Life with Noah & Leah
"...how wonderful life is while you're in the world"
aug 23, 2008posted by: dad
A couple of days before daddy went on his "Selfish F@%#ing Bastard Trip" as mommy liked to call it, Grammy Dolly made a going away picnic that we got together for at a park near Grammy & Grampys' in HB. The cousins all played at the playground and it was a very nice going away gift for daddy.
Halloweenposted by: dad
Halloween with a soccer player, a witch, a pirate, a mummy, Dorothy, and Batgirl, aka; Andrea, Jordan, Noah, Johnny Leah & Lexi.
nov 2 2008posted by: dad
An afternoon at Seal Beach so daddy can test the new camera. Thanks mommy for sending extra clothes.
nov 15 2008posted by: dad
Along with Pat & Allison and their family, Jerry & Lindsey and their girls, Mark & Noel and their boys, Bob & Linda and others we took our first desert camping trip. Jerry brought his quads which were ALOT of fun. Daddy got to ride one on the off-road man trip and when we got back I took Noah and Leah on rides near the campsite... they loved it... especially Noah. I would ask him if he wanted to go back to camp and he'd say "No! No! No! Keep going!" He also loved going over the whoopdedoos too. We'd both say wwhhoooooOOOOOAAAaaaa as we went over them. One day had really strong wind and everyone had to secure their tents and on the last day everyone was getting messages about some pretty bad fires back home in Orange County. On the drive home the hills along the 91 freeway were still smoking and fire had come right up to neighborhoods. A fun and dusty trip.
Thanksgivingposted by: mom
What a fun Thanksgiving. My brother Josh came to visit from Idaho which was such a treat. We had a nice time at my Dad's with an amazing meal as usual. The kids terrorized my parents two cats by chasing and screaming at them. The next day my Aunt Nancy and Cousin Natalie came over along with my Mom and we celebrated Thanksgiving all over again. We played scrabble, relaxed and ate. Everyone stayed the night for a little slumber party. It was great to spend that much time with everyone. We all had a blast!!
nov 29, 2008posted by: dad
Children + mud = fun!
dec 6, 2008posted by: dad
Brandon Welsh celebrated his birthday at Adventure City today. Adventure City is just down the street from Knott's Berry Farm, it is much smaller and way less crowded... in other words it is great for a child's birthday party. There were lots of little rides - roller coasters, merry-go-round, trains, spinning rides etc. It was great too since the crowd was so thin and we didn't have to wait long if at all in lines. Good fun.
nov 29 2008posted by: dad
My brother and his family, John McDaniel and his kids and our family went to Knott's Berry Farm for the Toys for Tots bring a toy and get in free day... so did nearly every one else in Southern California. It was very crowded... you get what you pay for. Good fun nonetheless with a brief interruption in the fun when we went on the little train/miner ride. It goes into a fake mine which is very dark and it scared Leah. She started crying and when the ride went into a tunnel that was completely dark she abruptly stopped crying and puked all over me. As we came back into daylight, the other riders, slightly shocked, did what they could and offered a couple of napkins for a clean up that needed several rags and a change of shirt. The whole thing became funny about a half hour later.
Christmas morning 2008posted by: dad
For weeks we've been asking Noah what he wanted for Christmas. The first time we asked him he said he wanted an excavator. We figured he'd just seen one an hour before or something. We asked him again a few days later... "excabeto" as he pronounces it. Every time we asked it was the same, simple, one toy answer... excabeto and yes, at 3 he knows well the difference between it and a tractor. Whenever Noah would talk to anyone the last few days before Christmas, Noah would say without anyone even asking him, "I'm getting a excabeto for Christmas."
We'd already knew Santa was bringing Leah a little play kitchen which as toys go is quite big so we didn't think it was fair for Leah to get such a large toy and Noah a relatively small one so we figured Santa had better bring Naoh a little play work bench with lots of tools and a small backhoe which has an excavator-like digger on one end.
When the kids came out on Christmas morning, Leah went straight to her kitchen like she'd been playing with it for years. Noah came out with a look in eyes... "where is it?" He looked at his work bench insomuch as it was in his way but he certainly didn't run up to it. As he realized there was no excavator about he started playing with the workbench... it did have a working drill after all. Then his attention went back to the really cool pirate ship and skull cave Grandpa Bob and Nana Sam gave him on Christmas Eve (which he opened after an incredible prime rib dinner Grandpa Bob made). Grammy Sally came over after a while with more gifts and the kids got to open the rest of Santa's gifts too. Among the 6 or so tractors Noah got he did like the backhoe best... still, it wasn't an excavator. He knew it, and so did we. Lesson learned. We got in touch with Santa and an excabeto should be here sometime next week.
2nd ANNUAL NUTSHRIVELLER SWIM & NIPPLEBRISKER DUNK
New Year's Eve 2008posted by: dad
Everyone gathered at Neal & Monicas' for New Years. What was so wonderful is Charmen and John were there together. Aside from trying to slip some poison into each other's drinks they got along great. I'm sure Jordan and Lil John were very happy to see them together... we sure were and the women all got to catch up. As you can see Neal got a drum kit and what kid doesn't want to hit something that makes that much noise? Sean and Lucille came and Leah got to meet and play with his daughter Sophia who is only 5 days younger than Leah. All in all it was a pretty mellow night. Sean and I went to help his dad, the magnificent Danny Berg, whose car had broken down. We were maybe going to spend the night but we ran out of steam and were home by 11. It's always great to get all the kids together.
jan 3 2009posted by: dad
Family trips to the park start out well enough on the playground and in the sand. But when mommy has a hair appointment and leaves the kids with daddy and daddy takes the kids to the other park with a pond and Noah runs up to the edge of the pond and slips and falls up to his bum in the water and his pants get all wet but he isn't ready to leave so we take off his pants and both Leah and Noah play along the water's edge and they are both getting wet and dirty and it's cold and passer-bys are wondering what kind of dad is he... well, it's a great day to have a camera in hand.
jan 7 2009posted by: dad
Look what finally got here from the North Pole yesterday...
and it plays a rockin song...
Lesson here... when a 3 year old tells Santa he wants an Excabeto... that is what Santa should bring him.
jan 11 2009posted by: dad
80° at the beach on a perfect day in January... only in California. The Kirks, McDaniels, Dewitts and our family down at Seal Beach. Waves were small so surfing wasn't great but the great weather made up for it. Leah did a lot of rolling in the wet sand... apparently her goal is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.
feb 6 2009posted by: dad
Oooo, what a great idea... a photo for Grammy's birthday of her grandkids. 211 photos to get 2 or 3 printable ones. I don't know if all kids are like this but getting these 4 to sit still and smile is impossible without ropes, chains and clowns. So we got Grammy a digital photo frame so she could "enjoy" all the other photos too.
Leah's 2nd Birthdayposted by: dad
Leah's is 2! The family came over, grandpa Bob made his super tacos and Leah got lots of nice things. Grammy Sally got her the box of princess stuff that included a tutu, heeled shoes, butterfly wings, a wand etc. Leah put the shades and hat on and never took them off and was totally natural in them. Then we brought the bike and she jumped right on it.
Here is Leah getting her cake. She gets a cute little look on her face when she sees it. It's a little dark when she blows out the candles but that too is cute... and she gets a little help from her cousins.
april 1 2009posted by: dad
Hanna, Abbey and Uncle Joshie came to town and we all went to Disneyland!