I donated 13 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths who create free wigs for women with cancer just like Mom did 2 months ago.
Before:
After:
Sunday, October 25, 2009
New Hair Cut
Today Papa watched Van while Nana & I went to get our hair cut. Mom trimmed hers up for their upcoming European holiday and I cut off all my "baby hair"
I donated 13 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths who create free wigs for women with cancer just like Mom did 2 months ago.
Before:
After:
I donated 13 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths who create free wigs for women with cancer just like Mom did 2 months ago.
Before:
After:
Where in the world is Kenny Shepherd?
Easy enough right?
What river is this in the picture?
I took it from 41,000 feet in an HS-125 Hawker Jet.
What river is this in the picture?
I took it from 41,000 feet in an HS-125 Hawker Jet.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Van's 1st Visit to Disneyland
Thursday Van & Jen went to Disneyland to celebrate David's birthday. We had a fun time and Van rode on It's a Small World and Winnie the Poo. He really seemed to like Small World and enjoyed looking at everything. Can't wait to go back!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tie Dye Fun
We went down to Campland on the Bay this afternoon to hang out with Jake & Deb. It was Campland's 40th anniversary so the Director of Fun (remember him Mom & Dad?!?) went all out and had music, jewelry making and tie dying. We had fun listening to the Grateful Dead cover band while making our tie dye shirts. It was our first time doing tie dye and they turned out really great, if i do say so myself. Even Van has a cute little tie died onesie! We'll be sure to take a picture once they all dry ;)
Action Shot
Thursday, October 08, 2009
3 months old!
Van is 3 months old today! It is hard to believe that he is no longer a newborn, it seems like it was just the other day we were leaving the hospital with him.
He is growing up so fast and is such a fun little guy. He loves to smile and laugh and is so happy most of the time. He is starting to play in his walker and jumper. Pilot better watch out because he is getting more and more mobile.
Here are his 3 month pictures (13 lbs 6 oz). Daddy was making him laugh :)
2 months (12 lbs 10oz):
1 month (9 lbs 1 oz):
He is growing up so fast and is such a fun little guy. He loves to smile and laugh and is so happy most of the time. He is starting to play in his walker and jumper. Pilot better watch out because he is getting more and more mobile.
Here are his 3 month pictures (13 lbs 6 oz). Daddy was making him laugh :)
2 months (12 lbs 10oz):
1 month (9 lbs 1 oz):
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Friday, October 02, 2009
Go Big Blue!
On Wednesday night we went to see the Dodgers take on the Padres at Petco Park with Danny, Tonita and Isabella. Even though the Dodgers lost, we had a great time riding the trolley, taking the kids to their first baseball game, eating hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and ice cream (we bought all-you-could eat tickets) and just enjoying a great night out!
Thanks Nana for the great Dodger apparel! :)
Thanks Nana for the great Dodger apparel! :)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Visit at Nana & Papa's House
A few weeks ago Kenny had a 6 day trip so Van, Pilot and I made a trip up to Leona Valley to visit my parents and Jamie, David & Jeffrey. Half way there, Kenny found out his trip had been canceled... he ended up picking up more flights which is good because I was not about to turn around a drive home!
We had fun and it was so nice to be able to be up there instead of home alone :)
Papa loved feeding Van!
Van LOVES Auntie Jamie
...and Uncle David too!
The cousins loved hanging out!
We had fun and it was so nice to be able to be up there instead of home alone :)
Papa loved feeding Van!
Van LOVES Auntie Jamie
...and Uncle David too!
The cousins loved hanging out!Jeffery loved having Van and Pilot there. Every time Van would cry he would run to tell everyone that "Baby Juan" was crying and made sure that we all did something about it :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
What? I have to get shots?!?
