Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Betsy Rolls Over

It took a while in this video... a full 30 seconds or so... but Betsy rolls from her belly to her back.  She's been wiggling and moving her arms and legs for weeks now but she had never quite put it together for an all-encompassing roll.  Sound and fury signifying nothing up to this point (what, can't a Brit lit teacher bust out some Macbeth from time to time?). Do note that in this video, the voices that are in the background are of Grampa Kendall talking to Mary Jane.  In the meanwhile, Daddy has the camera focused on Betsy waiting... just waiting... for the right moment.

This was actually the third time that Betsy rolled.  The first time was only for Daddy's eyes.  Then he recruited Grampa Kendall to come over and watch the rolly-polly girl in action.  Alas, Mommy, Gramma Kendall, and Aunt Nita were out shopping and missed the action.  That's OK, that's what this blog is for.  That and blaming Cherry Bugg for things like biting through our sound cord for the computer.  Argh!   Cherry Bugg!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

So Far Just Sleeping and Napping

Mary Jane has wandered around with a few new toys and dolls in her hand.  She does like the toy cell phone as she now feels sooo adult.  As for Betsy, it's still a bit too much for her.  She's napping again... as I should be... now!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Do They Know It's Thumpmas?

Thumpmas time is back again! Time to get out your cards and give them to your favorite neglected rabbits. What? You don't know about the most significant event in the rabbit calendar? For shame! And a thump at thee!  You need to know these important events!

Let me recount the backgrounds of this hallowed day of Thumpmas. On that night of December 25th so many years ago, a tired Joseph and a quite pregnant Mary were trying to find a place to stay for the night. There was no room in the inn so they had to stay out in a nearby stable. All the animals all were allowed to stay: sheep, donkeys, raccoons, dolphins (I mean dolphins?  really?)... everyone except the rabbits! They were forcefully moved out by the Shepherds. Then the Magi later came by that night and tried to eat them! How intolerably rude!!! Thus the rabbits on the scene were quite upset and rightly so. The birth of the Baby Jesus startled them with His commotion. With all the Seraphim singing and the Choirs and Hosts rejoicing, the rabbits could do only what they knew: they THUMPED. And with that thump, that startled the Baby Jesus and He cried with His mellifluous voice for the very first time. Granted a few windows broke -- most windows in the Bethlehem area were not Divinity-proof -- but still the upset rabbits helped create one of the seminal moments in Jesus' life. The rabbits look back on Thumpmas with mixed emotions. Yes, the great Jesus was born but they were also kicked out of their home, thus starting a tradition in many nations: the chasing of rabbits out of hutches on December 25th.
Ironically, Miss Jill and Mister John are with two new children this Thumpmas. But no rabbits were kicked out. Instead they shall be fed at home by a bunny sitter.



Rumor has it in the bunny community that Miss Jill and Mister John adopted a second beautiful baby girl this year for the sole purpose of not bringing a bunny out to Arizona for Thumpmas.  Not to worry, Mary Jane and Betsy Jo will learn the true meaning of Thumpmas when they return home... and a rabbit steals an apple from them!

In an inglorious turn of events, our dear Miss Bugg had her e-mail hacked and spam was sent from her account the day before Thumpmas.  Talk about having no respect for rabbits on their solemn day of contemplation (and irritation).

Friday, December 23, 2011

The Shadow Chaser!

On a supposedly simple walk to the mailbox and back, Mommy and Daddy were delayed for about ten minutes by Mary Jane who decided to follow her shadow in the opposite direction.   Whether it was a mistake by the Postal Service or an error on behalf of Mommy and Daddy, the shadow pointed the exactly opposite way.  Maybe the mailbox was emitting strong energy beams which caused such a shadow.  No one is quite sure but that delayed a very simple walk.  Meanwhile, Betsy was quite calm and was carried without issue.  Well, unless her face was turned directly into the light of the mailbox... er, sun.

Hopefully the brief video of Mary Jane chasing her own shadow will be downloaded momentarily.  Otherwise you'll just have to imagine it.  I have faith in your imaginative abilities.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tea Is Good

Hate getting a sore throat.  Or anything like a sore throat.  Then again to take some time off from talking is good.  And go figure this happens while I'm on vacation.  Good thing I guess... nothing like giving students some in-class silent reading.

