Let me just start by saying this �?? �??Unsecured wireless networks are a traveling bloggers best friend�?�

Anyway, we took the drive to Carlsbad last night from Phoenix. We met Grandma Bud and Grandma Shirley at the Cracker Barrel and headed off from there at 7:30 PM. We hit a dust and rain storm just as we were getting into Gila Bend, it was really blowing hard and the rain came down quick. This did not even stir the Littlest General who was sound asleep after we turned past Maricopa. Once the storm passed, it was pretty much smooth sailing all the way to Carlsbad. The general slept all the way to San Diego! We got into Carlsbad at 5 minutes before 1 AM for a trip total of 5 ½ hours, door to door.

Zoe was up and about for an hour or so, according to Momma who stayed up with her whilst I proceeded to pass out in the bedroom. We are staying at an adult living community where Grandmas Bud and Shirley are going to be this week. We don�??t move over to the beach house until Saturday night. Internet access might not be so readily available, but I will do my best to update.

I am capturing the trip on video and with still pics, I�??ll probably have something put together by late 2008. Just kidding. I will get it into a short music video as soon as I can.

Oh yeah, Zoe is having a great time so far, just checking everything out. I can not wait to get her on the beach to show her the ocean.

Peace.

Categories: Rantings
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Wow! 6 months already�?� Already flying by. Anyway, sorry again for lack of posts. AS Zoe gets older, her need to be watched more diligently increase along with her head size (that joke is for Great Aunt Ellen). Seriously, check up the other day went well (she was 90% in both height and weight), except for the three shots she got which have given her a slight fever for the past few days accompanied by a visit from her alter ego �?? The Fussington General. I was actually up at 1 AM with her today and stayed up all night and went to work today so I�??m a bit punchy at best. I was able to get her to sleep by taking her to fill up both cars with gas at 3:45 AM but of course as soon as we got home, she was up and a bottle put her out by 4:15 AM. I have to get up at 5:00AM on workdays so I was stuck awake and running I.V. lines of coffee to stay conscious.

We head out for our annual week long vacation to Carlsbad, CA tomorrow night. This will be the first trip there with Zoe and we are looking forward to it. We are driving there and leaving at about 7:30 PM so (hopefully) she sleeps most of the 6 hours. Our biggest concern right now is how we are going to fit all her stuff in the car. I may be reduced to bringing one shirt, one pair of shorts and one sandal just to make room for Zoe�??s equipment.

I plan on doing a video and slide show to capture the journey, I�??ll keep you posted.

Categories: Milestones
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I have been telling Kris for several years now that after our current dogs pass, I want to get a Boston Terrier. I have always liked these little dogs and felt it would be a great choice for our next pet. I’m sure it will be several years from now, however.

The reason I am posting this on Zoe’s site is because we were at the Mall yesterday and happened upon a pet store that must have been recently added to the mall we were in. We walked in and showed Zoe all the doggies in the kennels for sale. She loved to watch them play, with a big smile on her face as we passed each cage. Zoe smiled and smiled until we got to one kennel in particular, can you guess which one? Yup. We got to the one with two little Boston Terrier puppies in it and she let out a squeal and a big laugh as she watched these little pups playing.

Kris and I, without hesitation commented to each other “that does it I guess, were getting one” and laughed at Zoe’s uncanny reaction to the one dog I had commented about so much in the past.

Now, how cool is that?

Categories: Rantings
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My nephew Matt (11 y.o.) flew out from Connecticut all by himself to stay with us for the week on Friday. Saturday morning, he and my brother Fred (along with Fred�??s boys) flew down to Skydive Arizona while Kris, Zoe and I drove down to meet them there. Why? Do you ask. Because Zoe�??s brother Kyle did a tandem skydive. He was supposed to do it a while ago but was cancelled due to high winds.

It was fun, mostly to tease Kris while Kyle was gearing up to jump. I asked the tandem instructor what color the parachute was so we could watch Kyle and he honestly replied �??You kow what? I�??m not really sure.�?� Kris was thrilled. Fred and I found a small piece of black bungee cord with a round handle on it on the ground and we brought it over to Kris and told her that we saw this fall off Kyle�??s harness but when we tried to get his tandem instructor�??s attention, he couldn�??t hear us as he boarded the plane. She did not appreciate the humor. The ride to altitude takes about 10 minutes and 5 or so into it,
Kris started to voice extreme concern that she could not find the plane, looking feverishly in the sky in all directions. Just Mom�??s nerves I guess. She observed as all the little dots came flying of the back of the plane (that�??s what they look like from the ground) and she just kept saying �??come on, open! come on, open! come on, open!�?� until all the chutes opened and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. After Kyle, he immediately said �?? I want to go again!�?� until he heard the $250 price tag. I was a fun trip. Zoe loves to watch the colorful parachutes land almost as much as her dad.

I enjoyed my first Father�??s Day with Zoe on Sunday. I don�??t really consider this my first Father�??s Day because of my two step kids, but this one was a bit different. Unbeknownst to me, Zoe and Kris made a trip to the pottery making place and crafted me a mug. It is beautiful and yellow with the words �??Zoe�??s Daddy�?� on one side and Zoe�??s foot print on the other. It also has the date 06/12/2006 on it, which Kris admitted she put in error. It�??s Ok, I absolutely love it and having the wrong date actually adds a little bit of nostalgia to it. I also got 2 Ghurka cigars from Kyle, very nice cigars and very thoughtful of him. One down, plenty more to come.

I�??m looking forward to the week with Matt. Zoe absolutely loves him and smiles and laughs at him every time she gets to see him. I have to remind him that she is smiling at him and try to get his attention away from the XBOX. Man, he is just like his dad.

Categories: Rantings
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First off, sorry for not posting sooner, I have been a little lax and for that I apologize. It is certainly not for a lack of events, just a lack of Eric�??s motivation.

Anyway, Kris called me a few days ago with a bit of excitement in her voice and told me that she can see a little bit of Zoe�??s bottom front tooth poking through the gum. She also told me that she could feel the tooth right next to it coming in, just under the gum. The next thought in my head was �??What the heck? It seems like she was just born yesterday.�?� Kris was noticeably happy, partially because she thought Zoe was teething at about 3 months. I can�??t believe it. It�??s the weirdest conflicting feelings. In one hand I am happy that she is progressing right along, but in the other, I am wondering why it is screaming by so fast. Before I know it she is going to be driving, eeeck!

Zoe has her hand in her mouth more often than not now. And when she doesn�??t have her hand in it, she tries to put everything else in there. If she is anything like her dad, once she starts talking, the most common thing she�??ll put in there is her foot.

Categories: Rantings
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So here�??s what happened. I was over in our rental condo painting it with Kyle. There was no one to watch Zoe so I had her with me. Up until this point, we were having a great day. Our renters had recently moved out and we are in the process of cleaning / fixing up the condo to sell or rent again. This involved several trips to the Home Depot for supplies that Zoe happily accompanied me on with nothing but smile and giggles, up until this point.

So anyway, I was up on a ladder painting a high vaulted ceiling wall and Zoe was in her car seat on the floor across the room (about 10 feet from thee base of the ladder) smiling up at me watching what I was doing. Zoe absolutely loves my red Washington Nationals baseball cap, which I was wearing at the time. This is when Daddy turned into Dumbass. I thought she may have wanted the hat so I tossed it down to her, spinning it slowly in the air as I sent it gently down to her.

I envisioned it softly floating towards her feet as if floating on an angel�??s wing, softly to my joyful daughter. Reality soon hit me (no pun) when I observed my hat augering in like a WWII fighter that he just been shot down. CRASH!! The bill of my cap struck her at a 45 degree angle just above her left eye. Let the screaming commence!

She started crying like I have never witnessed before as I stood up on the ladder viewing like a big fat donkey. If this had been a cartoon I would have looked like one, I sure felt like an ass! I ran down to her to consol her and her eyes that displayed fear, anger and pain all in the same glance. Then came the uncontrollable hyperventilating that really cheered me up (heavy sarcasm) and wouldn�??t stop.

How stupid does one feel at that moment? As dumb as one could feel. Never gonna do that again! I know Zoe is going to be hurt many times in her life and Daddy is gonna be there to consol her, I just wish I hadn�??t been the one to hurt her first.

I took her home and called Kris to tell her, much like a child telling his Mom that he just broke her favorite lamp. Kris was great and assured me that Zoe would wake up from her nap and forget about the whole thing. I hoped so, but in reality, either by dumb luck or calculated revenge, Zoe scratched the living @#%& out of my lip after I picked her up from that nap. Hmmm

Categories: Rantings
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