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Bower Power

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Chattanooga Chapter 3

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Self-explanatory post here. 

I don’t really feel a whole lotta words are necessary…so forgive me if I just ramble a bit.

Day three of our mini Chattanooga vacation was pretty planned out.  Park then party.

Will with Jer’s mom’s dogs.  He can’t say dog yet – so just imagine a whole lot of grunting.

We headed to a local park…the small kind…where older folks come to watch the little whippersnappers play and people bring their dogs to sniff out other dogs. 

Will still isn’t a fan of the swing.  I think he thinks it’s prison.  I can see why…they both confine him, have chains and are uncomfortable for your diapered areas.  The slide is definitely more his style. 

 

There was this open area just beyond the park…and there was a big red barn too.  If I lived there, I would use this as a location for photo shoots…it was just really versatile.

My favorite photo of the day of Will.  He rarely looks directly at the camera.  I think because deep in his soul he hates the big black boxy thingie that his mom ALWAYS sticks in his face.

The Bower brothers…

Later that day we had a birthday party for Miss Lola. 

I could watch babies eat cake all day.  It cracks me up. every. time.  I guess because I am a fan of sugar…and usually this is their first time experiencing the heavenly bliss.

That’s Hayden…Lola’s cousin.  He brought his bouncy-house to the party…and now we want one.  REALLY bad.

Hayden is about 9 months older than Will.  And he’s hilarious. 

Will’s not so sure about bubbles either.  Swings and bubbles.  I thought those were two sure-fire ways to amuse a baby…but apparently my little WolfDog is wary of things he can’t grab and throw.

Hayden has mastered blowing the bubbles…

And tried to teach Will how to do it.  I’m not sure he understood what was going on…

During the entire party, literally – the entire thing, the boys were off doing masculine stuff.  You think I am kidding.  I only wish in dear heaven that I was. 

At first it was who could do the most pull ups…then squats with a 25 pound weight…then dips or something crazy tricepty…and then came who could ride their bike up the hill (which is really more like a cliff)…then came who could run up the hill…then they broke out the pellet gun.  The girls started calling it names – this exertion of manliness – and my favorite was Testosterone Battles. 

Of course, I wanted to shoot too.  And no..that isn’t a bald spot…it’s just where the baby hair gets bleached by the sun.  And yes…I dyed it after seeing this photo. 

I hit the plate on the third try.  Not bad for being blind.  and a girl 🙂

After all that boyishness, Will woke up from his nap and I wanted a good ole Mommy&Me photo.  This was the best I could get.  I don’t care that I have crows feet or that Will’s suckin’ that dang paci or that the brown owl lovie (which was a gift from a reader – Thanks girl, he loves it!) was in this photo or the fact that he is desperately trying NOT to cuddle…pictures of us together are so few and far between (at least the non staged ones)…and this is my life right now.  How could I not love it?! 

Balloons are amazing.  If I wanted Will to be amused for an hour…all I’d need is a bunch of balloons.

Yes – he got tangled.  And yes, instead of helping him…I snapped photos 🙂

 

 Back to the birthday girl – who is so cute that she makes puppies look like junkyard dogs…

I wanted to snap some Lola photos…you know…to mark the day… 

     

And we decided that it would be cute in the yard…

So we headed out…and took the balloons…

 

But Lola was sooo active about crawling into the rocks or the flower beds or towards the cliff…so we got out this galvanized tub and slid her into it.

things were going okay because she was contained…then Will decided to join her…

I’m happy to report that Will was not at fault for this:

And is it bad that I find this photo hilarious? 

On her birthday no less….the shame Katie Bower…the shame.

p.s.  only one more day of Chattanooga recaps…so if you are getting tired of them, well, stinks to be you 🙂

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  1. Such cute pictures (especially the balloon & tub shots!)! I had never heard of the cake smashing tradition until you did one for Will’s birthday – now I feel like they’re everywhere. Good thing I find them absolutely adorable!

  3. Love the pictures. I cracked up at the last one.

    Sebastian hates bubbles too. We are working on them slowly. He’s cool watching them but hates to touch them! I wish I had a picture of his reaction when they fly in his face, it is priceless. Your wary Will picture is exactly how he looks when he gets bubbles around him.

  4. Man, Lola is going to give her daddy no end of trouble when she gets older. He’s going to need to keep the shotgun on hand at all times.

