Jessaville

2008-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

4 *$#(*@ing months later....

Check out the online albums for the latest, greatest pictures. I'm not real good at updating this site.

From Scholefield Wedding

Scholefield Wedding

2008-07-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Carson Timothy Monagan

Born July 21st, 2008, 07:58 - 7 pounds 5 ounces, 18.5 inches (he measured 21 inches 7 days later)

I have 500+ pictures. I've sorted into a few manageable albums, just click the three picture links below. I hope you enjoy them.

Carson, solo.

The New Monagans

Carson's first visitors

2008-07-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th!!!

Spent the day down at the beach. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

2008-06-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Is it getting hot in here? Or is it just me and the realization that I will soon re-enter the world of poopy diapers and those little locks I have to put on all of my drawers and cupboards?

Either way, the only cure is a good pool party.

2008-06-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Jessa took a "big sister" class to prepare her for her new bro coming in July. I not sure how the teacher addressed the whole "prepare to be ignored" lesson.

Also, there was a man-eating shark the other day at the beach.

2008-05-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Is anyone still checking this blog?

2008-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

Think of these as "early" for next year's Christmas. Our annual trip up to Pops' and G's house consisted of deep fried turkey, polar bear swins, and the happiest place on earth. Well, it was much happier after a few beverages during lunch.

The Turkey cooketh.

Post polar bear plunge

Off to D-land.

We hid the kids in the ESPN zone green room during lunch. They took long naps. We ordered more drinks.

I caught Pops ordering more

What, you didn't believe me?

More evidence.

Harry 5 was just stoked on the parade.

Go ahead an caption this one...

You saw just about everything, but the full album's here:

Disneyland 2007

2008-01-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

A few holidays behind schedule, but wanted to share some more pictures from our Thanksgiving trip up to Lake Tahoe. I should have the Christmas shots up by Flag day.

Somewhat of an age gap. Not quite sure who was entertaining who.

On the way up to the top of Squaw Valley Resort. No snow at the top, but great scenery.

Uncle Clark, Grandma Wendy, Grandpa Mike, and Mom, with Jessa and Nike doing their best to express their disinterest.

Uncle Dean and Caroline doing their best to catch dinner. We had turkey.

Thanksgiving 2007 - Tahoe

2007-12-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

When 2 year olds attack!!!!

2007-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Halloween shots are up. Make sure to check out the album link for the full batch.

Halloween 2007

2007-10-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

There's just something about this picture.

2007-10-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

A few shots from Grandma and Grandpa's 25th Anniversary party. Jessa loves dressing up.

2007-08-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Tahoe Trip

A bit late, but wanted to share some shots from our trip up to Tahoe. We had a great time with Grandpa Mike and Grandma Wendy, and the whole Salazar gang.

Ethan loves story time!

Check out the full album here:

Tahoe Trip 07

2007-07-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

7.4.07
Sorry for the long delay. Here are some more shots from July 4th.

Check out the full gallery from the fun day.

July 4th 2007

2007-07-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just got back from 10 days in Nicaragua. There were plenty of great times and top notch waves...

... but all I could think about were these two.

The full Nicaragua album for those interested. But be warned, there are no pictures of this blog's namesake.

Nicaragua 2007

2007-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Spent Memorial Day up in Bishop, CA with some friends and family. I didn't shoot a single picture, but our friend Shay of Shay Peretz Photography took some groovy shots with his Polaroid. He's got a great eye.

Polaroids

2007-06-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Birthday Pictures are up.

We had a great time at the park for Jessa's 2nd birthday. Thanks to all who showed up and shared part of their Saturday. Here are a couple of shots along with a link to the full album.

By the way, you have the ability to order prints online through the google/picasa web albums.

Jessa 2nd B-day

2007-05-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

Easter Shots

2007-04-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

When funny pictures turn into questionable parental practices.....

I have a feeling I'll be paying some shrink $200/hr to discuss this sometime during Jessa's early teens.

2007-04-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Back from Maui!!!

Just got back from a wonderful trip with Grandpa Mike, Grandma Wendy, Uncle Clark, Uncle Dean, Auntie Kelsey, Uncle Jesus, Cousin Emilio, and Cousin Ethan. We were a rowdy bunch, who could only be tamed with copious amounts of rum and/or pineapple. Some shots:

Check out the whole album here:

Maui 2007

2007-03-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Jessa and some of her pals:

Jessa and her friend Sophia (of Jenny and Donnie fame). Check out Sophia's blog HERE.

