Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

IMG_2158.JPG
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Fun day at the HMB Pumpkin Art & Wine Festival.

Owen's Second B-day

Owen's Second B-day
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

well... actually these are from the day before his second B-day because I will be traveling tomorrow during his b-day. This year we had a little quiet family celebration...kind of too quiet. But the home made mac-n-cheese was good and so was the cake. Thanks to everyone for his gifts! If you look closely you can see the balloon's tied to Rupert in the background. More B-day pics on Flickr.

The video function is broken... but try clicking on the this link - click here to see some video... it should take you to a new page with some video of the b-day cake. As soon as the video function is fixed, I will fix it. Or... maybe since Google (the owner's of this service) bought YouTube for $1.6 billion - I will have to start using YouTube and not VideoEgg.

Pumpkin Picking

Pumpkin Picking
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

The annual pumpkin picking trip down to Half Moon Bay... this time at a new spot.

hokey pokey

Catching up

It has been a while since the last post... and we are over due for posting up more pictures to flickr (sorry - we will get the pics from the trip back east up soon). Owen started his new daycare last week (another in-home daycare set up with a woman named “MiMi.”) He is doing great and has adjusted nicely. (better than mom and dad probably did).

Eric and Marci came out to visit this weekend with Max - it was great to get Owen and Max together. Owen was a bit territorial but ultimately he played and shared pretty well with Max.

Look for more pics this week.

Back East

Owen is on the road show for the next couple of weeks - visiting the GPs, Uncles/Aunts and cousins. Pics to come.

The flight out apparently wasn't the "smoothest" (and I am not talking about turbulence)

Haircut number 3

This haircut went very smoothly - kudo's to mom for being prepared with a lollipop to distract him.

graduation day at Noe's

graduation day at Noe's
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

After almost 18 months Owen is moving on to a new day care because Noe (his daycare provider) is retiring. It has been rough dealing with this thought as Noe felt like family. We are sure that the next place will work out just fine but Owen got to do a lot of fun things at Noe's (that I am sure are pretty unique to her and the person she is…) from bus trips to the beach, to riding the train (BART) into the city, to several trips to the Zoo and of course the first friends that he made at Noe's - Donvan, Seamus, Ella, Lola, Anna and Keyanna.

Bubbles and Rupert

A new toy (that actually works) - much to Rupert's protest.

self portrait

hear no evil, see no evil

The words might not be coming to easily but he definitely knows where things are at.

talk about a vacation...

I will post up some new pics/video soon - but I have been meaning to get around to post this link... this is "friend of a friend..." Check out their website when you have a chance... interesting way to do things...

This site records the travels of Jackie (35) and her three kids: Jack (3), Bayla (1), and Steve (38).

In the spring of 2006 we decided to sell virtually all of it, reluctantly store some of it, and give the rest away to wander about land and sea.

Some people think we are crazy, some are interested and others are not impressed. There are many ways to play the game. We aren't playing to win: We are playing to play.

the throne

yep - a big milestone was reached. Owen walked to the bathroom, pulled his shirt up and tried climbing on to "the throne. We picked him up - got him in position - and eureka. It wasn't quite Niagara Falls... but hey - it's a start.

Feeding Time

Here is a clip of Owen feeding the giraffes at the San Diego Zoo.

Owen and the piñata

Owen and the piñata
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Owen's cousin (Dan) had his 21st birthday this week - he got a piñata filled with essential items for the 21 year old… Here is Owen taking a swing (with a little help from mom). Some more pics are on Flickr. Oh – there was some candy too – that Owen got to have.

Castles in the Sand

Castles in the Sand
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Yesterday was a beautiful day at the beach. The water was about 72 degrees – this is about 15 degrees warmer than what we are use to – so we spent a lot of time playing in the water and the shore.

O is for Orangutan

O is for Orangutan
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Friday we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was pretty hot so a lot of the animals were pretty slow moving... so were mom and dad by the end of the day. (a dip in the ocean at the end of the day refreshed). This Orangutan was the exception. He came right up to the glass and leaned in to get a kiss from Owen. - click on Flickr to see some more pics. I will also post a video clip o O (Owen not the Orangutan, feeding the giraffes).

Holiday Road

The first leg of the journey went real well – no traffic, no problems. Found a nice spot to stop and take a break (for both Rupert and Owen). Owen fell asleep on the ride down – the plan was to bring him right into Aunt Kathy’s place and put him down… but Owen had other ideas. He woke up and was ready to start his vacation. We probably didn’t get to sleep until 4 a.m.

