Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa

Happy Birthday Fifty - *cough cough* and still playing with toys. Here is a toy we would have liked to get you but then thought that you wouldn't want to have it in that cold IA weather. So instead we got a picture. What year is it?

Papa Gets the Scoop...

Papa spent some time questioning Patrick about school and he got the scoop. WOW! He got more out of Patrick at one shot than we were able to get all week. We found out the following: he painted, worked with beads, made a necklace, swept the floor and used the dust pan, read books in the library, ate snack, played on the playground, sang songs (Hokey Pokey must be a big hit! He thinks it's hillarious that they sing "put you bums in..."), Mr. Bob comes in (had NO clue who he was til I asked today and found out he's the janitor), transferred those craft pom pom type things from one bowl to another with tongs, and I think that's about it. That was WAY more than Mike and I got out of him. We'll have to have Papa question him weekly to find out the scoop. He wouldn't tell me much today either. Although I did get his painting. It is BEAUTIFUL and he had to have me hang it on our bedroom door! Oh, found out what they had for snack and that he doesn't like celery. Guess snack is the important thing!

Ring Bearer or Ring Bear???

Patrick informed us today that he would not be the ring BEARER at Katy's weddding but the ring BEAR! He said he would wear his black clothes (aka his suit) and he would growl and scare people. (Thus the BEAR instead of BEARER.)

Patrick and Makayla

I have embarked on a new adventure. Starting last Thursday I began to babysit for a 10 1/2 month old little girl named Makayla. She is such a precious little girl. She is very easy-going. She loves Patrick and Badger. Patrick is thrilled with her and is wanting to help all the time. On Friday he held her, fed her, and shared his toys with her. He's been so good! Makayla's Grandpa works with my Mom which was how this all came about. Her mom, Amelia, was hired as a part-time Kindergarten teacher. This is her fist position. So far all is well and I am excited about having her here!

Sigh Of Relief

Yesterday morning - We woke up to some good news here in Mesa. They arrested two guys in connection with the notorious "Serial Killer" investigation here in the Valley of the Sun. As the day went on, it appears that they have the right guys. These two idiots apparently kept some kind of map of their crimes in their apartment. Thank God. Their final shooting was only about one mile from our house about a week ago. We probably would have heard it but we were luckily staying in Tucson that night.

First Day of Preschool

Patrick had his first day at San Tan Montessori today. I dropped him off at 8:15 and returned to get him at 11:45. I was able to run a couple errands and do some stuff at home. He did well I guess. When we ask him about his day he tells us that he played on the playground (went down the slide and rode the bikes). He also said he had pretzels and melon for snack. When asked what else he did he would either say "I don't know" or "I don't want to tell you." Ok, then. Although he did finally tell us tonight that Mr. Sippel (principal) told him to sit down. Hmm... Although Ms. Danielle said he did awesome. So we will see. At least there were no tears from him. I had a hard time even getting a good-bye. He took off and went into the room. There were numerous children who shed a few tears. Not our son though. He went in and came out smiling. He did say he had fun at school today.

Visit to Tucson

We went down to Tucson on Sunday and spent the night at Schockmels. We took the kids to the Sidewinders baseball game Sunday night. Shanon made us an awesome dinner before we went. The kids really enjoyed the game. Monday Mike had to drive to Bisbee for a hearing and Leigh and I took the kids to Celebrate where they have those jumping castles indoors. The kids had a blast. Patrick enjoyed playing with Zander and Ethan and holding Maddelin. The picture shows Mike, Patrick, and Ethan at the game.

Patrick and Cabo

Patrick certainly enjoys spending time with his buddy Cabo at Nana and Papa's. We have been spending lots of time there recently taking care of him. They really get along well. In fact, it's when Patrick comes that Cabo eats his food. Not sure why ~ perhaps Cabo thinks Patrick is going to eat it. (Wouldn't put it past him!)

