Mr. Messmaker

We spent lots of time in the backyard this summer with our young gardener.

This look says, “Do you want the camera inside this pouch?  Well, too bad because it’s MINE!”

Tailgatin’ at Owen’s first baseball game, Giants vs. A’s at the Oakland Colesium

Good seats!  Owen got really into cheering – for either team.

Playing in the backyard

We’ve been away from posting for too long! It’s been a busy summer. The last set of pictures were from Owen’s 1st birthday, which is also the day he started walking “officially.” In other words, no more fall and crawl. He is now running and we’ve shifted to a higher gear with this development. Here are pix and video from June 2009…

"Momma... I don't know if I like these strange horses... this is like another planet to me... help!

Camping! This looks like a good spot!

Or maybe over here!

I can do this...

Would anyone like a dirt omelette?

Hiking along the Pacific at Point Reyes National Seashore

We can’t believe that Owen is now one year (and one day)! And to make things even more special, Owen decided to start walking yesterday, on his birthday. Here are some photos and videos for the very small party (which included Mom, Dad, Grandma Jane and Auntie Sara, Megan’s close friend since childhood and our new next door neighbor).  If we all look a little tired, hot and sweaty, we were since, like this same time last year, the Bay Area was having a heat wave.

The spread

The Birthday Boy and Mom

Owen and Dad

Look what I found

Owen eats his vegan carrot cupcake

Opening presents

Reading cards from Addison, Eric and Ian

And eating dinner

We recently went up to Grass Valley to visit Grandma and Grandpa Riedel and get out of the city for a few days because springtime in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas is beautiful.

We went for a hike on the Buttermilk Trail along the Yuba River to see spring wildflowers.

Believe it or not, this is river was one of the rivers panned by gold miners during the Gold Rush.  In the 1850’s, there would have been rough and tumble gold camps and claimer’s cabins up and down it’s banks instead of the serene wildflowers and oaks trees seen here today.

We also visited the longest, oldest covered bridge of it’s kind in the country at Bridgeport.  During the Gold Rush, this bridge connected Grass Valley, a large city at the time, to many more isolated gold camps across the river.

In other news, Owen is standing up on his own (without holding onto anything) and using the furniture to help him walk.  He still prefers crawling, which he’s quite good at, but we can see that walking is looming in the future. Yikes!  More baby proofing!

Here are some pictures we’ve taken of Owen in the city.  Since we aren’t going to live here for much longer (we’re moving to Oakland in May and then in a few years, hopefully up to Grass Valley, my hometown), we’re taking pictures of Owen to show to him when he’s older and prove that he was a city baby.

Owen in Alamo Square Park

Owen and Jon at the California Academy of Sciences

We’re in the rain forest in the pictures above.  Here are some more pictures from the rain forest – a four floor exhibit encased in a glass sphere that goes from the river (aquarium) up to the tree tops.  If you haven’t heard of the Cal. Academy of Sciences, check out the website: https://www.calacademy.org/

Looking down into the river

Looking back up into the rainforest from the aquarium

Tropical buttterflies

It’s a most see for future visits to SF!

From a finger painting session at daycare:

Is our kid talented or what?

We’ve upgraded so you all can see videos of Owen.  These videos aren’t the greatest – we’re using my digital camera and Jon’s cell phone, but still, you get to see (and hear) the little guy in action.

Look who’s crawling:

We’re still working on figuring this out. More videos to come!

Yes, it’s been too long. I went back to work (part-time) and Owen went to day care and we’ve all been settling into that routine as well as dealing with four new teeth (coming in all at the same time), two colds and Owen’s first ear infection. Here are some pictures to catch you all up on the past few months:

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Riedel’s

Owen trying to feed himself…

Step one: Grab bowl

Step 2: Grab food from bowl

Step 3: Smear food on zoom-zoom chair

We’ll post more  soon, we promise!

Here are some recent pictures of Owen so you all can see what a big boy he’s becoming.  Some time in the past two months, he went from looking like a baby to starting to look like a little boy.

My 7th month birthday portrait with Mom

Getting ready for breakfast in the “zoom-zoom” chair (calling it the “zoom-zoom” chair makes it so much more fun to sit in than a regular ol’ high chair)

Mmmm, rice cereal…

Showing cousin Jack how to play with blocks, cuz I’m older and wiser (by a whole three months)

Nothing like a clean, happy baby in a hooded towel

And from this morning, some serious play in our hand-me-down ExerSaucer

In honor of Owen’s six month birthday (Nov. 17th) and since some of you have been asking whether Owen looks more like Mom or Dad, I’m posting two pictures and letting you decide for yourselves:

Owen and Mom

Owen and Dad

So, what do you all think?