Owen's Update

Owen is now three and a half!  Where has the time gone?  He started preschool this fall.  Owen really likes his teachers and has made several new friends.  A few of the other moms have told me that their children talk about Owen all the time.  Not sure this is a good or bad thing!  He seems to be genuinely nice to all the other kids and I'm proud of him for adjusting so well to school.


First of School




Standing by his school cubbie



Owen is really a great big brother.  Most of the time he is gentle with Justin and loves him to pieces.  I know Owen wishes that Justin was big enough to play trains & wrestle right now!  Here's a few pictures from the last couple months.



Helping Mom make brownies





Frankenmuth with the cousins for Mimi's birthday



Owen was Buzz Lightyear (from the Toy Story movie) for Halloween.  He loved trick-or-treating!

This was Owen's special Thanksgiving hat he made in school.  Once we sat down to dinner everyone went around the table to say what they were thankful for.  Owen went last and he said "I'm thankful for Justin, even though he sometimes grabs his [insert private part]"

Nice.  I can't make this stuff up.



We took a family trip to Three Cedars to pick out a Christmas tree & visit Santa.  Surprisingly Owen was all about Santa & we got some really cute pictures of the boys.


Waiting in line for Santa




"We've been good . . . really we have"









What's New with Justin

A long overdue post . . . the past several months have been busy for Justin.  Here's a quick re-cap
Justin was baptized on Sept. 26th.  Two of my cousins, Lindsay Hill & Greg Keller are Justin's godparents.  We had a really nice day and enjoyed sharing this special event with everyone.

Happy guy on the way to church





Family photo at Justin's baptism



We love that Justin is so interactive now.  He loves to smile & laugh when we talk to him.  He is also grabbing for things & always wants to hold something, usually so it can go in his mouth!!  Justin sits really well in the Bumbo chair.  We've used it in the bath tub too.



He will hate me for this picture when he's older!



Justin definitely loves tummy time, he will immediately roll to his stomach when we put him down on his back!



What a face!







Love this smile!



Owen loves playing with Justin

Owen giving Justin a "horsey ride"

Justin can't play trains yet, but he can wear the hat

Justin was a wolf for Halloween

Justin has started eating baby cereal.  So far oatmeal is preferred over rice.  Though he likes it, Justin isn't the fastest eater.  He would rather look around & put his hands in his mouth & laugh!

Stay tuned for "What's New with Owen" . . .

More Justin (without the binkie!)

I realized that in all the pictures I've posted of Justin he has his pacifier.  Here's a few good ones without it!!

Justin - In One Word . . .

Hearty.

Healthy.

Hefty.

Well-fed.

Basically he's huge!

2 1/2 months and 16 lbs 8 oz!!!

July days

What Justin's been up to . . .

What Owen's been up to . . .

These two look like T-R-O-U-B-L-E to me!!

Justin Mark Zischke

We are proud to announce the arrival of Justin Mark . . .

He was born on June 1st at 12:04 pm.  Justin weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and was 21 inches long.
Everything went well at the hospital and we are enjoying having Justin home.  Owen has really taken to his little brother and is very sweet with him.  Here's a few photos from our first week as a family of 4

Let's Play Catch-Up!

Two months without a blog post!  Unthinkable!!  Turns out chasing after an almost 3-year old & being in your 3rd trimester is a little exhausting.  Basic house cleaning & naps have become the priority with little time for much else!
However, Owen deserves a few more posts before the blog is taken over by the baby!
Here's what he's been up to . . .

Playing with Play-doh

Doing crossword puzzles with Dad (such serious concentration!)

Finding all the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid . . .

. . . then devouring the candy in record time

Coloring with markers, not always on the paper!

Going to Greenfield Village to see Thomas the train!

Playing trains at home . . . trains have become valuable prizes for going #2 on the potty!

Hanging out at the Brighton fire station with REAL firemen, so cool!

Owen loves going outside and playing.  He'll be getting a swingset in the backyard soon, his birthday present from Mommy & Daddy.  We had an "early" party to celebrate his birthday before the baby comes.  It was a fun time & I think he really enjoyed it.  Owen's been doing really well with going potty & we're very proud of him.  It took a while but I think he's really getting it now.  That's the news for now, 11 more days until Owen's a big brother!