Our Trip to the Zoo

Saturday Sue and I were graciously allowed to take Rebekah to the zoo while Katy was at a baby shower. Boy did we have a great time. We got there pretty close to opening at 10 o'clock.




The Flamingos have been near the entrance for many years. I think the smell has not changed in 20 years. Perhaps with the city's budgetary constraints they have not even cleaned the place in 20 years.



What big smiles on the faces of the girls.


Rebekah liked the Kangaroo, maybe because she associates the beast with Winnie the Pooh. Rebekah refused to ride in the stroller. She had to be a big girl and walk. She wanted to hold both our hands and do the cheat thing where we lift her up. We knew we were in for a long day.

She really liked the gorillas. I pointed out the daddy, mommy, and baby. She was fun to watch as she commented on everything they did.





The zebras were fun. All they did was huddle near the back and eat.


Rebekah saw another little kid walking on the curb. That of course meant she had to do it. Look at the concentration on her face.



The giraffe's were well received. Rebekah kept calling them zebras. I would remind her they are giraffes. She would say "Raff" and then call them zebras again. Another little boy her age came up and also called them zebras. His mother laughed and said he always calls the zebras.


We gave Rebekah a bottle of water and discovered that she cannot walk and drink at the same time without walking like a clutz. After about 3 hours at the zoo she finally got real tired and we went to get some food. Memo to self-next time bring our own food. The food was more than twice the admission. Rebekah got a Monkey Meal.


Notice the small mark under her eye. At one point Rebekah start to run down a hill and did a slide into first thing. So much for us taking care of her in the future.

Life Changes So Quickly

Tuesday night around 9 pm we heard lots and lots of sirens. Wave after wave of sirens. My brother John found a video clip from the news about this accident. A driver in a large SUV plowed head on into a VW Jetta on Mulholland Drive. The SUV driver had minor injuries, the Jetta driver was seriously injured and it took firefighters 45 minutes to extract him from the wreckage. It turns out the driver of the Jetta was my oldest nephew Andrew. He is a talented chef and all around wonderful person. Please keep him in your prayers as he struggles to recover. He is in Northridge Hospital in the ICU.



http://video.aol.com/video-detail/1-trapped-in-mulholland-drive-crash/2305843010104652364/?icid=VIDURVNWS01

Life Goes On

As I get older I keep learning how much my family means to me and how lucky I am to have such great kids and grandkids. I look forward so much to the weekends when I can spend more time with everyone.

Rebekah loves tomatoes. Sometimes she will open the refrigerator, see the package of tomatoes, grab them and run. She loves to pick them straight off the bush and pop them into her mouth.

Super Bowl Sunday Katy came over. Jonah and I had a long time together sitting on the couch and watching the game.Even sleeping baby boys can be pretty cute.

They are pretty good when they are awake too.

Rebekah is such a goof ball. She looks so serious - or is she falling asleep?

Sue's birthday - Jan. 13

Today is Sue's birthday, 39 if you ask her. To me she looks like she is 39. Keeping up with family tradition, here are some special things about my dear wife:
1) Sue hates to be called Susan. Sue is okay, Suzie is good, Suzanne may be preferred, but do not call her Susan. I have my own special name for her.

2) Sue once got lost at Disneyland for a family outing. We all went on a ride that took forever and when we got out Sue was missing. We hunted all over asking several employees where we might expect to find her. Finally, one thinker said lost children go to Independence Hall. We went there and sitting on the lost child bench with all the little kids was Sue. She started to cry, her lip started to quiver, and she said she wanted to go home. She is really a good sport with the story as it is a little embarrassing.

3) Sue does not have an enemy in the world. Everywhere we go she is greeted by people who know her. Everyone loves Sue. I often tell her she is so popular she should run for a government office----she would win.

4) My dear wife loves to cruise. I love seeing her on a cruise because she looks so relaxed and a peace. Our first cruise was 5 years ago to Alaska to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Before we left I gave her a diamond anniversary ring. She just started to cry. Since then we have been on 5 cruises and are planning our next one for August.

5) She is a great pianist as most people know, but she also arranges and writes music. She usually arranges and/or writes for the schools performances all year round. In addition, in high school she played the Clarinet. Then she was moved to the saxophone section where we met. Sue can also get by playing the flute. She is excellent with the pot and pan drum set.

6) Besides cruising, her favorite thing is to hang out with me, the kids, and especially the grandkids. Up until recently it the grandkids were just Rebekah. Now when she holds Jonah I see that same sparkle in her eye.

7) Sue is a great cook. She cooks our meals, hence my over-muscular belly, but also can cook for a hundred people at a time. She was in charge of the kitchen for young women camp for 10 straight years. All the girls looked forward to going for her special treats.

8) Although stories differ, I believe Sue liked me because of my car. She says it was because I was so nice to her. We met in High School band. Honestly, I drove a 1969 Camaro in high school, who would not like to be around that muscle machine?

9) As everyone well knows, Sue is a great and loving person. When someone is ill she feels the sickness herself. There is nothing she would not do for her family or friends, and she does it all.

10) Most important, Sue is my favorite and forever very very best friend. I enjoy spending time with her more than anything, even to the point I sacrifice my own time by going grocery shopping and the cleaners with her. I must draw the line at the nail salon. Love you.