You Can't Always Get What You Want

...But sometimes people stop you from breaking their sunglasses.


Life is good in the sun.


Dang Dad - look how far out I can spread your sunglasses. Crazy!


No fair, I wanted to break those.

Christmas Cheer

Since it was a low-key Christmas around the Wilhelme household, we decided we would try to have as good of a time as we could, even if that meant delving into the realm of wackiness. The only person who would be the wiser is a baby, who, incidentally, was having just as much fun as we were.

We had a ham for Christmas dinner. How was the ham, you ask. I'll show you:


I thought it was tasty, Owen thought it was funny.

Owen wasn't quite getting the mouse on his new laptop.


I told him not to worry because Scotty made the same mistake in Star Trek IV and he was a Starfleet engineer.


Then there was the Wiggle Racer:

Carrie loved the Wiggle Racer.


Ed loved the Wiggle Racer.


Ed not loving the Wiggle Racer anymore.


Owen showing surprising aptitude on the Wiggle Racer considering inherited Wiggle Racing skill. (See above.)


We all missed being around friends and family, but we also very much enjoyed spending quality time together. Merry (late) Christmas everyone! We love and miss you all.

Filler Photo... For Trina

I know, I know... we are behind on putting up on Christmas photos. For the past couple days we have been doing as little as possible. Our days have consisted of family naps, eating, playing outside and watching movies. It's been wonderful. I wanted to quickly toss this picture up though because it made me think of Trina. Owen is standing on the step stool she got him a year ago and wearing some of Tejas' hand-me-downs. (Thanks Trina!)



I'm going to nudge Ed off the couch and have him put up a clever, Christmas filled post. Should be up soon.

Daycare Christmas 2009

Owen had his daycare Christmas party yesterday and we had planned on taking pictures. Unfortunately the kids weren't having it. Oh my goodness. Five kids, all around the same age, opening presents at the same time causes all heck to break loose. Owen and Miles (the other little boy at the daycare) both got toy block trains, the SAME toy block trains mind you, but you wouldn't know it by the fight that broke out trying to steal each others toy train. So no photos because the parents were busy playing referee.

Dawn did give us a couple photos she has been taking of the kids. I especially love this one and had to share. Dawn had been trying to get a group shot but was having trouble getting them to all look at the camera so she decided to trick them. Her living room is usually blocked off with a baby gate. She has the Christmas tree in there with a train that goes around the tree. She doesn't turn the train on when the kids are there because it drives them crazy that they can't play with it. Well for this photo, she jumped over the baby gate and turned the train on and sure enough, five little kids were hanging onto the baby gate to see the train, so she snapped the picture. Clever woman.


L to R: Miles, Owen, Ashlynn, Niah, and Kira

We love all these kids. It's fun watching them grow up and get to be friends. Well, Owen and Miles are still working on the friends part but they're getting there.

Cheeky Good Time

The kid does own toys but you wouldn't know it. He has tons of blocks but he always goes for the stuff in the pantry instead.


Owen, with his diaper wedgie, looking for something to play with.


We were very impressed until it dawned on us the bottles were made of glass.


Boxes replaced glass. Cans stayed. Actual toy building blocks remained untouched. There's nothing like a kids imagination.

Special Days With Grandma

Owen got an opportunity to bond with his Grandma Bennett over the weekend. The hardest part of living out of state is having these moments be so sparse. But, as we all know, it's quality not quantity, and on those terms this was a very rich trip. This is especially true when you consider Christmas made a special visit to our house a few days early to celebrate this mini-reunion.


Owen senses Grandma is a very good person to get to know better.


She brings remote controlled cars and packing peanuts, both equally entertaining.


Carrie was also pretty excited Christmas swung by our house. See if you can guess what's inside (don't peek at the next picture).


It's a pot! We were all so happy we decided to commemorate the moment by planting an Owen tree. No new Owens yet, but we keep watering it.


These are the moments that are treasured no matter how often you see each other. I'm so happy I was around to share, let alone capture, such a special moment.

Uncle Nick Rolls Into Town

We had a surprise visit on Thursday night from Nick. He was rolling through town on his way from Louisiana to LA and stopped by. Robyn, who is also in town right now, made a nice home cooked meal. Nick in particular was happy about this, having been deprived of them for the time he was out on location.


People seem to like Nick a lot. I guess that goes for nephews too.


At first Owen was a little intimated by Nick. Owen soon realized having a tall uncle had some fun perks, though.


Something tells me Nick made quite an impression. Owen's new goal: to be as tall as Uncle Nick.

Owen Picks Out A Tree

This weekend the Wilhelme family went and picked out a Christmas tree. This is Owen's first semi-cognitive Christmas and we thought he should be included in the decision making process. In case you were wondering, letting a toddler help pick things out takes a little bit longer than usual, but it is totally worth the time.

Walk! Walk!

Now that Owen has taken his first step, he can't get enough of walking. He is still at the point where he needs help to walk but we are incredibly happy with his progress. He even knows the word "walk" and uses it pretty much all the time.


We have now entered the new stage of parenthood: sore backs from bending over helping him walk, being the slow people in the store as our child "walks" through the aisles, and avoiding restaurants since who would want to sit when you can walk!


Today is also Grandparent Withdrawl Day. A day filled with an angry baby who is not getting the attention he knows he deserves. No McDonald Happy Meals, no walking up and down the outside curb whenever he demands it, and no one constantly holding him. Life is rough on Grandparent Withdrawl Day. Luckily, we're bringing in another Grandparent mid-week, so Owen will get the undivided attention he's become so accustomed to.

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.)

Halloween 2009

We ran out of candy. That's how many kids we had come to our house last night. We had to flee our house. We had been planning on going to a park nearby that was having our neighborhood's 40th annual Halloween party. (Do not envy the people who live adjacent to that park; at least a thousand kids in costume were at the party.) We had to tell some kids we were out of candy and there were large groups heading our way and we just grabbed the kid and ran. When we came back, we came with more candy.

There is a cul-de-sac behind our house where some of our neighbors had set up a bonfire in the middle of and had a party around. They were lighting off fireworks. I do believe I like our neighborhood.


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A hippie, Speed Racer and the unemployed graduate. Ed's costume was actually the surprise success of the night. Some teenagers asked if they could take a picture of him.


Sitting on the front porch, handing out candy, Owen was bombarded with kisses.


After his 5th lollipop, Owen started to get that wild look to his eyes that signaled the beginning of a sugar rush.