I have to say, I’m very proud of how his choo-choo cake turned out. Owen recognized it immediately as a choo-choo cake and that was all I needed. It was pretty fun to do – I liked the fact that it had so many extra details like the cookie wheels and cookie tracks, ice cream cone funnel and cotton candy steam, pretzel car connectors, and even coconut grass! Not sure if I’m ever going to attempt a cake like this again, but now I can say I once made a cute choo-choo cake!
August 24, 2010 - Owen turns 2!
The morning of his birthday, Owen got to walk down the stairs straight into his train set. I love watching that little boy’s eyes light up when he sees something he likes. It’s probably a good thing that Steve and I aren’t millionaires or he would be seriously spoiled. We played with that for a long time until Nana arrived and we opened even more gifts. Owen got so much great stuff this year. He got a Radio Flyer My First Scooter and Big Flyer (big wheel), a garbage truck, a LeapFrog Laptop, a fire truck and a Play-Doh set from Mom and Dad. Nana gave him a play tent, a helicopter, a roller bag/backpack in the shape of an airplane and an activity table with chairs. Uncle Michael, Aunt Kelly and Cousin Audrey gave him a choo-choo video all about real trains.
This was our 3rd trip there (Nana's 1st) so Owen pretty much knows the drill, but we were still able to incorporate a couple new experiences into the day. We did the old standby’s – the mini steam train which is probably Owen’s favorite thing at the park. 
The pedal cars (sitting on Dad’s lap) are always fun. Playing in the old fire engine and school bus never gets old – Nana even snuck a kiss in through the window of the fire truck! 
Driving the antique cars is probably Owen’s 2nd favorite part, however the park was busier this day than it usually is when we go so we weren’t able to ride them over and over (Owen was sad about that.) 
For a change of pace, Owen rode the spring horses for the first time – he seemed to like them! Dad rode the pumpkin ride with him (think Dumbo ride at Disneyland, but pumpkins.) Mom rode the barrel ride (think teacups, but barrels) and this ride was probably Owen’s least favorite (Mom’s too.) Barf-o-rama. Thankfully, Owen only wanted to ride that one once!
Sometimes having a dad as a pilot means that mom has to step in and cultivate a boy's interest even if it means she might be the odd man (or woman) out.
Snoqualmie is a cute little mountain town east of Seattle. There is an old train that runs from Snoqualmie to North Bend. Owen (as we know) is in a major choo-choo phase. My thought was that at this event, there would be lots of trains for Owen to look at. Turns out, there is only one train and that train was taking trips back and forth to North Bend all day. So if you wanted to see the choo-choo, you really need to be riding it.
After the parade, it was our turn for the train ride. I was a little concerned that Owen would get bored 2 minutes after we departed (it's a 45 minute ride) but he loved every second of it. He was stoked he got to sit in his own chair. He was glued to the window on the lookout for "ding dings" (railroad crossing signals which are his favorite part about trains.) When there was a lull in the action, he met a little girl who was sitting in front of him and they had fun playing peek-a-boo over the seat.
Owen is a little like his mom in the sweets department. Likes them, but isn't ruled by them (although lately, I have found myself back in the sweet saddle.) However, we have found his sweet kryptonite. Ice cream! Owen loves him some ice cream. Nana came over for dinner a few weeks ago and as a treat, we decided to take Owen to Baskin Robbins for dessert. 
Nana said it was "her treat" so I didn't even take the diaper bag (foreshadowing) and we jumped in the car and headed out. We got there and the place didn't have any high chairs. Turns out, ice cream keeps Owen sitting in a big boy chair until the very last lick!
We got him one of the clown cones which is actually kind of gross, but it was frozen so hard, it was easier for Owen to eat. He was definitely a dainty eater -- he never really went in for the kill. We had to teach him how to lick the cone and even then, he took baby little licks. He ate so slowly that eventually all the ice cream started melting...and dripping...and falling. Right about this time was when I realized I didn't bring the diaper bag which means I didn't bring any wipes to clean up. Have you ever been to a Baskin Robbins? Do you know the teensy tiny little napkins they have there? Like barbie doll size? This is what I had to use to mop up all the drippy melty ice cream. They didn't have a bathroom either, so lesson learned on this one.
After breakfast, we headed down to Tacoma to Kelly and Tim Mulligan's house. They were nice enough to invite us over for the big Tacoma air show which is directly in front of their house. They have the most beautiful view of the Port of Tacoma and the planes flew by us at eye level for 2 hours. I wasn't sure how long they would hold Owen's attention, but it turns out - they held his attention for 2 hours (he would have sat there all day if the show hadn't ended.) He LOVED it. Like all air shows, they started off with the smaller planes doing lots of acrobatics. Owen learned how to say "upside down" and shocked me by recreating the plane's path with his hands. It looks a little Tai Chi-ish, but he was very deliberate in using his hands to reenact the acrobatics. 
After the smaller planes, came the LOUD planes. A couple fighter jets were included in the show and I have to confess, they were the reason I love air shows. I love the fast and the loud so I was determined to make sure that Owen thought they were cool and not scary. I didn't have anything to worry about...I think he was intrigued by how excited everyone else was about the planes, but when the loud engines roared across our heads he looked at me - I shouted YAY! - and he clapped. This turned into every time the jet passed in front of us, he would clap and look at everyone else to make sure they were clapping. He did make me laugh by needing to be sitting in the plastic green chair whenever the jet came close. He would get down and someone would say, "Look! It's coming!" and Owen would say, "sit? sit? sit?" and he would run to the chair like it was game of musical chairs and he would be "out" if the plane came and he wasn't sitting. 
The end of the show closed with a C-17 doing slow flybys which Owen decided was tame enough for him to eat a little watermelon snack while he watched (there was definitely no time to eat during the jets!) It is always a great time with the Boyd/Mulligan family, but the addition of the airplanes was a big time bonus for Owen. We also were able to get the first picture of Owen and cutie-pie Finn together! It's only taken 10 months, so hopefully we'll beat our record the next time. 
After the air show, it was time for Owen's nap so while he slept - Nana went to the store to buy groceries for dinner. Yes, on Nana's birthday she shopped for her birthday dinner, bought her own birthday cake, cooked her own birthday dinner and did all the dishes. I do feel a little guilty but I also know that my laziness due to new mommy-ness is temporary. I would have happily ordered takeout!!!
You might remember Owen’s first mini-concert back in December – it didn’t go so well. I was hoping that Elmo might hold his attention better than Lisa and Linda. 
We made it through about 20 minutes of the 2nd half when Owen decided he wasn’t too interested in the show anymore. This was ok, because it was an awful long time for a 1 year old to sit still and pay attention. We left (along with quite a few other parents of little ones) and finished off our morning with lunch at a Mexican restaurant (because it was Cinco De Mayo!) All in all, a great first “real” concert!
