My great kids

Kyla and Casey have been doing some really great things lately.

This week, Kyla had the opportunity to attend a question/answer session with Sandra Day O'Connor. It was such an honor for Kyla to meet her and she came home that day sharing lots of great stories about the event. Kyla was chosen along with 50 other honor students from her school to attend . Smart and beautiful? If we all could be so lucky!

Casey has taken up the trombone! He is having a great time learning something new, and doing a fantastic job at it. He's trying it out this year to decide if he wants to play in middle school next year. What a musician!

Tagged!

Sorry it took me so long to get this up, Ann and mom. I've been laid up with strep throat all week, eeww! If your name appears at the bottom, you've been tagged and it's your turn to answer these questions on your blog.....here it goes.

3 names I answer to:
1. Mom
2. Siener
3. Mrs. Owens

3 restaurants I like:
1. Elli's
2. PF Changs
3. TGIFridays

3 trips I have planned for this year:
1. Great America for Kyla's birthday
2. So. Utah for Thanksgiving
3. No where else, everyone is coming to us....yeah!

3 things I really want:
1. To be more assertive
2. A home of my own
3. An amazing future for my kids

3 pets I have/had
1. Jake (the best dog ever)
2. Abby Boy (the coolest cat in the world)
3. Skip and Ollie (our new kittens)

3 things I did yesterday
1. Sleep, sleep, sleep
2. Write more sub plans for Mon.
3. Watch too much TV

3 things I ate today:
1. Mashed potatoes
2. Vanilla ice cream
3. Popcicle (can't wait to get back to real food!)

3 fears I have:
1. Panic attacks
2. Frogs
3. Confrontation

3 things I plan on doing today:
1. Sleep
2. Football
3. Play a game with my kids

3 things I plan on doing tomorrow:
1. Play hookie for one more day from school
2. set my fantasy football lineup for next week
3. read in the tub (aaahhhh!)

3 holidays I love:
1. Christmas
2. Halloween
3. Thanksgiving

3 beverages I like:
1. Diet Pepsi
2. Green Tea
3. Coffee

Tag, you're it.....
1. Sheryl
2. Linda
3. Ross

Fun Run

We had a fun morning at Marshall School running together in a 1.5 mile run. I was so proud of the kids because even though it was hard for them, they didn't give up. Kyla surprised us all by leaving us in the dust with those long legs and meeting us at the finish line. When the three of us got there, she was standing there with her arms folded and said, "Where were you guys, I've been waiting here for like 5 minutes!"

What would a blog entry be without a picture of the two most adorable kittens ever.

An Apple a Day...

I absolutely love fall when the weather turns crisp and you spend more time outdoors. We went apple picking this weekend.

Kyla loved the red delicious apples.

My Casey.... may he always be mommy's little boy!

The kids stopped for a picture after picking some golden delicious apples....they were our favorites!

It was a long haul down the road, and my little gentleman carried the bucket for his momma.

After picking apples, we went back to the barn and ordered some hot apple pie, a la mode. The kids played on the hay after enjoying some pie.

I made her pose.....she hates posing. What a good sport, and even a smile to boot!

The kids tried to figure out how to crank up some old farm machinery. We had a great day at the farm picking apples and can't wait until pumpkin season!

Outdoor Theater

We had an amazing time last night at the Outdoor Forest Theater at Carmel-by-the-Sea. The production we went to see was "The Wizard Of Oz", the musical. By the looks of the theater (dirt floors, uncomfortable wooden benches, etc.) you would think this was a small camp like atmosphere, but this is Carmel after all. Once folks got seated, everyone began to pull their fine china and wine glasses out of their backpacks. You could see everything from expensive wine and brie to gourmet olives being consumed all around us. It was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen. Luckily we got a heads up and were able to bring our own gourmet food, Owens style (smores, cheese and crackers, etc.). It was a great experience!
We weren't allowed to take pictures during the musical, but here is a picture of the kids waiting for the sky to get dark and the show to start.

And now, a complete change of subject......

What is that you say? You ask, is that Brandon with an authentic Rams football helmet on? Is that two TV's set up in the living room? Is that a laptop ready to tally up fantasy football points on the live Game Center? Is that a Rams signature football on the coffee table (just in case Steven Jackson or Torry Holt run through our living room)? The answer to all of those great questions is.....yes! It is football season, and to the Owens family, that is reason for some serious celebration! Please don't take offense if you call us on a Sunday for the next several months and your call goes straight to the answering machine. We'll call you back on Monday. ;)

Skip and Ollie

Losing Jake and Abby boy all in the same year was pretty tough on our family. We thought we would try having no pets for a while, but that didn't last long. The house was too quiet, and before we knew it, we found ourselves at the animal shelter peeking at kittens. Meet our new babies, Skip and Ollie.

