Dallas and Mario

Dallas and Mario
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

I'm STILL tired and it's been over 24 hours that we arrived back home! The trip went absolutely great but that is also the reason that we are all tired! The temperatures there did not go down below 70 at night and hovered in the mid 80's during the day... Yuck! here at home? 20's and snow. it's good to be home! we are greatly appreciative to Ashley, as she took it upon herself to take care of our animals twice a day during the duration of our trip! a million thanks go to ya Ash!!!! she has no idea just exactly how thankful we are!
I am also extremely relieved and thankful that dad is doing great! his blood counts are coming up nicely and now he can have his heart cath performed too. afterwards though, he still needs to go through two more chemo regimens. you'll do fine pops! we're all rootin' and prayin' fer ya! super thankful that he is surrounded by excellent friends and family to take care of him and lend him support. that is crucial to recovering from an illness you know!
We managed to see quite a few people in the few days that we were there but the heat and all the driving around left us drained! dallas got to stay with his Johnson grandparents for a few days and they had a blast! they ate at Denny's, went to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, among other things. it was funny to see the look on David's face when he saw Dallas too! he didn't realize just exactly how much Dallas had grown! Dell too was pretty amazed. so funny. this went on and on as all that saw Dallas last were shocked to see how tall and handsome he's become! grandparents Bigham (they're still so cute!) were the most surprised, i think! he now absolutely towers over them. i'm glad that Dallas' grandparents had a chance to see him. that was important to Kim and myself. first was to see my dad, then for Dallas to see his grandparents. job done.
Florida is changing so fast! we haven't been gone for 10 years and the changes that we saw left us aghast! the interstate was dirty too! yuck. what a shame. this trip solidified our resolve and proved to us that we did the right thing in leaving. we miss our friends and family obviously but central Florida is not the appropriate place to raise our kids! too hot too. oh well.
the trip back was pretty unevently, thankfully! i really thought that Dallas, Mei Mei and the dogs would go nuts but they all took it in stride pretty well! like a well oiled and conditioned machine! we travel well together... all told, we traveled almost 3300 miles! 3281.4 to be exact. wow. don't take the Chicago bypass folks! or the Atlanta one either! it's just not worth it anymore as the construction just clogs absolutely everything and makes that roundabout even longer. fuhgetaboutit! i drove the entire trip but the last two hours, i had to cede the chair to Kim as my left forearm and fingers were getting tingly! the pain in my left forearm was causing me to start losing some sensation on my fingers and that was just too much. unacceptable. scary. weird. done.
now we are watching monday night football where Sylvester Stallone is also a commentator. hmmm. Mei Mei is screaming because she does not want to go to sleep. Dallas is complaining because he does not want to take a shower. the dogs are milling about for no reason whatsoever. nothing has changed!

whew!

changed the template. it worked. not that difficult really. thanx.

kim and i celebrate an anniversary of sorts today! halloween was when she went w/me to see Carrot Top and destiny took over... wow. what year was that? '98?

life is good

Aaaaargh! *^@!.< bleep!

SOMEBODY HELP HERE!!! I want to add a little diddy to my sidebar but when i add the lines of code, the whole kit-n-kaboodle shows up waaay down at the bottom! WHY? no matter how i manipulate those lines, the dang thing just does not do what i want it to do. did i add the lines in the wrong place? can i not add a banner there? what gives? anyone? help!? jeez.

Kim & I went to the Journey/Def Leppard concert!

no, i don't have any pictures of the event but WOW DID I HAVE FUN!!! I never had the chance to go to see those guys when they were 'IT' but it was just as fun to see them now! took me back to the 80's in a big way... plenty of people were dressed up, or still wear the same since way back then! crazy people. i didn't see truly big hair or jelly anything, we didn't get any beer spilled on us and we did not leave stoned. yay! i was rather shocked when i pulled up to the event and the area was not packed with cars! further shock ensued when upon entering the arena, i saw LOTS of empty seats! WHAT? This is Journey AND Def Leppard in one night! together! what's going on? oh yeah. time is what is going on. try over 20 years worth of time! i was almost aghast, flabbergasted even but nevertheless enjoyed the concert immensely. no one took their clothes off or got into a fight! it was perfect. i'm surprised that we weren't hoarse the next day though! we sang (shouted) our hearts out! kim and i needed that outing! very therapeutic folks! you oughta try it some time...

kim and dallas have Mario (the Afghan hound) and Charlie (standard poodle) out at the obedience classes tonight so that leaves Mei Mei and I to fend for ourselves. hmm... what is a daddy to do? let's play! hippity hoppity hippity hoppity! sing daddy sing! the local jazz station is pumping out some excellent tunes tonight! let's eat some chili! then daddy is going to read his archery magazine. want some icecream? it's chocolate chip! wait, let me change your diaper first. daddy may not be able to smell what you've done but he sure can read the signs! your quiet demeanor and tear in your eye tells me everything that a daddy needs to know...

Dallas in his football rags

Dallas in his football rags
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

aaaaah the fall! i love it! best time of year! only if you live up north that is! my family in Florida? hot and sweaty still. yuck. my friends in Kansas? they don't quite get the change of colors that we do! temps are crazy too. sorry gang! come to Wisconsin and i'll show ya!!!

Dallas is doing great with his football stuff and looking forward to next year! wait. next year? HIGH SCHOOL??? yikes! zoiks! already? unbelievable. mei mei? yup. growing up just as fast! can we feed them a little less, perhaps? what a riot! they are both having a lot of fun during the fall! perhaps next year we can go fishing too! Dallas is itching to go fishing. i want to take the atv on a trail, kim can take a horse. lots of trails to hike on out here! camping too! crystal clear streams! so cool. i just came back an hour or so ago from hiking through the woods and i am exhausted! i love the woods...

right now we are watching Discovery ATLAS - Australia. anyone watching this series? this earth of ours is amazing. anyone up for travelling the globe? mei mei is a little tornado.

dad is doing SO MUCH BETTER! he's out of isolation too! his blood count is improving but he still has more chemo to go through. his arm is healing nicely too. after all of that is over, THEN his cardiologist can do his thing! he still needs to go through a heart cath to see whats up with his coronary arteries! i wish that i could be there for that! go dad! we're all praying for you!

Moroki's Silver Dawn (Mario)

Moroki's Silver Dawn (Mario)
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so kim has a new dog... any surprise here? not to those of you who know us! how many dogs do we have now? again? wow. 3 are show dogs though. my farmdog is my personal favorite though! she rocks. We just picked up Mario this past Saturday just past Indianapolis. it took us 8 hours or so to get there! what a trip! Dallas and Mei Mei behaved pretty darned good though, considering the time spent just sitting! traffic through Chicago was the pits! don't take the bypass folks! it's also a toll road with miles and miles of ongoing construction. yuck. we arrived at Morokis kennel around one or two in the afternoon (we left at 0600) and were greeted by a symphony of dog barks, howls and yelps! sounds just like home! what fun! This lady breeds and shows Akita dogs. her dogs are absolutely beautiful. she is now doing Afghan hounds and we purchased one of her first from her first litter. Dallas was a huge help as we were there for two hours talking dogs, signing papers, and just plain milling around getting to know the owner and she, us. driving through was so beautiful! i love the fall with all the brilliant colors! i need to take a walk through one of these forests! i love it! grab a dog or two and go!
the trip back was relatively uneventful and that is a good thing! it took us six hours even though we went through the heart of Chicago. what a view! so awesome! that is a city with some history to it! wow! just prior to hitting the suburbs of Chicago, Mario started to fuss and figet... hmmm... gotta potty? let's find somewhere to stop. NO MARIO! NOT NOW! yep. he pooped in Kim's hand! gooey puppy poop!

to be continued...

my pops

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Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

that's him on the right w/Mei Mei... love him like any good son should! he's been a good dad to me, you know? he's the best! why am i writing about my dad all of a sudden? well, lately he has not been acting very well, er, rather, not feeling very well. blame it on his arthritis and hard work! like any good dad, he's an excellent provider and a hard worker. they just don't make em like they used to! right dad? well, dad had a fall a few months back and hit his head pretty good. subsequent ct scans showed a good solid noggin though! way to go dad! i always knew that you were a hard headed son of a gun! love ya! dad is getting 'up there' in age, you know, past 40. past 50. around that 60 year old mark. doing great so far! so why the 'not so good health'? working too hard? long crazy hours? probably. he doesn't eat red meat anymore though. never smoked in his life. his wonderful wife, which happens to be a great RN, takes great care of him! hmmm. recently, still feeling rather down, his doctor suggested a series of tests... let's check out your heart, he said. no problem! dad didn't have any chest pains! this will be cake. nope. the stress test stressed him out and he failed that test! uh oh. cardiac problems? pulmonary issues? couldn't be, he breaths just fine and can still work a full shift no sweat! his knees though, those are def. a problem! further tests, ecg's and what not pointed to his heart though. has a couple blocked arteries actually! what? did he have a silent heart attack? he has yet to have his heart cath procedure performed! who knows? doesn't look good though. doctor says, come in next week though, you'll be fine. nothing to worry about. we'll work you up and do the heart cath soon... next thing you know, dad is admitted to the hospital in a negative ventilation room with, get this:

LEUKEMIA!!!!

What? you have got to be freaking kidding me!!! no way. i don't believe it. dad didn't either, at first. mom just got married and is off on a marathon bike trip for untold miles and states! good for her! be careful mom! come back safe. she is staying in touch and being part of the 'support crew' like me. those of us that are too far away to be able to 'be there' for my dad can always call and lend a receptive ear or two, you know? we'll be there for you pops, we all will. i have yet to hear what type of leukemia it is though. mom heard this morning that it is the worse, most aggressive type. what type? she doesn't know as the doctor used medical mumbo jumbo and dad couldn't remember the exact name but the effect was the same. cancer. aggressive. chemotherapy. life expectancy. good Lord. what are we to do? my family and i have a trip to Orlando scheduled for November! we are GOING to make this trip happen come hell or high water! i need to see my mom and dad again now more than ever. i was JUST THERE fer cryin out loud! it was for mom's wedding! happy times! now this. great. thanks.
Dad, I love you like you'll never know. Words fail a person in times like these but know that my family and I will do whatever it takes to help you. If all that we can do is pray, and you know that I am not a prayin man, I will pray. I'll be here to listen, if all that you need is for someone to listen. Call me anytime! My cellphone is on most of the time (24/7 when I'm on-call!), the house phone is usually available, Kim's cell is mostly available and even Dallas now has his own cellular phone! You can reach me one way or another, I'll even give you my work number!

I'll see you soon dad. I love you.

Nixy Jose
hijo primojenito
te quiero mucho!