Kiddie Kickers

Patrick took a soccer class through the Gilbert Park and Rec department. Mr. Skyler taught them some of the basic skills. Patrick had a good time in there. Notice the little girl in the picture next to him. He talked about her often and her pink shoes. Her name is Ashley. Guess he was fascinated with those shoes! That class was always going to the bathroom. In fact, one day Mr. Skyler had to take the WHOLE class to the bathroom. We were able to observe at the end of the last class. Patrick has learned some skills that will be beneficial when he does soccer again.

All Star Sports

Patrick completed his Sports Class on Wednesday. He had a great time learning about and playing soccer, T-ball, and Basketball. His friend, Denton, (from playgroup) was in the class as well. He says he liked T-ball the best. He did really well with basketball though. The parents were able to go into the class and observe on the last day. Mr. Skyler did a great job with the students.

Seahorse Red

Patrick and Sofia completed another swimming class. They did really well with this group of lessons as well and both passed the class. They had a great time and will progress to Seahorse Yellow next time around.

I wish I had my camera with me

Today - as I was driving home on one of the freeway's here in Phoenix I saw one of the sites that make you think about who we are hiring in government agencies. There was a large flat bed in front of me with a few large packages on it. I noticed two crates on the back. As I got closer, I realized that the two crates were from the US Post office. They are the crates you often see sitting in the corner of post office - the white ones with no cover, handle holes on each side and they say "Property of US Post Office" on front and back. As I passed near the truck, I noticed it was also a US Post office Truck.

Made me wonder - did they put these two open top crates on the back of this truck full of mail when they started out their trip? If so, the mail for several people is now spread all over some highway on the west side of Phoenix.

Dan - Since I know you read this this is not a knock on US postal workers in general . . . just these two morons. I hope it wasn't my Million dollar check from publisher's clearinghouse.

MPO

Our 6th Anniversary

Mike and I were able to go away for our anniversary! My parents gave us an overnight stay at the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountain. How nice that was. (Patrick stayed over at their house.) We arrived early and checked in. We wanted to see Pirates 2 so we headed to the AMC theatre at Desert Ridge. We were early so went over to The Yard House for chicken wings and beer (for Mike not me). They had SO many different beers on tap including Pabst Blue Ribbon. That one really made us laugh. Mike even asked when they last tapped that barrel! Glad I'm not a bartender there. Wouldn't want to have to change those barrels! We saw Pirates which was very good, but of course leaves you in suspense for the next one. Headed over to JW Marriott Desert Ridge for dinner. I had won a gift certificate for the Blue Sage restaurant entitling us to dinner for two. Nice anniversary treat. The meal was awesome. Mike had buffalo ribeye and I had bacon wrapped beef tenderloin. The meal was yummy. We headed back to the hotel where we checked out the pool and hot tub. This morning we had a fabulous breakfast buffet at the restaurnt downstairs. It was SO yummy, but boy were there a lot of carbs. We walked around to check out more of the hotel and then left for home. We really had a super time! It was a nice close get-away for us. What a neat treat!

Family Night at Preschool

Tonight was Family Night at the preschool Patrick will be attending. He'll be part of the San Tan Montessori school which starts August 1st. Our baby is going to SCHOOL! Anyway, Mike and I weren't able to take him so my parents took him. They said he just walked around and observed and took everything in. He obviously impressed a couple of the girls already as they made it a point to say good-bye to him. Patrick and I met with his teacher, Miss Danielle, yesterday. She is very sweet. I am excited about the year and a little nervous too. I know it will be good though. I know the directors as well as the music teacher which was a major draw for me. Patrick is excited to go to school I think. It will be good for him.

Happy Birthday Cabo!

This is Patrick's Buddy! They are two peas in a pod. What one doesn't think of the other one does. This is a baby picture of him. I will try to locate a more recent one to show how much he's grown over the 2 years.

Happy Birthday Dobby!

Dancing Clothes!

