Travel to Topeka

In April I traveled to Kansas with ELO, Mommy and Daddy.

We were picked up at the airport by Aunt Favorite
but soon Aunt Linda came to take us to Topeka.

While in Topeka--my Great Aunt Carla took me to see Lawrence...
I was excited to see a surf shop--but alas no beach.

My Mommy's friend Hilary and her son Charles came to see me
(and ELO).
We saw a few other people but no pictures.

There were lots of neat things at my Great Aunt Ann's house.
(Although while I was there I felt it more efficient to call Aunt Ann--
Grandma--she did not seem to mind.)

Great Uncle Paul let me ride on his lawn tractor with him.
(He also did not mind me calling him Grandpa.)

My Great Uncle Paul is a fun guy.

My favorite part of the time in Topeka was fishing.

Great Uncle Paul had a rod just my size and a hat for me to wear too.

I was hoping to catch fish for dinner...
but was not so successful.

My Daddy's favorite part wasn't the fishing--
it seemed to be sleeping on the couch.

Random Photos

comings and goings

In the last couple of weeks we have had a number of significant changes at my house.  The Sunday before last my Mommy and Daddy went for a Sunday drive out to the Applegate Valley.  There are lots of places where they sell the fruit of the vine in liquid form.  As we were leaving Medford it started raining hard.  But in the Applegate all was only cloudy.

We went to a number of places and Mommy felt bad for one of the vine juice selling guys (he only did the vine juice as a hobby) so she bought a bottle of the stuff.  It was very pretty out in The Applegate.  Everything was very nice and green and the mountains all around still had lots of snow.

We went up to Applegate Lake after Mommy bought the vine juice.  The lake level was high and the lake was completely full.   Daddy and I threw rocks into the lake.  I was trying to fill it up with rocks but Daddy said that we didn’t have enough time and that we would have to come back some other day if we wanted to fill it.  We left and I fell asleep in the car on the way back, along with Erica.

When we got home we had a phone call on the phone answering machine from the Medford Police.  They said that they had our dogs – Cujo and Bear (Cerberus).  The next call on the machine from Animal Control and it said they had our dogs.  Sure enough, the dogs had chewed through the wooden front gate and escaped.  They must have been chased by aliens who wanted to study them for their alien dog experiments to want to get away from our house badly enough to chew through the front gate.  Daddy says he thinks it was lightening and thunder that scared them.  He just doesn’t know that the aliens have after our dogs for a very long time.  I don’t know how to make him understand that.  I don’t think he is ready to hear that yet.

Daddy went to pick them up the next day but only came back with Bear.  He said that Cujo was still at the State.  The next day Daddy let the State be the mommy and daddy for Cujo.  We won’t get to see her again because Mommy and Daddy say that once the State has you they never let you go.  I will miss Cujo but I still have Bear.

RIP Cujo Obendrauf ???? – May 11, 2010

Later that week Daddy took Mommy’s car in to the doctor.  It was sick.  For her car to feel better it would have cost a lot of money so Daddy told Craig’s list about the car.  The next day they had it sold for almost the amount they were asking.  I hope it wasn’t sold to the State.  Mommy really misses that car already and we only just got rid of it yesterday.  I miss that car too, but I think I’m going to really like our new one.

RIP -Mommy’s Subaru 2002 – May 17th, 2010

All was not lost.  We did get a new addition to the family.  Mommy and Daddy were having difficulty getting Erica and me in any of our cars to where we would still have any room left over for stuff or people.  So Mommy talked Daddy into buying a new 8 passenger van.  If any of you want to visit us, we can cart you around now without making you rent a vehicle.  It’s a pretty nice car.  They call it a Honda Odyssey or some such.  I don’t know how to describe it except that the leather seats are comfortable – I wish I were old enough to get to sit in them.  Here is a picture of our new family member.

New Car May 17, 2010 – ????

Rear View

Easter

Here is my baby sister on Easter.
(I am told I was napping during this photo shoot.)
Easter was a cold day.
We got some snow--it did not fall for long
and it did not show up once it hit the ground.
Remember last year--it was a lovely day.

You will note the blanket under her is one you may have
seen on La Vida Betsy.

I happened to eat Easter dinner with my hairdresser--
aka Oren's Grandma.
She offered to cut my hair before I went home.
(Alas--this really was the only picture taken of me on Easter.)

Here I am Saturday night painting my eggs
and watching The Ten Commandments on TV.
(I did not get to stay up and see the end of the movie.)

ELO, Dad and I are posing with our eggs.
I don't think ELO was happy about being involved.

ELO at a month

ELO has been around now for a few weeks and little has changed.

I am still working with her on cute photographic moments.

She still wants to do very little except just--sleep, eat, cry and fill up land-fills.

OK--look right at the camera.

When I try to hold her she just sits there--very little response...
I bring her toys I think she might enjoy and she just ignores them.

So I do what I can...
(aka nothing.)

There she is--sweet, cute and so little.

I do love my baby sister...
even if she cannot do anything.
(I do hope we can get beyond these posed pictures someday.)

ELO Poses

I have been trying to help ELO with her photo shoots. She is a little shy.
Don't hide behind that hand!

Much of her time is spent crying for food.
I try to be encouraging--look at my smile...

She almost has the smile here--but she loves to cross her eyes.

No crossed eyes here but she seems angry rather than happy.

She has successfully mastered the pirate look.
"Argh matey!"

This is her pensive and perhaps exasperated look
She was going for "pouty."

She believes this will pass for surprised but really it just means she is ready to eat.

Don't worry she is watching me closely...

Almost a good pose here--just needs to open those eyes more.

She is improving...
just a matter of time and practice.

ELO at Home

My little sister is home.

Sometimes my Dad and Mom let me hold her.

Sometimes she will hold my finger.

My Grandma Joan and Grandpa Marion helped me adjust to my new sibling.

ELO has let me lay on her blanket with her while I watch TV.
I have given ELO my car but she is letting me play with it for now.

My New Sister

Well, I no longer rule the roost.  My sister made her debut yesterday (March 1, 2010).  She’s not as big as I was.  She was only 8lbs 14oz and I was 9lbs 2oz.  We were the same length though – I think, at 20.5 inches.   Though her hair is thicker than mine it’s not the cool reddish color that mine is.  It’s more black with blond highlights.  She already thinks she is some sort of fashionista.

Here’s mommy with my sister still in her belly

 

 
Here are the doors behind which she was born where my daddy he said he had to wait a long time to go in to see me born

 

 
Here they are about to cut my sister’s mommy interface

 

 
She doesn’t seem to be too happy here.  But at least we know her lungs and voice work good.  They could hear her all the way out into the waiting room

 

 
Mommy with Erica

 

 
I think she is pretty cute, maybe even more cute than me.  But then again she is a girl and is supposed to be.  I’m still hold the title of the cutest boy baby

Birthday!

In celebration of my birthday I got some great cards.

Balloons arrived which were really cool.

Here I am with my birthday cake.
I almost was able to blow out all my candles.

I felt very satisfied with the results.

After the cake came presents.

Everyone was very excited about my gifts.

Here is a group photo.
Everyone had a good time celebrating another year of me!