Birthdays and Camping and Diamonds, Oh My!

Sarah’s Thoughts: Last Sunday, I was talking to this little boy who was telling me how excited he was because his birthday was only 5 days away. He could hardly sleep. I can totally identify with that little guy because even at 33, I still get really excited about my birthday. I don’t usually have trouble sleeping, but I do have this urge to tell everyone that its my birthday. I like to get dressed up and then expect magic all day long. The reality is that its just another day. You still have to get up, make your bed, go to work, change poopy diapers, etc. Despite the potential for disappointment, I had a lovely birthday. Luke made waffles and coffee, my coworkers organized a birthday lunch and then my brother and Kristen came over for steak, wine and coconut cream pie. I think that for me, the magic lies in being remembered by the ones I love- that, and the fact that I looked fabulous. My oral surgeon boss told me that he liked everything about my outfit!

(Thank goodness I didn’t have to make my own breakfast or lunch because it took me 30 minutes to dry and straighten my hair! No wonder I never do anything with it!)

Low- Coming home after 1 1/2 days camping to a freezing cold house. The furnace went out... thank goodness for my own personal handy man!

High- Up until yesterday, my high would’ve been the fact that Owen went poopy on the potty for the very first time this week... but then my brother got engaged yesterday, so diamond trumps potty! We are SO excited!

Luke Update: This week, Owen was watching Luke shoot his bow in the backyard. He said, “Mama, where’s my bow? I want to do that!” I said, “Well, Owen, we better go tell your daddy.” When Owen repeated his request to his daddy, Luke looked at me and said, “Did you tell him to say that?” Needless to say, Luke was able to rustle up a bow and in no time, Owen was flinging arrows across the yard (with a little help). So proud! On Friday, Luke spent a good portion of the day fishing for coho salmon with his friend, Adam. The report was slim pickings... The other excitement was that our furnace stopped working, so Luke spent 3 hours on Saturday cleaning it. Its pretty incredible the amount of soot that builds up in a furnace! At nap time, our house was 50 degrees and I put Owen down under a mountain of fleece. Obviously, we were very happy when it was finally working again.

Owen Update: This weekend we visited our friends, the Andersons, who are care-taking at Echo Ranch this winter. For those of you that aren’t from Juneau, Echo Ranch is a bible camp that is a few miles past the end of the road. This time of year, the caretakers are the only folks holding down the fort, taking care of 26 horses, chickens and just making sure thing around camp are maintained. The Andersons have 2 kids (Gabby is 3 and Samson is 5) and Owen was in heaven. On our visit to the chicken coop, Owen ran in circles, chasing the chickens and yelling, “Chickens! I want to pet you!” Sadly, those smart, Alaskan chickens took shelter in the trees. Then we visited the horses and Owen did get to pet one. He pretended to drive a tractor, played with Samson’s excavator, cooked in Gabby’s “kitchen” and stayed up way past bedtime. Gotta love camp!

swinging with Gabby

birthday girl and her sweet boy

petting the pony

the mighty mendenhall

fishing in mendenhall lake for "sockeye fish"

fall leaves

Owen and the chickens

Shooting a bow for the first time

Home Sweet Home

Sarah’s Thoughts: We’re back! We had a wonderful trip, visiting family in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Georgia. Owen logged hundreds of relatively peaceful miles in his carseat, thanks to snacks, stories and portable DVD players. We spent almost a week with my sister in Minnesota, visiting with my Godparents, my college roommate and her husband, and some friends who use to live in Juneau. Then we drove to North Dakota to surprise my Grandma for her birthday- lots of singing, games, and food. After returning to Minnesota, we flew to Atlanta, Georgia to visit Luke’s family for a week. We spent time in the hammock, went to the zoo and Luke perfected his cast netting skills, catching shad off his parent’s dock.

After 2 1/2 weeks on the road, we returned home to find that autumn had come while we were away! Our tiny maple tree is dressed in a beautiful coat of yellow and snow is creeping its way down the mountains. On our last day in Georgia, Luke and I were taking a sunny walk in our sandals and shorts and I said, “Honey, we need to remember this moment, because its going to be a long time before we get to do this again.” Despite the cooler weather, Dorothy had it right; There’s no place like home.

