Luke Update

It's been awhile since I posted anything so I thought I'd post a quick picture of Luke today. He's been hovering in the 80th percentile for his height, weight, and size of his head-so he's healthy (with the exception of this last week where he's been sick and keeping his parents exhausted). But, you get the idea.

Luke seems to be more serious than Christopher was. But, time will tell. We're anxious to see his personality as he gets a bit older. He rolled over from his back to his stomach for the first time today which we were excited to see because he's almost 6 months old. Luke also loves watching his older brother Chris. Perhaps I'll post a video of Chris trying to make Luke laugh. Sometimes Chris is the only one of us that can get Luke REALLY going and laughing hard. We love watching that!

LA Museum of Natural History

Today we drove into LA to see the Museum of Natural History. We sat in a ton of traffic on the way out there and it closed at 5pm so we were only able to get 3 hours worth of time inside. This is a video of a whale skeleton they have on display. I thought it was incredible and I wish I had a better video camera to show it.

Personal History

A few weeks ago my boss finished writing his personal history. Pretty cool! His parents both passed away by the time he finished his first year of college so I think he really wanted to document his life for his son. Pretty cool I think.
With that said...I've decided to do the same thing. One or two nights a week I'm writing down some of my own personal history to keep as an e-book or to have it bound for Chris and Luke. Wish me luck on my quest to capture the first 34 years of my life history!

Introducing..Luke James Batte

So, here's a quick video of Luke right after he was born. He was 9lbs 2oz and 22 inches long. Born on the blessed day of Halloween, October 31,2009 at 7:05am.

Chris Chasing A Bird

This is one of our favorite family videos from when Chris had just learned to walk.

The Bottle & Syringe Dilemma

So, I realize this is not an urgent matter for anyone in the medical profession and it's just a matter of convenience. This is just one of those lingering questions I've had to ask myself when I'm giving medication to a 1-2 year old - which requires a syringe most of the time. Why does Kaiser give me a bottle of medication with a syringe that doesn't even reach the bottom of the bottle? Well, this problem of not packaging bottles with complimentary syringes has been ignored for too long! It's time for change! Who's with me?

Memorable Mispronunciations

A few months ago Terise and I decided to started a list of the words that were in Christopher's vocabulary - we counted about 30. Now, it seems like he's adding words on a daily basis and he remembers them much more easily. Of course, they aren't always clearly pronounced - which makes things more interesting. We decided to list a few of his words - along with the "english" translation, here they are:

Dolphin = hanin

Grandpa = hampa

Climb = hime

Chocolate Milk = chalk-a-balk

Water = lola

Tricky = wicky

Sophie = fie

Anna = hanna

Banana = hamena

Itchy = chi

Camel = tamel

Does anyone else have any memorable mispronunciations from their children as they were learning? There's probably some good ones out there.

Seaworld Helps Animals

Does anyone else see the irony here? This picture was taken on our first visit to Seaworld this year (after purchasing season passes). This poor bird was hopping around near an eating area. I like to think that this bird flew to Seaworld after hearing about the free medical care. Certainly, the bird must have been disappointed to find that there was a longer waiting period than expected.

We promptly advised some Seaworld employees of this bird's problem - who thanked us for bringing it to their attention. The bird was still there 3 hours later. The bird declined to comment on whether he/she was an American citizen or not. I figure it doesn't matter as all birds deserve free health care.

Seriously - we love Seaworld and all the work they do for animals.

The Car Wash

Here's a picture of what Chris loves to do with his dad on the weekends. The carwash! We stand there and watch the cars go through the wash, we pretend to play the video games, and he entertains the crowd while they wait for their cars to be dried.

Since Our Last Post

So my sister came over tonight and mentioned that she checked our blog last week only to find we hadn't updated it since around January. We've been sort of busy. But, of course everyone is - and so that's not a real excuse. I scrolled through some pictures on our camera (which I haven't downloaded yet) to help me remember what we've been doing.

We bought our condo in October and with the help of my brothers Jaron and Doug were able to get a lot of things fixed for the move in in February - lighting, bathrooms, etc. Seriously, in the same time it takes Jaron to install 5 ceiling fans I'm able to hang a picture on the wall. It's not that bad - but you get the point. Thank you especially to Jaron and Doug !

