Atomic Hokies

"Oh, man! Hey, we should just... go to Australia."

2012-02-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows "That's not far enough." when you've blown up Walker's wedding tuxes with a mis- kicked grenade!
Poor Chuck Norris - he is getting old, and a newer version of his TV show has hit the airwaves. It is low budget, so they used the same theme song, but included the soothing voice of my dad - listen closely near the end!

With such untalented singing - my dad better get to Australia before Chuck hears it! Of course, that's not far enough.

Dedicated to Grandma L.

Happy Birthday SM! Part II - The Presents

2012-02-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Cake Experience left me messy and in need of a bath. The wash left me feeling clean and ready to open presents. Especially when the presents are in the shape of my age!

At first, I didn't quite get it.

Then I got it with JC's help!

Woo-hoo! I got musical cards...

New clothes...

What was in the big box?

A new chair that's just my size. Thank you for all the presents!

Happy Birthday SM Part I - The Cake!

2012-02-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Oh my! SM is a year older, which means our faithful readers are also a year older, too! Everyone is aging, but, somehow, SM does it so gracefully! Perhaps it's the crown as the same effect has been noted for Queen Elizabeth II.

My vacuous dad often falls asleep while my beautiful momma watches hours of the Food Network. It looks like he picked something up subconsciously to fill all the unused space in his head - a talent for cakes. Look at his awesome creation:

My hand is outstretched and sampling the frosting. I received the letter "S". Learning the alphabet is fun, no?

Happiness, thy name is devil's food cake!

I may be a baby, but I know "The Sing-off" talent when I hear it. Nick Lachey, are you listening? And Drew Lachey, do you see my dad's moves?

Tomorrow, I will detail the presents that were received.

Trinidad y Tobago

2012-02-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Maintaining my dad's New Year's Resolution....February's tropical vacation bridged the last few days of January and the first two days of February. We took the whole family to Trinidad and Tobago (but mostly Trinidad). Here is a picture of our beach-front hotel...

At night we could look out on the moon-lit waves! Instead of getting usual souveniers to remember our trip, I, M, was able to choose an exotic pet. I chose the guppy as it was first discovered in Trinidad in 1866 by Robert John Lechmere Guppy. They had a museum which described his shipwreck in New Zealand that caused him to live with the Maoris for two years. Boy! Life sure was boring back then! My guppies (my brother JC picked the other one) made the trip home and I named them Cookie and Chocolate...

Here's a close-up view of them...

The blue one was named Cookie and the red one was named Chocolate. I used 'was' because guppies are tropical fish. My beautiful, but chintzy, momma keeps our house at 68 degrees - far too cold. With great sadness, our guppies lasted one day and three days. I would rather you never bring them up in my or my brother's presence unless you want to see hysterical crying. My sister, SM, was much smarter in her selection of an exotic pet. She chose a glow-worm that the museum imported from its native New Zealand for the RJLG exhibit. Here is a video of her playing with it...

Next month: Belize!

Power Smoothies

2012-01-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the near-constant sunshine and delightful temperatures of the LOE, my beautiful momma still needs an occasional pick-me-up. Enter the Dragon. In this case, the dragon is not a ninja named Bruce Lee, but rather a ninja named Ninja. I'm pretty sure if he were alive we would be calling this contraption the Bruce Lee and a man-kitchen would contain only a Bruce Lee and a George Foreman. Flipping through recipe book, my beautiful momma happened upon a POWer smoothie. Emphasis on the POW. Here she is trying it...

Nice! With the POWer flowing through her body she decided SM needed the pick-me-up, too. The effect wasn't immediate despite SM's low body weight...

But then it hit...

She actually climbed the whole staircase later that night.

Isle of Enchantment

2012-01-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ah! My dad made a New Year's resolution to take my beautiful momma on a tropical vacation at least once a month. January is Puerto Rico - the Isla of Enchantmento. The travel was so that my dad could give the world's greatest talk on thermal stability of.. blah blah blah. We explored the El Yunque rainforest. Look how high we were! The air was almost too thick to breathe! CAUTION: This post includes no pictures of children, cute or otherwise!

Here is La Coca Falls...

Our resort also had a great pool with friendly iguanas...

But the pool did not compare to the beach....

This was our view for the week when we abstained from further talks on plasticity....

We had a wonderful trip. Thanks to Grandma L for holding down the fort! Next month is Trinidad and Tobago.

Grandma L is in the Hizz-ouse!

2012-01-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

The New Year brought several resolutions. The most important is that M is now in charge of breakfast. Thanks so much to Aunt JKC for the Strawberry Shortcake Cookbook.

Another, less important resolution was my dad's decision to take my beautiful momma on a tropical vacation at least once a month. He didn't fail this month, but it did require an intervention from the Kinko's Queen Grandma L. She came in early enough to view our New Year's Celebration. Poppers!

Grandma L's resolution was to eat guacomole. So we took her to Gabriel's. Here we are in various parts of saying the word "Avocado!"

SM made the resolution to continue being THAT cute!

Thanks Grandma L for coming to visit!

It's beginning to look a lot like a C Christmas...M version

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Who rode the most coasters and such through the trip? M, by far. Here she is outside of Space Mountain. Notice her dad is huddled over and she is fine!

M was so excited to meet Minnie Mouse that she wet herself!

M loved Finding Nemo, Talking 'bout Love with Crush, and the Aquarium in Epcot...

Donuts (see SM version) were the breakfast du jour for Aunt JKC's birthday and Ghiradelli's covered dinner!

Building sand castles on the beach during sunset? That's Christmas in the tropics!

M's favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad and the Teacups!

It's beginning to look a lot like a C Christmas...JC version

2012-01-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

JC got to meet Mickey, himself. Here JC is too distracted asking Mickey why he's dressed in a topcoat in the 80 degree weather...

Waiting in line is hard for any 3 year old. But, if the end goal is to touch Lightining McQueen? Well, that changes things a bit.

The Pixar parade was a highlight for JC...

He also like the resort swimming pool...

With such packed days, JC was invariably being pushed around in this state when night fell (the lit up castle is behind him)...

JC rode Splash Mountain early on. It frightened him to the point that he only wanted to ride slow things that did not bounce and that did not include dark tunnels. His beautiful momma drug him on to the Pirates ride against his wishes. The ride ended with him huddled in a ball on the floor of the boat. His favorite ride was the Indy Race Car Circuit!

It's beginning to look a lot like a C Christmas....SM version

2011-12-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Every two years around Christmas, the whole C clan descends on a small town (Martinique) in sleepy Florida. We always eat at the same places...

And sleep in the same rooms....

But this time, someone new came...little SM!

SM's first trip to Disney World involved a lot of sunglasses and stoller riding...

She loved Disney Junior Live...

And got to meet her cousin DC and her Uncle W for the first time...

She experienced her first Dunkin' Donut courtesy of Pops...

Her trip ended with a meeting with Daisy Duck. Everyone look at the camera...SM? SM? Oh well, I wouldn't take my eyes off a 5' duck either!

SM's favorite ride (no pictures) was Pirates of the Caribbean...those guys are a riot!

SM Is a Crawler!!

2011-12-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

SM successfully crawled today. She is now a mobile threat to whatever food you drop!

Start vacuuming...

The Nutcracker

2011-12-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I, M, became the living embodiment of a candy cane for my recent dance recital. Here I am limbering up before my show!

Here is my dress rehearsal. I am the third entry from the left.

This grainy video does only partial justice to the poetry in motion (not to be confused with research in motion) that was the real show the next day.

I did so well, that I got a flower and my dad got a pizza!

The Cutting Edge II

2011-12-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Week 2: For those who wondered what happens when JC and M let go of the cones....

2014 - Socci, Russia - we'll see you there Van Waldenburgs!

The Cutting Edge

2011-12-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Approximately twenty years ago a fantastic movie was made. It was called 'The Cutting Edge' and starred the imitable D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly. Sadly, the movie is wildly outdated given it's pre-internet, pre-bagel bites, and pre-pajama jeans time frame. This updated movie will take place in LA (not that LA) and two unknown actors, M and JC. The movie begins with the two unhappy stars unhappy with the partner that has been fated to them!

At their first practice, poor M can only stare into space as her coach (notice gratuitous Nordiques hat) tries to think of how to reach her. "I can't skate with this goon!" she shouts to no one in particular...

With her back turned, the coach focuses his attention on JC as he relearns to skate after a hit during ice hockey left him in a "Regarding Henry" mode with regards to winter sports.

As in all movies, the pair which seemed such a poor fit, soon find their relationship legs during dates that begin by working in the kitchen...

And ending in bags of multicolored popcorn!

M has seen the merits in a man who cannot skate, but can wear checkered shirts matched with corduroys. With renewed vigor, they are back on the ice and preparing for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

M and JC win the gold medal over the brother-sister pairing of Fairchild and Stranz Van Waldenberg in a huge upset. They then become spokespersons for EurosForGold.com. Everyone is happy. A problem arose during filming, however. The film stills above appear to indicate that JC and M are world-class skaters. That is not quite the case, as this leaked behind the scenes video suggests...

Good thing the Olympics aren't until 2014, because it will take at least that long for the two to learn how to skate!

Decking the Halls!

2011-11-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

The magic C camera did not make the Thanksgiving trip to Utah. We were, therefore, unable to take pictures of the massive amounts of people, turkey, or pies. Just take our word for it. Upon our return home, we notice a single eye poking through the curtains...it was our camera which had been eagerly waiting for our return! We soon put it to use taking pictures of our initial attempts at decorating our house. Decorating will be a multi-night affair in our house. JC spent the first evening in his underwear vacuuming up the dropped pine needles...

The tree then began to be ornamentalized thanks to the tag team of a pantsed JC and a M!

Even SM got into the act! Although she mainly just kept things slobbery until needed...

As the night grew late and the large predators came out, SM stood up! On her own! And then moved to the chair! Oh Ho! Look at our stop action photography below...

Cruising!

Shoot Miss Agnes!

