Coov's Blog

Happy Easter!

2010-03-27T15:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Gin & Tonic night cap! W00T

2010-03-18T02:22:00.001-07:00

Gin & Tonic night cap! W00T
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

DA V!

2010-03-18T01:33:00.001-07:00

DA V!
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Need a filter. This idiot tweets too much:

2010-02-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

via tweetie

Posted via web from billy coover's posterous

As a programmer, this feels wrong.

2010-01-14T21:00:00.001-07:00

It's like saying... Yeah we suck!

Posted via web from billycoover's posterous

I have 3 Twitter clients on my home screen. Twitter addiction?

2010-01-09T23:02:00.001-07:00

via twittelator

Posted via web from billycoover's posterous

formspring.me

2009-12-30T20:17:00.001-07:00

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

The ability to mute anyone, any time...

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2009-12-30T20:12:00.001-07:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/Coov

Took a softball off the leg last night. Can you tell?

2009-09-29T18:09:00.001-07:00

Took a softball off the leg last night. Can you tell?
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

The stress of daycare

2009-09-12T10:51:00.002-07:00

I believe sending your kids to daycare is a right of passage. It’s a mile stone. It’s the Pièce de résistance of your kids infant years. Pat yourself on the back, you made it this far! Now its time for the next step; social interaction.

My mother always told me horror stories about how much I threw a fit when she dropped me off at school. My aunt also. Apparently I would throw myself on the ground, kick and scream and cry. I’m not totally convinced that this happened. After all, I don’t remember it.

We stuck our kids in a new daycare two weeks ago. This was a massive change not only for our kids but also for Crystal and I. It means less time on the road, less miles on our vehicles and more adult social interaction between my wife and I; priceless. It also means a brand spanking new change for our kids. Different schedule, strange people and a cesspool of disease and sickness that they have never been exposed to. Crystal and I were nervous.

Here is your opportunity to say “I told you so”. Dropping the kids of the first week was a nightmare. Liam was hysterical and did not want to go. When people tell you their horror stories, its just that; a story. They can not articulate the feeling inside that you get when you see your child screaming in terror, wanting nothing more than for you to come back and hold them. It’s probably one of the worst feelings you’ll experience as a parent.

Here is the kicker… Walk away for 30 seconds, come back and they are fine. They’ve moved on, playing with blocks or trains or a big trough of pinto beans. It’s amazing how fast the drama begins and ends. It’s a roller coaster ride for sure. It’s not easy…

I’ve come to the conclusion that while it’s probably difficult for my kids, it’s much harder for the parents. We stress out about it all day, hoping things are going well. Our kids aren't worrying about us. They aren't hoping mom and dad are doing ok. They are thinking about and stressing over who took their toy, how much paint they can get on their clothes and how many blocks they can stack without knocking them over.

We worry too much as parents and torture ourselves over such little things. Crystal and I are paying $400 a week to stress ourselves out. It’s time to relax a bit. My kids aren't a car payment. The first week cam and went, they are doing fine know. Drop-offs are easy, they seem happy; we are happy.

P.S. I forgot to mention the side effects of day care. My kids are total brats at home now. Just another fantastic milestone in parenting. Enjoy your kids!

He's at it again!

2009-08-01T23:09:00.001-07:00

La Jolla Vacation
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

I really need to work on my sons drug problem...

Crystal's Edumacated

2009-07-18T21:13:00.001-07:00

Crystal's Graduation, 2009
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Today was Crystal's graduation!

She graduated with a BS in Management!

She's not technically done until she completes one more class and pays even more money to the school to have a diploma mailed to her. In other words, SHE'S DONE!

Or is she? We've been tossing around the idea of Crystal continuing higher education and getting a master's degree. It would take 12 five week classes to complete and would cost us $18,000.

I've come up with two reasons why I think she wants to continue...

1) School is mentally challenging and she likes that (even if she tells you she doesn't). She likes staying busy and she likes working out complex issues.

2) She's setting a precedence in our family. No one in our family has accomplished this on my side or her's. Only one person in our extended family has (Uncle Al).

My opinion on it is this:

The economy is terrible right now. I don't see an end in site. In fact, I imagine it getting a whole lot worse than it already is. As a friend of mine says "The ship is sinking". I figure now is the time to snag the low interest rate student loans while they are available.

