Coming Home

Tomorrow Is Cake Day

Yes, indeed.  Mary Jane turns two tomorrow.  Time to think of telling a story or two later tonight on our blog.  Oh, such the nervousness of it all... after all those failed adoptions finally to have one come through. 

Oh, such the young girl...

Bread!

Sometimes you just need to eat a whole lot of bread.  Mary Jane snuck off with our loaf of the day/weekend yesterday.  I found her in her high chair (of all places) going to town on it.  Luckily she gave us some of it later.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

The girls want the sun to come out so they can play in the front yard like in this photo.  Otherwise it's inside all day.

Not to worry, girls.  We live in California.  It doesn't rain THAT often.

Cough, Sneeze, Hack

Ah, the problem with having little children: they sneeze right into your face.  What chance does one have of staying healthy?

At least I am knocking down lots of tea today.  Miss Jill wisely bought me an electric teapot years ago which helps out the cause.

Achoo?

Hurts So Good

Yes, the game might have taken place over a week ago but this Bruin still feels proud over UCLA finally defeating their archrival, 38-28.  In the picture on the right, linebacker Anthony Barr (from Loyola High, thank you very much) smashed Matt Barkley and knocked him out of the game (and the Notre Dame game as well).   While UCLA lost their next game to Stanford (way too many penalties), they still advanced to the Pac-12 title game against Stanford (odd quirk in the schedule).  The winner goes to the Rose Bowl.  Wow, Mister John hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1999... yes, the Cade McNown era. 

Girls Celebrate Thumpsgiving with Cookie Sue

Mary Jane and Betsy celebrated Cookie Sue and Betsy's first Thumpsgiving with the family.  As seen to the right, Mary Jane slightly missed on placing the food in the bowl but Phillip (not amused that MJ fed Cookie Sue first) was OK with it.  Betsy politely patted Heidi on the back which startled the carmel-colored bunny but she was ultimately hoppity over it.

All-Time Bruin Rushing Leader

All Hail the new Bruin Rushing Leader

That Arizona game was quite impressive: nothing like a 66-10 victory to make you feel a little better about yourself.  But still three games remain.  Just make sure we win the one in the middle.

Cookie Sue Looking Like a Bugg

Styling

Cookie Sue was quite a relaxed bunny on Saturday.  She stretched out her back feet and watched some flat-screen TV in her cage (didn't know she had one).

Today she was a bit argumentative with her new-sister Heidi.  But they'll get along, really they will.

A Mar Vista Halloween

Mama with girls

 Nothing like a Halloween evening to get the girls in a festive mood.  They paired up quite nicely as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.  They made it to four houses on the evening as that's about all they could manage in our neighborhood.  Maybe next year they'll expand to ten but for now that's perfect.

Mary Jane much preferred to stand on our porch and distribute candy to all the other trick-or-treaters.  One of them (in a Scream mask) actually scared her so she backed up at first and didn't give them a candy.



The Big Bad Wolf with Candy

On a similar note, Betsy had a fit when she first saw Daddy in his Gramma (Wolf) costume.  She kept screaming not knowing it was her own Daddy.  That made him sad but he got over it... ultimately.

Little Red Riding Hood (Betsy) fell asleep as soon as she got back.  Too much stimulation for her.  As for Mary Jane, she did stay up late for her.  All of 7:15 but then she summarily passed out and the rest of the night was quite for the Wolfman and his Wife.

Look, it's Little Red Riding Hood!

Daddy on a Stroll

Paul Getting Ready to Hang Ten

Showing a bit of profile

No one is more serious about their surfing than Paul the Panda.  He was chilling on his board out in Arizona this weekend.  Why Arizona?  Long story.  He's got a love/hate relationship with that state.  (Recall he was exiled there and left stranded in a children's hospital until an ill Mary Jane rescued him on Christmas Day.)

Getting serious with his board

But this weekend, the Panda was ready to go.  While the other members of the family were tooling around with motorcycles, he snuck off and knocked down some waves.  Yes, waves can be found in Arizona.  You just have to go by one of the canals and have some foolish person ride a boat next to you and create a large enough wake to make you hang ten.  Or in Paul's case... who knows.