Jessa and Cousin Jade (Brian and Natalie). Poor Jade doesn't have a blog, but he does have a skateboard ramp. No truth to the rumor that it was built for a few thirtysomethings in the family.

Shane and Andrew. Which one's which? Your guess is as good as mine.

2007-03-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

The Hair Gel Incident.

Most parents know that when they're kids are being a little TOO quiet in the other room, you should probably go check on em. This is what Mommy found the other day.

More shots in the album. Click on the picture below.

Gel

2007-02-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

ZOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Joined forces with the Cottams (Harry 5) and Cassens (Haylee) for a January trip to the San Diego Zoo. It was a strategic attack on the park that would have made Dick and Rummy proud (except we actually had an exit strategy, ZING). In the park at zero dark thirty, and out by 1300 for naps in the car on the drive home. There's no truth to the rumor that Daddy was napping on the way home as well.

Check out the full online album for more snaps. Click me for the jump.

Monkey exhibit (resisting urge to make monkey joke).

Check the shirt.

2007-02-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Last batch of Xmas pictures, I swear.

Cousin Emilio made for a fine escort.

We got 2 out of 5 to look at the camera. I'll take it.

Chainsaws are a Monagan family tradition. CPS has us on speed dial.

2007-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

WE SURVIVED!!!!

The holidays we're a whirlwind of activity. Here are some shots from Christmas Celebrations #2 and #3.

Jessa got to help Momma make her famous Holiday cookies, which entailed unwrapping all of the chocolate kisses needed. I don't think she had any clue as to the sugary goodness she was holding in her hands. We didn't lose a single one.

Santa wasn't taking official pictures until well into Jessa's nap time. We stalked him in the parking lot and snuck off a few shots, but Jessa wouldn't let that hairy man near her without Mom's protection. Let's hope she retains this inate fear well into her 30s.

2006-12-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays - Take One

The first weekend in December always kicks off our holiday season with a visit up to Grandpa Harry3 and Grandma Joan. Had a great time as always.

Jessa likes Fruit, Grandpa gives fruit. Isn't that Newton's third law of grandparenting?????

Jessa and Harry5

The third "kid".

2006-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Did you miss us????? My apologies for the delay between updates. It's been a crazy month or so, but we were able to sneak in a quick Thanksgiving trip up to Sacramento to visit the NorCal connection.

Jessa's an experienced air traveler at this point. But quickly getting to a little too big to be a lap baby (read: free air traveler).

It was pretty special to have 4 generations of Monagan's in one place, but Jessa was more impressed by the spinny flashy thing.

2006-11-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin.....

2006-10-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's the same person.

Then:

Now:

2006-10-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Cousin Ethan's First Birthday!!

We had a great time last weekend hanging with a good portion of the extended family. 4 generations of Monagans meant beer was flying out of the cooler at alarming rates. Combo that with a giant inflatable jumpy, a pinata, and a never ending supply of tacos and it's a miracle I wasn't rolled out of there on a stretcher.

Gander.

2006-09-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Yellow Couch

No ,these pictures were not taken in 1973. Besides, isn't ugly furniture back in style? Well it should be.

Brian, Jade, and Jessa going retro.

The groovy kids are all about popsicles these days.

2006-09-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Let's give video a try.

If you're new to the streaming video world, give the video a few seconds to load (notice the status bar on the bottom). You might have to hit the pause button and wait for it.

2006-09-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

One long hot crazy summer!

Sorry I've been somewhat lacking (cough cough) in the "new post" division. We've had a ton of fun these past few months and I'll try to get some pictures up for your perusal. And if I can figure out how, maybe even a video or two.

2006-08-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sugar and Spice

2006-07-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Jessa's trip back east.

Over the 4th of July week, the Monagans and Cottams took a trip back to Connecticut to visit Gram and Grampa Bond (Stefanie's Mom and Step-Dad). We lucked out with some great weather and spent most of our week at the lake, waterskiing and just boatin around.

Here's Jessa and her cousin Harry hanging at the airport. The 1 hour delay meant I got to suck down a few beers, but at the expense of chasing kids around the terminal ad nauseum.

Everything was super green and lush. Jessa certainly enjoyed prancing all over Gram's flowers.

We ate like Royalty while we were out there. Although I'm pretty sure that Royalty doesn't use those little plastic cornholders.

Jessa was feeling a bit melancholy upon departure. I promised her a new BMW if she could resist crying for the entire 5 hour flight home. She's really gonna regret blowing that opportunity when she gets the keys to a 1999 Chevy pickup on her 16th birthday.

