TaylorTafting on Ice

ROAD TRIP!!!!

"Dad, what's up with the flashing blue and red lights?"

Today we drove up to Flagstaff for a little fun in the snow. We decided to wait until the teenie guy was ready for a nap to begin our trek in the hopes that he would sleep for the first hour or so before. And everything went according to plan with one slight exception - Sonoma was too excited.

[Side note: Sonoma likes barking at people, other dogs, and motorcycles; especially when they are invading her space - such as walking on the sidewalk in front of our house. I mean the nerve of some people. No consideration. End side note]

Even though we left on a rainy day, apparently everyone decided it was a great time to walk their dog, go for a jog, ride their motorcycle, etc. So wouldn't you know it, everytime we approached said instance, safely in our little Matrix where no one could get to us, Sonoma decided to warn them with a bark or two. Guy walking his dog - Bark BARK!! Guy walking with groceries - BARK Don't even think of using that baguette on us, BARK!! Seriously, why is everyone out in the rain.

And each time, she woke our sleeping baby. We tried distracting her and giving her treats, but that didn't work. All we had to do was make it to the freeway and all would be quiet for Nathan to take a nap. Because, seriously, who would be walking on the freeway. I mean c'mon. That never happens. One block away from the on-ramp and we remembered that we forgot to pack the gloves!!! U-turn! Return home, more people, find new route to freeway.

Note doggy drool and sleeping baby

On the road again. This time for reals, yo. Nathan slept for just under 2 hours!!! WooHoo!! Good quality quiet driving time. Snap some diving photos of Sonoma. Enjoy the scenery. Oh look, that car's on fire. SNOW!!

And when he woke up, he was even in a good mood since he was well rested. That lasted about 45 minutes until he realized he was stuck in a carseat. So we looked for the next place to stop. Unfortunately, it had started to snow so we were only driving about 30 mph and wouldn't you know it, no exits for a bajillion miles. Well, there was the random dirt road or two, well covered in snow, that I doubt our little Matrix would be able to make it out should the snowing get heavier. So, 20 minutes later, we take the upcoming exit, slide to a stop just in time to avoid a truck, and pull into the gas station for a little relaxation before heading off to have fun in the snow.

"um, now what?"

Laura and Sonoma

TaylorTafting on Ice

If you're still with me, I'll try to be quick here (sort of like a movie when they get to the 2 hour mark and realize they haven't wrapped everything up just yet). I wanted to be out of Flagstaff by 3pm, because a snowstorm was scheduled promptly at 4pm. And I have never driven in snow until about 2 paragraphs ago. So not very excited about driving out at 3:40 with heavy snow falling, car slipping and sliding, while driving 17 MPH. Laura needs to pee, miss entrance and slide into drive-thru exit. No one coming, because, seriously who does drive thru in a snowstorm. Drive around to entrance, almost kill a family because Matrix forgets the code we have well established: Brake = stop; gas = go; ipod = jammin'; and slide into what I will graciously call a parking spot.

So much for being quick here.

Back out into the snowstorm (probably a generous classification on my park, but I live in the desert). This time 12mph, almost get squished by a bus, because the lane I was using no longer exists (if it did to start with). When we get to the fork in the road, Phoenix to the left, NM to the right, we start to wonder why absolutely no one is going the Phoenix route. So we slow down a bit more, because we no longer have tire tracks to follow, only snow to drive on. After a bit of wondering if the road has been closed we see a few vehicles merging onto the highway. We also see an SUV that has obviously rolled over after having slid a great distance. After successfully merging do we A) stay in the right lane with the sane folks or B) kick it with the fast left lane and their fancy tire tracks. We stay to the right, because we value life and I have no idea how to drive in a snowstorm - I even have a driver's license to prove the system functions well. Anyhoo, slowly, but surely we made it home. At least Nathan slept though the snowstorm part of it.

Observe & Report

Nov. 7th - Watchpost #5 - Guarding the new grass.

   - 8:54am - It's cool outside.  The ground is moist.  Possibly a light rain fell last night...or maybe just the sprinklers.  All is quiet.

