Zola Rae Lunt

Christmas 2011

2011-12-06T19:53:00.004-05:00

I'm going to go ahead and pretend everything is current on here.

It's only December 6, but we're having a great winter so far.

Here's what we did yesterday:

That's right; we made this baby from scratch!

More pictures to come.

r so far.

Long Over-due Pictures

2010-11-05T23:12:00.027-04:00

We've been busy since March. Here are a couple of highlights.

Graduation in May was very exciting. Zola already calls herself "Dr. Zola."

We left PA and headed west. We were lucky enough to spend some time in Jackson Hole.

But the most exciting thing was Zola's birthday.

We are loving Cedar City. Zola gets excited about the petroglyphs - almost as excited as Dave.

Since moving back to Utah we've really enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Zola went with her cousins to the Children's Museum in SLC.

We also got to visit Zola's great Aunt Zola.
Zola was so excited and kept saying, in disbelief, "two Zola's!?!?"

Our Thunderbird pride is growing strong.

When Zola sees the mountains she screams, "RED ROCKS!"

Zola is crazy about her rain gear and is a little disappointed that it hasn't rained or snowed more.

One of the reasons we chose the house that we did was because we wanted Zola to have lots of friends around. Halloween was fantastic with all the neighbors. Who knew Buzz lives in Cedar.

Spring Break!

2010-03-11T08:46:00.025-05:00

Zola and Dirk hit The District for a couple of days earlier this week. Here are the highlights. As usual, click on individual pictures for a closer view.

Looking for dinosaurs at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

No sudden moves, and maybe we'll get out of this jam.

The butterfly garden inside the museum was spectacular.

This enormous butterfly has little transparent windows in its wings.

The next morning, Zola decided she wanted a beard. Then she rolled her eyes at me.

We hit the zoo first thing. Zola loved the Pandas

But she spent most of the rest of her time imitating the animals.
(I'm sorry these orangutan pictures are so poor; it was quite dark inside and I avoided the flash to prevent any "Congo"-type reaction.

Monkey see; Monkey do.

(The crocodile-photo was taken at the national aquarium on a different day.)

Inside the bamboo tiger-cage

Dinosaurs at the Zoo?! No way.

Well, apparently they do have dinosaurs at the zoo. Who knew?

And what better way to cap our little trip than with crazy blue cotton-candy-flavored ice cream?

With sprinkles.

January and February 2010

2010-03-07T11:56:00.032-05:00

I know it's March. It's a little weak, but here's a quick summary of what we've been doing since Christmas.

We've been really busy around here. In January we visited California. In February we played in the snow and speculated wildly on the continued existence of the sun (findings were inconclusive). Here are some photos.

Christmas Day with Tyson and Kelsie

Visiting the Tide Pools with Natalie and her parents

Although she was a little intimidated by the incoming tide, Zola actually had a pretty good time. I chose to post this picture, though, because it actually lives up to the cliché: it's worth a thousand words.

That's right, this starfish is giving you all the bird.

(I think a seagull got to him first; we found the poor guy on the sand.)

Zola and Natalie loved Grandma's playroom.

Even if there were some hazards. Luckily Zola was okay.

We spent a couple of days at Disneyland.

Zola's favorite attraction was "Small World." Since it was the first week of January, the ride was all decked out for the holidays.

Directly in the middle of this photo is the ride's main attraction.
It's extremely small. Click on this photo to see an expanded version.
I've zoomed the central figure below.

That's right. It's not Christmas in Hawaii without the King.

Ed and Mimi drove down to spend some time with us.

Everything was going fine until a giant whale ate the girls. So sad.

Leviathan always wins.

Don't ask.

After beautiful southern California, it was really hard to come home to this: 16 inches of snow in the first week of February.

But Jana made everything better with her Valentine's Day surprise. Those are cakes in the shape of those little candy message-hearts that are made of a chalk-like substance.

There's not much to do around here in the winter time.

Except train for a career in Mousketeering. Just like Britney Spears. Yikes.

The Booger Song

2010-02-04T19:54:00.006-05:00

An original creation intended, so Zola said, to cheer up her old man.

It worked.

Zola now will only answer to "Maestro." I managed to convince the Maestro to perform an encore for the camera.

The Ruler of Rome

2010-01-16T11:15:00.003-05:00

I believe Zola is staking her claim to the Roman Empire.

There are worse people to emulate than Marcus Aurelius. I'm pretty sure the philosopher-king wore Mickey Mouse ears on occasion.

Zola's first quote

2009-12-12T09:05:00.003-05:00

Zola colored in a little penguin and then shouted, "He's all tatted up!"

Zola in Philadelphia

2009-11-24T11:24:00.009-05:00

Zola went to Philadelphia over the weekend to watch Dirk run the marathon. We didn't snap a whole lot of photos, but we got a few. Mostly of us imitating Rocky. (For the record, I played the role of Rocky's dog.) Click on some of these photos for a closer view.

And then we went for cheesesteaks. (The guy in the background is a friend who ran the 1/2 marathon.)

Career Services

2009-10-24T20:18:00.026-04:00

Here's young Zola at her school, considering her options. Zola is getting to the age where she's starting to think about an eventual career. So far, here are the potential jobs she's investigating:

1. Engineer. Not mechanical, civil, aerospace, or environmental. But a driver of trains. Choo-choo!

2. Baker. It's a little difficult to find jobs at the topless bakery, the threat of burns being what it is, but she's still hopeful. (Zola is frosting Halloween sugar cookies.)

3. Keymaster / Doorkeeper. Just in case Gozar the Gozarian needs entry into our dimension.

4. Professional Football Player. I'm sure even the great Johnny Unitas (pictured below Z.) threw a pass or two with his eyes closed (note: this was Zola's natural pose. We just told her to throw the ball. She's a natural.).

She tends to fumble under pressure, but she can lay the wood on D.
(If you listen carefully, you can hear her ask, "Are you okay, Daddy?" right after Dirk tackles her.)

5. Farmer.

6. Shepherd.

7. Drummer in a Rock Band.

8. Professional Bluegrass Dancer

9. Carnie. As a carnie, Zola could (1) see the world, (2) meet lots of people, (3) not have to worry about dental hygiene, (4) ride all the rides for free. What's not to love about this career?

(Note the classic carnie operating the train, and the tremendous front-butt in the background. This photograph speaks to all of us on so many levels.)

Personally, I'm pulling for #9.

Video Time

2009-10-01T20:32:00.007-04:00

Zola and Dirk decided to sing some songs for Jana to help her feel better.

Shoo-Fly Pie can cheer up anyone.

What's in a name?

Birthday Madness - part 2

2009-08-20T14:46:00.011-04:00

A couple days after Zola's birthday we had a small party at our community pool. Here is the awesome cake I made Zola. She loves construction equipment and yelled, "BACKHOE!" when she saw it.

The three of us at the pool.

Zola eating dirt.

The happy remains.

This is our friend Grace who also had a birthday. She wanted a cake with water so I gave her a pool party - with flaming umbrellas and all.

Birthday Madness - Part I

2009-08-16T19:08:00.022-04:00

Zola turned two on Thursday (Aug. 13). Here are some images from the madness that went on. (As usual, click on any photo for a bigger image.)

