Father's Day......2009

I started off my first Father's Day with a 5 mile walk with Nicholas. He was in the bicycle stoller having a great time while I pushed him all over Lantana for nearly 90 minutes. While we were gone Lisa started dinner in the slow cooker, tended to some of her roses, washed a few windows and started making a special dessert.

Around 2:47 pm Lisa's Dad, aka Grandpa Bruncke and his friend Carol, aka C.C. arrived. They were not only here to have a wonderful meal courtesy of Lisa, but also to spend some quality time with Schnapps, Sabian and Snickers.......and Nicholas....

Soon after their arrival Nicholas was able to say "Grandpa" as well as "C.C." This made them even more eager to give him their special gift....a new giant plastic swimming pool!! But, we knew if Nicholas saw it prior to dinner, eating would be the last thing on his mind.....so we waited...

"Hey,,,,what did you have for dinner??"

Thanks for asking.....

Lisa made her famous 8 hour and 42 minute pot roast with potatoes and carrots. This was accompanied by a salad and some hot rolls. Everything was delcious.

"Hey what about that special dessert??"

Dessert was a wonderful pumpkin cake with walnuts! Someone at the table also had a Root Beer float....I can't tell who it was but their name rhymes with, "Blampah Dunkie."

After dessert Lisa's Dad opened his gift.

He was the person who picked us up at the airport when we returned from Ukraine with Nicholas on April 24, 2009. Once we got home he was able to hold his very first grandchild for the very first time. We took a picture of this momentous occassion. This picture was then placed into a frame and became his Father's Day gift from us...


"Hey what did YOU get for Father's Day?"

Great question.....

I received many wonderful gifts from Lisa and Nicholas....including a t-shirt with a mushroom on it, a new controller for our Wii system, an I-pod docking station and the first season of Big Bang Theory on DVD......but the most wonderful gift......(besides having the best wife and son combo of all time) was my approved shopping spree at Best Buy! Next Sunday we are having our new 47 inch flat screen TV installed.....Do you know what this means?? That's right....we will soon be able to watch "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy" in glorious High Defintion...oh and maybe a sporting event or two.... :-)

I was also able to speak with my parents and siblings throughout the day and received several texts from friends and even a phone call from the one and only Mark Levine, making this a truly unforgettable day.

I hope all the other Father's out there where able to feel as blessed as I was on this special day!

Now for some photos........


Soon after arriving Grandpa Bruncke was on the ground with Nicholas reading one of his picture books....

Nicholas and Carol hit it off in no time!

Nicholas and Carol with one of his favorite picture books.

Grandpa Bruncke unwrapping his gift....

Nicholas pretending to be camera shy.......yeah right.....

The pool was a big hit!

Much like a trip to Seaworld.....our guests had to decide whether not they wanted to sit in the "Splash Zone Area"

He wanted more water so badly he pulled the entire hose in with him!

After a wonderful afternoon it was time to say "Bye-Bye" to Grandpa Bruncke and C.C.

Nicholas was not too happy to see them go since he had to get out of his new pool....he got over it pretty quickly and has been sound asleep for more than 2 and half hours as I write this at 11:51 pm....

Pictures!!!

The first of many Mommy and Nicholas Craft Projects. Lisa painted his hands and had him make a hand print on some empty pots.....more later.....

A bird visiting one of our many backyard bird feeders.

Nicholas enjoying some music while trying to sneak up on the stereo..

A local Lantana crane near our backyard soaking up some sun...

Once the pots were dry Lisa placed an ivy each pot and gave them to her friends at the CACDC.

We might make few of these for my Heartwalk raffle this Fall....

After the plants were planted they both took a break on the couch with one of his favorite picture books. Here he is pointing at a piece of cheese that he tries to eat it off the page!

Mysterious scratch number 29. We have been told that most boys have a never ending supply of bumps, bruises and scratches that appear without warning. I especially liked this scratch on his forehead only a few weeks from the opening of the next Harry Potter movie....

Nicholas loves water! The days we can't bring him to the pool, he loves to play with his Water Table in our backyard. Welcome to the SpashZone.

He also has not met a camera he didn't like. Here he is pressing his face against the sliding glass door while sticking out his tongue and holding his penguin! His talents know no bounds.

Nicholas has some fun hair....kind of like Nicholas Cage's in "Raising Arizona." If you haven't seen it please add it to your summer viewing list!

Helping Mommy plant some Marigolds..

Sitting on Daddy's bass drum case....

More Pictures....

Nicholas meeting one of his 9 first cousins: Jeffrey. He and his dad came all the way from Connecticut just to meet him.

First Cousin Jeffrey--Nicholas---my brother Steve

Cruising the mean streets of Lantana via tricycle with Poppa.

Reminding him to keep his foot on the pedals, keep his head up, keep holding the handle bars, watch where he is going, ring the bell, maintain a safe speed, use hand signals before turning, watch for ice on the road, slow down for emergency vehicles and small woodland creatures....etc., etc....

Like Batman, Mr. Nicholas has many modes of transportation! This is the wagon given to him by my parents.........AKA...Grandma and Grandpa from Woodland Hills, California!

Party Time!

On Saturday, June 13th, Nicholas attended his first ever birthday party! Our good friends Tim and Kala had a small party for their now 3 year-old daughter Kelsey. Since we live in north Texas, the temperature was around 104 when we left the house at 5:48 pm....but that didn't stop Nicholas from showing up with flowers for the birthday girl. I was able to capture that "moment" with our camera...see party pictures below!

Nicholas had a wonderful time exploring their house. (Sorry about the small hand prints on your big screen TV) He was going non stop the moment we got there. Our friends asked, "Does he ever stop?" We told them he usually only stops moving for one of the following reasons... Food, Bath time, Getting his swimsuit on or when he is sleeping. He is definitely one highly mobile bundle of boy!

T & K served grilled hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixins and Lisa brought her nearly world famous mararoni and cheese....Nicholas ate a couple bites of hot dog and lost interest. He ended up having some mac and cheese and 11 grapes. This left plenty of room for cake and ice cream! Kelsey had an amazing Princess Cake. It was a giant Pink Castle adorned with all of the Disney Princesses!

As soon as the sugar rush hit, Nicholas, Kelsey, Tim, Kala, Lisa and myself all walked across the street to a small playground. The good news was it wasn't 104 degrees anymore....the bad news was it felt like a boy band from the past outside(98 degrees) and very humid. After about an hour of vigorous playing, it was time to take our sweet small sweaty sugared up son home for a much needed bath!

And now for the pictures!

All dressed up and ready to go!

The presentation of the flowers...I know I will probaby say this many, many more times..but....this is my favorite picture!

Hanging out at Kelsey's Kitchen. I heard this place opens very early each morning!

The birthday girl!!!!

They stopped running around long enough for this staircase shot!

Kelsey was showing how to make bunnies.....this held his attention for about 17 seconds!

Playing with the giant talking aircraft carrier...

Patiently waiting to blow out her candle and start cutting pieces for her guests.



When we could not find Nicholas, Kelsey volunteered to "go get him." She did a great job!

Opening presents with Mom's help...

Dental Adventure

Soon after arriving home with Nicholas we took him to a pediatric dentist.

While in Ukraine we asked how often he brushed his teeth and were told that WE could brush his teeth when we got home.....in other words, his teeth had never been brushed!

His diagnosis of 4 cavities and two crowns was not surprising....

In order to do all of this work the dentist told us Nicholas would have to be "knocked out" by an anaesthesiologist....


Nearly a month after his initial visit, it was now time for "the procedure."


We arrived at the dentist around 10:45am on Wednesday, June 10th.

The anaesthesiologist explained how Nicholas would be given a shot in his upper thigh and fall asleep in two or three minutes.....

Nicholas was sitting on my lap when "the shot" was administered. I immediately let him stand up, while keeping a hold of him. In about 30 seconds his legs began to buckle. 15 seconds later he was OUT. I then carried him into the room where the dentist was and laid him on the exam table. I really did not enjoy seeing my son in such a lifeless state.....this little guy was always going full speed ahead....seeing him lay there was troubling.




About one hour, four cavities and two crowns later, he was done and we could go home.

We were told he should sleep for the next several hours, but if he did wake up we would need to monitor him very closely. The anaesthesia they gave him was going to make him feel as if he were drunk...as the Dr. explained.....just like a drunk person "thinks" they can drive home, Nicholas will "think" he can do any of his normal activities, but will be unable to do so safely.

Since Nicholas was not able to eat prior to the procedure, we ALL skipped breakfast and were now past lunchtime. Since he was fast asleep in his car seat we decided to pick up some sandwiches from Jersey Mike's in Flower Mound (2701 Cross Timbers Rd Flower Mound, TX....tell them Richard and Lisa and Nicholas sent you!)

It took us nearly an hour to get home...there was a lot of traffic caused by road construction and of course there was a long line at Jersey Mike's due to the awesomeness of their food.....well worth the wait....

Anyhow....once we got home we laid Nicholas down on our over sized chair and covered him with a blanket in the hopes he would sleep for a little while...

Sleep? During the day?? Our son? Nope...

After about ten minutes he began to wake up and was touching his bottom lip and cheeks. In addition to the anaesthesia he also had four small shots of Novocaine. We had to be sure he didn't try biting his lip or tongue since he would not be able to feel them for a little while. He was also putting his fingers in his mouth to "check things out."

He then summoned every bit of strength he had to get off the chair. He was only able to stand for a few seconds at a time and then he would sit on the floor.

Lisa and I took turns watching him while finishing our lunch...

Once we were done I decided to take Nicholas for a LONG walk in his stroller.....I got the sunscreen and some ice water and off we went. This allowed Lisa some time to bake some goodies for the Children's Advocacy Center, where she volunteers...

Nicholas and I were gone for over an hour and covered about 5 miles!

