Olympic Games 2020, maybe?

So, Owen loves his Little Gym class. He's a VERY physical kid and the running and playing at the gym does him good. However, I've often wondered what he really takes in with regard to the "skills" taught each week. It sometimes seems like he is so busy moving on to the next thing that he doesn't really catch what's going on in the moment. Well, you'd think I'd learn by now. These kids are serious sponges. It ALL gets in and ALL gets filed away for later use.

A couple of times in class, we've done assisted 'forward rolls'...this really means that you physically take the child and move him through a somersault. No big deal. Well, Owen has decided he no longer needs any help. (he's also decided that he can handle the cheering section too!)

Look what I can do!

This is "winding down" before bed

The Aquarium is here!

The WORLD'S LARGEST AQUARIUM is now open, right here in Atlanta. On Monday, the aquarium opened its doors to annual pass holders and we made sure to be in on the action. WOW! It really is phenomenal. Of course, it was also crazy busy with news cameras, photographers and excited patrons (like us!) swarming about. We did not get up extra early to go for the Today Show spectacle and missed Matt Lauer in a wetsuit. Even without that treat, the sights were incredible.

Owen nearly waved his little arm off, signing "fish", as soon as we walked through the doors. To say he was excited is an understatement. Signing, squealing and looking frantically back and forth between parents and fishtanks, he was a busy little kid. Of course, the crowds were thick and we had to keep him in the stroller for most of our visit, much to his dismay. In the underwater tunnel, he would look left and right and sign "fish", but would sign "bird" when looking overhead. Since when did fish learn to fly, anyway?

The Grand Opening for the general public is today and I'm sure the place is packed wall to wall. Reservations are actually required to visit and are very hard to come by. So, we'll let the crowds thin out some and then we'll be back to visit again. MANY, many more times, I'm sure. One more reason to love Atlanta.

Photographers, we are not, so the pictures don't do it justice. You'll just have to come see for yourself.

Halloween hijinks

Owen's first 'real' Halloween was quite an occasion. By now, most of you have had the opportunity to see him in his pirate garb and take note of what an adorable, yet intimidating, sea rat he was. Poor kid donned that costume many days in a row and, I think, began to believe that the dreads were really his own!










We trick-or-treated at Daddy's office, attended a couple of Halloween parties and even knocked on a few doors for the real-deal Halloween night.


















And wouldn't you know that our little scurvy guy won the costume contest in his age group! How could anyone deny the Dread Pirate Owen after all? You wouldn't want to incur this wrath...


















We really had great fun and were happy that Gram was here to share it with us. How else could we have captured a real, family photo with all 3 Stones at once? If only Cap'n Owen had been cooperative!














PS--The latest word (we're up to 25 or 26 now) is "Melmo!" It's ALL about "Melmo" these days! Greeting his idol on Halloween...















Click to see 19,000 pirate pictures.