Tuesday, December 25, 2007

christmas day

Sunday, December 16, 2007

We have smiles!


DSC03061.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
life just gets better when they start to smile. Lately he needs a burp at 5:30 and we have a cooing/ smile fest. We are so smitten.
We haveen been so busy, with so many stories. Jenna has had a few woppers, Milo has quite a week too. Santa told him to be a good boy!

does this work?

try to reach us on the computer.... you know chris, he is always doing something

Monday, December 03, 2007

an update.



Originally uploaded by zavodk
Howdy every one. Sorry I have been slow with the posts, two tends to keep you on your toes. Nate has been a dream, sleep followed by a few hours of" quiet alert" time. We have been nocked over with love for this little guy. Then there is Milo. I have thinking about how to sum him up right now. Complicated is close. He is still very happy and boisterous, add teething, a desire not to have any coat on, and a loud voice. The real kicker is his need to disagree, about everything. "dad/mom I want lunch/ snack now!" we say ok make the food then he says I'm not hungry! I don't want that! No No No! Anyway it can go on like that for awhile. Let's just say milo is very "perticular" thank God for mr bean

Friday, November 30, 2007

It's teething time!



Originally uploaded by zavodk
No, no it isn't Nate yet. It is milo at the moment. He is working on his molars. His disposition has been as "sunny" as we are used to. I reckonended Wisky but, jenna went the tradtional method. ( mallet over head) the other day me and milo went to the Franklin Institute, to give mom some space. I think milo had just as much fun riding mass transit around town than at the "Tute" I really wanted to go for myslef. I tried to bribe him with icecream to sit through a planeterium? show.
It lasted 5 minutes. He was brave most of the day and they had slot of things geared for his age. We even ran into a "cuz" while we were there!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Warm seasons


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
hi every body. We had a lovley walk through the woods the other day. Milo likes leading the hike. Nate was happy just napping in the sling. Ever thing is still settling down, it goes from to easy, to pulling our hair out. When we get out of the house things go much better. It helps when the temp is 60! It gives me plenty of time to seal up the house for whenever the cold comes.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Party time!



Originally uploaded by zavodk
hey every body! It is about that time to start putting on the winter weight! Alas, I'm without Hampsire ale....
Nate is great, he is putting on the ounces! We are having alot more fun rhyming with his name, (try rhyming milo!) but milo still doesn't like us singing anyway. The new name for the baby is blanket, just to keep you updated. Greatgrand mom got to meet the little one, and watch the "birds"
We hope every one has fun dancing, I know we will!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

cheeky? Or filling out your diaper?


cheeky
Originally uploaded by zavodk
...you can take a guess witch one it is. Nate is now upto 2 solid hours of quiet alert time. That isn't all at once, maybe 5 minutes at a time, but it adds up. His eyes look as if they are going to be blue, but you never know. Milo says that he might like this brother thing, you just have to highlight the positives! ( like more toys!) I thought I should bring it up here first, but this year we would like every one to skip Big box store toys for handmade/ artistic/ educational items. We have to much at this point, also who can guarantee that it can't poison them! We love every one for their role they play in our family. Give the gift of time!
(easier for some than others) we understand!
P.S. Nate got to go to his first funeral. a good time was had by all!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

big brother ness


big brother
Originally uploaded by zavodk
hi everybody. Well the first week is over, and we made it. Nate has been very helpfull by being a heavy sleeper. Milo goes through times of "very excited-ness" to not wanting to grow up. He has slowly been convincing him self about the rolls of being a big brother. First it was concern about the baby getting bigger, he felt better when he realized be still would be older and "stronger". That turned to wanting Nate to be crawling and watching milo play with his toys. This morning be said that boys make better brothers, and faster and stronger! All in time we knew he would come around, now if we can only get jim to stop using the F bomb!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Out the door


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well, there is so much to say. Jenna is doing good almost back to normal. Milo is ok, he really wanted a sister. He asked if we can take the baby back. We did happen across a pair of spiderman skate/shoes at "the army" store, so everything is ok now. Nate is still on the "lights" so we are waiting to see if we need to go back to the hospital

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Plum tuckered


DSC02848.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
I am almost speechless, another love of my life. We are all well, not together, but all loved.
I cant wait till we are all home. Thank you, so much everybody for all your love and support for us. I have to say...........the name on the papper work is still blank.........................

its' a boy!



Originally uploaded by zavodk
his name is Nathanel Charles Keys (maybe)! 9# .13 oz. 21 inches long. Pics to come soon!

Monday, November 05, 2007

4cm and counting

the epidural is started and jenna is feeling much better. Hopefully this ends tonight.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

well, let's try this again.



Originally uploaded by zavodk
hi ya'll, this is chris blogging from the birthroom. Jenna is doing great, early tomorrow there will be a baby!

Friday, November 02, 2007

No, no baby


DSC02751.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
hi ya'll. Yep we are in over due land. No the baby isn't willing to pop any time soon. If I was a betting man I would say Monday

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

We got our waiting boots on!


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well nothing happening yet. Chris got to spend 10 plus hours in the basement of doom. A good time was had by all.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Earth shattering news

I have some big news every body!
No no im not a new proud father it is some thing much bigger!
well I dont't really know how to say it , you'll just have to click through..

Thursday, October 18, 2007

The tug boat cap't


Chris and Ernie
Originally uploaded by zavodk
the capt'n makes it in my top ten. The new stories alone, gets me here for a few more weeks atleast.
There is a party tomorrow, if you know where to find it, every one is invited! Get the offical tour.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

last one done is a rotten egg


A little before and after for dramatic effect.

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Originally uploaded by zavodk
Wo hoo the last room is done! let the birthn' begin!

"Inside the Piano"


Inside the Piano
Originally uploaded by element wy
this is something like what I found on the street.
it sounds "really really cool"

excited


excited
Originally uploaded by zavodk
it was really really cool dad

Sunday, October 07, 2007

something to listen too

Hi every body!   i know i get some hate mail when I go off topic, but alas it has happened again but here is some musical distraction that we can all enjoy

oh and one more thing I am also now a proud owner of a 600 lb upright piano box/strings! woo hoo

Milo and His Great Great Great Aunt Arlene

To add to the many things that are pretty cool about living in Philly....Aunt Arlene. She was my late Grandfather's Aunt and now is Milo's Great Great Great Aunt. How many of us have one of those. She lives down the street on our same block and takes walks with her son. We are often lucky enough to see her sitting on our stoop, where Milo drops whatever it is he is doing to go out and spend sometime with her. Often as a child, I would do the very same thing, on those very same steps. Its amazing how full circle life can truly be.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Another day another dollar.


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well another thing for my list is the warm weather. Or is it due to global warming? Either way I'm not ready for winter, at all. I due miss Maine, but like an olde friend it will always be there ( not factoring in global warming and a sea rise. ) I'm starting to have some creative fun with " my" kitchen. I just have to trust my self.( and don't skimp on the fried food)
soon to come, pics of milo at the carnival! any strange spellings is due to my fingers typing on the ipod and it's desire to "learn" me some

Thursday, October 04, 2007

A tough list getting tougher


DSC02551.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
well, the phillies are not going to be on my list. And don't get me started on the eagles! Umm well, fall had been warm. The trees are turning but it is still muggy.
oh ok there is good pizza here. On and philly is central to slot of different things, the ocean the mountains are close by. There is lotsa free wifi here around town.
beer!

A tough list getting tougher


DSC02551.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
well, the phillies are not going to be on my list. And don't get me started on the eagles! Umm well, fall had been warm. The trees are turning but it is still muggy.
oh ok there is good pizza here. On and philly is central to slot of different things, the ocean the mountains are close by. There is lotsa free wifi here around town.
beer!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Philly life



well, every thingis coming together. My work is getting busy the house is close to where we want it. I was talking to some locals about our life here and they were wondering why we came back. The details aren't important, but we Belive that every thing happens for a reason(plus we are stuck here for a while) I gave my self a challenge of coming up with ten things why Philly doesn't suck. So in the next few days I will be coming up with a few things for my list. They will not be in any perticular order, I'm making it up as I go along.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

poddy pod pod

Blog blog blog. All day long! Hi every body

DSC02433.JPG


DSC02433.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk
on the fun!
Me and the boys were having a blast at the playground. Let me say slap stick works wonders! Milo loves his cuz mason, two peas in a pod. As a side note I am blogging this from my new iPod!!!!!!¥•**+^>£ ahh the love.

Monday, September 24, 2007

mr. lo


mr. lo
Originally uploaded by zavodk
Hanging at the playground.
Getting ready round these parts.
Trying to keep Milo from pestering the dog, it seems to be a losing battle. What is it with 3 years olds and pets. He is extremely persistant and awfully sorry when he gets in trouble....
On a lighter note,
Milo came to the bedroom this morning with his doctor set and checked me out, temperature and all. He said that I would be just fine and gave me a kiss, ah.....the love!

Monday, September 17, 2007

what's old is new again.


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
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I really wanted to sum up my time in Philly by talking about our plants. My Norfolk pine is a whole different tree. It has doubled and softened up it's needles. I think it will look much deserving of the Christmas decorations this year. It has had a ruff time in Maine, it started half dead on the sidewalk in Portland. I took it in, but it was slowly dying through the years. These last few months on the porch it has sprung to life! I had to tie it to the fence because it is so top heavy now.
Our other plant the rosary vine has come back from the dead. It suffered a ruff tuck drive down from Gardiner, but after we thought it was trash, it started to re-grow. I think there is some moral lesson in there somewhere, but I got nothing.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

movie time!

Hey out there, I got a day off from the daily grind, I wanted to post some of the fun stuff I have been upto.

 We made a DVD for Danny (brother) on his birthday. This little clip is one of the highlights. If you would like a copy of the dvd the cost should be some where near this..    
         or Maybe just a S.A.S.E.?  I was working on having a hosted website, but alas it isnt going to happen.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

how we are getting along



This is what I'm looking like these days. I've had a request for a photo, so here it goes. We've been battling a cold around these parts and hoping for the 2nd floor bathroom to be finished soon.
Not too much else to report. We've got the second season of Rome to sink our teeth into. Hail Caesar!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

IT's a Birthday!

Im finally over my twenties.! Me not this guy... hope all is well for every one tonight, full moon and lunar eclipse and all.

Friday, August 24, 2007

happy in our new home


happy in our new home
Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well were are finally in the new home after many trials and tribulations. We aren't nearly finished but its getting there. Its quite enjoyable to be back amongst our things and especially to be sleeping in our own bed! Yay!

Chris & Milo did enjoy an adventure to the shore this past weekend. Milo enjoyed his many cousins and even went to the boardwalk at Seaside.
fire truck

I, alas, stayed home & went to ye ole bridal shower for my Auntie. It was super fun & took some nifty photos with my Ma's camera which I do not have here. But a good time was had by all.

Last but not least, we welcomed a new member to the family this week. He was much welcomed and we are all excited to start this part of our lives.
Meet Boots-y,
Boots(y)
once a crazy wretch who ruled the roost, now a loving family dog who enjoys walks, pets and treats. Some of you may remember him as my grandparents wiley dog, he is much calmer now in his old age of 10 and is enjoying life here with us!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Grandpop


Grandpop
Originally uploaded by zavodk
We all come together today to honor William Keys.
When it was brought to me to speak, I felt
overwhelmed, not with the task of giving the eulogy but, in doing his Lifestory justice. How could I begin to talk about someone whose marriage has lasted longer
than I've been alive?

Grandpop, to me was always a mythological figure, a man who was larger than life;
a husband, father, war hero, fire
fighter, yacht's man,and real estate mogul -just think of the investment he made in a small town of Forked River, N.J. and
how many lives have been affected. His choices in life were always practical. Always putting his family first. He was also an early pioneer for enviromentalism, partly for recycling but mostly for not throwing anything away. It was based on a practical idea of growing up in a time with out much of anything at all. It was hard for him to understand the thought of just throwing the whole thing away, instead of getting it fixed.

One of my earliest & memorable interactions was the
Christmas Bird. Before the children arrived on
Christmas Eve to decorate the tree, Grandpop would
hide a "bird" that chirped in the branches. I
remember spending hours trying to see where that
little bird was inside the tree. This was the first
example of the many ways that he would test and push
us beyond our expectations & limitations. He never
settled for what you assumed you could do, but what he
knew you could accomplish. He believed that if you
are going to do it, do it right, the first time! That
there was nothing a magic marker and duct tape
couldn't solve.

