Global warming … er, climate change, central american economic interference, despots, and artificial price ceilings be damned:

It’s -11 outside, and I’m eating a ripe banana. We are the best monkeys with tools, EVER.

Anna also got a robe, which Owen wears/has more than Anna does because he likes how soft it is.

… it’s about time to post some Christmas pictures.

Owen got a rocking dinosaur from Santa for Christmas. Santa didn’t know that it had buttons that played crappy, tinny sounding music – but it sure does!

I know just about every parent says it – but the kid has too many toys. His current fascination is trains, or as you’re aware that kids call them – “choo choos”.

This was apparently the hot toy to have this season, and pop-pop took care of it for Owen. It’s a creepy animatronic Mickey that dances and sings.

I asked him to draw a sunset.

After a while, we started to wonder if we had any presents under the tree. Here’s my bride trying to find one for me.

Then Owen became obsessed with bows, which he called ’stars’. There’s a pattern of finding these and being more with them than his actual presents.

Pop-pop also got him a book that ’sings’ Christmas songs. It has buttons, which means that we got to hear a lot of Christmas songs.

As you can see, daddy got a cool sauce container/brush combo – which Owen likes to play with.

And a medium sized jug of Tabasco.

And Owen hasn’t quite figured out how to put lip balm on yet.

Something he finally appreciates – he loves books, and got a few for Christmas. When these were opened he wanted them to be read to him immediately. Many times.

Luke diligently stands by to save us from any savage ribbons.

Daddy got Owen a stomp rocket, which he promptly ripped the fins off of.

My sweet Capitals hat.

Hey look, Anna got a present!

Then, with a room full of toys, “stars”, wrapping paper, and presents – Owen opened this gift, which has an orange monster bowl and spoon. He immediately demanded Cheerios to eat out of the bowl, and sat there for a while trying to use the spoon with middling success.

And finally, Owen got new crocs and a sweet hat. It’s neat to go out and about with my son in his monster hat and me in my fancy Capitals hat.

It’s not really a tradition, but this weekend I decided I wanted to try and make gingerbread cookies and have the boy help me out. It went about as well as you could expect when you have a toddler “helping”.

I like this photo because I don’t know what he’s doing – but he’s very focused on whatever it is he thinks he is doing.

He also helped ice the cookies, which I have video of. Again, your imagination of how that went probably isn’t much different than what really happened. I’ll have to post the video later.

Perfect!

Club seats.  I think I paid for tickets one time since we’ve lived here.

Halloween went very well – both boys enjoyed trick or treating, and by the last couple of houses had figured out the bowl to candy to bag and/or mouth exchange. And were also very tired.

Owen was funny because every time somebody opened their door to greet the trick-or-treaters, he’d bolt into their house and start climbing up and down their stairs. That’s what he likes to do.

Last night was a fun one, because Owen woke up at 2 AM vomiting. Good times, that. We’re fortunate, really. In almost nineteen months, this is the first time that it has happened, at least to this scale.

So here are a bunch of pictures, to include eighteen month pictures which are now almost a month late.

In this particular picture, I was canning something, so our pressure cooker was venting off steam every ten minutes or so. This is the first thing to our knowledge that scared him to the point where he was actually shaking. He doesn’t care for the pressure cooker.

At the Great American Beerfest, they gave away empty Oskar Blues cans attached to beads. The idea was that you could carry your little taster glass in these empty can necklaces. Owen ripped the beads off of the cans, and are one of his most favorite things in the house. If his beads are in sight, he’ll squeal “BEEEEEAD” and run to them, grab them, and put them on. Like in this picture, where it was bath time, and he saw his beads that I had to take off of him in order to get him undressed.

This past Sunday, I was winterizing our irrigation system. Owen ran around the neighborhood while I did this, and Anna followed him with a camera. One of the mini-adventures needs no caption:

Finally, you might note that these aren’t his shoes.

Hopefully he’ll feel better today.

Hey, pictures while the memories are still fresh!  What a novel idea. Clicksies on the pictures for a link to the albums. I would appreciate any pictures you have as well, or I can just look at them through Anna’s facebook page.

So, we’re on va-cay finally.  I have time to sit down and link to the … thousand or so photos that we’ve collected.

Troy – all those times Anna gave you crap about not posting pictures or updating?  Yeah?  Screw her.

Warning:  so many pictures.

Fourth of July at Northern Neck, followed by more Fourth of July at Northern Neck.  He’s on a boat, you see.

Owen rediscovered the Bumbo.

Surprise, more pictures of Owen in the best child toy ever created.

A Cuchara weekend.  And more from Cuchara.

And one for posterity: