Homeward bound

Hey friends! Greetings from the study/baby's room of our apartment. The little one is enjoying a delicious feast of...milk. So I got a little time to mention the going-ons of the family.

First, please note the links at the top of the left hand column of the blog (the right hand side if you're looking at the screen from behind it) as there are some links to some radio stations I've built on a little thing called Pandora. I blogged about it a while back. Anyway, if you are at work or at school or at home or the market (probably not the market;I just through that in there because saying 'the market' is sort of fun) you can come to my blog, click on one of the stations and automatically enjoy some tunes. My preferred station is Stroke 9 Radio; Breaking Benjamin is a bit aggressive; Jack Johnson is laid back; Phantom Planet is punk; Bother is...different.

Next up is a picture of Lydia. I was going to leave it to Paula to post pic's of our little girl on her page, but evidently she's too 'busy' with feeding and changing and bathing and cleaning and cooking and errands and regaining strength after childbirth...apparently this is 'time consuming' and 'requires a lot of time'. Also, Rachell left a comment demanding more pics of her niece and since I like my sister more than that boy from South Jordan does, I'm going to oblige her. Anyway, I think Lydia's still really cute. Her skin is adjusting to, well, air. This is causing her to breakout a little bit, but that doesn't phase me.

It still boggles my mind how little she is. I don't realize it because I hold her so close and have my face right next to her all the time that it seems she's bigger than she actually is. One of the reasons I'm including these two shots is because it reminds me how tiny she is. (you can click on the picture so you can see more of her and less of me. I'd suggest that). I mean, look at my hand in this first picture! it covers her whole body. Crazy. She's so precious to me that even after three short weeks of having her in our family I don't know what I'd do without her. It's mind-bottling, everything about it. Going to work is pretty much the worst and if it wouldn't ruin her sleeping habits I'd have her sleep on my chest all the time. Being a dad pretty much rocks.

Finally, I'm happy to report that we are going to be home owners! Sure enough. I think I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but we had bid on a bank-owned home and were outbid. We were surprised because there's some work that needs to be done and in today's market I thought we'd made a reasonable offer. Well, apparently the jokers who outbid us were all bark and no bite. Two Friday's ago our agent told us the contract had fallen through; we resubmitted our original offer and the back countered at just $2500 more than our offer. So we pulled the trigger and just got the contract today. After a home inspection we're off to the races. The lender we are going with said he can have this closed in 2 weeks, so just like that we'll be out of this apartment and into a house. We are excited to get out of this complex; our neighbors are new on a regular basis because the previous tenants find themselves evicted. So...we don't exactly associate with the creme de la creme of society.
It's hard to believe we're at this point. I was IM'ing the Nerf the other day and he said "Who would have thought two years ago when you were unemployed, single and driving the Buck that you'd have a job, be married with a kid and owning a home? At best I thought you'd be a single father in an apartment." He's always been a builder....but seriously, I appreciated the hilarity of that zinger. I laughed out loud and shared it with Paula. But there's some truth to my brother's pithy comment - life goes by really quick. And I have nothing profound to compliment that obvious statement. It is what it is. Enjoy the pics and descriptive captions...

Here's the front

What you seen when you walk in

From the kitchen. A 42" flat screen needs to go above the mantle

From the living room to the kitchen

The back yard and such.

Week in Review

I’ll tell you what – it’s been one of those weeks. In a good way. Nothing incredibly profound or extraordinary, like winning a million dollars or having all the Dems experience an enlightening and turn from their path to socialism, but good nonetheless.

First, and perhaps most importantly I finished the fight. Master Chief (Spartan 117) again defied fate and saved Earth and the universe from the sinister parasite Gravemind and the delude Covenant. It wasn't easy and there were casualties everywhere - like my sleep. But freedom isn't free. Nor is it won without sacrifice.
I’d like to thank those that made this possible. First my wife for allowing me to dabble in silly things like video games and loving me anyway; my well exercised thumbs for the nimbleness and cat-like reflexes on the analog controller; Microsoft, for their aggressive and dominating marketing that hooked me; Archie, Zach and Nathan for countless hours of mayhem; and my new partner in Xboxing, my daughter Lydia.

