Christmas Eve service at Belmont Chapel with Rev. Talcott

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This is what Christmas morning happiness looks like

Jamba Juice and the Rockettes

Apparently Owen likes Jamba Juice as much as I do.

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Hotel visit

We stayed the night in NY and as I was leaving a tip in the morning Owen decided to contribute a dollar from his allowance for the maid. He left a note too.

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Owen's Hike

Owen found a beaver's handiwork on his hike this weekend.

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Owen Potter

Hard to believe that he actually went trick-or-treating with a whole group of friends tonight. How far we've come!

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Final Game of the Season

Some good things and some frustrating ones. Owen mostly played well, though I'm not sure he got much better. In some ways he slid backward -- passing is one area. Still, his ball control is good and he can actually control the game at times. Most importantly, he says he had fun and he's psyched for indoor this winter.

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"Everything is frosted!"

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Success!

Owen worked especially hard the last two weeks and absolutely nailed his belt test.  Here he is receiving his new belt in class:

TKD Update

Owen is making good progress.  Staying still and paying attention for the entire class are the biggest challenges.  He's hoping to test for his yellow belt on Sunday, so he's been working very hard.

Lost another tooth!

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Cousin Kai

Kirk's cousin Chris is visiting with his family from Oregon and we all met for a big family lunch on Monday. The boys sat still as long as they could before we turned them loose outside where they ran around for an hour. This was the first time Owen met Kai, but they quickly discovered their mutual passion for running around and being silly.

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Legomaniacs

Here's Owen with his buddy Ryan. They're doing a Lego activity class at the library.

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More Soccer...

Owen had another great game on Saturday, scoring three of his team's four goals in a 4-1 win.  He also had some nice defensive plays and made some great passes.  No hockey this week, so he spent the afternoon playing street hockey with his buddy Max on the front walkway.

One day...

Whit: Owen, one day I hope you'll actually slow down and do a good job brushing your teeth.

Owen: And one day I hope you won't talk so sternly to me when you're mad.

Ouch...

Off to a great start

First soccer game of the season on Saturday. Owen played great - excellent defense, nice passing, a strong stint as goalie and four goals including the game winner. The boys were all smiles - everyone had a good time. My favorite part was watching Owen prance back to center as he celebrated his teams goals.

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An astute observation:

Daddy, your wife is crazy.
How right you are Owen, how right you are.

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My Favorite White Belt

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Obligatory First Day of School Photo with the Lion

Any guesses?

Do you think he had a good first day of school?

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Boogie Boarding

We spent the day with friends at the beach in Charlestown, RI last week.  The waves were great and here's Owen catching his first wave.

Superhero Day at camp

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Books, Legos and More Books!

Hurricane Irene passed through on Sunday and knocked out our power. Owen found ways to amuse himself, though we're all a little anxious to have the modern conveniences back.

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Remember when you didn't quite understand the words in a song so you'd interpret them in your own way?

"Hey white liar, the truth comes out a little at a time."
-Miranda Lambert

"Hey white pliers, the tooth comes out a little at a time."
-Owen

Visit with GG

Great Grandma Kunkel broke her arm in July and has been staying with Grandma while she heals. We went down for a visit this weekend

A Visit from Amelie

Amelie stopped in for the night on her way home from NH. They haven't seen each other in a few years but picked up right where they left off. They dragged us to the pool on Saturday morning right after breakfast.

Fun in the pool

Owen has really become a good swimmer this year - the lessons at camp and the swim club have paid off. Here he is showing off his moves at the pool on Saturday morning.

You know where...

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JFK Library

We spent the morning at the JFK Library. There's not a lot for kids there, but Owen did sit and listen to his inaugural address and I was proud that he could pick out several of the key lines.

Cars 2

>
>

> Well, Owen finally went to the movies for the first time. He was a little nervous, but he's been waiting to see Cars 2 for years and the popcorn was a big enticement. We wound up with the whole theater to ourselves and had a great time.
>

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Again?

>
This was supposed to be MY Fathers' Day Present

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Chihuly

We went to see the Chihuly exhibit at the MFA yesterday. Owen was fascinated (we all were)! He also enjoyed the mummies and the historic instruments. We were there for almost two hours without a complaint.

Visit with Ray and Lyn

We had a lovely few days with Ray and Lyn. Owen warmed up to the very quickly (especially when they came to his soccer game) and we all had a great time.

Visit with Ray and Lyn

Ray and Lyn arrived on Sunday for a visit.  It only took Owen a day to warm up to them -- they won him over quickly by attending his soccer game.  Now he's chattering away with them like he's known them forever.

Working in the garden

We spent some time working the soil in the new garden this morning. Owen was a big help with the rock picking.

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This one is a bit late, but here he is hunting Easter eggs in Rhinebeck.

Soccer this morning

Owen played well today, scoring the first goal, making some good passes and key defensive plays.

Owen's Hit

Note the slide into home

Happy 7th Birthday

Owen had a terrific birthday party last weekend. The boys played soccer and capture the flag before pizza and a special brownie cake.

Happy 7th Birthday to my big boy!

He got books, lots of Legos, a new hockey stick and hockey net, plus roller blades so he can keep skating in the summer. Owen says it's his best birthday ever. I disagree... The first one was pretty special.

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Cousins

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Another tooth gone!

Playing catcher this inning

Baseball was a HUGE hit.  I thought he'd be bored out of his mind, but he got to play active positions and he was so excited he couldn't be still for three seconds.  He had three nice hits (coach-pitch) and was exhausted when he got home.

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Owen's First At-Bat

Do you remember Charlotte's Web?

It is Owen's absolute favorite book.  He's read it at least a dozen times now.  Remember the scene where Fern is swinging on the rope in Mr. Arable's barn?  Well, EB White based that scene on the barn at his home in Brooklin, Maine. Owen got to visit the farm and here he is swinging on Fern's Swing!  Very happy boy.

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Sea Glass Hunting

Owen spent a good portion of his day searching the beach for sea glass. He took this photo of his bounty.

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Owen lost his first tooth!

And, as a reward, Nana bought him a new turtle (O picked it out) - Sea T's sister!

The Capital

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Tour of the Capital

The Capital tour was a huge hit. I've never seen Owen so earnestly interested for so long. He dutifully followed behind our guide Vernon, listening intently the whole time. He even answered a trivia question.

Here's Owen in the Crypt with a statue of Samuel Adams.

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Owen meets the Governor

Chance meeting with Deval at breakfast this morning. He stopped to chat and take a photo with Owen.

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First NHL Game

The Caps played the Rangers tonight and we decided to go at the last minute. Owen was panicked about the eagle mascot most of the time. It turned out to be a great game, a 5-0 win for the Rangers. Owen says he loved it.

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Owen's Future?

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White House tour

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