Sophie's almost 2!

A brief blog as I'm up past my bedtime as it is. Lots of photo's taken this week. Nicole and Andrew's engagement session was at the beautiful Seattle Arboretum. One of the photo's is posted here. They are getting married shortly and I am very excited to photograph their special day!

Today we drove up to Mt. Vernon where it was around 70 degrees and perfect! We hit the Tulip Festival which is amazing. Talk about eye candy. We then headed over to Uncle John's house where he and Vickie graciously invited us into their home to raid the wine cellar, eat pizza and wait for Hummingbirds to make an appearance. The Hummingbirds never showed, but the Turley Zinfandel was very yummy as was the Bogle Petite Sirah and the Pizza..Thanks again you two!

Sophie is turning two on Wednesday. Tomorrow is a short(er) day for me at work so we're hitting Chuck E Cheese in the evening with some good friends. Should be fun. A photo of the Birthday girl is above and of course a Tulip from today.

Late Night, Early Morning Thoughts

Hmm, deep title. The sad truth is that I don't have any deep thoughts right now. I just got done beating a guy in a heads up Hold em match on Full Tilt Poker who was quite possibly with the exception of my little baby brother Peter the most annoying player I've ever played. At least my brother is annoying in a humorous way. At least my brother actually understands how to play the game and when he is being annoying it is all strategy. Maybe this guy had a similar strategy, but he forgot to point out that he wasn't really a schmuck, just pretending to be one. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that it was very gratifying to win. My poker career has been a real rollercoaster of ups and downs. I haven't been playing too much this past year as I've moved into other time consuming avenues in my life and only have so much time available. Maybe I'll start playing more. I'm sad to report that I will not be repeating my appearance in the WSOP this year though my little brother will be playing in one of the more difficult games of the tournaments. I really think he has a shot too.

Easter was fun. Lea's sister drove her two girls up from Eugene, OR. Those of you that haven't been to Eugene are really missing out. It's kind of like visiting Paris, France in a way. Most of the woman have hairy armpits. The town plant is Marijuana and the song they play before every City Council meeting is Bob Marley's "Don't Worry."

Don't forget Sophie turns 2 on April 26 and Savannah turns 5 on May 12. Probably the most important date to remember though is June 12 when I turn one year younger than my beautiful wife Lea.

Have a great day everyone!

Mat

Gorilla's are done

Well I took the Zoo's request pretty seriously and went out there every opportunity I had over the last couple of weeks. It was tricky the first few times I went because one of the habitat's was undergoing a renovation that required the zoo to keep one group on display and the other locked up out of sight so it was a crap shoot as to which group I would get. Almost every time it was group 2 and almost every time the big Silverback Vip hid out of sight. One day I got in the Zoo before it opened which was super cool, I walked up to the Gorilla display and there he was. I got a few shots off and away he went. Lucky timing really. Then Monday I went back and they had the second habitat open. It was really a great shoot and I finished getting my shots. The photo's I posted here are the ones I submitted to the Zoo for their display. I have tons of shots of the Gorilla's they can use if they don't like these, but these are my favorites. Let me know what you think would ya?

Thanks,

Mat

What a gal!

So my beautiful bride has once again outdone herself for our anniversary leaving me as probably one of the last remaining "dumb" males. I actually believed her when we said that we would go easy on the gift giving for our anniversary. I truly am dumb to believe this as our anniversary is on April Fools Day. You'd think I would have learned in the past six years. I guess it's tricky to get past millions of years of evolution. Anyway, at least I did better than the Sewing Machine fiasco at Christmas and got her something she did want....a bird feeder. Yep, and they say romance is dead. Lea of course got me an expensive Tripod that I have had my eye on for some time now with no expectations of being able to purchase until it was completely obsolete. She cooked an amazing dinner, we drank a good bottle of wine and watched the beginning of Memoirs of a Geisha (which looks like it's going to be an amazing movie). I guess we've truly become old farts because we both sort of nodded off on the couch in anticipation of Daylight Savings Time. Hmm, maybe next year we'll actually get a babysitter and hit some Seattle hot spots.