To get Patrick excited about Katy's wedding we've told him that the clothes he will wear are special dancing clothes. It's worked so far and he was thrilled to shop for them, at least so far. So to date we have his dancing coat, dancing shoes, and dancing socks. Hopefully the dancing pants and dancing shirt will follow soon! He even practiced dancing in the shoes in the middle of the store. Now that was precious.

Robby the Fish

After the passing of Patrick's fish named Fish we promised he could get another one. So Mike took him to the pet store where he picked out another Beta. This time he named it Robby. We have no idea where the name came from, but at least it's more creative. So far Robby is doing well and Patrick is happy to have a fish in the tank again. He is content though with the knowledge of Cojack looking after Fish!

Sleeping Angel

Swimming Lessons Part I

We enrolled Patrick in swimming lessons in June with his friend Sofia. In fact, he will tell you that she is his "girlfriend." He tells Papa that he won't give her kisses, but that they hug. When asked if he'll take her on a date he usually reponds no because he's too little to drive! :) They are too cute together. They both passed Seahorse White and now are currently enrolled in Seahorse Red. They are having a blast in the pool and learning so much as they go!

Uncle Bernie, Aunt Teri, and the BOYS

I have finally gotten around to getting these photos onto the computer so thought I should probably post some. We truly enjoyed our visit with Bernie, Teri, Harley Bird, Fritz, and Brutus. In fact, Patrick still is talking about them. He thinks they should just be able to come on over and visit. (I think he believes that the camper is their house!) They actually all came to the house and we had a great time. Badger did very well with the dogs and didn't mind Harley too much. Patrick even got brave the second night and held Harley. He refers to the dogs as the "Big" dog and the "Little" dog. He certainly made friends quickly. He loved wearing Bernie and Teri's hats so they got one just for him. Boy does he think he's cool! We keep telling Patrick that he will see you all again at Katy's wedding. Guess that seems like an eternity as he still continues to ask. You are welcome out here anytime!

Goodbye Fish...

Patrick had to say goodbye to his fish, named FISH today. He didn't want any part of the "farewell." Mike had to tend to that alone. He was sad and kept saying he missed his fish. Mike told him that Fish was being taken care of by Cojack.:) That seemed to comfort him. We told him that he could go and get a new fish with Daddy on Saturday.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Hope your birthday is filled with many good things. Thought we'd post this picture of you with Patrick his first Christmas.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! Wishing you all a day filled with the things you enjoy most!
Thanks so much for all you do and all you are. You are such an important part of our lives. We love you!




"Walk alongside me daddy and hold my little hand.
I have so many things to learn that I don't yet understand.
Teach me things to keep me safe from dangers every day.
Show me how to do my best at home, at school, at play.
Every child needs a gentle hand to guide them as they grow.
So walk alongside me daddy - we have a long way to go."

Tonto Natural Bridge

Our visit with Mike's parents was very nice. We were able to go out to eat a few times and just hang out. We also visited the outlets in Anthem. That was quite fun. Besides enjoying riding in Grandpa's truck and having Dama read to him and play with stickers, he really enjoyed looking at himself on Dama's camera. He spent lots of time looking at himself again and again.
On the last day they were with us we visited Tonto Natural Bridge near Payson. The weather was about 20 degress cooler than here, which was a bit of a change. It was a good time and very pretty. It was a little cold to get wet from the water falling though. On our way out of Payson we stopped at an arts/crafts fair downtown. We finished our day by returning to Mesa to eat at Macayo's.

Arizona Science Center

Patrick and I took Grandma and Grandpa Obert to the Science Center. They still had the "Robots" exhibit. Patrick and Grandpa tried their hand at creating one. Patrick and Grandma made and flew paper airplanes. That was quite entertaining. Patrick's favorite exhibit was in the Grossology section where there was an interactive section where you were to match the animal with the correct POOP! It was kind of gross but he was very entertained by the talking penguin. After a couple of hours we met Mike near his office for lunch at Lenny's. (WOW! What good burgers!)

