Owen, I think I have your cold.

You can't Mummy, I still have it.

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I'm in Team Room B!

The lion mascot was at the hockey game yesterday. Owen must have seen it walking down the hallway.

Whit hadn't seen him for a few minutes so she went looking for him, walking down the hallway and calling out. She hears a muffled reply, "Mummy, I'm in Team Room B!". He had ducked in there to escape.

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Basketball starts today!

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Mummy, it is the month of Christmas...

Yes Owen, but it's also five o'clock in the morning.  It will still be the month of Christmas at seven o'clock.

No, you may not open your Advent calendar yet.  I think we'll be opening that before you go to bed from now on.

Pals

Look Daddy, I'm a giant crab.

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"Owen and Machias - you need to stop menacing each other with sticks!"

Indoor soccer starts tonight

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Great soccer season

Owen's fall league team played great this year. Owen had a couple of goals but seems to be gravitating toward defense.

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Kid Stuff

I love that he still wants to do the silly little kid things without an ounce to self-consciousness. (This is a particularly sad looking ride-on toy!)

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Can you believe...?

Here he is in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. Who knows, maybe we're making progress on the whole costume phobia issue.

3 goals at soccer and a visit with Cousin Beatrice

First Visit to the Principal's Office

Owen and some buddies got to visit the Principal's Office today because they started a basketball game in the bathroom with wet, crumpled-up paper towels. If that's the worst thing he does this year I'll be thrilled.

Owen tries out for Coach K

Yes, that's really Coach K in the blue warmup. He and 15 other bigtime coaches were in our gym today watching our boys play pickup.

"That gives me the 'members"

Seeing those motorcycles makes me remember when we saw that huge line of motorcycles with the police escort....

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A long-time family favorite...

Visit to Rhinebeck

Here we are on the new Hudson Valley Walkway. Lots of fun at the church picnic and time with Grandma and Grandpa. He slept in until 8:30 on Sunday!

Life Is Good Festival

The Main Event

We had a big party with the students on our field last night. Huge inflatable slides and games, volleyball, sno cones, BBQ, bonfire and an outdoor movie. Owen was in 7th heaven!

"I hope they're not crappy tickets..."

We're sitting at the table having lunch on Saturday and talking about the soccer game we'll be attending that night. Owen looks at me and asks if we have good seats. I tell him that we have excellent seats.

"Good, because I really hope they're not crappy seats."

"What?!?! Why would you say that? Where in the world did you hear it?"

Owen smiles, turns his head and dramatically points at Kirk.

Revolution Game Tonight

And...we're off!

Pneumonia!

Owen came down with a fever on Saturday and has been pretty sick for a few days. He rarely gets a fever and it's sad to see him lethargic (so rare!). He rallies himself for long stretches but has been asking to go to bed early because he's wiped out. We had to forgo a visit to see friends Claire and Natalie Wednesday because he's still not 100%. Whit took him back the doctor this morning and it turns out he has pneumonia! Ughhh. He's on antibiotics now and should be back in action shortly.

Day Camp Performance

This was pretty cute. Each age group did a little performance here is Owen's group.

Skinned Knee

First real bike accident today. No lasting damage. He got back on and rode home after a little prompting.

Uncle Rodney's Hangar Party

Boy still loves the surf

Babson Island

We took the kayaks over to Babson Island for a little sea glass hunting expedition.

Owen the mariner

Here we are getting ready to row out to Boomerang for a cruise out to Potato Island.

Basketball Star

Mr. Lubick came over for dinner on July 4th and Owen challenged him to a game of hoops. Owen pulled out the win with a hustle steal for a key possesion when he was down 9-10. I think Mr. Lubick has his eye on Owen for 2020.

Owen and Will

Will, Matt and Audrey finally came for a visit a few weeks ago. The boys had a great time, Owen playing the role of big brother all weekend.

"Owen, stop menacing the cat with a sharp instrument."

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Monster Truck at Lowes today

Owen says it's his all-time favorite.

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Last Day of Kindergarten

Owen has been a little sad and quiet today as he said goodbye to the
aptly named Mrs. Devine. Now he's off to a pool party and a full
summer of activities.

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I know everything.

Wow Daddy, you're really smart - you know everything.

Well, I know a lot, but I certainly don't know everything.

How did you learn so much?

I guess I read a lot and I paid close attention in school.

Well, I do know everything.

Whit - Wow, at the tender age of six you already know everything?

Yes, not actually everything but almost everything. I know almost everything.

Tadpoles

We were visiting friends in VT a few weeks ago and Owen got to explore the frog pond and hold some tadpoles. He also got to make smores that night - note all of his friends lined up around the campfire too.

Star Rocket

It's amazing how a little experiment can spark critical thinking and imagination. We built this rocket from a kit and loaded it up with baking soda and vinegar (for fuel). Lots and lots of questions followed, mostly unrelated to rockets.

Gardening

We had a birthday dinner with Uncle Jeff on Saturday and showed Owen
all of his beautiful strawberry and vegetable plants. Owen barely
stepped on any of them.

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Last game

He had a terrific season - big improvement. He's already asking about
next season!

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Daddy, one question...

Why can girls have babies but boys can't?

I don't know Owen, that's the way God made us.

I wish I was a girl so I could have a baby.

Oh, that's good stuff. This goes straight on the blog.

Visit from Sean

My long-time friend Sean made a surprise visit yesterday. He drove down in his new toy, a Unimog. Don't know what that is? Neither did I but it is a very cool toy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimog

Sean took Owen and me for a ride on the trails behind our house and it was a blast! Owen especially loved it when the tree branches would swipe through the windows and get us wet. He kept asking Sean (who doesn't need much encouragement) to go faster and faster.

Daddy, one question...