Then again they do have silent reading over the break.  Murder on the Orient Express for the mainstream track and The Turn of the Screw for the honours track.  Good luck with that!  And dare I say, COUGH!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Zone Defense?

I finally made it back to a UCLA home game over at the Sports Arena.  Yeah, that's a bit of a drive and most of the home games coincided with baby functions.  Gee, didn't have those issues most of my first 15 years of having season tickets.  Wow, have I become one of those old, grizzled season ticket holders who complains about everything?  I hope not... I only complain about poor game performance, coaching errors, and overpriced food at the concession stands.

I might drag either Betsy or Mary Jane to one of these games.  There is absolutely no one there so I might just go to the upper deck and sing a few lines of "Wheels on the Bus" between dunks, free throws, and Josh Smith fouls.  Or hunt down Joe Bruin get a picture taken with him.

I'll bust out Mary Jane's UCLA cheerleader outfit.  She looks soooo darn cute in that.  That will get us on the Jumbotron.  That's what life is all about: getting your mug on the big screen.  Oh, don't deny it.  You probably proposed hoping that the pressure of the thousands of people would coerce your significant other to make the optimal choice.

Anyway, enough of my meandering words for the evening.

Mary Jane v. Cherry Bugg, a Postscript

This morning it was a brief chase over a carrot.  Alas, this video only shows the ultimate triumph by Cherry Bugg but she and Mary Jane did have a brief face off over the almighty carrot.  Cherry Bugg was wise enough though that as soon as the carrot finally hit the ground (which occurred right before this video started), she hopped off with her prize. 

If only parents had a camera attached to them at the hip.  Then again that might be difficult to get a doctor convinced enough to do that.

Anyway, today is a Daddy's day... Mary Jane, Betsy Jo, and myself.  And it's 7:57 and no one has raised a fuss yet!  I know... long day ahead.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

What I Will Be Watching on Christmas Night

These are not the droids you are looking for.

Since my wonderful fantasy football team, the Spanish Inquisition, will be in the playoffs, that will be my must-watch game.  Yes, I have Aaron Rodgers as my quarterback.  Unfortunately Greg Jennings, my trusted wide receiver also with the Packers, is out for the rest of the regular season which really puts a cramp into winning my fourth EFL title.  Not to worry, I'll find some other jedi mind tricks to vault my team back to its apex.

Ten Days Till My Next Doctor's Appointment

Alas, I don't think Ma and Pa Kendall have BBC America on their cable list.  I guess I'll just have to record it and wait to watch it back in my home state.

Everyone needs a little more Doctor Who in their life.  Unless you're a Dalek. 

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Busy Sunday for MJ

Today was still quite the fun day for Mary Jane as now she got to play with her birthday presents.  Yesterday after the party, she was wiped out and took a long nap and only played with a few things.  Now she's all over the house playing with cars, guitars, etc.

Poor MJ woke up early this morning --that's what you get for eating too much the previous day -- and was singing her Apple Song.  She laid in her bed and sang nothing but "Apple apple apple" for a few minutes.  That was quite humorous but hopefully it didn't wake up Aunt Juanita too much.

Today's fun accomplishments: pulling off her socks and throwing her binky over the edge of the crib (this shows her obstinate side).

Tomorrow's fun accomplishments: TBD.

As for Betsy, some sleeping, some eating... even some noise-making (not crying). 

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Pictures from Mary Jane's Party

 Here are a few pics from today's party.  It was quite the busy shindig this afternoon as family members from both sides represented.  Ironically enough, the closest relative on either side, my sister Pat, couldn't make it due to illness (never good when other children are there) but my other sibs from the Inland Empire and Jill's family from Arizona made it.  Lots of tables there and all were occupied.  Good thing we rented all of those chairs!






Hmm... cake!
  Mary Jane tried cake for the first time and shivered quite a bit at it.  She had a little bit but not much.  She much preferred all the other food that people were giving her.  I think she really likes meatballs.  Then again you can't wear meatballs on your face as well as you can with cake.


Betsy is only eight months away or so from her first birthday party.  Wow, she's almost four months old herself!
Hopefully Mary Jane will have a much healthier Christmas this time around.  She'll grab a stick like she did on the right and smash any illness that dares try to confine her.

