socalsuburbanlife

2011-05-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

Being un-employed is super lame. I do get more time with the kids and have had some amazing moments with my friends and family, but I like working. Being with people and being challenged is interesting to me. So keep your fingers crossed that something comes my way soon. Enough about me though. I know most of you just tune in for the picts of the kids...Who could blame you..they are awesome. Some of the photos are from the Santa Barbara zoo. We went there with my parents when they came after my Dad's retirement cruise to Hawaii. Way to go Dad!! And Mom...you're the best!

Cheers

S,M,A&Do

It's March and this is my 1st blog of the year

2011-03-14T16:19:00.001-07:00

This one is for all those people who aren't on facebook..all 5 of you. I would call out your names..but you know who you are...

Dylan is 4

2010-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I thought that Dylan would be like Austin. I guess I just assumed that we were the same parents with the same parenting styles so therefore Dylan would be, for lack of a better term, cut from the same cloth. I could not have been more wrong. Dylan is such an individual. He has similar interests with Austin...mud and sticks and bikes. But his personality is quite his own. He reminds me of ,me in a way. He is silly and very talkative. He loves to cuddle, talk, run and talk, then talk about bugs, fall down and then laugh. Just like me! He is also head strong and stubborn and very smart. He gets some of that from Mommy I guess. Happy birthday my little man!!Feel free to crank up the music..It 'a a good representain of Dylan's flare.

H-town Trip and End of Summer

2010-08-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

We finally made it back to Houston. It has been a few years since we have been back. It was Melissa's high school reunion. What a blast we had. It was nice to see some friends and talk about the old times. We also got to spend some time with Melissa's Dad and Step Mom at NASA. That was a lot of fun as well. It's amazing to think what those guys did way back then with such limited technology. Mike and Amber were also in Houston, it was Mike's reunion as well. It was so fun to see all four of the Walter grand kids interact with each other. We went to the children's museum, and did fishing off the back porch, what a fantastic trip. Grandma and Grandpa were awesome with the boys. It was hard to say goodbye as it always is, but it was nice to come home to some nice SoCal weather. School is here now for both boys and another summer for the history books. Thanks to everyone for a great time.

Sir Austin turns 7!!

2010-05-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

People always say "How fast they grow up." It makes much more sense to me now. Austin has been in our lives for seven years...I hope that all of you get the chance to meet him some day. Really talk to him and find out what makes him so special. He knows so much about so many things now. It's amazing to see him go through his life so far. How he deals with situations and obstacles in his day to day..Is truly amazing. Sometimes... ummm not so amazing, but he is way on the plus side for sure. I hope all of you have a wonderful day. Cheers!!

Lego Land

2010-04-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit last week. We all dove to Carlsbad to go to Legoland. It was a blast and so much fun for the boys. It's nice to have visitors we miss all of you and an open invite is given to all who wish to see the sights of Southern California. This song that is playing is called "Fireflies" and it is Austin and Dylan's favorite right now. Cheers!!

Snow Day to Opening Day

2010-03-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well it has been some time since the last post. We had some real nice cold weather our way. We can actually enjoy the snow and then leave it behind which is nice. I would not want to be on the east coast for a winter....I would never survive. We went about half an hour north to the mountains and had a blast with the boys. Austin has also started his new season of flag football. His team is the Chargers and they had their first game on Saturday. He scored his first touchdown...and I got a movie of it...so proud of him. Then next day we all went to Placertia Canyon, which is 10 min from the house. We usually take the creek trail but this time we took a ridge trail. Melissa and I were so proud of the boys for hiking all the way to the top with no complaints..This was no easy hike either. Any time anyone wants to come and give it a shot feel free to give us a call. We would love to have guests :)

2010??

2010-01-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

So what do we call this new decade?? 0-10 or 20-10 or just 10?? I don't know but I still am having trouble writing it on all my papers and stuff. What will this year have in store for us? A few laughs a few tears and lots of love...what more could a person ask for? Cheers and have a fantastic year!!

Fall is falling

2009-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

I love Fall. It stops being so blasted hot and it signals the beginning of the holiday season. Halloween went off without a hitch and Soon we will all be gobbling down turkey (Ha! Pun). Then the big guy comes to town. Christmas was always fun as a kid. As a parent though, it takes on a whole new twist. Still just as fun but, in such a different way. Have a safe and fun Holiday

Sept 11th

2009-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today is a day we think about those events that changed our world forever. Those that lost their lives, in a senseless tragedy based on hatred for America, will be forever remembered. On this day I look to my children as the future of this great country, and I wonder?? How will their lives be in 20 yrs? Will there be peace? I hope so. I pray that soon all people will live together in harmony regardless of what they believe or don't believe. It makes me angry when people use their beliefs to somehow justify inhumanity. The God I believe in would never ask a human to do such terrible things. I love when people of polar opposites can discuss their differences in an intellectual and mutually respectful manner. It broadens ones horizons to try and understand an opposite view point. I may never agree with this person but I believe in their right to speak. Some countries are not so lucky. God Bless America today and every day!!

