The Incredibles

Surprise Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Loden, Great Grandma "B"

2011-03-27T18:28:00.003-05:00

The kids got a nice surprise when the doorbell rang this afternoon. (So did I, as it awoke me from my sleep in the recliner) It was Grandma and Grandpa Loden, and Great Grandma "B". We all had a blast catching up and eating pie! Grandpa Loden brought over a lawn mower and I gave him a grill.

Nathaniel shooting hoops with a soccer ball easter egg.

Two out of three with Grandma "B".

Grandkids with the grandparents!

"I love being held!"

A Post from the Dust

2010-12-23T09:34:00.000-06:00

We love all of you, see ya in 2011

TEST

2010-07-31T17:59:00.001-05:00

TEST

Ice Cream in Pajamas; Does It Get Any Better?

2010-03-28T22:17:00.002-05:00

She loves the sunglasses! Never wanted to take them off!

Wondering what ice cream to ask for ... next!

Tuscaloosa Trip

2009-09-21T15:23:00.001-05:00

Some photos from our trip to Tuscaloosa this past weekend.

Bowled Out

2009-04-18T18:35:00.002-05:00

Nathaniel and Nora hit the lanes today as Raquelle hosted a baby shower.

Air Hockey

2009-04-13T18:43:00.003-05:00

After finding every puddle in his grandparent's backyard, Nathaniel stripped down and enjoyed a game of air hockey. He picked up the rules rather quickly, excepting the one where you can't lay your body over your own goal. Being so scrawny, his cousin was able to manuever the puck between ribs and score nonetheless. Nathaniel managed to slip a few pucks in his opponent's goal as well. Bonus points if you noticed Gram's whoops moment when she put a hot iron to rest on the table top!

Naughty Nora

2009-03-29T18:58:00.003-05:00

Even at 11 months, Nora knows that she shouldn't play with the kleenex. That doesn't stop her from making it snow in our living room. The grin is because dad is taking a picture instead of taking it away from her!

Happy Meal

2009-03-10T11:56:00.002-05:00

December Photos

2008-12-30T14:25:00.002-06:00

A Tale of Two Purees

2008-11-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

Baby Nora is introduced to pureed squash. Nathaniel is invited to a trip down memory lane.

A Halloween in a Galaxy Far Far Away

2008-11-04T16:58:00.000-06:00

Hope your last name doesn't begin with M

2008-11-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

Dave B. was right. I feel pretty good that I got out and voted. It turns out the Official Alabama Voter website pointed me to the Best Western on College St. where I was turned away. I drove over to Dean Rd. Rec Center and cast my vote there and filled a change of address form.

Jedi Night at the Lambs

2008-10-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Family fun at the annual Lamb Halloween party.

Peas and No Thank You

2008-09-28T15:53:00.002-05:00

Nathaniel has a special place for peas in his heart ... somewhere near the bottom. Knowing he had done wrong, he tried to appease me ... Guess its back to the drawing board as we teach him to mind his Ps and Qs.

Our little first tailgating experience as a family including little miss Auburn here. We all went to the Neptune Tailgating RV and watched football, chatted it up, and ate some great BBQ.

First Date

2008-09-09T20:45:00.004-05:00

Now that I am a mother, I am a huge supporter of arranged marriages. So, needless to say, Nora is already "attached" to Gavin Lamb. Here is a picture of their first "date" and, as you can see, both are thrilled. :)

(We put Nora next to Gavin when Brian and Lisa came to visit us in the hospital. Gavin smiled and we caught the moment on film.)

~ Aren't they an adorable couple?!? ~

Roly Poly

2008-09-07T21:35:00.003-05:00

Nora started rolling over about 1 1/2 months ago. We thought it was a fluke at first, but now she does it all the time. It just took us awhile to finally catch it on tape. ;)

The Weigh In...

2008-09-07T21:13:00.002-05:00

This past week was "Weigh In" for both Nathaniel and Nora.

Nora, at four months, weighed in at 11 lbs. 3 oz. and 23 inches tall. She is in the 35th percentile for height and the 5th percentile for weight. Well...she's "chunky" to us, because Nathaniel was a lot smaller at her age... ;)

Nathaniel, at 25 months, weighed in at 27 pounds and 35 inches tall. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height. Our little boy has come a long way from being in the <5 percentile for weight...we're so proud!

