Call me SAM!!!!

Laying Low

2012-01-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

Yep. So, We've been taking it easy the last couple of weeks. The beard went back to work. The sweet smelling lady continued her fight to right all the wrongs cause by parents of 5th graders. A and Z manage to keep each other entertained. We go to the park a lot but I don't take pictures b/c the creepy bearded guy taking pictures of little girls at the park doesn't go over to well. So I've been taking pictures at home. Here A and Z play a little peek-a-boo with the camera.

Then A gets antsy.

Then he can't stand it any more!

Z and A like to spend time coloring/ drafting the architectural marvels of tomorrow at their individual working stations. After they design one structure I make them write lines. I will not spank others.I will not defame New Orleans.I will not bring sheep to class.I will not play pranks on Principal Skinner.

Then Z and Sam play that game where one looks at the other and then looks away.

Sam thinks that game is stupid.

That is all.Till next time-Relax don't do itWhen you want to to go to itRelax don't do itRTSZA

DANCE PARTY!

2012-01-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

So, We're fine, thanks for asking. "A" is talking a bit more, he says things like "dog" and "I got it" in speak only parents can understand but that is a step up from a few weeks ago. He's happy. He loves to dance to the Fresh Beat Band!The rest of us are fine.RTSZA

2012!!!!

2012-01-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

OI, We've been laying pretty low since Christmas. New years was a super blast!!! Partying with 2 kids under 3 is like no other party!

Here's our rockin activity! POPPERS!!!!

That's pretty much it. Hope ya'lls new year is as eventful as ours is!!!RTSZA.

Bonanza!!!

2011-12-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, Um, I'm not really sure how to go about this overload of events and pictures and videos. I guess I'll start at the beginning. I have been done teaching since the 12th of the month and T has been done for over a week now. Since we had a bunch of free time this winter we have been trying to keep busy. We bought year passes at the Zoo and went down there last week. Z liked it a lot but has been somewhat difficult to get a good photo of lately so you get these.

Aiden liked the animals he could see but mostly just wanted to walk around on his own.

He likes sticks better than monkeys apparently.

He met a sheep.

We hung out at home a lot last week in the sun. A likes to spend mornings laying around in his PJs

Z likes to play in the sun.

And read books.

On Friday we drove down to Orange County for Christmas Weekend with the Spoil Me Rottens! (who lived up to the moniker)We had a fun Christmas eve.

The kids T and Grandma made cookies for Santa.

A wanted to taste test the dough for santa.

We all went to bed and woke up the next morning to a free for all!

The kids dove right in with the indispensable help of Grandma.

As you can see Z could barely contain her excitement/ agression/ kleptomania.

A got all kinds of manly stuff. He's aiming to be a Rock N' Roll- Race Car- Construction Worker

Note the stage presence and rockin tunes.

Z got all kinds of Lady stuff. She's aiming to be a princess- Doctor.

She spent most of the rest of the trip with her princess dolls and paraphernalia.

She likes to turn people into frogs by casting spells with her magic wand.

We spent the afternoon at a local park in the 70 degree weather.

That night we went to dinner at a chinese restaurant, a Grover tradition!Z got all dressed up in her Christmas finest.

We ate a delicious feast with family.Here is angry/tired A with his goofy Dad.

Sure he's happy when Aunt C comes around.

Beautiful Ladies!

We loaded up the car and drove home today. It wouldn't all fit (seriously) so Grandpa is coming up on Wednesday! Our friends are coming on Thursday and the lights are still up, the tree needs taking down, etc.gotta go.RTSZA

Lights

2011-12-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

We went and saw some Christmas lights at the local hot spot. It was mostly impressive. These people really go all out on one whole cul-de-sac. These pictures stink but you can get the idea. I also just realized I only really got one house. oops.

Z was somewhat intrigued.

"A" not so much.

It was fun in a slow moving, car exhaust kind of way. I'm sure what this guy thinks. (the only house on the whole sul-de-sac that refuses to do it every year.)

Imagine those block parties.Other Pictures.

Tata for nowRTSZA

Lancaster Christmas

2011-12-10T20:08:00.001-08:00

So, We went to the downtown Christmas party last night. It was a bit chilly, a bit crowded and a bit crowded. The kids liked seeing live reindeer, crafts, costumes, carolers and such. Did I mention it was a bit crowded? This meant the lines for all of the good photo-ops were way too long for my taste. so instead of picture with Santa we got Mrs Claus (who apparently needs to tone down the fake baking)

We also saw a giant teddy bear, and a bunch of nicely designed trees.

Aiden approved.

Right as we were about to leave strange stuff began to fall out of the sky!

It was soap.It was fun.RTSZA

2011-11-29T19:39:00.001-08:00

So, I know most of you out there who actually read this were there. I am going to write a bit just for posterity purposes. T turned 21 again on the 22nd. We had cake and I got her a coat (which I think she is going to return (I shoulda known better than to attempt fashion)) Here is her delicious Coldstone Ice cream Cake.

Here is Z reading books to her baby doll.

On T's actual birthday we drove down to OC had a delicious taco dinner and chocolate cake then went to bed relatively successfully (compared to last time). The next morning we woke up, T's dad took us to the airport and we were off to Houston. This time Z had her own seat and A was a lap child. It was a bit easier that having 2 lap children like last time but A was quite a fighter this time and the DVD player we'd purchased specifically for this trip lasted about 45 minutes. Here are the kids enjoying the plane.

We arrived in Houston safe and sound and stayed at Kirk's place. He has a trampoline and 2 fun kids for A+Z to play with. Noise reigned. We ate more Chocolate Cupcakes for T's birthday!

The next day was Thanksgiving at Kristen's house. It was delicious.

The rest of the trip was full of fun, other people running, cousins, amusement parks and delicious food. Pictures--->

I realize this was again picture heavy. There are shots of T-bone Toms, Keemah Boardwalk and Discovery green. That is all.RTSZA

It's Oh So Quiet.

2011-11-14T13:31:00.001-08:00

So, We've been laying pretty low lately. The weather turned colder the days got shorter. It's been pretty quiet around here. You'll wanna turn up your sound to hear this video of a typical conversation in my house.The kids are doing fine.

HAHA. The last image seems harsh when taken out of context eh? Here is what lead up to it.

Not so mean now is it? He has been known to look for snacks in there.Seeing as how being in the house goes something like the above images/ video we've been trying to get out as much as we can. We got to parks often.

Or, we go and spend our money at places, then drive home. This was a trip to Ikea.

Then we all fight for Mom time.

Then we go to bed.Goodnight. -RTSZAp.s. the title is a reference to the Bjork song "It's oh so Quiet" Which will make the video of Zoey make more sense. It is also a pretty fun video to watch.

The cold is here.

2011-11-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

I didn't really dress her up so much that she went all "A Chritmas Story" but I had her pose that way for kicks.RTSZA

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ya'll This, like most posts will consist mostly of images. We had the spoil me rottens come up for a fun fill halloween weekend. First we went to a pumpkin patch in an attempt to get fall pictures and have fun. The fun part happened...