The Little Devils

Patrick's first soccer season has come to a close so we thought we should share some of the highlights with you. His team was red and white (much to Daddy's delight) and were called "The Little Devils." He really enjoyed his team. He got better as the season went on. Initially he didn't really want to PLAY during the games. It was more fun to just stand in the middle of the field and watch everyone else run back and forth past him. He occasionally would pick some grass though. As the weeks went on he did eventually MOVE out there. By the end he was running and even sometimes attempting to kick the ball. There were NO girls on his team. So whenever there was a girl on the other team you would see him near her at times throughout the game. A little flirty going on at age 3 I guess. He met many new friends and loved Coach Bryan and Coach Shawn. He was SO excited to get his trophy at the end of the last game. He wanted to take it EVERYWHERE! We are hoping for a fall season with some of the same team members together again.
(PS. If anyone knows how to rotate photos on the blog site, please fill us in on the details.)

If you liked movie "Waiting" . . .

I know where they got their ideas. If you thought that was all made up - think again. The names of these individuals have been removed to protect the innocent, uh - guilty. I will say I personally witnessed these acts when I was in college.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms! We had a very nice day here. The boys tried very hard to let me sleep a little longer which was much appreciated. Then Patrick couldn't contain himself anymore and wheeled in a suitcase (carry on size) telling me there was a surprize inside. He was SO excited. So I got up and he was able to give me (well open for me) my gifts. I received the suitcase with perfume, shower gel, and other shower items. Very sweet. I LOVE it! My boys did a good job. Mike and Patrick changed the oil in the Pathfinder. I'm sure Patrick was a HUGE help! :) We were able to go for a late lunch to BJs Brewery which was very good. Even got a Mother's Day gift there-a coupon for a free dessert next time. Then we headed to my parents' house. Mike and Patrick and Auntie Mel went into the pool. Unfortunately I could only put my feet in. (Hope to get in this week.) They had a good time. Patrick and I took Cabo (their dog) for a walk and then came home later this evening. All in all it was a very nice day! Thank you Mike and Patrick for making Mother's Day special!!! :)

Patrick's Dental Work

Patrick had to go to the dentist this morning for some work on his teeth. We had to be there at 7:30. He took the sedation medication about 7:40 or so. He did NOT want to give in to the meds. Guess no different than going to sleep on a normal basis. He became argumentative and "punchy." Guess it was a view of what he might be like drunk some day. He would have been willing to have a fist fight with me. He was swinging his arms and kicking. He was determined to NOT sit still. He kept trying to get out of the room and see what was going on out there. Finally at about 8:40 or so he was asleep for the most part and they put the monitors on. They took him back. I was not allowed to go with him. That is the part I really hated. So I sat in the waiting room and cropped photos. I had them check on him a couple of times. He was doing well. Finally at 10 he was all done and back in the little room. I now had to work out the payments and set up his 6 month appt. to follow up. Let's just say that his teeth better be GOLD! I went in and he was asleep. Tried talking to him and he'd make little noises but that was about it. Finally about 11:30 we got him to open his eyes and talk. They took his vitals and sent us on our way. So we left about 11:40am. Nothing like spending FOUR hours at the dentist office! Patrick is doing well. He's been drinking and wanting to eat EVERYTHING. Bad part is that he eats a little and then wants something else. Such is life I guess. Today he can get away with it. He is supposed to remain calm etc. We'll see how that goes. He's already been outside riding his trike when I wasn't looking. It could be a LONG day! Hopefully some videos will help.

AVP Volleyball at Tempe Beach Park

WOW! I couldn't imagine watching volleyball any other way. My Mom, sister, and I went to the AVP volleyball tournament on Sat. at the Tempe Beach Park. We got to sit in the VIP section on a COUCH! Can you believe watching volleyball on a couch? We also got all kinds of food and there was water and beer too. It was too cool. We got to watch some of the top names compete. It really was a lot of fun. The games were awesome. They were close scores and the competition was tremendous. Looking forward to it again next year. DAD???? :)

Someone Told Me It's All Happenin' At the Zoo . . .