Low- Atlanta airport, just moments before we needed to board our flight to Seattle, when I realized I’d lost Owen’s diaper bag...

High- The beautiful airport custodian who found the diaper bag about 30 minutes prior to my realization that I’d lost it, and just happened to ask us if it was ours... Thank you, God!

Luke Update: Its fall, so that means that once again, Luke is Mr. Mom-ing it while dreaming of hunting. After a summer of guiding fishermen and 2 weeks with an egotistical, high-strung would-be moose hunter, I think Luke is ready for some time off of work. He and Owen are settling into a rhythm: walking dolly, going to Costco, and they even checked out “Toddler Time” at a near-by gym. I think the fact that Owen is a little more independent and can verbally express himself makes the father/son time more enjoyable for all involved. Once Saturday rolls around, however, Luke quickly switches into “weekend warrior” mode. This weekend, he met up with his deer-crazed buddy, John for an alpine hunt on Admiralty Island. The report was cold and wet conditions and no deer sightings.

Owen Update: I know I’m a first-time mom and I think everything my kid does is incredible, but while we were traveling, I got some validation that the amount of words coming out of Owen’s mouth are impressive indeed. When we were on our never-ending flight from Atlanta to Seattle, Owen quickly realized that when people had to go to the bathroom, they got to get out of their seats. He kept saying, “Poopy, mommy. Go potty! Change pants right now!” ...and he wasn’t even poopy, sneaky kid! I came home from work one day this week to “Mommy! Mommy wooking. Tome in. Tome inside Owen’s house. Take off tote, mommy. Tome in house.” All I could think about was that Owen seemed so much bigger then when I’d left that morning, and he was so stinking cute. Probably the cutest little person in the world.

O.K. Time to get caught up on all the pictures you've missed out on the past 3 weeks....

Self portrait.

Alaska Penninsula in the background.

Caribou racks

Visiting our friends the Vidmars, formerly of Juneau

Megan and the pumpkins

Man! Pumpkins are heavy!

First ever pony ride.

I think its safe to say he liked it!

mom and dad with little miss birthday

Mr. Nonsense

My handsome husband

Party Animals!

The entire Kolden crew!

Swimming with Uncle Tristian and T-Rex

Birthday princess

Driving the boat with Grandpa

Gotta love shad fishing at twilight

Owen and the Komodo Dragon

the petting zoo

Future pilot.

He threw the biggest fit when I broke the news to him

that he couldn't ride in the jump seat.

Almost home!

One Year

Sarah’s Thoughts: I’m happy to announce that today marks the one year birthday of Mostly Owen! Over the past year, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with this blog. For the most part, I really love it and am happy with the final result. The hate part comes every Sunday when I sit down to write. I get the same feeling before exercising, attending an organized event or reading my bible. When I’m finished, I know I’ll be happy that I did it, but getting myself started is always a struggle. What is it about obligation that turns something good, and enjoyable into something you dread? In this case, I think its the two hours that it takes me to complete an entry and the mental stretching and reflection required. My motivation comes from the desire not to disappoint the faithful little flock of blog readers out there. So here’s to you, my readers, my inspiration. Thank you for your encouragement, and your faithfulness!

P.S. Keep updated on the progress of Christian’s house project with the Kristen’s blog - www.koldenhouse.blogspot.com

Low- Friday morning, 7am call from my daycare provider that she couldn’t watch Owen... Thank goodness for Lela!

High- Surprise email from Luke and my dinner date with Christian, Kristen, and Tim

Luke Update: After not hearing from my mighty hunter for 1 1/2 weeks, I checked my email this morning and discovered this little beauty:

“I’m back... Man, the only things that come to mind are I MISS MY FAMILY and I'm so glad to have sent my hunter home (mooseless). Too much to say on email but in short the hunter I had was a real piece of work. I called in several bulls but they weren't what we were looking for. Had a nice bull just slightly out of rifle range yesterday after a stalk that took us nearly 7 hrs through some of the ugliest alder thickets I've ever seen. The bull was bedded down one minute, got the rifle ready, then he was gone. Got $700 for a tip so that's not bad at all. Much to tell but there's a line forming for the computer. I love you so much.”

