Big Boy Bed

Major Milestone! We purchased Owen his very own big boy bed on Saturday. He very excitedly helped Daddy put it together and put his crib in the baby's room. He is so very proud of his bed, and realizes what it means to be such a big boy! He was so excited to go to sleep, he wanted to go to bed at 5pm when Daddy put the bed together!
He is so very proud of his big boy bed, he shows everyone when they come over, and when he goes to bed, as we're climbing the stairs, he says - I'm Going to my big boy bed! I'm SOOO EXCITED!

And he's been sleeping very well so far. I don't want to jinx us, but so far, he has not changed his sleep patterns at all, and he has even taken great naps, which was my biggest concern. I'm so very proud of my little man.

Bermuda Cruise 2009

What a fantastic trip! So many memories. Owen had such a wonderful time, it's hard to get all the pictures (there are SOOO many) to share! We left Baltimore last Saturday, and Owen truly enjoyed himself. He was so fascinated with the fact that the cruise ship was going to be our "home" for a week! He couldn't figure out where our car was going to be and where all his toys were. He loved when we sailed from Baltimore. Because we sailed at 4pm, it was a long day for Owen without a nap. So his first dinner was a little rough, but he powered through after a little melt down, and then he and Mommy went to bed. He was so excited it took him almost an hour to finally settle down. He just couldn't get over that everyone was on the cruise ship and he'd see them all in the morning. Too funny.

Owen was our little photographer. He would take any camera and take pictures. The funny thing is all the pictures he took! He took some GREAT photos! And some really funny ones. He would make them do funny faces, and everyone complied... So cute!

The second day was at sea all day, and we explored the ship, played bingo, played shuffle board, went swimming, ate and ate and ate! It was a great and very relaxing day. Owen was very excited to go dancing after dinner. He was a little dancing machine (as he called himself). They wouldn't let him in the nightclub, but we managed to find one of the lounges playing music. He had a great day.

The third day, we arrived in Bermuda, and since he didn't get to bed until after midnight (which was pretty much the norm for the cruise), he was kind of tired, so we decided just to relax, do a little shopping, and then take a swim on the ship. He did take a great nap this afternoon, and was much more rested at dinner. And he was SOOO excited for the pool party that night. There was a huge party with a band, and DJ, and LOTS of dancing. He absolutely had to have a blinking daiquiri, and had a blast dancing the night away. He was so cute!

The fourth day, was also in Bermuda, and we headed out to take a train ride around the port, and then played at a local playground. Owen had a blast, running around and burning off some energy doing "kid" stuff. The we just ventured to the beach to check it out, and then back to the ship for sailing time. And again we danced the evening away, this time with Aunt Jess, Aunt Liz, and Granny. Daddy and the boys went to smoke cigars.

The last day at sea was a little more laid back, Owen didn't want to swim in the pool, because it was a little rainy and very windy, so we tried to occupy ourselves doing other things. We explored the ship, walked around the decks, played some shuffleboard, and enjoyed our last day on the ship. Our last night was very fun, during dinner, they had a parade of waiters and Owen LOVED it, he was clapping and waiving his napkin, and taking photos of the waiters. He really enjoyed it. Then in true Owen form, we capped off the night with a little dancing.

What a great trip!

Bermuda Cruise

Here are some video's of Owen dancing on the cruise ship. He is quite the little dancer, and had a blast doing it! The first two videos are at the pool party the last one is the final night on the ship. Owen really didn't care what kind of music was played... he danced line dances, UYMCA, Macerena, Electric Slide, you name it. Even a piano bar, and a jazz band. He just loves music and loves to dance.

July Videos

Owen (2 1/2), Taylor (5 1/2) & Sienna (2) playing on the beach in Hilton Head.

Owen swimming in the pool at the beach house in Hilton Head. He was so independent and really loved swimming this whole trip! He was a little fish!

Owen playing with Pop-It's after the 4th of July. He wasn't strong enough to throw them and make them pop, so he used his hammer, and had a blast!

This one cracks me up... One night we were teaching Owen his name, how old he is, where he lives... I kept saying what's your name - he'd say - Owen. Then I'd say what's your last name - he replies – I don’t know. I would explained his last name is Schantz, and he would add - Come Back Here. I'd then explain - no your name is Owen Schantz. When asked again - Owen Schantz Come Back Here. Then he says - Right? It cracks me up! He's absolutely convinced his name is Owen Christopher Schantz Come Back Here... Oh, he also thinks he's 5...

July 2009

Hilton Head was certainly the highlight of our month. The rest of the month was a bit more low key. The announcement of our pregnancy to everyone was exciting, but quickly followed with all day nausea and exhaustion for me. I’m finally getting over it, but it made for a really tough month! Owen however, is very excited to become a big brother. He’s not fully aware of what’s going to happen to our family in a few months, but he’s starting to understand the concept a little. We did manage to have a lot of summer fun this month. We had some exciting and fun outings, and tried to enjoy as much as we possibly could...

Owen creating a masterpiece!

