Gillan/Purdy Beach Trip

As you can see from the pictures above, we had a great time at the beach last week with my family! It was such a joy for us to see Owen being loved on by our family and to have a chance for him to get to know them better! What a blessing!

Owen transitioned into life at the beach much better than I expected. The first day was a little rocky - I think he cried almost everytime someone other than Matt and I looked at him. But, THANKFULLY, that did not continue. He enjoyed time with Gramma, Grampa, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Becky, Cousin Reese, Cousin Megan, Uncle Brett, Aunt Carolyn and Cousin Anna Rose.

Some of the highlights of our trip: dipping Owen's toes in the ocean - he didn't appreciate the 61 degree temperature!; Owen napping on the beach while we hung out with the fam, playing mini-golf with Owen in the Baby Bjorn - I got 2 holes in one with his help!; Owen laughing at Megan's chorus of "Agoochie goochie goo...Agoochie goochie goo..."; a quote from Reese for the week was "whatever it is that Owen is doing, he does it well"; ice cream almost every night; good time talking at the beach house and on the beach; early morning family walks; Owen and Anna Rose in their bumbo seats; etc. etc. There is no way to capture it all. It was just a great time!

The pictures above are: 1. Owen sleeping on the beach in this neat beach tent. 2. Family Picture that we took on the beach (In blue is us; in green is Bryan, Becky, Reese and Megan; in pink is Brett, Carolyn and Anna Rose; in white is mom and dad) 3. Matt Owen and I at the dunes at Jockey's Ridge 4. All of the cousins on their new towels that Aunt Becky had made for them. Notice Anna Rose and Owen are in their Bumbo seats. 5. the cousins in their pj's one morning.

Rice Cereal, Baby Einstein, Rolling Over and Sweet Boy

It's been a while since we posted anything - and that sure does not mean that nothing is new! There is almost too much to write about. We feel as though our little boy is growing leaps and bounds every day right before our eyes. Here are some highlights:
--We started Owen on Rice Cereal last week. Owen really seems to like it, and even just in a few days is already started to open wide when he sees the spoon coming towards him!
--We recently purchased a Baby Einstein activity gym - he loves it!
--Owen is rolling all over the place! We set him on a blanket and he just keeps rolling until he can't roll anymore. The picture above is him as far as he could get that one day. Time to baby proof the house!
--And last but not least, he's just a sweet sweet boy. He has brought such joy to this house! Last night Matt was replacing the bag in our garbage can. Owen was watching from his bouncy seat. Matt and I were talking as he replaced the bag (I was making dinner). All of a sudden we hear this belly laugh from Owen's direction. He thought it was VERY funny to see Matt wave the trash bag in the air. What fun!

More to come next week - we're off to the Outer Banks, NC for a week with the Gillan clan. I'm sure we'll have much to share!

4th of July

Owen enjoyed his first 4th of July last night! We debated about going to see fireworks and decided it was worth him missing his bed time to get to see fireworks. It was well worth it! He really loved the fireworks. He just sat and stared at them for the full 15 minutes. It was really neat!

We went Uptown in Charlotte, parked in our church parking lot and went up on the top level of the parking deck next door (along with hundreds of other people with the same great idea!). We went with the Hunt's, McCann's, and the Cozarts.

Baptism Sunday

This Past Sunday was Baptism Sunday in the Purdy House. Two of us were baptized! Owen and Kristen. When we were talking about Owen's upcoming baptism about 2 months ago, Matt and I realized that I have never been baptized - what I thought was a baptism when I was 3 was really a baby dedication. So, I got to get baptized the same day as our sweet son. It was a great day- both sets of grandparents were able to come for the weekend, Owen did great! Matt's professor (who is also one of our pastors), Mike Kruger, was able to perform the baptisms. It was a neat opportunity for me to reflect back on the ways that I have seen the Lord work in my life to save me, as well as a day to baptize Owen into the Covenant Community. Please join us in praying for Owen - that he'd embrace the faith from an early age, and that God would give Matt and I the strength and wisdom to love and teach and shepherd our little son.

As a side note - after Owen was baptized, I took him down to the church nursery and changed him so that he wouldn't get his outfit dirty. I forgot at the time that we were taking pictures after church was over. SO - the pictures we have do not have Owen in his outfit for his baptism, rather his polo romper. Oh well!