Zola loves fruit-snacks or, as she calls them, "treats." Here she's enjoying her birthday Mickey Mouse treats.

Mimi and Ed sent some books and a really fun memory game. Zola has played it pretty much non-stop for the past three days.

("Thank you, Mimi and Ed.")

[Action Photo]

After naptime, we headed out to the park for a picnic and some playground time. Rhett and Kim swung by and we all enjoyed cupcakes. Zola practiced blowing out candles all week, and she did pretty well when it counted. (I especially love the red-slide photo. It seems arty to me.)

After the park, Zola retreated to her castle for a little relaxation time. It's cool being 2.

Pop Art Zola

2009-08-10T10:23:00.012-04:00

I know, I know, we need to post our pictures from our awesome summer vacation. They are coming, but check these out in the meantime. (Courtesy of Rhett and Kim)

Summer Fun

2009-06-22T11:49:00.024-04:00

The month of June has been lots of fun for Zola. Here are some of the things she's been up to:

--- Enjoying the sunshine, during the brief moments that it appears.

---Working on her dance moves.
When she's not distracted by "Mommy's Bike" (really John's bike), she's trying to get the twirl down. Incidentally, that track of "Staying Alive" playing in the background is pure vinyl, baby.

--- The Lemont Strawberry Festival, complete with strawberry desserts, music, and pony rides.

Zola was a little nervous at first, but she quickly got the hang of riding.

After all that excitement, Zola just wanted to relax and listen to the bluegrass music. So, she found an empty seat in the crowd and decided to make herself at home. Luckily, her new friends were very nice and let her stay awhile.

--- Cycling. Although Jana has been hitting the bike lately, Zola's excited to take it up (eventually).

--- Partying.
Yesterday (June 21), we went to a friend's birthday party. The Tumblebus was there in all its splendor.

If you're like me, you might not know what The Tumblebus is all about. The lettering on the outside says that it's a "gym on wheels," and that pretty much sums it up.

The Tumblebus Driver was very good at helping Zola with her gymnastics routine:

"Daddy! School Bus!" - credit for "Best Zola Video Ever" must go to Jana here.

Zola loved playing in the rice and beans.

--- Looking at Backhoes. Zola loves construction equipment.

--- Feeding the ducks and playing in the fountain in Bellefonte.

And summer has just begun . . .

Jump On Mommy!

2009-06-06T09:31:00.004-04:00

Who would have thought that this sweet, mild-mannered, ponytail-wearing little girl had a professional wrestler inside of her?

Oh yeah, anyone who's ever met her. That's who.

Zola loves to play "Jump on Mommy!" Her second-favorite game is "Jump on Daddy!" Surprisingly, she's not a big fan of "Jump on Zola!"

What in the world?

2009-05-12T12:55:00.027-04:00

What in the world has Zola been up to?

It's been awhile since we found the time to post new pictures, but here's a sample of all of the crazy things Zola's been doing. I've got to post more often because she's changing fast.

In April, we made several trips down to DC to see Jana's parents as they finished up their mission at the LDS Washington DC Visitors Center. We were especially lucky to spend a little time with the Cardons - Jana's sister and her family.

Zach takes care of Zola like a good cousin should.

We went with the Cardons to Baltimore, to see an Orioles game at Camden Yards

We also took advantage of Grandpa's extensive knowledge of the backwoods trails around their apartment. Who knew of all of the cool stuff around town?

A vista of what Grandpa called "the Grand Canyon."

"The Pagoda"

And, most mysteriously, "The Leprechaun House."

And we can't forget about the great little park next door.

Grandpa and Dirk share the same birthday, although Grandpa had it first. Jana made this awesome cake for us to celebrate. Seriously, it was amazing (and tasty). We're going to miss having Jana's folks within driving distance.

Not to be outdone, Dirk's parents made the trek out to State College to visit Zola.

Of course, no trip to central PA is complete without a visit to Hershey. Zola has a thing for Hershey's chocolate milkshakes. So does the monkey on her back. Mimi was kind enough to share.

But before you get the wrong overall impression, you should know that Zola has a lot of troublemaker in her as well (she gets this from her mommy). This is the timeout chair. Zola spends a lot of time here. Here she is looking sufficiently penitent.

Last week, Zola enjoyed her first ice cream cone at the house of a friend. She ate it like a pro.

A new twist on bath-time.

This is where Zola does most of her heavy reading.

Adorable, aren't they?

Tremendous Front-Butt Potential

2009-03-13T09:45:00.002-04:00

I saw greatness today, and snapped a photo.

Zola goes to Washington

2009-03-02T13:28:00.019-05:00

Zola and I decided we needed another cross country journey and decided to go visit family in Duvall, Washington. We had a fantastic time with my sister Shauna, her husband Jeff, and their three sons Nick, Chase, and Zach. Zola fell in love with all of them and literally still talks about them now.

Zola loved walking around with the big boys, Zach and Chase.

She loved cheering for Nick at his basketball game.

Although Nick wasn't that happy about the game, we think he was a Rockstar.

Speaking of Rockstars.... (Notice little Z on the drums)

Zola loved playing with the boys. Especially being pushed around in their car.

Or swinging on swings and climbing the rock wall.

Did I mention the rockstars?

We had a blast! Thanks Cardons!!!!!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-02-24T19:51:00.002-05:00

I hope your Mardi Gras was as wild as mine!

Crazy From Cabin Fever

2009-02-06T15:37:00.029-05:00

Since it's so cold around here, we have to constantly try to find ways to keep entertained without going outside. Here are a few of them:

1. Elmo. Like every little kid, Zola seems to have a thing for the ticklish red monster with the weird voice. She loves her polka-dotted Elmo dress, and it's good for 15-20 demonstrations per day of where Elmo is and where the dots are.

2. When Zola wants to get away, she retires to her "Fortress of Solitude" in the front room. Here, she's saying hello to any unsuspecting passers-by. The Fortress is also quite handy for puppet shows.

3. Zola loves to color. We like to think it's because her namesake, Jana's Aunt Zola, is an accomplished artist. Or, it might just be because coloring is pretty fun.

3b. Unfortunately, sometimes Zola likes to color on the walls. Genius Jana saw this coming and insisted we use washable crayons. Genius.

Zola didn't seem to realize that coloring on the walls is a bad idea. On the bright side, though, she didn't get angry when we so cavalierly washed away her artwork. In all, the crisis ended well.

4. Crazy glasses always crack me up too.

5. Zola is now a pet owner. Since Zola doesn't know many words or how to name things, we decided to go ahead and name her fish. His name is "New World Bistro," or "Beast" for short. We think it's a nice homage to a local restaurant which most locals think we used as inspiration for Zola's name. At least it's a really nice, fancy restaurant.

6. Like we did all summer and fall, we still play "ball," but now we have to play indoors (lame).

7. Zola loves puzzles. This one is pretty tricky. Even I have trouble telling the oval from the circle. But I've watched Zola do it now about 2,382 times, so I think I have the hang of it.
[In deference to you, the viewer, the following video has been edited for length.]