I did get some great news. The media relations director for the Woodland Park Zoo contacted me and wants me to take portraits of all of their gorillas for the debut of their new Gorilla Habitat opening next month. I am very excited about it as the photos will be displayed at the Habitat with information about each Gorilla and will be seen by thousands of people. I was shocked to learn that after all of my visits there I still haven't seen them all. I thought there were only the six I've come to know (1 Silverback and 5 females). Turns out there is an entire other group that hasn't been available to be viewed by the public for a month or so. I can't wait to see them. Tomorrow, their display will be re-opened. I'm going out today to get as many shots as I can before we meet some good friends at the Red Hook Brewery for lunch and beer.

Take care y'all. See you in the Funny Pages!

Mat

More Zoo Pics

Howdy Y'all, just a quick post...I went back to the Zoo earlier in the week and finally got some good pictures of the Elephants. They have been eluding my lenses up until this time. You can see all the pics from this session at...

http://www.mathaywardphoto.com/WoodlandParkZoo

Let me know what you think!

Mat

Apparently, Poopy Diapers aren't so great.

Well, apparently Sophie got tired of waiting for her procrastinating parents to potty train her. She took it upon herself today to let us know that she didn't enjoy sitting in her own fecal matter anymore when there is a perfectly good toilet down the hall. She just all of a sudden started taking off her diaper, putting the potty seat on the toilet and going when we weren't looking. We wouldn't have known if it hadn't been for the Almond Roca sized floaters she left in there. Toilet paper and all. Unreal, she just knew. 3 BM's and a squirt of urine and I'm convinced we have ourselves a smart kid here. For those of you that don't know, she is only 14 years old and I couldn't be more proud. Here's a picture of her when she was just 1. Ha Ha, just kidding. This is her on the pot just today. While this is probably way more information than someone just browsing blogs would like to read about, I'm sure some family members will think it's pretty cool.

Last Day of Vacation

Well, I have to get back to work tomorrow. I'm not too sore anymore, but the Doctor was full of beans when he said I would have no problem getting back to normal after 2 days. 5-7 days is what I would recommend if you are getting neutered in the future.

Today Savannah had her first Dentist appointment at 10. Lea had an appointment as well. At the same time, Lea had made an appointment at the Grade School next door for a tour and some information about a program we are considering enrolling in. It's hard to believe that Savannah is going to be in Kindergarten this year. I wasn't too thrilled with the school to be honest, but with this program we are thinking about, Lea would be a part of the class one day every 2 weeks and in later grades, one day per week. Even though we aren't too happy about the school, I think we're stuck there as it's quite a process to switch to another school unless you move.

So anyway, Sophie and I walked to the school for our appointment and then we hung out all day. Lea forgot to mention that she had a "few" plans after the appointment, so Sophie and I got to hang out for about 6 hours. She was really good too, hardly any poopy diapers. It was good Father/Daughter bonding time and I got to watch the Wiggles again. It's been a while (almost 2 days).

A goal I had for this week while hanging on my rump was to clean up my hard drive. I burned most of my archived images to CD's and deleted a ton of stuff. I realized as I was copying Sophie's baby pictures that in the last two years my Photoshop skills have improved by about 10 million percent. I found this picture in some and realized today that I had a real diamond in the rough. I think it came out pretty good. What do you think?

I hope that you are all doing well. Remember, don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

My Vacation is Winding Down

Well, my recovery is still in progress. There are shades of Black and Blue that I won't be talking about in too much detail, use your imagination then multiply it times 10. The photo of the Zebra below was published on the top front page of section B in Wednesdays Seattle PI. That is a huge newspaper and they even spelled my name right! I was pretty excited to see it.

I'm hanging out with Sophie right now as Lea and Savannah are at the store buying toys and clothes for children in Africa. It's a pretty great program, they put fun items in a wrapped up box and kids get to open them up. Savannah is really excited about it. Now if I can talk Lea into letting me fly to Africa for a photo safari :)

Take care y'all. For those of you that don't know me, if you happen to click on my brothers name in any of the comments on this blog and you read his blog...I cannot be held responsible. He is this tattooed poet dude that lives in the armpit of Oregon and I think that all the years I beat him to a pulp as a child have finally caught up to him.

Watch the News

I just heard from the Zoo's Media Relations Director. Sadly, the Zoo had to Euthanize an older Zebra recently. They sent out a press release today to all of the local news and newspapers with a photo I had taken of the Zebra last month. They credited the photo with my name so I will probably be published tomorrow and possibly have my photo on the news tonight. Obviously, a sad circumstance, but I am glad I was able to get the shot for them.

Wow, two blogs in one day. I'm pooped.