2011-11-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Shoot what? A photo shoot! Confident in his ability to take a picture of small children, as he can take pictures of small atoms, my well-meaning dad tried to perform a SM photo shoot. Here is his first attempt - and his first lesson. What you are wearing can distract from the photo itself!

'Fine', he said, 'we'll switch outfits AND poses!' Lesson number two involved waiting for the subject to smile first.

'Atoms are so much easier to photograph! They are happy no matter the orientation! Let's hire a professional." My patient and beautiful momma had won a victory. 'I think I have a phone number for one right here...yes, yes I do. I'll call immediately because I think she has an opening this afternoon.' And the official photo shoot soon began courtesy, not of Miss Agnes, but of Miss M.
In a few seconds, a new outfit, a delightful pose, and WA-LAH! A great picture!

Not willing to cede total control of photograph memories to a five year old, my dad has stated his intention to be official food photographer. The food dresses and poses itself. If it is made by my beautiful momma, all the surroundings look happy too. Banana Creme or Porcupine pie? Depends on how you like your Neil Diamond.

Panera's in NM and Denver is in CO

2011-11-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

A few days before heading to Denver, a co-worker asked my dad whether he would be hitting the Panera. My dad said, "No need!" My beautiful momma had made all the Panera anyone could possibly require. Can you say home-made bread bowl!?!

My brother JC asked to save his for breakfast in the morning. Amazingly, in the LOE's dry air, his bowl becomes more permanent by the day. Perhaps in a month it will be dishwasher safe? That is another story, though. The trip to Denver commenced on a Thursday, but the most interesting part was the free museum night on Saturday. The museum had dinosaurs you could touch...

Mummies...

and dioramas. This one had llamas in it. My beautiful momma asked us to look like llamas caught in the headlights of a Peruvian automobile. How did we do?

The weekend was great - even if you couldn't tell by our appreciable lack of encouraging photos.

This time, it's actually Halloween

2011-11-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

The week of Halloween is still going...strong! On Halloween day, I had a parade at my school. Here I am with my sixth grade buddy.

Then we did the trunk or treat. This witch made me nervous - Where is the good witch?

Then we walked around the neighborhood trick or treating.

We got a lot of candy. Here is my brother with his - notice the movie box of Reese's and the two full size candy bars. That's a lot of pirate booty!

And here I am with mine. Can anyone guess who sorted all the candy? The hint I will give you is that it wasn't SM!

Halloween!!

2011-10-29T22:40:00.000-06:00

Here in the wilderness of the northern LOE, we start celebrating Halloween a week early. Why? Because it is the northern LOE and we need to stretch our holidays out! Word! Here is a picture of the pumpkin patch. Sadly, our pumpkins were not purchased at the patch because they were expensive Texas pumpkins.

It was discovered that little SM has a strong dislike for pumpkins. Look when we started to cut our pumpkins!

The rest of us had more fun cutting the ... pumpkins.

JC was more pensive, but finally stuck his hand in. His overjoyed response, "it feels like slimy!"

Here is our finished product. We only lost two fingers between us!

Next it was Trick or Treat on Main Street. It was our second one! Look at our wonderful costumes!

Judy Garland just looked at my Toto carrying purse and got a bit jealous. Here we are on the town.

SM went as a cold, hungry baby. Actually, under all that garb - she was Little Miss-chevious!

Happy Pre-Halloween!

Lamest Balloon Fiesta, Ever!

2011-10-13T22:00:00.001-06:00

Ah yes! The LOE has a famous balloon festival. So famous that they advertise it on one of their two license plates. My dad even witnessed hundreds of hot air balloons floating over the city on his way to Albuquerque on the Monday of Balloon week . He even witnessed one crash just off to the side of the interstate. Buoyed by his wonderful experience, we headed down the 25 for Thursday's Glowdeo. While we waited for the weather to clear, I became a balloon pilot.

Check back in ten years and my beautiful momma will be making the same face in the passenger seat of the car.
Oh no! The Glow-deo was cancelled! Good thing we are spending the night in the ABQ. We can see the ascension tomorrow! They did inflate one balloon for us - well almost.

In the time it took us to walk closer...

After a not-so-refreshing night that involved all of us kids having some sort of bowel problem we awoke and headed towards the festival grounds. Everything looked great. Visible are several inflated balloons.

Wait....did you hear that? Are those gray clouds?

There goes the neighborhood. :(

That lasted all of ten minutes.

The next morning back at the 'Rock' we witnessed the balloons taking off in HD . The weatherman said "it's beautiful here, come on down to the festival grounds." He was cut off when my beautiful momma threw the tv through the window!

Maybe next year...

Homecoming

2011-10-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

Guess what? Here in the LOE, they still celebrate Homecoming. It's a big deal as they shut down main street and throw a parade. Here am I, M, and my brother/old-man-from-Florida JC. We got front row seats.

Here comes the floats!

After the parade, our bags felt heavier....

That's because we got more candy than Halloween!

JC ate so much candy his face became stuck. See the sad results below!

Have you ever seen eating like that before?

2011-09-25T20:55:00.002-06:00

"By jove, that looks uncivilized!"

"Goodness, me. That's not how you're supposed to eat!"

"Hey guys if you think eating like this is weird..."

"Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me now!"

"Hrumph! Dreadful. That's what I call it. Back to my nuts and I only read Flaubert and only listen to Wincenty z Kielczy. Gaude Mater Polonia!"

Note to readers: The animals in the pictures are talking. SM quotes Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" and then conducts Beethoven with her feet. The fussy English squirrel thinks her eating style, her taste in literature, and her taste in music is bad. He states that her eating style is dreadful. He only reads Gustave Flaubert who wrote Madame Bovary. Flaubert is famous for "le mot juste" and writing in sullen solitude. Finally, the querolous squirrel only listens to Polish composers with Wincenty z Kielczy, or Vincent of Kielcz, a Dominican priest from the 12th century, topping his list. Gaude Mater Polonia is Vincent's big hit and is the most popular Polish anthem. It was often played after victories, although Poles won few battles. The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 probably being the most famous Pole victory. Grunwald was famous for the oak trees and their abundant acorns which squirrels, including the one in this post, love. It's circular baby.
The editor-in-chief for the blog thought that this post was not accessible. I hope this note let's you, the reader, understand the author's intentions. I am sure all of you understood this before the note and please make this clear to said editor-in-chief in the comments section.

Hidden Falls of Battleship Rock

2011-09-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

I think that title sounds like the third movie in the National Treasure series. If Nick Cage can keep the home invaders with fudgesicles away, the third one should be on its way soon. There is our target - a little over threescore furlongs (12 km) away.

How did we make it so far you might ask? There is a reason orangutans give birth only once every eight years because alot of the "hiking" looked like this:

Baby SM rode the whole way like this. Here is a picture with her beautiful momma less than 200 feet from the falls.

We made it! SM asks can you hear the water falling? You have to love the LOE when water like this becomes a landmark. You can't make this stuff up - The historical marker said that this and McCauley Springs (17 kms away) provided the two primary bathing locations for the Jemez in the 1800s.

Don't you love it when the kids find out that they have to walk back?

We sure had a great time. We chased the hike away by eating an extra-large pizza at Dion's --- can you say mmmm- Bop?

SM's First Diet Variation

2011-09-11T16:08:00.000-06:00

Don't call me a baby! Babies can not do this!

Yes, I, SM can now sit up. This opens a new world of possibilities...

One of those possibilities is eating things other than formula and rice cereal. Things like pureed peas! Serve them up!

You'll notice one of the perks of living in the LOE is the relaxed rules regarding outerwear. I got served with no shoes, no pants, and no shirt. Score one for freedom. The peas started off okay. But then I started to taste them...

I haven't tasted many things in life, but there is a reason peas share a name with a bodily function...

I wore this face until the second course (pureed carrots) was served. That made me happier!

Harry & David pureed peas is not an acceptable Christmas gift this year!

Happy Fifth Birthday M!

2011-09-04T21:18:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year again! Yes, M turned five and she did with much aplomb. This picture was snapped as the town bus drove along our road in the background!

The Beastie Boys once wrote, sang, and performed a song entitled "She's Crafty". They were obviously singing about my beautiful momma! With apologies to Hank Williams, Jr., look at the aprons she made since "All my Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". (BTW she ran out of the letter A and I and had to buy more).

We got to decorate our aprons, our cupcakes, and our own individual pizzas. The pepperoni ran out when it reached JC. Big surprise.

But kudos to him for not dragging down my birthday party with any guy humor. Oh wait, he did do that!

After the eatin' came the openin'. The openin' of presents that is...

Later, came my family party. We asked Neville for a recommendation for a good restaurant. He suggested the Dubonnet. Imagine our disappointment when we got there and it turned out to be a supper club! Next time we'll ask Dorcas. In the end, we ate at Sonic. A truer restaurant, quite frankly, doesn't exist. Afterwards we opened family presents.

I got many presents, but this was the only one that gave me this face...

The greatest present, however, was saved for last. The late, great Alan Rickman (i.e. Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest [ i.e. the only movie that's better than Unstoppable]) once said, "If you could build a house on a trampoline, that would suit me just fine." M concurs.

Thanks for all the presents!

Ladies and Gentlemen...a Talent Show!

2011-08-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

This is M's choice of activity for Family Home Evening. This is either the beginnings of Cirque de Soleil or two kids who have had way too much sugar. You decide...

Looks like a trend has been started!

Free Museum Night in Santa Fe

2011-08-21T16:31:00.000-06:00

Finishing our summer activities....my beautiful momma is a notorious planner. The funny part is that she doesn't usually plan for important things like meals. This time she did. Only the place, La Chozo, wasn't open yet. Oh well. After a good Santa Fe New Mexican dinner, we went to Free Museum Night in Santa Fe. Since the museum didn't like us taking photographs inside, we took our shots outside. Here is Gram, count her as enchanted, as she has been an honorary member of the LOE C Clan now for several weeks.