Mary Jane was not there to see much of this as she is not allowed that close to too much open water.  In the picture to the right, she was looking quite festive.  Maybe in a few years she and the Panda will go surfing together.  But not until Miss Jill and Mister John approve.

Be True to Your School

The girls are looking quite collegial this afternoon. Mary Jane and Betsy Jo are sporting their UCLA and Oregon gear, respectively.

Let's get back to the Final Four

Coming to a Theatre Near You!

 Betsy will cast a spell upon thee.

Mary Jane will hyponotize thee with her numerical incantations.  One, two, three...



Humble Pie

 Earlier last week I was tabbed by my principal to be a contestant in the pie eating contest during our Homecoming pep rally.  I happily volunteered as I am always willing to volunteer for such strangeness.  And I've never been one to be too bothered by doing something that may look awkward or embarrassing.  Sure, other teachers might be... good for them.  If they don't want to look like the boys in that picture on the right, that's there own prerogative (Bobby Brown agrees).

During this week, the principal had often mentioned to me, "It's a good thing you have a sense of humor, John."  Didn't think much of it because I tend to have a decent sense of humor.  At least I have the ability to laugh at myself.

This afternoon before the pep rally I changed into a Mary Star "spirit shirt" which esentially is a navy blue t-shirt with a logo on it as opposed to the purple collared shirt I was previously wearing.  Hey, if I'm getting chocolate cake on it, I better change accordingly.  Some of my "contestants" who were seniors called me out and said that they were going to beat me.  I taught most of them as sophomores so they know how incredibly competitive I am by nature.  Yes, my name was the one attached to the teacher's bracket for punt, pass, and kick last week (whee, won again!).

(On a more related note to this website, Heidi just hopped between by feet... nothing like the tickling of whiskers on a hairy leg.)

Today the pep rally looked quite spectacular as the gym (a "temporary" one at that) was tranformed into a larger representation of Alice in Wonderland.  This year's theme dealt with Wonderland and, yes, I did dress as Tweedledee in the rally seven years ago for the same themed rally (hey, new crop of students, I guess they have the right to repeat once in a while).  I stood on the side with a few teachers and parents before the dreaded pie-eating contest.  As we were all called up, I slowly walked up there, high fived the appropriate staff and random students.

The tables were set up with three in a line, parallel to the students in the bleachers.  Two students at the left table, Mr. Erb in the center table, and two students on the right table.  I sat there in the center, waved at the crowd and smiled for the Yearbook camera people.  Then of course the blindfold but not before I saw my luscious chocolate cake.  I was then blindfolded and was told the rules and off we went.

Some music blared in the background and the crowd went wild as our announcer, Fr. Nick, was calling the play-by-play action.  My face dived into the chocolate and swirled around from left to right, just as the Internet site told me to do.  OK, I'm quirky and competitive enough to read the instructions on HOW TO WIN A PIE-EATING CONTEST.  I knew I was doing quite well as I seemingly was swallowing more than I was breathing.

Then after a few minutes of getting pie here, there, and everywhere (including up my nostrils!), the "pie-eating song" ended and Fr. Nick declared a winner.  Internally, I felt a little bummed because I had not reached the crust yet... I still had a little more chocolate and whipped cream to get too.  But then he declared the magic words: "Our winner is Mr. Erb!"

Immediately I raised my hands in triumph.  Score another victory for Mr. Erb!  I took off my blindfold to see that both tables as well as the students were no long there.  Under the guise of the noise and my blindfold, they retreated to leave me all alone in the middle of the gym.  Ah, silly Mr. Erb eating a chocolate pie like a madman!  This all registered in my brain in about half a second.  I could have been mad but I was not.  Instead I looked straight ahead at the cameras and knowing that I had a completely chocolate-covered face, I raised my hands again in triumph, and pointed them forward in a I-da-man pose.  (Hey, when the jokes on you, I'll laugh; when it's on me, I'll laugh more.)

Hopefully the Yearbook kids will send me a copy next week so I can attach it to this not-so-brief blog this evening.  It's 8:30 now, a full six-and-a-half hours after the contest and I can still smell chocolate as it must be half way up my sinuses by now.  Yeah, ew.

