Day 31: Dog Walk

Owen just got this toy from Auntie Robin and Uncle Matt. He likes taking it for walks around the house, and he says, "Good doggie."

Day 30: Cuddly Friends

My class filled up their marble jar, and this was the reward they came up with: come to school in their pajamas and bring a stuffed animal. I just don't understand what's so fun about wearing pajamas to school, but hey, at least it made them happy and was easy for me!

Day 29: Playing at the Park

We spent a whole hour at the park, but I guess it doesn't matter how long we stay- Owen is never ready to leave. I'm amazed at how much more Owen can do at the park now. Not too long ago I had to follow him everywhere and lift him up to reach everything. Now he's climbing on his own, playing with the big kids, and he's quite the daredevil when it comes to going down the big-kid slides.

Day 28: Grandpa Paul and Owen Paul

Owen and his grandpa

Day 27: Run, Run, Run!

Marley and Pancho were running around in the backyard, and Owen got a kick out of it. This is him watching the action and saying, "Ooooh!"

Day 26: Looking Glass Land

The play has been cast, now it's time to start thinking about set design...

Day 25: Zephyr

Owen lasted about 45 minutes at the restaurant before squirming out of the high chair-- not bad! It was a nice (albeit rushed) dinner with Uncle Dustin and Lindalola, but Owen had much more fun running around outside.

Day 24: Lily

a lily from the bouquet our house guest brought for me (thanks, Brian)

Day 23: Building Blocks

Owen: "Mommy, I bidding someting wif bocks!"

Day 22: Monkeying Around

My dad got this singing sock monkey for Christmas. It sings Jingle Bells and makes screeching monkey sounds, and it only has one volume- extra loud. Owen thinks it's hilarious.

Day 21: Hulk Smash

Some of Owen's action figures (Hulk, Odin, and Robin), which he lined up on the ottoman to play with on this rainy Saturday

Day 20: Raindrops

I keep hearing about how we haven't had enough rain this year, but I didn't realize how dry it's actually been. Then this morning when my class looked back on our weather graphs for the year we saw that this was only the fourth rainy day since September. So here is my Day 20 photo, raindrops on my car, in honor of the much needed rain.

Day 19: Wonderful Things

This is a Get Well Soon card for my mom, who had surgery today. I just really liked the message on the card-- refreshing, exciting, and hopeful.

Day 18: Bathtime Buddies

Owen loves bath time! His favorite bath toys are his foam Yo Gabba Gabbas and his Star Wars toys. Right before I took this shot, he said of C3PO, "I love him." Definitely his father's son.

Day 17: Pink Sunset

Day 16: Cozy

Supposed to be pretty cold tonight... (well, for the Bay Area, anyway)

Day 15: Meerkat Tunnel

We are really making use of our Oakland Zoo membership! Today's new discovery was the meerkat tunnel. We didn't see any meerkats, but Owen saw lots of birds, and that was just as exciting for him.

Day 14: Pocket Radio

He was sick, tired, and cranky, but he still did everything he could to avoid his nap. (That's my old "Pocket Radio" he's holding-- a wind-up music box that plays "It's a Small World.")

Day 13: Morning Moon

Day 12: Little Feet

Day 11: Playtime

Playing with his animal magnets-- this is one of the things Owen likes to do while I make dinner. (In a few short seconds, these magnets will be all over the floor.)

Day 10: California Winter

Weather in the 60s again today. Is it really winter?

Day 9: Feelings

Owen is learning how to articulate his moods. Today at dinnertime I told him to make all kinds of fun faces, and this is what we got.

Day 8: Lime

Day 7: Gratitude

Christmas gift thank you notes- done!

Day 6: Future Artist?!?!

Owen is deep in thought with his coloring.

Day 5: My Favorite Shoes

Day 4: Bathtime Baby

The bathroom towels were in the wash, so we used Owen's ducky towel. He refused to take it off, even after his pjs were on, but it was too long. We had to tie it up in a big knot in the front and the back, and he stopped tripping on it.

Day 3: Zucchini

Day 2: Taking a Break

This was another fun trip to the park, but after the long holiday weekend, Owen (maybe for the first time ever) needed to sit down and rest for a few minutes.

Day 1: Happy New Year!

New Year's Day 2012 began in Quincy at the Gallaghers'. That morning Owen was playing with Jakodi in her room. They would turn the white noise machine on and off and on and off and squeal with laughter! Here they were about to jump on the bed.