We're still here!

Update coming soon....

We just returned from a trip to Colorado.
Lots of photos to sift through. Lots of stories to tell.

Stay tuned.

Happy Halloween!

The evening was filled with all things festive: pumpkin carving, mulled cider on the stove, a nice hearty bowl of soup with the family....

Lion and Bunny practiced their new line ("Trick or Treat!") over and over...



Finally, we headed out into the night...



After 30 minutes or so of knocking on doors and looking out for goblins (thank goodness cousin Nora knew the trick to keeping them away...), The Dude proclaimed that he was done. He was ready to go home.



So that is that. Another occasion of build-up and release...*sigh*

Busy Busy....

It's been hard to get video of Owen lately. Between his fascination with the video camera (and all it's buttons), and his inclination to clam up as soon as it's pointed at him, it's been a while since we've shared The Dude "in full".

The audio on this clip isn't that great. You can't really hear what he's going on and on about, but that's not really the point. The point of this video is to give you a rough idea of just how busy he is.... and how much he babbles. On his second birthday a switch was hit, and he talks....All. Day. Long.

And, he is on the move. He's got things to do. Trucks to drive. Rocks to move.

He's busy.




And this one is just for all you Lovers of Owen, snot and all.....

Pumpkin Patch

No fall season is complete without a trip to our local 'original' pumpkin patch. Especially now that The Dude is starting to put all this Halloween business in perspective. He is learning all about Jack-O-Lanterns, costumes, wacky spiderweb decorations (thanks to almost all of our neighbors), and trick-or-treating.

The Pumpkin Patch is a quaint little farm that gets pummeled this time of year. They have a tractor drawn hay ride to the pumpkin fields, an animal barn (complete with mini-horse!), a farm store, Big Red Barn for hoe-downs and mud. Lots of mud.

It's a hoot. And we think we got the best pumpkins of the bunch this year...

And now... He is 2!

We can't believe it's come and gone... we can't believe how well he did... and we can't believe he's TWO!!

What an awesome day for our Little Dude. It began like this:



7:30am - helping Mama to ice the requested Spice Cake. How could we deny him a little morning sugar jolt? It was his birthday, for crying out loud.

He awoke to decorations and high anticipation of his Birthday Party. Oh - and presents! Mama and Papa gave him his gift first thing...



...a pint-sized back-pack to carry all his "stuff". Recently, he has been asking for a little bag to carry all of his things in when we leave the house. He always has to bring something with him on our journeys (whether that is to the grocery store or to Grandpa's house, he's got to go prepared). So we decided to get him his very first pack. It's Dude-Sized, it's got lots of pockets, and he looks so darn cute carrying it around.

After a little breakfast and some book reading with Nonna, it was party time! The guests began to arrive and the little house quickly became filled with people. Luckily, it was a clear (but chilly) day, so the kids could run around out in the backyard and play in the fort.

Owen was amazing. He mingled. He played with his friends. He kept up with the bigger girls and held his own. He didn't seem at all phased that there were 20 people in his house, all for him...

When it was cake time, he was ready. And very excited....



Surrounded by all that love him, he was in total heaven. Didn't skip a beat. He acted like we have birthday parties for him every day.



Little Dude, Happy Birthday. We love you more than we ever thought possible. You are an amazing little being and so much fun to be around. You've changed us forever, and we couldn't be more grateful. Here's to our many next adventures!

Change is coming...

This morning we woke to the heaters blaring in our little house... fall is definitely upon us. The air is down-right chilly and it smells like fall outside. Gone are the days of no socks and "naked baby" afternoons on the backyard deck. No more turtle sprinkler or kiddy pool. No more early morning trips to the zoo "before it gets too hot". (The above photo was one from our trip to visit the new lion exhibit at our beloved zoo...)

Nope. Summer is gone. And with it, goes our little one year old. Owen will very soon (one week exactly) be TWO.

We're not ready.