8. We eat. Sometimes Zola insists on having silverware in her hand just like her parents do, but she hasn't quite figured out what it's for. I think it might be a show of baby-bravado, as if to say, "I don't even need this fork, but I can hold it while I eat just the same." Babies are such show-offs.

This video might be a little more boring than the others, but there's some backstory to both parts (it's been spliced). The first section shows Zola's first encounter eating cold cereal with milk, in a bowl, holding (but not using) a spoon. The second part I filmed last week out of sheer amazement as she polished off four (that's right, four) scrambled eggs all by herself. She literally ate both her own and Jana's breakfast.

9. And Sometimes we even do a little cooking.

Our Cabin Fever is getting pretty bad. I hope we can hold out until Spring.

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-13T14:36:00.023-05:00

For our first leg of the journey we spent a few days in DC hanging out with Zola's missionary Grandparents. Grandpa was teaching her how to keep the books.

Zola LOVES reading stories with Grandma. Grandma LOVES telling everyone how cute Zola is and how she looks just like her. She really does though.

After DC we went to Utah where we had a fantastic Christmas. Zola loved her school bus. She wanted to play with it all the time.

And I mean all the time.

Zola has begun the Rigby tradition of sharing food from others' plates. Mimi didn't seem to mind. I think it is because of moments like this that Zola can now say "Mimi" and point to her in a picture.

The Kamas pool was our favorite. I know the picture is blurry, but that is the only way to portray the excitement of the ride.

We are so happy the Dottl's were able to join us!

Zola loved feeding the horses and mooing at the cows...

and playing hide and seek in the barn.

We love Park City!

Dave and Zola, back at home, showing their Utah pride. I think Dave and Zola still look a lot alike too.

Dear Dorii

2008-12-07T11:58:00.010-05:00

Just in case you thought I forgot about the pacifier..... (Click here for the back-story.)
Are you missing anything of your own?

That's right, I stole it. Your children may never understand Christmas or ever see Santa again without this precious book. Want it back?

Fun at the Park

2008-11-16T12:02:00.019-05:00

Most people around here agree that fall is the best time of year. Beautiful colors, nice weather, and lots of football are a few of the highlights. Since we only have a few weeks left until the darkness of winter descends, we thought we should post some photos of Zola at the park so we can remember what it's like to play outside.

"Can someone give me a push?"

I don't know what these are, but Zola loves to play with them. They bounce.

Action clip of Zola going down the slide - feet first. It was a big day for her.

So many choices . . .

We all love the red slide. It's brightly colored, gives a fast ride, and is less crowded than the spiral slide.

Plus, there's always the side-benefit of static electricity.

I told you the fall colors are beautiful. Can you find Zola? (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Even mice like the Fall. The pretty red leaf she's holding is from the tree in our front yard.

Eek! It's a mouse!

2008-11-01T21:35:00.022-04:00

Zola was a mouse for Halloween this year. I wish I could say it was the result of careful planning and research, but it really boiled down to finding a costume that would fit her. We were lucky to find this adorable mouse costume at Target. The costume is almost as cute from behind.

Zola had more fun dressing up than some of her classmates did. Here at Zola's school we had a little parade with the other "Diving Dolphins." The little girl in pink (an octopus) was really upset for most of the time. I told her parents that an octopus lives in water.

After the little parade, we took the mouse costume off (since it was so hot) and had our Halloween snacks. Unfortunately for Zola, she doesn't like sugar cookies. I've never seen such a disgruntled look from a kid holding a cookie. "Nemo" gladly ate Zola's cookie.

After the school party, it was time to hit the town with some of our close friends.

Here we are with Rhett and Kim.

This is Zola's first trick-or-treat. Luckily, it was treats all around.

After our looting spree, we headed back to the safe-house to tally up the haul. Zola likes to take candy out of, and then put the candy back into the her little yellow carrier.

A couple of days later, Zola's still playing with her candy.

Such a great Halloween!

My New Favorite Outfit

2008-10-13T08:56:00.006-04:00

Since Zola has come into my life I have found a new love for the color pink, an unexpected consequence of having a lovely little girl. I'm still not loving lace or puffy sleeves but I do love her in pink. My new phone is a testament to this new change.

However, this is my new favorite of Zola's outfits. Not just because it says, "Mom rocks" in tattoo style, but because it looks so great with her Converse.

Zola Bueller's Day Off

2008-09-17T14:27:00.017-04:00

Zola was pretty sick on Monday night. She wasn't faking it like Ferris was, but I thought I'd put a couple of pictures up from Tuesday (September 16).

[As always, click on the photos for a zoomed-in view.]

Watching TV on a sick day is a family tradition. Zola's new blanket, made by our friend Lauren, was just the right thing to keep her warm. Zola even has her own remote control (no batteries, though) so she can click just like Mom and Dad do.

Zola likes her new orange boot-slippers that Eileen gave to her. They're a little too big so it's tricky to walk with them.

Lately, Grover has become Zola's most dear and trusted companion. Here, he's doing his best Zola impersonation, holding the remote control in one hand, and her favorite blanket by its tag with his other hand. Zola seemed more amused than anything at this caricature.

[notice Zola's extremely choice front-butt. thanks, dad!]

Eventually, Zola felt good enough to do a little dancing to Baby Einstein, although you can tell her energy level is a little low.

[Yeah, she's a mouth-breather. She gets that from dad too.]

Then, we put on our hat and hit the stairs for several up-and-down sessions. (This picture was taken on the little landing as you make the turn to go up the second half of the flight of stairs.)

The two pictures below weren't taken on Tuesday, but they're pretty typical of the few minutes a day she actually sits still.

Zola loves her puppets - especially the Finger Puppets that Kendra gave to her.

And, finally, nothing beats hanging out with Mom on the seatbacks. There's even a little button you can push to make the back vibrate (Zola loves this).

By Tuesday night, Zola seemed to be feeling a lot better.

Tapping a Keg

2008-08-19T22:15:00.003-04:00

Zola was born in a college town which boasts/laments the number three party school in America. But Zola seems to have a different understanding of what it means to "tap a keg."

[Good girl.]

A couple of weeks ago, Zola and her dad took a little day-trip out to Old Economy Village, a little nineteenth century communistic town founded by the Harmonist Society (and a tourist attraction today). You can read all the boring history and see more photos on Dirk's blog. I just thought this was a cute photo to share.

Happy Birthday, Zola Rae.

2008-08-13T10:22:00.024-04:00

We can't believe it's already been a year. So far so good.

We've been celebrating Zola's birthday for a couple of weeks now, since Dirk's family threw a party for her while we were in Utah. Here are some of the highlights from the celebrations.

Thanks to Mimi, Jen, Allison, and Mandy, it was a Princess Party. Since Zola is (temporarily) the only granddaughter around, everyone had lots of fun exaggerating every possible pink princessy point.

I hope it's okay if I post these photos - my talented sister Allison took them. Thanks, Al.

[As always, click on the photo to zoom.]

The cupcakes were amazing, especially Mimi's retro animal candle-holders.

Although this little giraffe seems to have made a little "mess." Glad I didn't eat that cupcake. Even though they looked so good, little Z wasn't interested in eating any.