For Mom and Dad

2009-07-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

Summer Tiiiime and the Livin's Easy

2009-07-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all. We just got back from TX and the 09 Walter family Reunion. It has been a while since we have been back to Texas. It's seriously hot down there. I was sweatting in the shower...I forgot what that was like. blech..We had a blast though. Much love the Walter Clan and hope everyone had a blast. Sorry to all my Tx pals. We'll catch ya next time. Or you can always come to Cali for a visit. It was 68 degrees at the beach on the 4th....Melis and the kids were wearing jackets. It still gets hot in the afternoon but at night we just let the windows open and enjoy...ahhhh. Sorry I'm gloating. Hope everyone had a great 4th.
Cheers

p.s. How about the homemade armor and sheild. Constructed by Daddy, decorated by Sir Austin the Knight

2009-05-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with all of you. Everything is good here in LA. Work good, Fam good, no swine flu..what more could a guy ask for??

Springtime

2009-03-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

The time of year to plant beautiful flowers. The sun is warmer and the days are longer. I remember winter in Tx. It lasted a while then there were two weeks of spring and summer started. It's not quite like that here. I don't like to brag but....

Anyway here is the new flower garden we picked local flowering wild flowers in hopes that they will last a while. The neighborhood cottontails LOVE that wild cabbage that we planted. Austin is playing on a flag football team at the park, The Seahawks. We are undefeated and play our last game on Saturday. My brother Mike and his wife Amber will be in LA at the end of the week. We are excited to see them for sure. Have a good week everybody

I'm on Facebook

2009-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yup it's official Facebook is taking over. It is much easier and less time consuming than this blog. However there are some in my Family who are too "busy" to get on Facebook....Mom I lookin at you :) So I have some free time on this President's Day to do some blogging. Ummmmm everything is fine. Here are some photos and movies of when we went to the snow last week. Granted most of the snow was melting that day, but after all the rain this week it should be at least 2-3 ft deep. It's only a half hour away from our house sooo. BTW the pic of Austin all jacked up was a few weeks ago after a trip and fall. He was doing a Jedi move at full speed, tripped and instead of dropping his light saber he decided it was better to take the brunt of the fall with his face...good little Jedi

So this is Christmas

2008-12-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hey a blog update...whaa?? Sorry it's been so long but the new move and Xmas party took up soooo much time. But Austin is occupied with Grandpa and Dylan is on a walk with Grandma so I actually have some time. We had a party two eeks ago. It was a housewarming/Christmas party that really motivated Melissa and I to get busy on the new place. Lots of good friends and neighbors showed up and we had a blast. So much fun that we did not take one picture.

The best Christmas gift of all is having Mom and Dad here to visit. They came in on the 23rd and are staying after The New Year to go to the Rose Bowl Parade. I'm sure I'll have lots of picts from that day as well. Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays...It always has been. This year was no exception. Austin was Darth Vader and Dylan was a spider. Austin was in the Kindergarten parade at school.

We got soooooo much candy..we needed bigger bags. The next day was raining....wha?? huh? RAIN in Southern California??? Say it ain't so. We got to play soccer in the rain. Most of the fields were covered in mud. Our field only had one small ,but deep, puddle. Austin would go out of his way to stomp in it of course. Then next day I painted Dylan's room. The Previous owner had painted it red... like SUPER RED. Now it's a nice, calm, soothing green. I also finally finished Austin paint as well here are some photos

Anyway we start Dylan in Daycare tomorrow I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand I will enjoy the free time in the morning...but I am worried it will be too quiet..who knows??

New house

2008-10-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hey we moved in to our newwwwww house.....Sorry no pictures yet..It's still all full of boxes and stuff. It is in a fantastic neighborhood. The street is a dead end and each house has at least two boys under the age of 8. May not be the street to live on in 10 yrs but.... I will post some picts later to show everyone.

These are some picts from Dylan's 2nd b-day....Poor little guy didn't get much of a party because we were moving that weekend. There was cake and Grandma so He had a blast.

On another note today I had a great moment with my boys...especially Austin. We listened to one of my favorite songs in the car on the way home from school. Austin asked if there was a video to that song... I said "yes, and it fits the song perfectly" When we watched it his eyes lit up and a huge smile crossed his face. Austin thought it was AWESOME. It's his new favorite song and I could not be prouder. So please watch and turn it up. Be sure to click the full screen button on the player to get the full effect. It looks like a square with a little arrow in it......Rock and Roll at it's purest and a perfect video.

