The Rowell Family

Santa or Bust

2009-12-14T04:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Ramsey sitting on Santa's lap was a toal BUST this year.

Sunday morning my Mom and Morgan came to pick up Ramsey and Me (Cope was out of town for a wedding) and they took us to breakfast and then it was off to the Country Club to visit Santa. Now, as a Mother of toddler I try not to have unrealistic expectations but I figure it is just my job to provide oppertiunities. I try to leave it up to him as to what to do with those oppertunities. I had talked to him about Santa all week. About how nice, generous, and jolly Santa is. By the weekend he was getting excited. We got in the short line for Santa and he had his Toys R Us sales flyer in hand to show santa. Then the photographer guys scrared him and it was all over. We sat him in Santa's lap anyway and he wigged out. Crying and reaching for me. Darn! Oh, well no picture this year but just for reminiscing sake lets take a walk down memeory lane and show you this fine one from last year:

I mean Ramsey would truly be anywhere in the world then on Santa's lap. Maybe next year???

Quick Trip

2009-12-14T03:44:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met Cope in Savannah (dropped Ramsey off at my Moms at 9:00am). It was his Military Ball so we dressed up and made it fun! We did not have a room at the hotel because Cope had to catch a 8:30am flight out of Atlanta for a work trip in Orlando the next morning (yes, we were in Savannah for a military ball that Stated at 7:00pm). We luckily found our buddy from College who was there too and we crashed in there room before to watch football and get dressed. Here are some of the highlights from the evening:

Cope and Merritt (oh, and Cope is not short Merritt is just 6' 3"):Cope being silly:

Merritt and his wife: Cope had to pour sand out of his boot for the grog bowl. Gross!:
It was a fun, fast evening. We left by 9:00pm to drive as far as we could (ending up in Macon). Slept for 5 hours and got up and drove to the ATL airport. I dropped Cope off at 7:00am and was at my Mom's to pick up Ramsey at 8:00am. So if you cared to keep up I was gone less then 24 hours. Can you say "exhausted!". But worth it to be there for Cope.

Christmas Parade

2009-12-12T03:52:00.001-08:00

Last week our town had their Christmas parade. Ramsey and I met up with our friends to watch. It was a little cold but we bundled up and made it fun.

Ty and Ramsey enjoying some coloring before the parade started:

Looking for the parade to get started. I think in this one he had spotted the police cars beginning down the street:

The firetruck sirens going off right in front of him scared him a little. Being the sweet Mommy i am I had to snap a picture:

Quickly over being scared and ready to see more:The Clydesdale's we the BEST part!:Ramsey was so cute. He'd wave and say "Hi" and the say "see ya next time" after they passed:
It was a fun evening and I just love having a child. It is so neat to get excited with them about little things. I remember being a teen and thinking this parade is so dumb and boring and now here I was waving and pointing like a maniac. If my child is enjoying life, so am I!!!

Lollipop, Lollipop...

2009-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ooh, Loli, Loli-POP!!!

Ramsey got this fancy sucker as a treat for attending out friends little boys first birthday party. Very cool! He loved it as you can see. Suckers are one of the few the sweets the LOVES, so he thought this was very neat.

The Birthday party we attended also happened to be on WILD mans actual birthday night so that is the reason for the questioning. You can imagine he was very thrilled when we sang the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song at the party.

2 Year Check Up

2009-12-09T03:05:00.001-08:00

Ramsey had his 2 year check up yesterday morning and all went well! He is 25 lbs and holding steady in the 20% for his weight and 75th for his head and height. Tall and skinny. Everything else checked out great too. He got the H1N1 nasal mist and then had to get just one booster shot in his little leg. Well he was all smiles and then wham! He was totally shocked and you could tell he felt very violated. He did the blood curdling cry the remainder of our time there and then about 10 minutes of our car ride to the library. Poor kid. Also, I asked the doctor what I could expect in this coming year and all she said was "Just get ready". Now what do you suppose that means???

Very Cool

2009-12-08T03:06:00.001-08:00

My Mom LOVES to play with photo shop and in fact after she retired from teaching she took some classes for graphic design and even got a degree in it. Anyway, she just uses it mostly for play and I am thankful she does because she made Ramsey this AWESOME story book for his birthday. This is something he (and I) will treasure forever.

I had to take pictures of the book so I night not be doing the book total justice. But here are some samples of her fine work:

I'm not sure what it is about little boys and trucks but she included all his favorites and even put a custom worker hat on him that reads "Ram Builders". Thanks Mom, we love it!!!

Man At Work

2009-12-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

Cope's parents (AKA Grammy and Grampy) gave Ramsey this very cool work bench for his birthday. He loves to pretend to make things and won't start his work until he has on his goggles. They are hilarious but he finds them and brings then to me to help him put on. I'm telling you, this kid is serious about most everything he does.