Nathaniel loves holding his little sister.

Hello, I'm up in your business!

2008-08-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

Already the curious one. Loves to be in the mix.

Watch out for these two in the HOV lane!

2008-07-11T20:24:00.004-05:00

Cute look from Nathaniel.

Learning at an early age ...

Dad asks "Anyone seen my PBJ sandwich?"

2008-06-22T22:04:00.002-05:00

Avoidable Gas Pains, Wrigleys (not the gum), and INCOMING!!!

2008-06-12T17:37:00.004-05:00

Chicago gas prices. And you thought you had gas pains!

Piece of history!

ATL airport!

Bits and Bytes

2008-06-06T23:15:00.002-05:00

Here we have a bongo drumming, haymaker throwing, baby shower inviting, weed control issue.

Sunday Photos

2008-06-01T22:00:00.003-05:00

Let me get this straight ... no chocolate cake for breakfast?

Diameter of mouth: 2.6 inches. Diameter of sandwich: 4.7 inches.

Houston. We have a problem.

Escape from Alcatraz

2008-05-25T23:55:00.002-05:00

Nora doesn't let the ~~straight-jacket~~ swaddling blanket get between her and her freedom. Let my fingers go!

Family in Town !!!

2008-05-17T22:24:00.003-05:00

Little cheerleader.

Uncle Spencer with Gavin.

Ila.

Cole.

Lanell meets Nora.

Pleth-ora of Nora Pics

2008-05-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

Mora of Nora

2008-05-07T13:31:00.001-05:00

New Edition to the Family

2008-05-01T08:55:00.003-05:00

Baby Girl Loden born at 6:18 AM, weighing 7 Lbs 11 Oz, 20 inches long. Baby to be named at a later time. Mother and baby doing fine!

Slideshow of Jesus Christ Put to Music for my MIL

2008-04-23T23:57:00.001-05:00

Can I Help You?

2008-04-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel is a techophile. He can talk for hours on our cell phone and has made calls to several people without his parent's knowledge. He loves dad's PDA and can't get enough of the extra laptop his daddy owns.

Air Nathaniel

2008-04-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

Working the inside lanes. A big brother has to get this stuff down pat for the baby on the way.

Poll for the 3 readers of my blog!

2008-04-02T23:16:00.002-05:00

After the most dreaded part of any pregancy, the weigh-in, Raquelle helped herself to oatmeal cookies with reckless abandon. She says they never tasted so good.

Yield The Right of Way

2008-03-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

An Easter Egg Hunt? I don't see one ...

2008-03-30T22:15:00.000-05:00

Badminton Boy

2008-03-30T22:14:00.000-05:00

Caught Red-Handed

2008-03-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

Baby Flips

2008-03-30T22:10:00.000-05:00

Never, Ever Leave a Laptop Unattended !!!

2008-03-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

JD Tucker's Blessing and Lancy Pantsy

2008-03-11T22:48:00.004-05:00

Notice how strategically I located myself in this photo. It was to cover Lance's blue jeans so the photo would come out nice. And even in the dreaded town that should not be named ( or dare challenge Auburn in football) I am representing ever so subtly with my orange and blue tie. I lost count of how many Bama fans in T-town wanted to switch allegiance after feeling the power pulsating from this cotton cravat.

(editor's note : Look how my darling wife is hiding her belly in the background of the photo. Can't tell she is pregnant ... she planned that I know it )

How did I end my diet?

2008-03-11T11:42:00.002-05:00

No onions, though.

Styling !

2008-03-11T11:35:00.001-05:00

Make a boy out of him

2008-02-25T07:32:00.002-06:00

There comes a time in the life of an inquisitive, rambunctious toddler when the golden curls of babydom must come off. For Nathaniel, his time had come. Surprising, he received the haircut with a minimum of fuss. You see, a continuous supply of M&Ms and marshmallows found their way into his mouth. He had never received such an steady stream of sucrose before. Fortunately, the haircut was finished about the time the blood sugar level smashed through the ceiling. Armed with a Flobee and a pair of scissors, his grandparents tag-teamed Nathaniel. The vacuum and Flobee sounds fascinated Nathaniel as the locks were unceremoniously sucked away into the abyss. Whenever a snip near the nape of the neck needed attention, I would take Nathaniel’s pacifier and put it in front of him. He would learn forward to recapture its comforting action. That would produce the needed clearance to the grandparent in action.

For the reason behind the timing of the haircut, let us travel back in time when his great-grandmother last saw Nathaniel. We were in Florida on a family vacation and grandma saw all of his baby curls and told me we needed to a make a boy out of him. From that time forward, I was determined that Nathaniel would have a haircut before he saw his great-grandmother again.

I think Raquelle is still adjusting to the haircut; I love his new look. He got the tremendous trim on Saturday. I swear on Sunday I saw a new facial expression on Nathaniel. With all those curls that were covering up his eyebrows out of the way, he can now be Nathaniel, our little boy wonder!

A Look Back

2008-02-10T20:54:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get in at least a post a week. This is from June '07. He can sure put down some sweets for being such a little guy!

Our Shutter Bug

2008-01-31T21:10:00.000-06:00

Dad's letting me play with his camera?

Didn't take me long to figure out how to fire this up.

Cheese!

I has spaghettis dinner.

(We finally found our camera cable, of course after we purchased a new one on Ebay that is in the mail.)

Cute Kid

2007-12-05T21:52:00.000-06:00

A Great Shot With Our New Camera!

Can you help Nathaniel find his pacifier?

2007-12-03T19:44:00.001-06:00

We spent a while looking for it in all the normal places ...

Come Let Us Rejoice

2007-11-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

Please spread the word about the annual Interfaith Nativity Exhibit being held from November 30th to December 2nd from 1pm - 8pm at the Carter Hill Stake Center. It is well worth the trip!

Families of the Year Nominee: My In-laws

2007-11-02T16:54:00.000-05:00

A family living Christ-centered lives.

Halloween 2007 "They are just giving me candy?!"

2007-11-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel loved Halloween. He started getting it and would reach out for the candy and just hold on to it. He held the same snickers bar for three or four houses. He actually wondered right into a stranger's house, no doubt look for the super sugar stash. We rarely give him any candy, so he was clutching onto that lollipop tightly! Even when we was finished, he wouldn't let me take the stick away. He was getting the sweet flavor from the paper!

Happy Puppy finishing up Halloween! See that pencil in his hand. He was digging through the bucket of pencils to pick out the cool ones where the lead colors are different and can rotate through the pencil. He was not to be separated from the pencil.

After the kids went to bed, we all watched Spider-man 3. Didn't feel it. It didn't help that I was 'dog' tired and my 'bedroom' was the living room where everyone was watching the movie.

Finding Nemo Up in Your Grill

2007-10-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

Two SCUBA dudes and one incompetent photographer.

I am a nice moray eel, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food!

Climb aboard kids!

Extras from the movie. They are forming a union to demand fair wages.

Cannon the Auburn High School Robot

2007-10-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

I helped mentor the Auburn High School students as they built this remote controlled robot for the BEST competition. The videos are from the last round of the playoffs and we had to score to clinch a spot in regionals. We got the two bottles and another robot was waiting for us at the bottom of the platform. We just plowed through it and made our way to the scoring bin. We took second place overall and we are going to play again in 6 weeks at the regionals.

Watermelon Junkie

2007-10-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel was given his own piece of watermelon and allowed to wear it, I mean eat it at his own leisure. The results are chimpmunk cheeks and a sticky body with seeds stuck to his chest. He got his second bath of the day. His first came unfortunately when his upset tummy decided it was through trying to disgest the pears he ate from last night.

Dry Tub

2007-10-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

Wet or dry, Nathaniel loves getting into his tub. Which is a good thing. He doesn't get fussy anymore about when its time to get out. I love THIS kid.

Reach. TV. Smile.

2007-09-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

On the Move

2007-08-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel went mobile July 22nd. Very fitting present.

The Real Burger King

2007-08-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Birthday Boy

2007-08-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter Drawings

2007-07-26T12:36:00.000-05:00

I thought I would throw this up on my blog in light of the current Harry Potter fervor. I will tactly refrain from mentioning anything besides I finished the last book in the hopes that my readers won't be upset at me.

Deja Vu

2007-07-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

This place looks familiar ... have I slobbered here before? While Nathaniel was displeased about the blue ~~dress~~ gown he had to wear, the surgery went well and he recovered quickly by eating tons of whip cream topped IHOP pancakes. He was nursing a sugar rush all the way home.

Hidden Cost of War

2007-07-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

Can You Pass the U.S. Citizen Test

2007-07-06T15:27:00.001-05:00

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Tractor Ride

2007-07-05T19:08:00.000-05:00

First ride around the lawn. Nathaniel wanted to drive.

Airport Avarice

2007-06-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta airport confiscated my tootpaste and hair gel. Thought this was a fitting caption.

Sketch Generator

2007-06-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a neat website to generate sketches from pictures:

http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php

You fed a baby chili?!

2007-06-03T16:22:00.001-05:00

And I paid for it the entire week!

About Time

2007-05-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

After losing to this guy seven times in a row, this was a timely victory, with 0.8 seconds remaining on my clock!!!!

AT-AT Driver

2007-05-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Baby

2007-05-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Oh Really?

2007-04-30T14:16:00.000-05:00

"Nathaniel, there is a cow standing behind you."
"I wake up way too early in the morning to get fooled by that one"
"You certainly do!"

61 Distinct Green Bean Spots

2007-04-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel loves ~~his green beans~~ to wear his green beans. How does he know that that facial expression and smile will melt his parent's hearts?

Pascua Posse Pose

2007-04-23T15:44:00.000-05:00

New Records

2007-04-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

We were bowling strikes left and right!

Downtown Old Faithful

2007-04-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

Bath Time Reveals the Loden Belly

2007-04-13T12:21:00.000-05:00

Carrot Mustache and Sweet Dreams

2007-04-03T18:20:00.000-05:00

As I had just finished scraping the last morsel of dinner out of the glass jar, I looked up to see Nathaniel in la-la land. Dreaming of large carrots and piles of books.

SuperSize TV

2007-04-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

Robert L. can not harrass me any longer about my 19 inch TVs. He always said I could afford to spurlge and get at least a 32 incher from Walmart. Well, Bob, I did a little better and got a projector which casts a narly 120 inch picture. Playing the Wii on this is sick! Pictured is my cool nephew Andrew, who while only three, manages to bowls strike with his Mii that is bigger than him!

Growing Up and Packing Out

2007-03-30T11:24:00.000-05:00

That glowing white spot in his mouth is his first tooth.

Nathaniel is ready and willing to ask the tough questions and get in your face. Like "what does this electronic device taste like" ...

He's ready to see the world ... if only he knew the correct postage for such a big package!!!

What Was Lost, Now is Found ...

2007-03-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

The occasional beauty of forgetting where you put stuff is that marvellous moment when you find it again. I found my camera after 2 months MIA. If you must ask, it was in the pocket of my bag cooler in my trunk.

To Those About To Rock, We Salute You

2007-03-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought Nathaniel was going to be a classical violinist. Guess he wants to follow in his Uncle Josh's footsteps. Go Third Margin!

By the way, these are some of Nathaniel's Easter pictures!

I Caught You a Delicious Bass.

2007-03-16T22:23:00.000-05:00

Josh invited me to a private lake to fish.

Josh caught a gorgeous 5.03 pound large mouth bass. I know it weighs exactly that because we swung by a Winn Dixie and had it weighed on the digital scale!

I caught a fish that would be considered bait to Josh's fish! Its inside Josh's fish!

Josh'd fish was so tasty!!! Best tasting fish I've ever had!

Hello World Here I Come

2007-03-10T19:49:00.000-06:00

FLASHING NEWS ALERT: Nathaniel Loden on the verge of crawling. News at 11.

We'll Miss You Grandpa B

2007-03-06T12:47:00.000-06:00

All the Loden's went up to Michigan for the funeral. It was an amazing trip and more photos and videos are forthcoming.

Call off the Search

2007-01-31T12:18:00.000-06:00

Call off the dogs. I haven't gone missing in real life ... just my blog life. I had a pretty hectic start to this whole new year thing. Having to write 2007 on everything messes me up until March ... With pinkeye, road trip to Florida, two diet competitions starting, a stake volleyball tournament (which the Loden's dominated), and another trip to Buford, GA, I've been running around like crazy. Sprinkle in a lost cell phone (which did NOT get stolen), a new cell phone to replace it, over my limit in minutes this month and still got 4 more days to go ( so don't expect me to answer your incessant pleas for autographs, money, love life advice, etc unless your pleas come via email or blog comments then its $20 for the autograph, $20 for a shiny new $10 bill (or two fives if you please) and my love life advice is free ... its "love life".