Perfect weather today... always have to wonder about December birthday parties but this was ideal.



Mary Jane didn't quite hit the pinata all that well but give her a few years.  Then she'll really be able to give it a whack.  I'll work on that swing with her.

Doljanchi

According to a Korean tradition, one-year-old children are sat in front of many symbolic items.  Whatever they choose will show what their ultimate profession will be.  Our options for Mary Jane were Education, Law, Medicine, Religion, and Sports.  Sorry, no Music (sorry Francis).  The following video should show her selection.

Yes, she is destined to be a lawyer.  That should make Pete and Lillian smile.  And also my sister Pat who was too sick to be here today.  Of course Mommy and Daddy sighed thinking about future student loans.  But wait... grad school is on her!  Haha!

Mary Jane Has Fun at Birthday Party

A whole bunch of people showed up for Mary Jane's first birthday party.  Pictures will be up shortly.

The bunnies were not as happy as Cherry Bugg was chased in the den while Ruby Jane and Root Beer Float were petted by countless young children in the back yard.

Friday, December 9, 2011

O Christmas Tree

Mr. John played tackle-the-Christmas-tree this afternoon and lost.  According to him, he was involved in some sort of Christmas tree promotion at Mary Star.  But according to this picture leaked out by an unknown source, polar bears attacked the San Pedro campus and bit his finger.  Miss Jill didn't seem to believe him but who knows what happens when Christmas trees appear.  Heck, I know someone who had a sister who was bitten by a moose once...

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Birthday Visitors

Mary Jane and Grampa

Betsy with Aunt Nita
 With Mary Jane turning one this week, her grandparents and an aunt sneaked into town from Arizona to say Hello.  Gramma and Grampa Kendall along with Aunt Nita have graced their presence in Chez Erb and have done a great job cheering up both Mary Jane and Betsy Jo.

Miss Jill and Mister John (aka Mommy and Daddy) actually could give Mary Jane a walk around the neighborhood this evening to look at Christmas lights on the houses.  That's always been a tradition for the two of them and they'd love to pass it onto their girls as soon as they are old enough to stay up late to see them.  At least the sun sets early enough now that Mary Jane gets an hour or so of outdoor darkness before she goes to sleep.

Meanwhile Cherry Bugg is not amused.  But is she ever?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Not to Be Forgotten

Betsy Jo has had her own monthday recently.  While she has not reached one full rotational cycle of the Earth around the Sun, she has at least managed to make it through three rotations of the moon about the Earth (and a little more!).

Happy little Betsy is now over three months old.  She's no longer that little girl who keeps us up all night with random cries and desires for more milk.  She's now the big girl who sleeps from a bit past 6 all the way to 5 the following morning!  Good for you, Betsy!  Mommy and Daddy get in much more sleep now which makes them much more productive at home and work.  Even the amount of detentions has gone down.  Good job, Mr. Erb.
Down below are both girls with Daddy.  Mary Jane will smile for any photo.  Meanwhile Betsy is wondering what her big sister is up to.

Happy Birthday, Mary Jane!

One year ago Miss Jill and I were sitting around in Victorville... waiting, waiting, and waiting for the word.  Finally hearing a late afternoon update that the birthmother would be delivering in the evening.  So in a wise move, we actually went to sleep around 6pm and then around 9pm we were awakened by a call from the hospital.  Off to Desert Valley Hospital we went...
Just before midnight, Mary Jane came into the world... I don't have any pictures on this computer with those but if you scroll back to last year at this time, I should have some.

We held her three minutes after she was born.  When she instinctively grabbed my finger when I touched her hand, I knew that she was ours.  O happy girl!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Betsy and Mary Jane at the Swing Seat Together

Ah, nothing like seeing the two sisters get along.  Betsy Jo likes to rock back and forth from time to time.  Mary Jane likes to be wherever the action -- and the camera -- seem to be.


Meanwhile, Cherry Bugg who is off to the side is miffed by this whole interaction.  Nothing irritates the Chee more than children.  If she were reincarnated into a human, she'd be a grumpy old man yelling, "Get off my lawn!"  At least she won't go all Gran Torino on them.