But I think his biggest accomplishment in life was his
family, our family. We all stand here together,
threads of a fabric, waves of the ocean. a reflection
of his life, pieces of a puzzle coming together as a
family to celebrate his steadfast love.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

A" Super" time.


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Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well I can almost say we are almost close to quite possibly being settled! Oh how wondrous! Well we are officially in the city now.
The house will soon change..........(soon I swear!)
We have much to write, lots coming soon..
Notes of interest... Jenna is 2/3's done" you know what"!
Milo is saying he will become a super hero when he grows up. Power of choice, flight.
and the MipChunks Ride again!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

A little love note


love
Originally uploaded by zavodk
Howdy yall, Just a little update from the home front. We are still waiting to move into the new house. Chris has been working on getting everything cleaned up. 2 rooms down 2 to go. (the last one is the big one thou...) We are aiming for the start of next month, but life seems to get in the way. The camera has been out alittle, but it doesnt meet the computer much so I got nothing to show ya. The guest bedroom is now open, so feel free to visit (hint-hint) ok hope all is well, enjoy summer!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Gangs all there...


Gangs all here...
Originally uploaded by zavodk
Well, howdy ya'll. I just dug up some photo's that got lost in the shuffle. On the home front Chris is working full time, Jenna is getting rounder, and milo is getting bigger. We hope all is well with you and yours, Happy summer!

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Trian trail


Trian trail
Originally uploaded by zavodk
A long walk indeed. Well we made it. It was alot longer and more diesel then We had hoped for but we are here. Life is good. The weather has been the biggest challenge here. It was close to 90 yesterday! I don't think milo is adapted yet to the heat. On the home front, the kitchen is almost done ( it looks a lot like High st.) There is still much to do on the house (roof- some walls-ramp-dead car-get dog!) but we are about to enjoy the HOLLYDAY! WHOOO HOOO!

Monday, May 07, 2007

Birthday Boy


Birthday Boy
Originally uploaded by zavodk.
On Saturday, our boy turned three. We had a lovely little dinner party with some of Milo's friends and their family. We enjoyed sometime in our local playground down the street. Milo even got a 2-wheeler (with training wheels!) & is riding like a pro! It was a great day had by all, I do believe.
Side note, tonight at dinner, we said something about him being pretty, he said, "I'm not pretty, I'm dangerous!"
Oh, boy...

Monday, April 30, 2007

Milo



Originally uploaded by zavodk.
I love the color in this photo & thought I'd share!
All is well here. Loving the spring. Looking forward to Milo's birthday on Saturday.
Today its playing in the rain. We've got our boots and raincoats.....

Friday, April 27, 2007

Milo's new invention, the rock-monica

Finally some sunshine! We are having a great time with the spring burgeoning around us. This is a photo of Milo in Freeport at the beach. He is playing the "rock-monica" his new and nifty invention. One of our favorite past times is rock throwing in the rivers and ocean. Milo is a keen thrower. It could technically be an all day activity!
We also had ice cream at the Ben & Jerry's.
they call him, "mustcachio
Hope all is well and everyone is enjoying the Spring!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Dapper as all get out!


Dapper as all get out!
Originally uploaded by zavodk.
We had a good Easter. The Easter Bunny made a special visit to out house and left many treats for Milo. He was so happy when he found his basket, his exclaimed, "thank you!"
Our day was filled with an Egg Hunt at out good friend's Katie and Jim's house & lasagna supper, made by yours truly which Milo felt to "full" to eat. We suspect it was teh sweet goodness the Easter Bunny left.

we call him Mr. Handsome


we call him Mr. Handsome
Originally uploaded by zavodk.
Milo in his Easter Suit!

Sunday, April 01, 2007

swimming their "ownselves"


swimming their "ownselves"
Originally uploaded by zavodk.
The Boys taking a leisurely swim with their noodles this Saturday at Audrey's Birthday Party!
What fun we had, frolicking with our friends in Portland!