It is going to be more difficult for companies to borrow money (worse than it is now). This translates into companies making much less than they are now. Salaries may decline but regardless of that I believe companies are going to be more particular with employment decisions. I suspect that employment strategies will change in a way that companies aggressively filter out people without experience or education. Companies will target top-notch people because they'll need these top-notch people to keep the companies afloat during the down economy. It won't be like before where a company can afford to take a risk on a person they were not 110% comfortable in. That sucks because taking risks like that is a part of business. Our company took a risk like that on me and it paid off for both of us.

Based on this logic, and given someone with several years of banking experience, management experience and a master's degree, I think it will make her very marketable in a down economy. Actually in any economy...

Being marketable is important to me. We both love our jobs but will it always be that way? Will we always enjoy and respect the people we work with? Will we always work together? Will the company always be in business? These are very real issues that you'd be foolish not to address. Because we work for the same company you could say that Crystal and I have all our eggs in one basket right now. It makes sense to get a little insurance for our family in the form of higher education.

I think the fact that we have a working relationship (literally) makes life a lot easier on both of us. We can talk to each other at work, we can run work concepts by each other, we carpool sometimes. It makes it really easy for us to live life and it makes it easier for both of us to find time for school.

Ok, that was a very long opinion.

As far as I'm concerned, Crystal is kicking ass and taking names. As a new wife, mother of two, working mom and full time student, Crystal has managed to keep our ship running smoothly.

Congratulations Crystal, you truly are awesome! I say don't stop now because you may never start again. Get that masters degree and make us all proud!

Copy Cat's

2009-06-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love when your kids copy EVERYTHING you do? This is Crystal doing squats on wii active and Liam is doing them right along with her.

As cheesy as this may sound, it's actually nice to have activities where they whole family can get involved. I can't wait to show Liam how to play Tiger Woods golf. Of course I'll need a screen protector for the TV before I even try that.

Hand me downs

2009-06-20T09:26:00.006-07:00

Growing up I recall getting a lot of hand-me-downs. When I was old enough to understand what a hand-me-down was I hated it. As a kid it is normal to want new toys, games, shoes, etc. I liked new things and it sometimes sucked seeing friends get new things while I'd get a hand-me-down. My brother probably feels the same way. I'm sure he got my hand-me-downs. It's an endless cycle of child torture.

It just now occurred to me how great hand-me-down's are. Young people; well they are stupid and can't see the value in a hand me down. Now that I'm old and no longer stupid (my assertion is debatable by some), I truly understand the value of a hand-me-down.

Both of these plastic baby-sitters are hand-me-down's and are valuable to so many ways. Most importantly is the smiles on their face.

Money is the root of all evil

2009-05-08T22:08:00.005-07:00

Give a kid some money and a piggy bank and look what happens.
(Click the picture for a larger view)

This may have been a mistake. Now that he's had the piggy bank experience, each time we bring it out he freaks out in excitement, which is cool, but when we put it away, world war three begins.

Hey Liam, catch this!

2009-04-05T20:15:00.001-07:00

Yes, I felt bad after this happened. It's funny, so I'm posting it.

Can you keep another secret?

2009-04-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Part duex - Do you think anyone would notice that my child is smoking marijuana? Shhhh, don't say anything!

P.S. picture was taken @ the Thunder in the Desert air show.

A real-life cone-head

2009-03-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

I thought it was just a movie...

Mister Potato Head

2009-03-14T20:38:00.006-07:00

I think most people can agree that Mister Potato Head is a classic. I find it amazing when I see things that last for generations. It is not often that someting you played with as a kid, or thought was cool at some time in your life, will be appreciated in the same way by your children. Someone got Liam a Mister Potato Head (Giant) that had Mister Potato Head's and mini Mister Potato Head's inside of it. In the spacious toy room I call our house, it seems like there are bits and pieces of this spud everywhere. I suspect the reason Liam loves this toy so much is because he's got a builders mind. He's always trying to construct things and then knock them down. Also, this toy has many features. For example, the giant hat is really cool when spun on a finger. Even cooler when you spin it on the tile like a top. Even cooler then that when you spin it like a top and put the mini spuds in it. Even the cousins get in on the action.

From Drop Box

Can you keep a secret?

2009-03-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Do you think anyone would notice that my child is smoking marijuana? Shhhh, don't say anything!

P.S. picture was taken @ the Santan Mall pimp slide.

My Dream as a Father

2009-01-31T11:38:00.001-07:00

I grew up with out a father. I knew of him and he briefly came into my life when I was very young, but he was never a part of my life. My father figures were my coaches in sports and my mom, aunt and grandmother.

