Goodbye, Merry Christmas And Happy New Year

As some of you have probably noticed, we haven't been on here as often as we have been in the past. This is because of the million things we had to do to get ready for our trip to Montana and Christmas. Well, we've hit the point that we're as ready as we're going to get and I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. We're not going to be back until the 1st of January and unlike Thanksgiving, I am not sure of our prospects of posting from the road, although we'll give it a shot if we see an opportunity. Anyhow, we love you all and look for some fun and exciting photos and updates in a couple weeks or so. For now, I have some Christmas wishes for you all.


May you have twice that which makes you happy.


May you be pleased by the simple things in life.


May you keep your eye on the ball, even if you have your pants around your ankles.


May you find as much joy as Carrie and I have found in Owen.

Shhh - Owen And I Are Going To Rob A Bank

I can't tell anyone the details of our plan, but Owen and I are going to rob a bank. I can say that the plan involves us dressing up exactly the same and employing as many monkeys as we can get our hands on (monkeys not pictured). If all goes well, police will pursue the monkeys, who will be on their way to Mexico, and Owen, Carrie and I will be livin' large for the remainder of our days. Wish us well.

Christmas Festivities

We heard that it's going to be exceptionally cold in Montana while we're there. It's -20 there now and it's supposed to get a little warmer, but not too much. Besides, what we say in Phoenix probably applies there too. Hot's hot so, presumably, cold's cold.

With that in mind, we celebrated our outdoor holiday festivities this weekend in Scottsdale. They had Santa there and some fun characters walking around saying hello to the kids.


My mom took this one of us and it's now my favorite holiday photo of us, and arguably one of the best photos of the three of us together period.


Here's a bit of holiday cheer that involves all of us.


Chilly Willy and Frost Boy, the dynamic duo that can save your bacon if you're being wronged in sub-arctic temperatures.


Owen is not completely sold on the idea of mittens.


While this appears to be a sweet photo with the lovable Cookie Monster, closer inspection reveals that Cookie Monster is giving Owen the partial stink eye.

Christmas Comes Early

Since we will be in Montana for Christmas, we decided to celebrate Christmas with Robyn while she was in town. It hasn't clicked with Owen what this crazy time of year is about but he sure is smitten with the Christmas lights and ribbon.


Grandma just told him that Christmas happens every year. He seemed happy about this fact.


Opening presents with Owen took some time since he liked to try and eat them more than unwrap them.

Grandma's In Town

I have to admit, it's awfully handy to have a third set of hands to help out with Owen; fresh hands at that. When grandchildren live away, you have to pack a whole lot of physical caring into these short visits and my mom is doing a great job of working herself into the rotation. Plus, I think grandmas secrete a special kind of endorphins only when they're feeding a baby, so it's kind of like crack to them. It's a win-win.


Literally the first thing she did when she got off the plane.


There are so many things that my mom mentions she wishes she had with my sister and me. The Bjorn is on that list.


I'm moving away from the Bjorn and onto the baby parrot method of carrying Owen. I need to wait until he eats crackers and has a vocabulary of 50 words or so 'til baby parrot is perfect.

Countdown to Montana

Sorry, we haven't been very good with our posting. I think December is always a little hectic for everyone. Ours is a little more hectic this year because we are going to Montana for Christmas. With the exception of my parents and brother, all my family lives in Montana.

My Aunt Georgia sent Owen this University of Montana Grizzles outfit when he was born. At the time it seemed so big but it fits him perfectly now. Just in time for him to meet his Montana family.

Meeting The Family - Part 3

Well, we've stretched the trip to Sea-town almost as far as it will go. It's been kind of nice to have this week's postings taken care of because we're running around trying to get ready for a warp-speed December. This is the third installment of what could end up being four posts.

The Millers:


When grandma's got you, there's really only one thing to do: grin and grin hard.


In the unabashed display of excitement over this guy category, I think my grandma Miller has the edge on pretty much everyone in the family. I'd peg Ron at a close second.


Those two just look like trouble. At least the potential for trouble.


Tejas is super-sweet to Owen. I think he likes having someone smaller than he is in the family.


Proof that Jason likes Jen and that Jen thinks boys have kooties.

Meeting The Family - Part 2

This trip to Seattle was extra special because Owen and his cousin Bella were finally able to meet. I think we took 300 photos just of those two. Here are a couple of goodies but a post devoted to the two babies will be coming soon.

The Coopers:


Oh how things have changed.


The expanded version of the Coopers. (Not pictured: Bella's beautiful mom Alexis.)


Sorry Gail. We had to put this in. It's classic.


Getting a crash course on being a grandparent. Double the trouble, double the joy.

Meeting The Family - Part 1

Carrie and I really enjoyed having Owen meet his family. There is a lot going on whenever we head up to Seattle and although we didn't see as many people as we would have liked, we saw a great many people who were wonderful to Owen. This trip gave a perspective of family that you only get from being a parent seeing the next generation start up.

We've been going through the photos from the trip and thought it would be easiest to post in clusters. The Wilhelmes:


When he can't go to you, you kinda gotta go to him.


All smiles in Grandma's loving arms.


At least he's a happy drooly mess.


Me and Owen with a good-natured hobo we take in around the holidays.


Stevie's better with kids than you might think. Owen sure liked him.

Happy Thanksgiving

Carrie, Owen and I were over at my dad and Carol's place for Thanksgiving. We had a significant chunk of my dad's side show up and it was great to see them all. Almost everyone met Owen for the first time and I'm very happy that now so many people who I love and care about have been able to meet my son.

