What a difference a year makes

 Owen has come so far in his short little life, so far. Here are some fun photos of him recently, versus last year this time. He had his second heart surgery, a HUGE surgery where they altered multiple parts of his anatomy.

 Playing with his cousin Lily

 Enjoying the sun on the property

 Blowing wishers

 Visiting Evan during chemo.

 Pre-op last year.

 Post-op same day as surgery.

 A few days later we were getting smiles.

 We DID IT!

 Wagon rides through the hospital.

 We don't really know what is ahead, but for now, Owen is doing very well!! Thank you for reading and supporting our little man.

Kid Free= Care Free

 After 21 months of Owen's life, we were finally ready to leave the nest together on a getaway. Chris and I have both gone away to various things~ bachelor/bachelorette parties, girls trips to Napa, Tahoe, etc, however one of us was always with Owen. Wynt did stay the night for Jac's wedding since we weren't sure when we were coming home, and my mom did for Jamie's wedding, but we came home and slept in our beds those nights. The weather last week was looking a little intimidating... Wynter was saying it was going to clear up, Chris was saying it was going to snow like the dickens. I was in the middle thinking... Even IF we can't make it up to Tahoe, I'm staying in a bed and breakfast in Placerville, or even going to Sacramento for the night with Chris. It's not that often that you get the opportunity to go away for 2 nights with your spouse... It had been since June 2010 when we went to Point Arena for our babymoon. That trip was the most relaxing trip we have ever taken. Point Arena is...well... A peninsula with a lighthouse on it. No town. No restaurants. Nothing! We stopped at Whole foods on our way into our Lighthousekeeper's cabin, and stocked up. We read books, went on walks, watched movies, and took naps. We were attempting to stockpile a few hours of sleep for what was to come. I digress. Onwards to Tahoe. From the photo above, we obviously made it. Aunt Jac and Uncle Colin were staying at our home with Owen for the weekend. Jac's boss Jackie heard we were stressing about the weather and offered her 4WD luxury lexus SUV for us to borrow for the weekend. So long hand crank windows of the truck, and hello seat warmers!! Talk about peace of mind-as the snow started to come down, I asked Chris when his last time he drove in snow was... And he said he doesn't think he has ever really driven in snow... Yipes... We made it up safe and sound, and the sun was out in Tahoe.

 We were a little lost (figuratively), walked around, window shopped, and enjoyed a peaceful dinner together. We skipped the lounge at Embassy Suites, as it sounded like Blues Clues meets the 9th hour of daycare. We were the only ones dining at the restaurant side, and the silence was a hilarious contrast to the lounge noise and highchair roadblocks.

 The next morning, Wynt and Dave showed up around 8. Dave heard that the snow was going to be stellar, so he suggested we go to Heavenly that day. Within the hour we were pulling up to an almost empty parking lot. SWEET! I needed to rent some equipment, and I felt like the odd duck out of us 4. I borrowed Ava's (age 6) helmet, was wearing a variety of borrowed gear, and couldn't coordinate my glasses with the goggles. After some loving criticism from Dave and Chris I was settled and comfortable, and we hit the slopes.

 Dave and his turquoise helmet were easy to spot.

 The. Snow. Was. Amazing!

 Freeeeeeeee! Nothin like the quiet out in the mountains!

 Expensive food break.

 Clipping back in after the lift ride. A key perk to skiing versus snowboarding.

 LOVE! We hadn't done this since high school...

 The day continues... We went out to dinner, then bowling, then gambling, then to see Hunger Games. We were making up for lost time! We didn't go to sleep until almost 2...

 I was the biggest loser... But we had fun.

The Aubins hadn't been bowling before. They had tried multiple times in their years, but this time, we walked right up and there was a lane waiting for us.