Here is the actual carriage used to make my dad pee his pants in the classic Sean Connery film, Darby O'Gill.

This tree is outside the governor's palace that has been in existence since 1608. It is the biggest tree we have seen so far in NM.

SM was there, too. But she mostly slept and ate.

The sunset greeted us on our way home. This shot doesn't do the sunset justice, but it does do justice to the Echo that ran off the road trying to take a picture of it.

It was a fun night - thanks mom for your pathological planning.

It's Official...1st Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-15T09:07:00.000-06:00

She's ready to go!!!

The three amigas ready for action

Mrs. Sims and her class waving good-bye

Valles Caldera Before and After...

2011-08-10T12:40:00.000-06:00

Has the dead horse been beaten too much yet? Here are photos from the caldera at the top of the volcano we live on. It's a huge grassy plain with it's own ecosystem at 12000 feet. We're pretty sure Edgar Rice Burroughs lived somewhere along the rim. These photos are from August during my dad's job interview.

And here it is after the fire...

You can clearly see where the fire ran out of fuel to the west...

The fire got so hot, it just left chalk outlines of the burnt trees...

Here is one of the roads that acted as a fire break. Look at the right and then the left. Amazing how the left escaped any flames.

Okay okay. We hear

Choosing between the Avett Bros is like Choosing between my Children...

2011-08-05T09:33:00.000-06:00

I have relieved M of her writing duties so that I, B, could write about my beloved Avett Brothers. After a leisurely drive, the Red Rocks Amphitheater came into view. Finally! A venue as beautiful as Scott.

As we drove in the parking lot we came across the Pink Party Bus. We thought it looked exciting but then we got down wind and, well, it wasn't our scene.

Once inside, we had to listen to Someone from Vermont (not their name but they were forgettable).

Look, I brought my husband with me. He felt quite underappreciated for the entire concert.

Ah-ha! There they are! The Governor of Colorado's favorite band, and mine as well. In the background are the bright lights of Denver.

Here is a close-up of the adopted Asian Avett Brother...

Here are a couple videos from the concert. Mmmm....

Fire Week #2

2011-07-29T19:51:00.000-06:00

With my dad leaving Denver to go back to work, I, M, felt quite sad. I spent the first few days on the couch with CS.

I, M, lacked a responsible authority figure in my life. Needless to say, I soon went a little crazy. Here I am test-driving a Tesla sportscar. That went on my dad's credit card...

I took a cue from Iron Mike and got a face tattoo.

I went to the Denver Science Museum and blew bubbles out of this without disinfecting it first!

Uncle B and Aunt K cured my degenerate lifestyle, though. The carrot? A trip to the Denver zoo. They thought it would get me back on track and restore my equilibrium. Here is JC jumping the equivalent of a bullfrog or flea.

And here is my jump. Go ahead and guess how far I jumped!

Ah! The regal tigers inspired me. No more rebellious M. Just nice, responsible M. My equilibrium had been restored.

However, someone else's equilibrium had been upset. Guess why SM got to buy a new outfit? For those of you old enough to remember go ahead and read the post from 27 April 2008 entitled "Feeling Zooper". The more things change, the more things stay the same...

Fire Week #1

2011-07-21T18:52:00.000-06:00

Hi there! My brother, JC, carefully collected all the photos from all the relatives and we are now ready to share our first week of activities after escaping the flames. Everyone reacts differently in stressful situations and I, SM, chose to spend most of the week awake. Here I am at the Residence Inn North in ABQ thanks to their manager, Clyde. Their mattresses were serviceable. And as luck would have it, Gram flew in to ABQ the next day!

Here is how M and JC handled the stress...

Right outside our window was the truck for a race car driver with the best name in sports - Will Power. It's his name, he drives in the Indy Car Circuit, and you can look it up on Alta Vista. B saw him at the pool - she says that he could have been taller.

After Will Power left, the lab closed for the rest of the week. With that news, we packed up Mini and headed for the verdant hills of Denver where Uncle B and Aunt K live. Guess who showed up for the weekend! Pops! He made an appearance, but not really an inspired one...

Uncle B and Aunt K took us to Fun Fest - a celebration of Buckley Air Force Base, America, and inflatable jump houses. Here we are eating our lunch catered by Qdoba! Someone teach my dad how to smile.

They had bouncy horses...

Sports...

and a long slide...

What a fun week! Next time is Fire Week #2.

More crazy photos...

2011-07-17T17:31:00.001-06:00

Not to obsess about it or anything but the pictures are really so incredible we can't help it.

This is the far western part of the lab and J's office is about 1/4 mile to the left of this picture.

Another one of the hospital...

Silent street...beauty amidst the chaos!

Lessons Learned from a Wildfire Evacuation...

2011-07-13T23:52:00.000-06:00

Wow...what a couple of weeks we've had! I'll update everyone on all of our adventures during our unexpected two week vacation in the coming posts. For now, mom is taking over at the request of some family and friends to share some of the things we learned.
In case anyone missed it, we've been away from our home for 2 weeks because of this...the Las Conchas Fire.

The Los Alamos National Lab is in the foreground. The lab closed Monday and didn't open until the following Wednesday. We left on Sunday, June 26th with the voluntary evacuation and stayed in ABQ for a couple of days. Once the mandatory evacuation for Los Alamos was called and it was obvious that we wouldn't be going home anytime soon we headed up to Denver to stay with Uncle B and Aunt K. Just to keep you interested, below is a picture of the hospital where baby S was born. CRAZY!

Anyways...onto the lessons learned...
1. Plan ahead of time what is most important to everyone and have a written list so when an evacuation or emergency is called, you can just go to your list and check it off as it's loaded in the car. We joked about it when we first saw and smelled the smoke. I wrote the list anyways and threw it in the desk. Four hours later I was pulling it out because once the reality set in, I didn't have to stress about what to take. Think about the things that cannot be replaced. I took blankets that my grandma made for my children and J took a couple of his West Point regalia.
2. Plan to be gone longer than you think you will be. I packed for 3 days...not 2 weeks! Yes, we could buy a lot of things but you're already stressed, it's just easier if you have it (ie--diapers, formula, swimsuits)
3. Everyone talked about the 6 P's -- people, pets, paperwork, pictures, personal electronics (and chargers), prescriptions. Will any of your bills be due soon?
4. Make sure everything fits in your car comfortably and have it easily accessible so it doesn't take long to gather

5. Laundry--Monday is my laundry day and the fire started Sunday. In the midst of all the madness, I had to do a load of laundry so that we'd all have a few "essentials". If there is even a hint at evacuation, do laundry!
6. Toys, Toys, Toys!!! The kids needed something to do other than cartoons in the hotel room.

And hopefully, you'll be as fortunate as we were and eventually be able to come home to a home and a few extra surprises...

Baby birds in the nest outside our kitchen window...

Singed leaves and ash in our yard...

And veggies growing in the garden!
FYI...to date the fire is still only 50% contained, has burned over 150,000 acres, and depending on how the wind blows, we can still smell smoke! Thanks for listening and perhaps this might help someone in the future. M will be back soon with her witty and entertaining posts.

Holy Cow! High dive and all!

2011-07-05T21:27:00.000-06:00

Frustrated by the lack of large puddles and lakes to swim in, the LOE C clan purchased a pool membership at the stately Canyon Vista Pool Club. There is no canyon vista, though. I even had my dad hold me up really high to make sure.

My beautiful momma signed me up for swim lessons. Here I am paddling away with my feet.

The pool doesn't have a Canyon Vista, but it does have a diving board...

And even a high dive!

Check out this video!

If anyone is going cliff-diving, I am game!

Where there's smoke....we have been evacuated!

2011-06-27T14:28:00.000-06:00

Yo ho, mateys! Pirate captain JC here. On Sunday, a fire started in the Jemez mountains about fifteen miles away. Here is the view along our street.

This picture shows the difference in coloration.

This a neat picture of the sun, which was quite dim.

Before long, the smoke was everywhere. Here is a view looking opposite the smoke source. Soon the sun was blocked out, everything smelled smoky, and it started to rain ash!

We have been evacuated. These pictures were taken around 3 PM yesterday.

Happy Birthday B!

2011-06-26T17:30:00.000-06:00

My, my. The wheel in the sky keeps on turning. And it has turned through a whole calendar year. B is one year older, one kid more maternal, and in desperate need of an ice cream cake. Ice cream containers, however, explode during the drive up to our elevated volcano town. This means, of course, that ice cream never makes it up from the only town that can be abbreviated ABQ. My dad had to make an audible and he went with the Irish pizza maker! Look at the results below!

Here is JC reacting when we tell him what is on this 'pizza'. "What? Marshmallows, chocolate, more chocolate, graham crackers, and melted yummy?"

It sure is good. BTW the dentist said I had no cavities. Happy birthday mom!

What Utah-kin about Willis?

2011-06-12T22:13:00.000-06:00

We sure had a fun-filled week in Utah. We went to Charles Edward Cheese's with cousins R and H! JC and I, M, won an Airhead candy with all the tickets we won (not too many). R and H took home a disco super ball with the tickets they won (a ridiculous amount). Here we are pictured playing the water gun game. JC is a bit better at target practice then I am...

Then it was off to the Legacy Indoor Aquatic Center. Here's a video of my dad waiting for me to exit the slide. He sure had to wait a long time...I wonder why?

Because the slide looked like this! I did it all by myself, the first time required a donut bribe. I had so much fun I did it again and again. JC was given the same offer, but after his first try down the slide, he sat by the pool side mumbling about sprinkles and chocolate while shivering in fear.

We went to a barbecue where we got to meet several of our cousins from all over, including the state of Louisiana. That's where Tabasco sauce is made.

This was followed by a night on the town (i.e. a playground dinner date) with old friends from Ohio. Look longtime readers, it's the tall pair of B and S and the blond pair of C and O. What a happy coincidence.

How did we finish up our grand week? By running a yard sale, of course! We didn't work for free, we were given In-n-Out as payment. I was feeling a bit constipated so I was disappointed when the burger didn't work as advertised by the restaurant name. I guess it's back to flax seed sprinkled on All-Bran for me!