He's flying home Wednesday morning.

Owen Update: We had the opportunity to go swimming at the pool last week and I have to say, my boy loves the water. He was jumping in with one of those cheap inflatable tubes around his waist. No fear. No mommy catching him. Not just a tiny hop , but a full-on, head disappearing briefly underwater jump. I’m thankful I don’t have a kid who is scared of the water because I don’t know that the swimmer in me could patiently handle that kind of apprehension. Our trip to the pool was in conjunction with a birthday party. Owen had a great time and now, he finally gets the fact that birthdays and parties and presents are fun and exciting. I was talking to him about our upcoming trip and telling him about how we were going to celebrate Great Grandma’s birthday and there was going to be cousins and a party and swimming. He could hardly contain himself. Look out, Great Grandma! You have one excited two-year-old who is ready to party and is headed your way!

I'm relying on the camera built into the computer and friend's pictures this week...

For some reason I always lean forward when I have Owen on my back...

he's just such a big boy!

Walking at Dredge Lake with my matching friend, Rachel-

matching Ergobaby carriers and 90th percentile 2 year olds.

dream come true.

loving the dirt pile

freshly bathed

Owen with his hearing protection.

I don't know if he loves wearing these muffs

just because he likes accessories (which he does)

or if he likes making me talk in a REALLY LOUD voice ...

When the Cat's Away...

Sarah’s Thoughts: I’m going to reveal some secrets because I don’t think my grandma reads my blog. If you do, Grandma, take this opportunity to do the right thing and skip this week’s entry. So, for everyone else, my grandma is turning 90 in 3 weeks so we are going to throw a surprise birthday party for her in North Dakota. We have all kinds of games and activities planned and I thought it would be fun to have t-shirts. I had the intention of having them professionally made, but the steep sticker price combined with the lack of a good design, prompted me to make them myself. I called my friend, Rachel for some pointers, visited Joanne’s for supplies and haven’t stopped cutting and painting since. I have to admit, I’ve been having a lot of fun. This was just the project I was needing to keep me busy while Luke is gone and the weather is rapidly deteriorating. I’ve posted a couple samples below.

P.S. Luke has our camera on his hunting trip, so I’ll be scrounging for pictures to post the next few weeks.

Low- First cold of the season

High- All the progress on my t-shirt project

Luke Update: After Luke got checked in at the airport, we went out for dinner and I asked him to describe the typical day while guiding a moose hunter. He said the alarm goes off before light. The tent is cold, but luckily he’s already prepped the coffee and positioned the stove in such a way that he can turn it on from the comfort of his sleeping bag. After getting dressed, making breakfast for his hunter and getting things ready for the day, he and his hunter head out to a find a look-out spot. They set up moose attracting tools and high-powered optics. As the sun rises, they scour the landscape for 50+ antler racks and simulate moose sounds with the hopes of drawing in a trophy bull. This activity goes on all day. When the light begins to fade, they head back to camp for supper and sleep. Some days, they find the bush plane made a stop and left a package of cookies or jar of peanut butter. After dinner, Luke preps the coffee for the next day and makes sure the stove is just in arms reach before turning in for the night. Now I can’t be sure, but this just might be what Luke has been up to.

Owen Update: The very second Luke left town, Owen came down with a cold. No fever, he only seems to be a runny nose, but its left the poor kid feeling very sensitive. He can’t handle the word, “no” or anything that might be contradictory to his plans. Any hint of mutiny and he dissolves into a blubbering heap of snotty weeping. Example: We went to visit my brother at his new house. When it was time to go, I was trying to get everyone back into car. The problem was that whenever Dolly hopped into the car, so did Chachi (Christian’s dog) and when Chachi hopped out, Dolly was right behind him. The very thought of leaving Chachi behind was too much for Owen, and with a red, wet face, he led a loud protest. After several unsuccessful attempts at separating the dogs and at trying to explain to Owen that we couldn’t bring Chachi home, Chachi spent the rest of the day at our house. Luke wasn't there to help, and so I decided that sometimes, giving in is O.K.

Owen and our next door neighbor, baby Jordan

"Mr. Bump" belongs to Christian

for his constant stream of injuries

Little Miss Sunshine belongs to my Aunt Sandy

always encouraging and positive

Already September!