The fall Portrait Part didn't work out as well. It wasn't good light, kids weren't into it etc.

Then we came home for lunch and pumpkin carving. Z wanted to design it herself.

The pumpkin ended up a bit cubist.

The kids also had some fun with BumbleBee Grandpa!Later that day we went to the Lancaster BOO- levard. Since our neighborhood stinks at Halloween this was the big event. It was fun but crazy crowded. I couldn't help but think if all these people just handed out candy at their houses halloween could go back to being a non corporate event.

Z Even got into the spirit and shared some candy with A.

After that we went to a nice dinner at a mexican restaurant. Z used to like lemons, now...

Dinner was delicious. We retired to our home and slept.The next night we lit the jack o lantern.

Then the actual day of halloween came. I dressed up Sam to torture him a bit. We haven't bought him a new costume in years, he is a moose and A is wearing Camo moose hunting PJ's.

Then I had to go to work and the kids went out with T. Here they are ready to go. Only 7 houses in our entire neighborhood handed out anything... grr...

I think that is all. That was kinda huge.Till next time,RTSZA-

Walking, Birthdays, Pumpkins and Friends

2011-10-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

So, It's fall here finally. This means the weather has become bearable for all of us. It means the nights are getting a bit chilly. With the change in the seasons Sam always changes his routine to include sun soaking. He'll spend 1/2 the day laying in a sunny spot on a cold day.

This also means that we can take comfortable walks later in the day. It wasn't really this dark consider this a byproduct of flash photography.

Fall means Bearded Birthdays!

Birthdays mean CAKE!

Halloween is coming up and so we went to a pumpkin patch / fall festival last weekend. We met another bearded man and his children who were amazing. His daughter was happy to help Z with everything all day. Cow trains, hay pyramids and inflatable obstacle courses.

Z went on her first pony ride on an actual pony!

She also went on a Carousel. Aiden Watched.

Oh and this.He's a full fledged walking maniac now. These were shot this morning by the afternoon he was walking everywhere. He tends to be better on his feet in the afternoon (me too) but he's shufflin around now, leaving his knees to rehabilitate.RTSZA

I dunno, I got nothing.

2011-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, like the title says. I've got no real reason for posting this other than to keep up to date. We've been here. It was cool/ fall like for a while. Now it isn't. The kids are good. We are good. Plugging away I suppose. Pictures.

That is all.RTSZA

size

2011-10-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, we went to the doc. A got 5 shots. They had a free flu clinic so Z and I went and got our flu shots. Now Z and I are sick, A was sick, T is healthy. As for "A"'s stats. He is 95% head Circumference, 50% height, and 12-15% weight. He's skinny. In order to rectify that I am feeding him eggs and cheese and bacon. Or not. The Doc said not to worry about it. The shift to real food all the time usually plateaus the weight gain but it'll come back.

RTSZA

Most of Aiden Turns ONE!

2011-10-03T13:11:00.001-07:00

Hello,
Aidens' first birthday was broken up into many parts and all of the usually included portions aren't even completed yet. He had to reschedule his Dr. appointment so we have no idea how big he is. I know he's got 6 teeth, 2 more on the way he's gonna be walking in the next week or so. (he walks between us and things that are close together). He's pretty happy.
His actual Birthday was the 26th but that was a Monday and I had to work that night so we gave him cake and opened presents by ourselves last Sunday night. He got lots of trucks and cars and clothes. Here are the pictures.

The next weekend T's parents came up on friday night. I was here with a friend who was in town for the weekend. This is only 1 hour from my house!

I came home that saturday morning and We opened more presents for A from Aunt Cori and the Spoils.

All the walking Videos are on the camcorder which doesn't plug into this computer so I'll try to get some on the regular camera and I'll update again after his Dr. appointment.

Hasta,

RTSZA

Aiden

2011-09-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Aiden turned one on Monday. That is all.

San Diego!

2011-09-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

Oi,
Last weekend T and I went to San Diego. The Spoil Rottens came up and enjoyed the company of Z and A. We didn't do the relaxation thing very well but we filled the trip with fun and food. It was really nice to get away. We stayed in Little Italy at a "boutique" hotel. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be but they had this woman on the wall of our bedroom staring at us while we slept.

Upon arrival we set out to discover the town. SD has a rail system so we bought passes and went to the Gaslamp District. We walked around and purchased a shirt for T. We found a Ghirardelli Ice cream shop. We ate that.

Then we walked around some more.

We walked down to a pier to eat at a fancy fish place on the waterfront. There was a park and some big boats. One of them was the Midway which in a brilliant turn of Americanism is now a cafe and tourist attraction.

I had to.

We ate at the fancy fish place. I had proscuitto and scallop skewers, and T had red snapper something. It was delicious. Afterward they were retiring a flag on a ship so sailors and women got all dressed up and saluted something that we could really figure out. (I'm guessing about the flag thing)

We then walked back to the Train and took that to the hotel then drove to old town for a ghost tour. This guy claimed that he had all these "experiences" and he would take us around and tell us about all of the haunted stuff, graveyards, hangings etc. First we tooled around the shops until it was time to hunt some ghouls.

We set out on our adventure. The primary stops were the Whaley House Where people were hung by the hundreds and a graveyard that the City of San Diego paved over 1/2 of it. Here is a picture of our Tour Guide, an official Ghost Hunter. He is telling us about a vortex near the Whaley house were spirits cross over to our side. He looks possessed, I got all the proof i need.

T sees a ghost!!!

At the end he showed us his collected evidence. It was a ball of light, some "orbs" and a bunch of muffled sounds. We were terrified by that point.

Did I say terrified? I meant Tired.

The next morning we woked up and had brunch then drove home. It was a really fun trip.

Till next time (A's 1st B-day)

sayonara

A mess of any type.

2011-09-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ya'll,
We're still truckin'.
T is back at work. I am back at work. The kids are mostly happy, Z is 2. We spend most of our day trying to clean up after them. They enjoy messes.

This week we had an insane thunderstorm, the wrath and fury of which cannot be captured on video. As proof I offer this:

The winds were 60MPH, the lightning was crazy, the street turned to a rushing flood of debris and dust. It was trash day. Here is the result.

That tiny blue speck is my trash can as seen from my driveway. Weird that it was still standing. When it rains like that everything here turns into huge puddles.

Now for the best news! Football (the real kind) is back! Here are the kids rocking their team spirit.

Random.

bedee,bedee,bedee,
That's all folks.

RTSZA

Fair

2011-08-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ya'll,
This post promises to be an Epic in the style of TLOTR trilogy, long arduous, possibly boring in parts, full of scenery and itself. First news. Sam of Samventure fame turned 5 years old on the 24th! Wooooh! He's gotten a lot mellower and a lot grayer like the good wizard pre Transformation. He's a Darn good dog. Here's his pic.