We mumbled something to each other earlier today about a "discipline plan" - we haven't had those types of conversations yet. How do we respond when the cup is hurled across the room because it doesn't have the right contents in it? What do we say when we are confronted with that look of, "Oh, you said No? Well, than I'll do THIS!"...

It's not that we think that at the stroke of midnight on his birthday he'll turn into a monster... it's more that he is beginning to test his boundaries, and he is paying very close attention to how we respond. This is where the real parenting fears show up, people. It's show time.

We've seen the sneak preview to TWO and we are definitely not ready.

So, for this week, we'll enjoy the 1 and 11/12th's year old and think about the discipline later. Because TWO will be here soon enough.

Photo by Papa

This photo was rescued from Papa's flash card in his camera.... taken in June (thankfully of this year). Mama loves it, so thought we would share.

It tells a lot about Owen's personality. His determination, his focus. No doubt when this photo was taken, he was on a mission.

He had big plans.

Family Band

Give Owen a few more weeks and he'll be ready for The Big Time....

Thank You Grama Margie!

We LOVE the hat. He would have slept in it if we let him.
Thank you...... we miss you!

My, What a Busy Month!

Hello Friends and Family!
Yes - we know... it's been a long time since our last post. Ever since we returned from our trip to Colorado we've been a tad bit preoccupied. Papa was given a "permanent vacation" from his job, and thus, our thoughts have been on other things.
That being said, we've been keeping our heads on straight by doing some fun things with our Little Dude! He is so much fun to be around right now, and we have been dishing out the experiences as fast as he can take them... and he's been a Super Trooper!

Here is a little photo montage for you of the last few weeks...

We've been building some epic train villages!




We've been playing at the park!





We fed the Lorikeets at the Zoo!



We turned The Dude into a Mer-Man at the beach!



Then we bought him some shades and went camping out in Eastern Oregon!



Having Papa around has been a real treat... and thanks to Owen, we are keeping our sense of humor intact.

The Dude abides.

Two months shy of Two

The Dude is getting bigger before our eyes. He's progressing... growing. His vocabulary seems to double each day, and his memory is pretty incredible.

We realized as the 10th day of August blew past us, that it won't be that long now before Owen is two years old. Some days it's hard for us to remember that he is not yet two.... and other days, it's hard to believe that he's no longer a little baby, and is going to be TWO.

We're bracing ourselves. In little bits we've started to see the "problem areas" that could bite us if the Terrible Two's do in fact show up. He has his Papa's intention, and (unfortunately) his Mama's temper. He is beginning to express himself and understands that he has a voice. Thankfully, his sweetness and his lovingness has grown more profound. He's a lover - not a fighter. And we're holding our breath that it stays this way.



We're just along for the ride.

Beach Bum

We've had record heat here in P-Town the last week or so... and we mean RECORD heat. We're talking 100 degrees PLUS. Yikes. We decided to ditch our non-air conditioned abode and head for cooler temperatures. Luckily, we live close to the ocean where the fog socks in the coast and, for a while at least, you can beat the heat.

Unfortunately, everybody and their brother had the same idea.... fortunately, we are equipped with a mobile hotel...complete with cooking apparatus - we call her "Goldie".

We packed her to the gills with everything we could imagine we would need for an overnight trip (you'd be surprised...), including the dog, and hit the road. We ended up at a campground that had only a few spots left, and we took one close to the beach. It wasn't ideal, but then again, sleeping in our oven-like house was not an option. For only one night, it did the trick. Besides, The Dude was more excited about the beach than the camp spot anyways... so it didn't really matter.

Keep in mind that Owen has really only had one other "beach experience" and that was when he was a non-walker... so this trip was really the maiden voyage for him.



He wasn't too sure at first... but after a couple of minutes of some hands-on sand time, he was hooked.



Really, the whole trip was a big experience for him.... we introduced him to the ocean, organized camping (at a State campground, that is), and campfires!



