A Trip to New Mex.....

So, Rich and I finally made our way out to New Mexico to meet the newest editions of the Baldonado family.  We both had a quick little weekend break in between semesters so we took the 7 hour scenic drive of mesas and cacti to the land of babyville.  I must say that we have only been home for a few short hours and I already miss all three of the boys.  Jacob and Noah are the cutest little babies ever and they have the most loving big brother I have ever seen.  Jeremiah constantly reminds his brothers how much he loves them by kissing them, talking to them, and holding their hands. It was a very, very, cute site to see.  Another site to see was Richard changing his first diaper... =)  Finally, the boy is willing to get his hands dirty...literally.  On another note, we were lucky enough to stay in the new Baldonado residence.  The house is just beautiful and Kristen and Anthony have done such a nice job decorating and turning into quite the home for the boys.  Anyway, when you get a chance check out the new pictures of the boys.  

CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS!

Shaq is classy.

Seriously Shaq...grow up.

EDIT:

G.I. Joe to the Rescue.

Shaq booted from sheriff's 'posse' for Kobe rap
Tue Jun 24, 7:02 PM ET
PHOENIX - Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year.

Dave the Cat. Pro's and Cons.

Cats. 

So many of us have them...and sometimes I wonder why. Take our cat, Dave, for instance. No, seriously, take him. Kidding, Dave stays...but I thought I would try to weigh some of the positives and negatives of having a feline around...specifically Dave.

Dave the Cat.

Pros: 

-Looks cute sometimes

-Plays nice with kids (Declawed in the front as well)

-Dances

-Kills and Disposes of Mice/Bugs

CONS:

-Sheds on everything, everywhere

-Hairballs frequently

-Pukes frequently

-Meows Frequently for No Reason

-Lays down at your feet, pokes you with cold nose, then attacks your toes shortly thereafter.

-Smelly Litter Box Requires Frequent Cleaning/Scooping

-Food Smells Up Kitchen

-Tries to or Sometimes Actually Sneaks Out When You Open the Door

-As of late, he passes gas. Not a joke. Cats Fart. 

...Ah, what am I sayin'. He is nice to have around...and he can be pretty cute/fun. Anyway, as long as we have some carpet cleaner, lint rollers, cat litter deodorizer, plenty of cat food, socks, and a closed gate at all times, we will be just fine! Good Old Dave...still pawin' along. He DID survive being hit by a car, however I think that contributes to his now excessively "loving" personality....and that's all I have to say about that.

-Rich

Twins!

As everyone already knows by now, my Sister had Jacob and Noah yesterday. I have posted pics and everything over at our website:

http://www.richardandmegan.com/RichardAndMegan/The_Twins%21.html

Can I just say how cool it is to have Noah's middle name be Richard? I am so proud and I'm proud of my Sister for carrying over 14 lbs of baby around for so long!

Twins! Congrats Sis!

-Rich

Summer So Far...

Summer at South River so far has been like a summer should be, relaxed. Up until June, we spent most all of summer so far in California and capped it with a trip to Hawaii. We began by making the usual long but always enjoyable Phoenix to LA drive. Shortly thereafter we attended a graduation and going away party for my good friend, also named Richard. He graduated Pepperdine Law and is now living and working in fabulous Las Vegas….as a lawyer of course. While at the party we had the privilege of watching him propose to his girlfriend Kyleen, We were two of only a small group who knew he was doing it so that made it pretty fun to watch. Here is a picture below of the happy new engaged couple!

After that we visited with Megan’s family for a few days and I have to throw in the fact that while we were sleeping one morning at her house a stained glass window literally fell out of its spot in the window 20 feet up. It just plain fell and crashed all over the floor. It was the loudest most effective alarm clock I have ever heard. Odd, isn’t it? Apparently it had been sitting in the same spot for 8 years.

On the Left: Stained Glass Window that DIDN'T Fall. On the Right: Empty Blank Glass Window

This is the window after it fell to the floor, hitting a stool on the way down. Not that much damage compared to what we THOUGHT it would look like based on the loud, loud, loud crash.

Anyway, we were able to get out and go to Universal Studios Hollywood. We went on a weekday and there was literally NO ONE there. It was fun, we took some pics and they are up on our website. You can see em by clicking HERE. A few notes: It was cool to go on King Kong considering it is now damaged and who knows how it will turn out after the fire that destroyed a lot of the backlot. I now feel lucky to have seen that clocktower from Back to the Future. Sad that it had to burn up. The Simpsons ride is cool, but it got me very, very motion sick. I don't usually get motion sick but man this ride did it to me. Megan didn't feel so great after either. I don't know what it was, but we agreed we liked Back to the Future way better. Jurassic Park is still awesome. Besides the rides we saw some shows...and here is a little advice for them: Although the gag where the seat in front of you shoots water in your face is a good one, it doesn't need to be repeated FIVE TIMES during each show. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Citywalk and overall had a great day visiting. 

