Kathryn made the Honor Roll!

Kathryn made the Honor Roll for the 2nd Quarter at Laurel Elementary (her best report card ever!). We are so proud of her! Both our cars are now sporting bumper stickers that say, "My child is an Honor Roll Student at Laurel Elementary."

Christmas at First Church

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! Spending our first Christmas at First UMC was definitely a blessing. Above is a picture of the Sanctuary on Christmas Eve. We had more than 125 poinsettias across the front of the church. Members of the Altar Guild are preparing Communion for the 11pm Service.



At the start of Advent, we had a Chrismon Service during which we learned about the beginning of the Chrismon and its meaning. All of the children then decorated the tree in the Sanctuary with the help of the Youth Group. Above is a picture of the decorated tree.

Also during Advent, a "Christmas in Four Parts" performance was held. During the performance, the 8:30 Players (a group of musicians (band instruments) that play at the 8:30am service on the 4th Sunday of every month, which includes Chris on the saxophone) played two sets of Christmas Music. The Chancel Choir, in which I sing alto, also had a set in which we sang 6 anthems. The performance was preceeded by a potluck dinner and included a dessert intermission. The evening ended with a Carol Sing-A-Long. The Fellowship Hall was packed with people and a wonderful time was had by all.



Here is our first Owens Family Christmas tree. As you can see, Penny supervised. We also decorated the outside of our house.

It's A Boy

We found out that we will be welcoming a boy into our family in May. We are all very excited about it. Kathryn is already thinking about how she can share all her interests in sports with him.

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Concert Tickets!!!!!!

Hannah and Kathryn showing off their new Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus dolls.


On Thanksgiving, we gave Kathryn and her cousin Hannah one of their Christmas presents, since Kathryn won't be here for Christmas this year. Their Aunt Magdee was able to secure four tickets (one for each of the girls, one for me and one for my sister Amanda) to the Hannah Montana concert, which will also have the Jonas Brothers (another favorite) at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore on January 8. The girls were very excited to open their gifts. First, a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus doll and then a personalized invitation to come to the concert from Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus herself. Excited doesn't even begin to describe how they reacted once they realized what the present really was. They went back into Hannah's bedroom afterwards and could be heard talking all about the concert.

Casey's 5K Turkey Trot in Laurel

Chris and Kathryn before the race...all ready to go!



Chris crossing the finish line in 33:40...not too bad for his first 5K! We were very proud of him!



Kathryn heading to the finish line in 44:26...a good time for her first 5K! We were all very proud of her too!



Chris, Judy Law (the Director of Music at First Church) and Kathryn after the race.


On Thanksgiving morning, Chris and Kathryn ran in their first 5K which raised money to benefit LARS (the Laurel Advocacy and Resource Center, which helps the homeless in Laurel). As you can see from the pictures above, they both had a great time and are looking forward to next year. Quite a few people from First Church ran in the race (see the picture above of Judy with Chris and Kathryn who also ran in her first 5K).

Chris has been training for several months by getting up every morning and walking/running with Penny. He enjoys that time in the morning and enjoyed getting ready for the race. He is already talking about next year and maybe even some other races.

Kathryn also trained for the race, but not for as long as Daddy, although she does have P.E. twice a week in school and had soccer twice a week this fall. She even got some size 6.5 women's running shoes to wear, which she says really helped. She is also looking forward to next year. She has realized that she can't sprint (which is her forte') because then she gets a cramp after about a mile and she has to walk for a while. She is already planning her strategy for next year.

As for me, I walked in the 1 mile fun walk as the sweeper. I brought up the rear to make sure that not one got lost. That was a lot of fun and I got to meet some new people as well. It was a great morning...70 degrees and sunny with a little breeze. My goal for next year is to run in the 5K with Chris and Kathryn.

Baby Owens

Baby Owens in 3-D



Baby Owens waving for the camera.


Chris and I went for the baby's first sonogram on November 15. It is amazing how modern technology can enable you to see the smallest details of the baby! It was a great experience that we were both glad to share together. The reason for this sonogram was to measure the Nuchal Space (in the neck) to test for Down's Syndrome. Everything looks fine. The baby did not want to cooperate at first. He/She wouldn't turn over and we could see was her rear-end. After my moving from side to side and then finally getting up and doing some jumping jacks, the baby cooperated and we were able to get the measurements needed. We will go again on December 21 for another sonogram. Kathryn is very excited about that sonogram because she is off of school and will be able to come and be there with us. Stay tuned for an update after December 21st.

Kathryn's 9th Birthday Party

Kathryn and her friends



Kathryn - the 9 year old



Kathryn getting ready to blow out her candles.


Kathryn had a great birthday party at the JumpZone in Columbia. She was able to have friends from all parts of her life...Arnold Elementary, Asbury Arnold United Methodist Church, Laurel Elementary, and First United Methodist Church, as well as family, join her for her party. She had a great time.