Happy Halloween

Our tall, gentle giant was a giraffe for Halloween this year, and oh what a giraffe he was!...he was even picking up leaves, just as the real animal would have (luckily, I don't think any were ingested by my giraffe). The local towns designed Saturday as the night to trick-or-treat. So after an afternoon spent running (or speed walking with a stroller on our case) for a Hash House Harriers-style benefit run, Owen donned his costume and I threw together a semi-plausible "Safari Guide - Giraffe specialty" outfit and we headed over to a friend's house to help pass out candy and see all the other local kids in their costumes. Here's a play by play:

Sebastian the Bee greets Owen the Giraffe
The Safari Guide and the Giraffe (who has a runny nose)A tired Giraffe lounges in a chair and eats a pizza crust

(for more photos, check out the album I just posted on Facebook)

Moving week

We successfully made the move to our new house last weekend and we're starting to settle in. Still no artwork on walls, and we have lots of fragile stuff still in boxes until we get cabinets and shelves on which to put them, but all the essentials are unpacked. Owen has been enjoying the ample carpeting and the spacious play areas. Here's a quick tour:

Living room, looking into dining room
Dining room, which we painted a coppery/adobe color Kitchen, looking toward the family room (yellow color was already there; we intend to change it when we get around to messing with the kitchen)Owen's bedroom, which Papa Dusty painted for him - the wall color I picked is called Iceberg, and it's the prettiest shade of pale blue. Nate took off on Thursday for an annual deer hunt at Pungo National Wildlife Refuge (2.5 hours north of here) that he's missed the past two years. I joked to him, "Don't come back unless you get a deer" - but he made good on the promise and shot a 91 lb. doe, so we have fresh venison in the freezer!

Owen is attempting to master the fork these days - he can get food into his mouth no problem if you help him stab it, but it may be some time still before he can acquire the food on the fork by himself....



Here is a video of some recent standing practice:

Busy on the home front

It has been a busy few weeks. Nate left for his last research cruise of the year on Oct 12 and will return to us on Saturday. His parents came to town just before his departure so that they could see their son for a brief spell, bringing with them some furniture and books that belong to Nate. For the rest of their visit, they were wonderful company for Owen and me. Papa Dusty kept himself busy with all sorts of stuff around the new house: painting, rerouting the dryer vent, replacing deck screws, trimming trees and shrubs, etc. He also got to get in a couple of fishing trips - offshore for wahoo (rough seas made for a long day, but the fish was delicious!) and in the estuary for red drum. Grandma Pam and I kept Owen entertained and occupied. Owen and I had a few days to ourselves and then yesterday, my good friend Emma flew in for a visit. We are enjoying her company immensely. Nate returns on Saturday, and we'll rent a truck and move on Sunday (with the help of friends). I can't wait for the quieter days of winter...

Here are pictures of our young reader with his books, and his buddy Aaron.Lastly, Owen wanted to make sure that his upcoming Halloween costume fits - we think it's the perfect costume for our gentle giant. I'm sure Aunt Rosie will agree, he, he, he....

Busy week

It's been a busy week around here. Aunt Rosie and Rachel came for a quick visit this past weekend. We had a fish taco feast on Sun. night, and they taught Owen some rugby moves with his new rugby ball. We loved having you here, R & R - thanks for making the out-of-the-way trip!

On Wed., Jacqui and Porter (now 2.5 months old) and Jenny came over for lunch - here is Owen inspecting his newest little buddy while "Aunt Jenny" holds him. Soon, Porter will get to meet his Newfoundland grandparents - safe travels, Ed and Ada.


And yesterday, we became homeowners!!!! We bought a white Cape Cod style house in Morehead City. I baked a celebratory apple pie and packed up a picnic dinner last night and we all spent a few hours hanging out in our new abode. We are eager to move in, but with Nate departing next week on his last research cruise of the year, it probably won't happen for a few more weeks. Until then, we'll be heading over regularly (and can receive mail, etc). Our new address is 2003 Jersey Street, Morehead City NC 28557. And you can write it in pen, we plan to stay a while!



We look forward to the arrival of Grandma Pam and Papa Dusty on Sunday - they'll be our first official new house guests.

Parting shot: a brief standing-on-his-own moment on the futon

Crawling practice

Owen continues his daily workout routine of rocking back and forth on hands and knees, to try and figure out how to coordinate his extra long torso into some forward motion....Here is some video action (we think he's getting close!):