Sweet action photo of Ed smashing that piñata!

A prettier group of princesses has never assembled.

In the week or so that we've been back, Zola's birthday just keeps on chugging along. Since her biggest interest right now is her stroller, we decided to get her a little toy stroller for her birthday last weekend. It's been a big hit. Here she is pushing Raggedy Ann around. It's kind of fun to compare her to the photo in the background on the bookshelf, taken when she was three months old.

HERE SHE COMES! (Better get out of her way.)

Conveniently, the stroller folds up for easy storage during long cardboard-box journeys.

I've tried to come up for a caption for this one for a few days now. Words fail me.

Finally, today (Wednesday, August 13) was her true birthday. Zola had a pretty big day.

After her nap, this is how she said hello to me - smiling into her blanket with the precious tag held up for all to see.

Downstairs, Mom was making cupcakes.

Zola didn't really help, but she did show off her new birthday shirt that Marme gave her.

Then we headed out to a nearby park to celebrate with some friends.

Zola loves to hang out with our friend Justin. He's a pretty tall guy. I'm not sure that those balloons are moored to anything.

Dane and Dirk tried to talk Zola into eating a cupcake, but she didn't like it (again). Instead, she settled for pizza crust and some bark chips (yum!)

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate this birthday. It's been a wonderful year, and it went much too fast. I'm just glad it was a leap year.

The O.C.

2008-08-01T12:21:00.002-04:00

We spent the end of July in Orange County, California, living it up near the beach. Here are some of the highlights.

We hit the San Diego Wild Animal Park which isn't even in San Diego, but Escondido.

We don't get to see Jeff and Susanna very often. They're some of our favorite people in the universe. With a little luck, we'll live close soon! But for now, we're really glad they could come and spend a couple of days with us. Uh, hey you guys. Where's your little girl Natalie?

[Hello, Social Services? Yes, I'd like to report . . . ]

Whew! Looks like you found her. Zola and Natalie are BFF's, although Zola here looks like she just wants that tour guide to quit talking (she used the word "weird" about 1,437 times during our 17 minute tour). Special guest appearances in this photo by Spencer, Porter, Drew, Frank, and Marshal)

I guess Ducks are technically wild animals, but they're not all that exotic. They were fun to feed, though, and this one got pretty close.

Somewhere around the gorilla's enclosure, both Zola and Natalie conked out. Even the anonymous little kid in the background is catching a snooze.

A nice picture with mom.

Zola had lots of fun playing with Natalie, but things could get rough.

[Okay, to be fair, Zola didn't really push Natalie over here, although the angle of the picture makes it look that way. Natalie is a walker; Zola is still a crawler. The two were standing together until Natalie dove for the blue cup.]

After all the excitement, it was time for a bath. Zola liked the slip-and-slide features of this model, while Natalie intently studied the bath toys. It seemed like both girls had fun.

It was lots of fun to see Mimi. Zola seemed to play her cards just right and enjoyed the bountiful fruits of Mimi's patronage.

Aaah, the fabled Pine Cone of Truth! Guard it well, young lass.

The 21st was Mom's birthday. We had a bunch of pies to celebrate.

The beach is always lots of fun.

Zola claimed this beach in the name of the Queen.
Jana, Marshal, and Frank look pretty cool here

Zola ate a lot of sand, but there still seemed to be enough for the next time.

We spent some time at a stylish mall called Fashion Island, a 1.3 million-square-foot mall in Newport Beach. I was amazed to see a $1100.00 stroller in one of the stores. I was even more amazed to see someone pushing a kid around in one a few days later. Despite the steep price tag, the company still had to issue a safety recall for faulty front tires in 2007. Sometimes, I guess, you don't get what you pay for.

Instead of dropping a cool grand on a stroller, we settled for Jen buying Zola a ticket for her first ride on a Merry-Go-Round.

Welcome to the DC Visitors' Center

2008-07-17T12:20:00.023-04:00

Zola's grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Rigby, are missionaries for the LDS church at the Washington DC Temple Visitors’ Center . Since they're so much closer now, we cruised on down to the suburbs of Washington DC to visit them.

Here's their cool apartment building, within walking distance of the Visitors' Center. It's hard to see, but there's a fountain out front. Classy living.

Once inside, Zola made herself right at home, playing with the toys Grandma had ready (she's a great grandma. Errrr - not a great-grandmother meaning her grandkids have kids, but great at being a grandmother.)

Maybe one of the reasons that Zola felt right at home at Grandma and Grandpa Rigby's new place was that everything seemed eerily similar to visiting them in California:

Playing in the park. [I guess Jana couldn't handle the g-forces of the swing, despite the protective harness.]

A trip to Baja Fresh for lunch.

Going for a jump in the big.

But some things were definitely different. We spent an hour walking around nearby Brookside Gardens , a beautiful 50-acre preserve that's just up the street a few miles.

"But wait!" you say. Aren't these guys missionaries? Don't they have work to do?

We're getting to that.

After spending their day off (LDS missionaries call this "P-day," meaning "preparation day"), having fun with us, it was time for Grandma and Grandpa to go to work at the Visitors' Center. We took these pictures the night before (I reveal this in the interest of full disclosure), but here's what they do at the Visitors' Center ("VC" for short. It's like they've been doing this for years.).

We saw Grandma at the door, and Zola was really intrigued by her name-tag.

After waving to Jesus (seriously, it was really cute), Zola decided to go on a search-and-destroy mission, looking for animal crackers (Mission: successful.)

Grandpa spends a lot of his time at this desk near the entryway. He answers phones, welcomes visitors, helps with tours, and coordinates the displays and videos, keeping everything running smoothly (I'm mostly repeating what he told me. Chief Rigby, if you'd like to add to this, you should leave a comment.)

And Grandma Rigby runs the LDS church's entire computer network for the Eastern seaboard. Okay, just kidding. But she does use the computer for office work and occasional online gambling. We're really proud of her technological skills (maybe Grandpa will get on board too).

It was fun to see Jana's folks. We'll visit again soon.

The Real World: Zola Rae (2008)

2008-07-01T22:09:00.032-04:00

This is the true story... of a baby named Zola ... picked to live in a house... with her parents and have her life photographed ... to find out what happens when babies stop being polite... and start getting real...The Real World.

PART I: The Daily Routine

6:53 a.m. Zola slept in this morning. She's always happy when someone answers her little calls.

Everyone's happier with a clean diaper. Everyone.

Breakfast is good. Peaches and oatmeal. Dad was living dangerously without the protective sheet on the floor. Danger is Dirk's middle name. Bring it on.

I don't have a thing to wear!

Play-time in the Octagon. Right now, Zola especially likes to stack things or make them fit inside one another.

Zola isn't the most thoughtful roommate. She often leaves her dishes out for others to clean up.

PART II: Occasional Excursions

Dirk and Zola did a 13-mile run in Rothrock State Forest on Saturday. The heat, humidity, and bugs were almost more than we could bear.

We're not afraid to show all the details on this program: Diaper change on the trail? No problem.

After the run, we cooled off in the muddy waters of Whipple Dam.

