Summer Vacation Part I: Hotlanta

We returned from our long summer vacation yesterday. The next few posts will document some of our adventures. We left Ohio early the morning of 22 July. We got out of the house before 0600, which I considered to be a remarkable achievement. The roads were clear, the Xterra was gasses up, and we were on our way to Atlanta to visit Dave and Kathy Bledsoe. Ashley and Dave went to Auburn together (WarEagle), while Cathy went to Georgia (boooo!), which means Dave and Kathy have a mixed marriage.

The drive to Atlanta was surprisingly quick. We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel, and arrived at their house at 3:00 pm. The trip was right at 500 miles, so we made great time considering we have a little one in the car (not to mention a passenger with a weak bladder--only kidding; I don't think we ever had to make an unnecessary stop this whole trip).

We spent Thursday night visiting with Kathy, Dave, and their two sons, Westin and Keller. Westin is a couple months older than Bode, while Keller is almost eight months (sadly, I somehow failed to get a single picture of Keller). Friday, Kathy had to work, so she took Keller to daycare, while all the boys plus Ashley went to the Atlanta aquarium. Bode and Westin were very excited about going. Here they are waiting impatiently while Dave and I get the car ready.

We make the quick trip down town, parked the car, and the boys were off and running. Fortunately Dave was able to keep the wicked pace they set while Ashley lagged a bit behind.

Once inside, we were greeted by a giant fish that somehow managed to escape its tank. Bode was a bit leery of this killer predator, but he eventually warmed to it.

The aquarium had a good number of interactive exhibits. Here are Westin and Bode (and Dave and Ashley) getting to know some sting rays.

There were also exhibits where you could walk under the tanks, which was pretty cool. Here's Bode looking up at some fish swimming above him.

The highlight of the aquarium had to have been the giant tank which had three or four whale shark. You can get a sense of how big the glass was by looking how tiny the people look compared to it.

The little ones sat in wondrous amazement, Ashley smiled for the camera, while Dave had to take a call on his cell phone (there's always one in every group).

There were all kinds of strange and exotic fish. We even saw an albino alligator (not pictured).

After a hard day at the aquarium, we stopped for lunch at Johnny Rockets. Then it was home, for a quick nap, and then into the pool on the porch. I'm always impressed by how much fun little guys can have in a five-foot diameter circular pool. The way they carry on, it's like they are having the time of their lives.

Ashley, on the other hand, was a little perturbed when I tried to take her picture. Here she is about to "wave" to me.

We had a great Friday. Saturday, we woke up and were surprised by a pancake breakfast Cathy had prepared. Here are Bode and Westin enjoying their cakes with plenty of syrup.

We left late Saturday morning. We had a wonderful visit with Kathy and Dave. They are coming off an incredibly trying year. Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 3, which is very scary) during her second trimester with Keller. She went through chemo, then had a C-section with Keller, then more chemo, then radiation. By talking with them, you'd never imagine they'd gone through this ordeal. The great news is Kathy is cancer free, Keller is a healthy young boy, and the Bledsoes are back to their normal lives. The only thing that is left is for them to come visit us in Dayton, which will occur right after a hard frost kills the devil's outdoor plants (aka when hell freezes over :-)

Next stop, hot and muggy South Carolina.

Americana Festival

We've had a wonderful four-day weekend. Yes, four days. I had Friday off...Air Force Materiel Command called it a Family Day...I spent it sleeping in by myself :-)

We have had a wonderful weekend. The weather has been hot (90+), humid (90%+), and, to be honest, just the way Ashley and I like it (yes, we're freaks). We didn't do anything too exciting over the weekend. We went to the local pool Friday afternoon (along with half the state of Ohio), did some serious yard work on Saturday, and relaxed in our pool on Sunday. Today, it's only 2:30, but we are wiped out. Centerville (a small town just south of us) has a 4th of July festival called Americana. Since 4 July was on a Sunday, the actual festival was today, and it was 2AHSUM (I saw this on the license plate of a Corvette...vanity is a wonderful thing).

