My Friend Natalie's Baptism

Hi everybody! I just got back from my friend Natalie's baptism. Here are some pictures from my trip!


We took a plane to get to Tampa, Florida. Let it be known that I am a seasoned traveler. Including this trip, I've been on 6 plane rides, and I've never had a meltdown or anything! I just sleep, or smile at the other passengers. Or poop on my mom.

You might be wondering who this Natalie person is. So, this is Natalie:


We're best friends. Natalie's dad and my dad have been best friends since they were 13, so that makes us automatic best friends. And someday . . . A COUPLE?:

I like the idea of Natalie being my girlfriend, but she's still getting used to it, apparently.

Baby exchange! We had so much fun -- and I love my Unkie Chad! Can you tell?:


He taught me a bunch of new games that make me smile. And then my dad and Unkie Chad decided Natalie and I should kiss each other. We were, after all, bred for mating:

I like the idea of Natalie being my girlfriend, but she's still getting used to it. So, later that night, I put the moves on her while she tried to make a phone call.


Shot down. I like the idea of Natalie being my girlfriend, but she's still getting used to it. She'll come around.


But my dad loves her. She is, after all, his goddaughter now. Oh, yeah -- almost forgot. Natalie got baptized. And Unkie Chad and my dad sang a song. And then there were snacks.

We flew back to Minneapolis, and the temperature dropped like, 70 degrees! I couldn't figure out what was going on. And get this - I was wearing the same clothes as the first flight! . . . ok, so both pictures are from the same day.


Ok, bye.

News Flash

Attention, everyone. Are you listening inside that silver Daddy-box? This just in:



I am bananas. Bananas about bananas:


I've been eating vegetables, and they're ok. I'll eat peas, or squash. If you give me sweet potatoes, I'll probably eat the whole thing.

But if you give me bananas, look out, mister. I'll plow through that thing like a '46 Ford through a time-traveling DeLorean.

I'm also thinking about setting up a facebook account. Don't worry - my computer usage is closely, parentally monitored:


And in case you were wondering, yes, that's me sitting up. I'm pretty good at it.

- Owen

Update

Hi. I haven't blogged in a while, because Mommy and Daddy can't find their camera. But here's some stuff that I can do:

- Roll over. I'm getting better at this. Usually I can make it from my tummy to my back now.
- Sit up. Sort of. I usually fall over after a second, but I LOVE sitting up, so I stick my legs up in the air and try to do ab crunches.
- Stand up. Sort of. Sometimes my dad leans me up against the wall, and I just stand there, like I'm James Dean or something.
- Hold my bottle. Yesterday I ate 5 ounces, and I held it all by myself!
- Eat solid foods. I've started eating rice cereal. For a while I would just hold it in my mouth, and say, "What am I supposed to do with this?" But once I learned to swallow it, I really liked it.

I'm also growing teeth. It hurts. I love chewing on stuff.

My Babu came to visit this weekend, while my dad was in Wisconsin playing music. I love my Babu. That's all for now.

Owen

Update From Iowa

I'm at my Grandma and Grandpa Larson's house in Monticello . . . IOWA! Crazy.

We had a long car ride, and when we got here last night, I showed off for a little while, and then we went to bed.

When I woke up this morning, I wanted to show Grandma my neck muscles, so Daddy put me on my tummy. I laid there for about a minute, and then I had ENOUGH! So I tucked my arm under, and rolled onto my back!!! That's the first time I've ever done that.

Owen Takes Manhattan

My grandparents live in an apple. This is the truth as far as I can determine. I visited the apple, but it looked like a big noisy city, except for the part in the middle, where there are trees, and more sky.

My Babu got elected bishop (again). It's just like last time, except in New York, and I am alive this time, since it is not 12 years ago. So I got invited to the party.

We flew out there on an airplane, and I didn't sleep much, but I had a good time. It was just like a big buzzy-seat. My Babu na Bibi picked me up at the airport.

This is my Babu, before he got bishopped. He's just my regular Babu in this picture.

And here's my Bibi. This is my fancy special-occasion get-up. I am surprised that you are taking a picture of me. Or maybe I'm making my male-model face.

That's my Aunt Debbie. She's my Godmom. Oh, and my parents came on the trip, too, but no one paid attention to them. :)

Like I said, a lotta buildings. My Mom likes to pretend I'm looking at them, but let's be honest. My hand is awesome.