Yeah, that's right. Zola just wears a diaper to swim. We're that kind of white trash family. I was going to make a joke about girls on The Real World who go swimming with minimal or no swimsuits, but c'mon, she's just a baby!

PART III: A Quiet Hobby

Zola is quite the gardening champ. We've been having a pretty nasty gypsy moth infestation this summer. Looks like she's caught a big one.

Part IV: The Dark Side of Zola Rae

Like many cast members of The Real World, Zola has a pretty big drinking problem. I'm guessing it stems from a strained relationship with her father.

"Brooke from The Real World: Denver said what? I can out-scream that crazy psycho! Hey Brooke, wanna go bowling?

P.S. You have a double chin."

[If you get a commercial when you go to the links, just wait. It's worth it.]

Entertaining Zola

2008-06-23T09:41:00.004-04:00

Check out Rhett's skills.
Turn the sound up and you can hear Zola laugh.

This is Zola's favorite video to watch. She laughs really hard - and not that fake laugh either.

Zolie's Been Tagged

2008-06-11T10:11:00.029-04:00

3 Joys

1. When Dad comes home from work
2. Being outside

3. Her blankie. Especially the tag on her blankie. Really the tag on anything gives her joy. Basically any tag or strap is great.

3 Fears

1. The vacuum

2. Big Dogs - not the clothing line, although it scares me a little bit.

3. Never being as cute as she is right now.

3 Goals
1. Travel the world

2. Sample every kind of food

3. Be just like Dad.

3 Obsessions

1. Wormie
This is a picture of Zola at about 3 months old, but she still carries that worm around with her everywhere.

2. The little white cap that covers the screws at the base of the toilet. I know, it's disgusting. I call it an obsession because she has only successfully reached it a couple of times, but she knows it is there, thinks about it, and goes for it every time she is near the bathroom. She can't remember not to eat when she has a pacifier in her mouth, but she can remember the white cap even when she is not near the bathroom!

3. Every tiny piece of dirt or lint that is on the carpet

3 Surprising Facts
1. Zola has never rejected any kind of food. She loves everything and is the best eater. Lemons, limes, celery, broccoli, small bugs. You name it; she'll eat it.

2. Zola is a very strong little girl. She could move her neck when she was born, as she curiously looked around the delivery room, eyes wide, probably thinking, "what the hey just happened?"

3. She is the coolest baby ever. I guess that's not too surprising.

The Big Apple

2008-06-02T16:29:00.020-04:00

On the spur of the moment, we accompanied Rhett and Kim to New York City to visit Rhett's parents for the weekend. Hotwire.com landed us a (semi-) affordable room in Midtown Manhattan, and we enjoyed being city-slickers for a couple of days. We all had tons of fun.

We hit a fancy Greek restaurant called Molyvos. It was excellent. I had the moussaka, Jana had a Greek salad, and Zola had about 4 pieces of bread. Zola seems pretty happy to be up after bedtime. Mont and Kristy McNeil (behind Z. on the left and right) made it a fun night all around.

We stopped for a quick photo in front of the Prometheus statue at the Rockefeller Center.

Radio City Music Hall.

Kim, Rhett, Zola, and Jana hanging out on the steps to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The subway is lots of fun. This guy with a scary look on his face is just part of the experience.

The Brooklyn Bridge is over a mile long and took 13 years to build (1870 - 1883). Zola didn't even bother waking up to look at the skyline.

Chinatown.

Dim Sum for lunch at Dim Sum Go Go. Yum. Zola ate like a champ, but she needs some work on her chopsticks techniques. [Those are lotus leaves on the plate that the rice was wrapped in. It's tasty.]

Little Italy with Mont, Jana, and Kim. There was a festival going on just like the one in Godfather II, when Vito shoots Fanucci. We had a canoli and some gelato and enjoyed Little Italy's version of the Grange Fair.

Here's a little video we shot of Zola in the McNeils' hotel room. She loves the baby in the mirror. If you listen to the audio, you can hear Rhett and Kim plotting a fraud scheme that, for security purposes, we can only refer to as "Operation Free Chocolate Chip Cookies." Kim and Rhett, you both know "THOSE COOKIES ARE FOR LUNCHES!!!!!!!"

A special thank you to Mont and Kristy McNeil, who shared their weekend with us, and especially with Zola. Mont is a really good peek-a-boo player (it only took him 7 minutes to learn! What mental acumen!)

And Zola loved having Kristy hold her.

These guys are going to be great grandparents.

Lake Placid, New York

2008-05-28T20:28:00.038-04:00

Zola and her parents spent the Memorial Day weekend at Lake Placid, New York. It was loads of fun. Here are the highlights of the trip.

The nice lady working at the Greentown, PA Subway shop said about Zola "Hers has blueberry eyes." I don't really know what to say about that.

Lake Placid is a charming little town in upstate New York. And I mean upstate - almost to Canadia. (not a typo)

Zola's first hotel room - the Swiss Acres Inn. Don't be fooled by the Oakleyesque decor. This place was bad news. Our neighbors were loud, the shower water came out brown, and the TV made a strange Poltergeisty sound all night (yes, it was turned off). Luckily, we managed to score better accommodations the next night.

As you can see, Zola was much happier with her upgraded accommodations at the Lake Placid Hilton.

The town of Lake Placid is near the lake, but there's another lake, more accessible, called Mirror Lake that lies next to Main Street. Here's Mirror Lake. This was the view from our hotel room balcony. The lake is 2.65 miles in circumference. We know this because we ran it.

Dirk was in conference meetings for a lot of the time, so Jana and Zola got to know the town.

We got half a round of miniature golf in before Zola demanded her dinner.

Kathi and Jana are a pretty tough putt-putt golfing team.

Lake Placid is most famous for hosting the 1932 and 1980 Olympics. We got to take a little tour of Lake Placid's Winter Olympic Museum .

One of the most famous hockey games in US history was played at Lake Placid. In the 1980 Olympic Games, the United States team defeated a heavily favored Soviet Union team in "The Miracle On Ice."

Here's Zola in the arena where the game was played. She's unimpressed.

Here's Zola in the Penalty Box. She got a 5 minute major for pooping her diaper.

Jana spent some angry time in the box as well.

Zola liked the bobsled.

After spending so much time at Mirror Lake, we decided we needed to get to know the other lake, the actual "lake" part of Lake Placid a little better. So, we strapped up and headed out on a little hike. It's only a few hundred yards away from town, but it was very peaceful . . . placid, if you will.

Here's (almost) the whole gang: John, Dirk, Jana, Zola, Kathi, and Chad. We missed you, Matt and the Twietmeyers.

Some of you may have heard of the 1999 B-movie called "Lake Placid," where a giant crocodile terrorizes people on a lake. We brought this movie along and watched it in our hotel room to set the mood. Unfortunately, the movie is set in a remote part of Maine - not this charming New York town. A line of the movie's dialogue explains it: "

 What's with the water? It's so black.
 There's no waves or anything.
 Well, they wanted to call it ''Lake Placid,''
 but some body said that name was taken.
 It's too bad.

It was a little bit of a disappointment, in the end, that we weren't in danger of being eaten by a large crocodile . . . or were we?

[That water was COLD!!!]

