It's Official - We're Home Owners

We finally closed on our house. It closed a few (agonizing) days behind schedule but we got the keys at 5:30 PM tonight. It's a tad dirty, needs paint, some plumbing issues but it's ours and we are happy.


Toasting to our new home.


As you can see, Owen is a little overwhelmed at all the work ahead of him but I think he's up to the challenge.

Takin' A Little Stroll

Here's Owen going on a leisurely little stroll. He's not drunk, he's just a baby.

Happy Father's Day

Hope everyone has a nice and relaxing day!


Flashback photo from about 1 year ago today.

Cleaning Up The Mess

It's so fun to throw cat food. I could do this all day, every day.


Ahh man, I got caught! Mom always ruins my fun and now I gotta clean. It's tough being a baby.

Saying Goodbye To The Ed & Owen Show

Starting a new chapter in your life is usually defined by closing another. I got one of the jobs I was interviewing for last week. I’ll be working at a small tax firm in Tempe assisting with the corporate side of taxes. I’ll be starting this Monday. This is an exciting opportunity for me, but it means bringing to an end one of the happiest periods in my life. This Friday is the last episode of what Carrie and I have lovingly referred to as the Ed & Owen Show.

I want to express my gratitude to Carrie for making the sacrifice to go to work while I got to stay at home and spend my days with our son. That was a gesture I will never be able to repay, but neither will I ever forget its significance. Few fathers will be able to have had this kind of experience with their children and I am so happy I got the opportunity to bond with my son in such a unique fashion. Also, thank you to all of you who without question supported this reversal of convention and made us feel like we were doing the right thing.

I think I realized what kind of a relationship I have with Owen on his first birthday when after his birthday party, Ron and Debby were going to take him back to their hotel for the evening. It was the first time since he was born Owen and I would have been sleeping under different roofs. These plans were made at the spur of the moment without me and when the news reached me the other attendees of the party said that I looked like I took the news rather hard. Of course, I got used to the idea and everything worked out, but I realized not too many fathers would have had the reaction I did.

This past year has been incredible. I have hiked (small) mountains with Owen strapped to my chest, done countless laps around our park and had lunch with my beautiful wife almost every single day. I feel like I have gotten to know Owen in a similar fashion as a man knows an old car he has fixed up – “Oh, when he makes that noise, you have to put some of this right there”, or “you’re going to need a bigger spoon."

My new job is going to be great. I’m so happy to have found a really good job in the midst of a really bad economy. I’m starting within days of moving into our new home, which is going to be a fantastic experience in and of itself. Carrie and I feel we’ve worked hard to get to where we are in life and that a lot of the sacrifices we made earlier are beginning to pay off. We are happily looking forward to what the future holds for us, but I wanted to take a look back for a second at some of my favorite moments from the Ed & Owen Show.



The Botanical Gardens.


The Zoo.


Hiking Piestewa Peak.


Staying cool in the pool.


Swinging at the park.

Updates Galore

Hey all, we thought we would give an Owen update. He's got really good timing with his "hi"s, unfortunately he is so quiet most of the random people he says hi to don't hear him. Luckily, this does not discourage him. Very lately he has been able to tell you what a dog says (it's woof, by the way) and he's very cute saying it. He can high five and blows little awkward kisses at you if you remind him how to. I think he likes making the "mwaa" sound more than the actual kiss giving. Also, thanks to a little Mexican girl he met at Kinkos, he knows he is a "bebé" and calls himself that.


He's standing at the wagon my Dad and Carol got him for his birthday. He's still pretty wobbley, but he's getting better.


He's a pretty happy baby.


He's still a pretty happy baby. (Maybe he's happiest at 45° to his left, that would actually explain a lot)


Also, we have a clean(er) pool. We still need to give it a once over, but it's not green anymore and that's what counts.

14 Months Old - Almost

We visit our future home practically every day. When we go there, Owen likes to hang out and play with the rocks that make up our front yard. We happened to have the camera with us the other day so I snapped a couple pictures of him playing. I liked this series of three because I thought they showed his personality.

Concentrating hard while playing with rocks... giggling when he realized mom and dad were watching... then flashing that big, wonderful smile of his.

He's a handsome little boy. I can't believe how quickly he is growing up.

Our Saturday Morning

Well, a lot of stuff has been going on behind the scenes these days. I had 2 job interviews last week, and a follow up scheduled for Monday. I'm more excited about one than the other, but I would happily take either. I'll fill in the details when everything shakes down.

Our house is getting closer to closing. We would be completely on track except someone threw a rock through the glass of the back door so the bank is scrambling to get that fixed. We're a little peeved because we suspect it was a couple of kids we saw throwing rocks on the roof of a house one time we were in the neighborhood.

Which brings us to today. We have been running around quite a bit this week, but we decided to have a nice relaxing walk this morning before it got too hot. We went to the park and the local mexican joint.

Feeding the birds (or dalas, as Owen calls them).

It is always pretty rewarding when you get that piece of bread to the littlest duck around. This little guy had to swim twice as hard as any of the others to get something in his stomach.

We've been feeding these guys since they were the size of the last duck. They grow up so quickly.

Owen: Dala, dala, dala!

Goose: Toes, toes, toes!

And, of course, a mustachioed and cowboy boot shod taco running away with a plate of enchiladas. Oh, Arizona, how we love you.

Nap Time

He just looked so peaceful, I had to take a picture. I love his lips and eyelashes here.

Kiss, Kiss Starfish

We definitely have a water baby, which works out nicely when you live in Arizona and there is nothing to do but swim in a pool. Given we are moving into a house with a pool, we decided to register Owen for swim classes. His pediatrician also thinks it will be a good addition to his physical therapy. Since he has low muscle tone, it's taking longer for his little baby legs to build up muscle and kicking around in a pool should help out. Plus, he gets to be around other babies and be in water. He starts in July and I think he's going to love the lessons.


Once he noticed the face on the starfish, he started giving the starfish kisses on the mouth. It was pretty dang cute.


The kid loves splashing the water. This is pretty much what he does the entire time in the pool. Hope the other babies are ready to be splashed and I'm pretty sure Owen wouldn't mind if they splashed back.

Oh, The Things We Do For Love

This is Carrie having her breakfast. Today. Guess why she's sitting on the floor. I'll give you a hint - the reason is in the photo and is wearing a green shirt.

Livin' Life & Learnin' Lessons

Dirt's pretty fun to play in; I think I'll eat some.


It's a little earthy with tones of... bark maybe.


Dirt tastes like dirt.