My favorite part was going through the park in the center of New York. If I could name it, it would be called, "Park in the middle." There's a lot of sky there, and I got to ride around in somebody else's stroller. Thanks, somebody else! (PS - "Ey, You lookin' at me?")

On the big day, we had a fancy brunch beforehand. There were a lot of bishops there. Iowa Bishops and New England Bishops, and New Jersey Bishops, and King of the Bishops. Mommy and Daddy got dressed up to meet them.


There was also good food, but I just had milk, thanks. This is my great-great-Aunt Carol. She's great.

And then it was time for a ceremony. I walked into the church in a procession with what seemed like every pastor in New York. My dad carried me. We stopped traffic! I was in a Pastor Parade, just like Nate Houge.


And I was good through the whole service! When it was over, my Babu wasn't my regular Babu. He was a Babu Askofu. But he's still my regular Babu.

We flew home RIGHT AWAY, and rode to the airport with the King of the Bishops Mark Hanson. And I slept on the plane for the whole time. I am a good kid. Mommy and Daddy got compliments from people on BOTH flights.

Since I got home, I've missed the attention. Sometimes I sneeze, and I think that's very funny. But usually I just yell, "HEY! WHYYY AREN'T YOU PLAYYYYYING WITH ME?" Then I laugh at Daddy, laughing at me.

What do you have to say, O?

                                                                                           by Mommy  

 I can proudly say, after 12 weeks, life is beginning to be back to normal at the Rimbo house. Not the normal it was before Owen, that phase of our lives is over. This new normal, with an adorable 3 month old son, is pretty great. 

   I know I'm terribly biased, but Owen is a fabulous baby. He's pretty laid back, doesn't cry much, and has a smile that can melt anyone's heart. Best part? He usually goes to bed between 8 and 9, and usually sleeps until 4 or 5. Awesome.

   His weeks are getting pretty busy- lots of playing on the playmat, snuggling with Mommy and Daddy, eating, sleeping, pooping. He does lots of riding around in the carseat- to church, houses of friends, school, and a few other places. Thank goodness he's used to being on the road! 

  I have to admit, he's pretty cute. He's also awake most of the day now, so we can capture some of the faces he makes.  Sometimes, it's almost as if we can figure out what he's trying to say.

           "What are you talking about, Daddy?"

  "Whoa, it just keeps going around and around...!"

  "I'm such a good boy I don't even mind that you put me in this goofy hat."

    "...or this one."

 "How long do I have to do this?This tummy time stuff is overrated."

  "Umm... I know you want me to go to sleep after this, but I have other ideas."

My Lunch With Rockstars

Yesterday (Wednesday) Owen came down with me to the Twin Cities to have lunch with the crew from Churchnoise.com. It was a great turnout -- Tangled Blue, Dave Scherer, The Halulas (Nica, Wes and Charlotte!), Jonathan and Svea Rundman, Troy from Lost and Found, and Micah Taylor. I'll spare you the boring details -- suffice to say the most interesting part of the lunch (for me, anyway) was Owen.

He was absolutely cordial and well-behaved, and we got to sit at the "kids table" with Svea and Charlotte, who are adorable. I think Owen might have a baby-crush on Svea. He seemed to remember her from last weekend. About half-way through the meal, Owen looked at Svea and said ". . . ohhh!" This was cute, but then he said it again. And again. And he carried on this conversation for about 20 minutes. "ohh! Ooohhh! WhoaaaaaaahhhhH!" I think he figured out that HE was the one making these noises, and he found that fascinating.

So, for the rest of the day, whenever he was awake, he was talking. At one point I started talking with him, copying his noises, and he thought that was the best thing ever.

We also went to the Mall of America to kill some time. Turns out, the MOA doesn't have strollers available for young infants. Does this seem strange to anyone else? The largest mall in North America doesn't want people walking around with their babies unless they bring their own strollers or the kid is able to sit upright?

I find it much easier to rail against this cause than to get involved with this whole "economy collapse."

Fall Festival!

Hi. Owen here.

Today was a two-party day for us Rimbos, and I ain't talking about politics (thank God). First we went to the Tietjen-house for breakfast. I was very well behaved, but Mom and Dad decided we should ditch before the group headed for the apple orchard. We knew we had another party to get to, and this one? Had a camera:


We arrived at the Rundman house, and lots of my friends were there, including the Houges, Micah and Caleb Taylor, and the Lindells! When it was time for the cake-walk, Paavo and Svea's mom announced there would be a super-group providing the music. I thought they had lined up the Traveling Wilburys, but it was just my dad, Nate, Micah, and Jonathan:

I can't walk, cake or otherwise, so I hung out with mom while I enjoyed the music. Mommy looks extra-pretty today:

Just call me Ed Rex, but I looooves my mom, and spending time with her on weekends. . . . HEY! That lady's taking a picture of me!:

Hello, lady.