And, like most things, he took in everything with "dude-like" style. He was calm, collected, and absolutely stoked to sleep in "Poppy's Bus". It was fun to watch.

The next day, we packed things up and headed north. We had a feeling that the sun would be a little bit more likely to break thru the thick fog up there, so we headed to one of Momma & Pappa's favorite spots. It was unusually crowded for a Monday, probably since the temperatures in town were so high, but that didn't matter. Owen was just excited to have some sand, open space and a space to "ice skate" (what he called playing in the waves - not sure what that was all about).











Big floppy hat? Check.

Goofy swim shorts? Check.

Sand in every orifice? Check.

The Happiest Kid in the World? Priceless.

"Auntie Crickett had a Farm...."

This video tells you multiple things.

#1: The Dude has been singing a lot of "Old MacDonald"... but in his case, it's either "Uncle Donald had a farm..." or "Auntie Crickett had a farm...E-E-E-E-O!"

#2: He has figured out on our new video camera that if we rotate the lens towards him, he can see himself in the LCD screen. (It's hard for Mama to keep the lens on him though... so pardon the moving around)

#3: You witness, at the end, his "mad face". When The Dude is not liking something he will pout his lips out and express his upset-ness. We've been seeing this a lot more lately, as he is starting discover that he can express himself when he doesn't like something. Or if things aren't going his way. Or if he is mad. (We try to respect his feelings, but can't help from smirking because it's so darn CUTE!)

A Fish Called Blue

On Saturday we walked down the street to our neighbors garage sale. Mama had a couple dollar bills burning a hole in her pocket, and the sale was mostly kid stuff ("Sophie's Stuff" to be exact - one of the little girls on our street that The Dude has a big crush on) so we knew we would walk away with something good.

After perusing the Hello Kitty selection and the My Little Ponies, Owen headed up the steps into the "grown up" section where we found plates, various kitchen knick-knacks and picture frames. He headed right for a crusty, old fish bowl (years empty, we're sure) with neon turquoise rocks. Of course, The Dude new exactly what it was for...

"FISH!" he exclaimed loudly (which he does often these days...). He tried to pick it up, but Mama stopped him and got down on his level.

(M)"Do you want to take this home Owen?"
(O)"Yes."
(M)"We'll have to go to the fish store and get you a fish to put in it..."
(O)"OK!!"

And down the stairs to the sidewalk he went, running towards our house.
It had been decided.

As Mama was searching her pockets for the two bucks that they were asking for the thing, a woman approached us and told us that she had a free fish for us. She just lived on the next block, and we could come over that moment and get it. Really? A free fish? To put in our new fish bowl? It must have been fate....

About fifteen minutes later, we carefully walked down the block - being careful not to spill the fresh water and our new, beautiful fish onto the sidewalk - back to our house to introduce our newest pet to our home.

His name is Blue. He's a beta fish. And he fits in quite nicely.
And Owen LOVES him.



*Parent's note: We don't normally let Owen climb onto the table. This was a one time thing so that we were able to capture the moment of his excitement. The fish now lives in his room, safely out of reach - but definitely within view for short people...

Singing in the bath...

Ok, so you've heard The Dude sing his ABC's, and his second favorite song is "Happy Birthday". We've had a lot of birthdays lately, so he is getting lots of practice...AND the kid just likes to sing, so the following video* demonstrates what we hear pretty much all day long.



*This video was shot with our new, fancy Sony WEBBIE HD camera that was so graciously gifted to us this last weekend!! HOORAY! It works fabulously, and we are getting some good footage which we will undoubtedly share (whether you like it or not!). Thank You, Thank You, Great Uncle T!!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Yes, Summer has arrived here in P-Town! Hooray!

Last weekend at a MEGA garage sale, Mama scored an awesome summertime accessory to add to the pile of outdoor patio toys.

Meet MR. TURTLE:



He will gladly cool off our toes and add many hours of water refreshment this summer...and we couldn't be happier!!

