Meet The Breeders

Zen

2009-03-18T04:49:00.001-07:00

MVI_5688
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr

I find this relaxing....very relaxing....

Our First Pool Day

2009-03-18T04:48:00.001-07:00

IMG_5681, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Ok, not a *real* pool, but a blow up pool. Either way, excitement. And these days, Frankie is happy to inflate.

Frankie's Milestones

2009-02-16T12:27:00.001-08:00

IMG_5588, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

For me, it’s both the little and big things that happen that strike me as “milestones”…or are just generally amusing and impressive. Frankie never ceases to impress me with his razor sharp memory and bargaining techniques. Some recent activities of note:

-Frankie correctly uses the word “dissipate” in a sentence
-Frankie poops by himself on the potty (it doesn’t happen everyday but the fact that it’s happened a few times really impresses me)
-Says “Are You TEASING me?” when you make a joke; makes a joke and then smiles and says, “I’m just TEASING you!”
-Sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in its entirely (even the falsetto parts) for anyone who will listen
-Undying love for balloons and balls continues unabated
-Tells me that when he gets bigger he’ll be able to fly
-Told me the other day that comets are made of gas, dust and ice*
-Points out the planet Venus in the sky. Reminds me that we can see it because “its cloud reflect the light”* (*from a book on the solar system he received for Christmas)
-Bowls a 65 without my help (with bumpers)
-Caught him licking sprinkles off the bottom of his feet
-Frankie humor: “What kind of cracker jacks do birds eat?” “Grackle jacks!”

Frankie Bowls!

2009-02-16T12:23:00.001-08:00

fman_bowls, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Miniature Golf w/ Frankie

2009-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

The kid's got mad skillz.

Cookin' with Frankie

2009-02-03T20:46:00.001-08:00

cookin3, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie loves to cook, and he'll pretty much eat anything he has a hand in preparing. On this night, we had green beans, broccoli, zuchini, and brown rice. Very healthy.

Lickin' Lemon

2009-02-03T20:44:00.001-08:00

Lickin' Lemon, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

drummin' at Vinay's

2009-02-03T20:43:00.003-08:00

drummin' at Vinay's, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Maybe this ball would make a good drumstick

2009-02-03T20:43:00.001-08:00

drummin' at Vinay's3, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie and Dada had a playdate at his friend Vinay's a couple of weeks ago. The drum kit was a big hit, and of course, Frankie figured out a way to incorporate balls into the mix.

L.O.V.E. golf

2009-02-03T20:41:00.001-08:00

minigolf3, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Look out, Tiger.

2009-02-03T20:40:00.001-08:00

minigolf6, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Into the whale's mouth

2009-02-03T20:39:00.003-08:00

minigolf11, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

and out the whale's butt

2009-02-03T20:39:00.001-08:00

minigolf10, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Hey, WTF?!

2009-02-03T20:38:00.001-08:00

minigolf17, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

I know how to deal with this...

2009-02-03T20:37:00.003-08:00

minigolf16, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Give me a sec...

2009-02-03T20:37:00.001-08:00

minigolf15, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Gotcha!

2009-02-03T20:36:00.001-08:00

minigolf14, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Feedin' the Pig at Peter Pan Mini Golf

2009-02-03T20:35:00.001-08:00

minigolf19, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie discovered the wonder and magic of miniature golf last weekend. Suffice to say it was a huge hit (we were back there again today).

Fresh Frankie Video: Ramsey Park & Santa Rita

2008-12-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

Frankie and I spent the late afternoon at Ramsey Park. We started with a little basketball, which basically involves me pressing his 30+ pounds over my head ten or twenty times before Frankie mercifully decides to play something else.

Frankie's a big fan of the BIG SLIDE at Ramsey Park. The kid has absolutely no fear of heights, and I'm not looking forward to the day that gravity announces its dominion. For now, Frankie's invincible.

Santa Rita isn't the best Mexican food in Austin, but Frankie loves the place, primarily because of this bell, which he loves to "feed" coins, but also because there's a great gelato place right around the corner (his consistent choice: mango & strawberry). They do make a pretty decent margarita, which is their one saving grace. Besides the bell, I mean.

Frankie eating Sock Monkey, and other video goodness

2008-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

Just put a bunch of old videos on YouTube.com. Figured MawMaws and PawPaws might be going through a little Frankie withdrawal (except for MawMaw JoJo, who's been lucky enough to spend the last several days with Anna and the boy). Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/frankieVisionTV

Man-eating Balloon Closet

2008-12-27T13:33:00.001-08:00

Man-eating Balloon Closet, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie stores all his balloons in the balloon closet. I don't think he thought they'd ever turn on him.

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-27T06:13:00.003-08:00

IMG_5554, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Here's the tree, hand selected by Frankie at the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm.

St Nick's Loot

2008-12-27T06:13:00.001-08:00

IMG_5558, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

St Nick's Day

2008-12-27T06:12:00.001-08:00

IMG_5559, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

In an effort to confuse Frankie about St. Nick V. Santa and carry on an old St Louis tradition, we celebrated St Nick's Day in early December. Frankie didn't mind because it resulted in presents before Christmas!

All Aboard!

2008-12-27T06:10:00.001-08:00

IMG_5597, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

The Santa Train...riding while waiting for Santa at Barton Creek Mall.

MORE Xmas Photos!

2008-12-27T06:09:00.001-08:00

IMG_5634, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Gigantic Blocks! Hard To Build! Educator Recommended!

present opening 3

2008-12-25T12:25:00.001-08:00

present opening 3, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Puzzles from Dada.

mawmawjo baba frankie 2

2008-12-25T12:24:00.001-08:00

mawmawjo baba frankie 2, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie, Baba and MawMaw JoJo, Christmas Eve.

frankie and baba reading 2

2008-12-25T12:23:00.003-08:00

frankie and baba reading 2, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie seriously scored on the book front.

present opening 1

2008-12-25T12:23:00.001-08:00

present opening 1, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Let's see if Santa came through...

happy birthday balloons

2008-12-25T12:22:00.001-08:00

happy birthday balloons, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Nothing makes Frankie happier than a $.99 sack of Happy Birthday balloons. And it's important that they be Happy Birthday balloons. Accept no substitute.

frankie and baba

2008-12-25T12:21:00.001-08:00

frankie and baba, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Santa was good to us.

abacus 3

2008-12-25T12:20:00.001-08:00

abacus 3, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie also asked Santa for an abacus. Go figure.

ball playdoh!

2008-12-25T12:19:00.003-08:00

ball playdoh!, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Otherwise known as Floam. One of only three things Frankie asked Santa to bring.

screaming monkey slingshot

2008-12-25T12:19:00.001-08:00

screaming monkey slingshot, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

'nuf said.

Frankie with Rudolph

2008-12-25T12:18:00.001-08:00

Frankie with Rudolph, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie, pre-pageant, Rudolph in tow.

Frosty the Snowman

2008-12-25T12:17:00.001-08:00

Frosty the Snowman, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie's daycare put on a little Christmas pageant, and his class sang Frosty the Snowman. Pretty freakin' adorable.

Frankie & Santa 2008 (with Rudolph)

2008-12-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

the happy cowboy

2008-11-16T15:15:00.003-08:00

the happy cowboy, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

frankie the dragon dinosaur

2008-11-16T15:15:00.001-08:00

frankie the dragon dinosaur, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie & Chloe

2008-11-16T15:14:00.003-08:00

frankie and chloe 2, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Bounce House

2008-11-16T15:14:00.001-08:00

bounce house 2, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Huge hit.

baba and dragon dinosaur

2008-11-16T15:13:00.001-08:00

baba and dragon dinosaur, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

The tag on the costume said "Dinosaur", but the wings scream "Dragon".

Swingin'

2008-11-16T15:12:00.003-08:00

swingin, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Ice Cream with Maw Maw

2008-11-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

ice cream with maw maw, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

First Texans Game

2008-11-16T15:10:00.001-08:00

first parking lot td, originally uploaded by Critical Mess.

Frankie went to his first Houston Texans game last weekend. Good thing he's too young to fully grasp how monumentally awful our team is. But the tailgating was great.

Frankie Turns Three!

2008-07-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe Franklin Duke is now three years old. He has an amazing vocabulary (which now includes “testicles” but perhaps that is a story for another entry) and uses it to make word jokes and his own rhymes. He loves to sing, but doesn’t want you to – unless specifically instructed to do so. He still hates whistling. Frankie has had an amazing year, not only because of his advances in language and social skills but because he was rarely sick. His medical issues are well under control, and we now have a pediatrician we truly love.

Frankie’s obsession with balls continues unabated, though it now includes balloons, and he’s added a love of horses to his love of bunnies. He’s a budding chef who loves making smoothies, popsicles, cookies and pasta (with his own set of pots and pans). Right now, he’s completely obsessed with the book “Players in Pigtails” about the first girl’s baseball league and will be sure to tell you that “girls are really good at baseball.”

His 3rd birthday “Chomp and Swim” was a great success and filled with friends and family (including his “best friend” Ava). The day after his birthday, he woke up, looked me in the eye and said, “Licking icing off the baseball guys was the best part.” That’s all a mother ever wants to hear, right? Our theme was, not surprisingly, “sports” and Frankie specially requested the baseball cake.

Maw Maw JoJo took all the pictures so Baba and Dada could concentrate on having fun.

Frankie n' Baba

2008-07-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Frankie and me at Austin's Botanical Gardens, a far cry from Missouri's, but nice just the same. Stay tuned for Frankie's Third Birthday photos...comin' soon to a not updated enough blog soon (:

Weekend At The Lake

2008-06-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Frankie, Krista, Niku and I drove to Willow Point Resort at Lake Buchanan this past weekend and had an amazing experience. Excellent company, an adorable Lincoln Log-esque cabin, warm, clean lake water, beautiful weather and s'mores made this a trip we'll remember for a long time.

St. Louis Trip (May 2008)

2008-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

In May, we took a little trip to St. Louis to see MawMaw JoJo. Highlights for Frankie included the outdoor ball pit at City Museum, a chocolate malt and Crown Candy Kitchen, ice cream at Ted Drewes, the Botanical Gardens and Grant's Farm. City Museum was overrun was bigger kids and was a little too "old" for Frankie, but he stayed in the ball pit for a good hour declaring, over and over again, "Look at all the balls!" There are SO MANY balls!" The Botanical Gardens were more his speed. This time, I was prepared with extra clothes and shoes so he could sit in the fountain with no worries. He smelled and "pet" plants, tried to eat leaves (like a giraffe) and marveled at the scuptures of basketball and baseball players (part of the current Niki installation).

At Grant's Farm (we went with Grandpa Chuck & Laura as well as Tony, Shannon and Nathan), Frankie fed the goats milk and ran around the goat pen giddily, stopping only to declare to me, over and over, "Goats make me happy!" He also pet a turtle, a parrot and an iguana. He let me know that the llamas were stinky. Since then, we've re-enacted the turtle petting over and over with "Hawaii Turtle", a stuffed turtle we bought on vacation last year. Frankie puts the turtle on the floor, lies on the couch about and reaches down to pet the turtle, just like he did at Grant's Farm.

More pictures to come - MawMaw JoJo's were much better than mine...

Long Overdue...

2008-06-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

I've been negligent. Terribly, horribly negligent. And I have SO MANY pictures. I promise to be a better Frankie blogger in the future!

Posing For Baba

2008-04-13T19:38:00.001-07:00

IMG_4914, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

For the first time...Frankie refered to the kids in his class as his friends, unprompted and genuinely....flushed an object down the toilet that should not have been flushed down the toilet...and ate a deviled egg (yes, he liked it...I tried not to throw up).

The weather has been beautiful and we're still in that wonderful no-mosquito time of year. It won't last much longer. Austin is terribly buggy by May.

Happy Spring to all.

In Motion

2008-04-13T19:33:00.003-07:00

IMG_4912, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

They just don't sit when you want to take pictures of them, huh?

Why Does This Cat Look So Angry?

2008-04-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

IMG_4906, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

It's Probably Because Of Stuff Like This

2008-04-13T19:32:00.001-07:00

IMG_4909, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Don't worry. No cats were/are (physically) harmed. A tail is occasionally used a nose tickler. I can't speak for Malcolm's mental state.

Hey!

2008-03-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

IMG_4833, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

There's STUFF in these eggs!

Jackpot!

2008-03-26T12:23:00.001-07:00

IMG_4839, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Like Goldilocks before her, Ava discovers a house in the "woods" filled with delicious treats.

This Better Be A Jellybean

2008-03-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

IMG_4835, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Because I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE with this toys in the eggs BS. Seriously.

Easter Egg Hunt!

2008-03-26T12:20:00.001-07:00

IMG_4832, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie and Ava had a nice little Easter Egg hunt in the backyard. And when I say "little", I mean, they hunted for about fifty eggs hidden by Krista "The Easter Bunny" Schreiber. Only a few contained precious jelly bean cargo...most were filled with toy rings, playdoh and, of course, balls. Hopefully, the day before, no one spotted a very determined mother picking through the completely destroyed dollar bin area at Target desperately trying to find a type of ball purchased a few weeks earlier, then coming up with two empty bags and proceeding to locate its missing contents...and yes, ultimately, success was mine! Ha! Chocolate and carrot bunny cakes were eaten happily & fruit and cheese somewhat less happily, while the adults sipped bloody marys and chowed on kolaches and fritata. Good times were had by all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

IMG_1385, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie and his classmates enjoyed chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting. You've probably noticed that they ate the frosting first. That's just human nature.

Frankie's Reading List

2008-01-31T11:04:00.000-08:00

Frankie has always been an avid reader. Rather, an avid listener, though he does have several favorite books memorized by now. His tastes range from the classics (Beatrix Potter and Eric Carle) to what may be the adult equivalent of beach reading (a series of sports related books that I bought at Walgreens). He tends towards books about bunnies, sports and cats, with the occasional dog or hippo thrown in. Recently, his favorites have included Color Kittens (Margaret Wise Brown) which I purchased for the sweet, colorful retro illustrations, The Richard Scary-illustrated I Am A Bunny, Eric Carle’s Little Cloud (though we often have to just look at the page where Little Cloud turns into a bunny) & The Very Busy Spider, Beatrix Potter’s Tom Kitten, Owen and Mzee (a really cute story of a true-life friendship between a 130-year old turtle and a baby hippo), one of Dave’s old books Harry and The Lady Next Door and several about butterflies (he’s particularly fascinated by the concept that the butterfly eats nectar with a straw-like tongue).

I didn’t remember much about Beatrix Potter books, particularly the style in which they were written until we began reading them to Frankie. The language is quite adult and somewhat antiquated (with words like affronted and repose) and the story lines can be realistic and violent (there is more tail-loss than you’d expect in a kids book)…but they are very funny. Other bunny-related choices include Bunny’s Noisy Book & Runaway Bunny (again, Margaret Wise Brown…the woman knows her bunnies), Bunny’s Breakfast (from the 30’s or 40’s) and Don’t Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late (by Mo Willems…the pigeon has a bunny stuffed animal).

It’s wonderful to see him so interested in a pastime that we enjoy so much ourselves, and we hope he’ll continue to be a bookworm. And it's entirely possible he reads to extend his bedtime later & later. I would guess it's a little of both.

Balls And Bunnies

2008-01-24T12:43:00.001-08:00

IMG_1718, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Are still two of Frankie's two main interests.

Leaf Pile!

2008-01-23T09:27:00.001-08:00

IMG_1644, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

I love this picture of Frankie playing in the leaves that Maw Maw JoJo took in St. Louis.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

You'll have to read from the bottom up, folks! Sorry. I am too lazy to rearrange everything now. There will be a few more pictures to come as my mom takes much better pictures than I do. Also, our camera sucks. Excuses, excuses...

Frankie had yet another Christmas last weekend with the Breshears clan...I'll wait for them to send me pictures. Did you hear that, guys?

Trains at MOBOT

2008-01-14T18:56:00.001-08:00

IMG_4704, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie Enjoys Trains At MOBOT

2008-01-14T18:55:00.005-08:00

IMG_4716, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Trains at MOBOT

2008-01-14T18:55:00.003-08:00

IMG_4702, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Model Trains at MOBOT

2008-01-14T18:55:00.001-08:00

IMG_4695, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie, MawMaw JoJo, Dave and I headed to the Botanical Gardens to see this train exhibit. It was very crowded and Frankie wasn't so sure of it at first...but when we found a good viewing spot away from the tumult, he became more interested. The exhibit combined live plants with some very complex modeling, as you can see from the pictures.

Butterfly House, Again

2008-01-14T18:52:00.001-08:00

IMG_4651, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Butterfly House

2008-01-14T18:51:00.001-08:00

IMG_4659, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

One morning, we headed to the Butterfly House at Faust Park, in the St. Louis burbs. Frankie really enjoyed the bug displays and the butterfly house (a sort of gigantic greehouse) itself was just incredible. I don't think any of us were prepared for the thousands of vibrant butterflies swarming around. It really was, as Frankie might exclaim, "neat!"

Present Time! Present Time!

2008-01-14T18:48:00.001-08:00

IMG_4633, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Here's one of MawMaw JoJo's presents - a Playmobil airplane. I love how life-like Playmobil designs are...the plane has a tiny bathroom inside, with a tiny toilet, tiny toilet seat (that can be lifted) and a tiny roll of toilet paper. As you can imagine, Frankie finds it highly amusing to make various figurines go to the bathroom. I also find this funny.

A Delightful Pose For The Camera

2008-01-14T18:46:00.001-08:00

IMG_4623, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Christmas Morning

2008-01-14T18:45:00.001-08:00

IMG_4617, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Here's Frankie opening his stocking filled with "Santa" presents. We talked about Santa a little bit and made sure we left him some cookies before going to sleep, but the idea of a dude who brings presents was a hazy concept for Frankie at best. Santa brought Frankie a bag of balloons, playdoh, M n' M's, a Playmobil soccer ball figure with a tiny ball (lost, of course, and probably for the best) and glue sticks (the boy likes glue, what can Santa do?) We were able to spend Christmas day at MawMaw JoJo's house in St. Louis. We drove from Austin to Oklahoma City in one day, saw Great Grandma Ellen and Uncle George and spent the night, then headed to St Louis the next day. Before the trip, I felt immense dread at the prospect of 16 hours in the car with Frankie over a two day period. I figured it would be as close to hell as I had been to date. Shockingly, it wasn't. Frankie was great, except that he wouldn't sleep at all. We stopped frequently, sang quite a bit and I re-enacted a one act play involving monsters walking down a dark alley and getting scared by bunnies...over and over and over again.

Coming Soon!

2008-01-11T12:48:00.001-08:00

Christmas Photos! Updates! Information! Excitement! Really! We've been negligent, we know. We'll blame it on Christmas preparation and travel (OK City and St. Louis), work schedules, cleaning...whatever sounds reasonable. I'll start posting some pictures this weekend from our camera and from MawMaw JoJo as soon as I get them (hers will be better...our camera isn't good for inside shots).

Christmas Tree Forest

2007-11-28T11:34:00.001-08:00

frankie runs through the forest, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie loved running through the acres of trees and kept his Grandma and Grandpa B. on their toes the entire time.

Oh Christmas Tree

2007-11-28T11:33:00.001-08:00

cutting the tree, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

We headed to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm to cut down a tree last Friday. It was the first genuinely "cold" (for Austin) day of the year. Having so many choices actually make it more difficult to come to a decision, but we finally did.

