A Shocking good time

We took a little walk to the park just down the street last weekend. Being that it is 1300 degrees by noon this time of year we had to get there early. Luckily no one was there yet. So we had the whole area to ourselves to do a little swinging, rocking and even a some sliding. Macie wasn't all that impressed with the slide and the static electricity kept shocking my butt. However she did love the swing and we still had a good time.

Visit from the Grandparents Scholzen

Grandma and Grandpa Scholzen stopped by for a visit this past weekend. It has been just over a month since they have been to AZ and they had to get their Macie fix. New toys were in store as Grandma busted out a new doll and stroller. Grandpa was lucky enough to get some hugs out of the deal. It was great to see them, especially over Father's Day weekend.

Sneaky

Sunday Wende had to work so it was just me and Macie at home . Late in the afternoon it was hot outside so I thought I would chill and watch a movie. "No Country for Old Men" is awesome by the way, you should check it out if you have not yet. So Macie is playing in the kitchen about 5 feet away from where I am lying on the floor. I can hear her playing keep away with Tiki and laughing. I am totally engrossed in the movie when I realize that I haven't heard a sound for 2 or three minutes.

So I get up and look in the kitchen, no Macie. I walk in there thinking she is next to the fridge or behind a chair and I can't see her. For a second my heart drops. Then I turn to look out on the patio and she is standing on the other side of the sliding glass door smiling at me. I set up the video camera to capture her escape route on film. Thought I would share it. Hope it makes you laugh as much as it did me.

Splish Splash

So far Macie's enjoyment in the pool has been less than stellar. She actually has cried the last 2-3 times we have taken her swimming. We are not sure why, because she loves to play in the bathtub. I think it was mostly due to the water being so cold. None the less we wanted to get her more use to the water outside so we can take her to the pool more often. After all what else are you going to do in Phoenix in the summer?

Wende bought her a splash pool for her b-day to help her get use to the water. Last weekend we broke it out and gave it a shot. It took a little convincing but she finally is enjoying it. Here are a couple of photos:










As you can see she is definitely going to tan easily. I had to shoot this picture of her tan line after being out in the sun for only about 10 min. Crazy!!

Organic cotton bunny...sounds like a scam to me

About a month ago, on a recent trip to the mall, Macie and I found ourselves being drug into Pottery Barn Kids by Wende. I was pushing Macie in her stroller and she was being a little fussy waiting for Wende to find something "Macie had to have". So I grab the closest stuffed animal off the shelf to entertain her. It happened to be some overpriced "organic cotton bunny". I put on a little puppet show for her which made her laugh. Then I handed it to her for a hug after which I proceeded to put the bunny back on the shelf. Of course she started screaming and whining. So I gave it back. I thought I would just take it when she wasn't looking at the register.

Well we get to the register and she still didn't want to give it up. She was so attached to this thing that I had to take the price tag off to give it to the clerk to ring it up so I could buy it. I have a feeling it won't be the last thing she suckers me into buying for her. Anyway here are a couple pictures of her hugging her bunny and us too. I threw the last one in of her and Tiki looking out the window for cats and birds, which drives Tiki nuts.

Deep in the heart of Texas

Every year the AAPA (National Physician Asst. Association) holds a conference in a different city. It is every May and this year, fell over memorial weekend. We get together to hear lectures on current management, therapy and treatment of diseases and conditions. It is a great way for me to earn education credit that I need to keep my license. It is also a great excuse to take a vacation and see a new city. This year they picked San Antonio.

Wende and I were both excited, because we had never been there, or to Texas for that matter. She was even more elated than I was because she had always wanted to go to TX find a young handsome cowboy to marry. Then she met me and I said, "hey baby why do you want to go all the way to TX when you got a hot Mexiraniahawaindian right here in Salt Lake. Marry me!" and she did.

As excited as we were, we faced a dilemma. One that as parents we had not faced until this point. Now those of you without kids won't truly understand until you have them, but leaving your child for the first time can be very hard. We discussed for weeks whether or not to take Macie with us or have a trip together, which we had not had in the last year. So after much debate we finally decided to give it a shot and leave her with the Crystal and Evan. We knew she would have fun, plus she would have some cousins to play with.

The first couple of days were hard, being away from her, but we managed and had a great time. We did the tourist thing and visited the Riverwalk and took the boat ride. Pretty cool if you like history. We also met up with our old pal TJ (a fellow PA) and his family to have some drinks at the local piano bar - Howl at the Moon.

Now, I have only a couple of friends that go way back to childhood. Actually 2, Dave Branham whom I see on a regular basis. The other is Spencer Curtis. Spencer and I have been buds since we ate glue together in 3rd grade. But unfortunately d/t jobs, kids, the military, we don't get to see each other too often. He just so happens to be married to a good friend of mine from high school, Rosalee. Any by coincidence they and their three children live in San Antonio. He is finishing up residency for anesthesiology in the Air Force and they are currently stationed there. As I said, we do not get to see them too often. Matter of fact the last time was 2 yrs ago in San Fransisco at a previous PA conference.

So luckily we got to spend a couple of days hanging out with them, and catching up on old times. They guys played some golf while the ladies went shopping, we BBQ'd and we took the kids to the local water park and had some great Mexican food. We had a blast and it was great to see them.

I had to take a picture of the Starbucks Wende frequented every morning of our trip. We had one in the lobby of our hotel, but the machine was not working to make her grande iced caramel, nonfat, no whip, white chocolate, raspberry, pomegranate, cappuccino thingy she swears by. So luckily for her we had another Starbucks about 2 blocks away. Because as you know they are everywhere and like Walmart, they are taking over the world.

We did make it to the Alamo before we left, however it was the last morning of our trip. Unfortunately it was not open yet that morning so we didn't get to take the official tour. Wende was secretly happy about that as she hates the guided tours I drag her through everywhere we go (I love history).

After 5 days away from our Macie, we finally made it home. We were both so happy to see her. The Hales survived having 4 girls (poor Evan). All in all it was a great trip. We can't wait until next year. Oh and just in case my boss sees this, I did make it to some of the conference. ;-)

One year old!

Last weekend we celebrated Macie's 1st birthday. A whole year has gone by and I can't speak for Wende, but it has been the fastest year of my life.










The day started out a little rough because Macie didn't think she needed to take a morning nap and then got tired about the time the party started. No sleep coupled with a little incident of sun screen in the eyes, started things out a little rough. A quick power nap on mama's shoulder made everything better and the rest of the party went off without a hitch.













Lots of great friends and family showed up to help us celebrate.