Summer Winding Down

2008-09-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Wow is it Sept. already???? Time sure is fun when you're having flies...what? ANYway All is well here and we are anxiously awaiting the close of escrow on our new house....I have mini-panic attacks everyday that I don't here from our "People". Oh well. Austin is really liking school and seems to be learning alot. Not much else to say. We hope all of our TX family and friends are safe during this active Hurricane season...If you need a warm sunny spot to stay....come to Cali. IT NEVER RAINS HERE.

Alaska Yo

2008-08-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I last blogged. What with our big trip and selling our house it has been too much to try and get up here and do this......soooooorrrryy. Well the trip is over (boohoo) and the condo is now sold (woohoo). So now it's time to post some stuff.

We started with a couple of days in Seattle. What a neat city. It was cool and we stayed in the Inn at the Market. It was right on the water next to the famous open market where they throw the fish. Pretty cool. We went to the Space needle and did that whole thing. It was nice to be with Michael and his wife and their kids Davis and Sam.

Then it was time for our 7 day cruise to Alaska on the Star Princess. If you have not had a chance to see Alaska and all its wonder please go. It was so amazing. I mean.... wow, I thought I knew what we were in for as far as beauty and wilderness...but I was blown away. We were in areas that were truly massive and un-tainted by man (ha I said taint) And the ship was awesome. Those of you who have not cruised do not know what you are missing.

Our first day was at sea. The second day was in Ketchikan. First we took the kids and Grandma to see a lumberjack show. Then Melissa and I went on a zipline tour of the rain forest. It was the first day in weeks were it was not raining. What a blast we highly recommend it to those of you who are not afraid of heights. That's me on the zip line about 200 ft in the air. the we explored the town and got some "treasure" for Austin

The next day was just amazing. We started off in Tracy Arm Fjord. We were in perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I have been in underwater rivers in the Caribbean,I have seen the sunrise in Cabo San Lucas, I have skipped rocks on the most crystal clear water of the Bahamas at sunset, but this.....this was pure beauty.

After that we went to Juneau. Melissa Austin and I went on a canoe to Mendenhall Glacier. It was huge. We got to see a small piece fall off. That is pretty rare they say. We then went to see a massive waterfall. Austin also ate a piece of glacial ice. He said it tasted good.

Next day we were in Skagway. Michael and Amber went with us on a wilderness safari. We took a super fast boat out to Davidson glacier island. Then we took an old school bus to a camp and hiked to our canoes. These boats had motors though. It was super cold this day, and not to be outdone we all ate a piece of Davidson Glacier ice. Afterwards we got to pick wild strawberries. Amber and Melissa loved this part of the tour. They may not look like much but they tasted amazing.

Then it was on to the White Pass railroad tour. Wow this was another one not to miss. We went all the way up a mountain pass and back down.

Our last stop was in Victoria B.C. eh? Ooo yeah Canada. Buchart Garden doncha' know.... so beautiful

We took about 800 picts on our camera. It was hard to pick which ones to show here. The madness that is all four of the cousins, Mom,Dad,Melissa, Mike and I on the family feud. Austin on stage as the magician's assistant. So many to choose I might have to do another post some other time.

P.S Austin starts Kindergarten tomorrow........OMG

Summertime is here!!!!

2008-06-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well I guess to all you Texas folks summer has been here and has already been relentless....sorry. Here in California it has taken it's time and has not really shown it's full gusto. How about that Graduate there???It was a big deal at pre-k this week. A letter went home telling parents that a small ceremony for all the "graduates" would be on Friday and they were encouraged to dress up in the style of their future career. See if you can spot Austin in this next pic.

Maybe this one will help

Yes we have a future Batman in our midst. When we asked why he wanted to be Batman, he said," I want to save peoples lives" at 5 yrs old....man... it's truly amazing.
Well, not to be outdone, Dylan made the most of the festivities.

As if that wasn't a big enough deal Austin had his first T-Ball game this Saturday. He is on the Bears and we had a blast at the game. The colors of the uniforms are way out of wack but I don't think the kids could give a hoot.

Here are a few more random picts for all Y'all. There is one movie below that I posted here and also a new one in the movies setion.... so check them out.
Big Love to everybody.

Austin Turns 5

2008-05-18T11:13:00.001-07:00

Yup that's our 5 year old. Blue tongue courtesy of Mommy's awesome cupcakes. We had a blast at the party...but let's travel back in time first.... a long , long time ago, to a simpler time I like to call.... last week.