I wanted to make sure that when I had a son, that I’d give him all the love and bonding that I never got from my dad. The concept is simple really. Your children are an extension of your flesh and blood. You are there to raise them, protect the and love them. It is easy for me to say my dad is a chicken shit who lacked common sense.

Even without a father, I was always the sports stud. The sport didn’t matter; I was great at it (golf not included). Even so, I could have been better at everything. What if my dad would have thrown the ball with me in the back yard? What if he would have taught me how to run the football and tackle people? What if I didn’t have to teach myself all these things by watching others do this? Would I have been NFL or MLB material? Maybe, I can’t really say for sure. What I can do is take the mistakes that my father made and stick them up his ass.

Liam is coming into his own. He’s not the baby anymore. The other day I was playing ball with him and he played back. It was the greatest feeling in the world. I felt for the first time that I was giving him something I never had and it felt great. He’s got this copy cat thing going on right now and it is very cool. If I go in the yard and kick a ball around, he’ll do the same. If I try to run and balance on the curbing, he’ll do that same. I know this will come back to bite me eventually, but it freaking cool.

Anyway, I thought I’d share some video of Liam and I breaking some rules and playing catch in the house:

I want a Cadillac CTS

2009-01-22T21:49:00.001-07:00

In fact, every time I see one on the road or on those commercials with that sexy red head I do this:

Poof, you have a sister!

2009-01-21T20:46:00.001-07:00

Liam loves his sister. He constantly wants to hold her, kiss her and be around her. When she cries, he shows concern. It’s really neat to observe this behavior. The problem is its an interruption to his daily routine. He takes this frustration on us the parents. So far, its been manageable. We did a professional photo shoot yesterday and I thought I was going to pull my hair out. Poopu diapers, screaming babies and acting like a little devil… I hear that he shares some of my own similarities when I was that age. He’s acting out towards us but no worries, its seems to be a cry for attention. He still wants to be the baby but he’s not anymore; he’s the big boy.

I read that this blows over. I hope it blows over soon. Do the terrible twos last for days, weeks, months or years?

Kennadie Hope Coover

2009-01-21T20:43:00.001-07:00

Born on January 7th, 2009. She was 8lbs, 8oz and a screaming bundle of joy.

Click here to see a slideshow of her first few pictures.

Click here to compare Kennadie’s first pictures to Liam’s first pictures.

Male labor...

2009-01-07T01:19:00.001-07:00

It's 1:18, 42 degrees out, and I'm sleeping in my van...

--
Coov

Darth Vader

2009-01-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is how it all started... He was a young Jedi knight and a hero. Maybe it wasnt Palpatine who forces him to the dark side. Maybe, just maybe, he had asthma and needed alburterol treatments and liked the way he sounded...

Christmas, 2008

2009-01-04T23:47:00.005-07:00

Christmas was fun this year. It was a little easier to hang lights now that Liam is a big boy:

It turned out great:

Almost as good as our neighbors:

Opening gifts was a blast:

Robin got gum stuck in her hair:

We found America's next top model:

Played apples to apples:

And crashed the train:

2008-12-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

That's right! YouTube has gone HD and so have we. I've updated all our video on YouTube so that it is now HD.
And just to show off a little, here is LiamHD:

To live in a box

2008-12-17T22:38:00.001-07:00

Imagine if you had to live in a box. What would you bring with you? I know what Liam would bring:

Don't drop the baby

2008-11-23T21:10:00.003-07:00

When I saw this happen I felt so bad for the father of that baby (I assume it is the father). I'm not sure what feels worse. Doing something stupid that hurts your baby, or having the baby reach for you because she is in pain.

Liam had a difficult weekend. His allergies are bothering him, he is having a hard time breathing and he's been whining non-stop. I got so frustrated with it that I snapped at him on Saturday. Today, he laid on my chest for most of the day because he felt like crap. I then felt like crap for snapping at him the day before. Seeing this video again (I forgot I had it) makes me realize how much being a father has changed me. That funny feeling you get in your stomach when your baby (or anyone's baby) gets hurt. I thought that feeling was only for roller coaster rides.

The big Race

2008-11-23T20:41:00.002-07:00

This is better than Nascar!

Got Pumpkins?

2008-10-25T10:20:00.001-07:00

A fun day at the pumpkin festival!

Big Boy Shoes!

2008-09-20T08:58:00.001-07:00

Dragon Tails

2008-08-25T18:32:00.001-07:00

Dragon Tails
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New backyard worth every penny

2008-08-23T16:03:00.001-07:00

Having Fun
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Darn those pesky mosquitoes.

