Well, someone's going to regret this picture one day. (John already does - notice the pearl necklace)

Cheese!

You can now ask Zane to say "cheese" for the camera. What you get is this deer-in-the-headlights face and "ttthhheee."

Or, you can ask him to smile for the camera and get a weak grimace and squinted eyes.

Whatever. The newness is wearing off and we're not taking as many pictures anyway.

Valentine's Day

OK, so I tried to do a Valentine's pic like last year. Didn't quite work out. Still cute, though.


Here's last year's pic...

The Uncles

As mentioned previously, my uncles (2 of my mom's 7 brothers, #'s 7 & 8 of 14 total kids) came to help my parents fix their Ike-damaged house. Tim and Terry stayed with us and it was surprisingly un-crowded. They left this past Saturday (their wives were joyous) and the house feels a little empty. The cats, dog and Zane are happy to have the guestroom back, however, for sleeping and playing.

We'll be seeing Tim soon enough when he comes back to help finish the house (if Tika lets him). Kristina will surely not let Terry come back (even if he wanted to), but we'll see them soon, too, as they have recently moved to Florida (and we like Florida).

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Is it surprising that Zane already loves his shoes? These Teva's are too small for him, but he still asks to wear them and is thrilled to walk around the house wearing just the one. Sometimes I put them on his hands and he's thrilled with that, too. I don't know why we haven't given them away - probably because we spent $27 on them and I want to get every last dime out of them.

Pop Pop and Zane

Grandma and Grandpa (or PAAAAAAH in Zanespeak) have spent every evening at our house for the last month. This is because my uncles are staying with us while working on their Ike-flooded house and my mom is providing dinner (not a bad deal, really). A little benefit for my dad is that Zane is finally warming up to him. Yea, Dad!

So, Grandpa struggled to get down on the floor to read books and struggled back up. But it was worth it! Dad, you might want to supplement your tai chi with some yoga.

Goin' to the zoo zoo zoo, what about you you you?

Today we went to the Zoo with the Davis family. It was a lovely time. None of the Davis kids would be still long enough for a picture, so you'll have to settle for Zane digging for brain on a warthog statue.

I think this picture speaks for itself...

Thomas Charles Meyer, R.I.P.

Yesterday was John's dad's funeral. I will tell one story...

I believe it was the year after John's mom died, possibly Thanksgiving or Christmas. We were at Mr. Meyer's house and I went out back to throw a tennis ball for the dogs (many, many dogs). Mr. Meyer came out after awhile, stood for a minute watching and said (low, gravely, Chicago-accented voice) "Boy, you sure don't throw like a girl."

Thanks, Tom. Settle down. Peace.