Thinking of Last Year

Last year Jill and I drove up to Victorville in expectation of being parents that night.  Not so fast, my friends!  We waited for another full day.  But not before we had our last non-parental dinner together at Outback Steakhouse.  There's the answer to a trivia question some day.

I'm sure this is a dark day in the bunny history lore.  Even Cherry Bugg right now stares at Mary Jane and sulks as she realizes she has moved down a notch -- now two -- in the family pecking order.  Poor Chee.


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Happy Girls Rest, Daddy Gets a Few Minutes of Sunday Football Time

Alas for Daddy, most of his players were in action during Thumpsgiving so this morning's action is fairly meaningless.  But Betsy and Mary Jane did make a wonderful guest appearance during Mass this morning.  Poor Betsy had a bit of a fit early on but she calmed down by the end of it.

The Santa Ana winds are blowing today which always makes it a bit drier outside.  I hope sore noses and throats don't arise from it.

Meanwhile, Daddy walks back and forth between sleeping girls ensuring that their "white noise" giraffe is on and keeping them napping for just a little bit more. 

Mommy is napping too.  Daddy is making sure that Gilmore Girls is on in the background so she can nap for a little bit more too.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Awesomely Cute Video of Mary Jane ("Babu")

Not exactly "Performance Art with Mary Jane" but close enough.

Mary Jane was out and about in the back yard this afternoon.  Right after she started to walk oh so gingerly on the grass, she turned around and performed a little for me.  She's great at tilting her head to the side these days.  Nothing like saying, "Bad cough" and seeing her replying with a cough.  She doesn't do it here as I was hoping she'd say "Babu" which is her current word for "Bunny."


Mary Jane admiring the bunnies
 Her walking on the grass still needs a little work but that's not a problem for us.  She's just as happy to stand there and watch the airplanes take off from Santa Monica Airport.  Zoom!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thumpsgiving Is upon Us Again

It's Thumpsgiving once again, that time of year when all rabbits come together and thump about what truly displeases them.  Yes, this goes all the way back to the earliest days of our heritage when Pilgrims and Indians when they shared their first big supper... and then gave none of the delicious salad leftovers to the rabbits.  The indigenous rabbits of the New England region thumped at those careless humans and the tradition has carried on ever since.

Today Cherry Bugg clearly celebrated Thumpsgiving as an unhappy indoor bunny.  The other members of the Erb clan all managed to hop outside while she stayed indoors.  Nevermind that it was comfy and warm inside with Miss Jill, Mister John, and the two little girls away for most of the day.  She still needs to find something to the thump about.  And she always does!

The two sisters, Root Beer Float (seen above) and Ruby Jane, thumped that they were not allowed to hop in the back yard for the entire day.  They were rounded up by noon and neither were happy about it.  Again nevermind that they grazed for hours on the recently rain-rejuvenated grass.  Thumpsgiving is for thumping and not for appreciation.

Phillip clearly thumped at the handyman who was in our back yard creating an extra fence between us and the neighbors to our west.  Phillip does not like anyone in his territory; he is the alpha rabbit afterall.  Furthermore, he despises any extra interior decoration without his initial approval... in triplicate.

As for Miss Jill and Mister John, it's been a long year since last Thumpsgiving.  Two baby girls, an occasionally messy hours, and less hours of sleep have pervaded into their lives.  But they would never thump at their lovely two daughters who have brought so much joy (and again lack of sleep) into their lives.  Maybe Mister John will thump at the McRib going away so soon... but he barely even knew it was here.

Don't forget: it's only one month until Thumpmas.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Five Years!

Yes, it might be a few days late but Internet access in the desert was difficult to come by.  Miss Jill and Mister John have now been married for a full five years!  Such a glorious day!

For those who were there, thanks again for being there for the wedding.  A great time was had by all and we truly appreciated coming out and supporting us on our big day.

As I learned on Saturday night -- a fact I long since had forgotten -- or beer of choice that night was Stella Artois.  Totally forgot our tribute to the Stella.

And please say Hi to Fr. Darrin on the left and Fr. Raphael on the right.  Nice tall priests for officiating the ceremony.


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Mary Jane Walks!