And, yes, JC wore his flannel dog pajamas the whole day despite temperatures in the 90s - that is what we call a dry heat, Easterners!

Livin' on the Edge!

2011-06-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

The edge being the Wasatch Front, of course. After a fun twelve hour journey winding through various towns celebrating Memorial Day weekend, we arrived in Provo (don't call it Orem!) Here we are on our trip - I bet you guessed we drove!

Needless to say, some of us were tired. Little SM had the best bed in the house - Grandpa!

While some of us were quite rowdy...

Despite the hardships of the drive and the unceasing "bucket-time" stops, we were happy to make our Great Grandma and Great Grandpa so happy!

We stayed a whole week! What did we do? Find out next time!

Kite Festival

2011-05-27T22:36:00.000-06:00

Why hello there! SM here, typing from my new chair---BUMBO!

This past weekend the largest kite festival in northern New Mexico took place in our quaint, little town. The day, however, began like any other --- with my needy brother JC making sleep uncomfortable for someone else...

Here my dad strings the kite. He only thinks I'm in the stroller under the blanket!

JC got to fly the kite...

And M did, too. No one asked me, though. There were probably about fifty kites in the air and the real festival didn't start until the next day!

After the kite flying, we were treated to the musical leanings of Junior Brown...we were big fans. He was heavy on the fiddle, harmonica, banjo, and bowed psaltery.

The day ended like every other...with a needy JC making sleep uncomfortable for someone else!

Sheesh, that blogging took a lot out of me. Better take a break. We'd love to see you next year at our Kite Festival!

We've Graduated from the Cheetah Girls Dance Mat!

2011-05-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

Yes, after two years of correspondence courses at CGU under the tutelage of Kiely, Adrienne, and Sabrina, M received her Passport to Stardom. This allowed her entrance into the exclusive DALA or Dance Arts Los Alamos school of pre-ballet. Here she is with her fellow snowflakes ready to represent the season of winter!

Here is a video of her recital taken by JC. His hand is getting steadier...

M was fantastic! She was placed in the front and center which is, as anybody who has ever seen a Steve Winwood music video knows, where the primo dancers are placed....

Good job M! Jazz hands JC!

Happy Birthday JC!

2011-05-21T22:08:00.000-06:00

Oh boy! Yet another birthday (numero tres) for my little brother. Unsatisfied with last year's multi-state, multi-time zone birthday that involved the outdoor fair McLean Day, JC's birthday lovin' momma decided to turn to the only thing that could top last year's birthday. It was - ABQ Jump!

Yes, an indoor bounce house lodged in Albuquerque's warehouse district was the key to a great birthday. It remains to be seen whether momma will celebrate her birthday there, too - as she had lots of fun, as well. Day 1 ended with a birthday cake....a birthday pancake!!

The next day, JC woke up and found out that his party was continuing...Look at his confused face!

He got a lot of new toys and a multitude of clip-on ties. How many kids are lucky enough to have the same clip-on tie that their dad wore in their 2nd grade photograph?

He also got a basketball hoop...

and a sandbox!

One day later, JC got his birthday cake. Why the wait? The bleepin' altitude had ruined the previous two days' cakes. The coyotes ate well that weekend...But it was worth the wait! Look at that!

And all his rowdy friends were there, too!

Happy 3rd birthday JC! Congrats for potty-training yourself two days before the big day, too! Thanks for everyone's gifts!

Oh yeah, we have a baby sister, too!

2011-05-13T22:52:00.000-06:00

Here is an update on baby S. JC and I both think we are more interesting, but somehow she gets all the fan mail. I guess we'll have to drop the "guest starring" tag at this point. Fans - consider this the bone you were thrown. Her day might start out like this - fast asleep until late morning...

Next, comes a diaper change...

Then she usually gets dressed in something a little too nice for a baby!

After a busy day of eating and cooing it's time for the bath...

Which usually puts her to sleep again for the night!

Asleep, until Big Brother wakes her up again!

Easter, Easter!!!!

2011-05-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

Hola amigos! I, JC, have been tapped to write the Easter post this year? Why? Someone ate too many Peeps! Here is a shot of me at our pre-easter egg hunt. I wore the appropriate t-shirt considering how many eggs I found!

But I was not the big winner. The big winner was M, who found the giant egg which contained this! (Her friend is merely helping her hold up her prize)

Gram and Aunt J flew in after an unexpected, extended stay in Dallas, Texas. They helped us color the eggs and Aunt J "borrowed" some of M's Peeps!

Sunday morning we looked and the Easter Bunny or Beagle had come. He left us shoes and coloring books that coordinated with our baskets. That's a huge hint that my dad had nothing to do with this.

Afterwards we got another Easter egg hunt. BTW, brightly colored eggs stand out amid the "fauna" of NM making the finding quite easy! This one lasted a staggering three minutes meaning we found about a dozen eggs per minute!

The boys sent us some beautiful balloon birds - here is M posing with hers...

Here I am with mine. After a solid two days of taking notes to make this post, you can see I'm not as smiley as M. I love my bird nonetheless. Thanks to everyone!

Pizza Pizza!!!

2011-05-05T12:01:00.000-06:00

The aforementioned (see earlier post) Time Out for Pizza presents the only pizza option in our small town. The pizzas are out of our price range most of the time and an extravagance in the other times. This past weekend we learned about a place only twelve miles away called Papa Murphys. What a knock-off of Papa John's? A pizza place run by someone with an Irish surname? Could place our trust in such a conundrum? Like I said, it's a small town so we went ahead and took our shot. Look at what came out of it!

Oh my! Look at the cheese.

Oh my! Look at the meat!

Our pizza pizza problem has been solved and without a Little Caesar's in sight!

It's a Small Town After All!

2011-05-02T08:58:00.000-06:00

So a little known fact - we live in a small town. How small? Much smaller than the one John Cougar Mellancamp grew up in, that's for sure. Do you want to know what made our front page? This did...

The sight was so stupendous, that my dad came home from work and told everyone to get in the car. He said he had a surprise. I thought that perhaps our grocery store had bananas for the first time this month. My brother was positive that a herd of elk had stopped along our main street. My mom was just frustrated that she had to get dressed. In the end, we were all pleasantly surprised at this amazing view...

Later that night, my dad called the local handy man because this happened to our fence. Do you know what they talked about for ten minutes. Yes, the smashed car at Time Out for Pizza.

The next day, we went on an Easter egg hunt (see future post) and one of the dads was the collision repair guy for the area. He stated that, yes, indeed, the car was to be fixed and driven again. And that is the definition of a small town Mr. Mellencamp.

English isn't confusing at all....

2011-04-13T20:22:00.000-06:00

Hi there. When you are little, every day brings a new discovery. Listen carefully to gain a nugget from me and to hear my brother say something he thinks is important.

Fifty days later....

2011-03-25T21:09:00.000-06:00

Only fifty days ago, B was feeling a bit large....

Now, our new baby S is fifty days old. Here she is photographed next to her giraffe friend.

She had a first this week. First time in the baby swing. It is now three babies old. She fell asleep whereas JC and I both were wide awake for our first rides!

Speaking of sleeping, S has been a bit uppity at night. Since JC does night shift with her, this is how he looks most days!

Visit for Baby S

2011-03-16T20:27:00.000-06:00

Hi there! With so many visitors coming, I decided to get the house cleaned up.

They were not coming to see me or JC, though. They were coming to see our new baby S!

Aunt S showed up after a marathon 24 hour drive that involved a pit stop in a Santa Fe police station.

The pit stop involved Grandpa J and his inappropriate answer to "Red or green?" (the state question of the LOE) to an officer during a traffic stop.

Later on in the week, Grandma N caught the quick flight from LAX. She spent the whole week in this pose! I would have gotten hungry, me thinks.

Okay, bye for now! Baby S is asleep so that means that JC and I can get some attention!

Band O'Lear

2011-02-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our Gram came to visit our new baby. S, though, slept mostly thereby freeing Gram up to spend time with us old hands, M and JC. We decided to go to start looking for a new house to make room for our new baby sister. We decided to look in the Bandelier National Monument for a new place. This one was close to the road, but was a fixer-upper.

We decided to look along the canyon wall because of the marvelous views. Here JC climbs up to the one bedroom studio.

It turned out to be too small. Look at how squished we are...

Gram found a better place down the street with three bedrooms. The master bedroom had a balcony...look!

We searched and searched. Here JC looks at the high-rises...

Everything was too small or too expensive. What to do? Then Gram had an idea - she found a place under a bridge that crossed the small stream running through the main ravine. It had plenty of room. Here we posing on top of our new place...

Lo and behold the property was not for sale. The troll who lived there returned and chased us away. Run JC run!

Well I guess our place will have to do for right now!

Ice Skating

2011-02-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Aunt K came to visit new baby S. She also spent a lot of time playing with us. Due to my parents' deficiencies, she was selected to share this "first" with me...

While I was being Little Miss Skater, my brother, JC, was being...

I wear my sunglasses at night!

The baby sleeps a lot...

2011-02-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our new baby sister, S, seemingly sleeps all the time. What do we do while she sleeps? Mostly things like this...

M&J Meet S!

2011-02-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

S's first day!

2011-02-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

My first day began at 1:36 AM, about an hour after this shot. Doesn't my momma look wonderful, all things considered?

I was awake for about an hour and a half before I took my first nap - and these pictures show what happened. Here I am a few minutes after birth. My mom was so excited to see me that she cried big tears of joy!

They weighed me in at 8.41 lbs and 19" long...and two weeks early. My mom is happy that I came when I did! The nurses could not believe my size, full-term babies usually top out at 7 lbs here at the highest altitude hospital in the country!

Then I got my first bath. This might be the last time I don't cry when I have my hair washed!

Here is my hair color. It's a blond-brown like my dad. Unlike my dad, it's wavy!

