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OFFICIAL P3 HEADS UP!

We've migrated The Pickenblog to a newer, better site home. Join us by clicking below...

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CLICK HERE TO GO TO PICKENBLOG 2.0

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Be sure to bookmark the new location. This is the last post submitted here.  All old and new content goes to the new site.

Riley Pincushion

Riley had his five-year checkup with his doctor the week before Thanksgiving.  We found out he's still tall (95th percentile) and thin (49th percentile).   Uh, thanks.  He also got his eyes and ears tested (beeeeeeeep!) and got SIX shots, a TB test, and a blood test.  Poor little boy!  He was so brave, but it was not an easy visit for him.  By the time we got down to the lab for the blood draw, he was tearfully asking the technicians to "do it quickly."   

I knew ahead of time that he had some boosters due, so I promised Riley that, if he was a good boy, I would take him to The Americana at Brand (the latest Vegas-style shopping experience created by Rick Caruso) to ride the trolley.  

We rode the trolley three times and then walked through Santa's house.  Santa invited Riley to sit on his lap, but Riley said he just wanted to look around his house.

As you ride through The Americana on the trolley, the conductor points out all the sights ("one of the world's largest Barnes and Nobles...the world-famous Cheesecake Factory...Gilly Hicks, the cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch," etc.).  We also learned that the Christmas tree at The Americana is the second largest Christmas tree in Los Angeles (I'm guessing the largest one is at Caruso's other mall, The Grove) and is bigger than the one at Rockefeller Center.  It is 106 feet tall, is decorated with 10,000 ornaments, and has 15,000 lights.

In addition to twinkling Christmas lights everywhere, it snows twice a night at The Americana and the fountains "dance" every half hour to Christmas music.  When I say Vegas-style, it truly is.  The fountains are choreographed by the same person(s) who did the Bellagio hotel fountains in Vegas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Riley is thankful for his Team GeoTrax video, his mom and dad, his Puppy, and himself.  Oh, and Thomas, too.

Kirsten is thankful for Chris and Riley, her friends, her family, and her job.

We don't know what Chris is thankful for because he is still asleep.

A Big Heads Up

In case you missed note of it in prior posts...

We're moving The Pickenblog to a new site location. Call it Pickenblog 2.0.

Kick-off date: December 1, 2008.

We'll post a redirection link to it here on 12/1. We'll also keep this site up for a good while, if for no other reason that to keep the redirection link available.

FYI: All Pickenblog content will be migrated to the new location, so all past and present posts will reside there.

So stay tuned.

Fall at Descanso Gardens

As we prepare to migrate from one blog host to another, I'm trying to catch up on some overdue entries. Call it housecleaning, if you will.

I took Riley to Descanso Gardens for their Pumpkin Roundup the weekend before Halloween in the hopes of getting some nice seasonal photos of Riley. During the Roundup, the gardens are sprinkled with staged photo op areas. I couldn't get any great pumpkin shots with Riley, but the one below gives you an idea of how wonderful the weather was that day.

Riley loved the collection of vintage tractors on special display that weekend.

He loved this one even more after the owner turned it on:

This is what happens when you stay out in the fields too long without sunscreen:

But seriously, the tractor above was decorated in celebration of Dia de Los Muertos.

The highlight of Riley's day, of course, was riding on Descanso Gardens' Enchanted Railroad, a 1/8 replica of a diesel train.

After the train, we journeyed to the koi pond:

We also explored some special horticultural exhibits. Riley was fascinated with these honey bees.

The squash hanging behind Riley in the Edible Estate looked like a giant green bean.

I think virtually everyone who reads this blog has been to Descanso Gardens, but it remains one of my favorite places to take pictures in the LA area.

Tastes Like Chicken

Embarking upon a tasting adventure, the pickiest Pickenpaughs bravely sampled a buggy treat last month:

No, it wasn't a real bug.  C'mon, do you think either of us would have actually put that in our mouths if it were?

Lessons by Mail

I have the perhaps not-so-bad habit of opening all junk mail before throwing it in the trash. Sometimes there are little treasures to be had therein:  address labels, gift tags, a nickel or a penny, recipe cards, etc.

For example, we recently received a mailing from Doctors Without Borders which contained a map of the world.  Riley enjoyed seeing all the places he has been (Hawaii, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan) and also seeing how much of the world he has left to explore in his lifetime.  I noted that much of what I learned in World History oh-so-long-ago has changed.  Either I wasn't paying close attention at the time (a distinct possibility) or many countries' names have changed.

Oh, and this may be a good opportunity to mention that The Pickenblog will soon be moving.  Stay tuned for details.

A Day in the Life of Puppy "Aloysius" Brown Dog

Waiting to have his hair brushed while Riley brushes his teeth

Virtually everyone who meets Riley also meets his constant companion, Puppy Brown Dog, nicknamed Aloysius. That includes store clerks, waiters/waitresses, train drivers, Riley's dentist, his doctor, strangers on the street, and so on.

In Riley's eyes, Puppy is one of the family. So, today, Puppy gets his own blog post and we have a peek at an ordinary weekend day for him.

Hangin' out in the backyard

Getting a little off the top

Freshly groomed

Hoping for scraps from the dinner table

Auuugghh!

This is how work makes me feel right now, although I hope to have time to breathe again after December 1. Thanks to Riley for putting a face on it.

Elephant Boy

Riley received this towel from his Grandma Linda for his birthday.

Don't worry. It covers his trunk.

Not Just Election Day

Yes, today is Election Day, but it is also Riley's birthday.  Our boy is five years old!

Knowing that Tuesday would be a busy day and not wanting to give Riley's special day short shrift, we celebrated on Sunday.  

Initially, Riley wanted to go to Legoland but he changed his mind in favor of receiving more presents.  In place of Legoland, I indulged his request to ride the train again.  

Since Riley loves bookstores, I decided we would get off at Hollywood and Vine and walk to a nearby Borders.  He and I sat in the children's section reading books together until it was time to head home and meet up with Chris for dinner.  We snapped a few touristy pictures on our way back to the Metro station.

Riley chose California Pizza Kitchen for his birthday meal.  We toasted him over apple juice and pizza and entertained him with stories about his arrival into the world.  Riley was intrigued to hear that the medical staff was preoccupied by the large wildfires burning northwest of the hospital.  He was also greatly amused by the fact that he was fed through a tube in his nose for the first few days of his life.

After dinner, Chris kept Riley busy in the bathtub while I wrapped up his presents.  His surprise to see the packages turned to glee as he unwrapped each one to find several toys he'd been coveting.  It was a good day!