And yes, I don't think I'll be eating any chocolate for a few weeks... whethere it's Halloween or not.

New Bunnies Jealous

Heidi and Cookie were not happy that Miss Jill and Mister John ate carrots last night.  According to them, all carrots must go to the rabbit contingent.  That's ok, though, they were later given hay and water with ice cubes.

Mary Jane and Betsy: Playing with the Swing

Mary Jane loves the tree swing.  She loves to ride in it so she can look at all the "crazy" cars, helicopters, and airplanes that go by (do recall we live adjacent to an airport).  But even more than that, she enjoys pushing others in the swing.  Sometimes it is just one of her dolls: either Hope or the one she has named "Baby."  In some instances like here, she pushes Betsy Jo on the swing.  She originally became jealous when she would see her sister on the swing (hey, it's my turn) but eventually she became much more accepting of the situation.

Betsy loves being in the swing and we really just need to remind Mary Jane to watch out so she won't get kicked in the head!  Gotta be tough in this family.

Our Even More Recent Addition!

Hello world, please meet Cookie Sue Bugg.  She has large stand-up ears, loves to hide in baskets, and is very fond of children.  Good for you, Cookie Sue!  Now only if you can bond with Heidi soon.

Our Newest Addition

 

Heidi

As you can see here, there is a new bunny in and about the Erb household.  Miss Heidi Faye seems to have much of the same spirit as Cherry Bugg.  We're not sure if she'll bite people on the head but if she just sits on our heads, that's good enough.

Heidi loves to sit in the living and hop back and forth between Mister John and Miss Jill.  She seems quite the sociable bunny but she has not yet interacted with either Phillip or Ruby Jane.  That will be a chapter of its own.

Mary Jane Does a Bit of Dancing

Ooh, sorry for the long delay between posts.  Sometimes when we get busy, we tend to forget about such things like blogging.  Then again we're not even sure as to our audience.  Friends and family, sure.  But when the website says many of our hits come from Russia (huh?), I wonder what I-madness is going on.

Anyway, in this video, Mary Jane does a little dancing before telling Gramma hi.  Quintessential wacky Mary Jane here.

Girls Ready for Seeing Extended Family

Mary Jane and Betsy Jo are ready to see Gramma and an assortment of aunts this weekend.  Hopefully Mary Jane will not repeat her over-eating of canteloupes this year.  As for Betsy Jo, maybe she'll copy and sister and try to say, "No no no!"

Betsy's Birthday Party

This headband looks good on me.

I like cake!

Betsy was looking quite spectacular at her birthday party last Saturday.  There are too many pictures to sort through but here are a few good ones.

Yay for Betsy

Alas, her birthday was on Monday but still it is important to remember how precious little Miss Betsy is to us.  Just look at that face... nevermind the cake.  Oh, cuteness personified.  Like Cherry Bugg.  Of course.

Cherry Bugg Angered at Vice President Slight

Cherry Bugg just found out this evening that she would not be Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick.  While she admits this was a crushing blow, she remains firm in her convictions that she is the best choice.  Now she can focus all of her energy to winning the rabbit election of 2012 on Dewey Street.

Cherry Bugg Teaches Betsy Jo about Being a Bugg

Cherry Bugg and Betsy Jo

Betsy Jo had her first detailed conversation with Cherry Bugg on August 6th.  While that might not seem significant to many, Cherry Bugg wants to make sure that Betsy Jo -- who will turn a year old in two weeks -- understands the roles in the household.  "Young children can be cute and sometimes quite tolerable," Chee explained to her.  "But ultimately the power in the household lies with the rabbits."  A brief pause as she riased her right ear slightly.  "And with Mister John since he feeds us."

Betsy Jo sat and listened and really didn't have much to say other than her occasional mono-syllabic squeak that she makes.  The Chee came away from the mini-conference with renewed confidence.  "She didn't try to pet me too hard," said the Chee, referencing another little girl in the household who has been notorious in petting too hard.

Betsy Jo agrees

When asked about this year's rabbit election, Cherry Bugg remained mum.  "I don't have much competition unless that lounge singer in the bedroom (Commute Bunny) runs."  I have a good shot at being the leader for the next four years here on Dewey.