At the end of the day, Zola was pretty tired. She was a trooper, though, and we're very glad we were able to take this little trip all together.

Our Friend Derek

2008-05-21T16:09:00.007-04:00

Derek is our good friend we met at church. Zola always likes to play with him during church and he's come over to the house a few times to play. Unfortunately, his job is moving him back to Colorado. We'll miss you, Derek. Especially Zola.

Derek brought Zola a Grover toy. Apparently, Grover doesn't use contractions when he speaks. Who knew?

Derek was kind enough to share his pizza with Zola. Zola, however, was not kind enough to ask.

A goodnight story, then off to bed.

Thanks for everything, Derek! Safe travels and keep in touch.

Meet Jana, Zola's Mom

2008-05-11T20:47:00.056-04:00

Since today is Mothers Day, we (Zola and Dirk) just wanted to tell everyone how great of a mom Jana is. She's the best!

We thought you might like some pictures to show off her awesomeity. For most of these pictures, you can click on them for closer views.

JANA THE MOM:
Jana is the best mom I know (tied with Zola's two grandmothers, of course). She's always so patient and funny with the baby. Zola loves her mommy so much that she appreciatively poops her diaper three or four times a day (wow!).

JANA THE ROMANTIC:
We all know Jana's a hottie, but her taste in men is questionable. Don't believe me? Just check out some of her old boyfriends. It's a tragic flaw that Dirk is more than happy to exploit.

JANA THE TRAVELER
Jana likes to visit all sorts of places and is always up for adventure (more on that in a minute). In fact, Dirk and Jana met halfway across the world in Italy. We've had some really fun trips together and can't wait to start dragging Zola around to more exotic locations than central Pennsylvania.

A lavender field in Provence (This photo took some courage. There were bees everywhere, and your weapons are useless against them.)

Jana at the Brooklyn Bridge (she might be a cat burglar too).

Jana in Belize

Jana in Paris (in front of the Louvre). She's 7 months pregnant in this photo. You'd never guess it.

Jana at Niagara Falls. Zzzzzzzzzzzz

JANA THE FIGHTER
Jana's a fighter. Luckily, she usually fights for the good side. Usually.

(Check out her sweet tattoo):

Jana's punching bag in the garage. Hitting bag=good. Hitting Dirk=bad. Jana once punched me in the hamstring so hard I couldn't walk without pain for a week. (Yes, I gave her permission just to see how bad it would hurt. Answer: Real bad. P.S. I'm an idiot.)

Jana the Piñata assassin

Jana: enemy to Peace Poles everywhere. We need more War Poles.

JANA THE ADVENTURER
Bubblegum Alley in St. Luis Obispo, CA. Yes, that's all chewed gum. Jana thought she would like a free sample. Ewwwww.

Ready for the tour at Ben and Jerry's in Vermont? Jana sure is!

Jana at the monument to the Wright Brothers at Kill Devil Hills (or Kitty Hawk), N.C.

Jana with her tongue stuck to an ice sculpture in Punxsutawney, PA on Groundhog Day.

Strike a model pose on the snowmobile at Oakley (photo credit: Spencer)

Jana's near-death experience in Vermont. Whew! She survived.

JANA THE HANDY-WOMAN
Jana is a genius at putting stuff together. She assembled this little barbecue in far less than the manufacturer's recommended 3.5 hours (for native Chinese speakers; longer for English speakers).

JANA THE ART CRITIC
(special appearance by the backs of Rhett and Kim)

JANA THE PARTY-GIRL
Say hi to Rosie, Jana's mom (she goes by Lynette too).

JANA IN HIGH SCHOOL
With bestest friends Danielle (left) and Patty Ray.

JANA THE ATHLETE:
Inducted into the Nordoff High School Hall of Fame (Volleyball)

Rock Climber. Check out those arm muscles. Seriously, she's amazing.

Jana at the Echo Triathlon.

JANA THE RODIN MODEL
(taken at the Rodin Garden in Paris)

(WARNING: this statue was banned from visiting the BYU. If you choose to look, do so at your own risk.)

JANA THE BEACH GIRL
Atlantic Jana (Outer Banks, NC)

Pacific Jana (Morro Bay, CA)

JANA THE NAVIGATOR
Jana is a great map-reader. Her skills make road trips a breeze.

We love you, Jana! Thanks for being the bestest mom ever. Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Birthday Dirk

2008-04-20T21:03:00.004-04:00

Zola likes the puppets Mimi sent Dirk for his birthday. (It's not a deviant fetish or a childish disorder - he likes to play puppets with Z.) Thanks, Mimi!

Road Trip?

2008-04-20T20:53:00.004-04:00

Just a quick trip to Hershey to see Chad and Kathi. We never get tired of the Chocolate World tour. Good times, and it's free. Just don't blow all your cash in the overpriced gift stores. The chocolate shakes, however, are enough to justify the 99 mile drive. They're moo-tricious.

Does Mimi recognize this shirt?

2008-04-09T10:03:00.007-04:00

Zola is wearing her dad's old shirt today. Here's a little fashion show.
[Click on the picture to zoom.]

Here's Dirk, mid 1970s, in the same shirt. Handsome devil.
Thanks for digging up this photo, Al.

Cage Match

2008-04-03T15:47:00.016-04:00

Since it's never too early to get ahead, Zola has been training to be a cage fighter. Here she is in her Octagon (it's really a hexagon, but don't tell).

She uses Rex Kwon Do's Buddy System:
No more flyin' solo.
You need somebody watching your back at all times!

Eventually, we'll get her some Rex Kwon Do Gear so she looks the part too.

There's nowhere to hide when Zola's in the cage!

So, you think you know fear? Just be grateful there is a fence between you and this seasoned fighter.

New Shoes from Patty Ray

2008-04-03T15:41:00.006-04:00

Zola's had these Converse All Stars for a little while, but just now is she able to wear them. Thanks, Patty Ray!

The Trip to Utah

2008-04-03T15:32:00.006-04:00

Zola had a great time playing with cousins, uncles and aunts while in Utah.

She waited patiently for Mimi and Ed to come back from Croatia - anxious to greet them with a balloon.

Zola couldn't get enough of Mimi and promises to try to say her name before Zola sees her again.

It's a zoo around here.

2008-03-26T21:43:00.012-04:00

Okay, stupid title for the post.

The Hogle Zoo is across the street from This Is The Place Monument, and we spent a nice day cruising around and looking at the animals. I'm not sure Zola noticed all the critters running around, but she liked the stroller. I'm going to go ahead and guess that her favorite animals were the bats, since the Bat Cave was dark and cool and she could see the motion of bats flitting around in their little glass cage.

Zola was not impressed with the Zebras. (Zola caught some Z's at the Zoo's Zebra pen. I'm an alliterative genius.)

Elephants are pretty cool.

But the fake one seemed just as fun for Z. and her cousins to look at.

Jana's Asian twin lives at the zoo.

Clyde Frog (one of Zola's favorite toys) was pretty happy with this sign.

This leopard is going after a big chunk of meat we saw the zookeepers place in the tree.

Zola and mom.