School Parade

2007-11-08T06:32:00.001-08:00

IMG_4542, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

This was a very small "mini parade" at Frankie's school. It's so much fun seeing all the other kids dressed in their costumes. Love the cowboy and spider outfits!

Halloween Party

2007-11-08T06:31:00.001-08:00

IMG_4522, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

We were a little too late for the party at the church up the street. It was already teeming with kids on sugar highs...a bit much for Frankie (and he was already tired by that point). Still, he enjoyed a few of the activities -- fishing and pirate golf.

Trick or Treat!

2007-11-08T06:29:00.003-08:00

IMG_4510, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

...smell my feet...you know the rest.

Halloween Night

2007-11-08T06:29:00.001-08:00

IMG_4512, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

For the first time, Frankie understood the implications of Halloween - CANDY! Actually, we felt we did pretty well with our sneaky candy prevention methods - all in all he ate four M n' Ms, about 1/3 of this lollipop and a chocolate peanut butter coin. I thought we were doing ok, but he was super hyper after that stuff. Here he is with neighbor Sammy (Tinkerbell).

Halloween Pictures Coming Soon...

2007-11-07T20:38:00.001-08:00

IMG_4431, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

But here's Frankie's costume pre-Halloween. As most of you already know, he went dressed as his own bunny -- sleepy bunny (pictured at his feet).

A Nice Autumn Day

2007-10-28T18:03:00.003-07:00

IMG_4480, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Underneath a tree.

Whee!

2007-10-28T18:03:00.001-07:00

IMG_4466, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

I hope there aren't spiders in these leaves.

It Ain't Fall...

2007-10-28T18:02:00.001-07:00

IMG_4472, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

unless there's a leaf pile to jump in...

At The Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we headed to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm for their pumpkin festival. The Reluctant Cowboy from July became a thing of the past as Frankie eagerly ran up to the ponies and asked to ride. He held on tight and maintained and expression of awe and delight the entire time. He led us through a haystack maze and thoroughly enjoyed painting a pumpkin. We all felt sorry for the kids whose parents wouldn't let them get "messy" or worse yet, made them use markers on the pumpkins because it was cleaner. Frankly, that seemed like child abuse. Unfortunately, the pumpkin patch was not available this year due to the torrential rains of early summer, but we barely noticed. We ended the day with a hay ride where we saw "baby Christmas trees".

Dada's First Birthday

2007-10-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

At least that's what Frankie would have you believe. According to him, Dada is one year old and Frankie is 38.

Last weekend, we celebrated Frankie’s Dada’s birthday in Seabrook with Aunt Kristin, MawMaw JuJu and PawPaw Frank. Frankie has developed a new appreciation for the Kemah boardwalk. After a nice dinner at Dave’s favorite childhood restaurant, The Flying Dutchman, Frankie was too tired to do anything but stare. But we returned the next day, and he rode the carousel with Aunt Kristin three times, took a train ride and fed the fish and ducks.

Frankie's Balloon Obsession

2007-09-27T12:40:00.001-07:00

IMG_4272, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Or "Boon" as he likes to call it. This past weekend, Frankie and I headed to Houston for the social event of the season, The Official Zuri (3) and Catalina (2) Birthday Party. When we arrived at Momma Gina's house, Zuri gave Frankie a big hug and kiss and Catalina offered him "coffee" in her tea set. Frankie happily obliged but was more interested in one of Zuri's newest presents, a walking, yowling dinosaur. The party was at The Little Gym which was like Gymboree only 10 times better because it was huge and way more dangerous. There was a "swimming pool" of foam blocks to jump into and 8 trampolines lined up to make jumping from one to the other an excersize in disaster and FUN. I think we can tell who had a good time (uh, me)! Despite all this ankle breaking goodness, I could not tear Frankie from the balloons attached to each chair at the table (or the fruit tray). I would get him interested in something for about 4 minutes, turn around and he was dashing towards the balloons, laughing. I didn't think he would make it to the end when he would finally have a balloon to call his own. He even tried yoinking them from a nieghboring party. Thankfully, there were cupcakes, which even the normally cake-shy Frankie was excited about. As you can see, guest of honor Catalina enjoyed hers quite a bit. I think Zuri got the most out of the experience - he was running around like a madman. Frankie and Catalina were maybe a bit intimidated. Either way, we were happy we got to make it! Happy Birthday Miss C and Mr. Z!

