LABOR DAY WEEKEND, 2004
Big Bear Lake, CA

All of the pictures of this weekend are best seen by scrolling down the column to the left, down to the ARCHIVES. Click on Archives.

Labor Day Weekend, 2004: My First Trip to the Mountains to see G-Pa and G-Ma

"Tutu Sue, Mom and Dad, my favorite aunt, Aunty Alana and I piled into the car, and went on yet ANOTHER long drive. Didn't we just do this last weekend?

Again, over 90% of the stuff that was loaded into the car was MINE! Somehow, it all fit.

We were expected to arrive about 9-ish, but got there a lot sooner than we thought. After multiple trips back and forth in the dark, all my stuff was in the house. G-Pa had a pot of island style Portuguese Bean Soup waiting for us.

G-Ma and G-Pa got to see Cassie and Ethan's wedding in Mendocino, thanks to Dad's videography. They said it was the next best thing to being there. Everyone gushed on and on when Aunty Cassie came on the screen in her wedding gown. She looked so beautiful. There was some very touching footage of Uncle Ethan taking his vows. It was a very heartfelt experience.

And, we all agreed, Uncle Steve deserved the Entertainer of the Year award.

This, by the way, is a picture of me in my activities chair with my Aunty Alana being the guest activity."

Thank you from G-Ma & G-Pa to Tutu Sue for the terrific breakfasts and fine wines!

The next morning: "I AM the man. I got both my parents out of their warm bed -- on a Saturday -- on a HOLIDAY weekend -- to feed me at 5 AM. By 6 AM, everyone else in the house was up or half-way up. Let's roll! I've got places to go, people to meet! Here, G-Pa and Mom are hustlin' up some breakfast food that Tutu Sue brought. That's real Portuguese sausages that G-Pa frying up. As is her tradition, Tutu Sue brought a LOT of food.

By the way, take a good look in the mirror behind the stove. That's Tutu!" 

"That's me (Austin Kai) in my bouncy chair on the floor, eye-level with the dogs. Are those my cousins? 

That's me with my Daddy!

He's the big man and I'm the little man. All the women in our family think we are a matching set; we are VERY handsome men! 

Furry critters, 'Oli and Freddy, who loved sniffing me.

"That's Mommy and me on that rocker. I met these two furballs at their house down the hill when I was vewee vewee weetle.

That Sweetpea looking guy is is me, re-acquainting myself with them. I like it that they are just my size. They really came in handy whenever I threw up. (They're a great clean-up crew). We got along great. 

No problemo!

We may have gotten a bit over-confident doing the 300 piece warm-up puzzle, The Blue Door. It came together pretty fast. 

G-Ma and Me

"That's me with my G-Ma, who just loves to hug and snuggle me, with my two newest buddies, who, thanks to me, got a break from all her hugs and snuggles. Like Tutu, I have her wrapped around my little pinkie." 

On the other side of the lake.

"Mom, Dad, and me at this Lincoln log-and-rock house. It's very retro and cabiney on the outside. I think I'm going to like this place. There's this huge forest in the backyard for me to explore, which I plan to do as soon as I get my baby steps down pat. Pat... as in Aunty Pat!" 

G-Pa and Aunty Alana, playing with water from the well. It was COLD! 

Tutu Sue, Aunty Alana, Austin Kai and rots and rots of rock at the new house. 

Almost pau.

G-Pa, don't jump! The house is almost pau. Just the railing, flooring, showers, plumbing, light fixtures, finishing, painting, lighting, inspection, furniture, and landscaping still to go. 

Who's that?!

"That's no boogey-man. That's Dad peering through the window." 

No rest for the weary...

No E Hula Mau for G-Pa and G-Ma this year. They've been slavin' away on the house. So close, but so far...  

Mexican grinds at the Corporales restaurant, going down the hatch!

Not surprising, after all of that Mexican food, they were suddenly in the mood for tequila!

Does my Dad know how to order Mexican food or what? That's Menudo. That white drink looked a whole lot like Formula..."  

Taking Tutu Sue's order

Tutu Sue with Erasmo's wife, Juanita, the chef. Tell me again, was that with beans or without beans? Or was that with rice or without rice?" 

Concentrate! Concentrate!

As you can see from my Mommy's expression, the second puzzle was a toughie. The pieces were a lot smaller and there were 1000 of them. And the picture? A whole bunch of buttons. Ai-yai-yai!

A note to Alana, from G-Ma & G-Pa:

Thank you, Alana, for your surprise! That bottle of Grand Marnier turned those ordinary margaritas into CADILLAC Margaritas. We enjoyed your company so very much. Please tell Jeremy we missed him and look forward to seeing him soon. 

She's feeling no pain...

That's my grandmother,Tutu Sue. I love her so! She got the weekend off from watching me, and Mommy and Daddy took care of my diapers. I'm not the non-stop eat-and-poop machine I used to be...but hey, poop happens!

Aunty Alana's not quite up to the task, but they're working on her. She's still not convinced that doodie-duty is part of the Aunty "job" description.

As you can see, Tutu really enjoyed her time off and got into the spirit of celebrating Labor Day." 

One day...

I'm so little...but just you wait and see. I'm gonna be even taller than Mom and Dad one day! 

I'm Mommy's little angel.

"That's my angelic face. Appropriate, don't you think? After all, this place is called Heaven? I melt every one's heart with that face." 

You want a potty face, Aunty Alana?

Austin Kai to his Aunty Alana: "Watch out, that fly is heading straight for your mouth, Aunty Alana. Boy, do I have her trained. Every time I made my potty-face, Aunty Alana got so excited! That excitement was contagious. After awhile, everybody got excited whenever I made "that" face -- now I know exactly what to do when I want attention!"  

Whoops...

Austin Kai: "Hey, G-Ma. Didja have too much of Aunty Alana's Cadillac Margarita? You cut off the top of my head!"  

One for you, and one for me... New wheels -- a long-standing Shigs tradition!

Austin Kai: "I got this super nifty new truck and it is full of neat stuff. Yup,with all the bells and whistles -- just like Mom's and Dad's new SUV!" 

This is roughin' it?

Austin Kai: "I think I like it here. Mom and Dad made sure I had all the comforts of home. This mountain life is pretty darn cushy! So much for roughin' it..."