  6. I get Merriam-Webster’s word of the day emails, and today’s word was “bower.” How perfect is that definition?

    bower \BOW-er\
    noun
    1 : an attractive dwelling or retreat

  10. Awww…good ‘ole Heritage Park! I live in Chattanooga and am actually a photographer and use that park for shoots a lot…such a small, small world! I love the cupcakes…adorable!

  11. I agree with you… baby cake smashing/eating might be the most wonderful thing EVER.

    In other news, I thought of you guys this morning. I get a “word of the day” in my email every morning from Merriam-Webster ( I know, I know… who in their mind would actually admit to that, right? I assure it isn’t because i’m a nerd – rather the opposite. I have the vocabulary of a five-year-old and desperately trying to change that) I kid you not, the word of the day today is “bower”!!! So here ya go…

    Bower \BOW-er\
    noun
    1. an attractive dwelling or retreat
    2. a lady’s private apartment in a medieval hall or castle
    3. a shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together : arbor

    Ex: Bryan knelt down before Maura — who was seated on a bench in the bower — took her hand, and asked her if she would marry him.

    Also… “Bower” derives from Old English “bur,”meaning “dwelling,”and was originally used of attractive homes or retreats, especially rustic cottages…

    So, all that to say… I think the name fits you guys. Oh, and your welcome for the nerd-alicious tidbit of information (tidbit… that was another word-of-the-day)

  13. So… I am not a feminist necessarily, but I do (not so) secretly have this raging She-ra inside of me, so anytime a woman does something independent, powerful, or that only guys do it makes me want to scream “YEAH!” with a guy-type fist pump and maybe a jump in the air. That’s what I wanted to do when I saw your shooting shot. haha! Also, love the pic of you and Will- such a sweet moment.

    … wondering if I should’ve admitted to the little bit of crazy that’s in my head?… 🙂

  14. Love the recaps. 🙂 This is a totally random question, but do you know where Lola’s outfit is from? I am a mamma to a girl and I love love love ruffles and bubble rompers.

  15. Arg – I get that ‘bald spot’ too!! I hate it!

    Will is starting to look so old – he is the cutest baby ever! And I am so jealous of your picture taking skills. At the end of this month I am biting the bullet and up grading my camera. Can’t wait 🙂

  16. I, for one, am not tired of Chatanooga recaps. I don’t care if you write about home improvement or your fam and friends. Your photos and stories/captions always make me smile.

    The photo of Will leaning over the wall made me think, “Yep, he’s all boy for sure!”

    And I love the photo of you and Will. 🙂

  19. That’s not crazy at all, Rachel — I am so with you! — I think Katie’s shooting shot is bad-a$$, if you’ll pardon my pottymouth. What I’m saying is, it’s pretty worth of your proverbial fist pump. 😉

  20. I second everything Alissa said. 🙂

    I was actually hoping for more Chatanooga eye candy.

    And take it from us oldies-and-baldies whose hair has started to thin: a faux bald spot you can dye is nothing, baby.

  21. Is it bad that I literally laughed out loud at that last picture? I am completely that person who laughs when kids fall down. I know I’m a bad person :0)

    And it looks like will is going to need a haircut soon?!

  22. Thank you so much for sharing your Chattanooga trip, each picture and description of Will and his antics makes me think that he and my son, Liam, are one in the same. Must be the age:)

  23. Also laughed out loud at the last pic, so I’m right there with you. I like to think because it’s a sweet photo about real life with babies… they have accidents. They usually come out unscathed (or maybe with a little black eye or swollen lip), but it is life with a babe. Why not capture the truth and giggle about it?? 🙂

  24. I think Will needed a haircut a while ago…but I’m too attached to it. It’s probably gonna be in ponytails before it sees scissors 🙂
    xo – kb

  25. Oh. My. Gosh. The cuteness!!!

    Love the barn as a backdrop, especially that shot where Will is looking at you. And Lola… just, sigh! So adorable!

    I have 13 month old twin girls. I totally agree about the balloons. Cute post. 🙂

  26. Oh poor baby Lola ate her some galvanized tub. I’m sure she is fine otherwise you wouldn’t find the pic hilarious. But that still makes me go ‘ouch!’ I love the shots of her in the grass. You have that good eye for a great pic.

    My best, Lynn

  27. Katie,

    I found you through Sherry & John @ younghouselove, and I must say that your blogs literally make me laugh out loud. Most of the time when I read your blogs I’m at work so I can’t exactly laugh out “loud” so if you’d walk by my cubicle while I’m reading your blog you’ll find me shaking with laughter and sometimes there are even tears of joy pouring from my eyes. Good thing I keep extra napkins at my desk.