Also, he has decided this huge Curious George my sister gave him for his birthday is just the right size for a play mate. He has been carrying him around and trying to feed him his snacks and showing him all about his new cars. In this picture he is giving George a car to play with.

Birthday Morning at Monkey Joes

2009-12-05T02:17:00.001-08:00

Cope had to leave early yesterday morning so we gave Ramsey his little gifts the night before. He is really into the movie CARS. It is actually the only movie he has ever seen so he thinks it is the only one that exist. We gave him a little 4 piece race car set and he LOVES it!!! Seriously, he took them everywhere yesterday and managed to keep up with all 4.

Friday morning (Birthday!!!) we loaded up in our new car. I got a Honda CRV since they did end up totaling our old Acura out. So far I really love the new ride and Ramsey does too.

We picked up Ramsey's best buddy Ty and his Mommy Kelly and we headed to Kennesaw for some "Monkey Moes" fun. My Mom met us there so she could watch two WILD boys have fun.

Of course the boys ran right past the big jumpy things and got on these race car video games. Hilarious.

Then it was on to sliding. Ramsey wanted to do it by himself mostly. Ty wanted his Mommy to do it with him:

We let the boys ride this 2 person elephant ride at the end and you would have thought it was a roller coaster. The laughed and smiled the whole time.
We finished the morning off with an early lunch at Panara Bread. It was really nice of Kelly and Ty to join us as they are moving this weekend into their very first, very gorgeous home. Thanks guys for making Ramsey's birthday so much fun.

He's Officially 2!!!

2009-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, our little WILD man is officially 2 years old today!!! I can't help but be nostalgic today as I think back of these past 2 years. It has been the most amazing journey of our lives. Ramsey is way more then just a product of Cope and I's love for each other. He is truly his own little person with his own ideas, his own personality, and I stand in awe of what a little man he is growing into.

He has taught me so much over these past 2 years. He has pushed me past what I thought were my limits. He has totally done a makeover on my priorities. He gives me such a sense of purpose and he brings me more joy then I can measure.

Mother hood is WAY different then I ever imagined. No book or experienced person could have prepared me for how hard it is or how wonderful it is at the same time. I didn't know you had to pull energy, strength, and sanity from places in your being that you didn't know existed. I do know having Ramsey has made me more at peace in my own life. I know, without a doubt, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

I love being his Mommy. I thank God every single day for our WILD child. Ramsey is simply the BEST!!!! What a treat!!!!

Ramsey at his 1st Birthday:

Ramsey at his 2nd Birthday:

Party Pics!

2009-12-01T03:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't get to put these up yesterday but my camera broke at the party. I rushed out and got a new one so I could keep taking pictures of WILD man this week. The party was Sunday afternoon and was a total success in my book. It was easy, low key, with lots of kids, noise, craziness at every turn. Our house was quite packed with party guest. It was a fun party and Ramsey was happy and that is simply all that matters to a Mom.

Ramsey dressed and waiting for his party guest to arrive:

Trying his hardest to blow out his candle. We had a to help him a little:

Excited out his cake (mind you he has never wanted to try cake before): First taste. He ran up to me after this picture spitting and saying yuk: My Mom and My Sister. The Ice cream servers:

Rubbing noses with Mommy:

The boys table:

Ramsey and his cousin Connor:

Time to start opening presents:

It got a little intense with trucks and lots of interested little boys:

Ramsey was in heaven with all the trucks he got:

Opening his AWESOME tool work set from his Grampy and Grammy:

Overall the party was super fun! Ramsey has gotten up the past two morning saying "new toys". He is set for quite a while. We're going to put together the tool set after breakfast. Thanks everyone who came. Oh, and our Friend's Jae, Sierra, and their 2 kids drove all the way from Huntsville, AL to attend. So nice! We have such sweet friends and have made some great new ones through Ramsey and his activities. Ramsey's actual birthday is this coming Friday and we're planning on a little trip to Monkey Joes from even more fun! I can't seem to celebrate enough how proud I am of our little WILD man turning 2 and how much joy he brings to our lives.

Almost Ready...