Neenda papa. ninda.

can anyone help me with this one? i really have no idea what it is that Mei Mei is trying to say here! she says it quite often too! sometimes loudly and other times very softly and rather coy. hmm. now she is FINALLY saying "i love you" though! or something to that affect! she's so adorable... speaking of adorable, Dallas is having his FIRST FOOTBALL GAME tonight! YES! i took four hours off call tonight to be able to be there and hopefully photograph him in action! Kim said that he looked very handsome this morning in full football regalia! i wish that i could've seen him but Mei Mei and i had left home at about 5:30. this time of year is great but it is now taking on a whole new meaning for us as a family! i am very happy that my family will finally be able to experience a northern winter and change of seasons as i did as a child! the kids are active in school and we are having a good time enjoying nature! this is so great! i am one happy camper, let me tell ya! a dream come true really.
gonna run now and dress Mei Mei in her cool fall clothing. we need to be there early and get a good spot! now where did this child put her cereal? jeez. can't look away for very long, huh?

One Year Later...

folks, it's been one whole year since i left Hays America to come to work out here in beautiful Wisconsin! (love the cheese!) amazing how time flies! Dallas in now in EIGTH GRADE and approaching 14 years of age! Mei Mei has turned two in June and both kids are adorable as can be! i feel very blessed although right now, as i write this, i am exhausted and sweaty from working around the house doing chores all by my lonesome. kim is currently working nights and that has left us all with a sour taste in our collective mouths. yuck. i wish that i could post some pictures of Dallas at practice but i have yet to see him at it! he's having so much fun! i am very glad and thankful that he went to Kansas this summer and made peace with himself. he is now starting the school year fresh, from the beginning, with new friends. he is very excited about most things again and the general attitude around the house has lightened noticeably. we are still up to our eyeballs with work around here and the house is in a perpetual state of dissaray but it is a happy mess! just ignore our grumbling as we enter the door each and everyday though! will this stuff ever end? didn't we JUST clean this and that? amazing.
even though we are working our buns off, we may not be able to head to Florida this November! our projects around the house and responsibilities are keeping us mired in a perpetual bog of work and general 'fixing up' of, well, things! we need to get ready for the winter and the house still has some issues that need tending to. we are all in need of fresh winter undergarments and whatnot too! i love it! we still try to get out and live a little but the checks and balances of life sometimes dictates that we forego certain items to do others. we need to rearrange priorities regularly as lifes' events come rolling our way. time will tell. (gas prices will be most telling too)
my trip to Florida was bittersweet in that i really enjoyed going and driving around to reminisce but on the same token, i realize just exactly why we left! it was a good decision even though we left many loved ones behind. i miss my parents, friends and Kim's family too. i felt surrounded by a bunch of wonderful people but then again, i spent 17 years of my life there! SOMETHING good is bound to come of that! life is too crazy there though and the humidity! oh the humidity! it's a killer... simply standing at mom's wedding left me sweating profusely! yuck! trying to hold on to a sweaty slippery daughter in one hand and a slippery sweat infused camera on the other sure was interesting! sorry that i didn't take/post more pictures!
speaking of the wedding, my new family is very good looking! wow! what a great bunch! hey mom! you did great! what a catch! Louis is amazing, what a guy. his kids, though quiet, are kind and very intelligent, hard working people. i enjoyed thoroughly listening to Louis talk about his life's exploits and all that he has done and accomplished. what an amazing man. he seems content with life and i like that. he and mother go bike riding together and enjoy each others company in ways that only age and experience can accomplish (or polish!). i felt very relaxed in their home and felt welcome too. Mei Mei sure spiced things up for all of us too! what a ham! she is a riot! such a wonderful child! she tolerated the plane trips better than daddy did too! i received many comments on how well behaved she was and i was very proud. we had many setbacks and delays but she took them all with aplomb! only during the very last flight towards the middle of the flight did she finally let go and start crying. what was i to do though? we had exhausted all of our food and drink! i could not console her and i thought that this was just going to make us all very miserable for the last half our of the (late) flight! but wait! what's this? the young, beautiful and sexy stewardess come to the rescue? did someone prompt her to do this? NO! this gal, though serving drinks near the back of the plane, came all the way forward to tend to Mei Mei's cries!!!!!!! i fell instantly in love with that woman! an angel come to rescue us all! i don't think that she realized that in that one minute of her time, and the rest of the passengers time, she totally changed the demeanor of us on board. Mei Mei instantly quieted down and started singing again and just went back to being her regular happy self! wow. Chandrie, thank you so much! suddenly, all of the days problems just melted away and my thoughts turned happy once again and looked forward to seeing my family reunited again! once i arrived at the airport though, what happened? happy ending? of course not! one last blow needed to be dealt. no luggage. no surprise there though so i was not upset, just extremely tired. Mei Mei? still singing and playing quietly and unobtrusively! amazing precious child. air rage was averted. no stiff drinks were consumed or profanity was uttered. the thoughts were certainly there though! my luggage arrived at home promptly the next day too. gotta love DELTA. yes, the trip was an absolute success! loved it! i wish that i could've seen a few friends and family but it felt good to relax and enjoy the company of my parents. both sets of them!
Thank you all! I love you all very much!
Sincerely and forever,

Nixy
p.s.
'Uncle' Joe, though unmentioned in my post, played a crucial role too! thanks go to him too!
:-)

'57 Caddy

wedding 050
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so no, perhaps this picture has nothing to do with my mothers wedding on Friday night but it played a role in it anyway. Mom's husband is pretty amazing and has an amazing collection of rare vehicles that he has restored all by himself! He's a great man and mom is pretty lucky/happy to have found him! Hector, Dad and I are pretty happy for her too... i didn't take many pictures as i was chasing Mei Mei mostly and making sure that she didn't go near the pool unattended! the ceremony was short and sweet too, which i liked. no long drawn out speeches. the humidity woulda killed us! at least the kids behaved pretty well and the rains quit before the ceremony so all went well.
Mei Mei and i are headed back home monday afternoon and i just can't wait! then we'll return in november... good times.

family day out!