Farm Boy

Last weekend we headed out of the city to get some much needed breathing room. We ended up on our favorite little island, with no real plan or agenda.

Perfect scenario for an almost two year old adventurer.





The local U-pick farm boasted that raspberries were aplenty, but we only found a few that were ripe, and they didn't quite make it back to the store to be weighed....



Welcome Summer. We're glad you're here...

ABC's

And now for your Soup Course, as promised....

The Dude has started singing his ABC's a lot lately. In the car, on our walks, and at the breakfast table.

Pat-A-Cake with Papa

FINALLY! We've obtained a video device (with sound this time) that can capture all the precious moments of The Dude's childhood.... poor kid.

For your appetizer*, we offer this -
Owen's favorite little diddy that he and Papa sing.




*Soup course, Main course and the all important Dessert course soon to follow!

New 'Do

After much "hemming and hawing", we decided that The Dude needed a new 'do. The long curly locks were gorgeous, but it was starting to go a little haywire. Plus, the top part kept getting in his eyes and he wasn't too fond of fishing hairs out of his eyelashes.

Nonna gave us courage, and she actually made the first cuts. Mama tried to distract (and fight back her tears), and Papa documented.



Want the before and after?

Here you go.....

BEFORE:



AFTER:






Our little baby now looks like a little boy!
What a difference a little snip-snip can make...

Book Lover

We find Owen like this fairly often. The house gets really quiet, and when we peek in on him in his room he is usually surrounded by books that he's pulled off the shelves. He'll flip through them one by one, making a huge pile around himself.
We try to not disturb him.

Mother's Love

Tomorrow, on Mother's Day, Owen will be 19 months old. Mama (or Mommy, or just plain Mom - depending on how he's feeling) can't think of a better way to commemorate the day.

The sun will be shining, and no doubt The Dude will be smiling....
That's just the way he is.

Here are some recent photos of our growing boy.
Just makes your heart melt, don't it?

Three Words

The Dude has started putting three word sentences together.... it just started last week.

Here are some that we've heard so far:

"Check...it out"

"Pick you up" (he means "me")

"Lay down Penny"

"There it is"

His vocabulary has really started to expand rapidly. We know have to be extra careful in the words that we use - our little Mockingbird doesn't miss a thing.

We are approaching the 19th month mark - "Holy Moly!" as Owen would say. Be on the lookout for photos and an update soon.

Potty Talk

Owen has developed an interest in "The Potty". Probably a result of watching Cousin Nora work on her potty training and the fact that we all talk about it. A few weeks ago, Owen marched into the bathroom at Nora's house, sat on the potty, got up, removed the little bowl, dumped it into the big toilet, flushed... and insisted to wash his hands.

All righty then! Someone has figured it out.

We also have a book about potty training that he is very fond of...

So, we decided to get him his VERY OWN potty. After making a very big deal about a "secret, special surprise" we unveiled the molded plastic throne.



He was so excited... he knew instantly what it was. We helped him pull it out of the box, showed him how to open the lid and he climbed on it. Papa then taught him how to do the "victory dance" (climbing on top and pumping his fists, shouting "Hooray!"). The next hour was filled with much laughter, as you can imagine.

It will probably be a while before he will actual learn how to use it. But we are glad that we seized the opportunity to introduce it when we did. It's hard to deny his enthusiasm, that's for sure!

Rain Baby

Ah, The Pacific Northwest in Spring.... one day it's 72 degrees, the next it's dark and stormy and hailing like crazy. We've been having some crazy storms rolling through bringing all kinds of water down on our heads.

The other day brought one of those storms, and "You Know Who" stood at the sliding glass door to the deck and pleaded to go out.

"Ok..." we said, and put on his bug boots and off he went.


(Yes, that is our gutter overflowing... it was raining THAT hard.)





Soaked. Happy as can be. A true Oregonian!