Uncle Patrick Comes To Visit

Despite Owen's expression in this picture, we loved having Uncle Patrick come to visit. You might notice that Owen looked exactly the same in the picture with his grandpa and John. It has nothing to do with the Pyle family themselves, merely Owen's irrepressible urge to squirm and wiggle.

During Patrick's visit, we ate our way through many donuts on our early morning outings and felt reaffirmed to hear someone else say, "It's only 8:30 in the morning?!" after cramming as much into the a.m. as possible to guarantee a long nap for the wee one.

Patrick fulfilled an important duty as the official "Cheerio Popper" on our walks, syncing his steps with John and endangering his fingertips to pop a tiny snack in Owen's mouth while he was in the backpack, ensuring that we could hike just a little bit further than Owen would otherwise have liked. Patrick also tickled Owen's funny bone in a way that John and I have yet to do with a side-splitting rendition of the Chicken Dance with Owen's stuffed lion. It brought on belly laughs like we have never heard before. John and I have attempted to repeat it, but Owen only hangs his head and cries, it being such a poor substitute for the real thing. I think it is pretty safe to say that Owen loves his Uncle Patrick.

S.W.A.K.

Here is Owen demonstrating his new kissy face.

Grandma and Grandpa Come to Visit

We were lucky enough to have John's parents visit us over Father's Day weekend so we could have a celebration of three generations. The preciousness of the moment was lost on Owen, who would not hold still for a picture.

Owen took a particular liking to his grandpa and bestowed upon him many wet kisses. It really is the sweetest thing, he leans in, open his mouth, and kind of sucks/licks your cheek.

Owen is much more accepting of the wet face cloth for his grandma. Especially since she brought him many fun toys and stylish clothes.
This is a little cart Owen's grandparents gave him for his birthday. It revealed to us a personality trait we have long suspected but heretofore never didn't have much proof: Owen is fiercely independent. He nearly hyperventilated he was so thrilled by the cart and the freedom it offered, but he couldn't quite steer it on his own. When we tried to offer assistance, he hit our hands away and cried hysterically. He would much rather not do it than accept any help from us.
His new little car requires minimal parental intervention and brings Owen much joy. I suspect that may also have something to do with the fact that it is a babe magnet. When Owen and I were playing outside the other day, he was overtaken by three four-year-old girls who thought his wheels were pretty hot.
Lastly, this is Owen towering on his horse, like a discriminating general, while he surveyed his minions doing yard work.

Piano Man

Here is a special dedication to Auntie Erin

Like Father..

As Father's Day nears, I thought it appropriate to celebrate the ways in which Owen is like his dear daddy, John. They share the same tenacity in the face of new challenges, the same sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them, the same crazy laugh that makes everyone else laugh, and..the same love of beer?!

Hmmm..these are those things that Daddy calls "Grown Up Bottles"


Do I want to try a Porter or a Barleywine?


Do you have a bottle opener? My two teeth are a bit precious.

Weekend Highlights

We had a fabulous weekend. Perhaps even the best weekend in Owen 's life, which I can say since I have been intimately involved in every weekend he has ever had! We visited 7 Seattle parks while drinking in as much sunny weather as we possibly could. Here are some highlights...
* Owen enjoyed dinner out with us on Friday and flirted with the woman sitting next to us the whole time by pulling on her jacket with his guacamole covered hands.
* John let Owen have some licks of his ice cream cone and Owen looved it. Salted Caramel - very mature palate.
* We all slept til 6:30 Saturday morning, hallelujah!
* Lovely chat with an Army Corps Engineer at the Locks who told us all about his 4 month old grand daughter and the heart attack he had 4 years ago because he loved microbrews so much he drank 8 a day but has since lost over 100 pounds.
* First broccoli raab harvest from the garden and three delicious salads from garden spinach and lettuce.
* John planted Kentucky Wonder Beans (the name suggests a goose and some golden eggs await us!)
* Saw a Great Blue Heron eating an eel on Elliott Bay.
* Wading in the ocean.
* And the best highlight of them all....Owen kicked it up at our neighbor's barbecue by grabbing John's beer bottle and taking a huge swig! He then got on a little tricycle and promptly fell off. No doubt he was showing off for the three little girls there.

A Discovery in Discovery Park

Owen does not look impressed with the splendor that surrounds him in Discovery Park in this picture. Perhaps because the real attraction awaited him at the end of the hike down to the beach.

We had an extremely low tide and an exceptionally sunny day, which meant shallow water warmed by the sun. We all shucked of our shoes and enjoyed the feeling of warm sand and cool water on our feet. Notice his shirt, our little Seattle baby (Thank you, Sandy!)