Spring Break!!!

OK, after looking at the last picture in the post I realized that Tenzin looked just a teensy weensy drunk. Being the good father that I am, I decided that we should keep going with this theme.

Yes, those are glow sticks in his hands.



I don't even want to know how he got those beads.


You can see bikinis easier from the air!


Back in the day, partying with the Stones.


He's so Xtreme, you spell it without an "e."


And last but not least, Disco Tenzin from The Simpson's.

What a fun weekend...

Click on pictures for larger view....

A big special thank you goes out to the Murdock family for their hospitality this weekend. A great time was had by all and the experience was exactly what we needed!


Lisa had invited us up to their St. Mary's lake house for Memorial Day (an invitation that we still think was given in jest, but you all know that it's never safe to joke around with the Thornburg's!!!).

St Mary's is usually about 45 minutes away from Columbus, but Ohio Highway Patrol was out to insure that our drive was a safe one. It ended up being a much lengthier hour-and-a-half. Seriously, they were parked about every 5 miles or so. As a side-note, anybody that drives drunk or speeds on Memorial Day weekend deserves their punishment.

Anyway, long story short, we arrived with every intention of camping in the front yard, but Ted & Lisa would here nothing of it. Seriously, we had tents and sleeping bags all ready to go!

They were so nice to show us a good time. We barbecued, drank, shared parenting stories and played some poker. Tenzin and Madison had a blast. She's grown up sooo much since I saw her last (Tenzin's baby shower in Columbus!).



We had planned on leaving Monday morning, but Ted coaxed us into going out on the pontoon boat with the jet skis. I'm so glad we stayed. It was such a good time for us and so much fun for the kids. And let me say one thing: The only thing more exciting than flying across a lake at 50 mph on a four-person jet ski is seeing your wife flail through the air and into the water on a turn. Sorry, Rachel! Luckily the water was warm or else I'd be writing this from the couch.

This weekend also gave me some ideas. Why hasn't anybody invented a waterbed crib? That rocking motion is like baby Ambien. Tenzin was out cold for the first hour!


We also had quite a bit of spit-up. I hope it wasn't a result of seasickness, or else this kid is going to have a looooong road ahead of him. We'll have to train that stomach for future fishing trips with West Coast Grandpa!

All in all, we couldn't have asked for more. What started out as a random road trip turned into a wonderful, wonderful weekend. Thanks again, guys.

Kodak Gallery Update

The Geekiest of Cool

Via Sci Fi Tech blog:

Taking the kids out for a walk no longer has to be a boring affair. This TrioBike is a bike with a two-seater stroller attached to the front, allowing you to get your bicycle-based exercise while taking the kids out for some fresh air. You'll appreciate being able to pedal around, and the children will love moving at a speedy clip.

Even better, the stroller can be detached from the bike, allowing you to drop your spawn off at daycare and then enjoy a normal bike ride, rather than being stuck pushing and empty stroller around like some kind of sucker.

LINK HERE

Laziest Geek on the Planet!!!

This is what we've become...from one extreme to the other. First we've got the bottle via pacifier thingy I wrote about, where you no longer have to hold your child. Now we're too lazy to go on walks. Sheesh.

Best Children's Books on the Market

The first book, Let's Find Out About Air, is definitely my favorite!

Just plain gross...

You don't have to tell me about snotty kids! Tenzin snots so much, that we caught people honeymooning right outside of his Niagra nose.

When he was tiny, it was pretty intimidating as a parent. You'd suction out the slightest bit-o-booger out of fear of suffocation. Even walking out of the house, we'd make sure that every little tiny eye/nose/mouth crusty was wiped clean so that our newborn son would glow adorably, exemplifying all the signs and symptoms of a healthy baby.

Now, as we celebrate his headcold's one month birthday, things have definitely changed. He's kind of like an oil spill; you can't try to get every drop, you can only hope to contain the mess.

Why am I talking about snot? Well, I found this product online today. I never knew how many strange products there were, but I think I'm just beginning to scratch the surface. Here ya go:




The Nosefrida is a Swedish nasal aspirator that removes mucous from your child’s nose via your suctioning mouth. Although the website states that it comes with a filter, thus blocking the passage of snot to your lips, I still don't think I would want to take that risk (Full Disclosure: I wore plastic gloves when changing my nephew's diaper not more than one year ago (Really Full Disclosure: Said diaper was only wet. No poop)).

Sadly, it donned on me that no matter how odd I think this invention is, the guy is probably a millionaire. Every nutjob and their mother is nowadays.

So I came up with an invention aimed at parents like Rachel and I who are no longer striving for booger perfection. This is for the parents just trying to contain the mess.

