Sunday, March 28, 2010

At the Playground with Aunt Jean

"At the playground, you know / That's where I saw this cutie / This girl was swinging / And she looked so fly

On the monkey bars / We climbed up to the top / And she touched my hand / That's when I fell in love"

p.s. If you're not familiar with Another Bad Creation, then...well...that needs to be dealt with. Check out Iesha. Stat.

Monday, February 15, 2010

A Whole New O

SOME people have noticed and commented that Owen's hair is getting "kind of long."

Huh?

Some people have even used the terms "mullet" or "comb over."

Hmm.

I didn't know what they were talking about. But I guessed they meant "long," as in long in the back and on the top and on the sides.

Still: really? He's just a BABY for chrissakes. And who could use those dirty 'mullet' and 'comb over' terms when you're looking at this face:
"Long," huh? Oh, you mean that section hanging down over his left ear? And the piece flipping out from behind his right ear? And the strands touching his shoulders in the back?But I can take my rose-colored glasses off long enough to look the truth in the face. And this is what truth said: it's time for a haircut.

Full disclosure about how we REALLY decided it was time: we have both been procrastinating the haircut for some time now. I mean, SURE, we'll give him a haircut EVENTUALLY, but now?! And then, in a review of some post-dinner photos one evening last week, we saw the following photo. I love this child more than life itself, but I can AT THE SAME TIME ACKNOWLEDGE that in the one below he kind of looks like Garth from Wayne's World.
It was time.

So on Valentine's Day, we braced ourselves for what we knew would be an important milestone in the metamorphosis from baby to little boy. To throughly commemorate and accentuate this transition, we had pre- and post- photo shoots. For the pre-haircut shoot, Owen donned a white diaper seulement (as seen in the first 3 photos and in the two below) for some full-on baby romping on the bed:

AND THEN WE DID THE DEED. We did it.

Here is Owen post-haircut in his best cardigan and khakis. QUICK, someone give this boy his smoking jacket!! (Not that Owen will ever smoke. Because he won't. Ever.)
And here again. This kid is ready to MAKE SOME DEALS. (I know this picture is almost identical to the one above, but doesn't he look EXACTLY LIKE BILL in this one?!?!?)
In this one, Owen was just cracking up over something hilarious his mom said:And here, getting ready to go pack his last duffle bag before heading off to college:(You don't have to ask: we saved every last strand.)

Victory

This is what it looks like when Owen is working hard on accomplishing something. And then he gets it.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Snow in the Palm Trees

Last night at about 8:30pm, we looked outside to see the ground covered in snow and plenty still coming down. As you might imagine, this is an infrequent occurrence here in the Lowcountry. But apparently our DC friends had more than they could handle and decided to share the love.

The last time ANY snow fell in Charleston was in January 2000 (1-2 inches), but the last time any accumulated was in December 1989 (6 inches), the winter after Hurricane Hugo. About 3-5 inches fell last night, and this is what it looked like this morning:

Owen hadn't seen snow since we lived in Chapel Hill. January 20, 2009, brought us Owen's first snowfall, President Obama's inauguration, and my return to work after maternity leave. Owen told me that since he was only 3 months old at the time, he doesn't remember any of those things.

But he sure had a blast today:
So did Bruno:Bill's birthday brought us a rare and gorgeous wintery treat (Happy Birthday, love!). And, even better (sorry, DC), was that the sun shone all day, and all the snow melted by about 4:00pm. So the streets are clear, and downtown Charleston awaits us for our continued celebration...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Sing!

On February 9, we celebrated Mom's first birthday in Charleston! We stepped outside for a brief photo before heading to lunch at the Hominy Grill (yum), and I was singing to try to get Owen to look at the camera. I love this photo for two reasons:

1) Owen is making his "sing sign." This is when he bunches his fingers together and twists his fist to let you know that he would like a song, please. Or another song, please. It originated as the hand motion from "The Wheels on the Bus" when the baby goes "wah wah wah," and he turned it into the sign for song requests in general. When he's really serious, he uses both hands.

2)You can see the sheer joy that Owen brings his Grama. Pretty good birthday present, huh? He's the gift that keeps on giving.

Monday, February 8, 2010

A New Year in Charleston

Tomorrow, Owen will be 16 months old. What's more: it's two thousand and ten, and Owen was born in two thousand and EIGHT. That is crazy.

So far, 2010 has been treating us very kindly. Here's Owen, all bundled up:And here he is reading a book (we are going to need some new books, because we've read every book in the house approximately 8,297 times...I think I've memorized them all already...I can start reciting part of a book, and Owen will go and find the original source):
And playing with his toys (the piggy bank is a hit):
And thinking deep thoughts about the state of the world and our purpose here:
And standing side by side with Bruno, getting ready for the next adventure:
Happy New Year! (I know. It's February. But the Chinese New Year will not commence until February 14, so I think we should wish one another a Happy New Year at least through the end of the month. Goodbye, Ox; Hello, Tiger.)

Christmas in North Carolina

We left Kansas on Sunday afternoon, landed in Charleston around midnight, slept (a little), and then drove to Chapel Hill on Monday afternoon. It was good to be back in the Thrill, and Owen thought so, too. Especially to be back at Poppie and Nana's house where one of the MOST FUN THINGS EVER is to run around on the pool table. Here, Owen kindly offers the 5-ball to Poppie.

Marcia and Michael hosted the Hunt Family Birthday Party in Greensboro, where Owen got to: 1) Try to get the pumpkin out of Papa's crown (naturally, Papa and Marcia both wear crowns at this annual event, as the birthday honorees),
2) Chase Jack (Marsh and Michael's cat), and3) Play drums with Dee Dee!

On Christmas Eve, we squeezed in a visit with Santa in the morning. Owen did not seem to remember the warm rapport that he and Santa established last year, and was slightly put out at first:But with a little encouragement, Owen remembered his deep fondness for the jolly old man, and they were soon laughing and cavorting like old times. However, the photo below does not seem to confirm my memory of this moment. In fact, both Owen and Santa have expressions of mild concern. I, on the other hand, was having the time of my life. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas in Kansas

The week before Christmas, we flew to Lawrence, Kansas, to celebrate and to see Lynn (Pooh) and Henry's (PapaRuss) new home. Pooh had set up a room especially for Owen, which was filled to the brim with new comforts and past treasures, including the Russell boys' childhood books and toys. In Lawrence, Owen cemented his love for rice cakes, dump trucks, and Pooh and PapaRuss.
Along with rice cakes and dumptrucks (also pictured below), Owen exchanged bundles of love with his Uncle Brad and Aunt Amy.

He also got to meet his great-grandfather: John Thomas (J.T.) Russell, a.k.a., Dee. They stared into each other's eyes and Dee told him a thousand stories with one look. Owen listened intently.

Pictured below, the Russell men and the Russell boy: (clockwise from left) Owen, Bill, PapaRuss, Uncle Brad, and Dee (John Russell, eldest of the three Russell boys, not pictured).

Hugs and bathtime with Pooh.

Aunt Pat (Henry's sweet sister) smiling as PapaRuss earns more hugs from Owen.
If only Kansas were one of South Carolina's neighboring states...we miss you.