To kick off the festival, there was a 5k run this morning (3.1 miles for the non-European readers). The race started at 0800, and it was hot. I think the overnight low was 70. Add in the humidity and total lack of shade on the course, and you have one tough race. I knew I'd be slow, because heat and Jeffy go together like water and the wicked witch of the east (I literally melt). Overall, I finished 27th out of 1,093 participants, and got 3rd out of 59 in my age group, so I was quite pleased.

There was a parade at 10 am, so after the race, I had to speed home, shower, and load the team into the car. Bode was excited because he was wearing a hat. He kept saying, "I'm wearing a hat, Daddy." He looked pretty cool.

Two large main roads were completely closed for the festival, which was great...except that we had to park somewhat far away from the parade route. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but since Bode is not stroller friendly, and the fact we were running late resulted in us having to carry the little orca a long ways. Here's a picture of Bode and Daddy. You can't tell, but I'm already drenched in sweat. Plus, I have quite the farmer's tan.

At some point, we managed to convince Bode to walk. Here's a picture of him walking the lines. See that big expanse of road behind him. That's how far we carried him.

Fortunately, we made it to the parade route in plenty of time to stop for some much needed juice.

The parade was nice--typical small-town parade with lots of fire trucks, bands, and local floats. Bode waved his little flag, and watched the whole thing.

The highlight (for me) had to have been the high-five from the imperial clone-trooper.

Following the parade, we walked through all the arts and crafts displays. We also bought some lunch and enjoyed some cajun cooking. We then headed over to the entertainment/kid's section. Bode loves listening to music, and he really seems to enjoy watching/listening to a band. Here he is, mesmerized.

Next, there was this thing that shot air out of these tubes, and kids could put little balls in the air stream. The balls would float in the air. Bode had a great time, although sometimes he got a little greedy and wanted more than one ball.

There were these giant air-slides and jungle gyms that most kids love. Bode wanted to go in every one, so we waited our turn in line. Whenever it was Bode's turn, he decided he didn't want to do it. Evidently, it was "scary" for him. So we skipped out on the slides and headed over to the fountains. You can't really see the fountains in the picture below, but you can see Bode and Mommy walking. Little guy probably covered a couple miles today on his little legs, so he'll sleep well tonight.

After some fun in the fountains, we headed over to the highlight of the day. There were free pony rides. We didn't really expect Bode to ride the horse, but he showed no hesitation when Mommy placed him in the saddle. He looked pretty cute bouncing up and down on his faithful steed. Below are three action photos.

Finally, we have a smiling Bode at the end of the day. We had a great time.

Now, we are home. Bode was supposed to take a nap, but he's decided against that, so he's sitting in my lap as I finish this post. Hopefully the little fellow will go to bed early tonight so Mommy and Daddy can get some much needed rest :-) Pleasant week to all.

Block Party

This past weekend, we had a block party on our street. We did it a couple years ago, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We had intended to make it an annual thing, but somehow, time got away from us last year, and before we knew it, summer had come and gone. We didn't want to make the same mistake this year, so we (Ashley) filled out the appropriate paper work and scheduled our "summer" block party on the last Saturday of spring.

We lucked out and had a wonderful day. The forecast called for thunderstorms, some severe, in the late afternoon. The party was from 4 - 8 pm, so we were plenty worried. Fortunately, the weather forecasters predict the weather almost as poorly as I pick NFL winners against the spread (I was something like 6 - 14 last year). We had rain in the morning, but by early afternoon, the sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, and the humidity was down.

We had a great turn out. Here are some shots of the crowd...well, not really a crowd...a somewhat large group of people is probably a better description.

We set up right in front of our house in the shade granted by some big trees from across the street. Dwight and Mary Helen (Buckeye fans, but still good people) brought a grill, while everyone else brought chairs and treats and good things to eat. There were a number of little ones running around. They spent some quality time checking out each other's roadsters (some are shown in the picture above). However, once they spied the kiddie pool, there was no stopping them. Initially, they were tentative, standing around, making little splashes and waves. This didn't please Isabel...I don't think she liked getting as wet as the boys (yes, she's screaming in the picture below).