In other news we went to the AV fair. They have a deal where you can bring 5 cans of food per adult and get in w/ a ride ticket so we've done that the last 2 years. It was hot and smelled pretty bad. Especially this part.

I don't know if you've ever walked through an enclosed space full of fowl but it smells worse than you can imagine.
We ate Cherry flavored Ice. "A" wasn't sure how he felt about it at first.

T and Z rode some rides while A and I hung out.

Z practiced milking a cow.

The fair was fun and tiring, and hot and dusty but good. One of the hardest parts was dragging a stroller back through the loose gravel parking lot. Here is T struggling. Before you judge, I had the bigger stroller.

Then this week to beat the heat we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese! It actually wasn't that bad. you can spend a lot of time for $3.50 since everything is 0.25. Some things might not have been worth even that much, but most things were and it was 109 outside so at least inside was not outside.

A has 6 teeth now and is getting much better at pushing things around but he's a little tentative when there's nothing to hold on to so he hasn't officially taken his first step. I'm sure it'll be soon.

He is convinced there is a ghost in the house. She haunts him and steals all his toys. He says "she's 2". Whatever that means. She wails and moans and whines and sometimes hides in the curtains.

This is him practicing his mean face so he can scare off the ghost.

Z thinks that joke was lame.

Other randomness. I've started my semester, T starts 5th grade after labor day. now pictures.

So how was that for huge eh?

RTSZA OUT!

Something

2011-08-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

This is just a preview. There are actually 22 pages.

Nowhere is Still Somewhere. by Ryan Cheney | Make Your Own Book

Since Last We Blogged

2011-08-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

Howzit?,

"A" got sick a day after Z got better. So 2 weeks of sick kids. WHOO! Z has been all about hurting herself lately. This was cemented by a flying leap off of a rocking chair into a TV stand.

We went down to the OC this past weekend to visit the spoil me's. Here are some pictures of them generally being nice to our children.

This is Z running her fastest to avoid going home from the park. Check out the serious sprinting face.

I could do that if they'd lemme off this thing.

Here is Grandpa making Grover Burgers, and a picture of my rescued/ transplanted topsy turvy and its tremendous spoils.

I've never played darts in my life but I beat grandpa on my first try!!!! He won the best of 5 though.

We made it home tonight and played a bit in the sprinklers.

It was a great weekend. It's always nice to relax and get away. The kids sure love the Grandparents.

Random picture time.

Till Next time remember to ALWAYS PICK A WINNER!

RTSZA-

This week

2011-07-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

So,
Z has been super sick. This post will contain "A" only because any pictures or stories about Z would entail large amounts of neon vomit and watery poop. Those stories are best left untold and the scenes are best left unseen. Just ask the people trying to walk into the supermarket, or the guy behind us on the 405, or the backseat of Teresa's car, or my carpet, or my nasal passages.

Any who, here is what "A" is up to. We're thinking about sending him to teach at the catalogue modeling school.

Sexy pose 2.

Here is his JC Penny catalogue look.

And here is something else, this time he's going for intrigue.

Lastly he's really getting around lately. He moves well on his feet as long as he's holding on to something. We decided to give his something that rolls and walla~!

-RTSZA-
ps only kidding about the 405, not about the rest of it.

Mouse hunting.

2011-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

T here,
This past Saturday I took Zoey down to my parents house and Mom, Cori, Zoey and I all went to Disneyland. It was a very belated Mother's Day get together for all the girls. Since it was a Saturday the park was crowded but we still managed to ride on 11 rides without waiting more than 20 minutes. Our first ride was Autopia. Zoey decided she wanted to ride with her Aunt Cori.

Then it was over to Pinocchio which Zoey didn't seem to care for, I think it was the dark and all the crazy pictures coming out at her. The carousel was much more to her liking.

But in true girly fashion Zoey was most interested in "I wanna see PRINCESS!" They added a new princess area where you can go and hear a princess tell you a story which Zoey seemed to enjoy. She wouldn't sit with me, she found the nearest little girl and scooted her way over to sit with her. Completely forgetting about personal space. The other little girl took it well.

Then of course we had to go see Mickey. Afterwards we heard multiple times "go see Mickey? Go see Mickey??"

Once she got the hang of the rides her new favorite saying was "one more time? one more time?" Which we heard after every ride we did the rest of the day. Her favorites were: The Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, It's a small world, and the tiki room. We got her on Pirates of the Caribbean which she didn't appreciate at first but seemed ok with at the end. Here are a few pictures of her on the rides looking around in awe. Notice the blank stare on her face in the 2nd pic. It was almost 5pm after a long hot day with no nap...but it was all to interesting so she did her best to stay alert. Such a trooper!

It was a great first trip to Disneyland for Zoey. She didn't want to leave, but I knew she was exhausted. She fell asleep the second we hit the freeway and was tired for the next two days.

In other news Aiden has become extremely confident in his verbal abilities. That's him making most of the noise and Zoey playing back yelling "noooo". He's also getting 4 top teeth in right now so he chews on everything!

T-

Pickin And Sittin.

2011-07-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,
We went to the Natural history museum 2 weeks ago. We didn't get any pictures because the camera battery was dead. Turns out teachers get in for free and both T and I are teachers so we'll go back. That place is pretty cool. It's hot here.

Z is 2. Definitely 2. Some of you may not have had the chance to experience this yet. She is 2.

A is on the go; moving, eating, reaching, biting. 4 teeth now, top 2 just popped in. Generally happy.

Pictures.

Z hamming, and Z sleeping.

A in his "sexy pose"

We went pickin again. Got some of those fantastic San Andreas strawberries. They also have animals and playgrounds and the like. I realize none of these images illustrate any of that.

That is all.

Hasta.

Crawling, Bawling, rolling.

2011-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Wilkomen!
"A" has an obsession. He will hear the dishwasher open from anywhere in the house and come running. He will wriggle and writhe out of your arms then crawl like a mad man. Once he gets there he will pull out the sharpest knife he can find and start swinging. This is one of his more mild recent dishwasher visits.

In other news our continuous search for entertainment took us to Santa Monica this week. They have a litle amusement park on the pier and fancy shopping at third street. Being the kind of folks we are we stayed away from third street.
Right from the get go there was a giant arcade with those $0.25 "rides" That shake a bit. Z wanted to climb all over those.

This is what happened when we tried to pry her off of those to see the rest of the fun stuff.

She is as two as two gets.

This is our childrens reaction upon seeing all of the booths and prizes and rides and excitement.

We hung out around the booths and rides for a bit.

We took some time to admire the ocean and the sweaty masses from the pier.

I think I might get one of these "A" shots everywhere we go. I like them.

After lunch we went to join said sweaty masses who were sweatier and more massive than they appeared earlier. This was "A"s first time at the beach or seeing the ocean and such. He seemed to enjoy it more than Z who has developed a hesitancy around water. Note the sweaty masses upon us.

All things considered it was a good and exhausting day. We are going to try to make it to the Natural History Museum next week since they are letting teachers and guests in free to preview the new Dinosaur Exhibit! We are trying to turn our kids into road warriors.