Right after we moved in we found out Terise is pregnant (with a boy) - and due in October. Meanwhile, she was still working and was/is luggin' Christopher around while I finished up school. As with the last pregnancy, our air conditioner is always set on 30 degrees below zero.

If your my facebook "friend" then you may have read that I finished the MBA program at CSU Fullerton. Actually, I still have the dreams where I find out that I didn't finish a class and I'm not done yet - so I'm hesitant to even announce it still. Either way, I "almost" don't know what to do with myself now when I come home from work. Don't worry though - somehow my days are still packed with things to do. Terise has really been supportive in taking on additional tasks and allowing me to focus on school.

That's it for now...I hope this post keeps all of our "friends", "followers", "connections", and "tweeps" happy !

Christopher ..aka.."Evil Knieval"

So, Christopher figured out how to escape from his crib this past week. It was pretty funny. We put him to bed and left the room with him standing up in his crib crying. After a few minutes we heard a big thump and I, assuming he was just bumping the crib against the wall, remarked to Terise that he was REALLY mad! Then, 2 seconds later he was stumbling into our room crying with a stunned look on his face. He must have fallen over the edge in all the excitement! Good stuff.
Pajamas - 10 bucks
Crib - Free
Watching the look on your son's face after he takes a spill over the edge - Priceless!

Using the Force

Here's a picture of Christopher at the Garcia's pre-school. He loves wearing this costume because he can shake his head quickly and feel the ears going back and forth.

Miramar Airshow 2008

Today, Terise, Christopher, and I drove down to San Diego to see the airshow at Miramar. If you look at the pictures on the left sidebar in our blog you'll see why we tried to make it there but I'll say it anyway - ever since Chris discovered airplanes at the March AFB airshow he's been hooked. So, we parked by about 10 huge "super stallion" helicopters and he went crazy! Then, with a Russian Mig already in the air and a long walk to get onbase (passing all kinds of aircraft etc) he had a sensory overload. This means he went from shouting and pointing to staring at all the planes. We knew he'd love it and it felt good to be able to take him down there.

Our Win-Win Negotiations

I thought I'd share the conversation I had with Terise last night. Well, it was more like a negotiation. You see, in several things,Terise and I are very different people. One of our differences is that I like to stay up late and drag myself out of bed in the morning (I don't really sleep in much) while Terise likes to go to sleep early and wake up early.

So, I was crackin' up the other night when I came home from school, had something to eat, and sat down to watch TV for just a moment before our nightly routine of negotiating the time we'll crash for the night. Variations of this conversation happen for us at least 3-4 times a week, so I thought I'd share:

Terise: So, we're going to bed at 10pm?
Brian: Huh - No, I just sat down and I have some reading to do.
Terise: Remember, we have to wake up early.
Brian: Yeah, I know. Ok, how about 10:30.
Terise: How about 10:10, and you clean Christopher's dishes.
Brian: 10:25, no dishes.
Terise: 9:50
Brian: Huh? (confused look)
Brian (to Chuck): Where did you find this girl?
Chuck: (chuckling to himself)
Terise: Ok, 10:00 and no dishes.
Brian: 10:20, no dishes.
Terise: 10:10, no dishes - and you have to start reading. If you stop reading, the deal is off and we go to bed.
Brian: Deal.

"The Unorganizer"

Now that Christopher is up and running (actually, it's more like a walking fast/run) we have a couple of nicknames for him. I thought I'd share them really quick.

The first one is "The Unorganizer"...for his unique abilities create chaos from a perfectly stable, organized environment. There are times when a toy doesn't interest him unless it's been put away in it's proper place. At that point, Christopher seizes the moment to remove the object (toy, clothing, dish, etc) from it's location, toss it on the ground, and move to his next target. It's all done in one quick motion. Kind of how Shaolin monk would do it. (Note: I really don't know much about Shaolin monks except for what's on wikipedia - pretty cool on there!)

Also, we have another nickname him - Mr. Destructo. It kind of has a "superhero" tone to it don't you think? In his defense, he's not all that destructive yet. But, he's appears to be very keen on perfecting this talent in the near future.

A Trip Down Memory Lane...and a huge find! (to me)

I took a trip down memory lane today. Let me explain.