Once we got home he was able to walk a little better, so we knew the anaesthesia was wearing off. A couple of hours later he was back to normal!

Below is a picture of him before he decided to "try" and walk around!

First Visit To Toys R Us....

Entering the Taj Mahal of Toys!

We celebrated the day after Nicholas' 3 and half birthday with his first ever trip to Toys R Us. My parents were able to share in this very special day....they are going back to California tomorrow....we are so glad they were able to spend a few days with us. Nicholas has now met all three of his grandparents!

Sitting in the offical T.R.U. (toys r us) basket. Where I was raised we called these baskets or carts.....when I first moved to Texas I found out they were called 'buggies.'

Nicholas with Grandma and Grandpa on Aisle 7...

Nicholas meets more family & The Zoo Part Two

Thursday afternoon (June 4, 2009) my parents arrived from beautiful downtown Burbank, California to visit Lisa and I and of course to meet their ninth grandchild......Nicholas.

The 3 of us met them for dinner at the world famous Cracker Barrel Restaurant located next to their hotel. Nicholas was simply mesmorized by the waiting area which is set up like a General Store with thousands of items for sale...Nicholas immediately noticed the bicycle hanging from the ceiling and shouted out, "BICYCLE." We were seated quickly and had an enjoyable dinner. Nicholas did great and charmed the socks off of Grandma and Grandpa!

Friday afternoon two more family members arrived from the other side of the country. My brother Steve and one of his kids, Jeffrey, arrived around 4:12 and 39 seconds from Hartford, Connecticut. I left work early (don't tell my boss) and picked them up from the airport. After I dropped them off at their hotel I went home and picked up Lisa and the boy. Then the 7 of us went to dinner at at the world famous Cracker Barrel Restaurant located next to their hotel. Nicholas was simply mesmorized by the waiting area which is set up like a General Store with thousands of items for sale...Nicholas immediatley noticed a bicycle hanging from the ceiling and shouted out, "BICYCLE." We were seated quickly and had an enjoyable dinner. Nicholas did great and charmed the socks off of Grandma and Grandpa, Steve and Jeffrey!

The next morning the 7 of us went to the Fort Worth Zoo. This was the second visit for Nicholas and my parents and the first time for Steve and Jeffrey. Since Lisa and I have always loved going to the zoo we decided to get memberships for our family....anytime any of YOU want to go the Fort Worth Zoo, let us know and we will meet you there!

Nicholas seemed to bond with his grandparents, uncle and first cousin....especially his first cousin who arrived with a gigantic suitcase filled with toys donated by himself and one of his two sisters, Jackie! Thank you both so much!

Here are some Zoo II pictures:


A really big cat!

Trying to pet a calf, but the combination of "arms not long enough" and "calf not close enough" was too much to overcome! Better luck next time.

As of right now, this is Nicholas' favorite animal.....a really big"Gunkey."

Nicholas getting as close as he can to a Black Bear.

Here is something I thought I would see in our bed...An exhausted small boy after a long day at the zoo with a penguin on his head!

Things are going pretty darn good.....

Last weekend Lisa and I were able to work in the backyard for over an hour while Nicholas was napping. Lisa has been able to get him down for a nap nearly every day for the past couple of weeks....it really cuts down on his "crankiness level" if he gets a nap during the day.......we took our trusty baby monitor outside with us and were able to refill the bird feeders and clean up the patio and plant some new plants....we then woke him up and all went to the pool for some splashing! We are thinking of starting him on some swimming lessons this summer since he loves being in the water....maybe the YMCA??





Tomorrow Nicholas will be meeting his Grandma and Grandpa from California for the very first time! My parents are coming to Dallas for a few days and arrive tomorrow afternoon....then on Friday, my brother from Connecticut and his son will be arriving for a couple of days. Nicholas will be meeting his Grandparents, his second of four Uncles and his first, first cousin! In preparation he has been brushing up on his English.....here is a list of words he is now speaking on a regular basis:





ball
banana
bath
bedtime
belly
bicycle
big
bird
bonk
book
bowl
booya!
brush
bubbles
bunny
bus
bye bye
car
cartoon
cat
chair
cheese
come here
cookie
cow
cup
daddy
dog
door
down
drum
ears
egg
eyes
fan
foot
gotcha
hello
hot
inside
juice
kitty cat
leaf
light
look
microwave
milk
momma
mommy
monkey
moon
more
mouth
music
nice
nose
oooh!
ouch
phone
pig
plant
please
pool
poppa
potty
Schnapps (one of our dogs!)
sheep
shoes
sink
sleep
soup
splash
teeth
tree
truck
turtle
up
water
weeeee
wow!
wow-wow
yogurt
yum yum



We are planning to back to the Fort Worth Zoo on Saturday....we shall be there at 10am sharp if anyone else is interested in going.....if you do go be sure to check out the Texas Wildlife section....you can step on a scale and it measures your weight in Chickens, Cows and either Goats or Sheep!! Nicholas weighed 8 chickens on Memorial Day!

Patiently waiting for his baby shower to start at my office.....more photos soon!