Z's wild eyes.

Three scoops please.

Раян Тэрэза Сэм Зоі Aiden

Mountaineer! Or something.

2011-07-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Oi,
It has been crazy hot here the past few days. This means lots of things.

It means that Z will wear dresses.

It means we get to break out the sweet kiddy pool. Last year if you recall Z loved this thing. This year she HATES it but Aiden loves it. Z won't get in and A will stay in there until his gums chatter and lips quiver.

It also mean that Z likes to take evening walks around our neighborhood. On another one of these recent walks she was offered a large baby doll. She came home obsessed with it. She wouldn't let it go. After a thorough cleaning she now sleeps with it.

To escape the heat on Saturday we went to the "Mountaineer" Festival up in the mountains. It was nice to be in the mountains and hear the wind, and smell the pines.
The festival itself was pretty lame. There were supposed to be gunfights starting at 10am. We asked when they would have the first one at 11am and they said "we haven't even finished setting up, we don't know." We couldn't wait for "we don't know" so by the time we left in the afternoon they still hadn't had one and T was deeply disappointed. She has never seen one due to not spending summers in WY like moi. Maybe we'll go to Jackson Hole next week so she can see one.
Anyways, we ate shaved Ice. Had a nice lunch at a cafe. Saw the Spoil me rottens, had a great time with them. Overall it was a fun day had by all, but it seems like "festivals" around here are just booths of people trying to sell you something.

Wandered around the booths, got free balloons, and Z discovered a deep love for Ex racing Greyhounds. (Surprisingly gentle lazy dogs.)

Z likes to suck lemons.

Random A shot.

Peace.
ريان تيريزا سام زوي ايدن

9 months

2011-06-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

A is 3/4 yr old now. Here are the stats. 15% weight, 75% height, Off the chart head... yep.... uhhhh.... this lead to much long winded conversation about the Doctors own children and their extremely large melons. Stories about adult large hats for kids at Dodger games, vendors laughing in his face, angry dads after waiting in line only to get back to the seat and find out the helmet was too small etc. This was all done loudly with much gesticulation.

He's also become more afeared of strangers, or he doesn't like doctors already, or he doesn't like stomping, loud, long winded, analogy for everything Dr's. He's healthy.

.-. -.-- .- -. - . .-. . ... .- ... .- -- --.. --- . -.-- .- .. -.. . -.

That's morse code^

Goings On

2011-06-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,
Since Summer is here Z has become a fan of the great outdoors and walks.

On one of these recent walks Some older folks down the street offered a few toys that had been waiting for her in their garage. Z kindly accepted and brought home a new car and a scooter type thing. These have quickly become the only things she wants to do all day. She doesn't like to actually go anywhere in them, she just wants to climb in and out and push them around empty. Here are some enjoyment shots.

As you can see the spoil us rottens came up to enjoy our company for the day. Z has them wrapped aorund her tiny finger.

Some other random shots of our kids generally being themselves.

We are generally happy. Summer is here. T is home. It's HOT. We go places. We try to think of places to go. We Eat. We Sleep (a little).

Thats all folks.

RudimentaryTextsShowZombieAnkles

Cherries

2011-06-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the opening of the Leona Valley Cherry season. Folks from all over SoCal call and email and such to find out when the cherries will be ready. They were ready on Saturday at 8am and one of the girls at the orchard said they would be gone by sunday night. We went up given that I fancy Bing cherries (I thought I was the only one in this fam, turns out that was wrong.)
Here are the adventure pictures.

They were incredible purple sweet juicy and when we got there at 10am the bottoms of the trees had already been picked clean.
Luckily I had help in the form of Z, and I am a little taller than your average old lady.

The weather here has finally reached summer temp. This is nice on a cherry picking morning at 4,000 feet.

But really bad when your 20 year old air conditioner doesn't want to work anymore. We're getting a new one put in tomorrow right before the temps get 100+.

We try to spend more time outside because at least there is a breeze. Here Z shows off her New Trike courtesy of Grandpa + Grandma CHEEEE! (Z speak)

That ends this post.

ReallyThickStinkyZachunAids

Adventures in Baby (learning to) Sitting

2011-06-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hola Holla etc.,
Z had her 2 year check up she's 70ish% height, 70% weight, 95ish% head. Wooh. Healthy as an ox. She's 2. This means many things.

It means she eats new thing like corn off the cob. This only happened once.

She occasionally likes to girl it up. (wtg Sis)

She's all about not doing what you want even if that mean running headstrong into things.
She can talk in sentences. If she doesn't want to do something its "I'm NOT ________ " She doesn't say no. She does and says more funny things now. She likes to sweep dirt.

A has learned how to stand up while holding on to things. Please excuse the sideways-eness. I can't shake the photographer in me who wants to shoot vertical subjects vertically.

This new skill is exciting.

And since he hasn't learned how to get down gracefully.

Quite Painful.

Clearly he want to get the heck out of here. But he's good overall.

As a last bit of info we ate Lobster. It's not good. It tastes like fish fecal matter, lemon and butter.

This ends this post.

RapidTensionSwirlsZyprexaAlleviates

Memorializing

2011-05-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

So,
We had the spoils up for Tri tip and a pre Z b-day party. They also brought me a new BBQ! wooh! here are pictures of fun and such.

As you can see Z didn't want to participate in a photo all weekend. She looks super bored about the cake too. Such a sweeheart.
Z and A always have fun with the spoils and cooooey! BABABABABA!

On the actual day of memorial we went to Train town in LA. It's not as big as I remember. I think the kids liked it. Z likes to hang out with random strangers chase kids around, and climb on things she isn't supposed to. Again, she wasn't very photogenic this weekend so you'll note that the shots are candids.

I on the other hand look good!
The place is free, the parking is free. The train ride costs money. I think Z liked it.

RopeTieSomeZealousAnimals

It has been brought to my Attention. Redux.

2011-05-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

That the previous post communicated the visual situation but not the emotional situation brought about by the rash so here is an attempt to rectify that.

It has been brought to my Attention.

2011-05-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

That the previous picture of A's belly did not do the rash justice.

Here is another try.

RelishTheShakyZenithAttained

More Ways to Find Trouble

2011-05-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,
Here's what we've been up to recently. Both kids had a fever over the weekend Z broke hers on Sunday but A 's persisted so on Monday T took him to the Dr. He took one look in his ears and figured ear infection so they came home Rx in hand, ready to do battle with the ear nasties.
Next day we're out and about in the evening and T notices a rash on Z's neck. We think little of it until we get home and A has it all over him. BACK TO THE DOCTOR. This time it's the urgent care and we see this awful british man who looks over the charts asks if they've both had fevers and tells us while hardly even looking us in the eye that they have Roseola. A virus that causes fever first then they act fine but a rash shows up. Z's didn't spread all over but A's did.

Dr. dismissively said it would go away in up to 4 weeks. Long time I know. O.k. get em home, put em in bed.