Second, the Cougars of BYU pulled off a road win. This is no little task, especially since BYU is located in Utah and the state was 0-11 in road games this year until last night. I didn’t realize that New Mexico was 4-0 going into the game and that it was their homecoming, so this win is a little more impressive than it normally would. I’ve determined that we’re just a young team and as such, prone to some nervous mistakes. That’s good news for the future. Lydia was especially excited with the win, as evidenced by her wide-eyed, floppy headed gaze into the heavens and the fact she wanted me to enjoy her pacifier for her.
Editor's Note: The awesome BYU onesie is from the Sucher family. In the words of my wife's forebearers - Muchos Gracias.

Next, the season premier of The Office was this week. Not only would this normally be awesome, but the fact it was an hour long episode was icing on an already amazing cake. Three more weeks of hour long episodes...need I say more?

Also, I got a notice from Equifax that my credit score went up and it changes the rate at which I’d get a mortgage. I don’t understand this whole credit score thing and after reading up multiple times on it, I don’t think anyone does. There’s no clear cut criterion for what makes your FICO score what it is; my speculation is that credit scores were created the same way the doctrine of modern day Christianity was at Nicene: some one in charge who knew nothing about credit got together a bunch of accountants and told them to come up with some number system, though none of them really agreed about the body, parts or passions of the score. But it was the best they could do.
The reason I say this is because I have 0 (zero) debt of any kind. None. I carry no balances on any of my credit cards. I have 1 (one) delinquency notice three years ago on a Kohl’s card I didn’t know I had, but it’s only a month over due. But people with car payments and student loans and such have a better score than I do. Doesn’t make sense.

Anyway, the reason this is good news is because the house we had made a bid on a couple months back and lost on is available again. The contract fell through the seller agent called our agent and told her even before the contract was terminated that she thought it would and we should be ready to offer again. So we did on Friday. Who knows – I could be a home owner soon. Weird and wild stuff. Married with a kid and owning a home. I feel so established. And grown up.

Good thing I have an Xbox to clearly illustrate I’m not.

Finishing the Fight

Obligatory Baby Update: Lydia is doing well, just eating sleeping and soiling diapers. Not a bad gig, you know? She had an appointment with the pediatrician Monday and got a clean bill of health. In fact, she's gained two ounces since we brought her home last Thursday. Today she's a week old and as beautiful as ever (maybe more so). Half of my sleep deprivation comes at my own expense, wanting to hold her and look at her instead of actually getting sleep like I should. Oh well. Sleep will be there when I'm old and gumming up my food; my baby girl is only a baby for a little bit.

Well, today is the day. Master Chief is back to take on the Covenant horde, this time on Earth, in the final installment of the Halo Trilogy. I'm pretty excited about it and plan on picking up my copy on the way home from work today. I may even splurge and go with the Legendary Edition for an extra $15.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the Halo Trilogy except that it revolutionized gaming and has a rich and compelling story line. (For those who want to learn more or if you lady's would like to read up and impress the men in your life with your intimate knowledge of the storyline, check it out here for an overview. Don't be afraid to click on some links to learn more.) And, like everything, it's exciting to have some kind of closure. Basically, without Halo 3 it would be like JK Rowling never penning HP and the Deathly Hallows - it would be frustrating and agonizing.

For those who say "What's the big deal?" let me throw some knowledge your way. The original Halo came was and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time and put the Microsoft gaming industry on the map, positioning it in the running with Sony and Nintendo. Halo 2 racked up $125 million in sales within the first 24 hours of its release; prior to the release today, there were well over 1 million pre-ordered copies of the game. The first two games have sold over 15 million copies worldwide since the original release in 2001. Even the stock market has reacted to the release of H3, with Microsoft stock rising 3.35 percent at one point.

Yes, Halo is just a video game. No, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. But either do shoe styles. Or trendy clothing. Or Harry Potter. (That sudden drop in oxygen levels are Pottheads everywhere gasping in dismay.) Or anything related to Hollywood and their ilk. It's simply a welcome distraction to the mundane; a guilty pleasure like Double Stuffed Oreo's and a glass of whole milk.
Except without the fat and calories and regret...and you save the world.

This first video is a teaser trailer. Very exciting.


This video is also a teaser trailer. More exciting.


This is a unique trailer done with a still frame diorama. Different and cool. Interact here.

Halo 3 - Believe 90 Second TV Spot

Cyber Commorancy Exclusive!

This is an exclusive for the viewers of my blog.

I know most folks will be looking at Paula's page for some pics and that her page will be the one filled with Lydia in the future, so I thought I'd give you faithful readers of Cyber Commorency a sneak peek. (Look quickly because once Paula finds out I haven't put any pics on her blog I'll be in trouble.)