Oliver (Ollie) came home first. This little guy is the most beautiful cat you've ever seen with the personality of an angel. He is so lovable and the calmest kitten I have ever seen. He loves to cuddle, but hates kisses!

Skippyjon Jones (Skip) joined us a few days later. For those of you that know the book series starring the character Skippyjon Jones, he has exactly the same personality! He had to have surgery, so he wasn't ready right away. He is full of energy and a joy to have in the house. It's hard to get a picture of him straight on because he's always so busy! He does a great job getting Ollie up and about, and they love exploring the house and playing together.

These two cuddle bunnies aren't natural brothers, but you wouldn't know it by how much they already love each other. No pet will ever replace Jake and Abby, but we are so excited to have these two new little boys!

In Memory of Jake

We had to say goodbye to our precious dog, Jake, on August 13th. It has taken us this long to make a post because we couldn't stand to look at pictures of him until now because we loved and miss him so much.

He has been a part of our family for nearly 12 years, and it was really hard on all of us to say goodbye, but we are glad to know that he is no longer in pain.

You can't replace a dog like Jake. You can just remember him fondly and be glad for the time we had together. He was more than a pet to us....he was family.

Memories

I have been having a great time going through some of our old family photos. Here are a few oldies of the kids that I thought I'd share.

This is a super hero costume designed by Kyla.

What a great fashion sense!

This will make a great blackmail photo when Nate gets older!

So beautiful.

These two have loved each other since day one. I've never seen siblings with so much compassion for each other. What a blessing.

The Casinator!

I love this picture. Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

First day of school

Here are my babies off to their first days of 8th and 5th grades. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday that.........
.....well, you get the picture. Some things never change. ;)

I think I really do still see them this way! It's hard to let them grow up, but I'm reminded every day of how independent and mature they are becoming right before my eyes!

Kyla loved her first day of 8th grade. She was really itching to get back. She is very excited to be one of the oldest kids in school. Kyla got to have lunch with some of her old friends from last year and you all can look forward to more pictures of her next dive in Monterey Bay in a couple of weeks!

Casey was not quite as enthusiastic as Kyla to start school back up, however, it didn't take him long to make a new friend and bond with his teacher, and he literally ran into my classroom after school full of stories and excitement for his new class!

Grant, Sophia, and Jackson

I am a proud aunt. I hope my brothers and sisters don't mind me posting first names and pics of my beautiful niece and nephews, but I couldn't resist! I have been thinking about them a lot lately and missing them like crazy. Our sweet Grant turned 6 years old today. Happy Birthday Grant!
This is an old picture, but I couldn't resist posting Sophia showing off her "cute face". I happen to think ALL her faces are cute!

Sophie and Brandon last summer.

This is the newest addition to our family, Jackson! He hasn't met his daddy yet who is training up with the AirForce in Mississippi, but they will meet very soon! You did well, Jenny! I love this picture of him sleeping.

Sweet baby Jackson

A few more belated vacation pics

Here we are at Sea World. Poor Brandon's face is covered up, but it's the only picture of all 7 of us together so I wanted to post it!
We sat on some rocks right at the edge of the water to watch the July 4th fireworks. Casey decided to sport some gel for the occasion.

We love dinosaurs!

Here is the birthday boy showing off his Shamu birthday pin.

Unfortunately it was too cold to really enjoy playing in the water, but we enjoyed some beautiful coastal scenery.

Grrrrr! (Universal Studios)

My boy

Since we only have a year left in Monterey and we couldn't afford to fly anywhere, we decided we should check out southern California and take advantage of the special discounts and offers for active duty military.

We started off by visiting the Natural History museum and the Science Center in Los Angeles. The kids got a kick out of the dinosaur bones.
We went to Universal Studios and got to ride some cool rides, check out some awesome shows and even tour some Hollywood film sets, including this one from War of the Worlds. We also went to Hurricane Harbor, a waterpark, but we didn't take any pictures there.

On the 4th of July, we headed down to San Diego and met up with Misty's parents and brother, Dusty. Brandon toured the deck of the U.S.S. Midway, an aircraft carrier that saw quite a bit of combat action during Vietnam.

Later, we watched an impressive fireworks display over the San Diego bay. We sat on rocks right on the shore as multiple firework shows lit up the bay. Several docked Navy ships added to the patriotic setting.
The San Diego zoo was very impressive and we thought it lived up to its reputation as the best zoo in the world.
Our last stop was Sea World - see the killer whale in the background? By the time we finished up with Sea World, we were all pretty exhausted and ready to head home.