Owen clearly had a lot on his mind today. Here's a sample:

Where do small rocks come from?
How do the big rocks become small rocks?

What animals eat bees?
Other than bats, what animals eat bees?

How is there room on the clock for 10:10?
Why does the big hand on the clock indicate minutes and the small hand
indicate hours?

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Birthday Party

Owen had his party at Pump it Up again this year. Just him and 25 of his closest friends.

It's Field Day!

Birthday Boy

Owen had a fantastic birthday on Tuesday. So many family and friends
sent cards, presents and birthday greetings. He felt very special.

We went out for dinner at PF Chang's, and Uncle Jeff came along! He
ate four dumplings and couldn't wait for the fortune cookie.
Afterward, we went to Lego and Build a Bear so he could put his
birthday money to good use.

He had a lot of trouble falling asleep that night and woke up very,
very cranky on Wednesday.

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Cousin Beatrice

Owen has been very excited to meet his cousin, who arrived on Monday
evening. Owen could hardly sleep that night and finally got to meet
her on Wednesday. He also got to see her on Sunday. Welcome to the
family Beatrice!

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Soccer with Uncle Jeff tonight

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Action shot!

Whit took this pic of Owen and his pals on their way to victory on
Saturday.

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Babysitter Recruiting

I'm away this week and Whit wanted to go to yoga on Tuesday night. On Sunday, she mentioned to Owen that he would likely have a babysitter and asked him which one he wanted. He told her that Colleen was his first choice.

On Monday night, Colleen called Whit and reported that Owen had sought her out in the Dining Hall and asked her to come over on Tuesday night. So, apparently Owen had decided to cut out the middle man and recruit his own babysitter!

No cavities

Owen got a clean bill of health from the dentist this morning. Look Ma, no cavities.

Owen signs with the New England Revolution

Well, not yet but he did score his first goal this morning! These
fellas are Revs that come out every Saturday and runs skills with the
boys.

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Dear James, You are mean. Love, Owen

Owen was invited to the birthday party of one of his classmates, with whom he has a love/hate relationship. On the morning of the party, he sat down to address his birthday card and wrote:

Dear James,

You are mean.

Love,

Owen

Wiffleball with the students tonight

Owen did great. It's amazing how far his motor skills have come - he can actually hit the ball. I took a turn at the plate and my batting average was lower than his! Now, after every meal he runs out to the quad to see if he can play. The students are terrific. They always give him a chance to field and bat.

JV Baseball game this afternoon

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Who gets to ride his scooter to church on Easter?

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Easter Egg Hunt

He gets better at this every year. He loves to hunt for things - he keeps asking if we can hide them again!

Fun Weekend

Owen had a terrific weekend that started with an unplanned visit with Uncle Jeff on Saturday. There was soccer, Wii and probably some puzzling too. Owen loves to spend time with Uncle Jeff.

On Saturday, my friend Chris and his daughters came to spend the night. Owen loves the girls, especially Claire who is seven. They quickly disappeared upstairs to play. On Sunday, we went to the Museum of Science. Claire rode with us and she and Owen held hands as we crossed the parking garage. It was all very, very cute.

Classroom Time

Whit is feeling a little under-the-weather today and so I took her place as the parent helper in Owen's classroom this morning. We were doing a little science experiment and building fine-motor skills.

Owen is always so excited to see me when I show up at school and today was no exception. He was super cute, helping his friends write the multi-digit numbers. As I was leaving, one of the little girls asked me if she and Owen could have a playdate.

Happy Birthday to Great Grandma Hero

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A very warm welcome-home

I was away last week and did not have access to email or phone. I returned late Saturday night and though I went up to see Owen, he was soundly sleeping. On Sunday morning he came running down and jumped into bed with me. He was extra sweet and extra cute all day. I also took a day off on Monday, so I was able to pick him up at school and take him to swimming (he's becoming quite a good swimmer!). He was especially well behaved and very happy to spend some extra time with me.

Sweet Gesture

Owen was pretty crabby on Wednesday. He was stubborn and short tempered. He threw a fit when Whit asked him to get dressed. He stripped off his clothes and knelt down in his room, pointing his naked little bum at anyone who should chance to look in his room to see what he was doing. He really wasn't at his best.

He must have gotten a good night's sleep, because he woke up a different person on Thursday. He bounded down the stairs at 7:05, fully dressed and ready for his day. He ate his breakfast cheerily and went off to school. Before he left, he asked Whit why we had a different comforter on our bed and she told him that the usual bed cover was too furry and she'd been up all night sneezing. Later, when she returned from taking him to school, she found a box of tissues on her nightstand.

Sunday hike

We took a nice walk through our woods along with Seven and ended with
a chilly and muddy game of soccer. Owen is really starting to enjoy
longer walks, which is fun for us too.

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What to do on a Sunday afternoon but build a fort? And force Rucker to participate, of course.

Don't give it back to me!

Whit was up all night with Owen who has a stomach bug. He's been
camped in front of the TV all day and she told him that she needed to
go lay down for a while.

Oh Mummy, I'm feeling better so you must have my bug now. Don't give
it back to me!

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Visit with Uncle Jeff

Whit and I went out for dinner on Thursday and Uncle Jeff kindly agreed to babysit. Owen and Nathaniel had a great (crazy) time together and it was late by the time we picked him up. Owen was delirious, saying he wasn't tired and that he wanted to stay overnight (for the breakfast, no doubt). We dragged him home and he slept until 8am the next morning!

Visit to MIT today

We had breakfast with our friends Tom and Rebecca this morning, then
walked through the Frank Gehry designed Stata Center. It is a very
cool building, full of art and wide open creative spaces. Owen
especially enjoyed the police car from the famous Great Dome Hack.

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