The best part of today was this: I thought the sky was just a little blue thing that appears in the windows of my house. But when you get outside, it's ERRVERYWHERE!!! I just took it all in, and talked, and laughed!


But all things come to an end, and soon I told my parents it was time to go home:


Big thanks to the Rundmans for hosting such a fun time, and to our friend Bethany for great pictures!

News Briefs

Some stuff that's been happening:

- Owen had his 2-month checkup. He's 15 oz. (EDIT: lbs.), and over 25 inches long!!! They charted his progress. He's in the 95th percentile for weight, and for height? Off the chart. Seriously. He wasn't matched up with any of the lines. I guess he's in the 99th percentile, since you can't be in the 100th, right?

He also got shots. Ouch! When the nurse gave him the shots, he cried for about five seconds, and then settled down. I thought he was mad at me afterward, but he eventually forgot.

- He LOVES soft blankets. I'll put one over him, and he'll get a HUGE smile on his face. Then he'll try to eat it.

- He's also sleeping like a champ. The other night he slept for 11 hours straight!!!

More pictures soon!

At the Fair

Yesterday (Sunday) we took a trip to the fair with the Petersons and the Brechts. Owen was SPECTACULARLY well-behaved. He slept for the first hour or so, then woke up to smile at everyone for about 20 minutes. Then we walked around the fair and I (Daddy) tried out the Snugli harness. Owen liked it, but was still a little wary. Fortunately, Haley remembered her camera:

Sleepin'.

We decided that this was proof that Owen was at the fair. Because there's a sign in the back that says, "information."

Dubious.

Extra dubious.

Elijah lent Owen his hat. It was sunny!

Dad still didn't trust the Snugli entirely, but we found the assigned area for taking photos.

Owen's pretty happy about the DFL tent.

There's been a veritable uproar over the lack of Owen-posts lately, so we're back with a massive photo-ridden update covering the past few weeks.

If you'll remember, Owen was last in solitude preparing to be baptized. And . . . .








It stuck! Success! Baptism administered!

There were throngs of people who arrived at our house to celebrate with us, and although sleeping quarters were a bit cramped, we were happy to have them. Owen has four (4) godparents, as we reckon he'll need. His Aunt Debbie, Uncle Aaron, Auntie ("awntee") Rachel, and Uncle Graham did a great job promising stuff. Our friend Jonathan Rundman led worship, along with Colonel Owen's Baptism Band: Josh, Graham, Nate, and Micah. Both Grandfathers were involved in the service, with Babu Rimbo preaching and Grandpa Larson baptizering. After the service, there was a huge shindig at the Rimbo place which featured, among other things, beer, meat, and the Rundmans playing Rock Band. It was such a fantastic day. And the pictures to prove it!:

Grandpas Rimbo and Larson post-service

Larsons

Rimbos

Godparents! (l-r: Aaron, Debbie, (Owen), Graham, Rachel, Mom, and Dad)

We had houseguests off and on for about two weeks after that, including Owen's cousin Jordyn, who was a fabulous baby-holder:

It was also great to have Aunt Debbie here for an extended period of time:

(Yes, that's her arm.)

Our friends the Bredbergs also stopped by to visit with their son, Lucas, who was mildly interested in Owen, but more interested in Debbie's phone.

Angie's already started at her new school, with kids arriving on Sept. 2. So now Justin's a solo stay-at-home dad, and if he needs to get stuff done around the house, he knows there are a few places Owen loves to be:

On his Jungle-Playmat that Babu and Bibi gave him, showing off his muscles . . .

The play-gym (a gift from Unkie Chad and Aunt Jenny) -- sometimes you can hear him laughing at the toys; "Huh-huh-huh . . ."

The trusty buzzy-seat . . .

In this chair (just photo-shop the hand out) . . .

Or snuggling with the Petersons.

I think my favorite part of this past week is that Owen's started smiling responsively. After a long nap or a big poop, when he's in a particularly good mood, I'll pick him up, and he'll register my face, and make a happy noise with a big smile. One of these days I'll catch him in the act with a camera, but for now I need to remember to turn off the flash:


And now, for the first time anywhere, live video footage of Owen!: