happy birthday mommy

Today is HotMomma's Birthday! Z-Dub is celebrating in song and dance.

oh, hello blog

Wow, it's been two weeks since I've posted. Time sure does fly. My hectic work schedule is my excuse, of course. It's true too. The work load has been insane. Meanwhile, it seems that life just keeps zooming by at the speed of light. I can't frickin' believe it's September already. Christmas is just around the corner. Even more surprising is that The Deuce turns one in November and it'll be here in a flash. I wish things would just slow down a bit. Perhaps a relaxing, slow-paced vacation is in order. But enough about that.

So what's going on in the iVegasFamily house? Well, Z-Dub is in school and is seems to be doing well. He fights me every morning when I drop him off, but embraces the whole thing once I leave. He's learning a lot, like the calendar, how to write, Spanish, etc. We bought him a dry-erase activity book that he works on at home as well. Our goal in the coming weeks is to get him writing his name without assistance. He's well on his way, although he still says his name is spelled "Eueeuue." I don't know where his obsession with "e" and "u" originated. It's a little peculiar.

As for The Deuce, he's now pointing and trying to talk and walk. He's a rambunctious little dude with a hot temper as well. I have a feeling he's going to be a handful when he becomes mobile. He and Z-Dub have been playing well together though. It's amazing to watch their interactions.

As for HotMomma, well tomorrow's her birthday. She's turning 29. We'll be celebrating this weekend. It should be a lot of fun.

That's a quick and dirty update. I'll leave you with a video of Z-Dub playing Wii Bowling for the very first time. He actually did very well for a newbie. He bowled a 74.

a vegasdad rant

Why, oh, why does Z-Dub all of a sudden not want to sleep at night? I'm not kidding when I say he gets out of bed a minimum of 15 times a night for various reasons. This has been going on for about two weeks now and it's annoying the crap out of me. We've tried preventing him from napping during the day. We've even tried keeping him up later in the evening. All of our approaches to resolve this new bedtime ritual have failed miserably. It's frickin' annoying. It's interrupting "Daddy and Mommy time."

Now, changing the subject completely, why would Discovery Channel think it's smart to air "Shark Week" in the middle of summer when throngs of vacationers are visiting beaches across the country? Talk about scaring us out of the water. Luckily, we're in Las Vegas and the only real scary creatures at our beaches -- sand bottom hotel/resort pools -- are overweight, old and hairy Eurotourists who think it's fashionable to wear speedos. Having one of them bend over in front of you can cause severe illness and possibly death. That's why we prefer the more private pool cabanas. They also make us feel like rock stars.

Finally, I'm annoyed with myself for not finding more time to update this blog. A lot of it has to do with my hectic schedule lately. Also, the kids have been wacko lately. Now that The Deuce is mobile, it seems that all we do is try to prevent him from hurting himself. Speaking of The Deuce, he has one voracious appetite. I thought Z-Dub was going to eat us to the poor house, but we're quickly realizing that our more plump infant is even more of a pig. It's no wonder he's only 14 lbs. lighter than his three-year-old brother.

That's all.

oink...

It has been a miserable few days in the house. After barely surviving the Vegas heat on Sunday, in the evening I felt like I got hit by a freight train. I thought it was the heat at first, but I now realize that it was obviously my illness emerging.

On Monday I went to work in a somewhat incoherent state, which got worse as the morning wore on. Finally, at around 11 a.m., barely able to walk and talk, I went straight to urgent care. I had a fever, malaise, headache, etc. After a quick examination, it was determined that I have flu. They ran a test to see if I have the swine kind, but the results won't be available for some days. Although, if whether it's swine flu or the regular flu, it's still flu.

I was prescribed Tamiflu and some medicine for the body aches and have been in bed since Monday. Today, I feel about 75 percent better than I felt on Sunday night. I'm hoping some more rest today will get me back on my feet and back to work tomorrow. I hate being home sick. There's nothing to do during my awake time. Daytime television SUCKS! It's nothing but court and talk programs and soap operas. I ended up watching some programs on Hulu.com to keep my sanity.

I also miss the kids. I haven't seen them in two days because I've been quarantined by HotMomma. She even took the kids to her mom's house and stayed there last night. We don't want the kids to contract this flu. That would be horrible to deal with.