My eyes opened for a few minutes today, but no camera could catch their blueness. Here I am at 3 AM getting ready for bed - my dad's first good night kiss!

Surprise!

2011-02-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

That last post was a jinx! Late last night B's water broke and, two hours later, we had a new baby girl! New baby S weighed in at 8.4 lbs and 19". Mom and baby are healthy and happy. Here is a photo of our new miracle...

One week to go....

2011-02-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun and only seven days are remaining. B is beautiful but ready for D-day!

She is, though, going to miss her third hand!

Ice Skating

2011-01-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today, M and JC eagerly watched the US Figure Skating Championships. It was held in Greensboro, NC. The NHL All-Star Game is tomorrow in Raleigh, NC. Unbelievably, NC is the center of the skating world this weekend. M and JC wanted to have their own skate program and here is the result.

Our New Edition - "Cool it Now"

2011-01-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Things did happen in January, despite all of our posts centering on December. Things that happened include mom getting sick, JC getting sick, dad getting sick, JC getting sick again, and then mom getting sick again. Oh yes, one other thing did happen. We welcomed a new edition (que Ralph Tresvant a.k.a. Snaggletooth) to our family this past Saturday. The process started Thursday night. After many phone calls and various trips up to Los Alamos we decided on a home delivery, and a new C arrived at 1 PM Saturday afternoon.

What did we name it? Lucky for us, La-Z-Boy pre-named it just like Cabbage Patch dolls. His name is Shane. He came in at 87 lbs and 43 inches. JC and I are quite grumpy these days because it's obvious who the favorite is now.

When B says she's in her office, now everyone knows where she is! Thanks Floridian GGMa!

Another Virginia Christmas....

2011-01-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

After a quick jaunt up the new and improved I-81 (speed limit has been raised to 115 MPH!), we made it to the land of NoVA where the C clan lives. Despite Uncle B joining the Air Force, he and Katie were able to be in NoVA, too! Look we all fit on the world's most amazing couch. We had to split up B's shirt and Aunt K's socks to prevent a stripe armageddon!

We celebrated Aunt JKC's birthday with an ice cream cake and lots of presents...

Then we celebrated more Christmas. GGma C from Florida was able to partake of the festivities via the Interweb!

Here is Aunt JKC trying to feign happiness at receiving our gift, the mix master. Who knew she really wanted a turn table to support her DJ side-job?

After Christmas we all played Just Dance! This is what it looks like when two people are playing and really trying....

And this is what the game looks like when only one person is really trying....

A shout-out is in order for the photographer-Aunt K. Without her trusty camera, we would have no record of any of these fun-filled days!

Merry Christmas from inside the Beltway!

Christmas in Virginia

2011-01-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

For those who were wondering - FTASB is short for "faster than a speeding blog". After leaving my dad alone and cold in New Mexico, we jumped on a plane and ended up in Virginia for Christmas. The festivities began with Christmas Eve. We reenacted the Nativity in a live action version. M was Mary and I, JC, was the sheep. Look at those faces!

Then it was off to make cookies for Santa Claus. M and I ended up making sugar cookie "Gingerbread" men. I'm pretty sure that Santa would have noticed the conundrum if he hadn't been making such a large delivery. With my cousins, it made 12 good little boys and girls!

After a restful three hours of sleep, it was time to head downstairs and discover how much Santa loves us...

Evan's to Betsy's! "Santa loves us a lot," I thought while clasping my hands in anticipation.

Present opening commenced. I took it seriously, and by the end I was straining to overcome the tape!

And in a new tradition, Christmas afternoon is spent playing Guitar Hero. Does anyone else obtain more star-power than they could ever need?

Whoops! Don't bother the rock star while she's playing Crazy Train!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Early Christmas in New Mexico

2011-01-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! Lately our life has been going FTASB! Unable to keep up, I, M, briefly thought about ending the blog. But then my dad got our computer working again and I was struck by the itch. So, now, if you will, imagine back to mid-December. Most people were gearing up for Christmas - but here in New Mexico, we were celebrating it! It all started with a candy cane hunt. Someone decorated the outside of our house with candy canes. We got to collect them!

Next we made cookies for Santa Claus....

Then we opened our presents! Look at what JC got! They are now inseperable friends. JC asks every morning, "and what would you like in your Cream of Wheat, Buzz?"

I was admittedly jealous of JC's new toy, but then I got a load of my gift. Belle follows me around everywhere too!

My poor dad had to stay in New Mexico while the rest of us went on a family vacation to Gatlinburg, TN - so this Christmas celebration was for him. Look, we even got in our Christmas pajamas for him!

Merry Christmas, dad! We'll miss you.

Delay for reasons other than snow?

2010-12-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Bad things happened last Sunday. First of all, our computer's RAM burned up, necessitating a blog shut-down until more RAM could be shipped to New Mexico. Secondly, the 'Skins lost. To whom you may ask? JC presents the answer on his head along with his feelings on the matter.

Continuing our adventures while my dad was in Boston....after Thanksgiving, it was time to decorate for Christmas. We started with the tree and used every garland except for Judy.

Next was the Christmas cookies! Batter was left for only one cookie after we were done licking the spoons.

The batter gave us all the energy we needed to hang ~76 stockings, one for each member of the family. Each is individually named with a picture detailing the person's interests. No two are alike!

My dad returned from MRS and drove us back to the Land of Enchantment. So ended our furlough in Utah. Aren't you glad we got some new RAM so we could give you an update!?!

Thanks Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa!

When the dad's away....

2010-12-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

With my dad in Boston for the week, it gave the rest of us an extra week in the snowy Wasatch Front. A snowball fight broke out in the backyard! JC and I's chances seemed slim with our larger cousins on one side!

I suddenly remembered chapter 9 in Sun Tzu's Art of War where it stated, "If the enemy holds the high ground, do not ascend and do battle with him." With gritty determination I start my ascent up the slide. My brother is to follow later with our tobaggan. This will turn the tables in our direction!

Halfway up the slide, I remembered that I'm a lover not a fighter. Did you know that Brit band Hot Chocolate had a #1 hit every year from 1970 to 1984? Their hits, though, pale in comparison to my Great-Grandma's house brew!

Along with the hot cocoa, we got a snack of cheese and crackers. Hmm...cheese? Inspired by the mild cheddar, I requested a visit to Charles Edward Cheese. Would my beautiful momma give in? Look at the photo below!

To make this story even sweeter, we didn't add Nutra-sweet or even Equal. We added our cousins R, H, and H!

The above shot was a rare time at the Chuck E. Cheese where JC was not doing this...

Distraught at his inability to set the store record in Skee-Ball, JC blamed his bangs. Luckily Aunt K is not only a Stevie Wonder fan, but also a part-time barber.

Unbelievably, our week can't be contained in just a single post! Next time - decorating for Christmas in the town named after Etienne Provost.

Once thou hast found turkey....

2010-12-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

My beautiful momma's heightened sense of smell lead us to this empty house. A party had either just happened or was about to happen.

Then my brilliant brother JC noticed there were no scraps on the floor for after meal snacking! The party had yet to be! In nary a half hour the whole party crew had arrived. My, my I hope there's a BIG turkey!

Alas, before I could get my camera, it was already dessert! Notice the Hershey's Chocolate Cake at the end of the table. We know Aunt JC is terribly jealous...

My dad's incomprehensible plan had succeeded! Turkey was had in the midst of a Thanksgiving party with 41 relatives. JC and I got to see our great-grandparents. Here, I'm pictured with Great-Grandma and a baby that's not nearly as cute as me!

Our Great-Grandpa taught JC and I checkers. He gave up after realizing that he could never beat someone wearing a bow-tie!

Soon after our Thanksgiving weekend, my dad had to fly to Boston to present the best talk (EVER!) on something that is really boring to you and me. He asked if we would miss him. With so much fun around I said "Sure, dad...we'll be so lonely."

Find out about all of our adventures during my dad's conference week next time!

Man's Search for Turkey

2010-12-05T20:05:00.001-07:00

Wednesday Night...6 PM....After looking through our entire kitchen, JC and I found no turkeys anywhere! How can we have Thanksgiving tomorrow night, if we don't already have the turkey? I would ask my beautiful momma, but she had been packing all day and had fallen asleep with only one sock on! The headlights of my dad down our dirt road indicated he was coming home. What would he say? This...

Not knowing what else to do, he threw me, JC, our bags, and then our beautiful momma in to the back of the Swagger Wagon. He pointed the wagon north and explained that he suspected domesticated turkeys, due to their low IQ, would fly north for winter, instead of south. So off we went through the dark snowy mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. When morning broke several hours later we had made it to Cortez, Colorado. This gas station had a view!

Doesn't the air look crisp and clear? It was 20 below and my dad's hand froze to the gas pump! After a slight delay that involved warm water and an unhappy gas station attendant we were back on our way. My dad's hand had "Mahr" across it for most of the week and he had to eat Thanksgiving with only one hand! No turkeys (besides my dad according to the gas station attendant) were in Cortez, Colorado and so we pushed forward and ran into this state.

This is what most of our trip looked like. We were on an interstate for about twenty or so miles of the 1100 mile trip. Two lanes were wonderful to look at!

My poor dad! With only one hand and everything closed for the holiday, it looked likely that it would be bologna or pimento loaf for Thanksgiving. I guess turkeys fly south....Wait! As we drove near the end of Price Canyon, the gigantic windmills pushed the sweet smell of meat, both light and dark, towards our vehicle....

The smell was so fragrant, my beautiful momma woke up. Using her finely tuned pregnancy sense of smell, she directed us to a small house in Provo, Utah where we found....

Learn what happens, next time on "Atomic Hokies".

Mission With No Record

2010-11-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sixty years ago this month, John Ford released a movie starring John Wayne called "Rio Grande" based on a short story entitled, "Mission With No Record." JC and I went on our own mission to the Rio Grande Friday morning, but with a small change. We brought along our beautiful, camera-happy momma to make this a "Mission With A Record!" Below you can almost make out our target for the day - the Rio Grande! Looks like a short hike to me...