even Isobel had fun!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so far, in the few months that we have been living here in Green Bay, we have done more and gone to more places than in the three years that we lived in Kansas. still love Kansas though! amazing... so even though i didn't take all of the pictures that i wanted to due to kim and i separating, check them out for a small pictorial story of our day today. Mei Mei and Dallas (and even the Chihuahua) had tons of fun today! we walked and walked and then we walked some more! i don't think that we saw everything that there was to see though. Dallas and i shot expensive high tech modern Bowtech parallel limb bows! Dallas shot a dreaded 'black rifle', an assault rifle! an awesome DPMS carbine w/a collapsible stock chambered in .223 Remington! best 5 bucks we spent all day! happy kid! he could not drive any of the ATVs or vehicles but we participated in those events too! you shoulda seen all of the boats, trailers, atv's and whatnot that there was displayed! i know, that's the purpose of the festival! so cool. tomorrow we would like to go to the downtown Green Bay 'Art Street' art extravaganza in the streets of historic downtown Green Bay! (did ya like that sentence?) that should be interesting! i hope that the weather holds, or improves! it was overcast and muggy today. we are all tired and happy. plenty of exercise was had by all. i am not on call. that is all. g'nite ya'll!

cheesy, i know but i am tired! canoe dreams await...

Kim and I celebrated 6 years!

walking through a trail in Penninsula State Park in Door Cty
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

Life is grand.... and then you go to work to be told that you need to be spoken to for 'performance issues'. nice.

NOT THE TOPIC TODAY!!! quit it already! no negatives! good.

We all had a grand time yesterday! oh yes. ALL of us! we left the dishes and laundry to go hiking! oh yes. a lifelong dream realized for me and an eye opener for my family! yes, the weather was about perfect (70's) and we were all pumped to go exploring some woods! too bad that it was a bit overcast! check out my pictures! just a few because we were so tired walking up and down these trails! we need to do this more often! there are some trails that we can take the ATV and others for the horses so we will explore those in good time too. so nice. so relaxing. love it.
Dallas is starting FOOTBALL practice this Wednesday! yikes! i wish that i could be there! i'll be there for weekend pratice though! wow. kid's growing up fast! he's very handsome too. you should see.
i'm going to bed now. tired. need to be in to work by 0600 tomorrow. gotta wake The Cakes up earlier than normal. this'll be fun! c ya!

untitled

it's tough to post on a regular basis when, well, we are all so happy and everything is going well! not much going on either! Dallas will be starting FOOTBALL this monday though! ouch. stay tuned. school starts soon after... Mei Mei is still the most adorable/beautiful/cuddly baby in the whole wide world! what a precious child she is! Dallas too is incredibly tall and handsome! good grief! Kim and I celebrate a six year wedding anniversary thing tomorrow! yippee! three days later we'll celebrate her birthday! what fun! the weather out here is still in the 70's. are you jealous or what? well, just come on out here then! there's plenty for everyone! plenty of room! plenty of homes and jobs! you won't regret it! life is good

Green Bay Tall Ships Festival!!!

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Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

your probably wondering where the 'Tall Ships' are! you'll just have to click on my pictures link to find out! there's one problem though... i only took a few pictures before the battery died! it was overcast too! bummer! not even an hour after the battery decided to leave me 'high and dry', the sun came out and the ships just looked resplendant! so cool! what fun! Dallas had been rather cranky up until this point! he was in awe at the ships! we learned that some of them give tours and others give summer 'camps'!!!! yippeee! we're sending the kids off for the summer! just kidding. wouldn't that be fun though? we'll look into that for Dallas next year! speaking of sending Dallas off, one of the local racetracks around here has a drag racing program for teenagers! oh yeah baby! i may not be able to afford karting lessons for Dallas but we can certainly go drag racing! he'll have to learn on my truck first though! not much fun but safer! THEN we can cajol mom into lending us her HHR!!! THEN maybe he can learn on my MUSTANG!!! yeah. right. not the Stang! too much power. what am i thinking? my kids are wonderful, that's what!
we've all been extremely busy the last few weeks! i took call for two weeks straight and that nearly killed me! rough! jeez. kim is working a different shift for the moment and that has us all askew. akimbo. whacked out. tired. Dallas is looking forward to going to 8th grade! Mei Mei will be moving to another room in day care too! moving up! our Chihuahua made friends w/a coworkers Chihuahua this past weekend too! grrrr! ours is female and unfixed, theirs is male and fixed. what fun! we'll go there again. Dallas has one of his friends over for the night and they'll be up playing xbox all night but in the meantime, i need to prepare the house for my brothers arrival tomorrow! him and his girlfriend will arrive sometime in the afternoon. just in time to beat the heat! this weather has been worse than that of central florida! even my cohorts in Hays don't have it this bad! that's right. Kansas has nothing on this heat right now! we have had 100 degree days W/NEARLY 100 PERCENT HUMIDITY!!! take THAT! ouch. by wednesday though, the forcast calls for a high of 71. go figure. that's July upnort fer ya!
well, gotta keep cleaning, folding, vacuuming, wiping, eating, drinking, washing... i've got a long night ahead of me still.

K&N install on my 2006 HHR!

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Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

holy smokes people! i should have taken pictures from beginning to end but i really didn't think that a 'simple' filter replacement would take me several hours! granted, i've never done it on an HHR but, really! what a pain! what i thought was a simple engine cover, wasn't. this IS the air housing! the screws that hold this contraption together are behind and underneath the apparatus! no, that's not all! there are two other nuts that need to be removed down by the engine block! realistically, i should have removed the two nuts FIRST! then disconnect the various air hoses and electrical bits that are attatched to the box. there is one screw that i thought should have been removed (i nearly stripped it) but didn't need to be. what a pain! it just goes on and on... oh yes, i used a 1/8 inch hex key, which i lost in the back of the engine somewhere. the screws ARE NOT hex heads! they are those funky star shaped thingies! folks, please use the proper tools! next up will be a cat-back exhaust from Magnaflow! good stuff. i love it!