I'm feeling sleepy now...back to bed for rest.

in love...

Yes, I'm in love. I'm in love with this:

And I haven't even met her yet. I ordered her online like a Russian bride. Except what I ordered is much better. She speaks my language. She'll be delivered next week.

The wait for delivery is killing me. I'm giddy with anticipation. I can't wait to undress unwrap her and run my fingers along her smooth, soft metallic body.

Guys and their technology...there's no love like it in the world. Sorry HotMomma.

i'm back

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated the blog. The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur. Not only had I a lot to do at work, followed by a two week vacation, but I was also having some health issues checked out. Luckily, all is okay with me and it's time to get back into the swing of things. I've neglected my blog so much that I probably don't have any loyal readers anymore. I hope to redeem myself in the coming weeks with new posts and a renewed effort to read everyone else's great posts.

Of course, it's very late...actually, now that I just looked at the clock, it's very early. So instead of a full blown post, I'll leave you with this video of our vacation earlier this week. As you'll see, the family had a great time. We stayed at the Catamaran Beach Resort and Spa on Mission Bay. It was nice to escape the heat of Las Vegas.

To all of our American readers, Happy 4th of July. To our Brit friends, no hard feelings, of course.

school, vacation and buffness

It's an exciting day today. In about 20 minutes Z-Dub is returning to school after 6 months at home. I think we're more excited than he is, but at least there's excitement. I know what you're wondering, "why is he starting school in the summer!?!" Actually, it's a summer academy in preparation for preschool in the fall. He's going to have a lot of fun as each week is themed, such as art, music, travel, culture, etc. I'm sure he'll learn a lot. And he's going to have an instant classmate as his cousin is enrolled as well.

HotMomma is looking forward to having a break. Z-Dub has been a handful lately. He needs an outlet for his energy and imagination. School is the perfect place. Besides, when it finally get's Vegas hot (it's been unseasonably cool this June), it's difficult to find things for him to do because outdoors isn't an option during the daylight hours. A lot of the time it's even too hot for swimming in the pool. He can only watch so much Wonder Pets!

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You may remember my rant about our elusive vacation. Well, with health issues resolved and two weeks off from work beginning this weekend, I took the plunge and booked us a trip. We're not going to go too far from home, but it's a vacation none-the-less. Z-Dub is going to have a blast here. I'm looking forward to chillaxing on the beach.

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Finally, with my renewed workout regimen in full swing with noticeable results, I'll have no issues with being topless on the beach. Queue the paparazzi. By the way, what are your thoughts on manscaping?

progress

My quest for renewed buffness is in full swing. I started this mission a month ago after realizing I look pretty ridiculous at the pool with my spaghetti arms and chicken legs. Not to mention my non-existent ass. I know...too much information.

Since I made this declaration, I've been working out fairly consistant -- at least four evenings a week. I think I can see a difference. HotMomma says she does, but I don't know if she's just saying it to build my confidence. Hopefully she's not f#%king with me.

Now that I'm back to working out regularly, I also want to get into something to get the heart pounding, blood flowing and sweat pouring. Yesterday, as I was driving to work I passed at least 15 people out for a morning run. It made me think I want to start doing that again. Years ago I used to do it in the evenings. I would put my headphones on and just take off. It was exhilirating.

Right now it's too hot during the day, but early morning, just as the sun creeps over Sunrise Mountain in the east, the weather is ideal. It's warm, but not too warm. So I think in the next week or two I'm going to start. And I think I'll keep my shirt on for now.

First thing's first though...I need to buy new running shoes. After a recent purge of old and worn out shoes, I'm down to only dress shoes for work and sandals. It's time for a trip to the outlet mall.

a deserving mother

The rules are simple over at Uptake.com -- write a post about why you deserve a “Spa Girl Package” and you can win a trip for four to the Silverado Resort in NapaValley. Despite what some of you may think, based upon what I’ve got going on downstairs I’m definitely not a girl, but HotMomma is. And she’d love a spa getaway with her BFFs. So instead of talking about me, I’m going to deviate from the rules a bit and write about why she deserves to win. Actually, I’m going to give four good (and hopefully compelling) reasons:

1. She's been begging me for a trip to the beautiful Napa Valley and I still haven't come through with my promise to get her there. How many years has it been? Too many to count.