Next day, Kids are fine all day but A keeps scratching his head. T gets home and gets worried he's constantly at it. Calls the Dr. who says maybe A has another problem going on with his head because Roseola shouldn't itch. BACK TO THE DOCTOR. Turns out it's maybe cradle cap, maybe allergies, maybe heat, maybe dryness, maybe moon dust, maybe John Madden's athletes foot. BOOM! We come home sleep.

Today,

Wait for it...

......

......

nothing.

here's some pictures of A on the move.

In other news. Z is eating at the table now, for better or worse.

Other random shots.

I like this shot in particular it's just about right.

This weekend we have the Spoil us Rottens coming over for festivities.

Till next time-

RideTheSaltZappaAte

Busted Up

2011-05-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,
So as I mentioned last post my computer has been down. I've fixed it and reinstalled everything myself. Taking weeks and saving$$$$$. The end result has been a few catch up posts. Here is the big one. Two weeks ago Z fell on her face on the concrete and busted up her lip and nose. I was in the SFV (at the mac store getting nothing done. worthless) and got a bunch of frantic phone calls. By the time I made it home T had been to the Urgent care and back (traffic). This is the morning after.

No stitches, no broken teeth or bones. Just a huge fat lip, a sore kid, and a sad momma. She's fine now, theres a little tiny bit left on her chin but i'm pretty sure it'll go away.
A is still army crawling. I think he's so good at it that he won't really crawl for a while. In fact he's starting to try and pull himself up a bit so maybe he'll never really get the crawling thing. Here he is looking happy with his sister chillin.

This weekend the world didn't end. Our kids both have fevers and won't take naps, and we're sitting here. Not doing anything of note.

Later,
RTSZA

On the Move.

2011-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

My computer has been down recently so this is about 2 weeks old but here you go. The payoff is at the end. I can hear Candice now "56 seconds?!?!?! So LONG?!?!" but it's hard to tell kids when to do things.

He's everywhere now. He's tipping over dog bowls and reaching for power cords and all the fun stuff that come with having a mobile kid. WOOH!

Here is a video of Zs favorite game.

-RTSZA

Berry Pickin

2011-05-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

So,
We went to that farm where you get to pick your own stuff again. This time we went with our friends Leigh and Lucas. Z didn't like the animals as much this time. She mostly wanted to kid watch and climb around on stuff.

We pulled Z and A around the farm in a cart. "A" seemed to like it a lot.

T and Z went for a ride on a tiny train.

Then we walked out to the strawberry fields in the back and picked our own. They had three varieties. I don't think I even knew strawberries came in varieties but if you can find "San Andreas" strawberries get your hands on some because they are incredible. "A" and I sent the girls out into the fields while we chilled out in the shade and supervised.

We also picked out own head of butter lettuce which Z wanted to carry around with her like a prize.

Z like boysenberries too. Especially on toast for breakfast like grandpa.

That is all for now.

RTSZA

Technical Difficulties

2011-04-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Oi,
Just in case anyone cares. After a long and arduous delve into the world of digital video encoding, decoding, embedding and converting I finally figured out how to get blogspot to transmit the sound on the videos from the last 2 posts. If you would like you can go back and watch them now with sound. I think it makes a big difference.

Ryan

Easter in Images and a Few Words

2011-04-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,
We had the spoil me rottens come up for Easter weekend. We went to a city park for an Egg hunt, spent a ton of time outdoors because the weather was superb and generally had a good time. There was also a lot of time spent in various hats. Both of the kids love hats for some reason. If you are wearing one they want it.

Here is the egg hunt. Just imagine Kirks story but with out the part about flailing around on the ground like a crazy dude.

Some lady tried to sell her kittens at the event. Z loved them, and terrified them.

This is what it is like to try and take Z anywhere with open space.

Lastly a few more random shots. Including some of Sam, the long forgotten owner of this here blog.

And A Z video.

Till next time-
RTSZA

More Famous!

2011-04-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the California Poppy Festival last weekend. This was the only thing of note that occurred.

Here are some pictures. See if you can pick out the one that Z will be most happy with 14 years from now.

We have lots of Easter stuff to sort through so stay tuned.

-RTSZA-

Grandpa G at work.

2011-04-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

So,
I've been working on some home improvement stuff as you know. This last week I had some tremendous help. Grandpa G came up from Monday-Wednesday morning and helped by clearing the weeds out of the yard and helping install a drip irrigation system for our new planter. He was incredible. He worked like an Ox and hung out with the kids. We really liked having him up here. Here are some pictures.
First Z helped open up the system and measure everything out. (she hung out with him outside the whole day.)

We dug the trench and removed the necessary bricks.

The we laid the line tested it and covered it all up.

I bought some more mulch to hide the line and walla! Perfect planter.

We celebrated by sitting outside admiring our work and cooking up a tri tip.

RANDOM A SHOT!

Later Gator.

RTSZA

Topsy Turvy Fail!

2011-04-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

Turns out the Mojave desert isn't the greatest place to grow tomatoes. It's not the heat that ended up doing it in. As you can see here my plants have been snapped off at the stem. Since the Topsy Turvy hangs the plants the 50mph gusts of wind snapped the plants clean off. I think it's a losing proposition since it's always windy out here so I donated my setup to the spoil me rottens (who have a successful topsy turvy of their own) in the hopes that when it produces I can reap the spoils.

Till next time-
RTSZA

Week?

2011-04-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

So,
In the last week I've been on spring break. I took advantage of the cold cloudy windy weather to go out and take pictures. This time I didn't have the luxury of going by myself so I brought the kids with me. This is how they experienced their first trip out with Dad and his camera.

I know that's sad but I was shooting right next to a road with cars going 60+mph and somehow letting them out in the cold to wander around next to a highway didn't seem like a good idea.

Z actually took it like a champ and A slept through most of it. I got some good shots. We went to a park in the middle of nowhere so Z could swing since she was so good. here's that.

I know that is sad too. I made it B/W to emphasize the sadness this time. There was no one there and it was cold, we left.

Other random shots.
Z likes to get everyone in her bed. Here she is with A.

She also likes to say her name. We have it hanging on her wall above the diaper change station and we spell it out and say Zoey so here she is emphasizing the "o" in Zoey.

That is all.
Till next time
Beware of a bored ocelot.

-RTSZA

Boucy

2011-04-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

So first things first. "A" is 15lbs 15oz. (25%) Height 26 inches (50%) Head....... (95%)!

So all things considered he's fine. his head is big but that isn't my problem it's his. He has a bit of a hard time sitting up b/c it's like trying to balance a watermelon on a pole. It's like an orange on a toothpick. It's like sputnik, Spherical but pointy in parts. He's fine. He sits for a bit but then his bowling ball gets off to one side and he goes over. He seems to like standing better anyways so we got out the ol' bouncy chair.

In other A news He has 2 teeth now on the bottom. We've moved him into his own crib now. He seems ok with it, he rolls, and eats rice cereal w/ carrots or applesauce poorly. He's a kid. He's a'ight.