All is well

Well, nearly 48 hours since the "whacking." I'm feeling much better now. Thank you to all of my friends, family and blog readers for all of the well wishes, the cards, the flowers and the candy. They are all very much appreciated (next time just send cash please). I took a sick pleasure in sitting in front of my computer and the TV for two days straight. I could see the veins popping out in my wifes forehead as the piles of plates and garbage were beginning not only to pile up, but to smell bad around me. She would start to let me have it and I would interrupt with "Doctor's Orders." I should have told her that he said 5 days of relaxation. Hindsight is 20/20.

Ouch

Well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. It hurt. Normally a 15 minute procedure took about 45 minutes. I'll spare you the details, but will say that he had to dig in there 3 or 4 times with forceps to repeat the procedure since he had burned them too much and was concerned they might meld back together. I realize that this brings most women a great deal of pleasure as they are used to being the ones forced to experience discomfort with the reproductive organs. I'm glad to make you feel better. Sadly, my Doctor didn't want me to have Vicodin, so it's advil and Maryhill Red Table Wine tonight. My wife and daughter Savannah are taking good care of me and Sophie is running around throwing whatever she can find into my lap. This is a picture of Sophie yesterday. Lea has been so good about getting a picture of her on her monthly birthdays since birth. Yesterday was 22 months. Think happy thoughts about the healing process of my little boys please :)

Also, if you haven't read the comments from my previous post, you have to check out my baby brothers poem. He's on crack, but dang if it doesn't make him funny. His blog is definitely worth adding to your favorites and reading on a regular basis.

Big Day Tomorrow

Well, it's almost time for the big day. Tomorrow morning bright and early I go under the knife. No more babies for the Hayward Family. Yikes! The concept is a bit odd to me, but what the heck, I worked for a Veterinary Hospital for quite a while, I've helped do similar procedures a million times....of course, that's why I'm a bit nervous :)

The good news is that my wife and girls are commited to pampering me for the next few days. I'm going to try to milk it for all it's worth. I know this is a photo blog, but I don't think I'll be posting pics. Sorry to disappoint :)

Think Happy Thoughts for Me!

Maybe my brother can write a poem about it. Can anyone think of a word that rhymes with Vasectomy?

Beth and the Space Needle

Beth and Ryan just hit the road heading back to OR-EE-GONE. They've been staying at the house since Thursday. Yesterday we hit downtown Seattle so I could grab some shots of Beth. Ain't she a fox? She should be a model for sure. It was cold as heck, but there were loads of people down at Pike Place Market and as always a ton of activity and energy. It is always fun going down there. On the way home, Lea patiently drove around until we found Kerry Park on Queen Ann Hill. What a view! We left about a half hour before the sunset which maybe wasn't as smart a thing as we've ever done. Halfway home we look back and see that the sky had turned Fire Engine Red. Next time I'll go to the Park when it's dark out to get the City lights.

Photos for earlier blog

At least I think I'm funny

Lea wanted a picture of one of my Red Eyed Tree Frogs for the Girls' Bathroom (It's got a Frog Theme). So I grabbed the Frog, put her in the bathroom where she proceeded to pee all over me and snapped this photo. I like the note, but Lea thinks it needs to be with no text. I compromised with this message as before it said Thank you for using the Hayward Toilet. Please leave a nickel. I'm going to have to find a way to convince my Wife that humor is a good way to decorate the house. Yeah, good luck with that.

The other pic is of my daughter Sophie. I'm posting the pic for my baby brother who has had a rough year as a Packer's Fan. I used to be a Packer's Fan until he became enraged that I could root for another team as well. Doesn't matter that it's my home team and that I've actually gotten to hang out with most of the players. Well, the Pro Bowl was on yesterday (featuring 7 Seahawks) and since I didn't have a Seahawks jersey for Sophie, she wore her Brett Favre Jersey. I do hope he doesn't retire this year as the Packer's are coming to Seattle and it would be a lot of fun to watch him play.

Animal Cruelty or Just Plain Cute?

For fun I've been taking photos in attempt to sell them as stock photos. How is that working out so far you ask? Well, not so well. But I'm having fun. Here's a couple I took of my Frog's. They were pretty jumpy during the shoot but I calmed them down....get it...Jumpy! That was a good one eh?

The Photo's

Hmm, the photo's wouldn't post for the blog below. Here they are...