First we went to my buddy Alex's youngest daughter's birthday party at Travel Town. It's all about trains and the boys loved it. The B-day girl is Emma in the red sweater and her sister Lily is holding Dylan. It was a great day with some of our best friends.
The Next day was Mother's day. I decided to take Melissa out to her favorite hiking spot in Malibu. Some of you who have visited have been there. It's the one with the waterfall (Mike H you know). Anyway, we spend almost an hour getting there and finding a place to get lunch(I saw Sam Shepard getting a sandwich) only to find it closed due to fire damage. So we went to plan B, Point Dume. It was a nice but kinda cool day at the beach. The kids had a blast climbing on the rocks and we all had fun watching the surfers. Melissa and Austin climbed out on the point to get a closer look.

So now we come to the big day. Austin's party was at a place called Scooter's Jungle. It was great!! The girl that was in charge of our party met us at our car and took all the cupcakes Melissa had made and everything else and set it all up for us. We didn't have to lift a finger. That left us with much more time to party and visit

Thanks to all who came to help celebrate this very special Day!!!!

Also Check out the Flikr album for new picts of everything. Just click on the little photot album and then find the link that says photostream....That should take you to the most recent picts.

MAY 1st Already????

2008-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Can you believe it is May already? Summer is creeping closer and closer. We went to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena for Melissa's B-day a couple of weeks ago...It really is one of our favorite places to go. We are still trying to get our house ready to sell. We have had some trouble with the home owners ass---ociation. I hate getting jerked around. Listen, is it too much to ask for someone to do what they say they are going to do? Am I being unreasonable...please tell me. ugh...

I started a new work out program the last few weeks... P90X...I guess the X is for Xtreme!!! That's what the guy on the DVD keeps saying(While making an X with his arms) Let me tell you the X should be for Xtremely Difficult. It's all chin ups, pushups, cardio and abs. Dylan is trying out the chin up bar in one picture above. I don't know the last time any of you tried a chin up but.. they totally suck..super hard. This guy has you doing them for like, an hour, alternating pushups in between. I should have rock hard abs by next Wednesday..Oh but some girl at work had a baby and brought cupcakes to celebrate. It's a conspiracy I tells ya'.

Melissa is now a Cruise Vacation Planner for Princess. That means she is in charge of her own clients and does not have to be stuck on the phone all the time. She really enjoys having a relationship with the people she is helping and takes pride in her work. So if you know anyone who is in the cruise market give us a shout.

The song that is playing is Austin's favorite By the Way

Springtime is the thingtime

2008-03-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

Ah spring......warmer weather, lots-o-sunshine and pretty flowers. What more could you want....I know how about your kids being taught to do the crazy,maniacal laughter (a la Dr Evil)..see the youtube post for clarification. I call all my friends of young kids to try and best my kids crazy laughs and post them on you tube...The gauntlet is thrown down pansies...

Also we my Mom came to vistit last week. We had a blast and so did the boys. We tricked her into to watching them for two whole nights..ha! Sucker(Just kidding Mom) We went to the Ojai (pronounced O-Hi) Valley in and Spa. We got massages and drank wine and rode bikes, and got to take our time everywhere we went. What a treat!! Thanks again Mom. See lots of

picts and stuff on our flickr album.

Keep safe..and A special congrats to My cousin Megan and her Hubby Rob. They are the latest sucker...uh I mean proud parents-to-be. MUAAAHAAHAAA!!!!

Still busy

2008-02-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

We are trying to get our house ready to sell....That means painting and baseboards....all that stuff that noody notices. I'll tell ya what though...I feel like you don't have to clean as much you can just paint right over the dirt....GENIOUS!!! Anyway all is well here in cali and hope all is well with all of our loyal blogger fans...give us a comment in the comment section so we know you were here...... p.s. check out the new video of Dylan jumping on youtube

Hard work at home

2008-01-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

We spent the last two weekends putting new floor in the front bathroom. Every time Melissa says we need to do a project in the condo, I get grumpy. Mostly because it means that I'll have to get dirty and not be lazy. And every time we are done with the project I am so satisfied with the result. Anyway here is our new floor before and after. I had to use the wet saw last weekend in the cold and the rain. Some of the worst weather we have had in a long while. But when I look at the design Melissa came up with it all seems well worth it. She has such an amazing eye for these things....

Here are some new picts of the boys too

New Year...

2008-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

The start of a new year gives us hope and excitement. We already have so many things planned in 2008. A trip to Ojai in March for Melissa and I, Austin turns 5 in May.....big party planned, Melissa and I celebrate our 10yr anniversary in July, A Cruise in August to Alaska and Austin starts Kindergarten in August as well, Dylan will be 2 in Sept. and I will be 35 in Oct....wow

While we look Forward to 2008 we should also look back to 2007. Lots of ups and downs as with every year. We were sorry to say goodbye to two dear people in our lives Melissa's Grandma Anna Louise, and our Uncle Roger....we were so blessed to have them in our lives.

