We recently returned from a trip down to California to visit family. First Katie and Alton flew to Sacramento to Grammy and Grandpa Rhyne's house (Andy flew separately because he was flying straight to Sac from a business trip in GERMANY--I'll let him post on his own about that experience) before the whole fam readied for Zach and Karen's baby shower over the weekend. Jennifer and Charlie (that's Grammy and Grandpa) made enough summer salads to feed an army while Katie and Alton (Alton really not so much) made a beautiful diaper cake centerpiece to give to the parents-to-be. I hate to toot my own horn, but just call me Satchmo.... 
Zach and Karen have created a really beautiful nursery for their baby girl (coming soon!) and Zach was prepping for fatherhood by holding his nephew Alton and putting Altie down for a nap. Alton responded in kind by picking Zach's pocket. Attaboy.
We had a very nice, but too short, time with the Rhynes and we look forward to visiting again after Baby Girl Rhyne is born, Alton's first cousin. He slept like a baby, if you'll pardon the expression, while we were there and enjoyed meeting Minerva's doppelganger Tye and his first CAT sighting at the Rhynefarm.
After the shower fun and Andy had to fly home to Oregon, Nonna and Papa Carnine (Pam and Steve if you're so inclined) drove Alton and me down to Santa Maria for a week of family fun. Alton got to meet (great) Aunties Coleen, May and Linda and Uncle Steve for the first time, and also visited his Great Grandparents Shirley and Don. He charmed everyone, of course, and while he was with his great-grandparents he rolled over from back to tummy on his own for the first time! Talk about wowing the crowd! We stayed with Aunt Cari and Tio Julio and he got to meet Jack zip-zipping around for Altie's viewing pleasure. We had Alton's portraits taken (more on those later), made his first trip to In 'n Out (sigh), enjoyed several nights of Papa's barbequeing and Nonna's hearty Italian cooking, hit the Pismo outlets and generally stole hearts and charmed all his path.
Alton and his Nonna at Jack's Restaurant in Orcutt
With Auntie Coleen
Katie's Cousin Maelle with Alton
Funny Faces with Tio Julio
Sittin' around with Papa
Bath time with Nonna
Ready for bed
Ready for anything!
Alton doing his latest fun move: he grabs his feet! The "reverse crunch" move has been a favorite for awhile now, but up until the past few days he would just fling his feet backwards into the air, hiking his butt up in what we call the "reverse crunch." Then he added a roll to the side, and now the latest piece of flair in his collection is to grab his toes when he hoists them up to the sky. He tries so hard to get them into his mouth, and once in a while he succeeds, but either way he has a squawky good time.
So here it is... my first post. Since it's such a big project and Katie's mentioned it a couple of times, I thought I'd shoot out an update on the doghouse.
History: So now that we have a yard for the Nerve, we thought this would be a perfect time for her to spend all the time she wants outside and enjoy the sun - what little of it there is. So we installed a dog door and that gets her outside whenever she likes. Now we needed to keep her motivated to STAY out there. So I started researching doghouses. Apparently, they are a lot more complicated then the standard A-frame house that snoopy lived in (on).
The Plan: So the house I have chosen to build is actually two rooms - one as the "entry" and one where she actually resides. This separation is primarily to keep the weather out of the sleeping quarters and keep her comfy. Also, I am building the DELUXE version of this house - one that is double-walled with insulation to keep the interior relatively neutral. The roof will be hinged for occasional cleanings since Minerva continuously attempts to clone herself by dropping as much fur on the ground as possible. The last touch - there will be a small window in the front wall that can be opened to help air circulate on really hot days (I'm told they exist). The whole thing will be painted on the outside for weathering with paint that has been left over here. There's a lot of left over paint and I'm hoping that one of those cans matches the house. We'll see. I'm thinking carpet for the floor, but that thin office type carpet that you can buy in squares. In the end, Minerva's small round bed, the "kitty cat bed" as we call it, will go in her new quarters.
The Progress: So far the basic shape has emerged. The floor and exterior walls are together. A couple of the walls have insulation and the inner walls. There's still about 2/3 of this step to go. The roof is cut, but needs its basic frame to keep it square and keep it from warping. The window hole is cut, but the window itself still needs to be fabricated. And after everything is done, the whole thing needs to be painted for weather proofing. Lastly, the roof needs to be done - this will be done later mostly to spread out costs and since the rainy season is "almost over," rain shouldn't be a problem. The entry door still needs to be cut and will be done near the end of the project. And of course, the painting and finishing details. Yeesh, it sounds like a lot more when I write it out. 
One of the items on our roster for Memorial Day weekend was for Andy to put together Alton's Exersaucer (a gift from our friend Micki!) since he is big and strong enough to hold himself up while sitting in it. He looooves it. It's a riot of color and sound in a frogs/ducks/pond/bugs theme. There is music with counting and colors and shapes and a plush froggie and flowers and fish and he it so cute when he plays with it.