2006-06-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Random picture time!!!!!! YAAAAAAAY.

2006-05-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR!!!!

Hard to believe 12 months have gone by. Feels like 12 minutes ..... (all together now) UNDERWATER!! Weeeeeeeeeee. I'm allowed to use that joke once a year. Wow that felt good.

Anywho. I asked Jessa what she wanted to do on her birthday, and decided to put a short photo montage up of what went down.

"First, I want to hang out in my underwear and eat breakfast. Like Daddy does."

"Then I want to cruise around in my new car and look super cool. Like Daddy does."

"Next, I'd like to dive into some dessert. Like Daddy does."

"And finally, I want to play dress up and prance around the house with Mommy's purse. Like DaXXX XXXX." (Sorry, I couldn't quite understand what she said there at the end.)

2006-05-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Easter Recap.

As the parent of a toddler, Holiday celebrations have taken on a whole new meaning, and Easter was no exception. There were plenty of Jelly Beans (choking hazard), Easter Baskets with that creepy plastic grass (choking hazard), foil wrapped chocolates (choking hazard), and those Cadbury Creme Eggs (who eats those things anyway??, oh yeah, also a choking hazard).

None the less, we survived with nary a damaged bunny ear.

2006-04-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Thanks to a generous friend, we now have a new neon kingdom in our backyard. Jessa absolutely loves her plastic playground and was more than willing to give Grandma Pat a walking tour last week. Photographic evidence reveals that Grandma was unwilling to join Jessa in the big pink tube, despite offers to assist in the potential rescue operations.

Here they are enjoying some of the more "adult friendly" features.

2006-03-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

Winter Beach Day

My apologies to those reading this in snowy climates. But we pretty much have year-round beach weather in San Diego. Here are a couple of shots from a recent trip to coastal Carlsbad, with our good friends Brian, Natalie, and their son Jade. Brian and I were able to sneak in a quick surf, while the girls snuck in some cocktails via blue plastic cups.

2006-02-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Blast from the past.

Doesn't even look like the same baby.

2006-01-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

Life as I know it, has ceased to exist. After about 24 hours of crawling, Jessa attempted her first vertical adventure. Before we know it, they'll be boys knocking on the front door. (mental note: polish gun, purchase wood-chipper).

2006-01-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

I EAT SHOE!!!

2006-01-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Holiday Recap

It's been an absolute whirlwind of activity over the past few weeks. But Jessa's first Christmas was certainly a memorable one. It's just too bad I can't remember any of it. I'll do my best to give you all the Cliff Notes version.

Jessa's Grandma Kathleen and Grandpa John came out for a visit. They were happy to escape the snow, we were happy to have 2 more diaper changers in the vicinity. Here's a shot of the 3 ladies.

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Mike came up to join us on Christmas Eve. We had a nice dinner out in our little patio/sunroom. Can't do that in Connecticut.

Soon after Jessa opened her 2000th gift, we packed the car and headed up for our tour of friends and family in Northern California. After a quick 7.5 hour drive, our first stop was in San Jose for a visit with our great friends Seth and Joanna. Here's Jessa with their "baby" Hollister. Soon after the picture was taken, the two babies had a drooling contest. Hollister won in a landslide after Seth whipped out the snasauges. I filed an official protest.

The next leg of our journey took us to Sacramento (via the Robert T Monagan freeway), for a visit with the Monagan side of our extended crew. We had a great time with all, and even snuck in a bath while we were preparing dinner.

We proceeded out to Lake Tahoe next, to hang with our friends Jenny and Donnie. The quick 2 hour drive turned into a 7 hour nightmare. Not good times, very bad times.

Once we got there, it was all grins and giggles. Of course, only if you ignore the vomiting and fever that set in due to a quick flu that moved through the house. Again, not good times, bad times. There was some fun to be had. Jessa really enjoyed the snow.

But she didn't really enjoy eating the snowball. We checked, it wasn't too yellow.

2006-01-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is the view we get to experience every morning. There is nothing better to start your day. Well, except for a double venti half-calf carmel upside down skinny blended machiatto with room for cream and two raw sugars.

2005-12-28T06:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2005-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

I've now been electro-shocked by countless members of the Jessaville viewing community. It seems that Halloween has come and gone, and you Jessa junkies need some new ogling material. (By the way, I would have bet Jessa's college fund that it was spelled "oogling" or even "oggling". "Jessa, can you say 'Momma'? How about 'would you like fries with that'?")