To move A into a crib we had to move Z into a bed. She has been doing ok. We put her in and she immediately pops out, again, and again so now we just lock the door and she sleeps great. She talks up a storm. She says phrases now like bless you and when she gets really frustrated at something she can't do she says "DO IT, DO IT!" under her breath. She has moved on from yo gabba gabba to barney (booooo!) She's generally a smart happy kid.

This ends the news.

random picture postings to follow.

Thank you come again,

RTSZA

ZOOing

2011-03-26T21:19:00.001-07:00

Howdy all,
We went to the zoo again. It was cold (50's (haha Candice)), and cloudy. Perfect zoo weather. No one in LA wants to go out in that so we got up front parking, didn't sweat like crazy and didn't have to fight off hordes of sweaty angelinos to see a sweaty hippo. The spoil me rottens came along to aid in the constant attention a girl like Z needs. Here are the pictures.

There have been a lot of other developments recently but it's late and I want to go night night. A has his 6 month checkup this Wednesday so maybe after that.

_ _ _ _ _

(Insert witticism here)

2011-03-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hello,
T is going on spring break this week. The spoil me rottens came up yesterday to hang with the kids. There are no pictures of that because I ran off to take advantage of the few weeks CA is green to photograph the Salton Sea. It was fantastic. There are other random pictures of the children.

I mostly finished the planter but now I'm thinking about lining it with brick to make it look more finished. We picked drought tolerant trees so hopefully our black thumbs can't kill them.

I've also started tomatoes in a Topsy Turvy. Everyone I know who's used on says they are great. Well, I may have discovered one problem, out here it is so windy that one of the stalks broke clean off. I think the hanging doesn't offer any support or bracing and it can get really windy out here. We'll see how it works but here's a pic of when it started.

_R-T_S-za

Sink. Tim the Tool Man. Side of Brined Beef

2011-03-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

So,
Spring has sprung in CA. I've got the home improvement bug. We're going to repaint the trim on the house, Paint A's room, and paint the living room. In the yard I've already moved a ton of dirt and planted 3 trees. I'm in the process of laying down the weed control cloth and putting a ton of rocks on top so there are no pictures yet. Don't worry they are coming. Here is a new faucet that was installed last week. It's all spit polished and nice!

Here are some pictures of the kids. This was pre-spring forward. Post spring forward there have been no happy images. Time changes are lame my kids hate them therefore I now hate them. Anywho.

Lastly, we celebrated St. Patty's early this year by slow cooking a tremendous Corned beef. If you've never tried it you're missing out. We just do it up with cabbage, bread, and potatoes Irish style. I look forward to the time corned beef hits the grocery shelves every year.

Navigate!
RTSZA-

More New Freshness!

2011-03-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Howdy all,
The C side Grandparents came into town last weekend. The weather was really really nice so we went to the park a lot. Z likes to be her own woman as you can tell from these photos. She doesn't like being carried, strollered (??), or hurried so we all just walk around at her pace and try to keep her from picking up goose poop.

On Saturday night we went over to Bry and Lisa's for Tri-tip 4 ways. Seriously, he made 4 tri-tips all with different seasonings. It was delicious. Z got to hang out with her second cousins (?) and everyone got to meet "A". "A" let them all know where he stands by immediately peeing all over Bry and the hardwood floor upon arrival. Z doesn't get to hang out with many kids so it was good for her and she made herself at home.

A few random shots. (edited at the request of models)

Lastly, today is basically EF1 force winds outside all day. Our house is still standing but the birds are all messed up and just walking around rather than hitting the skies. This guy(?) walked into my front yard. I thought "camera, or gun and dinner?" I went with the camera.

Till next time watch out for flying houses.

-RTSZA

Museum and Los Angeles

2011-03-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

Howdy Everyone,
Our friends Joe and Heather are moving soon so we took the opportunity to go into LA and visit the Childrens Science Center with them. The place is free and Z is getting to be the right age to enjoy such things. 'A' spent most of the day in the stroller and was actually really content to just be there. I was impressed by some of the stuff but a lot of it was pretty beat. It got INSANELY crowded in the afternoon which was a bummer, and reminded me why I dislike most people. Here are some pictures.

The highlight was a big aquarium full of fish. Z loved the tunnel you could walk through and have oceanic creatures surrounding you.

We also had the spoil me rottens come for a night last weekend. It was good to see them. We have the C grandparents coming this weekend so Z and A are getting their fill of love. Here are some random shots in no particular order from the last few days.

A wearing his tough guy villainous cowboy hat.

Just kidding he hasn't learned to be a villain yet. (but he's getting there)

More randomness.

Lastly I've discovered the secret recipe for a MEAN Chili.

Perfect for a cold high desert winter night x4 (I'm the only one who eats it)

RTSZA

Zoey's hair

2011-02-27T12:53:00.000-08:00

So we have fought the battle and lost a few time trying to get Z to let us put her hair up. We keep losing so we keep cutting her bangs. We got her to leave in a ponytail once. Here it is.

in other news. We

-RTSZA

Last week or so.

2011-02-19T20:45:00.001-08:00

Howdy all,
I figure it's been a bit since my last post and you would all probably really like to stop seeing that sweet valentine post every time you come here. So here we go. It has also been a while since I've said anything about our current state of being. Here is the news.

A is bigger.

Z is bigger.

The weather has been warm so I cook steaks and BBQ various accoutrement.

As further proof that the weather has been nice I submit these shots of various members of our family sunbathing.

A has started eating rice cereal. He is difficult to read. You try.

Here's another picture of the little man. He smiles and laughs now (though I can't get it on camera b/c all he ever does is reach for the camera) so that makes him a little bit less stoic and a little more fun.

Tonight is is supposed to snow a bit then tomorrow we are going to the California Science Center. Hopefully there will be pictures from that.

Ta Ta for Now.

-srtza

Happy Valentines Day.

2011-02-14T12:59:00.001-08:00

From the Cheneys!

and then.

2011-02-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

A rolls. T works. I work. We sleep sometimes. It's abnormally warm.

Rollin in the sun.
-Sam

A

2011-01-31T16:34:00.001-08:00

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

smorgasBORG!

2011-01-24T07:15:00.001-08:00

Hello all,
Here are the photographic highlights of the last few weeks. If you haven't heard T got her job in the school district back. I will be teaching on Tuesday nights. The winter break is over. So back to it.

-Sam (if the dress fits) Cheney

Rest in Peace Porter.

2011-01-19T11:34:00.001-08:00

Porter passed away unexpectedly yesterday. He was a good little guy and I hope his 3 years with us were good for him too. We loved him a lot. He will be missed.

Getting into the spirit.

2011-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Avast,
Since all of you who read this probably know that we went to VA for Xmas and had a grand time I'll spare the stories of bagels, snow, 5 guys, bowl games, fevers, cousins and such. I will say that Z had a great time with her cousins, we had a great time with everybody, and we're already looking forward to another get together.
Here are the VA pics.