Mary Jane is now fully bipedal... for at least a few steps.  She makes it around the house well enough to surprise Mommy and Daddy.  However walking on the backyard grass is still a challenge.  She refused to chase the bunnies on foot today.  Instead she stood there flexing her toes in the grass and refusing to go anywhere.  That was clearly a sign of weakness that the bunnies can manipulate.

Meanwhile in the house, Mommy and Daddy have both been nearly tackled by the silent linebacker strolling the kitchen.  BAM!  There goes the knee!

Rumor has it that Mary Jane will NOT run in the 5K tomorrow in Long Beach but will rather take the day off to work on other projects like smiling, laughing, and faking coughs.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Betsy Jo says Hello!

Betsy says Hello
Make sure you say Hello back. Don't want her to drool on you!

Staying Alive

Mary Jane is the Disco Queen!

Pumpkin Butters

It's autumn at the Erb household and everyone is starting to think about Halloween and pumpkins.
Mary Jane and Betsy Jo went to a pumpkin patch a few days back and felt right at home. They won't be carving any pumpkins for a few more years but they sure fit in well with the surroundings.
We're not telling what they'll be for Halloween but we know you, the dutiful viewing audience, will love it.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Big Day for Mary Jane!

October 12th was a key day in the Erb family. Today was the day that Mary Jane officially (legally) became a member of our family. While there were no doubts as to her being a part of our family (ever see how she beams when Mommy or Daddy come walking through the door after a long day of work?), there's nothing quite like the specific paperwork involved in an adoption. So after ten months of caring for Mary Jane, we would be officially be claimed as parents.
An entourage of family and friends came to witness our great day. First of all, Jill's parents as well as her Aunt Nita came out from Arizona and stayed for a few days. They were out here for the surprise 40th birthday party for me (indeed a surprise) and stayed to watch the courtroom drama set for Wednesday. My sister Patricia as well as their father Mel came out to see it as well. For those who don't know, Mary Jane was named after John's mother (and Mel's wife of many years before she passed in 1996). Karen and Shannon, Jill's friends through adoption networking, were there as well to support us on our grand day. Truly until one has gone through the trials and tribulations of adoption, the ultimate joy could never be fully measured.
As most people know -- whether we told them directly or the anecdotes were passed on by others -- Mary Jane was not our first attempt at adoption. It took almost two years to get a match (the agency we originally used really didn't help us and didn't even try to expand our adoptability standards... oh well, no props for them) and then when we did, the birth mother was overdosed on opiates. We were literally packed and ready to fly to New Orleans within two hours when we received work on that. Saying No was the most difficult decision of our life. This drama was followed by two other failed matches in the fall of 2010. We believe both birth mothers kept their babies (as well as some payment from the agency) which is perfectly legal for them but heartbreaking for us. Finally when we were at our lowest point in the process and having extreme doubts, Mary Jane entered our lives. Through Jill's adoption networking friend, Shannon, we were connected to Mary Jane's biological grandfather and after a few more calls, we were there in Victorville those fateful days in early December. She was born on December 7, a date never again to be known in infamy. But of course this wouldn't be as easy as showing up and having the judge tap the adoptive parents with a magical sceptre and end happily ever after. The judge who was supposed to oversee this blessed event was out for the day (another roadblock!). Thus we were relocated to a different floor and there we sat inside the courtroom for quite a while. Tick tock, tick tock. Oddly enough no other adoptions were being finalized that day. The other people sitting in the courtroom -- lawyers, plaintiffs, etc. -- were probably wondering why a man and a woman with two babies in a stroller were with a group of 10 people in the courtroom. The State vs. Cute Girls, maybe? Maybe sticking one's tongue out at a camera is a crime in some cities, who knows?
After another relocation to the annex building we went to room K (a chuckle by all the Mary Star grads who may read this) and there we waited for another 30 minutes. At some point during this time that picture of Pat and Aunt Nita was taken. There was a bunch of jurors waiting for another room (I'm guessing 12 of them but then again there must have been alternates as well) and they walked by to take a look at Mary Jane and Betsy Jo who were biding their time outside the courtroom in the open-air annex. Clearly their boring day was enlived by the realization that at least one cute little baby girl would be finalized that day.
Finally everyone was brought into the courtroom. It was fairly quick as Jill and I stood in front of the judge's desk along beside our lawyer Jan. This was the first time we had met her in person as she's from Lompoc. Yeah, there's a drive: Lompoc to Santa Monica! But she was invaluable to our efforts. She helped expedite the paperwork problems created by the Arizona lawyer for Betsy Jo. I held Mary Jane -- who at this point was overdue on a nap by about 30 minutes and had chugged down her next bottle -- who squirmed a little bit but was quite complacent. The judge flipped through the paperwork and asked us some questions. I wasn't too nervous; I was more in awe of all that was surrounding me. Those empty jury chairs sure looked comfortable. Finally I signed a document and I couldn't even remember the date. Yes, one day after I turned FORTY (yikes), I couldn't even remember the day after my birthday. The judge then granted us legal protection of Mary Jane and she is now subject to being our beneficiary. So if Jill and I suddenly die in a horrific car crash and it looks like our brake lines were cut... hmm... Mary Jane gets custody of five rabbits, a younger sister, and two of my bowling balls.
As the judge declared us legal parents, the rest of the courtroom cheered aloud. Some people even stood up to cheer. Quite funny to think that some of them might have had their own major legal wranglings to deal with on this day but shed their own woes to applaud our efforts. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day: blue sky, slight ocean breeze (well, we were two blocks from the ocean), and my wife holding my hand. OK, so that wasn't perfect parallelism, but who do you think I am, an English teacher? Oh wait...
Betsy Jo's finalization? Hmm... to be continued.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Mary Jane and the Apple