Sarah’s Thoughts: My cousin, Jason, has been working in the cruise ship realm for a number of years. Last week, he hooked my brother, Kristen and Luke and I up with dinner aboard one of the ships. We got dressed up, kissed Owen good-bye and boarded the Zuiderdam to see how the other half live. Besides the extravagantly decorated elevators and crew members at your beck and call, I was especially struck by the excessive number of Purell dispensers. As we were standing in line to board the ship, there was a crew member with a enormous udder of the disinfectant, squirting a dab into each persons outstretched hands. It felt a little bit end-of-the-world-ish... Like we were this remnant of the human race that survived a catastrophic epidemic and now we were trying to live normally, but had this ever-present fear of another outbreak... we must always disinfect. Always. Dinner was delicious. We enjoyed our view of Douglas Island along with a complementary bottle of wine and a very attentive wait staff. After a brief tour around the ship, we sped off to Costco for a right-before-closing power-shop session. Nice little Monday.

Low- Realizing that as of Wednesday, I’ll be on my own for 2 weeks.

High- Unexpected 65 degree September Saturday and time with my folks

Luke Update: It was a big week. Luke officially hung up his guiding waders for the 2009 season and is currently creating a pile of gear to take with him on his moose trip up north. He takes off Wednesday night and then when he gets back, he’ll have a day and a half before we leave on a trip south. All this upcoming traveling means that if we’re going to have any smoked coho salmon in the freezer this winter, now is the time to catch them. Luke has been out a few times over the past week for salmon and halibut without much luck. He did manage to score some pity halibut so we were able to enjoy some halibut curry for the first time this year.... Ah! So much to catch, so little time...

Owen Update: I wish I could paint a picture for you of the amazing number of words that flow from Owen’s mouth. Whether it’s “Pterodactyl” or “Mama, I want to take a bath with dinos too,” nothing is to difficult for him. I use to sing this “clean-up” song to Owen whenever we were straightening up his room. I stopped singing it months ago because it didn’t seem like he was really catching on. Yesterday, we were picking up toys and Owen started singing the song. I was amazed. He’s like this person who has been in a coma. I’ve been talking to him and singing to him, not thinking he was really hearing or understanding anything. Then all of a sudden, he’s coming out of the coma and I realize that he heard and remembers everything. I’m sure all of you that have kids are saying, “yes, we remember that phase.” Still, daily I’m awed by my incredible boy.

Taking advantage of a free ride up Uncle Christian's new driveway

The classic "up to no good" look

Christian's newly purchased house

Melting a down-rigger weight into molten led for bullets

Owen's "Deadliest Catch" pose

Taking "Tops" for a little spin on the old Red Flyer

And now for a little peek at dinner with the Koldens

Note, Christian in prime form

Grandpa Roger

Chrsitian and his mother. Classic pose

Boys that make their mother's hearts surge with pride

Christian and Kristen.

This and that

Sarah’s Thoughts: I’m not sure what happened this week. Its all sort of a blur. Work was draining and the rain hasn’t stopped. It rained so hard last weekend that all the lakes and streams flooded onto the roads. I didn’t take one picture this week, so I’ve compiled a few oldies and a couple recent photos taken by Owen’s various daycare providers this summer. I’m looking forward to a trip at the end of September and pressing onto the holidays... besides that, I’m feeling blah. Rain, rain, go away.

Low- burrr!

High- Looking forward to a last-minute visit from my parents this week!

Luke Update: Luke is starting his last big push of fishing trips. Today he completed the first of 6 days in a row. He has just 2 trips booked for next week and then is officially finished for the 2009 season! Yipee! Today’s fish report was seriously thinning numbers of salmon at his go-to creek, so hopefully, the weather will cooperate and he’ll be able to reach some other streams for the remainder of his trips. Here’s a little trivia: Before Luke started his business, he worked for another outfit for 6 years doing similar trips via float plane. This is his 6th season operating Sea Runner Guide Service... Also, if he’s able to complete the remainder of his trips, that will make 60 for this season, which is an all-time record. I just realized that’s a lot of 6’s... Hmmmm...