The next morning we all slept in, drank coffee on the couch and chatted with no agenda for the day, went to Sprouts for brunch, walked along the lake, and stopped at a little wine tasting cabin. We did as much as we could, and it still felt relaxing. This is a potent type of medicine: being responsible for yourself and only yourself for a little while. To all parents out there, I highly recommend this. We admittedly waited a little too long, but we didn't feel ready. Chris is hooked on a little one on one time, he jokingly said he wanted to get away every weekend off (every other weekend!). I'm so glad we all had a blast and it was crazy to finish conversations!

A HUGE thank you to Jackie for letting us borrow her car (we want one now!).

A GRANDE thank you to Aunt Jac and Uncle Colin for Owen watching, chicken feeding, and Blue feeding all weekend! Owen had so much fun and we didn't worry one bit. I wish Owen would have slept better the first night, but ya never know how he is going to sleep. Colin said with a big grin at the end of the weekend, "Chels, I would watch Owen almost anytime!" They both work with kids all through the week, so to have Owen all weekend was a true trial for what parenting will be like someday.

What's the coop?

The coop is almost done. Here are a few photos of the men's work:

Bock Bock Bock

We successfully picked up the flock of chickens! We waited until after Owen's speech therapy appointment last week to pick them up. Coincidentally on the way over, it started to rain... But we kept on. John's wife had called over the neighbor (thank you Dennis!!) to help Chris capture our future glories. This was Oh so helpful, as I was wearing Owen in the ergo, and he was shouting repeatedly BOCK BOCK BOCK and laughing hysterically at the goings ons... As I was! Chris and Dennis started with a scare em out tactic into a large cage. This did not work very well, although the lettuce lure was enticing to one hen. They decided to just go for it, wearing gloves and also using a fishing net contraption- think large butterfly net- to aid in the capturing process. One by one they were placed into the large cage and only the rooster shed blood... His comb got cut on the fencing as he was resisting. (He is healed now and looks great!). Our truck then looked like a chicken truck. OK it was a chicken truck, complete with feed, feeders, waterers, anything else they could pawn off on us. Chris covered the chickens with a tarp to tame their manes so their feathers wouldn't get windblown or really soaked on the way home. We didn't hear a peep from them on the way, even stopped for a starbucks treat and to feed Owen, and you would never have guessed what was under the tarp. Back home, we unloaded the flock into the barn, and got them set up in their temporary apartment. As I write, the weather is clearing up for a 930 appointment of sunshine and fixing to get the new coop underway. Chris's Dad (aka Papa, and/or P- diddy) and Chris came up with a design that provides room, dirt, laying beds, and security- all a sweet lil feathered friend could ask for. When we are home, Owen makes a trip to visit the flock 2-3 times per day. They are adjusting well to their new surroundings (the reinforced barn for now) and have been laying at most 7 eggs a day. This is fantastic-- They are all different ages, most between 3-5. These are still fairly young, but I was pleased at our high yield at a time of transition in their lives. They miss John but his Latvian legacy will live on. I would like to breed more once they are established, to continue the Latvian blood line.

From a nutritional aim.... The jury is still out... continues to be out about egg recommendations. Conventional eggs (versus organic or free range or FRESHly laid) have been shown to have higher cholesterol content, which is the main offender with eggs. FYI that is true for meat also, especially beef. There is a higher content of the heart healthy Omega 3 fats and less saturated fat in organic and or grass fed beef. Obviously the content varies between cows (just like for conventional) but it's significant enough to mention. I love the aim of  "If your grandmother didn't eat it growing up, then you shouldn't either." This doesn't work for the younger generations, but it works for me!

 Here was the flock's home for years, with multiple hen houses, a great coop, and manzanita shade. They were out most days then let in the coop at night.

 Before the capture.

 Mid game!

 My view from the sidelines.

 Success!

Temporary home for the flock- they seem to like it just fine.

One last note, I have considered starting an additional blog but voted against myself. The family blog will continue as my blog as well, covering all topics from Owen to chickens to crafting and just documenting our lives.