   - 9:01am - Birds chirping, yet they stay away.  Can they still see me?  Must stay still and silent.  Can't let the birds get the grass seed.

   - 9:09am - The first bird arrives.  Must be a scout.  Will wait for main group before springing the trap.

   - 9:10am - A second bird arrives to investigate the grounds.  They seem to be communicating something back to the rest of the group.  Can't understand their chirpy-chirp language.

   - 9:12am - Multiple birds arrive.  OMG I can't believe they can't see me...this is so cool.  So many birds and no one knows I'm here. hee hee hee

   - 9:15am - I've been still for 5 minutes now and the birds have no clue.  I'm so sneaky.  I should be a ninja.  Ninjas are so cool.

   - 9:17am - Wow, these flowers are nice.  They have a lovely scent.  And they're purple.  I like purple.

   - 9:18am - What was I doing....

Halloween

For the last several years, we have created a haunted house in our garage.  Mainly because it is fun to do while passing out candy.  But there's also the side benefit of getting to scare little kids and the occasional adult (Liz).  I mean seriously, why would you just sit inside trying to watch a movie when every 18 seconds the doorbell rings with kids at the door begging for candy because their parents don't feed them and never taught them not to take candy from strangers.  Besides, there's nothing more beautiful than seeing a little child's eyes light up with fear just before he begins shrieking at the top of his lungs while his parents can't help but laugh. 

But alas, no haunted house this year.  We just didn't have the time to set it up now that we have the teenie guy.  Instead, we decided to have a casual party.  We opened up the garage and put out a fire pit and kicked it with family and friends while passing out candy to all of the ninjas and princesses and vampires and other assorted creatures. 

Nathan, after attacking the candy.

Surprisingly, several trick-or-treaters really missed our haunted house.  Some even looked visually devastated, though that may have been make-up.  But really, 10-15 people asked what happened to the haunted house because they were looking forward to it all night.  Instead they had to settle for a measly, little candy bar.  Well, maybe we'll be back in full force next year.


Anyhoo, here are some photos from Nathan's first Halloween.  As you can see Nathan was a bee.  Laura was a butterfly, Sonoma a lady bug.  And Gary?  Well, Gary decided to be a flower.  Yeah, a flower. So wassup?!?!?!  You want a piece of me?  You want a piece of me not.  You want a piece of me?  You want a piece of me not.

Help! The bee is attacking me!

So yeah, I'm a flower - I thought it would be fun if we matched and since bees like flowers and I was likely to be holding him at some point...  Besides, wouldn't it be weird if you saw a vampire holding a bee?  I mean, c'mon, they're allergic to bees.  However, I think I made my flower petals a bit too big.  But, hey, large petals run in my family.  All in all, not to bad for a homemade costume, if I do say so myself.

*So I tried to put the last two pictures side by side - anyone know how to do that?

Puppy Party

Here are some highlights from the Sonoma's 4th birthday party. Yeah, I know, can you believe she's 4 already?

The first game we played was musical sit (similar to musical chairs, but...you get the picture). The photo is of Sonoma coming in 2nd, mainly because she sits like a girl, taking her sweet time, finding the right spot, careful not to get her fur dirty. Otis on the other hand (the lab on the right, who won) was more like, sit-boom-okay dad, what's next.

All the doggies lining up for a little race. Sonoma smiling for the camera.

And they're off... Otis won this one too, but gratiously offered his prize to the runner up. Man, he's good.

Happy Birthday to Sonoma! Yes, we're those kind of parents. Laura baked a cake for her baby-puppy with all the things a little puppy likes, including sprinkles of bacon on top.

Thanks to everyone for coming out for Sonoma's 4th birthday party.

Happy Birthday, Sonoma!!!

Our little baby puppy is turning four today. I can't believe she is already four. I can still remember bringing her home, how tiny she was, back when Laura could still carry her (I still can, but at 75 lbs, not very far). She has adjusted well to having a little brother around who I'm sure will begin to torment her more and more as he gets more mobile. As it is, now that Nathan can crawl, he chases her around the room, but luckily he's not too quick yet, allowing Sonoma to slowly move away. Once he's old enough, I'm sure they will have fun playing together, we'll just have to teach both of them how to not share their toys.

