Owen's birthday party

On Saturday, we had a small birthday party for Owen. We kept it to a block party for the houses on our street, plus the Muhly's and the Delos-Reyes's (whose daughter Valerie turns 2 next week). It was a nice opportunity to get to spend some time with our neighbors and to get to know them better. 5 of the 7 houses came, so we think the turnout was a big success.

We grilled sausages and dogs and tofu-dogs, and had some cut fruit and veggies, and I made a James the train cake for Owen (James is one of Thomas's friends- Owen has a fondness for him). Everything turned out really nice, including the weather. Next time, I may think twice before using red icing on the cake...

Owen turns 2!

After a week of practicing the "Happy Birthday" song with Owen, we put it into use last Friday when he turned 2. He had a wonderful birthday- I met him at school for lunch and we shared cupcakes with his class. Richard came home early from work and we opened presents and played with them most of the afternoon. We had spaghetti for dinner (we are guessing this is still Owen's favorite dinner) followed by more cupcakes and more playing with his new toys.

Owen loved all the gifts he received from our families- we are still making our way through all the new books. He is thrilled with all things Thomas, and got a new push train and book. He received lots of new craft supplies. One of the big hits was a birthday card from my parents with the "chicken dance" song on it. He brought it to bed with him, and at 11:00 at night, we heard him playing with the card- Richard went in and put him back to bed- without the card.

Richard and I got him a very little bike- it's a 12" blue Specialized, 12 speed. OK, it's not a 12 speed. But the rest is true. Over the weekend, Richard has gotten Owen comfortable sitting on the bike, but he is still learning how to pedal. We also got him a bat and ball, and made a T to help him learn.

Owen had a great birthday.

Owen got a haircut

After we returned from our trip out East, we decided it was time to trim up Owen's hair. This decision was not an easy one for me- his curls were so cute and golden blond. But it was getting a little out of control. We have hair trimmers, and went to town. The results took some getting used to, but I like it now.

Owen took one look in the mirror, post cut, and began to sob. Apparently, he had liked his hair long. He had received a lot of attention during our trip about his curls. The next day, Owen was still not happy with his reflection in the mirror, but now has gotten used to the new

cut. Maybe we won't do such a dramatic change next time.

Before and After:

crabs, turtles and airplanes: vacation in Virginia

The week of July 4th we spent in Virginia with my parents at their cottage at the Chesapeake Bay. Susie, Todd and Laurel also came out for the week. It took all week, but the day before we left Richard convinced Owen to go into the water with us on a float. Owen loved looking for crabs at the beach- Richard even caught a few in a bucket. Dad found a box turtle in the yard, and Owen was very interested in it. We watched fireworks on the 4th from across the river. We had a special treat when Dad rented a small plane and the adults got to go up (with a pilot)and see the river from the sky.

The cottage will be renovated this year- it will be exciting to see the "new" house next summer. Now that we've returned home, Owen keeps asking about going down to the beach and pointing to our backyard. In that direction, the beach is about 3000 miles away.

cows, dogs, frogs and family: Vacation in Vermont

We spent the last week of June in Vermont with Richard's mom and family. We had a wonderful week- usually we are there over Christmas when it is very cold, so it was a treat to play outside. Owen loved spending time with his grandma- visiting local parks and feeding fish at a stocked trout pond. Owen's cousin, Kobe, is 4 months older than him. They enjoyed spending time together- this was the first time they were both old enough to actually acknowledge each other's existence. Roger and Ivonne have a pool, but Owen was nervous to go swimming in it. He did enjoy a canoe trip down the Battenkill. Thomas and Kathy just bought a converted barn-house and lots of acres including a stream. Owen and Kobe spent a lot of time throwing rocks in there. We also got to see Nancy and Steve. The week flew by!

Owen head butt Daddy

Said Owen. And then he did. Two times. Richard ended up with a black eye. Owen seemed not to have any ill effects. We have no idea where Owen learned the phrase or the act of head butting.

The teachers at day care and Richard and I have noticed some growth in Owen. He's beginning to test boundaries. Like pouring his drink on the floor and laughing about it. I think he's just practicing being 2. The next year will be fun!

Owen and Richard have a new game. They sit by the side of the house where there are lots of river rocks. Owen says "how about this one?" and points to a specific rock. Richard then picks it up, Owen inspects it, then puts it through the fence. Owen points to another rock, says "how about this one?" and the game continues.

We head out to the East coast Friday night- one week in Vermont then one week in Virginia. We are hoping that Owen sleeps for a least a few nights during this trip. We are really excited to see everyone. Owen's been practicing names looking at family pictures, and seems to have them down.

We had a nice Father's day on Sunday. Owen made a cute card and cookies for Richard at school, and we went to brunch and the park.

Oh- and he's now counting to 20. Missing a few in the teens sometimes, but still he's pretty good at it.

Owen pick Zoie's nose

Owen is saying longer sentences now, such as the one above, said this morning to Richard when Owen put his finger in Zoie's nose. Zoie is very tolerant of the attention. Owen has also said "Owen squeeze Daddy's cheeks" and other cute, several word sentences.

Here's a picture of Owen and Laurel in our new ball pit- inspired by Kristi's. They both really love playing in there. Watch out for the ball pit shark!

We went to the Oregon Zoo in Portland during Memorial Day weekend. It's a nice size zoo for seeing in a day, and Owen had a blast. He hasn't been to a zoo since last summer, when he was really only fascinated by rocks. This time, he noticed the animals. He was excited about the elephants- "elephants big!", but wasn't so happy with them when they walked towards us. He liked the giraffes: "giraffes tall!" We watched the penguins being fed, and he thought they were hilarious.

We went to San Diego last weekend for a wedding and to see some friends. I failed to take the camera out of the case, so I have no evidence, but we had a nice trip. Our house in San Diego sold (finally!) and closed last Thursday so we drove by and said our farewells. We couldn't tell if Owen remembered it or not. We also saw lots of old friends. I think Owen remembered people, though he's very shy.

This rainbow was over our house last night. It was a beautiful, pink sunset, and the rainbow arched right over our house. I couldn't get it all in the view, but here's part of it.