I will give you the address of my online store when the web developer finishes his work.

Laziness or Creativity?

The Podee Hands-Free bottle feeder is basically a small tube that attaches to a regular bottle to (supposedly) make milk time work a lot easier. It's rigged so you can set the bottle next/near/on top of the baby and just give them the nipple...kind of like if your wife had Inspector Gadget boobies.

The Podee® Baby Bottle is a welcome solution to today’s time crunch when it comes to feeding babies. It’s a complete system that includes an 8-ounce bottle and all the necessary parts. The Podee Baby Bottle ends dropped bottles, allow for upright feeding to help reduce ear infection and colic. It’s ideal for feeding multiple babies at the same time. Meets safety standards.

I hadn't seen these before, but something really set me off. Maybe it's just because I actually enjoy holding my son, but can we get any lazier as a generation? Next thing you know, you'll be able to buy baby colostomy tubes and peelable clothing.

Anybody that has ever tried these/seen these/know about these, please feel free to leave something in the comment section. The site says that the company formed in the early 80's, but I just can't see something like this being around that long. Like I said, i don't know what it is that creeps me out about this thing, but it just does.

Stroll for a Cure Sunday

What a crazy month! It just feels like we never stop running. I understand that this “parenthood thing” is a fast-paced go-go-go environment, but this is getting ridiculous!


Health-wise, Tenzin and I have been battling the flu off-and-on for the last four weeks. He’s officially adopted the moniker “Smokey,” given the hacking phlegmy cough he’s perfected. I seriously think we could hike up his pants, give him his bottle of Maloxx, comb over his combover, snot-up his nose, and drop him off in front of an elderly care facility and they would sign him in as a senior citizen without a second glance. He just looks (hilariously) like a senile 85 year old man when he’s at his gooiest.


Sicknesses be damned, we did what most people do when they’re under the weather and walked a 5K. This past Sunday was the 15th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Columbus. The race has grown in to a HUGE event, now hosting 37,000+ racers and raising over $2 million. 75% of that money is used locally for education and screening throughout Ohio, and the other 25% is used to fund national research for a cure for breast cancer. The race itself is really a site to behold. All of downtown is flooded in a sea of pink with walkers/runners/wheelers hooting and hollering as they sing and dance their way around downtown. My brother Jonathan and brother-in-law Mike take things a little more seriously, actually participating in the “Race” portion of Race for a Cure, while Rachel, Tenzin and I Lollygag for a Cure at a much, much slower pace.


The event is perfect for Tenzin; he’s such a little ball of curiosity. There is nothing that little kid loves more than a good walk with some scenery. Rachel and Tenzin even have a new favorite pastime during the day where they’ll walk down to the elementary school (about a half a block down the street from our house) to watch the kids play at recess, or load and unload from the busses. He’ll just sit there in awe at all the commotion as the kids run and play (while Rachel chokes back the thought that he’ll - one day - be old enough to attend elementary school!).



Oh! And here’s some breaking news for you: the teeth have arrived!!! We’ve got one tiny pearly white poking through his bottom gum, with another tooth fighting to surface. His mini-chiclets are coming in (surprisingly) without much fanfare; just a little whimpering and ear-pulling. Nothing a little dab-o-Motrin can’t cure (we leave the whiskey on the gums for mom and dad).

Seeing as he’s growing up, we decided to add a small regimen of solid food to his diet. Much to his Aunt Sarah’s dismay, he now eats at least three T-Bone steaks a week. Joking of course, but he does sound like a little hippy with his new diet. He loves his yams, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, peas, and bananas.


Unfortunately for Tenzin, we just recently discovered that bananas are to his ass what lit cigarettes are to the drought-ridden California landscape!!! Seriously, there is no greater diaper rash than a banana-stimulated diaper rash. If Tenzin was Superman, nanas would be his kryptonite! Before this discovery, we blamed everything from daycare to diapers for his sandpapered bum. Poor guy. Took us forever to realize that the bananas were the culprit. Oh, the irony that our little monkey can’t eat his favorite fruit.


Tenzin will also have some visitors this week. Brandi is in town from Arizona and Aunt Ashley will be arriving in just a few days from California. We checked Tenzin’s Blackberry and it looks like his dance card will be full for quite a while. He’s been busy with preparations, honing his coos and giggles. Nothing but A-material for the next week!

That’s about it for now. I’ll try to add some simple picture updates throughout the week. I’ll even snap a picture of the tooth if you can tell me how to take a picture of the inside of a baby’s mouth without pinning him down via duct tape/crowbar. Deena, you were right!

Now on Tape.