More Nathan!!!

My baby

Smooootch.

Hey look, a thumb!!!

How you doin'?

I'm a duckie!

Babies with Boo Boos

Both of our babies had boo boos. Nathan got the first of his vaccines and Sonoma is recovering from a broken claw. Poor babies...

Keeping An Eye On The Neighborhood

Neighborhood Watch, Day 316, watch post #2:

- 8am - 2 kids on bike ride by - Threat Level: Grrrr

- 8:37am - No activity for 37 minutes, all quiet - Threat Level 0

- 9:14am - Noise outside, possibly my arch nemesis, Whiskers. Threat Level upgraded to Grrr. Note to self: Whiskers seems to be meeting with another cat. Could they be plotting something?

- 9:49am - Large brown truck stopped outside. Threat Level: Grrr. Man approaching with box. Upgrade Threat Level to Woof. Man closes in on entry way. Engage warning growl. Doorbell!!! Threat Level: BARK!!! BARK!!!

- 10:22am - All quiet. I think I'll rest my chin for a bit...

Family Photo(s)

Sorry for the delay, but Blogger has been giving me troubles. This will have to be one photo at a time apparently.

Anyhoo, here is our first family photo:

Swimming with Sonoma

Spring is back and Sonoma couldn't be happier since see gets to go swimming again.



Lately she has been doing more "fishing" then actually swimming. She will head over to the side and wait for her toy to float closer and then swat at it with her paw in an effort to fish it out. Not sure why she does it because she loves diving in after I toss it in...maybe it's a new game for her.

Dreams of a Puppy

Well I don't know what she is dreaming about, but it's probably, "Wiffleball, Wiffleball, Wiffleball" or "Swimming, Swimming, Swimming" or maybe even "I wonder when that baby is going to come."

Thoughts From A Puppy...

I have decided that I will start a coloumn on this blog for my own personal musings. My dad took this picture and I thought it looked like the type of thing you'd see on a book jacket featuring the author or a marketing consulting website with a photo of the owner in a tan coat, maybe a black shirt, and a funny smirk. Anyhoo, I got to thinking, and I decided, why not write my own book. But then again, I'm easlily distracted, so a blog post here and there would be better. You may be wondering how I can type with these big paws of mine, but I have found an easy solution...Dad types.

For my first entry, I thought I'd write about my soon to be little sister (or brother, but boys are icky). I think it will be fun having a new play pal, even though mommy says I'll have to wait a while before we can play together. I'm so excited though!!! It's kind of like waiting to play wiffleball, I just can't wait!

Sometimes I go out to the back yard and fall asleep thinking about how much fun we'll have together...running, and wrestling, and...is somebody watching me? It feels like someone is watching me...hmmm, my super-puppy sensory perception senses someone looking at me...

Shhhhh, there's a beast in the backyard....

If you look closely, you can see the beast in the middle of the yard...yeah, the dark spot in the middle of the dead grass...(I know, I need to do something with the yard, but shhh, you'll scare her away...no not the yard, the beast.)



As we zoom in closer, you can start to make out what it is. It looks like it has four paws and some floppy ears...Oh wait, that's Sonoma!!!



Zooming in closer we can see her sleeping peacefully, unaware that we are watching her...just taking a nap in the sun.




Ah, to be a puppy...

I Always Feel Like, Sonoma's Watchin' Me

So this is what my puppy looks like...when I'm at the computer. All she does is sit there...staring at me...hour after hour after hour... Okay maybe not hours, but it feels like it. "Please play with me."

Maybe she is working on a little telepathy? Or using the force: "You want to play wiffleball with me."

The Bloginning

This is the beginning of our blog. There is a slight echo right now as nobody knows this blog exists, but that should be remedied as people begin to visit. So I guess for now I am basically speaking to myself in some sort of soliloquy...

Hopefully, there will be many changes to our blog as I learn about HTML so that I can progress from the template to our own design. If you have any helpful hints, please let me know.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of our visit to the snow yesterday.