Alas, poor Driveway, I knew him well, Horatio



After many many years, the driveway is being replaced.  Methinks its the original driveway that's been here since 1952 or so.  That means that it's put in some good usage for many many basketball games, wiffle ball tournaments, and oil changes.

Mary Jane is watching intently as the asphault is being taken up.

Surf's Up?

Somebody is taking the phrase "surf's up" a bit too literally.  Also might want to say, "Watch out for that tree!"

Surprise!

 

Almost as good as seeing a surprised little girl is telling her to act surprised and then her acting that way.  Here Mary Jane is listening to her Gramma on how to be more surprised.  At least she didn't go all Macauley Caulkin in Home Alone.  That would have been unfortunate.

Darn blenders.  They scare everyone!!!

Another Medal Day for Mary Jane

This is the life.  Feet up on the table, chewing on her food, and looking at her Sports Illustrated.  I'd wear my Olympic medal today too.

The Power of Sunglasses

Mary Jane has displayed her own Hollywood image.  I'm hoping that when she has to worry about her own paparazzi, she still finds time to call us.

Or at least talk to Cherry Bugg...

Must Be a Decathlon Conspiracy

For some reason, the majority of hits to this site are from Russia.  Is it a coincidence that Russia is this year's Decathlon topic?  Or are there just a lot of people interested in rabbits and little girls with great smiles?  It doesn't bother me... just pad the number to give me the fake impression that strangers are actually reading this.

Olympic Spirit

Mary Jane is into the Olympic spirit as she gets ready to compete for the 2032 Olympics when she's 21.  (Or 2024, if she's in gymnastics.) 

It's a good thing Daddy has some extra medals from the Academic Decathlon for her to wear.  This might not be like Ryan Locthe's all-American grill but that's good enough for MJ.

Doe, a Deer? A Female Deer?

Mommy, Betsy, Mary Jane, and a Deer

What about us?

Miss Jill and Mister John took their two splendiferous girls on a summer trip to northern Arizona for a little over a week.  After a brief stop in Lake Havasu City, they continued upward (to an altitude above 7,000 feet) to the Flagstaff area.  But before reaching there, they went a deer petting farm just off the 40 (and Route 66 for that matter).  There the girls were surrounded by a menagerie of animals.  Mostly deer, but a few other animals were found as well like the llamas in the picture on the right.  Always watch out for the llamas on the bus as they spit, spit, spit.

Silly Goat

Boy girls were still a bit under the weather so they didn't completely appreciate the animals around them.  Next year upon the next visit, the girls will be overwhelmed (happily hopefully) by all the creatures.

Doc Gives Cherry Bugg Clean Bill of Health

The Chee abides

Cherry Bugg was irritated this morning that Mister John was taking her to see the veterinarian about a small dental problem.  "I could still bite Miss Jill on the head," said the indignant bunny this morning.  She didn't but the threat always crosses her mind when Mister John and Miss Jill allow her to sleep in the bedroom with them.  For the time being though, she sleeps in the backyard ("with the peasants," as she puts it).

The doctor was very comforting in saying that Chee was quite healthy for someone of her age (eight years old is a bit more on the elder side for rabbits).  "What does he think I should be doing?  Playing shuffleboard?" she quipped at Mister John on the ride home afterward.  He didn't have a response for that but just kept facing forward lest he somehow provoke another comment from "the Chee and only" as she often refers to herself.

Later in the day she received a large amount of lettuce and graciously munched on that.  "No dental problem here," as she glared to any rabbit who would be watching.

Betsy's Holiday Wishes

Miss Betsy wished everyone to have an eventful Fourth of July as long as she was allowed to have some fruits, veggies, a couple bottles of formula, and a stroll outside with her big sister Mary Jane.  Other than that, she just wished that the fireworks would go off before 10pm.

Family Represent

Betsy Jo met some of her cousins today at Aunt Pat's.  From left to right: Ed, Larry/Tim, Gina, Garrett, Daddy, Betsy Jo, and Trevor.  Fun was had by all... including Betsy Jo.

Daddy Dogpile!!!

 Watch out, Daddy, the girls are coming to get you!  The middle picture looks like Betsy is going to pile-drive or do some sort of ridiculous wrestling maneuver.