Thanksgiving 2009

Ron and Debby made it into town without incident and we've been enjoying their company since Wednesday night. Owen is absolutely loving the extra shifts of people devoting attention to him. He's also keen on this strange tradition we call Thanksgiving.


Owen helping Carrie make Aunt Thelma's famous rolls.


Ron and Debby took a break from slaving in the kitchen and watching football (I'll let you guess who was doing which) to sit out and enjoy the 80 degree day.


That actually takes more guts than you're thinking. That water is freezing. You wouldn't find me in there this time of year. Silly Washingtonians.


Question: How do you cook a turkey in Arizona?
Answer: With fire, and lots of it.


Proof positive the rolls turned out well. Lovely muffin model, too.


"I can't believe I ate the whole thing."


If I had to count the things in my live I'm thankful for, a hell of a lot of them are accounted for in this photo. Also, Owen took his first steps right behind Debby later in the meal. He took one step first, plopped down, stood up and took three more. I couldn't have scripted a better time for him to decide he was ready to take his first steps.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We love you all!

Elusive Footage Of Owen Standing

Hey everybody, we know this is two video clips in a row, but we finally got Owen to stand in front of the camera and thought it would be fun for everybody to see him in action. He likes to stand up, he’ll stand for a pretty prolonged period of time and he’s even throwing balls while standing (of the cotton variety or otherwise), but he cannot be coaxed to move his little feet while standing. Oh well, slowly, slowly, said the sloth. We’ll get there. But for now, enjoy:

P.S. This kid does have pants; you just don't need them here yet.

The Fine Art Of Scaling

Owen has been practicing climbing on top of stuff for a little while, but today he discovered scaling. Carrie had the step stool out and Owen decided he would give it a go. As it turns out, he's pretty good at climbing up on it. Well, that which goes up, must come down; that seems to be where the new learning curve is the steepest.

I do like how Owen climbs up on it just because it's there. There's no reason to climb it and, in fact, it's a bit of a one way street for the moment, but that doesn't stop him. He enjoys the new challenge. I think that bodes well for him. Also, he knows when to ask for help. That's a good thing too.

Bedtime Stories

Owen seems to be a fan of reading and this makes us very happy. A bedtime story is now part of the nightly routine. He has two favorite books that he can't get enough of. "What Floats?" is still a favorite along with "I Love You Through and Through." He usually wants the book read to him 2-3 times a night, alternating between dad reading it and mom.


These are the memories we will cherish.

Gary and Lois Come to Town

Gary and Lois are in town visiting Lois's approximately 200 relatives. For those who don't know, Lois is a native to Phoenix. While down here they were sweet enough to find time to visit with us. Though our time together was short, it was wonderful to see them.


Is this not the cutest picture of them? Something about 80 degree weather in November makes Seattlelites giddy.


"Hi new person. Welcome to my house. Now push me in my car. Thank you."


Owen was shy the first 10 minutes but warmed up to Lois quickly after that. It could be Lois kicked into classic grandma mode and won him over with kisses, toys and candy. Works every time.

Light Rail Lightens Baby's Heart

Yesterday Carrie, Staci, Owen and I took a trip on the light rail. We rode the train from uptown Phoenix to downtown Phoenix. It was more of an excuse to ride the train than for actual commuting purposes, but I am going t go out on a limb and say all of us had about as much fun as you can have on light rail.


Patiently waiting for the train. (Yes, that's a bruise on Owen head. With toddling comes toppling.)


Suspicious of large metal object speeding past.


I think Carrie's happier to be on the train than Owen.


I think Carrie's happier to be on the train than Staci.


Owen practicing his rebellious streak. You have to start somewhere.

Truth In Blogging

Carrie and I really enjoy using this blog to keep friends and family updated on our life down here in Arizona. As anyone who frequents the site can plainly see, our life has a lot to do with Owen. We generally make an effort to put a positive spin on what we have going on and we tend to use the best of the pictures we take.

One could make the argument that what we post isn't the entire picture of how things go down here. Anyone who has ever excluded some unpleasant parts of a tale in the name of a better story will be able to relate to what I'm talking about. With this in mind, Carrie suggested we drop in a glimpse of the other side of our experiences with Owen for levity.

So, for every one of these you see:


There's one of these you don't.


I'm washing dishes; he's biting my calf.


Owen running well within system parameters.


Owen going thermonuclear.



Understandably, we don't have nearly as many photos of him in his sub-pleasant moods. We do make a point, however, to keep enough around to be able to combat empty-nest syndrome.

What's The First Thing A Kid Does Once He Can Stand?

Owen has started to be able to stand on his own for a little while at a time. After he got comfortable with the idea, Carrie and I decided to observe him to see what he decided to do with his newfound freedom of motion. Improbably enough, it was magic.

Abra Cadabra!

A huge pot of flowers!



Jump back!

(Yes, that was a Footloose reference.)