Happy Birthday!

Today is Katie's birthday. Originally I wasn't going to post a picture of her when she was little because she won't let me have any. Thankfully though, her parents read my mind and sent me this.
Too cute.

Happy birthday! I love you.

Windy City

This past weekend we traveled to Chicago for my cousin's wedding. The whole weekend was great. We got to see family, Katie saw Chicago for the first time, and the sun even chipped in by showing itself just about every day.

In some of our time off we took an architectural boat tour along the river. Despite a little wind (surprise, surprise) it was very cool to see and learn about all of the different styles of buildings that grace downtown Chicago.

I would impress you with my knowledge of the different types of architecture, but alas... my knowledge is pretty limited.

There were a lot of glass buildings. This was probably my favorite. I love the reflections.


There was also, of course, the Sears Tower. Later in the trip we took a trip to the Sears Tower Skydeck. The view was impressive, but not necessarily worth the price and wait.

We also got to spend some time with Steve, Lauren, and Jack. It's always amazing to see how much Jack has changed since we've seen him last.

I think some of his favorite time was spent checking out the 'bean' at Millennium Park. Officially called the Cloud Gate, the bean is a really cool, and really odd, piece of art that really shows the skyline (and people) in a really unique way. Really.

That's Steve and Jack in the foreground. Katie, Lauren, and I are the three people in the middle of the reflection.

Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the actual wedding. But I do want you to know that despite a weird accent (groom - he's English) and a busted ankle (bride - twisted it two nights before the wedding) the wedding was amazing. It was held in an art gallery and the whole thing just fit Whitney (my cousin) to a T. It was a great time to see family and friends and join Whitney and Ian as they pledged their love for each other.

Oh... and they also had a photo booth. Very cool. Very cool indeed.

Harry's first birthday in retirement

Yesterday was Harry's fifth birthday and there was much rejoicing.

While Harry's birthday "cake" might not look appetizing to you, I can assure you that Harry loved it. The "cake" is made up of salmon, cheese, and whipped cream. We weren't able to find any edible, dog-friendly candles for Harry to blow out (plus, the whole flame thing might have been an issue).

While Harry looks kinda creepy, he's actually enjoying wolfing down every last morsel.


When there's a birthday in the family, everyone gets a treat, although Nala apparently isn't too psyched to be getting her tuna fish so close to Athena.

Happy Birthday Harry! Here's to many more...

And he's off...

Great Kid

As Andy mentioned, Owen and his dutiful servants... er, parents, Trish and Dean.... were here this past weekend for a visit. Allow me to explain why we can't spend more than a few days with Owen...

At 17 months, he has more personality than most people we know at 17 years or more. This kid takes gregarious to a new level. He's a rampant flirt (watch out for that one in high school), flashing his big bright baby blues and toothy smile at all the girls. All it takes is a wink, smile, or wave in return to send him into a fit of smiles and giggles.

He's probably one of the most objectively cute toddlers I've ever met. Now, I say objectively because, subjectively, most babies are cute. I've observed very few babies/toddlers however that get quite the attention that Owen attracts. People stop and smile as their walking by on the street or in the Metro station. Strangers strike up conversations based on one syllable words. And I'm not talking "baby people" either.... I'm talking about men in business suits who ride the Metro all day every day. Kids hardly older than he is whisper to their mommies, "Mommy, he's so cute!" The sheer number and variety of people entranced is a bit overwhelming.

According to Owen's folks, he's an excellent sleeper. How many 17 month old kids do you know that sleep just about whenever you want them to, for as long as you let them? I'm guessing not many. Trish told us that he'll sleep in until 11 am if they let him. Did I mention that he's also a good eater? Andy and I tried hard to pick restaurants that would serve kid-friendly fare, but we needn't have worried. Whatever Mom and Dad eat, Owen eats. In the course of a weekend, we watched him eat chilli, deep dish pizza, hamburger, a Chipotle burrito bowl, scallops, shrimp, and other things I temporarily forget.

Of course, no one is perfect at any age, and particularly not at 17 months. Owen had his tired, fussy moments, but even the fussing seemed to end pretty quickly. Trish and Dean, from our relatively brief observations, are masters of what dog trainers call positive reinforcement training. Poor behavior gets ignored, or, in some cases, a firm/stern "No whining, Owen."

Piggies! (We were at the Kid's Farm at the National Zoo.)

Whatever Andy's selling... Owen's not buying...

Oh, wait! Maybe he is!

I wanted a picture of Andy carrying Owen, something he did quite a bit over the course of the weekend. He looked completely natural doing it, and it was the first time I've ever seen him hold a baby and look comfortable doing so. I think that Owen, for his part, loved being carried by someone that tall. I guess this picture will have to do.

Needless to say, we were sad to see our friends and their adorable baby leave at the end of the weekend. We have to remind ourselves that very few babies are as sweet and easy as Owen appears to be. Yes, I know you love your child regardless... yada, yada, yada. I still want one like Oh-Oh.

So Trish and Dean... we have one question we forgot to ask: What catalogue did you order this one from? We'd like to order a similar model someday. :oP

The Park

This past weekend Dean, Trish and Owen were here. There will be more to come on their visit later. But in the mean time, here are a few teaser shots from our time at the park down the street.

Owen petting Harry. We were both impressed with how well both Owen and Harry behaved around each other.




Here's Harry best impression of Falcor the dragon from A Never Ending Story. (I'd put the actual picture in here but Blogger is taking forever to load...).