Road Trip

Our first big family vacation/road trip down south to San Diego.
As I was packing, the dog, the portable DVD, the cargo bin on top of the urban assault vehicle, the computer, etc... I can't help but feel a little bit like these guys... maybe in a bit of a more modern way.

Stay tuned for updates.

o and rupe

Owen and Rupert - or as Owen calls him "Boobert."

Bonus points if you can name where this song is from...

Owen What Do You See...

Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see...
This has been Owen's favorite book for some time and still remains a "must read" before going to sleep. Although, now at that end of the book... when we ask him, "Which is the Brown Bear... where is the Yellow Duck..." Owen points each one out!
Who knew this reading thing would work.

Puke & Diarrhea

fever
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Pretty much sums up the week.
(this was to go up last Thursday 6/8/06)
Starting last Thursday night with 104 fever but Kim (a.k.a Super Mom) was able to bring down the fever with a cool bath. The fever spiked again that night (not as high) and puking followed, which of course made for a very long night with little sleep. It’s been a long time since one of those sleepless nights. Zombie like status the next day all three of us managed to do okay and the weekend progressed with not a lot of illness but by Sunday the bug reared its ugly head this time getting Owen during the day and me all through the night. Come Monday the two of us were a mess. Luckily Kim didn’t get it… but she did have two sick whiney ones to deal with. Tuesday, Owen made it back to daycare but more puke & diarrhea came that night, so home sick on Wednesday. Now were back to the same cycle - went to daycare today, projectile puking on the car ride home. A trip to the doctor assured of us what we hoped – it is just a bug but a nasty one. I still have a tough time viewing Kim and I as parents but this week it was clear that Kim was a Super Mom.

(FLASH forward to this Monday 6/12 - the bug finally caught Kim :-(

Owen's attempt at feeding the cat

Owen's attempt at feeding the cat
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Owen likes to help feed Rupert and Bailey... problem is he likes to do it too much. This is what happens when we turn our back for a second.

The t-shirt says it all

The t-shirt says it all
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Owen's First Year - The Trailer

well its long over due - but we are almost finished Owen's video for his year of "firsts." Here is a trailer :-)

Night Night

Good night from Owen

signs and sounds

these are some of Owen's first signs and sounds

happy mothers day

fun at the park

here is some video we took at the park in the back of pacifica, when grandma was out visiting.

careful mowing

Owen's Guest

Owen
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Kiley stayed with us this weekend - Owen is having a tough time with concept of sharing his toys - especially with a little girl. And Rupert spent (look out the door) a bunch of time wanting to be where he couldn't.

Born to Rock

Born to Rock
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

I love this t-shirt, we have got so many comments on it. It has been tough trying to get a picture of him in it - what you can't see is that he also has black low-cut Chuck Taylors on.

Climbing

hiking w/ Flat Stanley
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Big steps for Owen this past weekend... he scaled the climbing wall on the swingset in the backyard. (his first solo climb – El Cap is next).

overdue

Spring 2006 - Owen at Zoo
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

We are long overdue on the posts. Owen had a busy past few weeks with visits from Grandmom and then Grandpop. Check out the pictures on Flickr - (badge on the right of the screen).

Today was day number two with out rain!!! (considering the last 45 it has rained about every day). The good news is Owen discovered mud.

1 1/2

Can't believe its been a year and half. Recently, Owen has been falling asleep without much help in the rocking chair.... I'll miss these chances to rock with him at night - it does a world of good for me too.

hide n seek

the new game in town

Hiking w/ Flat Stanley

Today, Owen took Flat Stanley for a hike. Stanley also managed to catch a ride with Rupert... See post below for who our visitor is... or click on the this link to learn more about Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley Arrives

Flat Stanley and Owen
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Flat Stanley arrived thi s week in Pacifica, courtesy of Owen’s cousin Grace. Stanley will be staying with us for awhile before he makes his way back to the east coast… Thank you Grace for letting Stanley come visit. We will be sure to let you know what we do during his stay out here. Check out some other pictures of Flat Stanley and Owen at the beach at flickr - click the flickr banner to the top and right of the site.

more 4 wheel'n

If the video does not display properly
click here to upgrade to Flash 8
okay - so it looks like all you have to do is click on the link that says install Flash 8 - i think the video quality is better than what I was using before.

4 Wheel'n

working travel

traveling for work is just not that fun any more... a day here... a day there... but more than that and you just start missing it.