Anywho, time is flying. And Jessa keeps growing. She's been eating semi-solid food for a few weeks now. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, peas, and little itty bitty baby fingers.

We had a great time up at Uncle Ken and Aunt Marina's house for Thanksgiving. We were all drinking out of bottles, some of them were even filled with formula. Here's Grandpa Curt taking a turn with Jessa.

Maisie, Ivy, and Grandma Pat (L to R) had their fun. Maisie and Ivy are cousins from the Brad and Eden Boric family.

We also got to visit with Auntie Kelsey and Uncle Jesus. Here are their two sons, Ethan and Emilio, with Jessa. You didn't believe me on the whole finger eating thing did you? Check out those teeth!!!!

2005-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

Oops. That last post did not have the proper ratio of Jessa to Non-Jessa pictures. These shots from Halloween should make up for it.

2005-11-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

Now that we've had some time to decompress, I'll share some more Hawaii stories and photos.

Grandma Joan ('G") and Grandpa Harry ("Pops") were nice enough to invite the Monagan crew to join them for a week on the beautiful island of Oahu. They found a wonderful house on the beach, over on the northeast side, far away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu. (click me for a link to the house info). I would recommend that place to anyone interested.

If you looked up "beach house" in the dictionary, you'd probably find some boring definition written by a guy that went to an Ivy League School. But they should probably put this picture in there.

Looking back toward the South. Stop drooling on your keyboard.

The house was loaded with anything and everything you could possibly need. Kayaks, snorkel gear, fishing poles, big ole glasses that you could fill with rum. Even toys for kids of all ages.

Here Pops and Jason contemplate why the sky is so beautifully blue. Turns out, there's a scientific explanation. Something about 'if it was green, you wouldn't know when to stop mowing'.

Here's what happens when I start playing with the features on my camera. A little moonlit shot of the gang enjoying the early evening.

2005-10-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

I realize I look like Alfalfa wearing a toupee, but Jessa just looks so darn cute I had to post it up.

2005-10-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, we hung out at the beach in Hawaii. More to come.

2005-10-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Jessa's New Car.

She's finally growing into a lot of the toys we've been storing for the past 5 months. But as soon as I clear a space in the garage, it's quickly filled with a giant plastic tub of baby clothes that may never see the light of day again. Here are some shots of Jessa in her new funzone/3-minute-babysitter. It's set up to look like a little car, and probably has a higher blue book value than the first automobile I owned.

You can see that she's already got the "one hand on the wheel, arm out the window" routine going. Just add a cellphone, lipstick, eyebrow plucker, and a granola bar, and she'll fit right in as your typical California driver.

Here she is after I explained to her how much gas is going to cost by the time she's driving a real car ........ and that SHE'S paying for it.

2005-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 Month Birthday Jessa!!

I guess we've officially moved on to counting months instead of weeks now. I scoured the internet trying to find some sort of official protocol for this transition, but just ended up at an Ebay auction bidding on half of a stale grilled cheese sandwich that may or may not have been prepared by Rush Limbaugh's former housekeeper. What would we do without the internet?

Here's another shot of Jessa with her best friend Haylee (of Todd and Amber Cassen fame).

And just to keep you on your toes, here's a shot of our cat Willie. He's auditioning for Cirque De Soleil next week.

2005-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

A pause for this short commercial break from Bob.

For those digital camera users out there, I cannot sing the praises of Picasa enough. This free picture managing software from Google is the best I've seen.

Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized.

It's also got some really cool editing and enhancement features that are a snap to use. Things like redeye elimination, sharpening, B&W conversion, etc. I highly recommend it.

It's totally free. No strings attached.

Click Here for the link

Try it, you won't regret it.

2005-08-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Math Lesson of the day.

Writer's block = Random pictures

2005-08-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kathy has been able to spend a few weeks with us, and help soften the blow of Mommy returning to work. She's been such a great help feeding both Jessa and Daddy in our time of need. Here's a great shot of Jessa, "Gram" and her brother Don.

2005-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Latest Greatest Shots.

At the rate Jessa is growing, she's burning through outfits faster than we can keep up. Just yesterday, I set her down in the vibrating chair for a quick second (no, I don't get to use it during Monday Night Football). By the time I got back, the clothes had literally exploded off of her body like some strange David Banner/Incredible Hulk transformation (without the green body paint and cutoff denim shorts). Here's a shot of Jessa showing off her new found height.

And the side shot.