Raquelle's Rampage

2007-01-11T13:58:00.000-06:00

See how that big dent in our Murano's fender matches the size and shape of my melon. That's not a coincidence. I was just minding my own business, hanging out under the front of the Murano, when Raquelle throws the car in gear, slams on the gas, and pins my head between the fender and the garage door. In a great battle of wits, the fender bent its will to mine under the excuriating pressure.

Now you can believe that story, or the one that Raquelle tells everyone. It's about how she was shopping in Target for two hours (I swear she could miss the Apolycalypse and the Second Coming in Target), and some car pulled a parking lot "hit and run". Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.

Adorable Nathaniel

2007-01-07T20:40:00.000-06:00

We have never seen Nathaniel smile for the camera like this. He loves his excersaucer from Myra and McRae, great friends of the family. While his toes just barely touch the bottom, he grabbed for all the toys and pressed all the buttons. Thanks ya'll!

Wii Sports Golf Hole in One Part Two

2007-01-05T21:34:00.000-06:00

I didn't like the video quality of the last hole in one I made. So what did I do about it? No I didn't cry like a little school boy who got force-feed grass by a girl ... why are you looking at me like that? Anyway, I made another hole in one while ReplayTV captured the action. A side efffect of using the Replay was a four second lag between when I swung my club and when I saw my club swinging on TV. Its not only disorientating, the mind-bogglinglyness of it ... well ... blows your mind.

Wii Golf Hole in One

2007-01-05T19:58:00.000-06:00

My mad skills in full swing (no pun intended but its welcomed).

Over the Hedge: Fans Create Verm Tech Commercial

2007-01-04T14:00:00.000-06:00

Raquelle and I loved this movie. Her favorite line was: "Oh yeah, well do you have a Associate's degree from Verm Tech?"

Annual Loden Showdown: Who's your Daddy

2007-01-03T13:10:00.000-06:00

And also ... Happy Birthday Joey!

Christmas Jailbird

2006-12-26T13:43:00.000-06:00

In his stripes enjoying a tangerine. Is this any good?

Oh yea ...

Opening his first present.

150th Sign of the Apocalypse

2006-12-18T20:27:00.000-06:00

Need I say more? It is my sacred duty to protect the identity of the owner. Her name, Kellie G .... will never be revealed by these lips ...

Santa's Lil' Helper

2006-12-18T14:28:00.000-06:00

Nathaniel was a natural on Santa's lap. Maybe this Santa was a little different from all the imposters (hint: Santa == Nathaniel's paternal grandfather) Nathaniel is helping Santa trim is beard one fistful at a time. And Nathaniel looked like a pro when it came to opening his gift and promptly attempted to stuff it in his mouth.

Unleashing the Dragon or Marking His Territory

2006-12-14T17:47:00.000-06:00

Ever since Nathaniel accidentally peed on Raquelle, I have prided myself on the fact that Nathaniel has never tagged me. Pride cometh before the stream. I was convinced that Nathaniel had wet his diaper and I was going to show Raquelle how right I was. I opened up the diaper, it was dry, I turned to Raquelle and asked her if it was dry ... and then the golden arch appeared and I'm not talking McDonalds! Nathaniel managed to get my leg, the bed spread, the carpet, and a mortgage bill.

First Fir

2006-12-02T22:38:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas and to all a good night!

My Dream Home Theater Setup

2006-12-01T14:34:00.000-06:00

A setup like this would be very nice. [drooling]

This Little Piggy Went Home (to giggle)

2006-11-26T19:59:00.000-06:00

First Semi-Solid Food ---> Strawberry Milkshake Licks

2006-11-21T19:45:00.000-06:00

He loved holding the glass while licking its outside.

Do You Bite Your Thumb At Me? War Eagle!

2006-11-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

Nathaniel leads his dad in some Auburn cheers! Go Tigers!

Rowr!

One Happy and Mellow Baby

2006-11-19T22:03:00.000-06:00

Nathaniel must really love his parents to let them do this to him!