The next Justin Timberlake

2008-07-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Not So Scary Turtle

2008-07-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well, at least the crying stopped...

Dangerous? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely!

2008-07-02T16:14:00.002-07:00

VID 00035.3GP
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Power outage at the movies!

2008-06-28T21:03:00.002-07:00

Power outage at the movies!
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

For the first time in my life, the power went out at the AMC movie theater while my wife and I were watching a movie. The movie is "Wanted" and the power went out right as Angelina Jolie was talking about what the killer did with the hanger. If you know what the killer did to his victims with that hanger, drop me a line (We watched 5 minutes of the movie with no sound).

They gave us a free pass for another movie so we are watching Wall-e right now. I still don't know what happened with the power; perhaps a storm..?

People sure are idiots! Bitching about the power outage as if the theater company wasn't trying to solve the problem.

-- Coov
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Calli Lynn Caputo

2008-06-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Calli Lynn Caputo, born June 20th, 2008.

When Calli was in utero, she had some complications with her intestinal system. According to doctors, her outlook for survival was grim. Since Calli was born she has been making huge strides in healing. The staff at the hospital are constantly pointing out how fast she is progressing.

Calli will be in the hospital for a very long time (3 or 4 months). As a parent, I can imagine that it must be a horrible feeling not to be able to take your baby home after birth.

Please take the time to view Calli's pictures on her flickr site and post your comments/thoughts/wishes and my wife and I will personally deliver it to her at the hospital.

--Billy Coover

Scary Turtle

2008-06-24T07:35:00.001-07:00

Watch out, they may eat you!!!

We're outa here!

2008-06-16T12:42:00.003-07:00

Two of the most miserable campers you will ever see!

Boys and Dirt

2008-05-26T12:36:00.002-07:00

What is it about dirt that fascinates boys so much? Who needs a pool, or a nice playground in their back yard when you can give your kid dirt. Dirt is nice because it is free (sort of), and washes off in minutes. I had an epiphany this weekend...

Liam, sorry son, but you are getting a box of dirt and rocks for Christmas (you will thank me when you are older).

Crystal's "Liam" Tattoo

2008-04-12T19:54:00.002-07:00

Our Design: (On a napkin at Zipps)

The After:

My "Liam" Tattoo

2008-04-12T19:21:00.003-07:00

My design (Created in photoshop):

The after:

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2008-04-10T08:17:00.001-07:00

Baby Jail

2008-04-09T16:15:00.001-07:00

Company Picnic
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Get me outa here!!!

Yummy!

2008-04-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

I wish the cleanup was easier...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

How to drink a milk shake

2008-03-08T18:17:00.002-07:00

3 AM

2008-03-08T08:57:00.004-07:00

3 AM
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry.

A bunch of us saw Amare Stoudemire at a pizza joint in Scottsdale on March 1st, 2008 around 3 AM.

He seems like a nice guy but he didn't want any pictures taken (my bother in-law was bummed by that). I assume that was strategic as he had a game that very day, and I'm sure he didn't want his picture posted on the front page of some tabloid mag spreading rumors. By the way, he ordered a pizza, waited for a woman he was with to use the restroom, and left (very normal).

This guy is massive and ripped! His hands are the size of both of mine put together.

Game Results: 76ers 119; Suns 114.
Stats's stats: 11 for 21, 26 pts, 8 boards.

I was at the game. Andre Iguodala took it over. He had 32 points and was 15 for 23.

Thank's JJ for the close-up!

A Day of fun

2008-03-08T08:32:00.003-07:00

A Day of fun
Originally uploaded by Crystal & Billy

$5 bucks on the line if Caiden and his dad could make it to the top. Surprisingly, Jerry made it and Caiden did not.

I think Jerry pulled a hammie during his climb and I think Caiden realized that if he made it any higher, everyone would know he has super powers including elevation and flight. It's a good thing he went no further. His secret is still safe...

Cranial Tech DOC Band, Part two

2008-03-07T21:20:00.002-07:00

** Update: Read part one here **

I know this post is late; it's been 228 days, or 7 months and 13 days, or 32 weeks, or 5,4725 hours, since my first post about Liam and his DOC Band.
For anyone that knows Liam, knows that he is an amazing kid. It is easy for me to say that as his father, but I think everyone knows it. I like to think that he turned out this way because Crystal and I are great parents, and made a life changing decision for Liam very early is his young life.
So here we are, almost seven months after I first talked about Liam's DOC Band and Crystal and I couldn't be happier. His head turned out great! I think that it far exceeds any expectations that we ever had. The shape is nearly perfect, there are no side effects to report, and we paid off that expensive piece of plastic and foam. Life is good!