    Will is so adorable! That last picture of Will and the birthday girl in the galvanized tub also made me laugh. I hope she was ok… but I laughed for a good 3 minutes… shaking and tears included! Thanks for making my day.

    PS I live in Chattanooga and plan on taking my 8 month old (Stanton) downtown to the carousel and water fountain when he’s a little bit older and I think he would enjoy it. AND when it’s not so hot!

  28. Hi Katie!
    Great pictures as always! I wanted to show you this: http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/

    The word of the day for August 3rd is “bower” and reading the description I thought it’s only natural that Bower is your name! I don’t know if y0u’ll read this comment today, so I’ve pasted part of the info below.

    I read your blog religiously, but don’t comment as often as I should. I just couldn’t not tell my favourite Bower about her name being the word of the day!

    “Bower” derives from Old English “bur,” meaning “dwelling,” and was originally used of attractive homes or retreats, especially rustic cottages. In the Middle Ages, “bower” came to refer to a lady’s personal hideaway within a medieval castle or hall: her private apartment. Today’s “arbor” sense combines the pastoral beauty of a rustic retreat with the privacy of a personal apartment. Although its tranquil modern meaning belies it, “bower” is distantly related to the far more roughshod “bowery,” which is the name of a district in New York City at one time known mostly for its flophouses and pawn shops. The Bowery got its name from a Dutch term for a dwelling or farm that shares a common ancestor with the terms that gave rise to “bower.”

  29. She was definitely fine…she cried for ten seconds and then was totally fine. We all felt so bad when it happened…in fact, I didn’t even show Lola’s dad because he probably wouldn’t ever let me shoot her agian 🙂
    xo – kb

  30. That last photo was a one-in-a-million shot. And I love it. *laughs* Which is bad.

    One of my friends actually took a similar shot of me right before my chin hit the ice while we were broomballing. Hair flying, eyes squinched shut, and everything. I hope Lola was okay! Although I bet she was fine– babies have a tendency to bounce back from everything super fast. *grins*

  33. I am definitely not tired of Chattanooga posts! I’m originally from Chatt-town (living in Winston-Salem, NC now) and definitely miss it! It’s such an awesome city!

    I really enjoy reading your blog, Katie! And looking at your pictures! Thanks for letting us into your life!

  35. So, so cute! Love these pictures and recaps. Totally random comment, but my hubs is sitting next to me (fresh off the plane yesterday from Afghanistan, yay!) and as I start scrolling down the page, he vaguely says “oh, I have that shirt. It says California.” Uh, what? Yeah, I’m seeing these adorable babies and he’s noticing that Jeremy and he have the same threads from Old Navy. Ah, men. Gotta love ’em 😀

  37. Your whole family could not be *any cuter*! The thing about the swing compared to prison was hilarious. Even though I feel really bad about Lola taking a tumble, the fact that you captured her squished up nose is pretty cute! haha xo

  38. Okay, first things first…. Good Lord, are there two hotter brothers out there? I think not. *fans self*

    The picture of Lola in the tub is A-DORABLE! (As are all of them… cutie patootie girl, and great photographer!) How does one not want to eat her cheeks 24/7?

    Love Will’s poses at the barn.. the hands on the barn made me giggle (supermodel pose) and the one at the tree made me melt.

  41. CoupleASaving, I did too. Literally. I felt bad for her, but know those accidents happen all the time, and I can’t BELIEVE how perfect timing that cameral shot was! Hil-ar-i-ous!

    Katie, I hear you – my Jonathan is two days younger than Will, and I was resisting the call of the scissors too. But Jonathan’s hair is much wavier/curlier than Will’s, and a couple weeks ago on a hike, “he” was referred to as a “she”. I thought I could get away with just a trim over the ears (he has sideburns!) and leave the cute baby curls at the nape of his very kissable neck. But all that did was give him an awesome mullet. Not. Gonna. Happen. So those curls had to go (kept them, of course) and he looks even CUTER! Took us several days to get used to it, but we did. I was pretty proud of the job I did when my good hair-salon-cutting friend complimented the haircut – whoo-ho! You going to cut his hair yourself, or take him somewhere when you decide to do it?

  45. Hmmm…not really sure. I like the idea of taking him to a Sports Clips – but he is such a terror sometimes, I don’t know if I want to push that on someone else 🙂
    xo – kb

  46. I laughed so hard at the last picture. Not just the picture, but your caption as well. I’m <3 this blog!!!

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