Boise

Before we are home-bound for the foreseeable future, we decided to venture out for one last "babymoon" while we have traveling figured out with one kid.  :)  The destination?  Boise!  (That's pronounced 'boy-see' NOT 'boy-zee' for those uninitiated to the Idaho pronunciation.)  We just did a long weekend, but the weather was perfect and there was lots to see and do.  We spent most of Saturday at one of the large city parks, where there were at least 3 major sporting competitions going on simultaneously (la crosse tournament, marathon/half/10k/5k, and disc golf Idaho masters).

Owen rounding the bases.  He had a great time playing in the dirt!

 And they had a pretty sweet playground, which included this little playhouse he liked.

Later in the day we went to a smaller park where Owen enjoyed just laying in the grass.

And Daddy enjoyed the swings!  :)

We visited a suspicious-looking aquarium (it was located in a strip center), but it was a great spot for Owen.  Turns out, it's only been open for a few months, so we cut them some slack.  They had lots of neat fish to look at, but the highlights were those you could touch!  They also brought out a monitor lizard to pet.  Owen had no fear!

And they had tanks where you could touch baby sharks, rays, starfish, and other marine life.  Owen's belly got so wet from leaning over the tank trying to reach the fish.  We had to explain that if he made a lot of splashing, the fish wouldn't come close!  He caught on pretty well, and I think he eventually touched a shark and ray for a split second each.  (One of his favorite things to do at home is pretend that a "shark's coming!", so this was a big hit for him just to even watch them up close.)

Other sites:  the capitol and Boise State University's smurf turf stadium.  Figured these might be better enjoyed when Owen's a bit older.  

Napping on the way home.  Don't leave home without Bo!

Spring is in the Air!

We've been enjoying periodic bursts of sunshine and gorgeous temperatures by getting out to our local parks.  He still loves his bike!

Playing soccer and taking a walk with Daddy.

Working up a thirst!

This is the hill that we have to run up and down in my stroller bootcamp class!  That's Owen and Daddy up top.

And some other little tidbits about life currently...


He's a chip off the ol' block, as they say, in regards to cereal being among his favorite foods.  In fact, "ceweal?"  is often how I'm greeted in the morning.  To that end, he loves drinking milk from the bottom of his bowl when he finishes up the cereal, and we have done many cycles (of cereal and milk - slurp, slurp, ahh - more please) in a sitting.

In other morning news, we recently acquired an alarm clock that glows green according to a time you set.  It's been very handy to keep Owen quiet before the mommy-accepted waking time of 7 AM.  He really does wait until it's green (who knows how long he's been awake), before I hear "Mom!!!"  Then I'm met with an enthusiastic "Green on!" when I get to his room. We'll see what happens when a new baby is added to the mix, but for now, it's been wonderful!  And yes, he's still in his crib.


He says "Dad-deeeee" or "Mom-maaaaaaay" in a hilarious chiding tone, almost sarcastic (oh, come on!), when he thinks we're being silly.  It's something that we said to each other and now he does it most.  Speaking of silliness, he loves fitting himself into closets and either camping out for suspense or jumping out and roaring at us regularly.

Kindermusik is coming to an end, so last week was the indoor picnic and parachute playtime afterward.  (Owen's on the right.)  His attention during class comes and goes, but overall he's been a much better participant this spring.  It probably helps that the theme is "Away We Go" with cars, trucks, planes, and boats.  I think KM's where he gets his love of drumming and dancing from!

Lastly, we've been embracing all things pink in anticipation of Baby Girl's impending arrival.  Here, Owen's modeling a pink, hooded towel handed down from a friend.  All of the other pictures of this were blurry, since he was running around like a crazy, pink-caped crusader!

Catching up from April

These pics are actually from April.  I'm already falling behind in my posts, and the baby's not even here yet!  Oh well.


A few weekends ago, there was a Kid's Fair, whatever that is supposed to be.  I got caught up in the hype and dragged everyone to it to check it out.  Bottom line:  it was lame, but Owen had a good time!  I guess that's what's important, right?  Mostly, he liked the animals and the people dressed up like animals.

His favorite part was probably sitting behind the wheel of the fire engine!  The fireman said Owen was the most excited kid he'd seen all day.  :)

Lots of playgroups and park dates these days!  Here are some highlights of the kids playing nicely.  :)

We ventured out to Cress Creek again.  This time Owen walked nearly the whole trail himself!  You can see that most of the trees still didn't have their leaves yet though.  (I think May has finally brought spring to Eastern Idaho.)

Waiting for the highly touted Heise pizza post-hike.  (Verdict:  it was all right, but not worth an out-of-the-way drive specifically for it, in case you were thinking about it.)

Texas Wedding

Last week we took a short, but busy/important trip to Houston.  The occasion was Uncle Dan and Aunt Jenn's wedding!  Congrats to the happy couple!  Now to the pictures.


First, we enjoyed the Texas heat at the park.  Shorts are still a rarity in Idaho at this time of year, but the air definitely felt thicker in Texas, too.  He always enjoys being outside, but was specifically requesting car rides this trip.  I guess Houston's highways were a fascinating spectacle compared to the usual Idaho "traffic".

A pre-wedding bath courtesy of Oma

The traditional tea ceremony for family at the bride's house

The rehearsal dinner's now traditional nearly-wed shoe game (answering relationship questions using each other's shoes)

Although blurry, a father-son pic in their suits.  So handsome!

Eating snacks and playing with Grandad pre-ceremony.  I did have to chase Owen down and remove him from the wedding stage twice during our brief time in the pews before the music started!  Thankfully, he was pretty quiet and interested once he saw Daddy and Uncle Dan up front.  Also, Uncle Q helped to keep him entertained with his cars once he started to get antsy.  The only outburst was a "Daddy!"  once he saw Daddy head down the aisle after the bride and groom.

Coloring with Oma and Aunt Loni during the reception

Warming up the dancing crowd during dinner

The footage is a little grainy, but we did capture Owen showing off his dance moves at the reception, and he kept his clothes on!  Our table was right next to the DJ and the dance floor, and he took advantage as soon as he'd downed his kiddie fries and cantaloupe dinner.  (He's still not a fan of chicken in any form.)  Funny aside, he seemed both intrigued and a little scared of Jenn's dress whenever she came around.  He kept his eyes on it and stayed one step ahead of her!  :)

Being chased by Miss Helena

Owen snuck in to stand beside the bride and groom during the best man's toast.  He was holding his sippy cup and said "cheers" to the happy couple on the dance floor.  I didn't get a picture of it, but I hope one of the photographers did!  It was so cute.

Dancing with Daddy at the end of the night.  When I got the next song, he was spinning slower and slower until he looked up at me and said, "night night?"  Poor guy had given it his all and was ready to turn in, so we obliged.  

Family pictures just before we hopped in the car to head to the airport.  Notice the cute shoulder, Uncle Dan!  He's a natural.