Because we just can’t get enough of the Golden State.

We met up with Robin and her son Bailey (minus Dave) to hang at the Santa Ana Zoo. The locals call it the Monkey Zoo for the following reason: it contains 50 monkeys of varying types. A major donor to the zoo actually stipulated that the facility maintain a monkey count of no less than 50, with the consequence of pulling their funding if the zoo was ever found with fewer than 50 monkeys. This place has a lot of monkeys. Every pathway has enclosures with at least one type of monkey.

Nathan seemed to enjoy himself enough, but the real life of the party was Bailey, the train aficionado. The Monkey Zoo has a small-scale train ride that loops around a few of the areas, and Bailey was all over it. Before we even got in the front gate, he was “choo-choo”ing.

Nathan wasn’t too impressed with the ocean, but he loved the sand. His hands were embedded in the stuff, except for the times when he was trying to sneak a taste. Donna and I took turns running interference and taking pictures. We both agree Nathan’s hat makes him look like Papa.

On Sunday morning, we visited Donna’s old church stomping grounds in Huntington Beach. What used to be called First Baptist is now called Beachpoint, complete with a brand new lead pastor, Bill Stafferi. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hear him preach, but we did get to hear about some very exciting and blessed work that Beachpoint members are spearheading in Niger.

Nathan spent the service in the nursery eating cheese puffs and generally charming the sitters, included our friend Lisa.



We hit up the Magic Kingdom in some bite-sized sessions the other week. Each day, after Nathan woke up from his morning nap, we would head over to the park and spend a few hours walking around and riding a couple mellow rides. We’d leave each day to meet up with friends or family for dinner.

Disneyland is kind of the old standard for family entertainment, while California Adventure serves as the proving ground for all the crazy new ideas that Disney has cooking. The lagoon-thing in California Adventure is full of construction equipment as they install some new-fangled water light show. Mulholland Madness is going away to make room for… something that I can’t remember. This is a bummer, because I like the old-school, state-fair vibe of the ride.

We met up with Donna’s junior high friend Robin and her husband Dave for dinner after one of our theme park afternoons. Dinner was awesome, but the best part was watching the European Cup Championship game that Dave recorded. It was the first full football match that I’d seen since the World Cup in 2006.

Our last day of Disney craziness found us meeting up with a Tucson friend that relocated back to SoCal. Her kids are older than Nathan, so it was kind of like an afternoon of preview for the next 4 or 5 years.

Can anyone say Star Wars pre-prequel?

Nathan is Chewbacca

Donna and I saw “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” last night and we were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked it. It kind of felt like a mix between a Saturday morning cartoon and a comedy hour hosted by Ben Stiller. With a lot of CG thrown in for the kids.

Ben Stiller bounces from one comedy actor to another, showcasing their accents and comedic timing. Stiller has a few funny parts, but he isn’t as central as the first movie. Amy Adams plays Giselle, er, I mean, Amelia Earhart. She spends the movie saying bouncy things like “jimmy-jacked”, as well as waxing poetic about how wonderful adventure is.

Don’t expect any kind of character development or plot twists. Do expect Hank Azaria to deliver several funny bits with a hilarious lisp. 3 stars out of two possible thumbs up.

Nathan recently completed six months of life, and we took him to the doctor to ensure another six months (and hopefully more). We learned that he’s a whopping 18+ lbs., and 27 inches long. The doctor had plenty of positive feedback for us about his development. We’re on track to feed him more solid foods and even some dairy. We’re also expecting a tooth any time now, based on the incessant drooling that keeps all his clothes soaked from his chin to his belly button.

We also got Nathan up to Grammy and Grandpa’s house for Easter. He was good as gold, smiling and playing with everyone around. He even got some sleep before making the drive home.

Of course, for the lifetime view, you can simply check out the slideshow.

Some big changes for Donna, Nathan and I lately. Donna and I decided after a lot of prayer and discussion that we should end our time of ministry at Alive Church. Several factors played in to the decision. Suffice to say, we really want to work toward getting Donna home full-time with Nathan.

Additionally, Donna and I have been considering alternate church formats. It started when Donna came home from a conference over a year ago asking this question: if we only had the Bible to inform our decisions about church, what would it look like? We’re still talking and researching and praying, but we’re honing in on some styles that resonate with us.

From Photos of Nathan

As for Nathan, it seems like there’s something new every week. He’s rolling over from back-to-belly and belly-to-back. He’s talking… well, he’s doing his version of talking. Every so often, we can even get him to giggle. He’s awesome, and we’re really blessed to have such a healthy baby.

Nathan is all smiles when he’s hanging out with his Grammy. Even though Donna’s at camp this weekend, Nathan is soldiering on.

No school on Monday, huh? As soon as I told Donna, the phone rang, and we started making plans.

• Some friends from work are headed over for game night.
• I’m pretty sure we’re the last house in the neighborhood with their Christmas lights still up. At least we’ve unplugged them.
• I need to change the oil in my car.
• A long time ago, I used to skateboard. On a day off like this, there was no question where I’d be. Maybe I’ll try to roll around the neighborhood.
• We should take Nathan for a walk, too. That guy is pasty like his dad.

The boy is getting cuter by the minute. Make sure to click the picture to catch the video.

I’m thankful that I live in a world where this exists.

YouTube – Jesus Is My Friend by Sonseed.