Reno

I just got back from the airport after a great weekend in Reno with some good friends. I came back with money, but thanks to the either blind, corrupt or just plain incompetent officials in the super bowl...no hair. My brother, always a gracious winner won the bet and I had to shave my head this morning in Reno. As thin as it's been on top lately, I'm not sure it's going to grow back. Pete (my brother) seems to think that I have to keep it bald for two months, though I remember the bet being if the Hawks win, he can't shave his head or face for two months, if the Steelers won, I had to shave my head and grow a mustache. We'll see how that plays out in the negotiations.

Back to the trip. We met up with our good friend Dave Powell who owns an awesome restaurant in Sparks, Nevada called the Vista Grille. Dave and his beautiful wife Micki we awesome hosts as we invaded their restaurant and devoured tons of great food and incredible wine. The service was good, the food was good, but the company was the best! Ed, Dan, Dave, Steve, Jim... I had a great time playing in Reno with you guys...lets do it again soon (after we recover from our hangovers). Dave has been getting pretty good playing poker on Full Tilt so I convinced him to put his skills to the test in a live game. There is a picture of him drinking a beer at the table. He walked away with a lighter wallet, but heavier experience load. I believe we'll be seeing him back at the tables soon. After Dave played, Jim sat down at the table as well. I'm not entirely convinced that Jim could even see the cards in front of him at the time, but he was cleaning up the table. There is a photo of him raking in a monster stack of chips after crushing the table. He finally closed the table down as no one had an answer to his unorthodox, effective style of play. They all bailed out on him. I wish I would have taken more pictures. I've also added a photo of my new haircut thanks to the horrible calls the officials made in that game. Without going off on a rant...yes there were dropped passes and an interception that hurt bad. I believe the most damage was done however when the momentum would shift so dramatically by stealing a touchdown away from the Seahawks and giving the gift of a touchdown call to the Steelers (am I the only one that thought the line judge appeared to change his mind about calling him down after several seconds?)...OK, I can go on but I don't want to sound like a whiner. They had a great year and I hope next year is even better!

Heading to Reno

Hey there,

I'm heading to Reno, NV to meet some friends and watch the big game. There are a lot of people out there that are so sure that the Steelers are going to win...I love it! They are going to be shocked to say the least. Everyone ranting on the radio going on and on about how tough the Steelers are and how weak the Seahawks are..they get asked how many Seahawks games they watched...one, the Panthers game. Which was a stomping of course so it's funny they judge them on that. I recall hearing before that game how dominated the Hawks would be by Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme, that Smith was impossible to contain. Hmm, how many catches did he have? Needless to say, my little brother is going to look pretty funny in two months with a head partially full of hair and little patches of fur around his face. When the Hawks win, he can't shave his head or face for two months. If the score is 31-10 Seahawks win like I predict, he can't shave for 6 Months!!! I've added a photo of him here so you can see how pretty he is bald. Kind of looks like The Man Hasslebeck in a scary sort of way. Good luck Pete :) In the very slight chance that I am wrong, and the Hawks don't pull it off, I have to grow a mustache and shave my head. So if you aren't sure who to root for, for the sake of anyone that would have to look at me, root for the Haws.

Seattle Rocks! Go Hawks!

Savannah and I got up at 6AM today and drove down to Qwest Field to see the Seahawks off to Detroit where they are going to kick the crap out of the Steelers next Sunday. We got to the stadium at around 7:30 as the rally was to start at 8. There were thousands of people there already. Turns out they didn't plan for that many people as they had everything set up on the steps of the north entrance. By the time we got there the Fire Marshall had cut off everyone from crossing the fence and we were stuck outside. I hoisted Savannah up on my shoulders so she could watch. We got the jist of it from where we were. Mike Holmgren, Matt Hasselbeck and Shawn Alexander gave speeches, all the players were there as were the Seagals :) They're Savannah's favorite. It is pretty great being up in Seattle this time of year, I put a big banner up in the lobby of the restaurant and have been running dinner specials such as True Cod Holmgren, Hasselbeck Halibut Cheeks and 12th Man-icotti. OK, I stole the 12th Man-Icotti idea, don't tell anyone in Texas about it.

After the Seahawks, we went to the Woodland Park Zoo. Once again we had the place to ourselves pretty much. Most of the animals were pretty active, I got some good shots of the Hippos, the Tiger growled at us and we got to watch the gorilla's regurgitate their food into their hands and eat it over and over again. Love it!

Go Hawks!