Our trip to the Baltimore Zoo.

He walked this bridge at the zoo - probably 10 times. He loved the way it wobbled.

He wanted to know the dinosaur's name... we named her Betsy.
Really wanted to know where the rest of Betsy was...

No trip to the zoo is complete without this picture in the Oriole Nest.

Owen and Sofia checking out the fish and turtles inside the Chimpanzee Forest.

Snack Time!

Watching the penguins being fed.

We cannot catch them both smiling at the same time... (at least not on camera)

Owen loves to take photos with his camera!

Helping Daddy install our new trash/recycling system!

Our trip to the B&O Museum... the trains were amazing (actually even a little intimidating for Owen at first) but what a good trip!

Owen driving the train!

All Aboard! The actual train ride was only 25 min. long, but Owen enjoyed it!

The caboose

This was one of Owen's favorite exhibits. It was a huge model train exhibit of the B&O line... Owen loved it and we came back 3 times to see it!

Another favorite exhibit!

The Roundhouse is amazing. Owen's expression when we walked inside it was - WOW. That about summed it up for both of us.

The 4-H Fair

The pigs

The chickens.

Owen just loves to get out and explore, and he is so good on our outings. It's so fun to be able to do these fun activities with him. What fun we're having!

Hilton Head 2009

What a fantastic trip to Hilton Head! Daddy, Owen, Grandma and I all left Baltimore, Friday evening June 26th, facing the first 6+ hours of our trip. Owen was very good in the car, even though he didn't sleep a wink! We drove until 12:30 am, and finally checked into the hotel, not a moment too soon. We all crashed and woke up about 8am, got some breakfast, and headed back onto the road. We arrived in Hilton Head, after our 11 hour journey and were so excited to see what a gorgeous home we would be staying in. The ride was long, but after seeing the beauty of Hilton Head, we were convinced this would be one cool place to vacation. The house was huge and very nicely decorated. We had 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, a gourmet kitchen, a large deck and huge patio with a pool. We were 3 or 4 rows back from the beach, but once we figured out how to get there, it was well worth the trek. I would definitely stay at this same house again!

Steve, Lisa, Taylor & Sienna arrived late night on Saturday, so after everyone finally got settled into bed much later than normal, but very excited about heading to the beach in the morning. Sunday we decided to head to the public beach, where we could drive there, park, and then take all our stuff to the beach. Sounded good, but the downside was the crowd! It was so crowded there, it was hard to even find a spot to put our stuff down. We made the best of it, but definitely decided we needed to figure out how to get everyone to the private beach that was near our home.

The kids really enjoyed the pool at our house too. Owen LOVED having a pool in his back yard. He swam so well, it was amazing how quickly he had picked up kicking his feet to motor where he wanted to go. He was swimming like a little fish by the end of the first day. So independent!

Once we decided the public beach was for the birds, we set out the second day for the private beach. Then we really got to enjoy the luxurious side of Hilton Head. We had the beach almost to our selves. It was so great, because the kids could play and have fun and we didn't have to be worried about them lost in the crowd. It was also so incredible watching Owen braving the waves, and having a blast in the ocean. Last year in Ocean City, he wouldn't even put his feet in the sand, much less a big toe in the ocean! How much he has grown!

The crabs on the beach were definitely a sight. I haven't seen anything like them ever! They were everywhere! They crawled into your bag, over the beach blankets, they were kinda gross. The kids didn't mind them, but Grandma - batted down everyone that got near her! One even found it's way into my beach bag, and we found it in our room under the night stand. EWWW! Fortunately, they started to disappear by the end of the week.

The cousins got a long great. They had their little tiffs, but Owen loved being around them. Every morning, he would wake up and say - where are the cousins? It was so neat for them to get to spend such good quality time together, since they live so far apart! Oh, and the grownups had fun too!!!

One of the highlights of the trip was definitely Greg Russell. He plays in a place called Harbor Town, under a huge oak tree. Has been singing there for over 30 years, and he invites all the kids up on stage, sings songs, tells funny stories, invites the kids to sing along. It was so good, we went back a second time. Owen is still singing the Green Alligator Song. So adorable!

We had dinners in, dinners out, and even some carry out. We had a terrific (but very late) dinner at the Crazy Crab, Uncle Steve & Aunt Lisa took us all out to dinner at Red Fish, we also went to the Salty Dog Harbor, and a few other places. It was nice to get out and explore such a neat place.

After years and years of vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland, we now fully understand why people drive 10+ hours to the South Carolina beaches, year after year. It was wonderful, and a very memorable trip that we will remember for a long time. We decided to make the drive all the way home without stopping at the hotel. We were so tired after the long drive home, but so happy to be home rather than still facing a few hours in the car on Sunday. Grandma was also super happy to get back to our house on Saturday, because that meant that she could drive home Sunday morning. It had been such a long car ride, but Owen was so amazing, we were so proud of him!

We got home on the 4th of July about 8pm, just in time for Daddy to get ready to light off the fireworks he had bought in South Carolina! What a way to end our trip!