If any of you ever collected baseball cards, football cards, or any sports memorabilia then you'll understand my excitement. As a kid, I would buy hockey cards and mail them out to different players in the NHL to be signed. I had 33 cards signed from some of my favorite players. After my mission, about 10 years ago, I came home to find that my family had pretty much lost, misplaced, sold, confiscated, burned, etc etc.. everything I left behind. Seriously, I didn't own anything when I got home. That's what happens with 4 brothers - in my family anyway.

Well, I heard from one brother last month that a folder of signed hockey cards was still at my mom's house. Keep in mind, I had a few boxes of cards which I still haven't located yet. But, today I was over there and decided to look one more time. AND...I was so happy when I found it.

Here's the final count: Patrick Roy (2), Ed Belfour rookie, Jeremy Roenick rookie, Kelly Hrudey (2), Brett Hull, Rob Blake, Tomas Sandstrom (5), Steve Duchesne, Alexei Zhitnik, Jimmy Carson, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov (3), Dave Taylor (4), Paul Coffey, Corey Millen, Mike Donnelly, Mike Modano (2), Jari Kurri, Rob Stauber, Vladamir Konstantinov (2). Pretty cool huh!

So, here's the deal: If anyone in the family is a big fan of one of the players for which I have more than one card I'd be more than happy to send it to you. It's all yours.

Have a great week!

Brian-

Christopher's Blogging Already!

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Ok, so he's not really blogging...this is what happens when you let your 1 yr old son pound on the computer keys. Of course, I had to keep closing other windows and, to be honest, I still don't know how to get to one of the screens he brought up. Anyway, a few other random (and I do mean, "random") thoughts I had:

1. Baseball Fans - check out this website: http://www.battingstanceguy.com/ . I think you'll like it.

2. What's up with that new hands free phone law in California? If the government can't show that being "hands free" has anything to do with accidents why make it a law? Did our politicians in Sacramento just GIVE UP on the important things like a) making sure all illegal citizens get more rights than legal ones, b) leaving no child behind by "dumbing down" classes for the rest of the kids c) prosecuting border patrol agents for protecting the border (or was that Arizona?).

I guess there are some benefits to this new law. I get to look like an overworked real estate agent AND I can drive, talk, and use my free hand to eat something while I drive now.

3. I was swimming at the gym the other day and a guy came in with a speedo on. Lesson learned: If a man walks into a swimming pool area with a speedo on he's going to make you look like there should be a lifeguard on duty for you because, let's face it, you look like your drowning now (even though you thought you were a pretty good swimmer)- if possible, don't share a lane with him.

Pretty random huh!

BBQ at Thornock's (July 4)

We spent the late afternoon and evening at the Thornock's home. Here's a picture of Christopher and I enjoying the pool together. If you stare at the picture long enough you can see the tan line at my neck.



Terise and Kathryn chattin' it up with Sophie and Christopher

Sophie and Christopher

Christopher and Sophie are pretty much pals now. Sally and Chuck have been gracious enough to watch them during the a.m. hours every weekday morning for the last few months while Terise and Kathryn are both working. On this particular, recent morning, Sally left a few of the dropped graham crackers on the tile for them to munch on - they look like they really enjoyed it from this picture!

San Diego Trip

This weekend Terise, Christopher, and I all took a short trip to San Diego. With Terise as the mastermind behind our spending we managed to accrue some points on our credit card and stay at the Westin for 2 nights. The beautiful thing to me is that we didn't pay a dime of interest on the account. Nice.

Admittedly, we didn't do too much though, but we enjoyed walking around the Gaslamp District and Seaport Village. I enjoyed the heated pool to myself in the mornings, Terise used the gym, and Christopher loved just being there. Seriously - he was so good the entire trip! Priceless. AND, he had his first experience with a swimming pool! (picture above)

Seaport Village, for those of you who are unfamiliar with San Diego, consists of a block of shops along the water. There really isn't much else there. It's across the bay from a naval base, so there were different military helicopters flying over and ships out to see. I thought that was pretty cool. If Chris was older we probably would've done a tour of the USS Midway. For now, here are a few pictures...

We have a video of him chasing a small bird in the park..but it wasn't uploading for some reason. We'll work that out later.

Brian -