Since we did our last post in Oct...sorry.. I guess we can start in Nov. Austin caught his 1st fish...Grandpa was ecstatic. Next on that trip was The Walter Family reunion. What can I say...it is truly an amazing time..this year was no exception...Way to go Ash and Alli.... great job!!

After the reunion We all went to spend some time with my brother Mike and his wife Amber and their kids Davis 2 1/2 and Sam who is the same age as Dylan. They had a pot luck dinner and we got to meet some of their friends and we got to see some of our old gang as well.

The comes Thanksgiving and the Holiday season. We had a great time at our friends Tim and Krista's house. They have a son Seth and a daughter Allison who are just wonderful. Austin and Dylan loves the swing set in their backyard

The Family that rocks together stays together.

Then comes Christmas. We watched Seth and Allison so that Tim and Krista could go out and be normal for a few hours. The kids were great...I guess, I was at work until 9:00 pm so Melissa had our 2 and their 2 for about 3.5 hours all by herself....what a trooper. Santa was as generous as ever this year. His little elves must have spent exactly 2 hours putting together the car track on Christmas eve. Those elves were confused with the directions..I think...at least that is what Santa told me. We also got a Wii from Santa...way to go Santa!!! We spent lots of time bowling (Melissa won).. Boxing(Melissa crushed me).. and Tennis (No comment). I did win at Baseball though...Finally all those years of AYA payed off. After opening presents we went to meet up with our Friends Alex and Molly for Christmas dinner. Lots of food and drink and their two Daughters are just amazing.

A new song

2007-10-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

IF any of you heard the last song that Austin did, it was very rock and roll. This new song is his version of a ballad. I hope you like it.

Thanks to all of you who sent us good vibes when the fires were burning. All is well here now and it looks like the weather is going to comply for the people down in San Diego as well. The other day I was at Starbucks and I saw two of the dirtiest and most tired looking firemen I have ever seen. I walked straight up to them with Dylan in my arms and thanked them. I said" You guys are truly amazing. While everyone else is running away from the fire, y'all run towards it." And after making mention of my use of the word "Y'all" he said that they love to do it.....wow. hope everyone has a good week.

Love

S,M,A&D

So Cal BBQ

2007-10-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well if you didn't see the news our neighborhood is a-flame. IT sounds like they have a handle on it so keep your fingers crossed..Here are some picts taken from out rooftop patio. See some of you real soon.

S,M,A&D

Is it fall Yet???

2007-09-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

Seriously could it be any hotter??? I am sure that all of my Texas family can attest to this...August is ridiculous. Yesterday the fam went to the mall to take advantage of some Labor day sales...the temp reading on the cars thermometer was 118 degrees. Now that is hot with humidity or not. Austin had his second soccer practice this week and he did amazing. Melissa and I chose not to put him in the 100% polyester uniform...wise choice for him, although he did protest. Tomorrow we are going over to our friends Molly and Alex's for labor day. They have two adorable daughters and they get along great with our boys. For those who don't know Alex is my partner at work. He does the sounds and I record them. We have worked together for about 5 yrs, the last two years as a team. Great guy...very funny and smart...I could go on, but he reads this blog and I don't want to give him any ammo for the guys at work. We just found out this week that our cushy 4 day week is turning into a lame 5 day week....total bummer and in our opinion unnecessary. I think I'll wear black every Friday in a silent protest. Here's to all of you in the hopes that fall is right around the blazing hot corner....

Parents Just don't Understand

2007-08-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you who remember the title of this post is a reference to an old Will Smith song. In it Will has lots of mishaps with his car, girls and the like and he gets busted for acting like a teenager. Well, the chorus is basically "Parents just don't understand" Well Mr. Smith or Big Willy as he is called these days.... I wonder if you are singing the same tune now that you have kids of your own??? It might be called "Children" just don't understand. It might go something like this ... you can just imagine some f-f-f-f-unky bass in your head...ahem

Up at dawn, baby's cryin'

Four yr old says

Daddy I'm not lyin'

I didn't pour milk down the toilet again

It always makes that noise, don't you remember when

That boy.....at my school ....he tripped like wham...and then a bird do you like birds Daddy..Off time for cars ...

It's not even 8 in a.m. and I feel like a a.....a.. Oh forget it ...

