Owen's First Basketball Game

Owen loves balls.  Any time he sees anything remotely spherical, he gets excited: "BALL?!"

He also seems relatively interested when I am watching basketball games on TV, so we decided to go to UW's final women's regular-season home game and see if he would enjoy it.

We thought Owen could roam freely around the top of the stands if he got bored, but we were surprised and worried to see that the arena was almost at capacity!  (We forgot that UW is actually really good this year, and that they would be honoring the seniors this game.)  We didn't know if Owen would make it through the whole game.

It was incredible: two hours of Owen being completely riveted by the game.  He didn't turn his attention from the game once until almost the very end.

We tried to preemptively give him fruit snacks to keep him happy throughout the game, but he held the first fruit snack we gave him in his had for the entire game without eating it.  Too exciting for snacks!

It was an amazing game to attend in person, but poor Owen got a little scared toward the end.  Our star player, Kelsey Plum, was on pace to break the all-time scoring record for college basketball before the end of the postseason.  Instead of waiting, however, she managed to score 57 points and break the record during the game!  As she got closer, the crowd went wild with every basket she scored.  It was exciting for us (I felt a fraction of what Jimmermania must have been like when I was away from BYU), but Owen was so startled every time the crowd erupted.

Despite the surprises, Owen loved the experience.  It was definitely a successful family event!

California Christmas

Christmas was a hit.  Owen had no issues embracing the concept of people spoiling him with treats and presents. 

Christmas Eve

Owen waking up on Christmas morning!

Waiting to go check out his presents!

Owen has been enthralled by dogs since we can remember, and he IMMEDIATELY took to his stuffed doggie from Santa.

Christmas orange!  (Stolen, not gifted.)

By the end of the vacation, Owen had managed to steal and mutilate all 3 lbs of Cuties.  Good thing he, himself, is cute.

Ready to leave for Church!  (Owen apparently hit his forehead on something, but I can't remember what anymore.  He has hit his head on about 716,937 things in the three months since Christmas.  We are great parents, okay?)

In addition to Christmas Day, we had lots of fun enjoying the perks of sunny California!

While walking around the block, Owen realized he has a shadow.  Trying to grab it proved tricky though.  (Don't judge him; shadows don't exist in Seattle.)

Newport Beach

Owen was a big fan of sand.

Fun - 1, Car seat cleanliness - 0.

Beach!

My fragile little ankles lasted about 4 seconds in the freezing ocean, so Aunt Kirsten had to take over.

Owen was pretty lucky and got lots of auntie time.

Hanging out with Aunt Erin.

Walking around the block with Aunt Mary Joy.

MOM!

We also enjoyed the warm weather by power walking through the park.

We could have saved a lot of money on Christmas gifts had we known pine cones were just as fun.  At least we found out early though.  I already have his Christmas pine cones for the next 17 years stashed away.

Owen also logged a few hours of behind-the-wheel time for his driver's permit on Aunt Erin's new Mustang.  He likes to get a head start on important things.

Owen "helping" Grandpa with dishes.  He is best at unloading dirty dishes onto the floor.

He is our most considerate child.

California also helped us realize that Owen may need his first haircut...

After all that fun, everyone was pretty tuckered out!

Caution: We Have a Walker!

November 3, 2016

Comparing Space Needle Visits

It's crazy how much can change in 3 years!

Childless and visiting Seattle on vacation (left, 8/2013) vs. living in Seattle and struggling to contain a 1-year-old (right, 10/2016).  Apparently me wearing black and Caitlin wearing a cardigan is constant, however.

We couldn't be happier to have our little guy though!

Birthday Boy

This kid turned 1 year old!  (September 29, 2016)

Caitlin did a great job of organizing and decorating for the big day!  Owen loves dogs, so they went to a dog park earlier in the day.  Then Caitlin had decorated our apartment for a party afterward.

Opening presents

Mini doggie cakes for everyone!

Owen LOVED making a mess!

But maybe ate a few too many sweets.

Enjoying Seattle Summer

We moved to Seattle a month before school began, so we had ample time to enjoy Seattle summer and explore the area.

We explored UW campus, which was fun!  Owen adores dogs and was so excited every time he saw huskies on campus.

Also, UW's reading room in the library is amazing and Harry Potter-esque -- much to Caitlin's delight.

PACCAR Hall, home of UW's Foster School of Business, will be my 2nd home / prison for the next couple years.

In addition to exploring campus, we did our fair share of enjoying the water too while the weather was nice!

Jetty Island

Edmonds

Even Martha Lake across the street from our apartment is perfect for Owen!

Martha Lake makes for a beautiful walk, even if you don't get in the water.

Splash park in Marysville

Swimming pool at our apartment complex

Swings in Everett

We even took the ferry to San Juan Island and went on a whale watching tour!  Sadly, we didn't see any whales, but the tour company provided us free passes to come again next summer.  Above is Caitlin and Owen at Friday Harbor on the island.

This is just a fraction of the fun we had before school started, and there is hopefully much more to come next summer!