2005-08-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jessa learned to read and suck her thumb over these past few weeks. I'm pretty sure that qualifies her to run in San Diego's impending Mayoral election. Actually, she might now be overqualified for the position.

2005-07-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Jessa's best friend.

Back on January 5th, our great friends Amber and Todd had their first baby, Haylee Marie. Once Jessa and Haylee met, the two of them hit it off immediately. It's truly amazing how much they have in common. Crying, drooling, getting dressed up, watching NASCAR with their Dads, the list goes on and on.

At their first photo shoot, there was a dispute about who should be in front.

Jessa landed a quick uppercut.....

... but all was good in the end as they decided to share the lens and wave to the camera.

2005-07-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Up, up, and away!

After a very uneventful 2 months (sarcasm implied), Jessa finally got to take a ride on her first jet airplane. Oh how I long for the days of lugging bags for just one Monagan woman. Now, they do let families with small children board before most of the cattle, so I guess that's my carrot. But I figured it just means I get to sit on that uber-comfy airplane longer (again with the sarcasm).

Almost forgot. There was a family vote, and unfortunately I'm not allowed to post poop stories on the blog anymore (you can guess where the party lines were drawn). So in the interest of self preservation, nothing actually happened on the flight. Below you'll find a picture taken a few minutes before nothing happened.

We were greeted in Sacramento by 104 degree temperatures, and of course a large contingent from the Monagan side of the family. Here's a shot of Great Grandma Ione and Jessa together for the first time.

Great Grandpa Bob with Jessa (another first).

Grandma Wendy gets her second visit in.

Grandpa's turn

It looks like these three have fallen victim to the power of cooing.

2005-07-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese!!!

Apparently, all it takes is one smile for me to forget about all the sleepless hours, dirty diapers, and ear piercing crying fits. Lucky for me, I had my handy-dandy camera to snap a few thousand pictures of em. Lucky for you, I filtered through them all to pick out the best ones.

2005-07-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

For our extended weekend, we decided to take a trip up the 5 freeway to visit Grandpa Harry and Grandma Joan, aka "Pops" and "G". With 4 sets of grandparents, nicknames are not only cute, but a necessity. Most of the time is spent lounging in the lagoon, eating, and the occasional beverage of choice usually containing malted barley and hops. Jessa decided to throw us a few curve balls with what seemed like hourly "blow-outs". If you don't know what a blow-out is, you probably don't have children. Consider yourself warned.

That's Jessa'a cousin Harry, aka "five", sporting his Stetson.

Jessa and her festive duds. Unfortunately the blow-out fairy soon paid a visit, and the star spangled outfit was doomed.

2005-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of my 20th Birthday. Grandma Pat drove up to babysit for the first time, while Auntie Kelsey and Cousin Emilio drove down from LA to lend a hand and offer their condolences regarding my milestone.

Stefanie and I were joined by a few close friends and family for a nice evening out, and a short baby break. 10 years ago, this group would have been dancing on the tables (which is tough on the feet at Benihana) and throwing back tequila shots. Unfortunately, we're now sneaking in for the early bird special and our night caps consist of prune juice with the occasional TUMS chaser.

Everything went smoothly, and we arrived home to find our little Princess wrapped up snugly in one of her favorite new blankets. This particular one was hand made by our good friend Joanna (soon to be Mrs. Seth Shaw). We couldn't resist snapping a picture and sharing it. Considering the refreshments that were served at dinner, I'm surprised it's in focus.

2005-06-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we've now hit the 6 week mark. It feels like 6 minutes ........ underwater.

I kid, I kid. It's acutally been nothing short of wonderful. Some of the days are good, some of the nights aren't so good. Once we think she's found a schedule we can get used to, it changes. Whenever I imagine it can't get any worse, I just think ahead to the teenage years. Somebody shoot me.

Below is a shot from "take your daughter to work day".

We also took Jessa on her first of many trips to Nordstrom. Mommy and daughter were galivanting around the store spending copious amounts of money. I was in the corner of Brass Rail, weeping.

2005-06-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

A few more pictures.

First bath, under the watchful eye of Willie.

2005-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, my first blog entry. What a wonderful exeprience. Truly magical. They say blogging will change your life forever. I feel different already. Stefanie says I have a glow that just won't go away

Oh yeah, we also had a baby (see picture).
Jessa joined us on Friday, May 13th at 09:21. 7 pounds even, 19 inches.

More to come later, right now I'm basking in the beauty of my bloggyness.