One of our favorite past-times is going to the Zoo. We purchased family passes and we go often. Angie and Patrick get to go a lot more than I. However, we all got to go today. Here are a few photos. The baby Orangutan was born on Patrick's third birthday. Her name is Kasiha. Her father's name is Michael. Here he is on his back playing with a piece of plastic. The giraffes are also a big attraction. The Phoenix Zoo does a really nice job of saving animals in trouble in bringing them into the zoo to live. The exhibits are getting more numerous every year. As you can tell, we had a very nice time.

Per other family member Blog sites, there was a request for old wedding pictures. I thought I had Great Grandma and Grandpa Obert's wedding picture and Grandma and Grandpa Obert's picture in digital form but I couldn't find it. I guess I only had some hard copies of those. However, I came across this great picture of the WWII Obert generation. I believe all of Grandpa's brothers and sisters are in the picture.

Boogers/Winking

Patrick and I were sitting in the chair yesterday morning. He was sniffing. I asked him why he was sniffing and his response was "So I can get my boogers to sneeze." He was SO serious which made it all the more funny. Then yesterday afternoon after his class we saw his Ahoy, Mateys teacher in the lobby. She was telling me that the other day Patrick was playing across the room from where she was. She caught his eye. He kind of looked at her wondering if she was going to say something, if he'd done something wrong. She didn't say anything, but just continued to watch him. He then WINKED at her. She said she had all to do to contain her laughter.

Is It Price Gouging or Not?

I don't like to get too political much anymore - for a lot of different reasons. But this a.m. one of the morning shows during my workout had the CEO of Exxon/Mobile for an interview regarding gas prices. This guy just lit my fuse and I had to vent. Here is a helpful little hint. If you deny something is the truth - deny it! You look like an idiot when you don't answer the question. Here is what everyone in America now thinks your evasive answers to the questions mean: "Yes - we are making spectacular profits off of doubling and tripling the price of gas by playing on people's fears. No we don't care if we put the economy into a recession. If goods are more expensive - at least we can afford things with our record breaking profit margins. Finally - no we do not have any intention changing things." You would have come off a lot better if you had declined to be interviewed in the first place. I might even have more respect for your character had you simply said "no comment." But don't give little propoganda sound byte speaches to avoid the questions. It screams out "dishonest."

Ahoy! Mateys

Here is our little "Pirate." Patrick is currently enrolled in a class through the Park and Rec department called Ahoy Mateys. It's about pirates and underwater animals. He LOVES it. His teacher is awesome. They talk about pirates and animals and make fun crafts. They went on a treasure hunt this day and got all the "goodies" he is wearing. He especially wanted to share this with Grandpa! He's quite the character.

Boy's Best Friend

This is our dog - Badger. He got the name because the night that we picked him up to take him home, he burrowed himself underneath our couch and chewed up speaker wire. He is Patrick's best friend and as you can see Patrick often acts just like him. Here is Patrick and Badger taking an afternoon nap together - notice they have both elected to sleep in the same position. Patrick calls him "Bubba" and tortures the hell out of Badger. Yet - Badger still follows Patrick around everywhere. Probably because Patrick is the most likely to drop food for him to eat.

Mike's New Toy

On Sunday - we went out for breakfast and a brief clothes shopping. After which, Mike suggested that we go LOOK at trucks again because there were new deals being offered by the dealers. I had my suspicions as 6 years ago he made a similar suggestion and we ended up buying our Pathfinder. I was right. Before the end of the day, we ended up buying this. It is just like Dama and Grandpa O's big truck, except it is in Mike's favorite color - Badger Red and it seats 6. It will have to last a very long time though as we will not be buying any other new cars in the near future. I thought that the Pathfinder was big - this thing dwarfs it by miles. We had to do some re-arranging just to get it into the garage. Patrick was very excited because the truck was just like Grandpa's and was a real trooper waiting to finalize the purchase at the dealership. Now we have to get a tow attachment to take this camping. This was the perfect purchase in light of the nation-wide gas crisis!