Owen at the Zoo

Owen herding the goats
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Owen and Kim made a trip to the Zoo over the weekend there are a couple more pics - over on flickr. Click the badge to the right.

owen's first haircut

owen's first haircut
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Whew!!! Can't believe that Owen's first haircut went off without any tears. We came fully prepared and to the right place, "Today's Cuts" down the coast in Half Moon Bay. They had mini-TVs set up right in front of the animal chairs. Barney kept Owen focused and some animal cracker bribery didn't hurt either. Click on Flickr badge to the right for a couple more pics.

Valentine's Greeting

Valentine's Greeting
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Happy Valentine's

Techno Parent

First of all, using the word "parent" to describe myself is weird. And the fact that I am now actually interested in sites like BusinessWeek's new blog for working parents, just down right scares me. One of the posts talks about dealing with Technology, is it a working parents friend or foe? In cases like last Friday (see post below) - I think mobile tech is definitely a good thing.

Owen's First Book

- new tool to publish - "A day in the Life"

http://www.blurb.com/

BlackBerry Babysitting

Teething is tough. It throws a wrench into the best plans. But w O in the wagon and I on my blackberry a few things are able to get done.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Wagon and firetruck

Thanks to the cousins, grace evy and amelia for the fire truck

fun w/ cheerios

Again its been a while. Sorry. Owen's nose is still running but it doesn't seem to slow him down. The first words look like they will be Moo - short for Moon (in which he points to any bright object up in the sky) and aqua.

Here are some pics from last wkend - a hike, some quality time w/ cheerios and a few other shots at Flickr.

The Christmas Balloon Tree

The Christmas Balloon Tree
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Owen at the first sight of the balloons around the Christmas tree.

Click - on the moving pictures to the right to see more.

Scroll down to the next post to see video clips.

Christmas Morning 2005

Owen's Christmas morning surprise - the balloon tree.

Click the video screen to the left or this link to see video number one - this is Owen walking down the hall at Christmas morning Owen's video.

Link number 2: this is Owen playing with the balloons.

Link number 3: this is Owen building with his blocks he got for Christmas

winter beach wonderland

winter beach wonderland
Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

Getting the right picture

After only three photo sessions over a two day period - we were able to come up with just the right picture for the Christmas card. whew.

Here is one that didn't make the cut.

You can also see more recent pictures over at flickr - just click the small photos to the right.

Owen at the playgroundhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

This weekend we were on the quest to get a "good" picture of Owen for the Christmas card.
It only took two days :-)
Here is some video of him at the playground walking around.

It's been a long week or so....

So I am very very long over due on the blog. Work again has been crazy and O has been under weather for a while now. Not to mention Rupert's run in with the skunk. He still stinks. Here is a pic from our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and one of Rupert getting a bath the night of the skunk.

Get your motors roll'n

the day started off right

The day started off the right way, nice Sunday morning hike with the whole family. Then I made the mistake of going into work... then we decided to go to Home Depot... then we decided to go to Best Buy. Ugh. Now I need to go back to Worst Buy tomorrow. I am never shopping there again, the worst customer service ever.

Proud Parents

Andy caught this picture, from the party. Pretty modern day... but the sentiment is still the same.

birthday!

Wow - can't believe that it has been a full year.
Quite the day today for Mom and Dad. Between, a missed eye doctor's appointment, chaotic workday and one broken down jeep - we are determined to get to Owen's daycare by 3:30 to celebrate. Click on the flickr banner to the right - there are pics from Sunday's birthday bbq. Video and more pics to come.

Big Sur

Took a trip to Big Sur with the guys this weekend for a little camp and surf. This is the beach where we surfed and camped... that's my friend, Chi, on the wave.

Testing the water

Quick check of the water... not to hot. not to cold.

Owen's First Solo Steps

Sorry it took more than a week to post... but here is a quick clip of some of Owen's first solo steps. This clip is from back in Erie. Click the picture or this link.

Owen at Lake Erie

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Originally uploaded by rick loughery.

It took Owen a bit to get use to the warm lake water (as compared to the cold salty waters in Nor Cal) but he loved it. And as always he has fun in the sand.

Trip back to Erie

The trip back to Erie was a good one. The flights back and forth were pretty smooth, much to the relief of our fellow passengers. Owen managed to sleep for most of the flights, but we were not as lucky.

Owen had a jammed pack week of “firsts.” From his first trip to the zoo where he had his first train ride and his first ride on the carousel to practicing his walking by taking his first solo steps at grandmom’s house. I’ll post some video of the walking this week.

Click on Flickr badge to right (with moving pics of Owen) or this link to check out some photos of Owen’s trip. If you go to the main Flickr home page - just type in "owenloughery" (all one word) in the search bar.