Owen goes to the beach!

Boats! Not in a bathtub, either!

A huge sandbox.

It's going to take forever to move all of this sand.

And now, time for a stoic pose for the camera!

Minty Fresh!

For some reason, when Owen gets tired working in the garden, he likes to have a nice, relaxing sit-down on the mint. I guess it's refreshing... or something. Owen?

They grow up so fast...

Well, it looks like Owen needs his own shaver. He's just growing so fast!

Caped Crusaider Owen !

This was Owen's own doing today. I do have to note, the unders were just out of the clean basket. He whisked them away before I noticed... he put them on and then put the blanket over his head and made growling noises around the living room. Much laughter, i.e. positive reinforcement, went on before I thought to grab the camera. I think comedy might be in his future.

Owen's green thumb is showin'

Owen does know how to make dirt look good! Today he helped Mom in the garden out back. Yes, she was feeling rather brave after her little man decided her tomato starts looked better without top leaves last night. sigh... Today Owen was happy just playing in the dirt, water and rocks. We have a lot of that out back... and not much else. :) Hopefully we can find some things to make our 'yard' a little more toddler friendly, before all the new plants get ... ahem... 'haircuts'.

Dorenbechered!

It was Dorenbecher time again to go see Stacey and her Crew at the CDRC. Owen, being 18 months old now, is old enough for a up-and-back-in-one-heckuva-day trip instead of an overnighter.

First things first, we had to stop off in the lobby to use the free Wi-Fi to check Owen's e(lmo)-mail. (Dad did some checking too...)

Owen really likes the lobby up in the clinic. They do an amazing job keeping things fun and interesting - in the lobby. The rooms are pretty business oriented, though. Owen likes the lobby.

The visit was really good. Owen is now gaining weight and his height and other measurements took just a slight dip in the growth trend. we're narrowing in on 19 pounds, at which time we'll be planning for Owen's 20 pound party. Other than focusing a bit on some solid food eating, we're in business as usual up until the moment when Owen's world collapses into the abyss of being a big brother to a newborn. (Three months left, Owen... Three.)

Peachy Saturday...

Mom and Owen visited Dad during one of his farming Saturdays. Owen borrowed Dad's ear protection... he thought they were pretty cool.

We're pretty sure that Owen thought he knew how to drive the tractor... He didn't get a chance to prove us wrong.

Hey, Bop... it breaks about 6 inches to the left. Careful, greens are fast today!

Stern Owen says:

Don't work late, dad. Don't!

Capitalized!

Today, we did it. We hauled mom, dad, and Owen up to Salem to show our support for Senate Bill 9 - the bill that would permanently require insurers to cover the medical foods for the treatment of PKU. Oregon has had this law since 1997, but it is set to expire this year, for some odd reason. Senate Bill 9 removes the sunset clause, and keeps things running smoothly for PKU families. Well, running as smoothly as possible.

The photo above is Owen under the big rotunda in the state capital. And, below, that's mom and Owen with one of the four famous murals in the background. This one shows the wagoneers as they're making the way to the Willamette valley. Owen's first state history lesson!

It was a great day. A wonderful thing to be part of. And, not enough thanks can be given to Owen's Great Uncle Jeff for helping this bill get this close to reality. We'll all raise a champagne flute of Phenex when it is a sealed deal.

Going to Salem!

We're headed up to Salem to talk to the House Health Care Committee.

We all need SB9 to be signed into law. It just makes sense.

Hat thief!

This is Dad's hat. But, Mom stole it from him, and was wearing it. Now, it appears as though it belongs to Owen.

He looks better in it anyway. We'll let him keep it.

Sunday's top activity

Naptime, it's a wonderful thing. Well, mom and dad wouldn't know, but that's what Owen says.

Owen & Mom's garden!

Earlier this spring, Owen helped mom plant some funny things in the dirt. Back then, the 'in the dirt' part was the focus. But, now we have this wonderful color out in front of the house. Yay spring!