Mandy, Mom, Z. Can you see the giraffe head on the far right? Every party has "that guy" when you're trying to take pictures.

Welcome to Utah. This is the right place.

2008-03-24T18:32:00.012-04:00

Zola is visiting Utah this week. We took advantage of a beautiful spring day to visit This Is The Place Monument. This site commemorates the arrival of the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, and those who came after. The spot provides a great view of the valley and somewhere around here Brigham Young told the first group of settlers, "This is the right place."

Zola is descended from Anson Call, a prominent early Mormon pioneer. This bust of Anson was recently dedicated up at the site, but it doesn't really give any information about him. Too bad, Anson. You are almost famous.

See any resemblance?

Postcard from Patty Ray

2008-03-23T14:30:00.004-04:00

Patty Ray sent Zola a postcard from Ojai. We wish we were in California. I guess we'll just have to settle for a taste of cardstock.

Harmony, PA

2008-03-12T08:45:00.016-04:00

Zola and dad went up to Harmony, PA on Tuesday to check it out.

Well, it's really called Oakland now. Harmony was absorbed into the Oakland Township some time ago. [Can you find Zola?]

We're not really into the Mormon hajj tradition. It's great to visit important church history sites, but the over-commercialization of this part of LDS culture makes us a little uncomfortable. We live close enough to Harmony, though, to make it a day trip. It is actually pretty cool. Although it's not much more than a couple of grass fields, it's well maintained. There is no visitor center, nor were there any missionaries there to pressure us into giving them cheap referrals.

The place was empty. We had it all to ourselves - just the bronze Aaronic priesthood statue and the foundations of Joseph Smith's first home as a married man. Across the street is the site of the house where Emma grew up, and up the road 300 yards is the cemetery where Elizabeth and Isaac Hale are buried, all just a few yards from the river. It was nice to be able to walk around everywhere - very few fences.

In early 1828, Joseph and Emma Smith built a little house on this spot. Besides this one paver that Zola is playing on, only a bump of a foundation survives. In this spot - smaller than our one-car garage - Joseph translated a good portion of the Book of Mormon and received several revelations (notably D&C 4). Those events (among others) set in motion a lifetime of work that took him through several states and made him the leader of a large body of people and several cities. Whether or not you consider him to have been a prophet, I was impressed by the effort it must have taken to envision all that from this simple little homestead.

A few hundred yards away, behind this fence, is the foundation for the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home - where Emma grew up and where she met Joseph while he was rooming with the family.

Emma's parents are buried nearby.

The Susquehanna River is only a few yards from the two homesteads and the cemetery.

Although the LDS sites were tranquil and we spent a great hour wandering around and enjoying our snacks, I was really affected by the absolute squalor of Oakland, PA. The place is white-trash hell. Directly adjacent to the cemetery is a large junk yard, and beyond that is the most pathetic trailer park I've seen in a long, long time. The place just oozed poverty and despair. It felt like a third world country - quite a difference from the manicured, Stepfordy atmosphere that normally greets a visitor to a LDS church site. I know Emma put up with a lot, but eloping with Joseph might be the smartest thing she ever did, just to get out of there.

Varia

2008-03-12T08:26:00.008-04:00

Just some random pictures we had on our camera. Hope Mimi (and anyone else) enjoys them.

After Jen gave us the idea, we decided to try a little paper-ripping party. That magazine is toast.

Zola goes to school

2008-02-25T20:09:00.007-05:00

Zola took a quick trip around campus today. Since she's in the Baby Witness Protection Program (B-Wipp for short), she had to go out disguised as a Ladybug. Luckily, she managed to keep her cover intact.

We made a stop at the Berkey Creamery for ice cream and Zola snacked on a (miracle) bagel.

Then we made a little trip to the library to warm up. Rhett was working hard and gave Zola something to read over the weekend.

The Stacks are a big place. Luckily Zola knows the Dewey Decimal System.

Tark Part II

2008-02-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Zola loves to chew a frozen towel - I think it helps her gums feel better.

Is she destined to follow in the footsteps of another bald towel-biter? A life of great success marked by a tragic, corruption-laced fall from grace?

Sweet Photos

2008-02-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

Jenny and Allison took some awesome pictures in January. Here are some of my favorites. Most people say she looks like her Dad - what do you think?

The visit to Utah

2008-01-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

We spent our brief trip to Utah visiting with family.

This is Zola's aunt Rachelle and her cousin Matt.

We thought the nexus of the Universe might come to a jarring halt when Zola Rae met Zola Rae. This is Jana's aunt and Zola's namesake. She's an artist - check out some of her paintings on the wall behind the two Zolas (Zolae in Latin).

We stopped briefly in St. George to visit Dirk's grandparents (Zola's great-grandparents), Par and Marme. We hope Zola ends up with Marme's pretty blue eyes and reddish hair.

A snowmobile ride at Oakley, but Zola wasn't invited. She was busy inside playing Guitar Hero with Mandy and Richard.

Ojai, California

2008-01-16T20:44:00.001-05:00

Ojai might be the coolest place in the world. Ojai's mayor attributes the city's coolness to its favorite daughter, Nordhoff High School Hall-of-Famer Jana Rae.

One of Zola's favorite things to do was take a run in the late morning hours through town.

The Ojai Valley trail - where we did our running. It goes all the way from Ojai to Ventura (13+ miles). Notice the buzzard in the Eucalyptus tree

The post office tower is Ojai's best known landmark.

Zola liked the fountain in Libbey Park, as well as shopping in the arcade you see in the background.

Heading west for the holidays

2008-01-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

Zola's an experienced traveler now, and handled the airplane ride to California with ease. She really enjoyed the in-flight movie, Rush Hour 3.

Zola's first Christmas was in Ojai.

After opening presents, we headed to the beach in Ventura.

We spent most of the time in California lounging around.

Zola really took a liking to Grandma Rigby

We spent a lot of time with the Dottls in Ventura. Natalie, who is less than 4 weeks older, is Zola's new BFF. Since Natalie's parents were better photographers than Zola's, we invite you to check out Natalie’s blog for more awesome action-packed photos of the young BFF's.

We did venture out one night and drove down to Hollywood to visit the Griffith J. Griffith (yes, that was his real name) Observatory in L.A. The view was spectacular and Zola liked staying up late. She missed Ed.

For those of you (Mandy) who like to see other kinds of "stars" in Hollywood, the Griffith is a good place to start.

Chow Time

2008-01-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

Zola's a really good eater (so far).

Here's the first time she tried rice cereal.

Here's the first time she tried In-N-Out Burger (with Grandpa Rigby).

Sharing a sandwich at Oakley.

Rhett and Kim: Expert Babysitters

2007-12-21T18:10:00.000-05:00

Rhett and Kim babysat while Dirk and Jana celebrated a five-year anniversary. They celebrated by going to Wal-Mart to buy some baby spoons and rice cereal. Is the honeymoon finally over?

How should we caption this picture?

Seattle

2007-12-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

This is Zola's first airplane ride. Luckily we didn't have any neighbors sitting next to us. I think her worm she is holding onto kept her from getting too scared.

Zola loved her cousins Nick, Chase, and Zach. But she loved her Uncle Jeff most of all. Unfortunately we don't have any good pictures of Aunt Shauna, but she was there too.