The boys splashed so much that Isabel no longer wanted to be by the pool. I tried to explain to the little men that in the future, the last thing they'll want to do is chase the pretty girls away from the pool. They didn't believe me. The little tykes then let loose with a series of running cannonballs and belly flops, proceeding to soak themselves to the bone. Bode loved it, as did Jack, Luke, and Brady.

After the party was over and Mommy was changing Bode, the little guy said, "I had friends in Bode's pool." Very cute.

Finally, here is a picture of Emma. She is 10, and is the granddaughter of our neighbors that live across the street. Emma and her mom live in Cincinnati, and during the summer, Emma makes frequent visits. Bode loves Emma, so we had to get a picture. She is lovely young lady, and quite intelligent.

Pleasant week to all and Happy Father's Day.

Promotion

We've had a busy past couple weeks full of major events. Amazingly, I have been in the Air Force for 15 years (19 if you count my time at USAFA) and have been lucky enough to have attained the rank of lieutenant colonel (or as Ashley likes to call it, "Light colonel"). On 27 May we had a little promotion ceremony at work. A lot of folks from AFIT were able to attend, as were some old AFOTEC alums. It was great to see everyone. Bode really enjoyed himself, and was somewhat well-behaved. Here are some pictures. First, we have Bode fueling up before things started. Nothing like a bottle of water to make two year old happy (and wet).

Col Dave Cribb, the associate deans at AFIT, was kind enough to officiate the ceremony. Following the standard "Posting of the Order," Ashley and Bode came up and "pinned" on my new rank.

After my official introduction as "LtCol McGuirk," I proceeded to give Ashley and Bode some gifts. Ashley received a dozen red roses, while Bode got a little Teddy Bear.

The day after Memorial Day was my birthday. I'm now a whopping 37 years old, and that doesn't do me any good because I'm still in the same 35-39 age group for most running races. To celebrate my birthday, we took Bode to his first swimming lesson of the summer. He took a class last summer and he loved it. We expected more of the same this year. Sadly, Bode wouldn't even get in the water. He kept saying, "I don't want to go in the water. I want to go home," and when I picked him up and carried him in, he really started screaming. Rather than torture the rest of the parents and children, we decided to leave. We tried again on Thursday, but got the same response. We asked him what was wrong, and he told us, "The pool is scary." Evidently something is scaring him...anyone have the ability to read a two-year old's mind???

Ashley was lucky enough to catch the flu this week (on my birthday no less!) She went to work one morning and got there around 0730...and left around 0830 after spending some time worshipping at the porcelain temple. Poor kid. She's better now, but she should weigh herself because she didn't eat much this week. She did get some good news. A month ago she tested to become a certified aerobics instructor. I'm happy to report she has passed. I think it's neat I can now say I'm married to an aerobics queen :-)

On Wednesday, I took Auburn down to Cincinnati for her second round of chemo. It's about a 40-minute drive, so I left early and got her there by 0700. The vet called me at work a couple hours later saying Auburn's white blood cell count was too low, so chemo could not be done. She prescribed some antibiotics and said we could try again on Monday. Here's hoping things work out in a couple days. In the meantime, the big girl is doing great. Here's a shot of the three-legged rottie and the new lieutenant colonel. What a pair indeed!

Tomorrow is Sunday. There is a 10K race I'll do in the morning, and then if the weather cooperates, we'll take (drag) Bode to the pool and see if we can convince him the pool is fun. Pleasant week to all.

Bode Comprende

I'm about to use a cliche. Just thought I'd prepare you for it. Are you ready? Here goes. "Bode is growing up so fast." Like you have never heard that before from a parent.

Bode is at the point where he understands just about everything we tell him. Oh, sure, I could use some of my "trying to impress" words if I wanted to baffle him. But as far as every day communication, Bode understands it all. Here are a few examples. The other day, we were in the living room reading books. Bode wanted me to read The Cat in the Hat. I told him it was in his room and that he had to go get it. "Stay here, Daddy," he told me. While I waited, I remembered the book was actually sitting on our (Ashley and my) bed. So I yelled, "Bode, the book is in my room on the bed." "Okay, Daddy," he yelled back. A few seconds later I hear, "I got it Daddy," and then he comes running out to the living room, correct book in hand. As Darth Vadar said to Luke on Bespin, "Impressive. Most impressive." (The Star Wars trilogy has been on TV this weekend).

