less, I am very proud of my baby boy for doing so well at a young age.

I am in love with this age. Bowen is my little sponge. It seems as if he learns something daily, honestly its amazing!  I never knew that my heart could be filled with so much joy. It's so hard for me to see my little man as a little boy and not so much a baby anymore ! I miss holding him and believe it or not middle of the night snuggles. I feel like in the moment of those late night feeds you are exhausted and don't really enjoy the experience to its fullest. But little do you know that your sweet baby is growing faster than you can blink and you WILL miss all the little things. Baby fever is starting to set in !! However I'm not ready to give up time with Bowen just yet. God has a plan for our family and I know that when its time to have baby Nowetner number 2 he will let us know. It's more than exciting to see what the future has in store for Bowen and our little family.

XoXo - Lacey -

Who am I ..!?

Many times I have asked myself this question .. Who am I ?

Am I a mother, a wife, a best friend ? Can I be great at all of those?

It's so hard to find a balance and be all of those to the standards that I want to at the same time. Above all others I will always do my best to be the best mother I can be. There will be times I fail miserably but I wholeheartedly believe I'll always give Bowen and any future children my all. Being a wife has its challenges all of its own. Don't get me wrong I love Casey with everything in me, but marriage isn't easy. Two people become one and at all stages of life both are growing and changing. It takes a lot of work to make it work. If there's one thing I do know its that I want to grow with Casey, I want to fight like hell through the hard times so that we can enjoy all the wonderful moments. In the craziness of life I catch myself taking a long bath instead of spending those valuable minutes asking Casey how his day was. Or many times I'm tired after work and I don't want to cook so I'll just pick something up when I know my husband would love a good home cooked meal. I know those small things don't seem to bother him but looking back I know it's the small things that can mean the most. Being Casey's wife is such an honor and I am thankful he is my best friend, I seriously couldn't have asked for a better partner. So here is my dilemma , while I have my faults I know that Bowen gets my 110% so does that mean I can't or I don't give the same to being a wife ( FYI Casey has NEVER complained , I just feel this way ). I hope that I am doing ok at the balance between the two. My boys are my world !! Without Casey I wouldn't be the mother I strive to be and without Bowen I wouldn't be the wife that I am .

Now as far as my friendships , this has been the area that I think I have have the most questions about. In fact, I am actually a little bitter about some of them. Between work, Bowen and running a household I try my best to keep in touch with as many best friends as I can. While it isn't as much as it used to be I TRY! A simple text message , a Facebook comment , an invite over. I know I am limited when it comes to what time I can be out till because Bowen has a nap time and bed time. Let's face it , I'm not the most fun to hang out with anyone. Many of my friendship have suffered from just the fact that we are at different points in our life. Is that a real reason or is it just an excuse ? I feel that in some cases I do make an effort and the other doesn't ..! Don't mistake what I'm saying , I have a couple of my best friends that do put in just as much as me and for that I am soooooo grateful. I guess I'm just at a point now that I realize no matter how bad I want a friendship to work, I cannot be the only one to make an effort. From here on out, I'm just going to focus on what I can control.

So ask me again .. Who are you ..?

I am a mother , wife and best friend . I'm not always going to be the best at all of it, it's just life. However I will try my hardest and that's all I can do.

- Lacey

My life as a Mommy, Christmas and Bowen's 2nd surgery !

Bowen is growing so quickly. He is already a little over 14 months old! Life over this past year has literally flown by, I have to really really think hard to remember my little boy as a 7 lb 14 oz  baby.

The whole time I was pregnant with Bowen I assumed that I knew exactly what being a mother would be like. But boy was I wrong ..! I could have never dreamed how wonderful, demanding , and how big of a blessing being a mother is. There are times I catch myself just looking at Bowen in amazement. How did Casey and I create this beautiful little boy? All i know is , Bowen is my miracle. I thank God for him and pray that I can always be the mother to him that he deserves and the mother that the Lord knows I can be.

Don't get me wrong, I am not claiming that motherhood is always easy and full of laugh and giggles every day. In fact, from about 13 months to 14 months Bowen went through this stage that nothing made him happy. From the time I would pick him after work to the time he went to bed, he was a total fuss bucket. At first, I thought maybe he was teething, but teething had never been this bad for Bowen. So once Tylenol wasn't doing the trick I thought maybe he was getting sick. Took him to the doctor and all was well. From there we tried everything...peek a boo, literally on our hands and knees trying to play with anything and everything, playing outside , long baths. I am not exaggerating when I say we tried everything and nothing seemed to help. I felt like such a failure. I would go to lay in bed at night and cry. What was wrong with my baby and why couldn't I figure it out.? I wanted to make him happy. I would pray that I was doing things right and I wasn't the cause of Bowen's unhappiness. Finally I called my sister n law and asked her if the twins ever went through a phase like this and she assured me it was totally normal and that it will pass. And finally it did.....But with that said, I wouldn't change a single thing because even through that it help me grow as a mother ( & hopefully when we decide for baby number 2 I will know this stage is coming lol )

More than anything, being Bowen's Mommy is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. He more than anyone else has taught me so much. One of my huge flaws as a person and wife before having Bowen was PATIENCE. I seriously had none. Now, I feel that it is much better, not perfect but so much better. Bowen is the sweetest. He loves to give kisses!! Open mouth kisses and I adore them !!! He is becoming so independent. He will play with Casey and I for a while and then he will go to the playroom and he wants time to play by himself. He wants to try to feed himself ( we make a holy mess but its fun :) ) One of the things I love is that now he will come and hold my hand & take me where he wants to go. There is just something about those little tiny fingers around mine that melts me. Many people have asked us when we want to have another baby and we don't exactly have an answer, but we do know that right now our hearts are filled with so much love for Bowen that we are not in any rush. When the time is right the Lord will let us know.