As you can see we also bowled, went to a playground, went shoes shopping and more. We also all came home and got sick. We are all still sick. It's pretty great. On the drive home after another terrible plane ride it started snowing and they shut down the I5 and diverted everyone to the 14N which we have to take so traffic wasn't great. Here are some other random shots not from VA.

the snow.

The piles of Grover Presents.

Random home shots.

So that's a lot of pictures eh?

Snap- Sam

Some recent stuff

2010-12-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here is some recent stuff. Here is T and I all dressed up to go to West Side Story.
Here are some shots from the Raiders whooping of the Chargers.

Here is a video of Z being coy.

Till Next Time

-Rtb

GO RAIDERS!

2010-12-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

We went to the Raiders V chargers game last weekend. The Raiders won, it was epic. Here is a simulation of T and Z cheering (Z wasn't there in person but in spirit.)

We also went to west side story in Hollywood. It was somewhat racist, full of high kicking guys and made me think, somebody needs to tell these kids they are stupid. The whole thing could be avoided if somebody just said "hey morons stop". It was actually quite enjoyable though. It was a lot more engaging than the films I've seen recently.
It was strange to behave like a couple again. Thanks to the spoil me rottens for spoiling T and I too this time.

-the beard.

new pictures and videos

2010-11-27T12:50:00.001-08:00

Hello all,
Some pictures in random order. We had the spoil me rottens come up for Thanksgiving. It was great to see them. Zoey loves having them to play with. We had our first few sub 20 degree nights and the tree outside decided to dump ALL of its leaves on Thanksgiving. The lawn was clear on Tuesday. Now it ain't.
I've also realized that I haven't put up a lot of Aiden. This is mostly because infants are really boring, and partly because he used to just scream at me. Now he makes strange faces and smiles occasionally. He also fits into clothes that are more fun so here you go.

Apparently there are repeats in there but I'm not digging through the code to figure it out. Now some poorly done videos trying to get A to smile.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Apparently people eat this? It's a turducken. That's a chicken wrapped in a duck wrapped in a turkey.

Thanks for reading.

-sam-

Halloween and such

2010-11-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

A is 6 weeks. Z is 17 months. R+T+S+P are tired. Pictures.

Z seemed to enjoy Halloween. That is all.

So. That happened.

2010-10-18T13:53:00.001-07:00

We had Aiden. He's 3 weeks old now. Z is somewhere around 16 months we do stuff, we take pictures. Here. Eat up.

A had his first real bath since his cord finally fell off.

He really liked it. He was also snipped (if you know what I mean) he made the same face both times.

Here are some other random shot of him. One with Grandma C and one with Grandpa G.

We took this shot of Z when she was little and decided to do the same thing for A.

A in his halloween hat.

A in his baby fight club. We like to ge them started at social gatherings early. Notice the flying fists technique.

Zoey refuses fancy bows and headbands and clips and such so we were forced to cut her bangs.
I'm sure this appalls my dear younger sister. But she looks better when it dries.

Then we went to a sweet pumpkin patch in Saugus with Grandma C who is in town helping us out this week.
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AAX4VWMfmRU/TLzElaLuP2I/AAAAAAAABGw/eDTm40f8MmE/s1600/zinpopotruck.jpg">
See if you can spot the Z.

So. That happened. This has been arduous don't expect more for a while.

-Sam

Aiden

2010-10-01T10:30:00.001-07:00

Pics only b/c we are busy.

UGH

2010-09-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

So,
As I am sure most of you have heard. Last week Z was sick. She ended up in the urgent care with an IV in her arm on Sunday night. T ended up in the Hospital with an IV in her arm on Monday. Her Mom came up to help and was great. I was sick as well and trying to take care of a pregnant wife and a sick child so I couldn't have managed without her. The only picture worthy of viewing from this travesty was again taken on a camera phone. (don't complain I would have to be a cold father to be rushing my daughter to the hospital and make everybody wait while I grabbed the camera.)

She was able to sleep a bit. The sickness lasted about 1 week for her and she is now back to normal but with a seemingly ravenous appetite. I am well. T has a lingering cough which let's all hope goes away before Aiden comes.

Till next time
Wash you hands!

Labor Day Fun!

2010-09-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

Howdy ya'll,
We went down to the spoil me Rottens for the labor day weekend. We took a walk along the harbor, visited with family and made our way to some nearby parks. We also found a bagel shop that makes really good bagel sandwiches... not bodo's good.... but better than anything we've found out here. Here are some shots of us walking by the harbor. Oh, and we bought a kid leash and it is AWESOME! We are officially those people now. It looks like there is a monkey on Z's back. People seem to find this humorous since I heard at least 4 people see her and try to make a "monkey on her back" pun.

She likes to play with grandpa's hat. She's contemplating her move.

This thing where people don't get wet, stand, and paddle is all the rage around here.
Z clearly finds it interesting but I don't really get it.

Now for the random picture portion of the post.

She climbs on everything now which has made her rocking horse her new favorite toy.

We went to the AV fair. She likes to people watch and she likes, liked?, goats.
(she got sick of them pretty quick)

Here she just looks really, really old. Like she's 2 already.

That's all for now. See you again in 3 weeks if you're lucky.

-R

Sierras

2010-08-10T16:38:00.001-07:00

Howdy all,
I went here and failed to catch a fish once again. I seem to be terrible at fishing. I even made a deal with the trout that I would put them back after the picture but they still wouldn't bite. It was good. The mountains are ALWAYS good.

T an Z welcomed the spoil me rottens. They had good mexican food, went winco shopping and generally enjoyed each others company. This was our week. Goodbye.

-R

Down at the farm

2010-08-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Howdy,
This weekend we went to a "family farm". This means they charge you to get in, have animals you can pay to feed, and have tractor rides etc. You can also pick your own fruit and veggies. A strange concept since they sell those same fruits and veggies in their fruit stand up front. I guess some folks are looking for that sharecropper experience with dinner? Any who. Z had a good time and it was nice to get out of the smoke filled AV.

She saw animals up close and personal. In the peacock case (not shown) too personal since it screamed at her and she cried making me look like a terrible father to all of the mothers who immediately turn whenever a child cries and due to their own terrible husbands assume that I must also be terrible.

She liked the animals that didn't yell at her.

They also had contraptions for the kids to play on. Here Z contemplates whether or not she can make it.

Gotta start somewhere.

Then we set out to see if we wanted to pick our own fruit. They claimed to have Raspberries, Blackberries, and GASP! Boysenberries all the way at the back of the farm.

This is how Z got there.

Here is her mule.

We got all the way out there only to discover that the berries weren't very plentiful and that they were either not yet ripe (boysenberries) or over ripe (blackberries). So we walked all the way back and left empty handed.

In other news the summer is upon us out in the desert so Z sports her shades frequently and acts like lilo running from the paparazzo.

We water the plants in the evening and frequently Z ends up getting watered too.

That is all for now.

-RTZASP-

Sleeping.