24hrs of Lemans!!!!!

please join me in watching, once again, the 24 HOURS OF LEMANS!!! love it!

in other news...

i am working on uploading ALL of my pictures from China so come back every now and then to check em out! there are over 400 so it will take me a month or so at these dial-up speeds!

thank you. gotta go.

Mei Mei is sick. Dallas is upstairs. Kim and her mom are hittin' the rummage sales...

well i'm sitting here with kim's laptop on my lap, waiting for a picture to upload... waiting... waiting... still waiting... yup. still. waiting. wow. could take all night folks!

we had such a good time today! Mei Mei, Dallas and Kim all went to the zoo! Mei Mei loves the outdoors and she absolutely adores animals so what better thing to do than support our local zoo? we just need to remember to keep bug spray/wipe/ointment stuff with us at all times! we aren't too sure what got to her face but it sure did get swollen! sad Cakes. didn't dampen her enthusiasm one bit really. such a happy girl. for her birthday, she recieved lots of 'Hello Kitty' items! YAY! she wants her diaper changed on her new Hello Kitty blanket! she naps with her new Hello Kitty doll and even cooks and has tea with her! she also got a new kitchen set with a basket to put her shopping things in! she loves to put things in baskets! she played quietly by herself for a long time after we arrived at the house because she was just so into her new kitchen! she even picked up after herself too! can you show older brother how to do that Mei Mei? for cake, i bought some Klondike bars in plain vanilla and Reeses Pieces! Mmmm! says Catarina as she smooshes it all over her mouth! good stuff dad! thank you! 'sounds like titoo' two years old... wow. it was such a short while ago that we brought her home and spent two wonderful weeks in China! let's do that again Mei Mei! we all love you so much! you are growing up so fast! you do so well in everything! you love to eat, nap, play, run around with brother! he's so good to you, isn't he? grow up big and strong, O.K.? good night Mei Mei! 'nye nye' she says! see you later! prayers and kisses!

on life, and Luther...

Why are we being punished? Why did Luther have to die? The last few years have been extremely trying times, to say the least. Now THIS? Why? It's not fair. Kim is devastated. This was her baby! Her Mighty Fortress! The leaning tower of Luther. You'd know what I mean if you ever met him, or any other Borzoi for that matter! I always thought that HE was going to finish ME off with all that hair! I was so allergic to that dog... But I too miss him dearly. I finally broke down and had a good cry after work tonight. I was researching plaques, stones, garden monuments and I just couldn't hold back any more. Damn dog! Dogs are my weak spot. I love all dogs. Even those that annoy me or threaten to give me an asthma attack! Those that pee and poop inside the house (they all do) or eat your food or lick you on the mouth are all game to me. I love dogs! I even play Nintendogs on my DS. Luther was special though! He was big and dumb! All fluff and big goofy woof! Oogly eyes! Crazy huffing dog. He was a very sweet, lovable lap dog. Yes, he always thought that he was a small cuddly lap dog as he was raised by 7 Jack Russell Terriers! You should have seen him the first time that he was in the ring! Talking and jumping about! Just like a Jack Russell puppy! It made everyone, including the judge, laugh but it surely didn't get him anywhere that day! Don't forget to check out the 'pictures' link to see some dog pix! Luther and friends... I miss him so much. Damn dog. I want to let Tammy and Tony know that he will always be loved. That he will always be with us and remembered fondly. He was a bright, white spot in our lives if even for a short while. Luther was a lover of all things! Car rides! The outdoors! Chasing things! Licking small children! Leaning on adults. Laying in the cool grass! Sleeping on a secluded slab of cold cement! What a fine dog he was. So cute. So cuddly. Utterly adorable. He will be missed...

Dallas sings again!

i need a monopod! i cannot possibly hold the camera still/steady enough for dark photography! so it's a little blurry folks! Dallas is in the back, head down, arms crossed... contemplating. they sounded so good! i am so glad that Dallas loves to sing! i wish that he would've stayed in the band because that is even better! at least for me as i was in the band in high school and absolutely loved it! the trips were even better! oh the stories! i wonder what stories Dallas will accumulate? the Luxemburg/Casco school district put this 'Spring Concert' on in the downtown historic Meyer theater and it was absolutely gorgeous inside! i took a few pictures but they turned out absolutely, well, dark. i don't have the time to fiddle w/the images and post them. sorry folks. the one picture that was viewable is very blurry. hmmm. anyway. half way through the concert, i had to come home and bring in The Cakes as she was getting loud and cranky. what happened Mei Mei? she loves music but not this time! oh. she was hungry, thirsty and tired daddy! sorry! we came home, sat on the picnic table out back and had some chicken! mmmm! Mei Mei said! then we came back inside to give her a shower. such tears! why the crying? she loves the shower! what? momma does it better? thanks. so i quickly dried her off, put fresh diapers on and wrapped her up in some clean warm jammas! oh happy girl! 'nigh nigh' Mei Mei said! yes little one! time for nite nite! where's your favorite stuffy? will it be the turtle tonight? no? the pink doggy! ok Mei Mei! let's go! look at her walk up the stairs like a big girl! one step with each foot! big steps, careful there Catarina. you are so big and smart! once in the crib, you again arranged your stuffies in just the right places and then i went ahead and covered you in your favorite fleece blanky to say prayers. such a funny girl! why are you laughing? papa make you laugh? let's pray... Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul keep. The Angels watch me through the night, until I wake in the morning light. Amen. nite nite precious! i love you! nigh nigh Mei Mei said! see you later! what's this that i hear? mom and Dallas home now? yay! i wonder how his concert finished? what fun! i love you too Dallas! now go take a shower. no complaints! jeez kid. hugs all around. see you later...

