The Sea and the Sand

 Mary Jane and Betsy went to the beach on Friday afternoon for a brief sojourn while Daddy talked to some of his old UCLA work friends.  Initially, they were both hesitant of the sand as it can just get into everything.  Yes, nothing like raisin dropped in sand (ew, more fiber?).

But they had quite the time there.  The most difficult thing about the beach has always been just getting there.  Luckily it was a weekday afternoon and Daddy has always been quite keen about finding parking spaces adjacent to the ocean.  Hopefully they'll be back to the beach again soon.

Paul wanted to go but stayed in the car.  He was afraid of sharks. He refused any further comments about it.  I guess every week is shark week.  That's what Sharkey says.

Raisins... before the Sand

Flopped on the Sand

No Parade for Phillip's Re-Inauguration

Very little celebrating happened on Dewey Street this weekend as Prince Phillip was "reinaugurated" for another term.  The whole word irritates Phillips as he says that princes are not reinaugurated but rather reassure others of their sovereign rule of the land.  Everyone knows of the "divine right of rabbits" and that's just the way it is.

Ruby Jane did not run against him the Bunny Elections in November 2012, as many had thought.  The former rivals are much more amicable these days and share many ideas over blades of grass and orange slices.  There is also one agreement that has united the divided rabbit coalitions since the last election: Mary Jane and Betsy, the two new potential usurpers to the throne.

Mary Jane was born shortly after the previous two-year election cycle started.  Potential human usurpers wasn't even a topic in the previous election debates.  It was only food, water, free time, and airplane noise.  All the rabbits thought that Mister John and Miss Jill were perfectly happy to let their back yard be ruled by long-eared, fluffy tailed overseers.  Alas, that did not seem the case as Mary Jane (and later Betsy) arrived to chase, grab, and laugh at the noble rabbit line.  They felt completely humiliated by little children who couldn't even wipe their noses after sneezing.

"I'm thumping mad," said Ruby Jane.  "No way two little girls -- no matter how cute they are -- are gonna chase us off our lands."

Heidi and Cookie Sue, relative newcomers to the Erb household, really didn't have much of an opinion as their major concern is just food.

Prince Phillip in royal pose.

As for Mister John, he is trying to stay independent of the whole situation.  "It ain't my thing right now," says Mister John, as he types up more Decathlon notes.

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.

Running Free in the Backyard

Hello, Daddy!

Sometimes it's just fun to get out and about and run around in the afternoon.  Sometimes it's better to hold onto a rubbery yet chewable ball -- nevermind that Betsy likes that toy as well -- and run around all afternoon with it.  And sometimes it's just fun to let out a large happy scream to show how much fun you're having on a sunny spring day.

The DudeManBro

Standing Tall

Nothing gives a little girl more of a calming influence than a favorite stuffed animal.  In Mary Jane's case, it's Paul the Panda.  He also goes by P2theP.  Don't ask, we're all just players in his theatrical production.

Paul originally came to our family via the Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Ever since then he has jumped to the top of Mary Jane's animal list.  We often thought it might be TV Turtle or Clifford but no, it's definitely the panda.  He has a hankering for "bambuu" as he spells it.  He loves to surf and spends most of his free time chilling in the back yard and working on his tan.

During the evenings though, he is primarily in the arms of Mary Jane.  If Betsy somehow comes across the soft furry panda, Mary Jane elicits a rare bit of jealousy and takes Paul away with a frenzied grab.

Dinner with P2theP

Paul also makes his way to the dinner table.  There's no way he's not getting in on some of the food.  He's lucky though.  Mary Jane often feeds him the rest of the bottle when she's done.  He doesn't complain much although at first he thought it was a bit awkward.  There's some sort of pride one feels when they are the most wanted.  And for the DudeManBro, that's what it's all about.

Happy Weekend from Betsy

 It's time for everyone to smile their Sunday best!

End of Another Week

Daddy and Betsy are relaxed after she finished her first week of being SIX months old.  Goodness look at those grey hairs.  Wait, those are on Daddy.  Betsy has the beaming smile though.

Mary Jane was a little cranky this afternoon as she decided not to nap much.  Oh, who needs napping anyway?  Not that young girl!  Of course she was a bit feisty before she fell asleep.  What did she need for her final snooze?  Paul the Panda of course.  P to the P, as some in the household call him, immediately put her at ease and she went back to sleep.  Now if only some extra bamboo can be found for him.

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.