A phrase we wish he was not as adept at using as he is is (yes, I used 'is' two times in a row; read it again, and you'll realize it is grammatically correct), "I don't like that!" We think the instructors at daycare taught it to the kids and encourage them to use it with the other children. Unfortunately, he uses it with us and at significant volumes. Usually this is met with a sharp rebuke from Mommy and me, but the boy continues to vociferously (yup, that's one of my words to impress) voice his opinions.

It's not just words. He can put different thoughts and ideas together. For example, sometimes Bode only wants Mommy (or Daddy) to do things. I was going to read Green Eggs and Ham to Bode when the little dude says, "No! Mommy read it!" So I acted like I was very sad and put my lower lip out. Bode looks at me and with those puppy dog eyes asks, "You need a hug, Daddy?" Very cute.

We've had a wonderful relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Today, some friends invited us to their neighborhood pool. We went in the early evening and had a wonderful time. Bode loves the water and spent a majority of the time exploring the kiddie pool. Here are some pictures (you might want to dim your screen so you aren't blinded by Ashley's milk-white body :-)

Auburn Update: Auburn had her first round of chemo on 12 May. She did great, and we haven't noticed any side effects (knock on wood). She'll get another round on Wednesday, 2 June. Hopefully things go as well. Her personality has been great and she's just like her old self. Here are some pictures of her in the yard.

She's able to roam around the entire yard, barks at strangers, howls, and does dog-things. She even buried one of Bode's stuffed animals, which I imagine is hard to do with only one front leg.

Pleasant holiday to everyone.

The Great Wolf Lodge

Ashley and I have been doing a lot of traveling for work. For the past five weeks, one of us have been gone for most of the week. This ended on Wednesday when Ashley returned from Washington DC. To celebrate, we decided to take a mini-vacation down to Cincinnati and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. This is a big hotel with an indoor water park, along with other fun things for kiddos to do.

Bode loved the place. Sort of. Every time we'd walk by the entrance, he'd want to go in. And he did enjoy most of water park, but he wasn't a big fan of the slides. Since he enjoys the slide on the playground, we thought he'd be more into them at the water park. There were some real small and slow ones, so it's not like they went too fast. What he didn't like (we think) is the entry into the water. He's not a big fan of water splashing into his face, so after a couple tries, whenever we asked if he wanted to go down the slide, he'd just shake his head.

We then took him down a big water slide. The three of us sat in the middle of this raft and went shooting down a tube. Lots of fun...for Mommy and Daddy. Ashley was able to see Bode's face the whole time. He was not amused. Oh well. Besides the slides, he had a blast. They had a little basketball court, which was probably his favorite. Here are some action photos. First we have the little dude throwing the ball. Bode really enjoyed putting the ball into the basket. Unfortunately, he isn't the lightest kid. Every time he made a basket, he wanted to do it again. And again. And again. It was quite a work out.Finally, here's a shot of the two of us resting on the side of the pool. We all slept well at night.
The lodge had a bunch of cool activities for Bode. He was given a little wand (eeriely similar to a Harry Potter wand). There was all sorts of pictures and statues and treasure chests located throughout the hotel. There were quests (like thirty of them), and each quest involved finding different artifacts. When you found one, you waved your wand at said item, and lights would flash and little displays would light up. Mommy and Daddy did the actual finding of the items while Bode was in charge of the wand. We completed two quests (chaching!). Bode seemed to like it...and it involved a lot of walking (which further helped us sleep at night).

