the growing army

i am one of 7 children. it probably explains a lot, not the least of which the fact that i rapidly eat or drink nearly anything that is set in front of me, with the obvious exception of brussels sprouts. when all of us were living at home, we were quite a force, causing some observers to label us "alan's army".

well, the ranks are growing once again, luckily not by the fruit of my loins, but by that of my brother eric. he and his wife kara are expecting their second december 1st. i love the picture of addie (above). to me it looks like she expected the kid to pop out right then and there.

i will be buying both of them running shoes, and a 101 great places to take a nap. welcome to the madness...

jack james

we are thrilled to announce that our friends, michelle and brent, have welcomed their son, jack, into the world.   isaac and ryder are excited to meet their newest friend. 

does God love pat robertson?

as far as i am concerned it is a valid question. when somebody has the audacity to imply that american deserved september 11th, i seriously begin to wonder if they are worthy of divine favor. fortunately for pat, and really for all of us, i am not the one in charge of dispensing such things.

we watched this video at the beginning of class on monday, and as much as it made me laugh, it also made me squirm, as my heart is so often full of fear and apathy. perhaps someday we will be able to receive that God loves us all, even old pat robertson.

sunday funnies

grammy and ryder keeping it real

grauntie came down while dad was away at magic mountain during mothers day weekend. the rides at the outlet malls are always a big hit.

speaking of a big hit, isaac had his first experience with licking the beater

"you mean summer is almost here already?

the boys spending a little quality time together in isaac's crib

yuking it up with great grandpa herold

celebrating uncle cam's birthday.

5k and blackjack

since annie is always looking for fun activities, the montgomery family got out and "ran" the encinitas 5k this morning. we couldn't quite keep up with the kenyans, but i am pretty sure we finished in the top 100 of the people with strollers category. annie came home and immediately registered for a 10k in three weeks. i, on the other hand, registered for physical therapy.

somehow the boys were the only ones who walked away with medals, which i thought was slightly unfair since they didn't really do anything besides sit there.

next stop, the la marathon...2023

other snippets:

1. annie had her first experience with tasting somebody else's vomit yesterday morning when ryder puked in her mouth. frankly i am a little surprised it hadn't happened before, b/c i am pretty sure this a fairly universal experience amongst moms.
2. ryder's new favorite noise to make is the motorboat, which sends drool flinging in every direction. it is cute and all, unless he starts in at like 5 in the morning.
   
3. isaac is so funny with his binkis. we keep like half a dozen in his bed at all times so if he wakes up he can pop one in and go back to sleep, but he has developed this habit of rotating them. he will sit there and suck on one for a while, then periodically swap it out for another. there does not seem to be much rhyme or reason, but he does seem to like some color combinations better than others.
4. isaac turned 21 months on thursday, which means he is officially 1 and three-quarters years old, or 1.75 for those of you who prefer decimals. i like 21, especially when you can play for like $3, but it is crazy to me that isaac is almost two. spoiler alert: the celebration will involve thomas the train.
   

don't forget the kibble

• ryder is a prolific drooler. his hand are always in his mouth, creating puddles all over the place. although he is still a puke sniper, able to hit moving targets with his projectile vomit, the drooling is quickly becoming his favorite passtime.
• isaac went back to the ear doctor today, and he did in fact have boogers coming out his ears, just like annie had thought. it makes sense to her, but i still am not sure how that happens. he is now on another antibiotic, in addition to his decongestant, his ear drops, and motrin for the pain. if he ever makes it to the olympics and is involved in a doping scandal, i am pretty sure this period in life will be to blame.
• i almost forgot about the lizard. the other day annie came downstairs carrying isaac, and discovered a lizard measuring at least 10 inches on the couch, a few feet away from ryder. repetitive expletives insued, and annie apologized as the nurse on the other end of the phone asked if it was a reptile that was not supposed to be in the house. after trapping it in a plastic bin, cutting off a few inches of the tail in the process, annie threw it out back and went on mothering. all in a day's work.

bits and pieces

so lately i have been so exhausted by two sick kids and restless nights of sleep that i don't feel like i ever have the energy to articulate anything on the blog. yesterday i fell asleep at magic mountain for like 45 minutes. normally i can't even nap in a bed, let alone in a metal bistro chair. but there are things happening around here everyday, and i feel like i have to at least put them down for posterity sake:

• ryder rolls both ways now. back to stomach, stomach to back, left to right and right to left. we are thinking he will be an early crawler, but hopefully not too early.
• his hair it getting longer and lighter, and more muppet-ish all the time, especially after his bath. when it is wet in the bath, he looks like alfalfa from the little rascals.
  
• when he sleeps, which he does better all the time, he fully extends his neck, proudly displaying his miniature adam's apple.
• isaac jumps now, well he thinks he is jumping anyway. mostly he sticks his butt out and bounces up and down, never actually getting off the ground.
• he had to take a break from his swim lessons while he battles his ear infection, but will return thursday.
  
• our boys are cuter than any others, and their mother is amazing.
  

happy cinco

14lbs 10 ozs, 25 + inches long and on the move, rolling that is.

these brothers roll deep