Owen Update: This weekend, Owen has expanded his palate, experiencing 2 new beverages. The first was hot chocolate. Two thumbs up. I’m sure most of you are thinking, “duh,” but our boy is not a big lover of sweets. He’d much rather have an apple then a cookie. Weird, I know. Today after nap time, I made Owen some hot chocolate in the special walrus mug that I use to drink hot chocolate out of when I was a little girl and he slurped it down, wanting more! Maybe it was just the mug? The second beverage, got two thumbs down which is probably a good thing... At a wedding this weekend, we took Owen with us to the beverage station to pick out our special drinks (beer). For some reason, he NEEDED my beer. Big, fat tears, red face, dolphin kicking, crying and crying for a good 5 minutes. People around us were pretending not to notice, the whole scene was a bit embarasing... I tried to offer him pop corn, punch, a dinosaur, but nothing was working. Finally, I thought, “Fine. I’m just going to give him a sip and he’ll realize he doesn’t want it.” Sure enough, one little taste and he decided that the punch wasn’t so bad. Silly boy!

loving the hose

Owen at the beach with his day care buddies + some others friends

(Owen is right in the middle with the red jacket.

His little blonde twin next to him is, Zander- the one he bit.)

all zipped up with mama

Owen, Bailey, and the Greats (Yia Yia and Grandma)

checking out daddy

baby owen at the boy scout camp beach

...the old man is snoring...

Sarah’s Thoughts: The big news this week is that Luke and I became home owners. Since we’ve been married, we’ve rented our house from Luke’s parents with the intension of buying it someday. Low interest rates and the $8000.00 tax credit for first time home owners made it all possible, along with an extremely generous deal from Luke’s parents (thanks Steve and Cathy!). The whole thing was a bit anti-climactic, however, since we’ve been living in the house for the past 5 years. It would be nice to mark this milestone by making some sort of improvement, like installing a hot tub or replacing the carpet or repainting the outside of the house... but now that we’re paying $600.00 more each month, I think that instead we’re going to hunker down and try not to spend anything! Maybe I’ll just finally have a party instead...

Low- Its raining, its pouring... Luke says that fall is here. I vehemently oppose this statement, but secretly, I know he’s right.

High- Baby Jordyn! He was born right next-door (home birth) to our neighbors, Bob and Amy last wednesday. Welcome to the neighborhood, little guy!

Luke Update: Its mid-August already and Luke’s fishing season is winding down. He only has a handful of trips left, although Luke’s guiding won’t end there. He’s heading up to western Alaska to guide moose hunters for 2 weeks in September. The outfit is called “Cinder River” and the patrons pay a handsome price for their chance at a monster bull. Luke guided for Cinder River Lodge one other time, before Owen was born. He was paired with one hunter and dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a tent and supplies. Periodically, a pilot from the “lodge” would check in and drop off supplies but for the most part, they were on their own. The whole thing is very remote and I won’t get to talk to him for the duration. I think he’s excited about the adventure, but already getting nervous about missing us. I’m getting nervous about 2 weeks by myself with Owen and Dolly. At least its not snowing yet!

Owen Update: Last Tuesday, I went to pick Owen up from daycare and Leanne, his daycare provider, said, “Owen had to sit in time-out today because he bit Zander.” Sadly, this wasn’t shocking to me. He’s bit before. The biting is never fueled by anger or malice but done playfully. Regardless, he bites hard and usually leaves his victims in tears. When we arrived at home, Luke took Owen out of his car seat and asked about his day. I said, “Owen, can you tell Daddy what you did to Zander?” He looked at Luke and almost whispered, “bite Zander”. I don’t know if it was the time out that left the impression on his brain, or if I don’t give his memory enough credit, but I was amazed that he remembered what he’d done, understood my question and verbally answered. Several times over the next few days, we talked about how its not O.K. to bite and how he hurt his friend. Lately, I’ve noticed him catch himself pre-bite and choose to back off, so I know its all sinking in, but if you find yourself playing with Owen, best keep an eye on those chompers!

for some reason, the laundry basket was the

choice of refuge from the tickle-monster

Rasta boy

sporting a new rain jacket on a soggy day

Owen reminding me of a Who

from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Baby Jordyn and his mama, Amy