Someone loves eating apples with her four teeth. Yum!

Someone's Been in the Bathroom



Mister John asked Miss Jill if either she or Chip have been playing with the toilet paper and she said No. He's not quite sure but it might be Mary Jane.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Eyes Wide Open



Say hello to Betsy!

Keep the Carrot Away from Chip



Mary Jane has a new game which is called "Keep the Carrot Away from Chip." It's not necessarily a fun game for Chip who gets hungry and would like a tasty carrot. Alas, Mary Jane also will chew on the carrot as well and their interactions can be quite comical. One of these days we'll get a video of them playing an incessant game of cat and mouse... or in this case... baby girl and rabbit.

Friday, September 16, 2011

The Girls Say Hi



Ah, our girls together. Yes, that MJ is becoming a real camera hog. But that makes her all the cuter.

Friday, September 9, 2011

First Week Home

Betsy Jo did quite alright in her first week home with Mommy and Daddy. She just has to represent with her voice and then we know it's time for food. As for Mommy and Daddy... well, back to work with all sorts of errands in between. Daddy is back to running 12-15 miles a week for cross country (yikes). Mommy has a very long drive from work and then had to re-stock the shelves after our Arizona sojourn wiped out our fresh produce.

As for Mary Jane, she's still very cute. A little cranky at night two evenings in a row but she's still a keeper.

Monday, September 5, 2011

We Lost? Big Deal!



Mary Jane doesn't care about wins and losses. She cares about looking cute. And I think she can score a touchdown or two just with her smile.

At Home!

Everyone is finally home together. Now the Erb family can commence being a family at home. The temperature is back a very temperate 75 here. I'm hoping that Betsy can deal with such mildness.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Wow



Hurricanes don't come in pint-sized.

I guess I should be quite happy with the 113 today (lowest of our 8 days in AZ). When Betsy Jo comes to California, she won't know what to feel...

Daddy, Betsy Jo Sleep after Long Draft

Yes, it has taken over four hours but the draft is finally done for the Spanish Inquisition team. Betsy Jo and Mary Jane (who arrived 90 minutes ago) are both asleep now. I wish to be that soon enough.

Betsy Jo's First Fantasy Football Draft

Well, technically it would be Mary Jane's first draft as well but Mommy and Gramma Carol took her to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Greg's for some swim time. Betsy Jo will stay behind with Daddy as he tries to figure out what player to draft in what round. Yes, it might be a hopeless endeavor this year as I spent my last week with my precious little newborn Elizabeth but I will try my best to vanquish my foes. At least that would my late great rabbit Jane would have said.

My team, the Spanish Inquisition (nobody ever expects them), came in dead last in 2010 even though they scored the second most points in the league. Absolutely horrific luck but that's the way it goes. At least that means I will get the first pick in the draft this season. I'm just hoping my first pick doesn't get hit by a car this weekend. I once traded a defensive lineman, good ol' Leonard Little, to Jeff's team and the very next night Leonard passed out at a restaurant and smacked his head on a table giving him a concussion. Talk about timing (or bad luck on Jeff's behalf).

