Birthday Party

Lauren's birthday party was a screaming success. And, by screaming I mean "10 little girls". Thanks to everyone who helped in one way or another to get us ready.

The Wilds 8-29-08

We went to The Wilds, an outdoor-safari-style zoo grounds for Lauren's birthday adventure. The boy in the photo is Noah, a friend who shares the same exact birthday. For a short, higher-res slideshow of more pictures in this series, CLICK HERE

One? No. Two? No. Three? No. FOUR!!

Wow. Our little giantess is Four Years Old today! And she starts preschool next week! Aaaaahhhhh!

Today's Sign of the aROCKolypse

This is an actual t-shirt they sell at Meijer's.

Who's the man?

All hail Ryan, the bestest best man ever. He is re-caulking my porch roof while I watch Trevor. Dude. You rock.

Water!

Lauren got this little sand/water table for her birthday last year... she's been playing with it a lot lately, but I don't think Trevor had discovered it until today.  I don't know which he enjoyed more, splashing in the water, or eating fistfuls of sand.  About 20 minutes later, the wind picked up--meaning it blew our big yard umbrella (stand is in background) into the neighbors garden, blew the baby pool (empty) and Lauren's little tent across the yard.  Lauren kept shrieking and running around trying to hold everything down.  We got it all put away before the rain came, and the neighbor handed the umbrella back over the fence.  

9th anniversary today! w00t

Lunch at The Dube - where we met in 1997!

Trevor's First Bike Ride

We had a dinner picnic in our new backyard (now featuring 100% more swingset) and I said "I wish Trevor could ride in our bikeseat so we could ride to Dairy Queen for some soft serve". And Beth thought about it and said "Let's do it!".

Ta-da!

Playstation 2 : 2000-2008 R.I.P.

Let me begin by saying that I never thought I would have a cat. Ever. I had always been allergic to cat dander, and I am more of a "no pet" kind of person. They're old lady pets, right?

But this cat was different. We found her at a cabin in the Hocking hills region, abandoned in the woods. She kept coming in through open doors and snuggling up next to anyone and everyone. None of the people we were with wanted or could have a cat, and so I stepped up and said I would take her. Beth was like "Really?" So we brought her home and shelled out the $5M (U.S.) it takes to neuter and vaccinate a stray cat. It was worth it.

I hadn't had a pet in 15+ years, and was having a hard time naming her. I was partial to Jazz, but Beth once had a cat named Jasmine that she had called Jazz sometimes so that was a no. We were laying in bed one night thinking of names and I said, "How about Playstation 2? Bob has a cat named Mudflap. So pretty much anything goes, right?" And we both laughed and agreed that it was so ridiculous it just might work. The looks I've gotten from Veterinarians, old neighbors, and Pet Store employees are priceless!

Over the years, it became apparent to all that PS2 was the friendliest, most affectionate cat anyone had ever met. If you've sat down in my house in the last 8 years, you've had my cat in your lap. Guaranteed. She was funny in the way that she wanted to touch you, and be touched by you, but on her terms. She was in control of the snuggling, and don't forget it!

Like most cats, she loved to play pouncing games, and this picture represents one of my fondest memories of Playstation. She had this box that she adopted. Seriously. We left it in the kitchen of the Neff house one night and came back and she was in it, and there it stayed for a month or two. She would get in and jump up and down and twist around and plot her evil little plans to take over the universe in that thing.

Beth and I wrote a song about PS2, and I'll share it here after we record it. Soon, hopefully.

Her passing was a very sudden thing, unexpected and premature. It's made me think a lot about life and biology and nature and made me thankful for the time we spend in each other's lives. I will miss you, my little friend.

-Patrick.

School

We went to preschool orientation last night... oh my goodness. She is going to have just too much fun! There will be 16 kids--it's MWF for 2.5 hours. On Mondays and Fridays, they have the option of a swim lesson. Wednesdays is play in the gym, or outside, or field trips... The room is great, areas for free play, reading, art, computers, snacks, etc... I want to go!