I had such passion for this little song post thingy....but I really don't have the brianpower right now...Seriously that little bit of imagination up above.....5 hours it took me to come up with that...And it totally stinks. I often wondered why my Dad was so "uninformed" about so many things growing up....He knew all of it just like I do now...I know why the sky is blue or what makes the trees grow...I know how water gets to the faucet... I think I can even figure out how a dvd player w0rks....I just don't have the energy to explain to a four year old 50 times....3 times max! So the old "Because I said so" or "It just works" Still sometimes lead to other follow up questions...I have now re-instated the answer that I would tell my parents when something I knew was bad but didn't want to take the blame for..."Ya know....I dunno". Now I not saying that One shouldn't give their child the most information that is possible..let's get that straight. A child's imagination and thirst for knowledge is what makes them such amazing and magical beings. However when you match that thirst with an UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF ENERGY as a parent you really have to pick you battles. I love my boys they are the most special gifts from God...Kids just don't understand how wonderful they are

Summer goin' Strong

2007-07-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well lot to talk about these days. First off Austin had to have one of his teeth pulled. He had fallen on it several times and injured it. It didn't seem that bad until they pulled it out and I saw it......yuuuuuuk. He looks so grown up now.

We also went to our good friends Erik and Lisa's new house in Mission Veijo, Ca. It was very nice and in such a cute neighborhood. It is a little far from us...like 80 miles...but worth the trip the food and fun was awesome. They took us to the private Mission Viejo lake for a boat ride. Austin actually got sea sick..go figure

Also this month Austin asked to take his training wheels off. He saw some older kids riding with no training wheels and that night he said he wanted them off. I took him to the park some days later and told him what we were going to do.

" I'll hold onto the bike until you feel steady," I said. "When you feel ready say 'go' and I'll let go". Well, I held him for like 2 seconds and he's yelling "go go go!!" I let go, and off he went. Words can't describe that feeling of pride and accomplishment. I remeber riding my bike as a child and feeling so much freedom. I was grinning from ear to ear. Just yesterday he was riding with one hand and standing up in the seat....at's ma boy!! I posted a movie of the first day at the park. He is 10 times better as of today, 3 weeks later.

Also this month the final Harry Potter book came out. I went to the book store at 11pm on friday to get the midnight release. I have never seem so many people at a bookstore. IT was awesome!!! The book is the best in the series. Say what you want about the books....evil book or anti-whatever...the bottom line is this..they are totally awesome stories that I would not hesitate to read to my kids. It's all meant to be fun and fantasy..By the way I finished this latest book in 3days...it 750 pages. Never in my life have I read a book that fast. It's because my Mother bought the first book for me at Christmas about 9 years ago. I never really liked reading...ever...hated it even. I looked at the book for a few weeks after I got it and finally opened it and read a few chapters. By the end of the week I had finished it and purchased the 2nd and 3rd books the series. Thankyou so much Mom for not giving up on me....like you ever would :)

Oh and a small note, Dylan started walking this week...excuse me ??? what? that's not possible he just a baby...walking no way..he can't be... he's....he's...j-j-just a b-baby....Oh here come the tears...told my self I wouldn't cry...my boys all growed up...sniff

BIG LOVE
LA WALTER CREW

HOT HOT HOT!!!

2007-07-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have noticed it's harder to get to this blog than I originally thought. That's no excuse for my lack of postings. So here you go. Some new picts and movies to share...

Something interesting happened last night. First a little back story. We live in a condo,so we are surrounded by other units....close but not too close ya know? Anyway the people who live across the courtyard from us have the same floor plan unit as we do. It's about 40ft across a small courtyard with some tress and stuff, but we can see their place and they can see ours Got it o.k. So last night, around 9pm, Melissa sees some flashing going on outside our windows. "What's that??" I go to our front balcony/patio and notice on our neighbors patio a giant flash stand. Like the one's you might see on a photo shoot. The blinds were shut so I didn't see what they were shooting....but I wondered???? Oh yes the neighbors are both attractive I should mention that. Austin is now fascinated with the flash and he is over at the front door/window and all of sudden he's waving and saying "It's Matt our neighbor Mommy and Daddy he's waving." So I go over there to see what's-what you know and he sees me spying through the window. I get Austin to come and sit down and the doorbell rings..

Melissa is all," Now your busted!!!" So I go outside and Matt (who is very cool and nice) says

"I hope the flash isn't bothering you, we are just taking some picts of Amy (his girlfriend) and some of her friends."