I love this picture, it totally shows what Van must have been thinking when he found out he had to get shots at his 2 month appointment :)
Yesterday, we went to see Dr. G. Van is growing like a weed and is already up to 12lbs 10oz! He is in the 75th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 50th again for head circumference. He is practically perfect in every way :)
He also received two shots yesterday as well as an oral vaccine (we go back for one more shot next week). He did great and only shed a few tears. When we got home he slept and then got really upset when we woke him. Poor guy seemed to be really hurting and his leg was a bit swollen :( After some Tylenol, he went to bed. Normally Van sleeps for 6+ hours at night... not last night. He woke up every 1 1/2 hours. We didn't get much sleep, but it's ok. He just needed a bit of comfort, which we were happy to give. He's just like his Daddy. Kenny hates shots too!
So far today he seems back to his normal self. Not looking forward to next week and having to do this all over again. At least we know our little guy is protected and safe. Sometimes doing the best thing can hurt. Sorry Van!
Yesterday, we went to see Dr. G. Van is growing like a weed and is already up to 12lbs 10oz! He is in the 75th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 50th again for head circumference. He is practically perfect in every way :)
He also received two shots yesterday as well as an oral vaccine (we go back for one more shot next week). He did great and only shed a few tears. When we got home he slept and then got really upset when we woke him. Poor guy seemed to be really hurting and his leg was a bit swollen :( After some Tylenol, he went to bed. Normally Van sleeps for 6+ hours at night... not last night. He woke up every 1 1/2 hours. We didn't get much sleep, but it's ok. He just needed a bit of comfort, which we were happy to give. He's just like his Daddy. Kenny hates shots too!
So far today he seems back to his normal self. Not looking forward to next week and having to do this all over again. At least we know our little guy is protected and safe. Sometimes doing the best thing can hurt. Sorry Van!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
09-09-09
So while Kelly was pushing a kiddo out, Danny, Tonita, Izzy and I had our own little 09-09-09 combo Izzy's 6 month party!
We had 9 different dinner items from Emma's and followed that with 9 different ice creams for dessert!
We had 9 different dinner items from Emma's and followed that with 9 different ice creams for dessert!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
2 Months Old!
Van is 2 months old today!
He is such a happy, easy baby and is getting more and more interactive each day. He is cooing and laughing and rolls over almost every time we put him on his tummy.
Look at how much he has grown since 1 month!
He is such a happy, easy baby and is getting more and more interactive each day. He is cooing and laughing and rolls over almost every time we put him on his tummy.
Look at how much he has grown since 1 month!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Over the falls in a barrel
Just a quick re-cap for you all on our latest little trip:
We left Sunday morning from San Diego Intl. to Dallas DFW and then to Newark, New Jersey. Van rocked it out on both flights - which were about 3 hours each. He was a huge hit with nearly every desk agent, TSA guard and flight attendant. Traveling with a 5 week old baby is the best. They let you board first, treat you nice. Best airline flying experience I have had in a while.
Van's First Plane Ride!
From Newark we grabbed a rental car to Morristown, NJ where CAE SimuFlite is located. Kenny did five days of training (M-F) while Jen and Van hanged out in the Homewood Suites hotel room. (ask Jen about how much she loves the Homewood). The second night we were in New Jersey, we were able to get in touch with some friends that we met on our China trip in January. They lived about an hour and a half south of were we staying. It was fun to get to see them again - and get a free dinner! John is a great cook and whipped out a tasty steak and potato dinner with apple pie and ice cream to finish.
We did manage to find some recreation time after Kenny's simulator sessions (6:30 am - 11:30 am Eastern) and managed to take Van for his first geocache and consequently his first FTF!
Friday was Kenny's check ride (which he passed with flying colors - pun intended) and then we headed south for Philadelphia. We had Pricelined a room for $62 and when we showed up, we were shocked because we had to pay another $30 to park. Oh well. We valeted the car, unpacked the stroller and hit the streets of Philly.
We saw Independence Hall, where they signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Liberty Bell and the US Mint. The best part was the level 5 thunderstorm that hit the city while we were walking around. We wanted to pass the time in a dry location and we were hungry, and so, thanks to Jolene, we found a great Philly cheese steak place and weathered out the storm there. The cheese steak was quite delicious as well as the Italian hoagie sandwich.