Zuri Hula-Hoops

2007-09-27T12:30:00.001-07:00

IMG_4284, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Catalina Enjoys Her Cupcake

2007-09-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

IMG_4287, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Perhaps Basketball Is In Frankie's Future

2007-09-11T19:55:00.001-07:00

growth1, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

At last year's one year check-up, Frankie was off the growth charts -- he was one short little dude. Yesterday, we went in for our two year check-up and the nurse measured him. Then, she came back in and measured him again, proclaiming she was sure it was wrong. But she wasn't - Frankie grew almost five inches this year, putting him solidly in the 50th percentile (meaning 50% of kids his age are shorter and 50% are taller) of height. Way to go, F-man. Maybe one day you'll play basketball yet!

Notes From St. Louis

2007-09-07T11:55:00.001-07:00

IMG_1152, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

"Frankie eated it all!" he proudly declares...

Missouri Botantical Gardens - Climatron

2007-09-07T11:54:00.001-07:00

IMG_1066, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

2007-09-07T11:53:00.001-07:00

IMG_4196, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

St. Louisians are proud of these lavish grounds in the south part of the city, near Tower Grove Park (not far from my childhood home). Frankie really enjoyed all the flowers, fountains and feeding the ducks.

St. Louis Zoo Carousel

2007-09-07T11:51:00.001-07:00

IMG_1163, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie was too scared to ride, but we cheered on Andrew, Leland, Caitlyn and Carolyn from the sidelines.

St. Louis Zoo

2007-09-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

IMG_1180, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie, MawMaw JoJo and I joined one of my high school friends (well, she's still my friend, but I have known her since high school) Carolyn and her three kids at the St. Louis Zoo. I hadn't been in quite some time and the changes have been phenomenal. It's a gigantic zoo and I think it was somewhat overwhelming for Frankie. He was very upset with me because I wouldn't let him feed pretzels to the puffins.

Medical Update

2007-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Some of you are aware that in the past month Frankie has been tested up and down in an effort to determine why he gets so many respiratory infections. We’ve done blood tests, a cystic fibrosis sweat test, a swallow study and a bronchoscopy. Luckily, everything was negative – the kid is normal. The pediatric pulmonary specialist determined Frankie does have trachealmalasia (a softening of the cartilage of the trachea, otherwise known as “floppy airways”). Basically, in the area where Frankie had his TEF repair, a small fold of skin can easily house errant bacteria, increasing the risk of infections. However, because the case isn’t severe, there’s not much to be done and eventually, as he gets larger, he will likely grow out of it. One thing the doctor did prescribe which has, so far, seemed to help immeasurably was a super dose of antibiotics. I am afraid to jinx us by saying Frankie hasn’t been really sick in a couple months now!

We're Off!

2007-08-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Frankie and I are off to St. Louis tommorrow to see friends and family. Stay tuned for pictures and tales fo the trip next week. Planes are old hat for Frankie now. After an 18 hour trip to Hawaii, St. Louis is a five minute walk on the treadmill.

Frankie Meets Static Electricity

2007-08-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

Stuff On My Cat II

2007-08-07T12:35:00.001-07:00

stuff on my cat, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

More indignities at the hands of Frankie.

Maw Maw Ellen and Frankie

2007-08-07T12:34:00.001-07:00

ellen & frankie, originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Here is Frankie with his Great Maw Maw Ellen whom he immediately was sweet to, even though he hadn't seen her in a while. That kid knows a Maw Maw when he sees one because Maw Maw = Undivided Attention.