Dallas does good.

so here he is doing his school project... chocolate chip cookies! what a huge mess was found all around afterwards though! holy smokes batman. poor Dallas ended up making two whole batches as he didn't quite follow the ingredient instructions to the letter and the cookies ended up pretty flat! some burned up and stuck to the pan, which needed to be thrown out. wow. i quickly ran to the grocery store before it closed and saved the day (night)! i think that he ended up making about 60 cookies and he told me that some kids ended up asking for a third helping and that he got a good grade on the presentation. way to go kid! i wonder how much of the batter he ended up eating in the raw though... we finally finished cleaning the kitchen only today. amazing. he loves cooking though! Kim bought a small charcoal grill a couple weeks ago and now that is the hot ticket to dinners. literally. what fun! spring is great! what are all YOU kids doing out there? don't you love this time of year? everyone is happy. i've even seen several Red Fox too! plenty of love-struck turkey too. it's so funny to watch them puffed up and strutting around. let's go camping! Dallas, Mei Mei and i will take a bike ride around here a little later on today. the weather is great! a little too windy but that's o.k., we won't complain! oh yes, we'll plant some strawberries, raspberries and blackberry bushes too! we even have two trees to plant! a Weeping Willow and a Red Maple for now will do just fine thank you! Arbor Day still has to send us 8 more trees though! i forgot what they were exactly but it was a mix of flowering trees and shade trees. go back and see my pictures of this place and you'll notice that there aren't any big trees around! evergreens were planted a year or two ago but they are still very tiny. look again in a few years though and see the transformation! i hope that it will all turn out in a good way!
Dallas just changed Mei Mei's poopy diaper and now she's running after him with the wipes and powder! put it away Dallas! so funny! hey! put her pants back on kid! she loves that boy like there's no tomorrow! let's go outside...

grumpy got busted!

grumpy got busted!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

now THIS is interesting! Kim called me at work early this morning to tell me that our neighbor was getting raided by the SWAT team and she wasn't kidding! wow. perhaps he'll get taken away for good! no more threats! no more worries! perhaps the feds will allow us to buy the property for 500 bucks per acre and we'll rent it out! whatever. i wonder what really happened over there and what's going to happen now?

Mine!

Mine!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

my work life may not be very stellar right now but let me tell you a little something about my children! they are so stinkin' wonderful (when they are not being headstrong!). such sweet kids... Today, May the 8th, marks exactly one year with The Cakes! Crazy Cakes! remember? this is the best thing that we have done in a long time! Dallas is very proud to be an older, protective brother. check out the photo history! what a change! these kids grow too fast! can we feed them once or twice a day or something? if you could only hear their sweet melodious voices every now and then! speaking of voices, Dallas' voice is changing! have you talked to him lately? so funny! no cracking or octave skipping yet but def. a big change! he's becoming a man! so scary. so much work! Kim and I were never like that! nope. Mei Mei just said, "I'm gonna go nite nite!". pretty close, at least. she still speaks Cantonese. or greek. same thing. so adorable. you know, i recently bought the best of Poison and Guns-n-Roses cd's and Mei Mei jammed to those tunes too! cracks me up! is there any kind of music that she doesn't like? good for her. Well, Kim, Mei Mei and I are going to put her bike stroller together before we all go 'nite nite'!
P.S. if you ever come across Hersheys Special Dark Espresso chocolate, stock up on that stuff! it's the smoothest, best tasting chocolate that i have ever had! bar none. oh yes. wow.

let's go!

let's go!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so Mei Mei had some pop tarts that mom gave her... bad momma! Mei Mei loved the boxe that our ionic pro filters came in on though! she just loves things! very tactile child. now that spring is here, she'll be outdoors more often playing w/brother! (see brother mow some grass!) see you later! that was a quote from The Cakes herself. such a smart girl!

darn...

sorry folks, but i cannot upload photos using Kim's laptop! yes, i have pop-ups enabled from this site but the little button thingy still won't work! just click on the link though as i can still use the flickr uploadr though! whew!

Mei Mei is on my lap right now saying, "bye bye! see you later!" to all of us. so funny! she is talking so much lately! she's been super active, really. hurricane Mei Mei is loose! lil' Tornado! we've quit trying to clean up after the children until after they've both gone to bed! what a mess this place is! so gross... both kids are growing up so stinking fast! why? Dallas is incredibly tall (and handsome), Mei Mei is bigger, faster, more agile and more talkative than ever. what a riot! i can't keep up! i'd like to post some pictures of the things that Dallas is making in school! The Cakes makes some cute things at daycare too. i can't possibly post them all with this cheesey dial up connection!

green bay is getting nice and green again! i love spring! this will be a good year...