2. The last time I surprised her with a spa treat it turned into a bit of a disaster. Her prized diamond necklace -- a family heirloom that has been passed down three generations -- was lost in the spa and never found. It turned what would have been a relaxing time into one of heartache and tears.

3. Our three year old had surgery last weekend to remove his tonsils, adenoids and get tubes in his ears. He's been in a miserable whiny state ever since. And to make matters worse, he's been treating HotMomma like crap ever since, clingy to his Daddy (yep, me) like a leech and being totally disrespectful to his concerned mother who wants nothing more than to comfort her first born. It's been a bit of a slap in her face and she's feeling down because of it.

4. Mother's Day was a week ago and I still haven't gotten her a gift. Pathetic, I know.

As you can see, HotMomma NEEDS this trip. It will not only provide her an opportunity to rejuvenate, but will also get me out of the dog house. Okay, not completely out of the dog house. Perhaps just one foot. Every little bit helps.

on the mend

Z-Dub had his tonsils and adenoids removed and new tubes put in his ears early Saturday morning and then spent the entire day and overnight in the hospital. He was discharged midday on Sunday.

Since we arrived home he's been recovering at a very past pace, without requiring any pain medication. However, he's very grumpy because he's on a strict liquid and soft food diet. Z-Dub is a little weird because he doesn't want Jello, pudding, popsicles and ice cream. Instead he begs for chicken, hot dogs, pizza, chips, french fries and popcorn. HotMomma did break down and made him some Orzo pasta with parmesan and romano cheese mixed in it. He seemed to like it and it was soft enough for his throat.

Other than the diet thing he's also been very clingy to me, which has been a bit of a slap in HotMomma's face since it was Mother's Day weekend. I have no idea why, but all Z-Dub wants is his Daddy. It's almost annoying though.

Thank you to everyone here and on Facebook for your well wishes. We appreciate it very much.

Just after surgery, all Z-Dub wanted to do was sleep.

A visit from his Grandma.

Later in the evening he got a visit with his bro The Deuce.

Doing great!

Waiting to get that damned IV out of his arm and go home.

blame it on the parents

The other day, while HotMomma was off with her friends having "mommy" time, I took Z-Dub and The Deuce to Target with me to pick up a few things (diapers). While driving up St. Rose Parkway, all of a sudden I realized that Z-Dub was singing along with the song playing on the radio. He seemed to know most, if not all, of the words of the chorus. This was the song:



At least the song teaches life lessons. Right?

Like, if you get her drunk she'll take her panties off.

a post of randomness

Oh dear blog, how I've neglected you. It's been five days since my last post. And, frankly, my last post was nothing more than an embedded You Tube video. Not much to it really. 

Life has been kind of crazy lately. We've been reinforcing the potty training with Z-Dub. He's starting his third week diaper free. He's had a few accidents, but that's expected. He gets distracted by "fun" and forgets that he's not wearing a diaper. He also tends to "hold it" too long before telling us he has to go. As a result, some of his accidents have been while his pants were coming off to use the toilet. 

Speaking of Z-Dub, he's turned into a raging three-year-old lately. He's literally a back-talking, hitting, stubborn brat of a boy. We're working hard to get him under control, but let's face it, he's three and it's how kids his age act. We're trying to find a healthy balance of discipline and positive reinforcement when he's being good. So far, the most effective punishment is withholding toys. And threatening kidnap by pirates seems to be working as well. He scoffs at time out. 

Meanwhile, little The Deuce just keeps eating, pooping and growing. He's been teething lately, so he's a little on the grumpy side. Not too bad though. With the warm weather, he's been enjoying time at the pool. In celebration of a friend's birthday, we had a private cabana and pool at Green Valley Ranch Resort yesterday. The weather was beautiful and The Deuce and Z-Dub and their cousins had a blast splashing in the pool. They also like the endless parade of delicious food. I enjoyed one too many mojitos. It was a great day. 

