Found another one

OK, OK. I know it hasn't been two months, but I had to post another picture.



OK, now I really am going to wait two more months. (Maybe)

September through October

The last few months in photos:


Sion has decided that she wants to be the baby again so she gets more attention.



Welcome to the Moench Monastery. We meditate on our animal selves...



Super Tate!



Keri pics (what people really want to see)



Replacing the sink faucets and water shut-offs becomes a family project.



Sea World Parade!



Dad and Tate get soaked on the coaster



The sea birds here are pretty agressive



Carnival rides for everyone



Sion and Hana play in Elmo's playground



Keri has about as much fun as she can stand



We saw the dolphin show, which is now a dolphin/aquatic Cirque de Soleil show. Pretty Cool. The even have some big birds and pilot whales involved.



I think I'm turning Japanese. I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so (think so, think so)



Hana



Sion



Tate



Keri doesn't have the Japanese clothes yet, but she is cute just as she is.



Hana trying to "cute" her way out of getting caught with her "Bubba" before bed time. (No Bubbas Before Bedtime!)



Is this punk enough for you? All she needs now is a tank.



Keri has decided that she gets the big bed, and we get the crib.



More pics in a few months......

We gave Tate a camera

We gave Tate my old camera, because he always wants to take pictures. Over the last weeks, he has been running wild with it, taking pictures of almost everything. We thought that we would showcase his work here. While he is not behind the camera in every shot, he is directing the action of every image.

We start with Ice Water (a still-life)



Keri in Grandma's Hands



Tate in front of the camera....................and behind it



Cashus (OK, this shot bugged me. I have been trying for years to get that dog to give me a decent photo - Just one good one for your feeder, but no. Tate gets one within a few shots.)



Lightsaber Fights (with Cole)



At work behind the camera



Hana (the evil twin) being precious.........................Sion (the other evil twin) about to steal her mom's food



and thus concludes our exhibit of Tate's photography. We hope to offer more exhibits in the future.

More Keri Pics

More Pictures of Keri

Keri's first bath



Drying off with her chicken towel



Keri dressed for bed (our bed, since she still refuses to sleep alone)



Mutual inspection



Keri enjoying a post-meal stretch

It was a dark and stormy night...

It was a dark and stormy night. The wind howled and the night sky was illuminated as bolts of lightning leaped from cloud to cloud, never quite touching the ground. As the woman's screams echoed down the hall, the masked man picked up a knife and walked slowly, calmly toward the woman, who was unable to move...

OK, it was windy and there was a thunderstorm on the horizon, and the doctor was masked, though he had a scalpel, not a knife. And they were moans rather than screams from Sachiyo, who was rather heavily drugged (by an anesthesiologist, not self-medicated) but I think you all get the picture.

At 2154, on 17 August, Keri Moench entered the world at 7 lbs 4 oz (3.3 Kg) and 19.75 inches (50 cm). Mom and daughter are doing fine. Both are lovely and will be home soon.




Keri, about 45 seconds after birth



Keri under the heat lamps going from blue to pink



Keri meets mom and big brother



Keri Moench

Tate's First Day

Tate started school on 16th of August. He is growing up so quickly. After a few days, he is really enjoying school.

Though his school district has only full-day programs, he is attending for only half a day. This is thanks to an Arizona law requiring school districts that have only full-day programs to offer a half-day option to anyone who requests it.

We think having 5-year olds in school for almost 7 hours a day is a little bit of overkill. He is still studying at home with his mom, so he is definitely not going to be falling behind academically. If anything, the opposite is true.

Devil Pups

We went to Camp Pendleton on the 7th to see Seth Trunick graduate from Devil Pups, which is a 10 day training program/summer camp sponsored by the Marine Corps. Seth did great, recieving one of about fifteen fitness awards out of 324 graduates. He had a perfect physical fitness score. We are very proud of him.