Saturday 4/21/06 about 6:30p.m.

oh happy day! thunderstorms have come and gone today, perfect reading weather! Mei Mei is polishing up on one of her favorite subjects! modified mustangs rule. dallas and his friend Patrick are upstairs doing the x-box thing. what'll we make for dinner? bbq chicken? mac-n-cheese? i dunno but kim and i are enjoying ice-cream as we read though! "YUM! YUM!" says Mei Mei. she's so funny! and active fer cryin out loud! never a dull moment, worse than a jack russell puppy - we should know! she's getting into (and out of) everything! gets kinda scary sometimes. Dallas brought her down this morning as she was trying to walk down the stairs... she had climbed out of her crib and was headed down! sheesh! she also has a little trash can that she loves to sit on, or move it to strategic places so that she can climb on them! what a little booger. Dallas says that his grades are all up! straight A's! really? finally! keep it up kid! good job. now what do you want for dinner? what are we gonna do tomorrow? it should be raining the next few days with temps in the 50's or so. speaking of outside temps, we have a naughty Fjord that has figured out how to get under the electric fence! Isa simply turns her head so that the fence lays across her mane and then simply pushes through... what a naughty horse. warmbloods tend to be that way though.

Well, the sun is back out again. At least for awhile. it should be a beautiful sunset tonight. not like we had in Kansas but just the same, they are a sight to behold. nature at it's best!

NICE!!!

so Luther is back home again! guess what? Mei Mei absolutely adores white dogs! she chases Luther around all the time saying, loudly, "NICE!" it's so funny! when Josie came home, yes, we have a standard poodle now too, she went nuts! NICE! when she went to Kingman with Kim, all of the horses were hers. MINE! she loves animals! what a fabulous child. dallas and her have been horsing around a lot lately too! the weather has had a lot to do with it, i'm sure. it's been in the 60's with light winds and partly cloudy - perfect! i love it. we have all been going out for 2 and 3 mile walks regularly too! what fun! the sheep are still here but their days are numbered. they are headed to a petting farm and a better life soon. in their place though, we have a chihuahua, the standard poodle and a class A miniature horse. what a riot. the horse will arrive in July though. stay tuned.

Dallas says that he now has straight "A's"! really dude? let's see your report card man! he is so stinkin tall! he isn't even 15 years old! yikes. Mei Mei will always be short, petite and cute. what a duo! i love it!

Sat. 4/15/06

so i can't post pictures!? why not? jeez. i had some good ones too! i'll try flickr, check out my link! yup, it worked. slow connection though so only one at a time please! thank you very much. speaking of pictures, i was sent one of someone holding an EPT thingy and it said "PREGNANT" on it! i wonder who that was? is? holy smokes batman! is it whom i think that it is? wow woman! the other family of ours in our circle has started the paper process for another child and we have stalled due to events beyond our control. i wish them luck, love and happiness forever and ever! congratulations all of you!

I'm done

Kim broke her promise to me. twice now. why do I bother? we will be a farm family forever. farm pets. farm things. i just don't wanna take care of them all. not my thing. jeezzus. Dallas and I had a great time at the Bulls and Broncs Chute Out tonight! money well spent. the funniest thing i ever saw was "Whiplash" the rodeo monkey! that was a hoot! to see a monkey riding a dog, herding small sheep was a total crack up! tiny cowboy hat, bandana, lead rope and all! so funny! what will tomorrow bring? g'nite all!! oh yes, the little class A pony is allegedly Mei Mei's. that's the excuse. ok. whatever kim. i hear he's very cute.

fri nite/sat morn

ok kids, i haven't posted in awhile due to schedules, work, home, life... i've many ups and downs lately. dallas dropped the f-bomb recently and i wanted to hurt him. bad. i don't like for anyone to speak to Kim in a nasty way, I don't like to see her hurt. but when it comes from your own child? saying the f-word? i don't think so. work life has not been good either. what is wrong with these people? there is no harmony. everyone for themselves. yeah, i do my share of boneheaded things but no one steps up to help or offer words of encouragement/advise. nothing. you'll certainly hear about it later though! jackasses. perhaps i should consider a career change. who knows. later, perhaps.

dallas and i had a good day today though. i came home early, much to his surprise. i was here when he arrived at 3:30! we hung out for awhile and then i told him that we were going out! since Kim and Mei Mei left, he's been saying "I love you" more often and today he mentioned that we needed this time together. what a sport. great kid, really he is! we went to return an item at Target and walked around goofing off for awhile. we were hungry and i was going to take him to the famous wisconsin friday night fish fry somewhere here in green bay but then we decided that bbq would be much better! boy were we ever right! good choice Dallas! he had a half (!) rack of ribs and i had a 1/2 lb bison burger. so good. the 22oz guinness draught was excellent and dallas had a rootbeer float. we both agreed that it was the best dinner we had had in a long time! guy time. great time. we walked off our dinner at the mall and watched the teenagers goofing off around us. dallas was apalled but i informed him that pretty soon, he'd be doing the same thing! he promised that he wouldn't be so dorky. he likes grey/white and not black so no maude/grunge/industrial look for him! he'll be a lady killer in white! we'll see. if i could figure out how to post a picture from my phone, i'd show him sleeping here beside me on the couch like an angel. so cute. so stinking tall too! good grief.

gonna go to bed now. long day later today! go-karts, archery and racing programs await! we need to do some serious house cleaning too! yikes. don't forget to watch the IROC races! F1! SPEED GT, SPEED TOURING! CART! oh yeah.

kids...

yeah, Dallas is throwing a major fit right now... no, actually, he's been at it since he arrived this afternoon! butting heads in a major way. if we say 'A', he says 'B'. if we say 'B' he'll invariably say 'A'. how nice. even Mei Mei is at fault tonight! what's the deal here? gramma? grandpa? any ideas? it's kinda funny really. how long is this going to last? oh yes, the next few YEARS!!! jeez. if only you could be here now! aren't you all just jealous!? what fun.