Going down the cliffs was pretty slow for little JC. His legs are really short!

So this is how we went down most of the way. Good thing my dad was there! Look we are getting closer! We've almost made it down to the second plateau...

Once we got to the second plateau, things got a little bit easier for my dad's back and for all of us!

Alas, before we could continue our descent down off the second plateau, the sun started to set necessitating a return ascent. Rats! Unlike John Wayne's Kirby Yorke, we did not succeed in our mission. But look how close we got!

The return ascent started off quite easy. Here is an action shot showing JC hauling across the second plateau...

Then the ascent got tougher....Here JC asks, "We have to climb up that?!?"

Wait a second...did you hear something?!?

The howling of the coyotes caused us all to flash back to an early scene in Willow! And so the ascent restarted with a sense of urgency!

We reached the crest and made it back on the White Rock plateau. We may not have made it to the Rio Grande, but the shared experience will give my brother and I a bonding experience we both will remember for the rest of our lives. How will a two year old remember an experience for the rest of his life you may ask...

....because this was the "Mission With a Record"!

Winter has begun....

2010-11-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

"Whaa?" said my dad dressed in a golf shirt and sweat pants. "Is that..."

"SNOW!"

Look at it come down!

Winter began in Los Alamos this past Sunday. By Monday it was almost Fall again, much to little JC's chagrin!

Dad, why does everything close at dark here?

2010-11-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

Oh, how different the living is here. Not too long ago, a certain Aunt J talked about how poorly maintained the road in front of our house looked. Here is a picture of of my brother, JC, and I on the main route through town.

The fences on either side are meant to keep the coyotes out as they chase elk, rabbits, and other delectable treats down main street after dark. Most people keep rose bushes on the inside and outside of their fence to prevent the elk from jumping the fences and drawing the coyotes into their yards. Our house is no exception!

At the end of the road is an intersection with our local supermarket. You can see the traffic is a bit more intense here than in other places. We are walking home empty-handed because they had already sold all their bananas for the week!

When a (rare) car passes, we step to the side of the road. It's a good thing it only rains three months out of the year here, or the town roads would be impassable.

With wild life control problems and a low population, our town shuts down around dark every night. We better book it to beat the coyotes!

To quote the great Tecumseh speaking to Governor Harrison in 1810, "Any tribe could go to an empty land and make a home there." That's true, as long as we have Net-Flix and Hot Pockets!

Swimming in the Sky

2010-11-07T17:16:00.001-07:00

My dad says that it's a good idea to begin at the bottom in everything. Here you can see my brother, JC, and I unrolling the new carpet while my dad supervises from the couch watching the Army football game. We are excited, as we can now eat indoors! Just in time for winter!

My dad also says that rules, just like wild hearts, aren't meant to be broken. In this case, the rule was amended to it's a good idea to begin at the bottom in everything except swimming. Here we are at the local aquatic center. The life vests are meant to help us stay on top of things!

Behind us you can see the gigantic indoor obstacle course! Here I finish the course in the astounding time of just over 34 minutes! I'm the new Esther Williams except without all the baggage!

There was an assortment of floating toys that my dad didn't have to blow up, even though my beautiful momma says he has no shortage of hot air.

At the local library, I checked out the movie, Beauty and the Beast. If you haven't seen it, I will tell you the entire story ad nausem. My brother, though, checked out the movie Sync or Swim after hearing it had won best feature at the 2009 Kansas City FilmFest. Here he attempts to master some of the basic moves involved with the sport of synchronized swimming.

I welcome all challengers of the under five variety to beat my time of 34:12 on the indoor obstacle course!

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-01T20:12:00.000-06:00

With apologies to all those who think Halloween only lasts for one night, I, M, present you the full-on Los Alamosan Halloweekend! First, you must paint your toenails on the preceding Friday with polish mailed from the great state of Virginia!

Second, the whole lab leaves work early. The town shuts down for vehicle traffic. All kids trick or treat through the commercial sector. I am dressed as a flower. How 2008 you may say? Well it still fits me (kind of)! My brother, JC, is dressed as Mister Lady's Bug - a lesser known parody popularized by Tim Meadows. Finally, my dad is wearing an ultra-rare non-plaid mackinaw.

Here's a picture of the local video rental/tanning salon/sports memorabilia/pizza shop. They now do Fed-Ex, too! We had to take a picture in honor of Gma L. My dad wanted to go in but he was feeling a bit kyphophobic! Too bad, because inside they gave me and JC a LOT of candy!

Here's the main crossroads in town. A Halloween band was playing. We looked for Uncle B on the bass drum, but it looks like he still may be in basic training!

After counting your candy, head to sleep!

After waking up, head to a Halloween party followed by Trunk or Treat and a Halloween carnival! Look at the decoration job done by my beautiful momma...

Look at all those trunks!

After a carnival that involved my old favorite, the dangling donut game, go home and count your loot again!

And that, my blogger friends, is how you go Los Alamosan for your Halloween! Thank you for all the care packages!

The Atomic Hokies

2010-10-28T22:48:00.000-06:00

Yo ho! We made it past Oklahoma and the CST to arrive in our new home 7500 feet above sea level. Our last day at the Holiday Inn had us looking down at the weather system and clouds from our perch in the beautiful Jemez mountains. Did our stuff make it, you ask? In the words of Lew Wallace, (author of Ben Hur and former governor of New Mexico) "Yes."

Yes that's Golda the Corolla riding in the truck. Easily visible is our backyard playground, my telescope tripod, and a box labeled "B's chocolate #5 of 12". B was worried about her chocolate, but she was worried about her two kids more! Did the movers pack M and JC well enough with packing paper?

Oh phew! The kids made it through the move with nary a dent! And they didn't spoil, either! After being unpacked, JC was disappointed to find that our comfy old sofa and chair were now slick and squeaky as seen below.

He soon realized that something even more therapeutic than popping bubble wrap is to tear saran wrap off of furniture! We jumped in the Swagger wagon and went to explore Santa Fe, only an hour away! Here we are outside a church named after my Uncle B (St. Francis of Assisi Church) working on the labyrinth foot maze!

As we told all of you, chain stores have to fit in with the surroundings. Here we are outside the Santa Fe Target - you'd never know!

Finally, we drove back to our mountain aerie and tried baking. Could we achieve a chocolate chip cookie as light and fluffy as we made just weeks ago as low landers? Well, the kids were dressed far better for the job thanks to B's friend Amy K.

How did the cookies turn out? Flat and looking a lot like stuffed french toast!

The Move - Day 4 - "Oh Reginald! It's just so ENCHANTING!"

2010-10-24T15:16:00.000-06:00

Amarillo gave us 72 oz of steak, but the next morning we were on the road again. Could we reach our goal? This sign let's you know that we made it!

We immediately hit the rest stop for our bladders sake. Little JC asked, "Where are all the trees?" I have to say, this wasteland view is enchanting to only those who enjoy watching CSPAN!

As we drove farther, the landscape became much easier on the eyes. It also helped that we got lunch. We stopped at Joseph's in Santa Rosa. They had a photo op that JC and I talked about all through lunch. My beautiful momma said, "No, no, you are too short!" Luckily I can get my dad to do whatever I want by dangling a Ho-Ho!

By the way, there are overpasses, and then there are New Mexico overpasses. They rarely let an opportunity for art pass them by.

After a pit stop in Santa Fe at the Dunkin Donuts, we made it to Los Alamos and our new home - The Holiday Inn Express (at least for the next few days)!

The Move - Day 3 - Who Ate 72 Oz?

2010-10-21T07:02:00.000-06:00

Another day on the road. This one started from Tulsa which is a resting point between toll roads in Oklahoma. After an hour or so, we stopped in Oklahoma City to visit the zoo.

My beautiful momma knows the zoo keeper for the apes and so we were given a private, all-access tour. We learned a lot of things including that giraffes love pumpkins and will drop them on ostriches who get too close! Those wily giraffes! To be safe, we kept orange clad JC far away from the fence whose rotund appearence the giraffes might find confusing!

After our trip to the zoo it was back on the toll roads. Three hours later we all breathed in a freer (toll-free) road system. It was that of Texas!

The part of Texas that we drove through on the way to Amarillo has little to offer the world besides stunning views of wind-generated power in action. Amarillo, on the other hand, has this...

We all gave it a go to see who could earn the free meal. Since JC and I were under eight, we could work together. Who ended up earning the free meal? Those who were sitting on the winner's rocker!

Good job mom! The manager had no idea she was eating for two! We finished the night at the hotel pool before turning in for a long October nap. Three down, one to go before New Mexico!

The Move - Day 2 - Old Route 66

2010-10-18T06:23:00.000-06:00

After a night spent in the pleasant confines of the Drury Plaza Inn we got up and went to the Statehouse where Dred Scott (another history-making Virginian) case was held in 1857. Here we are on the courthouse steps immediately opposite the banks of the Mississippi river.

We then traveled across Memorial drive to the Gateway Arch.

Inside the arch, the windows are on sloped platforms, leading to our children hanging on for dear life at 630 feet! Here M and J look at the Mississippi river.

After our visit to St. Louis, we got on the road that traveled southwest through Missouri. Along the way we learned about Rt. 66. Here M is telling her mom to get on with the picture because she has to go!

We did our best to stay on Rt. 66 and saw this Sinclair gas station...

But soon we got lost and even ended up in Kansas (not the stretch along Rt. 66)! Aghast at the lack of signage and Kansas' lack of excitement at our arrival (note state sign), we headed to Oklahoma. I think this is the first time a state welcome sign has been smaller than a check-cashing service sign.

In Oklahoma we ate at the "World's largest McDonalds" which is only the world's largest if you haven't been out of Northern Oklahoma. It had a Will Rogers Museum and called itself the Glass House. This is the only stop for the first 100 miles of Oklahoma. Kansas gives you a small sign, but Oklahoma welcomes you with a toll road! The Glass House help was terrible leading to my beautiful momma blowing a gasket! My engaging dad lost it and claimed that the whole central time zone was full of people unable to cut it in the EST! M and J watched all and thoughtfully ate their Chicken nuggets.