The storm broke and we headed home to the hotel. A quick stop in a bakery secured us a creme brulee and chocolate tort that were half priced due it being the end of the day, and then we were back.
Saturday morning - we grabbed a few geocaches, another cheese steak and then hit the road for, well, somewhere closer to Niagara Falls than Philly. We made a small, time consuming detour to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and saw this lovely nature display.
After Cabela's, we made another stop, this one in Scranton, PA - where CBS's the Office is supposedly based. We tracked down Poor Richard's Pub where we grabbed a bacon cheeseburger, another Italian hoagie, fries and soda - all for only $12! Yeah, we spent more than on lunch at McDonalds earlier that day. From Scranton, we decided to press on and continue northbound.
Jolene gave us another helping hand, and we ended up Syracuse, NY for another Priceline hotel. We arrived about 10:30 pm, checked in, got our rooms keys and headed up to the 15th floor. We found room 1509, slid our card into the slot, opened the door and found ourselves in an occupied room! We promptly exited the room and headed back down to the front desk. The lady tried to give a room with one double bed - ah, no. We finally ended up with a room that was unoccupied, had a king bed and warm shower - good enough for us.
From Syracuse, we headed out Sunday morning to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The drive went smoothly and we made it without incident.
We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday on the Canadian side of Niagara. On Tuesday, we left Canada, saw the American side of the falls and then drove to Buffalo near the airport for our 8 am Southwest Airlines departure on Wednesday.
A few highlights of Niagara Falls:
welcome to Las Vegas.
another rain storm and taxi cab.
a terrible Hampton Inn.
vomit attack at Tony Roma's "all-you-can-eat" ribs.
fireworks show over the Falls.
night lights on the Falls.
attack elevator at Hampton Inn.
Lake Ontario and Niagara on the Lake.
our first Canadian geocache.
Little Red Rooster Restaurant.
nature hikes.
the wonderful 27th floor "Falls View" room at the Embassy Suites.
Maid of the Mist.
Cave of Winds.
Van at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls at night
Jen and Van at Lake Ontario
Little Red Rooster Restaurant
The view
Dad and son at Niagara Falls
Kenny and Van on Maid of the Mist
Jen on Maid of the Mist
View of the Cave of Winds walk
In Buffalo, we found by sheer dumb luck, a great little Italian restaurant called "Frank's Sunny Italy Family Restaurant." It was fantastic, plus the waitress made us a firm believer that anyone and everyone who lives in Buffalo is crazy.
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. After finally drifting off to sleep later than we really wanted (about 11:30), we were jerked awake by an alarm going off. Van actually let out a small scream. Kenny was beating the alarm clock and was one step away from yanking it of the wall when the alarm announced "bwwooop, bwwooop, this is an emergency. Please proceed to the designed meeting place. bwwooop bwwooop. This is an emergency..."
Kenny remained calm and phoned the the front desk.
"Front desk."
"Yeah, we have an alarm going off in our room. Is the alarm legitimate?"
"Sir, yes it is. Please leave your room immediately."
So, Jen and Kenny calmly get dressed, grab our back packs, a laptop, and Van, and proceed out. Unfortunately, we were on the 9th floor and had to hoof it down all those stairs. By the time we arrived at the designated meeting area, the fire trucks were already leaving. It was a false alarm. Jen was surprised at Kenny in that he took the time to check each door for heat before opening it. Dwight would have been proud.
Wednesday morning came way too early after our midnight fire drill, but we managed to make it to Buffalo Airport on time and then, just as we are about to check in for our flight, Van rocket vomits all over everything within a four foot radius. We manage to get everything mostly cleaned up and re-attempt to check-in only to get the RUDEST, MEANEST, UGLIEST (okay that last one took it too far, but the first two were completely true) Southwest Airlines gate agent ever. Just in case you were wondering, her name was Brenda and her badge ID is 37014. Brenda checked us and our baggage in and we were off to TSA screening. Fortunately, Brenda was the worst of the day and we actually had the best TSA agents, SWA gate agents (one guy actually bumped a person off the flight so we could have all three seats to ourselves) flight attendants and pilots ever. The pilots even wanted to meet Van. They saw us getting off the plane and thought he was the cutest kid ever. The pilots were also curious about Jen's unusually large neck pillow.