This trip has been interesting for us because we're back where we grew up and we have a kid. In Phoenix it's easy to follow the continuum that led to Owen and it has little relationship to our youth. But when we step into the time capsule that is Federal Way, we're reminded of the lives we lived when we were young and we look down and there's Owen. It adds another dimension to parenthood. In Phoenix we really only think about the present and future, but here the parenthood experience is infused with the past. It's good; I guess you can go home.


The Thanksgiving dish up.


Fun with pastry.


There's a new crop on the grow and I'm so happy that my grandma gets to know them and vise versa.

See You Soon

Carrie and I have been busy packing and neglecting the blog over the past couple of days. We're a little nervous about traveling with a baby, but I guess everybody has to be that person with the baby that you wish wasn't near you at some point in their lives. I'm glad that we get be those people together.

Nala's no dummy and she knows when the suitcases come out she's flying solo for the next few days. She can come up with some pretty ingenious schemes to avoid this; luckily Carrie and I put together are smarter than a cat and can foil her dubious plans.

A Different Side Of Owen Emerges

Up until now, Owen has mostly been a pretty agreeable little guy. The other day, however, when he came home from playing with the Duke of Wellington (Owen has a time machine, you see), I didn't like his attitude one bit. He demanded Grey Poupon with everything - to an irrational degree. I mean, Grey Poupon and bananas, what's with that? Further, he kept on calling Carrie and me commoners and spent two whole days with this look on his face:



I have half a mind to unplug his time machine.

Have You Ever Had One Of Those Mornings?

When you wake up and there is a pirate in your bed? This was one of those mornings.

He Gnaws

The first two teeth are in, but it would appear that's not where we're going to stay for long. Owen has been massaging his top gums a bunch lately. He will shove his palm into his gums or the best was when he got his sockless foot up to his mouth and hooked his big toe in there and went to town. He's at his happiest these days when he has something to rub against his top gums so some of the old favorite soft toys are out and things like wooden spoons are in.

Our Usable Floorspace Takes Another Hit

The high chair's in, the bouncer's out. Lately when we put him in the bouncer he gets all upset and arches his back. Strapping him in to prevent him from sliding out only aggravates the situation. So, from here on out Owen is an upright baby and he seems to be enjoying his new viewing angle of the place. With him upright he gets tired after a little while, kind of like the little chair we have for him, but he enjoys being in them and we figure they will help him get stronger.



Many thanks to my mom and Jack.

What The Deuce?

Introducing Mrs. Carrie Ann Wilhelme, AICP

Carrie passed the American Institute of Certified Planners exam today. The AICP is to planners what the CPA is to accountants or the BAR is to lawyers. She passed on her first try, I might add. This is a huge accomplishment and I am so very proud of her.


Hut, Brad, Carrie and Joanie, official members of the unofficial Coalition of the Cool.


One of the best aspects of Carrie being a city planner is getting some perspective on Godzilla's point of view. From here it just make sense to knock all these buildings down.

Owen's Getting Big

You don't really notice change on a day-to-day basis, but Owen is changing. It kind of trips me out that the blob we took home in April is going to be a fully functioning person one day. It's kind of like getting sea monkeys and having them actually turn into the Lost Citizens of Atlantis shown on the packet or having those sponge capsules really turn into an object 900 times its size. I suppose there is a lesson to be observed here; a baby is not really comparable to a product available at the 99 cent store. Oh, and the kid's getting big.


See Carrie for scale.

This One Goes Out To Thelma

The other day, I met a bear,
With tennis shoes, a dandy pair.

He looked at me, I looked at him,
He sized me up, I sized up him.

He said to me, "Why don't you run?,
I see you ain't, got any gun."

So I did run, away from there,
and right behind, me came that bear.

Ahead of me, I saw a tree,
A great big tree, oh golly-gee.

The only branch, was 10 feet up,
I'd have to jump, and trust my luck.

And so I jumped, into the air,
But I missed that branch, away up there.

Now don't you fret, and don't you frown,
'Cause I caught that branch, On the way back down.

The moral is, no shocking news,
Don't talk to bears, in tennis shoes.

That's all there is, there ain't no more,
Unless I meet, that bear once more.

The end, The end, The end, The end,
The end, The end, The end, The end.

Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie

Owen is really starting to like toys and his Funky Monkey from Cousin Jen is high up on his favorites list. That and...


the wooden spoon and...


the emery board.

What can we say? The kid is a cheap (play) date.

The Importance Of Pretending To Fly

An important element of any childhood is imagination. A simple example is pretending to fly. Whether this imaginary ability comes from powers within a la Superman, or from innovative assistance a la Iron Man, there are important mentalities at work.

The "from within" model instills a confidence in a node within that will one day express itself and allow the accomplishment of feats considered beyond the self. This won't be flying, obviously, but by the time a boy figures that out, the concept of power from within is already there.

The "through innovation" model reinforces the notion that you can do anything you put your mind to. This type of play is a precursor to setting and achieving goals, practicing self-reliance and expressing creativity.

So, whether Owen wants to pretend that he has super-powers or that he is using super-advanced technology, Carrie and I are teaching him how to fly.

Those Are Teeth - You'll Just Have To Trust Me

I know they're a little tough to see, but those are teeth in there. I always interpreted the song to mean all the kid wants for Christmas is his two front teeth back, presumably because he's having a tough time eating beef jerky, but I bet Owen would be just fine with having the first round in and for them to stop hurting.

Pretty Cute From The Side Too

We noticed that we didn't have that many pictures of Owen in profile, so we dug a couple up.





Carrie is sick and when one of us is sick the first thing to go is usually the blog. We'll be back at it more frequently soon.