Bowen now says many words and will mimic almost anything we say.

Mama, DaDa, MeMe, PawPaw, Nanny, Pop, Nana, D for uncle David, Eat , Please, thank you, Dixie, Rebel, bye bye , hi ,cheese, love you, good, night night, diaper, dog, bath and im sure a few more !

He weighs roughly 22 pounds

He loves to play in my Tupperware 

He is still in size 4 diapers and wears size 12 month clothes and size 4 shoes

Bowen had his second surgery due to being born with hypospadias on December 19th. 5 days after surgery the doctor said everything looked great but as of today I am not sure its all healing right. I'm trying to be hopeful. poor baby has gone through enough.

Christmas this year was beyond amazing for Bowen. He is one loved and blessed little boy. Our house has become Toys R Us but that's perfectly fine with me. It's Bowen's world and we just live in it -haha - With each and every year I know Christmas's will only get much more fun and magical.

I love you Bowen Michael....You are my sunshine.

Bowen Michael Nowetner's 1st year of life. Happy Birthday My SweetBoy..!

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Bowen
Happy Birthday to You  !


 I write this blog with tears just running down my cheeks. Most are happy tears because I am so incredibly blessed to have Bowen in my life. Watching him grow and develop into this wonderful little boy has been the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. He truly brings Casey and I so much joy.

I always sing this song to him:

" You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
   You make me happy, when skies are grey
   You'll never know dear, how much I love you
    So Please, don't take my sunshine away "

Those words have never been more true. With every beat of my heart, my love for him grows deeper and deeper. With every cry or hurt he goes through, my heart breaks for him. It is amazing how one precious little life makes the whole world look different. My little family is by no means perfect, but it is perfect for me!

Now, my sad tears....that's because I really can't comprehend how 1 whole year flew by. The memories of Bowen as a newborn are starting to slowly fade. They will never be gone, but they aren't as clear as they used to be. It is sad that I have to stop and think about what age he hit certain milestones! It is sad that I have to look through pictures to really remember exactly what he looked like as a baby. But with that said, I am grateful that I blog and print monthly books so that I will always be able to remember small details that sometimes fade away with time. I am just being selfish...there shouldn't be anything sad about Bowen turning 1 ! So I'm throwing away the sad tears !!!


October 20, 2012 - I do remember this day so well. Casey & I were up at 4:15 am to get ready to head to the hospital for my C-section. We both are not morning people, but 1 year ago today we JUMPED out of bed with these nervous smiles all over our faces. I think we were scared, nervous and extremely happy all at the same time. I remember in the car ride to the hospital it was pitch black outside but Casey and I would just look over at each other and start laughing. It was almost like we were a new couple all giddy and so in love. Bowen Michael had already began to change our lives. I remember friends and family wishing us luck as I was still in Pre-Op & that's when my nerves really set in. My mind was all over the place.

WOULD I BE A GOOD MOM ?
WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO EVERYTHING?
AM I GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS SWEET BABY?
DO I DESERVE THIS?
WHAT IF HE CRIES AND I DON'T HEAR HIM?

 & the list goes on and on ....


BUT on October 20, 2012 @ 9:18 am when I heard Bowen's 1st cry, none of the questions mattered anymore. I knew that I may not be the BEST at everything but I would ALWAYS do the best to my ability. There wasn't a single doubt that Bowen Michael Nowetner was meant for Casey and I and we were meant for him! My life has been forever changed and I am so thankful for every single moment we get with our precious baby boy.


-- Bowen now has 8 teeth

-- Can Say : Mama, Dada, Dog, Bo, Pop, Nan-Nan, Taco, Aw, NO, Paw Paw(this one he has only said a couple times ) & MeMe.

-- he can patty cake now!

-- climbs on everything
 
--wears size 4 diapers

--size 9-12 months & 12 month clothes he has one pair of shorts that are 6-9 months we squeeze him into.

-- size 3 shoes

--loves to eat anything!

--walks....no runs lol

-- still loves to cuddle with us at night time

-- drinks 2 cups of milk a day

-- eats all table food

--got sick with a virus...ran fever for 4 days straight! By far the worst sickness he's had.

 

-- Just got his second DOUBLE ear infection.

We celebrated Bowens birthday with family and friends on October 12, 2013 . We had a Mickey Mouse themed party and I think Bowen really enjoyed it! Thanks to everyone that came and celebrated with us. We are very blessed to have such awesome family and friends !! Thanks again..! I will do a separate blog for pictures of his birthday party and from the Children's Museum for his real birthday today. 

Happy Birthday Bowen- over this past year you have been the light in our lives. I am so proud to be your Mommy. Daddy & I love you more than you will ever know. Hope your 1st Birthday is everything you wish for.