2009-11-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

We are almost ready for WILD mans Birthday party. Cope is currently doing some relaxing by watching football, I am dressed and ready, and Ramsey is finishing up his nap. The party starts at 4:00 but some family are coming as early as 3:00. All we have left to do is put the balloons on the mailbox, warm up the dips, set out the foods, and get Ramsey pumped up for the fun afternoon. There will be about 15 kids and 25 adults in our non-gigantic house but who cares, I think it is going to be fun! Now, our home might not be in one piece at the end but we shall have celebrated and be fatter and happier for it! Hope to be back with some cute pictures tomorrow.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

Despite having wrecked both our cars a few days ago I found myself simply overflowing with thankfulness this year. I thought I'd jot a quick list of my most favorite things I'm very thankful for:

1) Cope and Ramsey
2) Our Parents
3) Our home
4) Our Health
5) Cope's Job
6) My play/ sewing job
7)Our friends and our sisters
8) Our doggies
9) Cope NOT being deployed this year
10) Truly enjoying my life

We have so much to be thankful for and those are just a few. We had a great day yesterday celebrating the day with my Mom and Morgan and Cope's Mom and Dad. They each also brought us a loaner vehicle to use for the next few weeks. Thank you again! We had so much good food and we finally got to use our fine china and set a real adult table for our parents. Very fun!

Also, this past Tuesday Ramsey had a Thanksgiving party at "playschool". They had a short stage thing and then it was off to the classroom for some cupcakes and goodies. Ramsey did good on stage until he spotted me waving like a crazy lady in the audience and he started crying because he wanted to come sit with me. Other then that we had a good time and Cope's Mom even came down to see her little grandson in action.

The Car is Broken

2009-11-25T03:14:00.000-08:00

The "car is broken" according to Ramsey and I have to agree. Let me explain...

So on Tuesday afternoon my Mom watches Ramsey while I sew and then we meet for dinner and Cope meets us on his way in from work. After dinner since Cope and I are always in two separate cars we let Ramsey choose if he wants to ride in the truck with me or car with Daddy. Last night he chose the car with Daddy we gave him his milk and I said I'd see them at home. I was cruising along and saw Cope and Ramsey pass me so I just got behind them for the drive home. Well, Cope was switching lanes and so I followed when all of the sudden he slams on his brakes due to the vehicle in front doing the same. I slammed on my bakes as soon as I saw this but I could not get stopped fast enough due to everyones brakes slamming and I plowed into the the back of our car. It was that or swerve into the next lane of busy traffic. Cope and I quickly pulled to the side of the road and I jumped out to check on Ramsey in the car. He was FINE and still just chugging away on his milk not even phased. Cope and I assessed the damage and a wrecker and state patrol were called. My Mom came by to take Ramsey on home and Morgan stayed with Cope and I. You can imagine the confused look on the state patrols face when he learned we were married and had damaged both of our vehicles. He was actually nice and in the end thanked Cope for his Military service. So the wrecker came and towed the car away and we got in the slightly mangled truck and drove it home. I was greeted by Ramsey who looked at me very seriously and said " car broken" , "bump" . Yes, sweety I believe your right. I put him to bed while cope began to work on our insurance stuff. As I put Ramsey to bed I had tears in my eyes and just thanked God we were all fine and it was only cars and not any of us hurt, especially Ramsey.

I went to bed more thankful then ever before. Even this morning I'm having trouble shaking the "What If ?" feeling. We are going to try to deal with insurance all day and figure out where to go from here. We're assuming the car is totaled and it was funny because the Acura is now 10 years old and we were just talking about when we thought we'd be getting a new car. Funny how somethings get decided for you. The truck does have some front damage that will have to get fixed soon. Again though, they are only cars not our lives and for that I am so grateful.

Feeling It!!!

2009-11-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the Holiday spirit finally. I persuaded Cope to help me decorate for Christmas early this year. I have NEVER put up Christmas before Thanksgiving but we spent a ton on decorations last year and even had my friend, Hannah turn our home into an all out Christmas wonderland. Cope is going out of town for several days in December and this past weekend was low key and we had the time so I said "Let's Do It". We both were sort of dreading it but once we got started it went great! I am so glad we have our decorations up and now we can focus on Turkey day and Ramsey's Birthday party this week. I am getting so excited to watch Ramsey begin to fully get into the magic of Christmas. He enjoyed helping us decorate the tree and got so excited that the tree was still here and lit this morning when he woke up. So now all I want to do it listen to Christmas music and anticipate experiencing all the joy the 2009 holiday season will bring.

Cope and Ramsey enjoying some cartoons before we got started:Ramsey helping Cope with the tree:Ramsey excited to see the tree today:

FINISHED!!!

Imagine It!

