Before we go...

Here's a few pictures from Cassie's photo shoot several weeks back. Hopefully that will hold everyone over while we're gone for the weekend!

Owen: Straight Out of the Box Fall '07 Tour

Announcing the Owen Fall 07 Tour. Here's our schedule so get your tickets now - or at least make plans to show up where we'll be. (Be sure to not confuse LA (Louisiana) and IA (Iowa)).

Labor Day Weekend - Minden, LA
October 5-7 - Minden, LA - Special Event - Lakeside Warrior Football and Aunt Ta cheering!
October 13-20 - Muscatine, IA - Special Event - Meet Great-Grandpa!
Thanksgiving (Nov. 22-25) - Minden, LA
Christmas (Dec. 19-25) - Muscatine, IA & Chicago, IL
New Year's (Dec. 28 - Jan 1) - Minden, LA

And of course, there are regular appearances in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. For special events, please contact Owen's manager, Tara.

Hopefully you can all catch one of the shows!

And people said having a kid would slow us down. Ha! (Disclaimer: That comment cannot be used against us once we have two!)

Looking Like Dad? You Decide...

Tara says that Owen is starting to look more like Ryan. Others say that Owen looks like his Uncle Benner (Tara's brother). Maybe a little of both? Let's put it to the test. Anybody out there want to comment on this? There's no wrong answer (but Ryan says if you vote for Ben those comments will be rejected). Hopefully these pictures will be clear enough.

Family Photo

Football Watchin'

It has begun! Owen and Dad began what will become a normal routine over the next 6 months - watching football. Sure, it's just preseason, but, like the player on the field, watchers need practice too. Besides, with this being Owen's rookie season, we have lots to learn.

A Busy Weekend

Well, this past weekend was a busy one for Owen. He got to meet Grandpa for the first time, which was lots of fun. Owen took a bottle for the first time. He told us that it doesn't matter to him what form it comes in, as long as there's food involved! Since the grandparents were there and Owen had independent forms of food provision, Mom and Dad left Owen for a little while to see a movie - Bourne Ultimatum (no matter what Darren Moore says, it's an awesome movie). Then we had Noah's birthday party (see below). Thankfully, it's a nice quiet week for things to settle down some. But we loved our fun-filled weekend. (Notice the eye contact in the pictures below - that's his new thing.)

Playing with Grandpa.
First time with a bottle...Dad got to give the last few sips.

Chillin' By The Pool

We went to Noah's third birthday party on Sunday. Owen got his feet wet in the pool and then chilled with Mom while Daddy played.

Jack, Kyley and Owen with moms (except Terry who was acting as Sydney's third and fourth hand at the time).

Owen Wan Kenobi

Introducing Owen Wan Kenobi...better watch out for those Jedi mind tricks.

A Visit from the Trinity

Tonight we had a visit from the Trinity. Nope, not that one. No Father, Son and Holy Spirit here...well, I guess they were present, but that's a different subject. No, I'm talking about the baby Trinity. The 3 Ps...pee, poop and puke.

It all started during "Daddy time," which is when Mom gets a break for a little while. Owen dropped a big load, blowing out the diaper all over Ryan. So, Ryan took Owen back to get changed. As the changing began, Owen spit up everywhere and Ryan, still being rookie-ish, had to run to the living room to get the burp cloth. During that time Owen wiggles around and manged to get the poop all the way up his back, and rubbed it into his clothes. At this point (being a dad) Ryan called for backup. So, as the cleaning begins, we notice that a nice amenity has been added to Owen's room - a fountain. Tara had only been in the room for 30 seconds and she totally got drenched with pee.

So, after getting that situation handled, we decided it's time for a bath. Bathtime went great. He loves the water now. Ryan then takes Owen back to his room in his towel to get dried off. As they sit, Ryan notices Owen staring at him. Thinking it's a nice father-son moment, Ryan stops and begins talking to Owen. Owen responded by pooping all over the towel. Nice!

We love our kid and we think he's perfect. But he is still a newborn no matter what we think.

Stay tuned...later this week...Grandpa's first visit! Dave and Gale arrive on Wednesday for Dave's first time with Owen. Exciting!

Too Cute Not to Post

A friend of Tara's mom sent Owen this outfit. He'd worn it once, but never with the hat. I couldn't help but post this!

Thanks to the Johnsons, Morgans and Stenbergs

Our friends the Johnsons, Morgans and Stenbergs all live pretty far away. But they were nice enough after Owen was born to send him a playmat/gym thingy. Well, now that Owen is noticing things, we thought we'd pull it out and see what happens. He loves it. He really likes the giraffe and the mirror. So, since they probably won't ever have a chance to see him use it in person, here's a few pics. Thanks, guys!

Revision of Prior Statement

So, there might be a little confusion related to a statement I made earlier this week.

Yes, Ben won a Hummer in a golf tournament...for a weekend. Like a rental except we didn't pay for it. Ben's good, but we can't play in tournaments where they actually give away Hummers - at least not with Ryan on his team.

Owen's First T-Ball Game

Jacob was playing a t-ball game tonight, so a bunch of us decided to go watch him. He was sporting good ol' number 7 (Mickey Mantle's #). We didn't stay long, but it was fun to watch all the kids run to first and run the ball to the bag instead of throw it.


Ryley was Jacob's biggest fan.

Stella likes all the babies. Since Kyley was the first baby born that Stella really knows, all babies end up being named Kyley. Owen and Kyley

What Happened to Owen?!

Oh...never mind. It's just Uncle Brent having fun with his computer.

Uncle Benner and the Hummer (updated)

Sorry it's been a while. It was a crazy week. To pick up where we left off...

Owen had a great photo shoot with Cassie. We can't wait to show off some of the pictures to you. Cassie's mom made us some monogramed burp cloths. One of them is camoflauge - awesome. And now everyone knows what his name is! You can see one in the picture below with Brent and Cassie. We had a great time with thos guys when they were here.

We had the one month doctor's appointment on Friday morning. Mr Owen decided he likes this eating stuff - he put on almost 2 pounds in 2 weeks. He's now up to 8 lbs, 14 oz. Same length. Tara's noticed he's hungry much more frequently the past few days, which means he's probably about to have a growing spurt.

While still a little guy, Owen is starting to progress in some things. He's doing good on holding up his head, and he does roll over if you put him on his belly. Tara has noticed that he occasionally makes obvious eye contact and sees him notice some things. It's not often, but it does happen.

Thursday night Uncle Benner (we decided that Uncle Ben is the old, black gentleman on the rice box, so we needed something else) and Katie came down from Minneapolis to meet Owen. Yes, they and all their friends are fine after the bridge collapse, but it's pretty weird for them. Lots of stories of people who usually go that way, but took a different route or worked late. But, I digress...

We had a great time with them. Turns out if you need your child to fill up a diaper, Ben is the guy to send them too. Owen filled his drawers every time Ben got him. While B&K were here we picked up the Hummer that Ben won in the Young Life golf tournament the last time he was in town. We have it for the weekend, so we've been going everywhere in the Hummer - and by everywhere I mean Simply Fondue, Joe T Garcia's, downtown F Worth. Lots of fun.

We've also made two trips to church. Last week was just a short trip to Sunday School and today was for the full service. We went to the late service, but at least we made it!

So, here's pictures from all the above items. I'm sure most folk will just go straight to the pics, but I had to tell the stories.

Dessert at Simply Fondue - snickers dipped in melted peanut butter and chocolate. Mmmmmm...

One of Owen's new skills - whistling.

Yes, Tara got to drive it - once - 2 miles to Casey and Holly's house.