On the 22nd we were off to Hawaii. We went to Waikiki with My Dad and Jane. It was a really fun trip, despite the fact that it was only about 4 days. To start, our hotel and an AMAZING breakfast buffet. I never eat breakfast really unless it is eggs or a diet bar. These breakfasts were unbelievable. So much good stuff. I miss it just thinking about it.

Waikiki Beach and Hotels

The first night we went to a Luau at Paradise Cove. Highlights included some fun activities and the Samoan Fire Dancer. I want to put up some vids of him but that will take some time. The next day Megan and I went on a tour based on the TV show LOST on ABC. Megan and I are big LOST fans and we had a great time. Not only did we see a lot of cool places where the show is filmed but we saw tons of the beautiful island that we wouldn't have otherwise. That night we had an always amazing dinner at Ruth's Chris. It was located on the second story of a very nicely made beach walk full of cool shops. The next day we snorkeled at Hanauma Bay for a bit. It was beautiful there as expected, and we got to see some pretty nice sights in the water. That night we took a Sunset Dinner Cruise which was highlighted by fresh whole main Lobsters. I don't know about you, but I think I learned I'm not really a lobster guy. By lobster I mean a whole lobster...staring at you...those beady eyes....but I digress. The next and last day, Monday, we boarded a Multi-Million dollar boat and took it to a cove where we got to do some more snorkeling...this time in deep waters. We saw more neat fish and a few sea turtles up close and personal. We also stopped by and observed hundreds of dolphins hanging out in the bay. Waikiki was really a good time. Megan and I enjoyed ourselves, as did my Dad and Jane. I know I made the trip sound short and brief but I didn't want to bore you with all the details. I tried to highlight the main stuff for everyone. There are a bunch of pics you can take a look at if you want to by clicking HERE.

Where we Snorkeled-Hanauma Bay 

So with that trip ended our "Summer Vacation" and we headed back to Tempe so I could start a busy summer session and Megan could start her graduate program! It's going to be a rough summer and Megan's first Arizona summer so it will be interesting to see how she handles the heat! Lucky for her she is already with such a 'hot' guy that she should be OK. Alright, I tried to keep this brief and as always you can check out our website for pics at RichardandMegan.com!

-Rich

Pets.

I thought I would take a few minutes and point out some of the pets that enrich our lives.

Most of you know my Dog, Billy, who has his own gallery here: Billy's Pictures!

Most of you do NOT know about a few of the other pets in our lives. We do not have a dog as cute as April and James, but is it isn't for lack of desire, we just can't keep a dog in our condo. Anyway, onto pet's.

First there is Dave. Dave is named after Dave Matthews, named by my sister years ago when we got him. He has lived with my Mom up until this past year until I made the decision to care for him. He has survived being hit by a car however after the car crash his level of "meow meow love me attention meow" has gone up exponentially. In this photo Dave is participating in a game Megan and I call "How Much Stuff Can We Put On Dave Before He Moves?" We play this game when Dave lays in spots he shouldn't and tries to bite us when we attempt to move him. 

In this next photo are Megan's really, really cute dogs from home. Her dog, Emmy, is looking at the camera while the slightly older and slower Cleo is on the right. They are really well trained, really friendly, just all around awesome dogs. After spending some time with them I have a feeling Bichon's will be the dog of choice in our place of residence. 

Last but not least is Megan's cat Missy Vera, seen here in a rare photo. Missy Vera does not allow many photos to be taken however there is speculation Vera may be on her way to Arizona sometime in the future. Missy has a lot of personality and loves to attack your toes while you are laying in bed. She is a siamese, if you please. 

...and that wraps it up. Just wanted to throw out the names of some of the animals that make our lives that much more interesting. For those of you who found stuff on Dave amusing...check out STUFF ON MY CAT. Click the link. Do it.

-Rich

Boys and Girls...This is your new teacher...

Some pretty big news that I am proud to announce. Megan was recently accepted and has now begun the Masters/Teaching Graduate Program at Arizona State University. It is a VERY intense one year program that earns her not only a Masters in Education but gives you the credentials you need to go out and start teaching. To give you an idea of the difficulty…last year 22 students were accepted and only 11 finished. She knows way more than I do about it but it is very exciting and she is going to be realllllly busy over the next year but I have no doubt she will finish and be an amazing teacher!

Good Luck Megan!

-Rich