Spring Training

After spending most of my youth fantasizing about how much fun it would be to come down to Arizona and watch some Spring Training games, I feel like a jerk if we don't hit at least a couple while the ball players are in town. We went to the M's game the other night and had fun introducing Owen to the game of Baseball.


He likes home-runs. We had three bombs drop in our neck of the woods that night.


Owen also likes Sprite.


The peanut shells were throwing him off. I have no idea why he was trying to stick it into my temple. Sometimes baby logic is faulty.


Little boy attention spans aren't what they used to be. This is how we were most of the late innings - taking turns chasing Owen.

Now Here's An Impression You Might Find... A Little Cheeky

I'm Daddy, blah blah blah, do this, do that, blah blah blah. I think I'm so big, blah blah blaahh.

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. And I'd really like to thank Daddy, he's been a great sport, wouldn't you say folks? Let's give him a big round of applause.

Yardwork Sunday

It was a very pleasant day around these parts today and Carrie and I got a little yard work done. Owen even helped out a little.


It's really fun that he's gotten the concept of help. The guy genuinely enjoys helping us with stuff like carrying a bag of groceries in or raking the yard.


When it's hot and the work's done, playing in the water sure is a nice treat.


And this is for all you lady babies out there...

Monkeys, Cows, and Dirt

Owen's daycare provider has a membership to the Phoenix zoo so she takes the kids there on a fairly regular basis. I only worked half a day on Friday so I was able to join them on their zoo trip. It was a blast until a cow from the petting zoo got loose and they shut the zoo down and booted us out... because of a domesticated cow. Where is a cowboy when you need one?


Dawn is great with the toddler round-up. She has very strong arms.


It was interesting to watch Owen with the other kids. Out of the three, he was definitely the hand full of the group. He just likes to wander off and do his own thing. He was mildly into the playground and the animals, though he did love the monkeys, and he more likes to play in the dirt and climb on trees.

The kids at the daycare recently planted a garden and Owen was really into it. Ed and I decided we are going to nurture the interest in dirt and the outside by starting our own garden and taking Owen camping. Weekend trips in northern Arizona to camp during the summer sounds like a nice, cheap way to get out of the heat.

Big Shoes To Fill

I give it ten years.

Toddler on the Run ... And Happy St Patty's Day

Before work this morning, Ed was taking the garbage out and left the door open. Seeing this, Owen immediately made his escape. Never a dull moment with a toddler around.


Catch me if you can, dad!


Sometimes it's just easier to dress the kid outside.

Today is a gorgeous 80 degree day so we decided to celebrate Saint Patty's Day by drinking green beer and eating a foot long hot dog while watching the Mariner's play a spring training game.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all.

Terrible Twos

Oh man. The terrible twos are upon us and they are exhausting. On one hand, Owen's curiosity is cute and he is learning more and more each day which is fun to watch. But his curiosity comes with a price and that price is our sanity. Just this weekend the following phrases have come out of our mouths:

The cat is not a horse. We don't ride Nala.

Please don't eat the marker/crayon/chalk/bug.

How do you get gum out of hair?

I can't count the number of times we have heard Owen say, "Uh oh! I mess." Which this weekend has meant, the cat food bag was dumped upside down, a picture frame was broken, a glass bowl was broken, and popcorn was thrown around the living room. And of course, there is the always predictable ending to mealtime which is the plate getting chucked across the room.


Look! Mashed potatoes make great shampoo.


He's cute. He knows it. And he's testing to see how far his cuteness will take him. Good times for his parents.

A Little Slice Of Montana

Carrie's cousin Pat from Montana and his girlfriend Erin swung by Phoenix last week to catch a little sun and see how the Wilhelme's were holding up. We had a great time barbecuing and catching up. I think Pat and Erin were pretty thrilled with the novelty of having some outdoor fun in February. We, of course, were pretty thrilled with the novelty of having family down to spend a little time with us.


Erin taking a Chaunce on Pat.


Despite the fact that Pat and Erin were some of the first visitors here to see us more than to see Owen, the little guy reluctantly let a couple of charming moments slip out.

Owen 1.1

Today we got the new and slightly upgraded version of Owen. It's basically a repackaged version of the original Owen, but 1.1 has a patch for some problems he was having with his legs. He's getting used to walking around again, which is unfortunate considering he was just getting comfortable with that, but these should help his posture and make him stronger in the long run. Luckily this new version can still perform the three most important functions we have come to enjoy with the original Owen:


Blowing bubbles...


Eating bubbles...


And reading Cat Fancy to Dad.