Could Oklahoma's image be repaired? Maybe all my parents needed was some rest in Tulsa to regain their senses? Find out next time...

The Move - Day 1 - Arch to Arch

2010-10-17T05:16:00.001-06:00

Hello there faithful readers! Look, it's magic. I came home from school on Wednesday and our house had changed to this. Here is our house getting ready to be loaded onto the truck...

And here is our exit from Ohio as we began our journey to the Land of Enchantment (where we are sure the creepy Lucky Charms leprachaun lives). Notice that we had to travel through an arch to leave the state.

The sign as we crossed into Indiana undersold the amount of amazing opportunities that exist in this state as we soon found out through billboards.

You can buy an RV...

Or a candle....

Or even press your luck with the slots!

Midway through the state, we ran into our old friends the W's. We enjoyed getting out of the car and running around.

We stopped here for dinner. Can you get seafood in southern Illinois? You can but my dad says it isn't a good idea. By the way the townspeople of Effingham truly believe it's the crossroads of opportunity.

Finally after a few more hours we approached our destination city and pit stop for this leg of the trip - St. Louis! Our day had taken us from an arch to an ARCH!

Stay tuned for part II...

Last Hurrah

2010-10-10T19:25:00.000-06:00

With only one month to go before we travel to the other end of the world, we decided to visit most of our eastern relatives one last time. The first place we traveled to was south-western VA to visit Cookie the dog and her family. We had such a good time, people forgot to take pictures. The only photos we had were of us playing Kubb. Kubb is the royal game of Sweden, much like Parcheesi is the royal game of India...

We are discussing when and where the loser will make the swedish meatballs! After that long trip, we spent the rest of the week catching up on our sleep...

Only a few days later, my dad took my brother and I to Northern VA. We rode on an airplane which was apropos since we were going to see Uncle B before he left for the Air Force. It is apropos to use apropos today, since it is the 342nd anniversary of it's first usage in Oct 1668 in the french newspaper La Fois! Uncle B had a major party that involved cake made by the former chef for the Kennedy Center of Washington DC! Here he is pictured with his cake...

But only a day or so later, it was time to say goodbye to Curly Sue and the others who lived in her four bedroom dog house!

After the long plane trip, all of our backs felt funny, so little JC lead us all in a yoga session.

Finally, who should visit us this past weekend, our last in C-Bus? Why that's Grandma L's theme song! She took us to the pumpkin patch....

JC and I both picked out a pumpkin, because my dad said "There's not enough water to grow even one pumpkin in New Mexico!" We plan on taking them across the country with us, and why not? We do have seven seats in our Swagger Wagon.

As some guy named Bill once said, "Parting is such sweet sorrow..." We hope to see all of you again sooner rather than later!

Good Luck Uncle B!

2010-10-02T08:48:00.000-06:00

The Ohio C's are very proud of almost-Airman B. We made him a video so that he can think of us at various points during basic training.

The Air Force is going to be stronger with you!

Visit from Gram, Pops and Aunt J

2010-09-23T19:26:00.000-06:00

For my birthday this past month, Gram, Pops, and Aunt J came to visit. They took me to Jungle Jack's playland. My Aunt J rode the Safari Rumble In Jumble ride with me:

We picked the first cold day of the season to go. So we were alone on this ride. I did the Golden Frog Jump to The LilyPad Ride by myself. I stood in line by myself and rode it by myself! Being four is great!

I also got to ride a big roller coaster named the Sea Dragon. Look at me, front row with my arms up. My dad told me this is the only way to ride a coaster. I am too young to realize that there are pansies who don't, like everyone in the seats behind me!

What a fun day! As I pondered how awesome it was, JC steals some of my cotton candy dipping dots. Where did I get it? The future!

Thanks for the fun visit! Jungle Jack's still doesn't know what hit them!

Let's Go to New Mexi-Co?

2010-09-12T19:27:00.001-06:00

Hola Amigos and Amigas! That's Dora for "Hello friends of male and female persuasions!" As alluded to in earlier blog posts, we have big announcements. One announcement is the soon to be arriving Don Fernando....

If he was a turkey that took 8 hours to cook, we are at 3.5 hours. We actually don't know gender yet, so it could just as easily be a Leona Fay. The other announcement pertains to our future place of residence. In only a few short weeks, we say Bye-Bye-Bye (bye bye!) to Ohio. We will be moving to the Land of Enchantment - or New Mexico. We think Land of Enchantment sounds better. We are excited to be in the state for their centennial statehood event after missing Virginia's 400 year anniversary in '07.

For those unfamiliar with the 87544, we will be living at 7000 feet on the side of a volcano. But lo, while New Mexico is a desert, we are near the source of the Rio Grande and so part of our new backyard looks like this...

Please use the comments section to provide catchy new blog names for us that are needed with our imminent departure. And just in case there are any of you dying to visit the Land of Enchantment, we have a 4th bedroom and will welcome LOTS of visitors.

Happy Birthday M!

2010-09-06T06:26:00.000-06:00

What is this? I, M, woke up on a morning around my birthday and found my dad like this....

I guess my dad stayed up too late wrapping presents. Or he didn't stay up late and the sugar rush from a box of Zingers wore off in mid sneeze! After waking him up I realized other people were in the house, too. My Aunt J and this nice grandma...

And a nice grandpa...

With many plans for the day, we got down to business right away. Here we are having a breakfast cake. I am blowing out 4(!) candles!

After loading up on cake and ice cream, we opened presents, too. Here I am with my hand-writing game. It came from my beautiful momma, and if you have seen her handwriting, you'll know why she got me this!

I got a beautiful dress from my Grandma L...

The life of the party turned out to be a hopscotch map. Notice my hair in mid-jump...

Even Pops got into the act, here is the start of an epic fall that took out camera woman Aunt J!

Here I am amid my sea of gifts. Looks like my parents will need another brown box when we move....to...well maybe I'll tell you next time. After these action packed two hours, we headed off to another part of Ohio for the rest of my party.

Happy Birthday to me! Thanks for all the gifts and visitors!

M's First Day of School...Year 2

2010-08-29T19:27:00.000-06:00

Hi there! I, M, have started my second year of my formal preschool education. The following are a few of pictures of myself and my brother, JC, at my orientation. Here we are working on a puzzle together...

We also played with the fruit and toys...

What is the weather like in Ohio? Why, it's sunny with a chance of M...!

Our first Friday was spirit day. I "buckeyed" the trend and went as a Hokie!

My school is great, but it looks like I won't be there for long. Check back next time for an update on my brother and I's future whereabouts!

Summer Update

2010-08-20T18:45:00.000-06:00

School is out and board games can help pass the day. Some people play the board game Risk for fun. Risk is called the game of world domination. I prefer to team up with my sister and play a game called my parents' bed domination. We are undefeated so far....

Although the days are longer, some things get shorter. Can you see what got shorter in this picture?

Yes! Our chair finally broke after six years of service. The back leg split wide open. Can you believe it? Oh and I got a hair cut, too...

Am I going to miss my old hair? My answer lies below...

Ohio State Fair O-Ten

2010-08-13T19:14:00.001-06:00

Hullo there from the Ohio State Fair! Here we are pictured with the wrong end of a cow! No worries - it's a butter cow. The glass is to protect those who are lactose intolerant.

I, M, was ecstatic to ride the rides. However, I was only 41.5", a half inch too short to ride alone. Luckily my dad was there. Together we averaged out to a height that allowed us to ride the Helicopter Spin-o-rama!

What a dull ride! It did not go up. It did not go down. Midway through I asked my dad why we wore seat belts. He said he did not know. Time for something more exciting....like the Crazy Plane!

Heights were in vogue, but I wanted something more exciting. Perhaps some water bumper boats? Being the only aggressive driver lead to a lot of dirty looks from other parents....so I flashed them this grin!

Finally, I decided to go for it. We hopped on a roller coaster! Wee-haa! I had my arms up the whole way---and to top it off, the rain had just started so we got to ride it twice without stopping as the employees rushed to save their speaker system. No pictures, of course because my dad was screaming and grabbing the hand holds. He wore his yellow VCU shirt, so at least he did not falsely advertise! In related news, I'm looking for a roller coaster riding partner!

Charles Edward Cheese

2010-08-03T06:24:00.000-06:00

My Aunt S had a birthday approximately two months ago. To celebrate, we went to Charles Edward Cheese's House of Fun approximately two months ago. In related news, never get your photographs developed at the CVS on Main. The problem, of course, is how to get to Virginia to help celebrate?
First, I tried the gigantic lego man who lived down the street. He refused.

So I used some horsepower, instead!

Made it! Here is a picture of the birthday girl looking wistfully into the distance as the three cheese mixture inspires mental poetry. Little JC thinks she took more than her fair share!

JC quickly got over the slight and Summer and him threw some footballs...

We soon grew tired of all the pizza and fun. So we strapped ourselves into something that required little to no effort!

Thanks for the party!

Tap Class

2010-07-17T19:26:00.000-06:00

Hi there. Many moons ago, my beautiful momma signed me up for a summer tap class. You can see I'm focused on my steps!

I wore a different outfit everyday including the one great-grandma sent me....

My brother, JC, was very jealous. He was so frustrated that he watched all of my classes in this pose.

You can hear how much my brother wanted to join in from this clip....

Thanks for the tap shoes, Grandma L!

Independence Weekend

2010-07-14T17:51:00.009-06:00

Look who came to visit M and JC! S really can't believe it's not butter!

With the boys here, we did lots of fun things. We went and saw the life size replica of the Santa Maria...

For those who didn't believe my story about "Recorder Guy", I have posted proof. Look in the man's pocket. He had just finished a rendition of the Backstreet Boys.

