Owens's 17th Family Day

Owen -  On July 30th, we celebrated 17 years with you! I remember that day like it was yesterday. To think it has been 17 years! Where does the time go?

I can still recall the feeling standing in the Green Room at FANA for the very first time - both joyful and nervous, as we waited for your sweet little face to appear through the door. And then there you were!

You were the cutest and such a charmer. I so wish I could rewind these past 17 years and savor the moments. At the time, the days seemed so hectic and long, but in a flash the years have flown by and our curious little boy is all grown up.

For your 17th Family Day, we happened to be in Thousand Oaks, CA for a physical therapy intensive for Aria and Sam. While it was a busy day of therapies, we made sure to treat you extra special. We started out the day with breakfast delivered to our front door (thank you Door Dash!) 

You relaxed all day in the hot tub, your very favorite place to be during our California stay. 

For dinner, you picked a DoorDash delivery from a local restaurant that we had tried out the previous week. You dug right in as usual and finished up before I even sat down to eat.    

The celebration continued the following Saturday. We had planned a trip to the beach in Malibu, but you requested a pit stop at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. You love museums and had been hoping to go to one during our stay in California. I admit I'm not a huge museum fan. But you were adamant.  You researched the area on your own and discovered the perfect spot - the Natural History Museum. 

They even had a huge dinosaur exhibit. It was right up your alley.

You enjoyed the wide variety of exhibits, especially the large ant colony that they had on display.

After several hours looking at all the museum exhibits, we were off to Malibu for a late lunch and stroll along the beach. It had gotten rather chilly for a day at the beach, but we made due and enjoyed the beautiful views and the sound of the waves. What a perfect way to end a wonderful day celebrating you.

Owen - even though 17 years have passed since the day we met, I still see daily reminders of the little boy you once were. It brings a smile to my face reminiscing simpler and quieter times when our days were immersed with trains and everything one could possibly know about dinosaurs. 

While the years have flown by, your love for your little frog security blanket still remains. You were given one of your froggies when we traveled to get you in Colombia, and it quickly became one of your most beloved possessions. I recall desperately scouring the internet in search of a couple others to keep on hand just in case, heaven forbid, you lost your froggy.  But soon after they arrived, you realized just one froggy would no longer suffice, you had to have all three! 

You've brought them everywhere with you, even back to Colombia multiple times! Those froggies reside in your room to this very day. Sometimes on your bed, sometimes thrown underneath it, but never too far from you. 

It's a miracle you still have all three. I recall a traumatic event when you had lost one at the Science Museum. By the time we retraced our steps, it was no where to be found! But luck would have it, someone had brought it to the lost and found where we eventually tracked it down.  

Your other childhood prized possession is another gift you were given in Colombia, but this one 7 years after the first. You had lost a tooth while we were in Bogota adopting your sister Rose, so Pa made a frantic dash to the grocery store down the street in the hopes of finding a small toy to be left for you by El Raton. The selection was small and Pa returned with a kid's pillow and blanket set. I wasn't sure what you'd think the next morning when you awoke, but you loved it! 

Most days you can be found meandering around the house with the very same blanket wrapped around your shoulders. In fact, you are rarely seen without it!  You even cook with it on draped over you like a cape.

You still remain the chatterbox of the family. You sure do love to talk and talk.  I remember car rides when  you were a wee one and you chatting non-stop for over 30 minutes, making sure to shush Cole anytime he dared to interrupt. Well, not much has changed since then! You still love to share all your thoughts and opinions with anyone within ear shot.

I'd like to think you are still somewhat of a Mama's boy. That first month together, you were glued to my hip, never wanting to leave. And now, your nightly cinema showings can only be done with me by your side. You love keeping me hip and in-the-know when it comes to TV and movies.  Nearly every evening, you will wait patiently until I sit on the couch for my nightly 20 minutes while I give Aria her medicine.  You will happily plop down next to us with the TV on and stream recently released previews or a new series that you've been dying to see. You never even watch ahead without me despite my lack of available TV viewing time. You always make sure to wait until we both can sit and view the show together. I must say that even at 17, you just might still enjoy spending time with your old mom.

A very happy 17th Family Day to you Owen. To the handsome, smart, opinionated little boy you once were and to the man you have become. We love you forever and for always.