Bode was also allowed to make his own stuffed animal. He picked out a green dragon. The nice lady stuffed him up for us.
Here's Bode holding his new friend. We asked Bode, "What's your dragon's name?" Bode responded, "Green-One."
Fortunately, they gave us a little box to keep "Green-One" in...we can't have dragons flying around unattended :-)
There was an arcade with all sorts of blinking and flashing lights and loud noises. We, of course, had to go. There were some cool games...
but Bode was more interested in driving bus. The kid's got a little Ralph Kramden in him...I guess it's better than Norton.
While we were gone, a girl up the street watched Auburn. The pup is doing great, and she was thrilled when we got home.
We had a great time, and now need a vacation to rest up from our vacation. Ashley is trying to take a nap, but I think Bode isn't letting her. She's probably exhausted from the deep tissue massage she got at the hotel spa (which was her Mother's Day gift).

Pleasant week to all.

iBode

It's been a wet weekend here in Dayton. Sunny during the week, but come Friday evening, the clouds came in and decided to park it here for a few days. It's rained off and on, but Saturday afternoon wasn't too bad. Ashley was down in northern Kentucky getting some type of aerobics instructor certification (she wants to be able to teach/sub for a class at the base gym), so it was just the two dudes and the three-legged dog holding down the fort. We played chase and read some books and took a long nap (which was awesome!!!) We also watched some videos on the computer. Here's a picture of Bode sitting in the chair. He's really starting to look like a little young man--not really our baby anymore is he?
Bode is one solid little guy. Even though most of our neighbors say Bode looks a lot like Ashley in the face, he probably was blessed (cursed) with the fabled McGuirk Squatty Body :-)

Bode continues to like all things electronic. He loves taking pictures, and he usually can snap a goofy one of Mommy. Here's one of Mommy making us all laugh.
Bode also likes my iPod. When we traveled to Colorado in February, Bode was able to figure out the earphones on the airplane while watching TV. Since then, he'll sometimes carry earphones around with him--he'll even wear them even though there's no sound. A few days ago, I decided to see if he would listen to music, so I plugged him into my iPod. He immediately said, "I don't like that one." So I skipped to a song he liked, upon which he said, "I like this one." And he listened to the whole song (it was Nickelback's Gotta Be Somebody in case you're interested). He also likes Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift (yes, I have her on my iPod...pathetic, I know) I tried to show him how to change songs, but I'm not sure if he's got that down just yet. But give him a few days and he'll have the whole wheel-thing mastered. Be that as it may, we probably won't be rushing out to get him an iPad. Ashley had to fly to Washington DC today. She'll be back on Wednesday...looks like it'll be a lot of Mac-N-Cheese this week. She left around noon, so before she left, I was able to get a jog in. When I got back, Bode came running to greet me. I leaned down and gave him a hug. He pulled back and said, "You stinky Daddy." Nice.

Finally, an Auburn update. She's doing great. When Bode and I were chasing each other around the house, she wanted to play along. Obviously she's a bit slower than she used to be, but she chased after us (but we have to be careful on the tile and other slick floor surfaces). The pathology report came back on Auburn's leg. No surprise--she has bone cancer. None of her x-rays showed any tumors in other parts of her body, but in the vast majority of cases, the cancer has spread. What's interesting about this type of cancer is the main tumor (in Auburn's since-removed leg) acts as inhibitor for the rest of the cancer. Now that the leg is gone, it is likely there will be some type of metastization (is that even a word?) Anyways, untreated, most dogs will live another six months (sheesh). However, we can (and will) do chemotherapy, and this will (statistically) extend the life expectancy to 12-14 months. We asked if she'd be miserable doing chemo. The vet explained chemo for dogs is different than chemo for people. Most dogs won't get sick or anything like that. She'll be a little lethargic the day after, but usually that's the extent of it. The reason dogs don't react like humans is the intention of treatment is different. With people, the goal is to extend life as long as possible--and if the person gets violently ill, so be it. Not the case with dogs. They're trying to extend life, but they want the quality of life to be good. Auburn will get four injections, three weeks apart, and that will be the extent of it. We'll monitor, wait, hope, and see what happens. We'll enjoy this extra year (knock on wood) we have with her and see what happens. The doctors did say there are a small number of dogs that live another three or even four years. While we're realistic, we can also be optimistic.
Pleasant week to everyone.