Enough of this stalling... I have only 30 mintues to write down the rest of defensive draft list.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Magically Bigger!

Some people might have said that the Havasu hospital did not properly measure Betsy Jo but I'd like to think that she has grown one whole inch from Saturday night, the night she was born. She is now 21 inches in length which was the same as Mary Jane's back in December. Mary Jane was one pound heavier for those who keep such statistics.

Betsy Jo has already caught the attention of Mary Jane who came by a few times this afternoon to say Hello.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

We All Scream...!



Ice cream is always needed after a long day. After a many hour drive through harsh desert, we arrived in Phoenix where it was a much cooler... 115 today. Nice. After that I think we all deserved a nice scoop or two of ice cream.

We all scream for ice cream, right?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Big Smile by Daddy



It's 119 today in Lake Havasu City so at least little Betsy Jo will never say she's not experienced extreme heat. Meanwhile Mary Jane was swimming in a pool. Mary Jane has also noticed Betsy but hasn't quite figured it out yet. Maybe she's just a short-eared rabbit.

Now if the hospital passes along the medical records (like they should), we can drive down to Gramma and Grampa Kendall's tomorrow. Otherwise, we idle for another day in extreme heat.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Betsy Jo Looking Hoppy



Betsy Jo's birth mother Jenn Wilson took a very nice picture of her tonight. This is her last night in the hospital. Tomorrow she'll be heading off with us in our newly updated family.

Styling with Betsy Jo



Such a cute little thing. More photos upcoming.

Bunnies Still in the Dark Regarding Betsy Jo

Cherry Bugg has resigned herself recently to being petted by Mary Jane. She would rather not subject herself to such a humbling thing but she understands that she doesn't want to upset Mister John and Miss Jill. Besides, Mary Jane is slowly getting the knack of rabbit petting down. Just no pulling on the ears, that's all.

But with Betsy Jo coming home soon to a rabbit cage near you, she'll ultimately feel the double team.

It was quite amazing when we originally brought home Mary Jane. We had her in a swing and the bunnies were let out that day and they all hopped into the den and circled her like the animals did to Jesus in the manger scene. They could smell a new member of the family. I'm guessing they weren't too happy about it (less carrots for that, I guess) but they have learned to incorporate Mary Jane into the larger family. Now that will include Betsy Jo as well.

That will be a difficult Christmas card photo.

Just Waiting Along...

Mary Jane is staying with her grandparents while Jill and I alternate visits to her and the swimming pool. Well, it is 117 after all... the swimming pool MUST be visited.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Dance, Big Sister, Dance!

One thing that Jill and I will make sure does not happen is that we forget about our lovely Mary Jane. It's been a bit odd the last few days as Mary Jane has stayed with Gramma and Grampa Kendall while we've been at the hospital with Elizabeth. It's not like we've forgotten Mary Jane; conversely, it makes us think about her all the more. When we were all together at my family's get-together (before the all-important "water breaking" phone call), Mary Jane entranced the audience with a mighty quadruple tongue thrust. :P :P :P :P

Mary Jane has been a dancing fiend again with her grandparents. Good for her! She needs to channel that dancing energy. Give Betsy Jo a few months and then she too can channel her energy into rolling, laughing, and crawling.

On an unrelated note, I really do like those M&Ms with the pretzels inside. Quite tasty.

118 Outside, Nice and Cool Inside

It's quite odd to walk around the hospital grounds and think, "My feet are freezing!" Of course as soon as you leave the sliding doors at the entrance, the overwhelming heat hits you like a pro linebacker on HGH. Yes, nice simile.

While I've always been one to leave it on the Weather Channel (hey, the soothing music on the 8s can put me to sleep!), I refer to it even more so in desert climes. Nothing like seeing the searing heat of the Arizona desert.

I'm sure Cherry Bugg would not approve.

Betsy Jo Using Her Eyes

Betsy Jo has had her eyes open since day one! And on her second full day in the real world, she decided to try out her eyes. Look left, right, and everywhere.

First Family Photo!



Together in Havasu.