Gabba Gabba Party

Well, Owen's birthday week is coming to a close. It was a wonderful time and we feel very thankful we were able to celebrate it with so many people. Here are a few pictures from the birthday party, with more pictures to follow shortly from the past week.


On his actual birthday, we went to the daycare to have a mini birthday party.


The cupcakes turned out pretty good considering they were made after consuming a magnum of wine.


Calming down and enjoying his cupcake after freaking out when people started to sing happy birthday to him. The pressure of parties can be intense when you're two. Overall, though, he handled it like a trooper.


As what is probably normal for a two year old, Owen was overwhelmed by all his presents and became fixated on the matchbox cars that he opened first. He received so many wonderful presents including a bubble mower, keyboard, t-ball set and his first bike. He is a very happy little boy.

Owen's Second Birthday

We can't believe how much Owen has changed. He's gotten bigger, which I have to admit, we kind of saw coming. But he's become a little person too, which I also have to admit, we are more in awe of the process than we thought we would be. He's becoming his own person and exhibiting his own personality traits. It's a pretty impressive process. It has its challenges, but being a parent is probably one of the most rewarding challenges anyone can undertake.

We thought we'd put up a couple of photos to show how far Owen has come. Thank you all for sharing the journey. We're just getting started.


April 22, 2008


April 22, 2009


April 22, 2010

Happy Birthday Owen.

Great Grandma W.

Boy, when it rains, it pours. We went through a spell where visitors were fairly sparse, but now thats changed. This is actually out of order, but my grandma was in town until the other day and we had her and my great aunt Ellie and uncle Dick over to the house. Owen really took to her and when we gave her a lift to the airport, they solidified their relationship over some ice cream. I don't know who enjoyed the treat more, Owen or her; suffice it to say, they're best of friends now.


Owen warmed up to Grandma pretty quickly. She has a way with little ones, as well she might after the endless cycle of children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren whose lives she has graced.


And speaking of grace, you would be hard pressed to find two women who personify the word better than these two.

The Coopers Arrive

C.J., Alexis and Bella have arrived to spend a week in the sun and help us celebrate Owen's big oh-two. To commemorate their arrival, we cracked open the pool for the season. It was a little chilly, but we all had a very good time.


The Coopers enjoying the sun. Didn't take long for C.J. to jump into the pool.


Owen and Bella are getting along great. They share, they play, and they have already gotten into mischief together. But that's what cousins are for, right?

All In A Row

Owen will hang out by himself for a good 30 minutes, just lining up cars and then staring at them with pride and happiness. It's the simple things.

Funny Guy

Owen's physical therapist, Diane, comes to the daycare every Tuesday for Owen to have a physical therapy session. Diane writes us a note every time he has therapy to tell us what they did that day and any comments or observations. We loved the comment she left this week. It so describes Owen's personality:

"What a language explosion! Also, Owen was so excited to see me today - that is a first. He was in a great mood and even showed off for his friends, making them laugh by putting bean bags on his head and making them fall off."

Ahhh yes... the old things-on-your-head-that-shouldn't-be-on-your-head gag... never gets old.


Owen at 10 months

This Is How We End Up With Pictures Of A Nekkid Toddler

Hey guys, I thought I would be helpful and skim the pool.

Wow, Owen, That's really nice of you. Thanks!

Hey, no problem. It's the least I could do for all you guys do for me.

Oh man, you know what? My flip flops and pants are chafing me a little. Can you believe that? I'm just going to kick them off for a sec and dangle my feet in the pool.

This is nice. But you know what? Now my shirt and diaper are chafing me. What are the odds?

I bet if we kicked them off and took a walk in the pool I'd feel a whole lot better.

I was totally right, this is nice. I loves me some being nekkid in the pool.

And there you have it. Helpful little guy to nekkid in the pool in three smooth steps.

Backyard Egg Hunt

The Easter bunny came to the Wilhelme house this year. I don't think Owen fully understood what was going on but he had a good time anyway. He woke up to a basket full of goodies and eggs hidden in the yard. We didn't have him help us dye eggs though. We were fully planning on it and then during dinner, he threw his plate - again - and Ed and I both looked at each other and said, "next year." Eggs look too much like balls and all balls must be thrown and we could see egg dye going with it. Plus, I bought brown eggs (doh!) so the egg dye process was pretty anticlimactic anyway.


Owen took egg hunting very seriously.


He did a great job finding the eggs on his own.


As with every holiday, we wish we were with family and miss everyone. Happy Easter!

One Down ... Three To Go

We are almost done fixing up one of the bathrooms. All that is left is touch-up stuff. When we first moved in, the only thing that worked in this bathroom was the shower and poorly at that. It's nice to have a completely functional bathroom. Now we have three rooms that feel like "our" rooms. The more we fix up, the more it feels like home. That feeling is a good motivator.


Before: Broken toilet, sink, and light fixture, kicked in door, mixture of brass and gold hardware, ugly paint, mismatched molding and no tile behind toilet.


After: New energy efficient toilet and shower head, all new hardware, new door, trim, molding, and paint. Plus there is tile behind the toilet thanks to Ron. And the best part? Everything works!