"Oh?" I say "Austin was just wondering what it was that's why I was looking through the window" trying to sound as innocent as possible

"You're welcome to come over and watch" He says ,"It's just Amy and her friends with no clothes on....It's only fair" I'd say more than fair

Now this is the point at which Melissa and I have a difference in opinion. She feels it was somewhat disrespectful to offer this to me, because I'm married to a very attractive, sexy woman. Very valid point. I say it may be disrespectful NOT to go...He offered, I mean you don't want to seem un-neighborly. Which side are you on?? Give us a comment in the comment section

Fun in the Sun

2007-06-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Summer is here!!!! I remember as a kid thinking that summer would never come. Then it seemed to last sooooooo long. Trips to FameCity water park & Astro World, both of which don't exist anymore, were summertime regulars. Now we go to the condo pool or to the beach with friends to have some summer fun. Austin was thrilled to be able to touch the bottom of the pool. Dylan was having so much fun in the sand when we went to the beach with my friend Alex, his two girls, and his mother who is in from Sweden. Too bad we can't all have three months off to go and do summer fun stuff. I would go to Jamaica or the South Pacific. Maybe Southern France. Hey if we are just fantasizing here I'd also like all of you to come too...who's with me?? Here is to all of my friends and family, may this summer be extra special and lots of fun for all!!!!!!

Cruizin'

2007-06-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

We're back from our week long caribbean cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess with Clark and Martha, Mike, Amber, Davis and Sam. We made stops at the Princess private island, Princess Cays, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico, plus 2 whole days at sea. If you've never been on a Princess cruise, you don't know what you're missing! I'm not just saying that because I work for them, this was my second one with Princess and Clark and Martha's 3rd. The service, the food and the ship are all first class. Austin would say that the "Fun Zone" or Pelicans Perch for children 0-5 was first class! He begged to go there everyday, sometimes a couple of times a day!

We had a balcony cabin which was wonderful! It was so much bigger than I imagined it to be. It was so nice to have the extra outdoor space. Every morning we would have a small continental breakfast brought to us and eat out on the balcony. Every night Steve and I would sit out there and talk and read the Princess Patter for the next day and find out when, where and what was going to be happening on the ship. We also received shopping guides with maps for each port we were stopping at that also told us about taxi's, pricing and security.

The ship has a giant outdoor LCD movie screen over the pool that plays movies all day and late into the night. One night we watched Happy Feet and ate hamburgers, pizza and ice cream. We have this movie at home and knew Austin would get a kick out watching it outside and with some of his favorite foods!

Austin really had a good time playing with his cousin Davis who is 2. They both really love cars, trucks and trains. Dylan also enjoyed meeting his 6 month old cousin Sam. It was obvious the two babies were excited over seeing another baby. They crawled on and around each other and tried to chew on each other(they're both teething)! They're favorite was trying to chew each others heads!

It rained part of the day in Ocho Rios and almost all day in Grand Cayman. Steve and I climbed up Dunn's River Falls which was really cold so when it started to rain at the end it was actually warmer than the water in the water falls. The people on that island were so very nice and accommodating. There were no pushy people, nor did we ever feel unsafe. When we got back from the falls, Steve went back onto the island and shopped with Austin in tow. He said everyone was gaga over Austin and his blonde hair and blue eyes. One lady wanted to take him home and when Steve told her his wife would have something to say about that, she said in a very Jamaican accent, " we know who runs the family, Mon".

On Princess Cays(pronounced keys) we all rented a bungalow/cabana which was way down away from the hussle and bussle of the rest of the crowds coming off the ship. We had an air conditioned room w/ a table and chairs. Outside we had a fresh water shower to rinse off salt water. We had our own waiters that brought us drinks and loads of food. We were right in front a beautiful reef with lots of beautiful fish. Amber and I went snorkling together and it was so relaxing. We just let the current take us around the reef. It was so peaceful.

Since it rained most of the day we were in Grand Cayman, I chose that to be my spa day. The Lotus Spa on the ship is fabulous and I had one of the best pedicures ever, while there.

Years ago Steve and I went to Cozumel and while there we went to Xcaret which is an eco-archeological park. It was just beautiful. We knew we wanted to go back this trip. I'm so glad we finally convinced Clark and Martha to come with us. The park has really come a long way since we were there ten years ago. They've added so much more. We first took a guided tour to see animals such as the endangered Scarlet Macaws, a Puma, Spider Monkeys, the biggest Tapier I've ever seen and many more. The guide also showed us some ruins contained within the park (there are alot more within the park) and told us about them and then he took us through the butterfly pavillion which was beautiful. We then went swimming in the underground river that runs through a series of caves that sometimes open up to the outside. It's a very slow moving river so we took the kids. Dylan did really well until the very end. Austin loved wearing a life jacket for the first time. He was spinning in circles. The only floating device he's ever used before that was a swim board. I guess that's why he's such a great swimmer, however he didn't want to let go at first while wearing a life jacket because he didn't get the concept. Afterwards we ate lunch then went to see the Dolphins, the aquarium and then the Sea Turtles. There were tanks containing little bitty baby Sea Turtles all the way up to big giant tanks with giant Sea Turtles. What I found most exciting and Steve found very frightening was there were no barriers for the Sea Turtle tanks or the Stingray tanks, you could fall right in. This gave great perspective.