Want proof, here's some pics.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we got Z-Dub one of these over the weekend:

It's a Disney's Cars television set. It was an award for all of his peeing and pooping in the toilet. It'll also be great to "take away" as punishment for bad behavior. Just thinking ahead.

he said what?

Last night, as we were leaving a restaurant, Z-Dub blurts out "we drive in Mommy's dirty ass car." HotMomma and I were shocked, but at the same time, tried to hold back giggles as he repeated "Mommy, you have a dirty ass car."

He was instructed not to say that anymore, even though his observation of the state of Mommy's car was more than accurate.

Lessons learned: clean the car and watch your mouth around the little ones. They're like sponges.

red rocks and stuff

When HotMomma and I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years, we used to enjoy our road trips up to Sedona. It was absolutely beautiful up there among the red buttes. We took off-road jeep tours on the rugged terrain, explored weird vortexes and enjoyed the great restaurants. It was amazing.

Thinking of these past trips, I decided to write an Uptake post on vacationing in Sedona. Of course, now I'm feeling all nostalgic. The article has inspired me to look at booking a Sedona vacation. Although, I'm thinking more of a romantical vacation sans kiddos.

Check out my Sedona post here.

random post about weather and a contest

Like my uber-creative title? I know...it sucks. It's Wednesday and I'm already burnt out from my week, so don't make fun of it.

On to the post. Is it me or is the weather getting freaky? Just two days ago it was in the mid-80s here in Las Vegas. Then the winds came again (they've been a pain in the ass this year) and the weather chilled. Today is supposed to only reach 58. Even more shocking was the fact that when I stepped out the door this morning to head to work it was snowing. Seriously...frickin' snowing in Vegas in mid-April. There's something very wrong with that.

Even more surprising is the fact that the weather predictors are forecasting 90-degree temps by the end of the weekend. It's quite a roller coaster ride going from warm to cold to hot all in the span of a few days. Although I'm not a fan of the cold, I'm definitely not looking forward to the hot weather. I'd like a few weeks in the 70s, like in California. We're going to try to hit Disneyland again next weekend. Hopefully the weather will be perfect.

Speaking of California, the folks over at UpTake are having a contest. You can win a Napa Valley spa vacation for you and three friends. Check out the details here. It's actually really easy to enter, so you'd be a fool not to. I would, if I could. HotMomma would love some girl time in Napa Valley.

the weird dream

Ever have a really weird, vivid dream; the kind of dream that you remember every little detail of? I had such a dream last night and I'm still trying to analyze it.

HotMomma, Z-Dub, The Deuce and I were being chased by mobsters and the police simultaneously. We were in a strange city, which, based on the signs, turned out to be Jacksonville, Florida, even though it looked nothing like Jacksonville. There were big hills in the city, like in San Francisco.

At different points in the dream were at the beach, hiding among the throngs of sunbathers. Later we were hiding in a mall and a used car dealership lot. It was there that HotMomma surprised me with her car theft skills as she hot wired a beat up, old, orange VW Bus. Later we were involved in a high speed chase with the police and it did very well around the curves considering the kind of vehicle it was. Later we were on a cruise ship as it was exiting a bay. With the police on board, we jumped off into the water and magically ended up on jet skis. From there we were being chased by mobsters in speed boats. Throughout the dream, innocent folks were falling victim, but somehow we always eluded capture. It was very Jason Bourne.

The dream ended with a real yelp from The Deuce, indicating that he was awake and ready to eat. Just before that happened, in the dream we sought sanctuary in the home of a very nice and helpful lesbian woman who was in the middle of shampooing her carpet. Not that carpet, you perv!

Disney Vacay Montage

We're back from our short Disneyland vacation to celebrate Z-Dub's third birthday. It was a fun and exhausting trip and Z-Dub had a blast. We took hundreds of photos, of course, but I thought I'd share just a few. I'm playing catch-up at work today and will be back to regular posting (and reading) tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy!!!

Ready for blast off!

Z-Dub's shirt says "Big Brother: Honor and Defend" and The Deuce's says "Little Brother: Search and Destroy."

Mom and son.

A Goofy encounter.

Excited for Autopia.

Sukita (cousin) and Z-Dub.

Still in line.

HotMomma and cousin DP.

HotMomma and her cousins from Sactown and little DP at Space Mountain.

