Owen's Car Wash

Owen watched Curious George make a car wash for his toy cars and decided it would be a great idea to give his cars a good monkey-style cleaning.

The design was pretty much his idea and it worked surprisingly well.  I love his imagination and creativity and we really try to put in the effort if he's game.

And it's fun when his ideas work out.

Feeling the Love

Owen: When I grow up, can I be an astronaut?
Carrie: Of course you can.
Owen: How can I be an astronaut?
Carrie: Well, you need to go to school and you will need to study science.
Owen: Why do I have to study science?
Carrie: Because astronauts study the sky, the stars, and the planets which is a type of science. Daddy and I will help you in school, and since daddy is a science teacher, he can help you with science. Then you can be an astronaut and go in a rocketship into outer space.
Owen: (Very seriously) Mommy, when I'm an astronaut, will you go with me in the rocketship?
Carrie: Sure. I'd love to go.
Owen: Oh good. Daddy too! We can go to outer space together. 

I love how much he openly loves us. How he can't imagine us not doing everything together as a family. How he constantly tells us that he loves us. How he casually holds our hand and doles out hugs and kisses. This is a wonderful phase.

Books with Friends

Owen had a buddy from preschool over last Friday. They were both so excited for this playdate. Each day at school, leading up to Friday, they would come running up to me asking if it was Friday yet.

Owen anxiously waiting for his friend to arrive.

For most of the playdate Braden wanted to read books with Owen, so the boys grabbed some books and read together on the couch. Adorable, right?

Boy and His Dog

We love this dog. Yes, he has some slightly annoying dog traits, but he is incredibly patient with Owen. The kid adores him and the dog adores the kid. It's a good match. 

We Love You

We hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. Remember, someone in Arizona loves you.

Happy Valentine's Day...Here Are Our Christmas Photos

I really feel like we should get our remaining Christmas photos up before Valentine's Day. February isn't too late to post these, right?

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning were as magical as expected with a very excited four-year old.  Owen curled up with his Huggie and quietly fell asleep, waiting for Santa. This is truly the age of wonder and as parents, these are the times that make all of the petty challenges pay off in a huge way.

Owen asked Santa for three remote controlled cars this year and Santa delivered. His reasoning was the sweetest part.  He wanted a monster truck for himself, a race car for mom and a mustang for dad.  Must be tough for Santa to deny a request like that. 

At the last minute, Santa added Bumblebee the Transformer into Owen's stocking. Little did we know that Owen had also quietly asked Santa for Bumblebee. I guess it's a good thing Santa loved Transformers as a little boy too and has a standing policy that all boys need to get a Transformer for Christmas.

Roland was pretty happy with his gift from Santa. That bone lasted him for a day or two. Even though its lifespan was short, it still ended up in one of Ron and Deb's houseplants.  They were very awesomely accommodating.

Christmas day was spent at Ed and Carol's. It was a very nice Christmas because all the kids and grandkids were there. Plus, we were able to celebrate with Oliver on his first Christmas.  It was wonderful to see the Howard family unit in action.  Team Howard is strong like Team Wilhelme.

Dave received the most heartfelt gift of the day. It brought him and Shawn to tears. To summarize, it's a calendar similar in philosophy to "Where's Waldo," but you instead need to identify the person relieving themselves gastronomically in each photo. 

Another adorable photo op. Just like wrangling cats, but cuter. Maybe...kittens.

The next day we continued the Christmas celebration at Grandma Miller's with a Miller Christmas party.  Robyn and Grandma Miller invested so much into this party; we cannot thank them enough.

It was wonderful that we were able to have one more Christmas together. Grandma Miller gifted everyone with a beautiful clock and Owen received an engraved swiss army knife.

Parada del Sol

Saturday we went to the annual Parada del Sol parade and street fair. It's a pretty hyped event in Scottsdale and an overall good time. 

Owen got a kick out of the parade. The parade was simple. It was definitely no Great Falls Fourth of July parade. In fact, Owen turned to me at one point and asked, "where are the jets?" I had to explain that not all parades include Navy jets flying over the parade route.

 

 There were horses. Lots and lots of horses. 

There was a pedal-powered traveling bar. (Probably my favorite entry.)

Cowboy kitsch was everywhere.

Owen's favorite part was the old cars that lined the street festival. He had to look at every engine.

Plus, there was a ton of stuff for the kiddos, including a petting zoo with the "world's softest rabbit" (Carrie's words).