2010-07-23T16:38:00.001-07:00

I don't know if it's smart or not but lately she sleeps all kind of weird hours so sometimes I have to go wake her up around 5pm so she doesn't want to stay up until 9pm. One time this is what I found. the flash didn't even phase her.

-Btotheeard

arghhh

2010-07-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Oi,
So this week has been a disaster. T woke up with a strange red mark on her leg and went to the doctor. Turns out it is A-typical ringworm. We have no idea where she got it from. We checked the dogs and found a red mark on Popo's leg. We took him into the vet and the vet said it's not ringworm but we can charge you $300 to find out what it is! We declined his offer and asked for a simple skin cream (still $60). Upon returning home we went to a pet store to purchase an E collar for popo since he is a notorious licker and the cream isn't good for him to ingest. We put on the E-collar and Z proceeded to torture him.

Popo was shaking and freaking out so we tried to give him some alone time to work out his issues with the collar.

He just stood there and shook for 10 minutes. Since that wasn't working we thought we'll just put the stuff on and leave the collar on until the stuff dries. A "lets get this over with" approach. T picked him up and he FLIPPED OUT. We put the cream on and put him down only to find blood drops all over the floor, and T's arm. T looked herself over and it wasn't her. We took a second to look over popo and discovered he had ripped out a dewclaw. (picture for those of you who may not know what that is.)

This is the actual separated dewclaw from popo.

We tried to stop the bleeding but it wouldn't stop. So we took him to the vet as quickly as we could and the vet ended up cauterizing it on the spot. Now popo looks like this.

Needless to say it has been an eventful Saturday to cap off an eventful (read hot, sticky, awful) week. It was 105 and humid on Thursday which isn't that big a deal but the power kept going out and Z didn't take a nap that day so the house was 87 and sticky and she cried for hours straight.

This ends the post.

I'm going to bed.

-

mmmm

2010-07-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be more like my pontificating fellow so cal uncle (and make you east-coasters jealous of my ability to purchase cheap and plentiful tri-tipped cuts of beef.) I've again had people over and again grilled up a tri- tip which pleased crowds from here to Camarillo. Then children made merry in wading pools and sprinklers in the 100 degree heat, adults squirted each other with various water devices and men talked of mountains and deserts and various once and future destinations. No pictures were taken. This concludes this weeks probably ignored blog post.

-beard

The 4th

2010-07-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya'll,
We celebrated the 4th like good wholesome Americans should; we cooked pig and ate, sat around, went to the beach, and drove miles and miles in traffic.

Z got some rockin shades and partied on the beach.

She also has moved up to the forward facing car seat. A big improvement in scenery for Z has led to a big increase in sanity for the beard and the sweet smeller.

The beard wishes to apologize for the terrible quality of his images this week. He forgot the fully charged camera when we set out to the OC so these were taken on a "vintage" Camera phone. He's ashamed.

the spoil-me-rottens were super gracious and nice to popo and I. It was a fun weekend!

_SAM_--__

Eating

2010-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hola,

As has been the trend lately on the pages of Samventures here is another shot of Z eating.

Popo and I really enjoy Z meal time b/c she isn't very dexterous and whatever she drops we are happy to pounce on. Who knew a dog tongue was a great stain remover?

BAM!

-SAM

1st birthday.

2010-06-12T09:07:00.001-07:00

Hola,
Z turned one and ate cupcakes.

We sang a song blew out the candle and put the cupcake down and it was insta-devoured.
She got lots of presents.

One of which was a set of soft blocks from the Right Coast Gp's.

Another was books from the rtgp's.
She likes reading them with the SSL and B.

From the spoils she got a wading pool. We discovered on our trip to FL that she really likes pools so this is a perfect summertime activity.

It was a good b'day. The beard grilled up More tri-tip at the request of the spoils. I guess it's becoming famous the south land over. Come on over I am sure he'd be happy to grill some for you too.

Till next time. Wipe your feet before you come in the house.

-SAM

She becomes more like me everyday.

2010-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's like I've been showing her. If you don't wanna hang out with the beard here's the trick.

Mischief and Hijinks with some Animal Viewing.

2010-05-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,
Lately Z's favorite thing to do is climb all over stuff. She's into everything and everywhere.

Exhibit A:

BOO!

Scared you didn't I? No?

WAAAHHH!!!

No Wah?

Ohhh what's that? I'll take it thank you...

She's also started going through her drawers and carrying around clothes.

Caught like a thief in the night.

We went to the zoo over Memorial Day weekend. It was crowded and hot.

Z touch a goat with the help of Spoilette.

With the help of Mr Spoil Z saw pig like creatures and gorillas.

With the help of Auntie Spoil Z, Z made it back to the car after a long hot fun day of gazing.

From my perspective (Sam) the beard grilled up some amazing Tri-tip and today is grilling up Italian sausages. Memorial day weekend is super.

Till next time
Keep your grill HOT, CLEAN and well OILED.

-SAM

Stick em up!

2010-05-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Howdy pardeners,
The fam went to Paramount ranch out in them thar hills last weekend. Said they had a rolickin good time. Pictures to prove it.

Here pops is teaching Z to play the town tough girl. Strike a "whatcha want!" pose.

Here Z shows off her "you lookin' at me!?"

We were met by j.h.l.a. Here Z and L hang out in sisco the kids old cabin.

Z plans on robbing the only bank in this 1 horse town.

Waiting for the Dr Quinn Medicine woman Train to come pick us up. (they filmed that here)

Here is what happens when you use flash against a bright background but your subject is in the shade.

That's all.

till next time
keep your six shooter clean
you never know when you're gonna need it.

-Sam

FLORIDA!

2010-05-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,
So as almost everyone who frequents this blog knows we were abandoned last week so that the humans could go and soak up the beach. The beard has insisted that I post these shots so here you go.

When they arrived the beach was cold and overcast. Despite this they went for a walk along it. Z walked with Grandma.

Z was so cold her feet turned blue. Here she is obviously freezing though her guardians were oblivious.

Next time they went out walking they bundled her up a bit more. Here the beard captures the sweet smelling lady and Z like tomcat and suri.

Here is Aunt K and the other Sam on a walk. Represent!

The room was super nice.

Z never got around to liking the ocean but she eventually liked the sand. YUM!

Z may not have liked the beach but she LOVED the pool! Here she waves hello!

The guardians arrived home eventually after much MUCH trouble. Popo and I were not prepared for Z's greatly improved mobility. Lets just say it's going to take some getting used to.

Till next time "SOMEONE HELP THE DOGS!"

-SAM

10 months.

2010-04-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Howdy All,
Sam here. Here is a story from multiple perspectives. Prepare yourselves for the awesome.

SAM: PLAY WITH ME!!!!!!!!!

Popo: NO!

Zoey: O.K.!

Zoey: Where did you go? Time to Camo up and stake him out!

Zoey: I was going to hide in here and spring my trap on Sam but I'm STUCK!!!!

Zoey: I'm free and back on the hunt!

Till Next time my peeps-

-z-

And she's off.

2010-04-16T07:39:00.000-07:00