All in all, it was a great first family vacation and we cannot wait to drag Van on many more.
We left Sunday morning from San Diego Intl. to Dallas DFW and then to Newark, New Jersey. Van rocked it out on both flights - which were about 3 hours each. He was a huge hit with nearly every desk agent, TSA guard and flight attendant. Traveling with a 5 week old baby is the best. They let you board first, treat you nice. Best airline flying experience I have had in a while.
Van's First Plane Ride!From Newark we grabbed a rental car to Morristown, NJ where CAE SimuFlite is located. Kenny did five days of training (M-F) while Jen and Van hanged out in the Homewood Suites hotel room. (ask Jen about how much she loves the Homewood). The second night we were in New Jersey, we were able to get in touch with some friends that we met on our China trip in January. They lived about an hour and a half south of were we staying. It was fun to get to see them again - and get a free dinner! John is a great cook and whipped out a tasty steak and potato dinner with apple pie and ice cream to finish.
We did manage to find some recreation time after Kenny's simulator sessions (6:30 am - 11:30 am Eastern) and managed to take Van for his first geocache and consequently his first FTF!
Friday was Kenny's check ride (which he passed with flying colors - pun intended) and then we headed south for Philadelphia. We had Pricelined a room for $62 and when we showed up, we were shocked because we had to pay another $30 to park. Oh well. We valeted the car, unpacked the stroller and hit the streets of Philly.
We saw Independence Hall, where they signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Liberty Bell and the US Mint. The best part was the level 5 thunderstorm that hit the city while we were walking around. We wanted to pass the time in a dry location and we were hungry, and so, thanks to Jolene, we found a great Philly cheese steak place and weathered out the storm there. The cheese steak was quite delicious as well as the Italian hoagie sandwich.
The storm broke and we headed home to the hotel. A quick stop in a bakery secured us a creme brulee and chocolate tort that were half priced due it being the end of the day, and then we were back.
Saturday morning - we grabbed a few geocaches, another cheese steak and then hit the road for, well, somewhere closer to Niagara Falls than Philly. We made a small, time consuming detour to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and saw this lovely nature display.
After Cabela's, we made another stop, this one in Scranton, PA - where CBS's the Office is supposedly based. We tracked down Poor Richard's Pub where we grabbed a bacon cheeseburger, another Italian hoagie, fries and soda - all for only $12! Yeah, we spent more than on lunch at McDonalds earlier that day. From Scranton, we decided to press on and continue northbound.
Jolene gave us another helping hand, and we ended up Syracuse, NY for another Priceline hotel. We arrived about 10:30 pm, checked in, got our rooms keys and headed up to the 15th floor. We found room 1509, slid our card into the slot, opened the door and found ourselves in an occupied room! We promptly exited the room and headed back down to the front desk. The lady tried to give a room with one double bed - ah, no. We finally ended up with a room that was unoccupied, had a king bed and warm shower - good enough for us.
From Syracuse, we headed out Sunday morning to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The drive went smoothly and we made it without incident.
We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday on the Canadian side of Niagara. On Tuesday, we left Canada, saw the American side of the falls and then drove to Buffalo near the airport for our 8 am Southwest Airlines departure on Wednesday.
A few highlights of Niagara Falls:
welcome to Las Vegas.
another rain storm and taxi cab.
a terrible Hampton Inn.
vomit attack at Tony Roma's "all-you-can-eat" ribs.
fireworks show over the Falls.
night lights on the Falls.
attack elevator at Hampton Inn.
Lake Ontario and Niagara on the Lake.
our first Canadian geocache.
Little Red Rooster Restaurant.
nature hikes.
the wonderful 27th floor "Falls View" room at the Embassy Suites.