She told me this morning that it takes a really long time to grow up. I hope so.

p.s. the hat she is wearing is from her first halloween costume... and she's still my sweet pea.

Who knew a cold air return could be so entertaining...? It really does make a pleasing sound when strummed... Oh, and he's made it up 2 steps...

Correction: He scaled the whole staircase twice yesterday...

08-08-08

I know this has nothing to do with the photos immediately above, but The Opening Ceremony for the Beijing Olympics tonight was AMAZING. It was great on so many levels. Mainly, how perfect everything was! Shao Kahn sez: Flawless Victory!

Action .gif!

I spent way too long working on this little picture not to share it with all of you. Feel free to use it as a reply in an internet forum situation.

Ohio State Fair 2008

Standing!

So, most mornings I'm awake before the rest of the family. I make breakfast, pack my lunch, read the paper, and head upstairs when I hear Trevor sounds.... and this morning was no different. But, when I opened the door--this is what I saw!

Oh my gosh... he pulled himself up! The last few days he has gleefully popped up on his feet (think downward dog yoga pose), pushing with his arms off of whatever is handy... a box, sister, a chair... and today, he pulled himself up. He can crawl up a few stairs, and his crawling skills improve daily. Sunday he was desparately trying to figure out how to crawl while holding onto a ball... too funny, 'cause it wasn't working.

So, after a great lull in posting, here's a whole bunch. Last night Patrick noted that we've already made more posts in August, than we did in July. Oh well...

TIME MACHINE: Family Reunion 1998

Patrick: This picture was taken the first year that I ever went to Waldhutte with Beth, just a month after we were engaged. As you can see from the post below, the hammock is still there, in the same place, though it has a couple of holes and some broken strings. This was from 10 years ago. Look how young we both look! Things that jump out at me from this picture include: My sunglasses! How I miss them still. You know how some families have a family dog that is THE family dog, and will forever be remembered? That's like those sunglasses for me. I think I spent most of the weekend reading that giant Tom Clancy book because I was nervous about meeting so many new family members (my new family members!). The T-shirt I'm wearing is from The Beastie Boys Lollapalooza 1994 Tour, and you can see that I'm wearing it in the picture with Lauren for the Playstation Blog. Definitely the oldest article of clothing that I have and still wear.
Beth: Patrick asked me to give perspective... I love this picture, I have it on my desk at work too. And yes, he did read that whole weekend... I have great memories of Waldhutte... translates to small house in the woods. My family has been celebrating family reunions here my entire life, and I always feel at home. I'm glad the kiddos had such a good time, and the weather this year was GREAT. If it's hot, it is so hot there... and it can get really cold at night too. But, thankfully for Trevor's first out-of-state adventure and first tent experience, the weather was just fine. Can't wait to go back!

Peek-a-boo

Yep, it's the same hammock all right. Trevor likes to play games with my hat, and I am happy to oblige.

Lorz Family Reunion 2008

We all slept in a tent and survived!

Lauren's First Acting Class

Lauren and I took a weeklong acting class with the Columbus Children's Theater. We did some warm-up exercises, played silly games, ran around a room, made masks, and ultimately presented a play for family members. What fun! Lauren had the role of the Octopus who saves a bunny from the sea by dragging it to shore with her tentacles. The best part is, she imagined the ending of the play herself, and her lines, and the teacher thought it was a great idea. This won't be the last act of thespianism for this little ham, that much is obvious. Me? I had way too much fun!

Random Fam Pix

Mama and baby bedtime books

Trevor practicing the Alfalfa look sure to be popular with students of the Class of 2025 (OMG!!)

Lauren loves these little magnetic earrings! Not sure if we're ready for a whole bunch of them because Trevor would just eat them.

Buddies4Lyf

Papa and his little dude

New Practice Space.

Red Hypergiant has moved into a new space. Though not yet cozy, we will call it home. As those of you with rock band knowledge will attest after simply looking at this photo, the sound in this room is AWFUL. As in, standing right in front of my amp and not hearing it awful. That will be soon remedied with the addition of tighter drywalls and a drop ceiling. Soon...