HotMomma and me.

What's Z-Dub looking at? Perhaps the giant, talking Buzz Lightyear.

Goofing off.

The teacups at night. I couldn't catch a photo of Z-Dub riding. It was too fast for the camera at night.

The Deuce and his Auntie.

Enjoying the fireworks.

The fireworks.

Z-Dub shows off one of his Birthday presents.

Also, Z-Dub refers to Donald Duck as "Donald THE Duck." It's funny when he says it.

And, finally, we fly a lot, but the short 36-minute flight home from SNA to LAS was one of the scariest we've ever experienced on account of the wind. HotMomma was reciting Hail Mary's as I sat in my chair with   white knuckles. Luckily we all made it home in one piece.

curious case of the half bald boy

Some of you may have noticed very few photos lately of The Deuce on this here site. It's not that I haven't overlooked the little fellow. He's the center of attention at our house.

The reason, I'm embarrassed to admit, is bad hair. You see, both Z-Dub and The Deuce were born with a full head of thick black hair. Unfortunately, it falls out shortly after birth, growing back later in a lighter brown hue. In Z-Dub's case, his hair fell out quickly leaving a nice, round and bald melon. For The Deuce, the hair loss has been less than kind. The hair has fallen out on the left side of his head, but the right side, most of the top and back of his head still has thick and long black hair. The remaining hair, particularly on the sides, seems to be coming off slowly.

It simply looks funny.

Want proof?

Here's Z-Dub at four months old.

Here's The Deuce this morning, just a week from four months.

It sort of resembles the hair style of Kim Jong-il. Am I right?

I have a solution...shave the kid's head with some clippers. HotMomma won't let me. What do you think, leave it be or shave it off?

Or, am I a complete ass for caring so much about it?

bitter sweet rejuvenation

Yesterday we got our massages at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa as planned. It was great. The tension headache I've endured for the past week is finally gone and I feel good.

We arrived at the spa for our 5 p.m. rub downs a few minutes early. At check in I was informed that I was set up with a dude masseuse. HotMomma was paired with a female. I've never had a massage by a guy before, so I felt a little uneasy at first. The thought of a guy lubing up and rubbing my naked body down from head to toe was just weird. So much so that when I went back to the luxurious locker room to remove my clothing and sport a comfy robe, I actually kept my skivvies on. I felt like a weirdo going into the a massage with my boxers on. Kind of like a redneck that has no clue about spa etiquette.

Anyways, I'm so glad I had that dude massage me. I learned that a man's hands get the job done. It felt GOOD. Now, let the jokes begin.

As for HotMomma, she enjoyed her massage as well. However, afterwards she mentioned that she'd like a guy next time. Apparently the girl wasn't rough enough (again, let the jokes begin).

Everything was great until this morning though. That's when HotMomma realized that she accidentally left her necklace, a family heirloom, in the massage suite.She was freakin' out. Apparently she forgot to take it off in the women's locker room and the masseuse requested that she take it off in the suite. She set it on the counter and totally forgot. Now it's nowhere to be found. HotMomma has spoken to the manager of the spa and they're searching high and low for it. HotMomma is switching from anger to sulking this afternoon as she eagerly awaits a call that it's been found. Unfortunately, my guess is somebody swiped it. But a very classy place like that must do anything and everything to find it or do something to make up for it. Although, nothing of monetary value can replace the sentimental value of that necklace.

So much for my romantical plan. A lost necklace ruined everything. That and the fat naked guy I saw boiling in the men's hot tub. That was gross.

mommy and daddy need a break

Valentine's Day wasn't very special this year. We just had too much going on. That, and we had family visiting as well. So to make up for it, I've made plans for a special Sunday evening with the exceptionally hot HotMomma. The reservations are made and arrangements are made to pawn the kids off with family.

It's not a secret, so I'll share. We'll first be getting a couples massage here.

We'll follow that up with dinner here.

I can't wait. Not only will it provide a relaxing and romantical evening for me and my girl. It will also provide some material for Uptake. I've been slackin' a bit with my writing. My day job has been horrifically busy, leaving me incredibly exhausted in the evening. All I've wanted to do is sleep.

I think this late Valentine's Day celebration will be rejuvenating.