Maid of the Mist.
Cave of Winds.
Van at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls at night
Jen and Van at Lake Ontario
Little Red Rooster Restaurant
The view
Dad and son at Niagara Falls
Kenny and Van on Maid of the Mist
Jen on Maid of the Mist
View of the Cave of Winds walk
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. After finally drifting off to sleep later than we really wanted (about 11:30), we were jerked awake by an alarm going off. Van actually let out a small scream. Kenny was beating the alarm clock and was one step away from yanking it of the wall when the alarm announced "bwwooop, bwwooop, this is an emergency. Please proceed to the designed meeting place. bwwooop bwwooop. This is an emergency..."
Kenny remained calm and phoned the the front desk.
"Front desk."
"Yeah, we have an alarm going off in our room. Is the alarm legitimate?"
"Sir, yes it is. Please leave your room immediately."
So, Jen and Kenny calmly get dressed, grab our back packs, a laptop, and Van, and proceed out. Unfortunately, we were on the 9th floor and had to hoof it down all those stairs. By the time we arrived at the designated meeting area, the fire trucks were already leaving. It was a false alarm. Jen was surprised at Kenny in that he took the time to check each door for heat before opening it. Dwight would have been proud.
Wednesday morning came way too early after our midnight fire drill, but we managed to make it to Buffalo Airport on time and then, just as we are about to check in for our flight, Van rocket vomits all over everything within a four foot radius. We manage to get everything mostly cleaned up and re-attempt to check-in only to get the RUDEST, MEANEST, UGLIEST (okay that last one took it too far, but the first two were completely true) Southwest Airlines gate agent ever. Just in case you were wondering, her name was Brenda and her badge ID is 37014. Brenda checked us and our baggage in and we were off to TSA screening. Fortunately, Brenda was the worst of the day and we actually had the best TSA agents, SWA gate agents (one guy actually bumped a person off the flight so we could have all three seats to ourselves) flight attendants and pilots ever. The pilots even wanted to meet Van. They saw us getting off the plane and thought he was the cutest kid ever. The pilots were also curious about Jen's unusually large neck pillow.
All in all, it was a great first family vacation and we cannot wait to drag Van on many more.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Van's first vacation
We left early yesterday morning and flew to New Jersey for Kenny's flight training. Van did so good on the planes and slept the entire time. We thought all that sleeping might keep him awake last night, but he did great.
Van and I are hanging out at the hotel for the next few days while Kenny is at the airport. It is pretty much just like being at home since we are staying at the Homewood Suites... it is so nice to have a kitchen and living room and not have to sit on bed all day long.
Van was so happy this morning, I thought I'd take a video. He is such a good traveler :)
Van and I are hanging out at the hotel for the next few days while Kenny is at the airport. It is pretty much just like being at home since we are staying at the Homewood Suites... it is so nice to have a kitchen and living room and not have to sit on bed all day long.
Van was so happy this morning, I thought I'd take a video. He is such a good traveler :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Van Rolls Over
Van rolled over tonight for the first time from his tummy to his back! We watched him the first time then ran and grabbed the video camera and caught him rolling over again for the second time. Yeah Van!
Saturday, August 08, 2009
One Month Old!
Van is one month old today. He hit a growth spurt this week and is getting so big. On Monday he weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz and after the crazy week he had, I am sure he gained a ton this week. I can't wait to weigh him in on Monday and see how much he has grown.
We decided to take his one month pictures today, it was an interesting experience. Babies don't always cooperate :)
First he was attacked by a giraffe...
Then we decided he might like the bear a bit more...
Van got tired half way through the photo shoot...
Finally a smile...
Happy One Month Van!!! We love you!!!
We decided to take his one month pictures today, it was an interesting experience. Babies don't always cooperate :)
First he was attacked by a giraffe...
Then we decided he might like the bear a bit more...
Van got tired half way through the photo shoot...
Finally a smile...
Happy One Month Van!!! We love you!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)