Asparagus Festival 2009

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Originally uploaded by davidremerson

This past weekend Lisa and I took Andrew to the Asparagus Fest in Stockton. Had a great time.

This week I'm in training for a good chunk of the week learning how to program IVR system. Woot.

Justin's Birthday Luau

Justin's Birthday Luau
Originally uploaded by davidremerson

Jusin had a buch of friends over today. We decorated the house in a beach theme, complete with helium baloons, beach music, and lei's. This is just after he blew out the candles on his rockin' Spiderman cake.

End of week update...

So yesterday was Justin's tenth birthday, and we were planning an early dinner at Sizzler with Lisa's grandpa Bill, aka Papa the Beast, as it was his birthday as well. Unfortunately, we found out Wednesday night that the field trip Justin was going on yesterday to Columbia, Ca., gold panning and such, wouldn't return to school until 5PM. Now, as it turned out, when Lisa called her grandparents to relay the news, come to find out her grandma has fallen ill will fluid on her lungs similar to what our whole family came down with last week. So they would have had to cancel anyway.

Later, yesterday afternoon, I went back to St. Joe's again to see my mom. She says she's feeling better, however they still don't have a firm diagnosis. The nurse was finally allowed to give her some Jello and juice which she was really happy about. As it's looking, it's not a blockage and now appears to be more like an infection; and at the same time they say her potassium is low, so they've started her on an anti-biotic, and a potassium supplement. Now while there's not firm diagnosis, it's been suggested that the appendix could be the culprit in this situation. More to come on this...

Justin's 10th Birthday at Chili's
Originally uploaded by davidremerson

So after work yesterday I picked up Justin from school who'd just come back from his field trip. As a backup plan we took him to Chili's for his birthday. We had a great time and he got sang to by the waiters and got a free dessert. Fun stuff! This weekend we're planning a lunch and a movie with 8 of his friends; I'll follow up on this later.

Good News and Bad News

So yesterday after work, I went home and enjoyed a glass of wine with Lisa. We did a bit of yardwork, and then with Justin's help we offically ordered our tickets for Disneyland. So mid-July we'll be taking a roadtrip, staying at the Disneyland hotel, and enjoy more animated shananagans than you can shake a stick at. I then cabled up the dog, and enjoyed dinner out back in the warm evening. Lisa made some yummy spiral pasta with ground turkey and maranara. It was looking like a beautiful night, until I came back inside and Lisa was on the phone with grandma Lila. Aparently mom had gone to urgent care for abdominal pain and was admitted to St Joes. So far, all we know is it's looking like another bout of the same sort of 'blockage' that she'd encountered last year. I haven't seen her yet; I'll probably go around lunch today, but Mike was there with her last night. So great day went a bit sour. :o/ More to come.

Dog steak... (or stake) BBQ Weekend?

Saturday was busy as expected. Lisa was just getting over her bout of being sick, and had to work an hour in the morning. Meanwhile, I took Andrew to his cousin Ryan's birthday party at Lodi's new World of Wonders Science Museum. We had a great time. The exhibits were really good and Dr. Wow helped the kids each build a small robot which they got to race against each other once finished. Around 12:30 the party wrapped up, and we swung by home to get Lisa and Andrew and head to Stockton for a birthday fiesta at my mom's. A first for her as the hostess I believe. Our Justin, and I were the birthday guests. We also celebrated Jessica's birthday though her and Justin were out of town. Justin got a ton of Legos. Mom gave me my dad's old Stockton Fire Department badge and belt buckle. I got a couple bottles of wine from Mike and Jen along with a Very Best of The Grateful Dead CD which I'm enjoying as I type this. Ed and the grandparents each gave me Lowes gift cards which I put to good use Sunday. After the party we all went home. Lisa got ready and went to a bachelorette party for one of her friends while I watched the kids. Justin and I watched King Kong and played with Legos while Andrew slept a lot.

Sunday was a blast. I mowed the front and back while Justin went to Trish's house to swim with the neighbor kids and Lisa cleaned house. I hosed off the porch, and headed out to spend my gift cards.

I stopped by Discount Pet Supply first. Knowing that we're going to be hosting Father's Day at our place I have some work ahead of me. I got 18" galvanized steel ground stake and a 10' steel cable, such that you pound the stake into the lawn to where it exposes only a steel eyelet, from which you attach one end of the cable, and the other to any moose-of-a-dog, effectively limiting his range to a 10' radius.

Then off to Lowes, where I picked up 4-new black, wrought iron chairs, some lawn seed and a manual tiller. The new chairs now supplement the other four, non-dog-proof chairs we have around the fire-pit table. While the other chairs work, Marley ate one of the pads so we normally don't have them out; and without the pads they're un-sittable. The new ones were cheap, dog-proof, and perfect every-day chairs. And for gatherings we now effectively have 8 chairs around the firepit; very cool.

Then off to Apple Market for hot dogs, buns, chicken and some brewskys.

So now, Marley tied up in the shade with his house, water and food is happy. The BBQ is roaring. Justin playing next door. Andrew getting to enjoy the warm 90 degree temps, and light breeze in his swing outside, and Lisa and I cooking and enjoying some beers without an animal jumping all over us... It was just AWESOME.

I think we finally found the right formula to be able to enjoy our back yard again!

Related? Me thinks not...

FW:
Originally uploaded by davidremerson

On your left, my son Andrew. On your right, Beeker from The Muppet's Show. The similarities are uncanny. What the hell? :o)

Still sick...

So Justin has gotten much better, and Andrew, now on antibiotics now has shown much improvement. He's got another follow-up appointment this afternoon. However, Lisa and I have gone from relatively well, to full-on sick as the weekend progressed. Lots of chest congestion, sore throats and headaches.

Yesterday we had a nice Easter at Lisa's dad's. The kids got to swim while Bill BBQed dogs, chicken, and such. Later we had a Easter egg hunt in the front yard. We had to leave a bit early to get Justin back into Lodi by 2 so he could spend some time with his dad.

That's about it. Lisa and I watched The Machinist yesterday afternoon; pretty weird psycho movie, but good. And last night I cleaned the garage out a bit.

Baby's First Time Sick: Viral Pnumonia :o(

Baby's First Time Sick: Viral Pnumonia :o(
Originally uploaded by davidremerson

So Andrew's been doing not-so-hot since last Friday. It started as a green goopy eye, turned mild fever, turned heavy check congestion, and from-which not eating a whole lot.

So yesterday day Lisa finally got him in to see the doctor. They used saline to clear out his nose, and ordered a chest x-ray and a mucous swab to check for RSV. We finally got the call last night, that it was probably viral pnumonia, but because it could be bacterial pnumonia she prescribed us an anti-biotic.

So yesterday, both Justin and I started feeling sick too, so today the three of us are home while Lisa's working. She'll be stopping by the pharmacy to get Andrew's medicine around lunch time, and hopefully we can get a handle on things this weekend.

Voice of Urkel: Did I do THAT?!
Originally uploaded by davidremerson

So today I'm home playing Mr. Mom again, and I go out back, to bring in the garbage cans which were picked up yesterday, and low an behold I find that SOMEBODY, Ahem-Lisa-Ahem took a garbage bag out last night, and when she discovered that there was no trash can, decided to leave it outside. Bad idea. Here's what Marley made of the trash bag in one night. It's actually quite remarkable what happen to the innards of a diaper when left out in the rain.

Andrew's Rockin Out

Here's a little clip we made of Andrew rockin' out to daddy playing the Ovation CC059 geetar...