2009-11-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that Cope is off on Fridays so we try to do something special on those days and one BIG thing each month. This month's was trying out the Imagine It Children's museum in Atlanta. It was pretty neat and since Ramsey isn't 2 yet he even got in for free. They had tons of hands on things for kids to learn and explore. It was a little crowded due to field trips but we ended up having a good time and think when Ramsey gets a little bigger we'll be back for some more exploring. After the museum we went to a neat Sushi lunch place. Ramsey mostly ate goldfish and drank grape juice. He has a cold which is messing with his appetite somewhat (his normal appetite isn't all that big). Then we went by to see where Cope works. We hadn't been there because it is an hour drive on a traffic free day. From there I made Cope do a little fabric shopping with me and then we ended our adventure at Cold Stone. I got my favorite cake batter with cookie dough. YUMMY. Ramsey ate vanilla wafers. We had a really fun day as a family and Ramsey was on his best behavior (most of the time). Our big plans for this weekend are visiting Cope's parents today and then decorating our house for Christmas tomorrow. Here are some pics from Friday's Family Fun Day:

Party Planning

2009-11-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

We're getting ready for Ramsey BIG birthday bash next weekend. I am so excited for his party. I think when he turned 1 I was just thankful to have survived that first year, we had just moved, and Cope had just come home from Iraq. It was hard to truly be in the moment with all the craziness in our lives at the time. I am now focused and ready to throw our little guy a full themed Birthday party. He loves Curious George so I'm running with that. We're taking him to Imagine It ( Museum in Atlanta)tomorrow which is hosting a special Curious George thing for the next few months. We're hoping to get him even more pumped up about his party theme.

Here is his invitation my Mom created special for the Birthday Boy:
Here is the Birthday shirt I made for him:

I can hardly believe Ramsey is almost 2. He is one WILD little man but man I think he is just the BEST! I so enjoy being his Mommy. What a treat!

The Name Game

2009-11-17T06:03:00.000-08:00

Sage Top

2009-11-15T07:54:00.001-08:00

I'm sure this is totally inappropriate but I'm blogging about it anyway. I've posted before about how Ramsey is very into thing being on top of other things. He loves to do "Daddy Top" and climb in Cope. He loves when we are driving down the road and he sees a tow truck carrying a car. He says "Car Top"! Well this morning he caught our little dog Bentley doing a "Sage Top". He thought this was very funny and just giggled before trying it himself. It is sort of hard to see Ramsey's face of excitement in the picture below but trust me he was stoked. Poor Sage, she is just minding her own business.

Tailgate Party at Play School

2009-11-13T11:35:00.001-08:00

Ramsey's Play School had a tailgate party this morning so we all geared up in our UGA finest and went to party. It was pretty cute and each classroom had different games and goodies for the kiddies. Of course the little ones Ramsey's age found simply playing with trucks was was more fun then silly ole games. The morning ended with Corn dogs at 10:00am. Breakfast of champions! Then we headed to Bounce in Beans in town for a little girl's Birthday party. Ramsey was thrilled to finally get to go back to " Bounce Beans!!!" It has been a fun morning and now Ramsey is napping and as usual Mommy is sewing and Daddy is playing some X-Box. Oh, how I love Fridays!!!

Eating some cereal with Daddy: Excited to get to his class party:
Trying his first corn dog, of course he just used it as a means to more ketchup: Best Buddy Ty chowing down: Playing trucks once we got home:

So far our weekend is off to a fun start. We are about to head over to My Moms for a holiday photo shoot. I'm sure that won't be stressful in the least.

One Word Wednesday- Cool!

2009-11-11T11:51:00.001-08:00

Monkey Joes or Bust

2009-11-08T12:53:00.001-08:00

Friday morning Cope and I took Ramsey to Monkey Joes for some family play time. He has been asking to go to "Monkey Moes" for weeks now so we finally had some time to take him down to Kennesaw. He was so thrilled when we got there. Seriously, I'm sure he peed his pants out of excitement. Here are some pics from our little outing:

Daddy Top

2009-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

One of Ramsey's latest favorite activities is doing a "Daddy Top". Yes, he came up with that name all on his own. He loves to climb on Cope's head and fall back. He is such a little WILD child but he makes us laugh even still. Here is the "Daddy Top" in action:

Spending The Night with Nama

2009-11-05T02:50:00.001-08:00

Ramsey spent the night with My Mom (AKA Nama) and Papa Morgan last Friday night so Cope and I could go out to dinner and then attend our Adults only neighborhood Halloween party. I think Ramsey had a total blast because when we went to pick him up Saturday morning he said "No, Stay Here"! We made him come home anyway. Mom said he slept all night in the pack n play and when he wasn't sleeping he was wide open. It was good for Cope and I to have an evening to ourselves and I think Ramsey occasionally needs to get spoiled rotten and break a few rules. Here are just a couple of pics my mom sent me from their spend the night fun.

Evening Fun

2009-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Ramsey L-O-V-E-S when his Daddy gets home in the evening and they get to play. It is so fun to watch the joy they bring to each other.

Christmas Already???

2009-11-02T03:40:00.001-08:00

Yep, that's right folks. It is time to switch over to Christmas brain. I have lots of personalized gifts ideas on my website along with 8 new Christmas applique shirts. So check it out at www.collectionsbytaranicole.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping!!!