The caribbean was very hot and beautiful. We're having a hard time being back with no one to wait on us, prepare and serve us food, do dishes. What a rough life, being common people again! In the 9 years we've been married we've only had 3 real vacations(this was #3) that didn't include flying and driving all (and i mean all) over Texas. Therefore, I feel like we needed to do this for ourselves and should continue to try and do this in the future. Plus, it doesn't hurt that I get a great deal through my work. So do all my friends and family, if there are any takers out there!

Lazy Days

2007-05-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

These are anything but lazy days. As we prepare for out big cruise vacation it's hard to sit still land enjoy the beginnings of summer. Pack this, clean that...it's all I can think about. Melissa is very excited and ready to go.. I just hope I don't get a big stress zit (which always seems to happen right before a big trip, looks great in all the many photos)
On Sunday, while Melissa was working, The boys and I went on a little walk down to the small town square. It's about 2 miles down hill the whole way. About half way down in the scorching heat I realized I had no bottle for Dylan and only one diaper. I forged ahead anyway. Austin was on his new razor scooter and was navigating the hill with some difficulty. He fell numerous times but never cried. Once we got the bottom we had a Jamba Juice and enjoyed the sun. About 3.5 hours later I realized that Melissa was going to have to pick us up after work, because I was not going to push a stroller up that hill. Both kids were troopers even if their Dad was unprepared.

Austin turns 4!!!

2007-05-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that Austin is 4.....You hear people say,"they grow up so quick". It all makes since now. It's good that he is older, he is really a little person now. He has truly unique views and an amazing imagination. Melissa told me that he just wiped poo on his shirt...That's interesting..He's full of surprises.

We had a little mini-party with just us yesterday. We will have another party on the cruise ship in a few weeks. He got lots of cool presents, and cards. He is such a joy and we are truly blesses to have him in our lives.

Mother's Day Fun at The Huntington Gardens

2007-05-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!! Today we all went to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. What a beautiful day for a stroll in the gardens. Everything was in bloom and lots of people were there. We had to park outside the gates because the lot was full. Melissa is still nursing her broken toe, so when the security came by with the golf cart we hopped in and got a free Ride to the gate. When we were leaving Austin said,"where is the guy with the cart?" We had to tell him that we were going to walk back to the car (1/2) mile....his response was something like ,"uuuuuuunnnnnghhh" But he toughed it out with no more complaints....good little man. Dylan is about to break 4 top teeth all at once....No wonder he has been "such a joy" for the past few days

Videos of Dylan

2007-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

I posted some videos of Dylan doing some stuff. IT took me forever to figure out how to do it. I'll have to explain it to Melissa so she can do it too. Well tomorrow is Mother's Day. I heard that is it the 2nd most gift giving day after Christmas. This year Melissa is getting a home made gift, but I won't say too much because she will probably read this later...Hee hee. It is exactly 14 days from our big trip to the Caribbean...can hardly wait. We haven't been on a real vacation since our Cabo trip. That is waaaaaaay too long. Socal is beautiful right now...as long as it's not on fire :)

Let's start blogging!

2007-05-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is really a gift for Martha because she said how much she enjoyed reading and watching videos about Davis and Sam (her other grandchildren, Mike and Amber's boys). She requested that we start one as well because we keep forgetting to send videos of our boys. I hope we'll do better at keeping this up to date.
Today we went to the shoe store to exchange shoes for Austin. While there, Austin started playing shoe salesman insisting, "that boy (Dylan) needs shoes for the airport and cruise". He brought every baby shoe over one by one and put them up to Dylan's foot to see if they fit. Needless to say, we were not going to buy a $50 pair of baby shoes! However, the shoe salesman was very informative, not to mention handsome! Austin loves playing different characters. Policeman, Fireman, Doctor, and my favorites, Steve Irwin(the Crocodile Hunter) and Jeff Corwin(another Animal Planet herpetologist) are just a few of his characters.
Dylan is Mr. Smiley Pants in the flesh! He always smiles when he makes eye contact with any of the three of us. His ticklish(sp?) spot is on his collar bone and just the threat of Daddy getting him makes him laugh! Dylan has been crawling for almost two months and he's been pulling himself up and cruising for a few weeks. He's had his two bottom teeth since he was 4 months and 1 week old however, he has not had any more grow in. Just a lot of drooling and chewing on anything he can find to stick in his mouth. This teething can make him quite fussy at times. But for the most part he's a very sweet and easy baby. We've truly been blessed with our two boys. I think my Mom had something to do with that.
That's about it for our first posting. I'll try and figure out how to put pics and videos on here. Nothing really exciting has happened today.....yet.