We went to Pei Wei for lunch/dinner. Pei Wei is chinese for Pee Wee and it's really a Pee Wee PF Changs! M used chopsticks so what was lunch became dinner in the time it took her!

Then we went to Upper Arlington for a fireworks show and to listen to three different cover bands in a row. Before the show we lit some snakes. We hear the words flaming dog poop for the next three days...

By the time the show rolled around, it was well past our bed time. Good thing that all we had to do was look up...
Thanks for coming to visit boys!

The Strawberry Festival

2010-07-08T18:14:00.012-06:00

The word "straub ery" in Slovenian refers to their national horse breed. With the largest population of Slovenians outside of Slovenia, itself, Ohio made the perfect place to hold the Straub ery or Strawberry Festival. Instead of the national horse of Slovenia, however, this festival celebrates the American version, and especially, the Mustang car! Just to satiate the ignorant Americans who came looking for actual strawberries, the town of London included this display.

The show was all about the cars, however. Here, Gram, Aunt K, JC, and I are pictured among a row of 'Stangs.

Here is a picture of me after someone told me what the festival was all about. "Oh I get it," I said. JC was not as understanding and really wanted the festival to be about the berries!

My brother soon got into it, though, after we fed him a snow cone...

My dad left for New Mexico!

2010-07-04T19:39:00.012-06:00

With my dad gone in New Mexico, we traveled to VA to visit with many of our relatives. The first stop was the C-M clan in the southern part of VA. We got to run through the sprinkler...

And do the water slide too....

My brother slipped...
and wiped out... but was none the worse for wear.
We had a fun visit with Grandma L too and her banana pops. Not pictured is our trip to Chuck E. Cheese World....
After wearing out our welcome we drove north to the the C family's compound. We did some water games there too. Whoops! JC had one too many burritos!

We went and sat out by the lake at Aunt JKC's house. Doesn't M look delightfully southern?

We then went to Gram's house. Oh no! Pops is watching Merlin on SyFy again?!?

Not wanting to watch the goblin-wife episode again, we decided to go to a park. Looks like JC has found his calling....

And I, M, have found my calling, too!

Thank you to all who hosted us. My dad going to New Mexico led to the best summer vacation ever!

The Name of the Rose

2010-06-28T06:51:00.007-06:00

Hello there! Columbus has one of the top ten rose gardens in the country. It's a garden with real roses and not a basketball arena where the Trailblazers play. One sunny day we decided to go and visit. Here we are all smiling because a bird the size of a small airplane just missed us with it's "fuel dump" and hit the sign instead! Can you imagine how much good luck we would have received if we were Italian?

Before attacking the fields of roses we had a picnic dinner. Here we are munching away on a variety of Italian pastas, ironically.

With our bellies full (is that a theme of our blog?) we went into the park.

My sister, M, enjoyed smelling the roses.

I, JC, being of shorter stature wanted to climb the wrought iron tower to look at the garden in full.

After so many pictures, I was getting tired of smiling. Here my dad promised us dessert if we smiled big for our sole picture with my beautiful momma. I was so sun-tired I didn't care, but you can see M was very interested in dessert.

Finally, the answer to the riddle in the title of this post? Why it's....

Visitors from the frozen north

2010-06-13T18:31:00.008-06:00

Hi there! Not too long ago, my friends B and S moved to Minnesota. Disgusted with the lack of sun to the north, they decided to fly south to Ohio. It turns out that they did not fly far enough south. We did many things with our friends despite the poor weather, but there was one thing we did where we ALSO remembered the camera -- the Bunny Fountains! Here we are taking in a pregame snack!

Now fully fueled, B and I and ran through the fountains!

I guess JC didn't eat enough because he didn't get too wet...

Why are they named the bunny fountains? The gigantic statues up at the top of this hill is one clue (and the only clue)...

After a long day (~2 hrs) of running up and down the hill and through the fountains, JC and I were pooped. We found a comfortable rock and slept until the next rain storm hit!

Thanks for visiting us B and S! We had a great time and wish our camera had been with us more often!

Everyone gets what they want....

2010-05-30T20:02:00.004-06:00

Everyone has something that they want more than anything. For me, JC, I wanted a cupcake. And a rainbow - colored cupcake at that....

My sister, M, wanted to have no cavities for her first visit to the dentist and an awesome new tooth brush. Both of her dreams came true....

And my beautiful momma wanted to see her beloved Avett Brothers in concert. Here is a shot of her with her cabana boy before the concert.

And here are the Avett Brothers themselves. The one on the left is adopted.

My dad just wanted to meet someone who was a lousier dresser than himself. The man on the right from the opening act qualifies. Not seen in the picture are the combat boots with thick black socks he also wore.

You see! In the end, everyone gets what they want!

McLean Day

2010-05-23T18:27:00.005-06:00

I, JC, had my birthday a short time ago. My parents threw me an awesome party and invited the whole town! Here you can see my sister, M, pictured heading down an octopus slide sponsored by the local orthodontists.

Not willing to be one-upped now that I am two, I climbed all the way to the top on my own...and slid right down.

They also had a train that drove around. I love the choo-choos so I couldn't pass this up.

Why are we laughing? My dad told us this joke as he ran alongside the train...Knock knock! Who's there? Señor! Señor who? Señor underwear Mr. Conductor!

We got to ride dragons that moved kind of slowly....

So my sister jumped on the "Bounty" and rode it the rest of the afternoon!

In the end my parents 'fessed up. The party wasn't for my birthday at all. It was McLean Day...the biggest bash north of Pimmit Hills and south of the Potomac River! Oh well, I still got to ride all the rides, right? Thank you McLean for celebrating my birthday in a memorable style!

JC's Second Birthday - Part I

2010-05-19T19:00:00.008-06:00

My birthday this year was a true celebration. It spanned multiple time zones and states this year! But, as with all my birthdays thus far, it started with a breakfast of pancakes. Who turned two? It's me!

My parents asked me what I wanted most for my birthday. I responded that I wanted to take a trip to VA to play with Gram's train set. Not an hour later, we were on the road and heading to the Old Dominion. They had a party ready for me there, too! Look at this awesome cake. I remind everyone who it's for...Great Grandma is so jealous of my cookie!

And it tasted good too!

After cake comes the presents. I have become much better at tearing open presents. Look at me open this present to find namesake trucks - "Chuck".

The cake, presents, and my hand, foot, and mouth disease did me in. Luckily, Aunt JKC bought me an awesome Backyardigans couch. We look like walking advertisements for Pepto!

With the end of my birthday came our return to the Ohio. I tearfully left Gram's train set and got into the van, ruing the day. When we got back I found that I had received another present - my very own train set. Here it is pictured with all my loot!

I quickly slapped on my conductor outfit for an added effect. Who wants to ride the choo-choo?

Thanks for all my presents and giving me a happy birthday!

Eatin' Park

2010-05-12T18:55:00.008-06:00

Hi there! My mom said we were going to a place called eatin' park in Cincinnati. I became more excited when I heard we were stopping by Ikea to find my dad a chair. Alas, Ikea had no chair tall enough for my dad's back. But we took advantage of the cafeteria to eat just enough to whet our appetite for eatin' park! When we got there, we were all a bit underwhelmed...

What?!? No food...just idyllic, possibly edenic views. Oh! Eden not eatin' park! Well then, let's look at the views!

After so much walking, though, I became hungry. I had saved room while at Ikea in preparation for the feast. Wait! Over there!

Nuts! Those ducks got to the bread before I could! Well, I guess they did look hungrier...

At least Eden Park had all the water I could drink!

It was a fun trip, but by the time we left Cinci, I was starving. Luckily we made it to a DQ on I-71 for the perfect capper - chicken fingers!

Haircut Numero Dos

2010-05-02T18:18:00.004-06:00

I'm sorry to report that this post will not be as catchy as Mambo Numero Cinco. As it were, though, a haircut is pretty big news. I, JC, am just about two and this is only my second haircut. My first experience at Disney World was really nice, but given the sheer beauty of my hair, I couldn't go back to a barber. This time I went to a stylist at Distinct Design Group as a tack-on to my mother's appointment. Here is my new do. Notice my Pablo outfit!

Everyone celebrated my new hair-do in different ways. My beautiful momma made bread. Notice the thick layers of melty cheese sewn into the doughy bread.

My sister, M, wanted to go to Chik-fil-a to celebrate. After eating her momma's bread, though, she was way to full. So, instead we found her an awesome new dress - Espirit!

Finally, my dad helped us celebrate by taking us to the Batelle Darby Creek Metro Park. With my shorn hair, I was really able to appreciate the views afforded to us by the chance sunny day.

Visitors from a faraway land...

2010-04-25T19:01:00.007-06:00

We have been so blessed the past few weekends with visitors. They traveled by land, air, and sea to arrive. The first visitors was Grandma L and Grandpa J from southern VA. On their way here, their car broke down leaving them stranded in Ohio. What to do? While Grandpa J played the zoo course, Grandma L took us to the zoo to look for animals willing to take them home. The first animal, was a bit too small for everyone. To top it off, it was also intimidated by the unruly goose!

Then Grandma L had a great idea! Grandpa J had always wanted a motorcycle so we went and saw the Wild Hogs. Sure enough they were willing to take a long drive and even allowed us a test drive. Satisfied with their performance, we sent Grandma L and Grandpa J home in style after a fun weekend.
Who should visit us the next weekend? Aunt JKC fresh off of busy season and Aunt K! They were so fun! They took us to the park where I, M, promptly soiled the playground.

JC followed it up with his own...

We did other things besides the playground. We went to the Starliner Diner where we ate some wonderful food which lead to someone else soiling a Wendy's on the way home!

Finally, our last visitor, was Flat Stanley. He had traveled all over the world but had somehow missed the center of the universe, i.e. Ohio. We took him to The Shoe, also known as the Ohio State Stadium where we had him help us make the O-H-I-O. Thanks to Aunt JKC for providing the dot to the "i".

Thanks for visiting us! We love you!

Princess Girl

2010-04-11T19:43:00.003-06:00

M is a princess...