Mei Mei is using her incredible repertoire of words regularly! SIT DOWN! SIT HERE! so funny! sit with you, cheese and shoos (juice) are favorites too! you gotta see the facial expressions when she says some of these things too! she is also now climbing the stairs regularly. yikes. not something that we were looking forward to! yeah, other kids do it and she does it a daycare, but, not here! Mei Mei NO!!! it's scary for the parents! where's that baby gate? oh yeah, she'll climb it! baby Joy is probably hot on her heals too! i wonder how they are doing... i miss them all so much! i wish that they could play together every day! heck, I am the one that wants to see them every day! they are so stinking cute! incredibly intelligent and so much fun!

well, i still have some laundry to do and the animals to feed... gonna rescue mom from the kids too. they are both being rowdy now. not feelin the love here. just cryin' and screamin' ttfn

Space Pies!

why can't i upload pictures? jeez. Mei Mei is pronouncing her words better! These are her favorites words : space pies, MOM!, momma, juice, cheese, and finally, NO! so funny. Dallas returned from his trip a level two snowboarder... hmm. mom is working now. dallas, mei mei and I are hanging out for now. we have plenty of work to do around the house! always tons of work to do... i'm a little distracted right now so i'll log off and try again later as you kids won't get the gist of what the heck i'm trying to say! too incoherent. sorry.

Saturday, 3-4-06

this more recent photo is kinda cute, huh? i like it so much that it is my current computer background image! don't let those cute faces fool ya though! these kids are dangerous! they work in tandem and they'll subvert you without you even being aware of what they are really doing to you! charming and cute. what a combination. they are both struggling to find their little 'niches' or to establish pecking order because they fight all the time too! Mei Mei is into "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" and Dallas is into "NO! I'M NOT GONNA!" also. who got what from whom? yikes. this place is quite the battlezone at times! then there are times like right now... peace and quiet reign supreme. the cat's soft feet are heard skulking around the corner and Cotton is woofing at everything outside. oh yes, Dallas is chomping open mouthed on some chips. yuck. anyone want to join? come on over! never a dull moment around here!
Dallas is very excited to go on his mini vacation in a few days! he'll have so much fun! time will go by way too quickly for him, that's fer sure! then he'll head on over to kansas in july for another short jaunt of fun and relaxation. oh yes, he now has his own cell phone. oh boy. useful though! he's been very responsible too which has surprised me! i thought that he'd burn through his allotted minutes in short order! what a good kid he is! did i mention that he is about 6 feet tall already? what the heck are we feeding this little monster? Mei Mei will be all of 5' 4" and big brother will tower over her at about 6' 4"! wow. she adores him! they crack me up. i think that i'll take them out for some snowboarding or skating in a while here... it's so nice outside today! lot's of snow and not much wind! perfect.

I'm back! lessee if i can upload a picture...

Tadaaaah! there we are! (Dallas took the picture!) this was in the Packer's pro shop where Mei Mei and Dallas just looove to go! like kids in a candy store but candy would be much cheaper! hmmm. right now, Kim is at work, Dallas is cleaning upstairs, Mei Mei is napping and I am cleaning downstairs! so much fun! The kids and I took a one hour trip today to see a couple of historic towns by lake Michigan, it was such a beautiful day! Dallas was supposed to have had a short recital with his classmates but we took a wrong turn and arrived too late. sorry gramps! no singing pictures! we went to Algoma and Kewaunee. we had a great time! Dallas brought his skates but we did not find a suitable area to iceskate. the wind was blowing around 20 mph so the windchill was hovering around zero today, we would not have lasted too long out there anyway! we had fun and now we are going to give mom a surprise by cleaning up around this dump! sheesh!
Anyone watching the Olympics? I absolutely love the winter olympics! The U.S. might not be doing so hot but we are still doing very well and having lots of fun too! anyone want to try their hand at 'skeleton'? woohooo! did you see the 52 (62?) y/o 'grandma luge'? what a riot! check out the Japanese skater Arakawa! wow. that Hughs girl? oh yeah. anyway, i stray away. don't miss the closing ceremonies Sunday night! yeah, yeah, I know that it's the survivor finale and that there is yet another Titanic special on the History channel but, hey, the Olympics come only every FOUR years! don't miss it!
I feel better now. i'll go finish my chores too. the barn needs some attention! catch you all later!

Wednesday 2-1-06 and I am tired...

Mei Mei is cranky and Dallas is being hateful... he hates me and he hates kim. we are 'ruining his life' he says. what a way to start the teenage years. kim and i are losing sleep and getting cranky with each other due to all the stress coming from all sides. no one feels like the other is helping with anything. nice, huh? life is not bad. really. just challenging now! i'm sure that kim and myself were not difficult kids, were we? nah. just ask OUR parents! goodness. dallas has a friend that is 'pro school' and into studying so he is helping him bring his grades up! he is also into the outdoors so they are becoming good friends. we approve. Mei Mei has been moody lately but is that a reflection of our overall feelings at home in general? is she feeling the strain? wow. we are all working things out but the stress is def. there. big household. lots of responsibilities. different ages, sexes, backgrounds, etc. normal family life! who said that it would be easy? i'm not as patient as i once was and that is not good/helpful. i'm working on that. we've been through a lot in the past year and it's def. showing! we'll be fine, i promise. we all love each other very much and are all investing in our future together. what a trip! i wouldn't change a thing...

Jan. 4, 2006

well kids, we finally hooked up our computer at home and, well, oh well. we live too far out to get any repectable speeds from the internet. 25k dialup speeds are not conducive to uploading pictures. i can't really post from work and upload pictures and it's extremely slow at home and spotty service so i may not be posting too much now and that disappoints me greatly as i want to share Mei Mei and Dallas with my family! this was the easiest way for me... i'll see what i can do or come up with a creative solution to this dilemna. keep looking from time to time though! you never know when i'll post something new and exciting!