Yesterday afternoon at 1:23pm, Lydia Roberts came into the world weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz.; she measured 19 inches and is sporting a full head of dark hair. I think she is gorgeous, though I am admittedly bias. But she has no bruising or smashed nose, is quiet as can be and loves sleep more than food.

Paula is recovering well. Though I loved her before Lydia, I love her even more now after seeing what she went through - what she was willing to go through - to bring our daughter into this world.

Anyway, I'll be sure to post with some deep and profound thoughts that will forever alter the view of childbirth in the 21st century (tongue firmly implanted in cheek) later on after I've had a chance to digest everything. But wisdom later, pics now

Immediately after Lydia was born - like 2 minutes. I was running around with a camera in one hand and blood on the other from the umbilical chord. It was a mad scene.

Grandma Kilgore with little Lydia. Paul and Julia came by about 1/2 hour before Lydia was born, so they were back in the room an hour later (Paula only pushed for maybe 15 minutes.)

Here I am. I'm going with the severe head tilt and look a bit like an idiot. Oh well. If you know me, I'm not one to get all excited and giddy (we all know my view on the over use of exclamation points) but I was running around like a decapitated chicken. What do you do?

Here's Lydia (right) with her cousin Juliana (left, obviously) a couple hours after the birth. Lydia was due on the 9th, Juliana the twenty....third? or twenty-second? but came last week on the 10th. They're almost the exact same size (L=7 15, 19in;J=8, 18in) with almost the same birthday. Weird, wild stuff.

Here's Paula this morning, about 17 hours after the birth of the little one. Like I said, Paula has become one of the people I most admire after seeing what she did. Incredible. They're a good looking pair. Heckagood looking.

Just stuff

What’s crappenin? Huh. Evidently spell check isn’t working because it has accepted ‘crappenin’ as a word. Maybe the world has come to accept ‘crappenin’ as a legitimate part of the English language. Just another word or phrase that got its roots from the halls of Pine View in good ol’ Rexburg. It’s nice to see the world is coming around. Better late than never…

Anyway, that got me off on a tangent. Weird. What I wanted to do was start out by thanking everyone from their outpouring of support for the mighty Cougars. Six comments! That’s the most since the post about maiming…er, piercing…Lydia’s ears (7 comments) and equal to the cumulative total of the previous five posts. So, to all you who commented – the faithful, the converted, the investigator and casual observer – I, along with Bronco, would like to thank you for the outpouring of support. It was not in vain as our beloved Cougs laid a thumping on the UA Wildcats, grabbing an opening day win and setting the tone for the season. Check out Cougarfan.com for all the coverage. This week we’re taking on UCLA, ranked 13/14 in the nation and picked to finish 3^rd in the Pac-10. I’m hoping for a win – especially after App. State laid the wood to Michigan at The Big House in Ann Arbor – but will settle for a close game.

Last week, Forrest and Rachell carried the load in Provo and will continue to do so for all home games. The Nerf is going to be in attendance, so he has proudly and courageously volunteered to harness everyone’s faith and bring it to the game. Cousin Ben Scoresby from the Allred side of the fam is making a road trip for the Tulsa game, so we got that covered. We just need reps at New Mexico, UNLV, Wyoming and SDSU. Please let me know what you can make so we know where who to harness our positive thoughts through. Thanks.

Out here in GA things are moving right along. We didn’t get the house we had bid on, so we’re back in the hunt. It was a bummer to not get the house, but since there are 107,000+ houses for sale in the Atlanta area, I think we’ll be fine.

Lydia’s on her way. She’s due on Sunday, the 9^th. It’s crazy to think about, that she’ll actually be here. Paula had a check up on Tuesday and was dilated to a 1. I don’t know if that’s TMI, but whatever. She was wish she was farther along and was bemoaning the fact the baby would never come. I assured her that I was quite confident it would; don’t know why, but that didn’t go over well. Apparently she knew that, but it just feels like the baby is never going to come. So anyway, we are still anxiously awaiting little Lydia’s arrival. We have everything we need – I surprised Paula with the travel system purchase last week and we have over 300 diapers at our place. I’m going to make a point to bring my computer to the hospital when the time comes so we can get picture up ASAP. I’m thinking of posting a live video feed of the birth. I kid! I kid!

That’s about it. Hopefully next week I can come to you with another Cougar win and pictures of my daughter.

It’s weird to say that.

Hmmm.