Ever have days like this?

How do we pass the time?

We've been basking in the sun this week. It's been absolutely gorgeous, 70s and sunny, with an occasional cool breeze. But, we've learned that the sun is much more intense here. I've already been burned twice, despite never feeling "hot", and Owen's sporting a golfer's tan. Going to have to start dipping ourselves in sunscreen pre-clothes to get full coverage.

One of the culprits may have been a friend's "pool" party - in-ground pools are few and far between here, but they had a nice bouncy house/waterslide combo and lots of kiddie pools.

Owen eventually got on a loop on this baby slide into the water.
O's favorite - the steering wheel!

We also debuted the booster seat, which he seems to really like. And he's getting better at wielding a fork or spoon. If only he'd actually eat the food that we are eating, meals would be so much easier! Alas, still mostly just fruits and dairy for this one...

Our zoo membership makes for a more interesting walk than around the neighborhood. This time there was a 2-week old baby zebra! So cute! The funny thing is that the back of the lion enclosure is just across a walkway from the zebras. We were being watched by 2 lions while standing here, as they were eyeing the "fresh meat". It was a little like being in the middle of the nature channel...

Messing with daddy (O likes to play with our junk mail.) "No sleeping on the clock, Mister!"

Another garden success - beets! They are a little on the tiny side, but we ate them anyway. :)

18-month checkup

Surprisingly, no shots! But Owen still cried once his name was called. Guess he already has some not-so-fun memories of this new doctor's office! It seems our suspicion of a growth spurt was correct! His stats:

34.5" tall - 95th% (1.5" over the last 3 months!)

24 lb, 14 oz - 36th%

19.5" head - 90th%

Still tall and skinny and, most importantly, healthy! Although he seems to be on a mission to fall on his head as much as possible today...

And now some random pictures to make this post more interesting.

A rare moment of calm with his buddy Magnus.

Obsessing over steering wheels at a mall in Utah.

Using a screwdriver in his play toolbox.

Salt Lake City (and Father's Day)

This weekend we ventured down to Salt Lake City for a family mini-road trip.

Entertaining ourselves in the car when not enjoying the spectacular scenery or sleeping.

SLC has a great light rail system, and we took advantage of the free riding zone downtown. Owen liked riding the "too-too."

Chalk Art Festival at an outdoor mall. Owen managed to get his pants fairly rainbow-colored while doodling in the kids' area. They also had a competition for the more skilled artists (we think that's Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon in the background.)

They had quite a few Olympic leftovers nearly 10 years later. This is the "legacy plaza", i.e. a splash pad with a snowflake pattern. Owen enjoyed playing in the puddles until he put his foot over one of the streams when it went off. Hello wet pants!

The Olympic torch

Checking out the University of Utah campus and the botanical garden (where O got his first scraped knee)

Wouldn't be complete without walking around Temple Square (that's O in the corner)

A little gelato for the walk back to the hotel. We also got our fixes of Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle on the trip!

Our hotel room was a little 80's-esque with lots of mirrors. Owen really got a kick out of watching himself run around in front of the full-length ones.

And celebrating Father's Day. Will someone please tell John that he looks good in this color? :)

18 months and Haircut

We marked the 18-month milestone with another - his first haircut. It was getting a little out of control in the back and around the ears. Getting him from his crib after a nap reminded me a lot of Crazy Doc Brown (Back to the Future reference).

Before haircut

After haircut

He did really well! He sat in my lap and was so still! Didn't even need candy or toys to distract him. I was very proud of his calmness. And yes, I was the crazy mom collecting little hairs to put in an envelope in his baby book... Ah, the things we do... Anyway, the hair is much better now, even if he looks more like a little boy and less like a baby. :(

He must also feel more like a little boy, because he's off the high chair and bibs. He much prefers to sit in a kitchen chair and eat with us that way. It would be nice if he would keep wearing bibs, though. Guess we need to get a booster seat!

In other news, we tried out another play center in town. He was not very interested in the huge playscape they had, but was totally enamored with the coin-operated cars, particularly the bulldozer and tractor. I didn't even have to put in any tokens, since he was just as entertained by frantically steering them himself. He cried when we had to leave.

He still enjoys kicking a ball around and rolling his cars over everything. He gets into what we call his Zen state when he's moving his cars around. It's like a calm descends and everything is right with the world when his cars are all in a row, even if it's on top of Daddy while he's sleeping.

Naturally, he's added the word "bah" (ball) to his vocabulary this month. It's probably the most frequently used of his words, since it's a request to get it for him, play with him, ask where it is, point them out in stores/playgrounds, etc. Very useful word at this point, except he also describes cantaloupes, watermelons, and many other round things as "bahs", too, and wants to kick them all. Other words added this month: mama (finally!), choo-choo - train, "bah" - bath (slightly different vowel sound than bah for ball), "cah" - car. This video was a little awkward to shoot, since he's so easily distracted by the camera, but it gives you a taste of how we pass the time. :)

Playgroup and Backyard Improvements

In a moment of bravery or insanity, we offered to host a baby playgroup at our house. We've met some great moms and babies here, and there are a bunch within a few months of O's age. It went off without a hitch and no major incidents. (Not really any minor ones either...) Owen did really well with everyone playing with his things.

The cat provided some entertainment from the other side of the gate for Owen, Caydie, and Carson.

One of the few times when everyone was playing with their own toy instead of "sharing" (Jacob, Carson, and Finley)

Of course, once we made that hosting commitment, the landscaper called to start work on the backyard (that we discussed probably two months ago) on the same day! Most of the delay was related to waiting for frost-free nights, which we are now supposed to be. Yay! We just wanted to add some interest and privacy to the backyard. Here are some before and afters.

Before, looking north
After, looking north

Before, looking south
After, looking south

We also added plants to the side of the porch until we figure out railings. And you can see the arborvitae row we have in the background to hopefully become a windblock someday.

We're happy with it, lots of color and variety until and even after snowfall. I think someone else likes it too! The window watcher...

And lastly, another lap picture, but I liked how this one captured his room in the offset.

Out in the Garden

Just had to post that we've had our first garden success, and it's very exciting! Here's a shot of the garden and the arugula that we ate last night. In case you are wondering, we are growing/experimenting with garlic, beets, tomatoes, raspberries, cilantro, squash, arugula, and parsley. The growing season here is only 90 days, so we're taking advantage while we can! (We have arugula out the wazoo, so we will be searching for lots of arugula-related recipes! It's the greenest part of the garden below.)

And now, what you really came for.... Owen!