Many of you might not recognize Bob. Bob is a friend of Zach's who took a liking to little Z-Rae. It was hard to keep them apart the whole trip.

What the elf?

2007-12-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Left-to-right: Chase, Nick, Zack, Zola

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1142548377

Be patient. It's worth the wait.

It worked better for me in Internet Explorer than in Firefox.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Maryland with the Janes' and Mcneils. It was loads of fun, and Zola made lots of new friends - some real, some not-so-real.

Zola and Kristy.

Zola is just as happy with a pretend person as a real one. Makes you wonder if we could have just left her at home for the weekend with a puppet or two.

Zola loved the D.C. metro. Lots of noise, lights, and movement.

Smallie Power! This is their sign.

The Janes and Mcneils play a game called

Nertz. It's highly competitive and sometimes people die, or (best-case-scenario) are maimed. Kim (second from the right) is the best at it. Drew (far left) is disguised as a beach towel.

Here are the Mcneils and the Janes'. Thanks for letting Zola and her parents crash your Thanksgiving party!

Ma and Pa

2007-11-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

Zola, I imagine like most babies, seems to like her parents no matter what. This is a kindness on her part that will, I assume, soon wear off. For now, though, she seemed to like Dad's short-lived mullet hairstyle.

The most disturbing thing is how easily Ma cut the mullet - as if she's done it thousands of times before . . . Here, Jana is trying to look as trashy as dirk - if you look closely you'll see her missing tooth. Weak sauce, Jana. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to look like a true Pennsylvania scratcher.

Learning to Play

2007-11-15T17:57:00.000-05:00

Zola is getting big enough (3 months this week) to start to play with toys and friends. Soon enough, she's going to be asking for the keys to the car.

This is one of her favorite toys. I think these little dangling things talk to her. I'm positive they're smallie sympathizers.

This is Maggie - Zola's first friend. Maggie is a great friend. She's always helping find Zola's pacifier and toys and is very gentle and careful with her.

We watched almost the entire Pittsburgh Steelers' game on Sunday. Zola thinks the Cleveland team is a bunch of chumps! She's ready to fight them all (that's why her fists are clenched).

Party of Three

2007-11-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

We blessed Z. at church on Sunday and took this picture later that afternoon.

Don't worry, Mom. I wore a tie and Zola wore a white blanket.

Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Marshal

2007-11-05T09:50:00.000-05:00

Marshal and Lindsey made the journey from Chicago this weekend. This was the first time little Z. has met both sides of an aunt-uncle marriage. We had lots of fun driving through the PA countryside, playing "spot the Amish," and guzzling Hershey's milkshakes.

Love the new outfit. I do heart Chicago.

A beautiful fall day in Big Valley, PA.

Dirk and Marshal inside the Greenwood furnace.
The furnace has never held more heat.

Chocolate World is lots of laughs.

It's moo-tritious

Marshal and Jana on a secret sample-survey mission.
They could tell you about it, but then they'd have to kill you.

It's like crack. You just can't get enough.

Marshal really does deserve the name "Sug'" (short for Sugar).

Thanks again for coming to visit, L. and M.!

Halloween

2007-11-05T09:47:00.001-05:00

Zola and Mom, ready for Halloween.
We didn't get much candy, but that's okay.
Bears don't really like candy. They prefer berries and grubs.

Look-alike-Meter

2007-10-25T10:29:00.000-04:00

We stole this idea from Tiff - thanks!

Zola's the perfect combination of mom and dad.

Apparently, Zola looks more like her real mother.

Getting Bigger

2007-10-23T14:33:00.000-04:00

Aunt Heather (Heat. for short) came to visit a few days ago. She's an accomplished mother back home in UT, and she flew in to provide some expert advice.

Bouncing on the silver workout ball is Zola's favorite pastime.

Zola seems to like her green dress. It's dad's favorite dress.

Does this diaper make my butt look big?

Zola in her new chair with some fall accessories.

We know who she roots for.

You're a big bag of poo! . . . no you are! . . . no you are! . . . . no you are! . . . . no you are!

Only slightly less amazing than the time Marshal ate his weight at Godfather's Pizza is the time Zola pooped more than her body weight in a single week.

Cousin Joe and Aunt Jen

2007-10-11T08:59:00.000-04:00

We had a great time when Jenny and little Joe came out to visit in October. We did our best to show them the finest of Pennsylvania (which doesn't take very long). We checked out Penn State, played Spot the Amish in Big Valley, went to a couple of harvest festivals in the nearby towns, and (of course) made the obligatory pilgrimage to Hershey. Thanks for coming out!

Jana, Zola and the two Joe's.

One of the local harvest festivals. This one was pretty weak. The singing entertainment (to use the word band would be an insult to musicians everywhere) was honestly the worst performance I have ever heard live, in a public setting. No instruments, just a synthesizer and three middle-aged wannabes singing gospel tunes in unbelievably off-key arrangements. It was high comedy.

These two pictures were taken outside of Peight's, a little general store in Big Valley, where lots of Amish and Mennonite families make their homes.

Someone's happy to be in Hershey. Face-paint is included with every milkshake.

Don't worry. Zola's head is fine.

Move over Linus, this pumpkin patch is taken!

Car-seat buddies.

Patty and Danielle

2007-09-06T21:07:00.000-04:00

Surprise! Surprise! Jana's bestest buddies from Ojai - Patty and Danielle - showed up for some Penn State cheer over Labor Day weekend. Zola enjoyed getting to know her adopted aunts, and our California visitors generously shared their expertise with us - Danielle offered us bunches of baby tips and Patty provided valuable advice pertaining to Nordic sweater fashions and cheap red wines. Excellent times all around.

Pukey Springsteen

2007-09-06T21:03:00.001-04:00

I guess Zola wasn't very happy with Springsteen's work.
Those darker stains on both shirts came projectile-style from her belly.
Luckily, she's feeling better.

Hanging out at home

2007-08-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

Just some pictures of Zola at home. If she could talk, I'm sure she'd say hello to all her friends and family who are scattered all over the world. She sleeps really well at night (sometimes as much as five hours straight), and likes to listen to 8-tracks while Dad changes her diaper (Willy Nelson and Waylon Jennings duets seem to be her favorite).

Home Sweet Home

2007-08-18T09:45:00.000-04:00

Zola is doing great. Yesterday, she had her first doctor appointment. Her weight is up to 7 lbs. 15 oz. and she is very healthy.

Grandma and Grandpa Rigby have been helping take care of her, and she seems to like being home. Her two most prominent features are her beautiful wide eyes (from her mother) and her robust bowels (from her father).

Zola arrives.

2007-08-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

She made it!

After 41 hours of giving Jana contractions, Zola decided it was time to get with the program.

Zola Rae Lunt "Zoë "
born 10:22 a.m. on 13 August 2007

7 lbs. 14 oz.
20.5" long.

Jo Hays Vista

2007-08-11T21:16:00.001-04:00

Jana and brothers. The baby can't appreciate the view.

Waiting Time. . .

2007-07-29T21:53:00.001-04:00

Is there really a baby in there?