I could write for a very long time about how pleased we are with CrainialTech. I'll spare you the ling winded post and keep it simple. They rock! Every time we went in we were treated like precious people. I never waited, I was never help up longer than expected and I never felt rushed. I would highly recommend the DOC Band to any family whose child needs head shape correction.
We did a poor job of taking before and after pictures:
Before:

After:

Cranial Tech DOC Band

2008-03-07T20:08:00.008-07:00

Our son Liam was born with a very mild version neck condition called Torticollis; his left neck muscle has developed a little more slowly than the other causing him to favor his right side. Due to this next condition, his head became flat and misshapen in certain places.

When we first noticed that his head was flat, we chalked it up to the way he was delivered (with suction). He had what looked like a conehead but we were told it would go away in about a week, so we did not worry. The conehead did go away, but the shape of his head was not normal. We felt like we were doing something wrong. Maybe we were laying him down too much and not holding him enough, or maybe we weren't giving him enough tummy time. He has slept on his back since the day he was born and we were afraid to change that because of the news S.I.D.S. warnings.

My wife and I have been taking our son to a pediatrician since he was six days old. The pediatrician is the one that first made a comment about his head and said that we needed to work with Liam to correct the problem. She referred us to a Pediatric Physical Therapist for a consult. We went to the consult and that is where we first learned about the Torticollis and that the lack of nect muscle development could be what was causing the misshapen head. The P.T. Specialist gave us stretching instructions and we signed up for six visits. There is a concern with the combination of Torticollis and head flatness, that Liam would develop a little more slowly than he should. The P.T. Specialist has a chart that talks about the milestones that Liam should have started doing and he is behind about a month or so according to the chart.

We hoped that between the P.T. and doing exercises with Liam at home, that his neck would correct itself and his head would take the correct shape. Although there has been some progress, the neck is still underdeveloped and his head was still flat in the back. It was recommended by our pediatrician and our P.T. Specialist that we put Liam in a DOC Band (Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty).

We were a little apprehensive at first because my wife and I have both seen infants in these bands and our first reaction is that something is wrong with the baby. I began doing some research and quickly discovered that its a corrective device for reshaping babies heads who suffered from either Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly or Scaphocephaly. I also discovered that the D.O.C. Band is VERY expensive and most insurance companies consider it a cosmetic device and do not cover the cost ($3,000). I located a blog of D.O.C. Band customers and I was amazed at how many families use the band. I read some great stories of success and some sad stored about the financial hardship, but I did not find one person mention that the treatment was unsuccessful. In fact, Cranial Tech boast about their 100% success rate.

My wife and I set up a consult with Cranial Tech and we were very pleased with their kindness and professionalism. They were gentle with Liam and did as much as they could to make him comfortable and happy. They took some digital images and measurements of his head and were able to show us that his head shape was not normal and needed to improve. They recommended that we put Liam in the band immediately. We scheduled an appointment and went home and thought long and hard about it. We talked about the financial cost for a while because it is staggering; however we were not deterred by it because we wont put a price tag on Liam's wellness. We wanted to make sure that if we spent $3,000 for a piece of foam and plastic, that is was going to be money well spent. We discussed our decision with friends and family and weighed our options. We decided that putting Liam in the band was the best option for us.

We were happy that Cranial Tech offers a few different financing options to help ease the financial hardship. Rather than come up with $3,000 cash for the band, we were able to get a GE Money bank care card with zero percent interest for 18 months! We applied online and received instant approval. We printed the approval, took it with us to our next appointment, signed a few pieces of paper and that was it. It felt too easy; almost like we were missing some catch. So far, there has been no catch.

Liam had his first appointment three weeks ago where he was fitted for his band. Previously, a fitting required a full head sock, plaster and about an hours time; a very traumatic experience for infants. About four months ago the went complete digital so we were in and out in 20 minutes. If was a great experience for us because it was painless and the staff at Cranial Tech was so nice to us. We scheduled an appoint again for two weeks out to have Liam's band installed.

The band installation was simple. They tried it on is head, made a few minor adjustments and we were on our way. The first two days we were instructed to remove the band every three hours to check for red spots on Liam's head. If red spots were present, we needed to wait until the redness went away before we put the band back on Liam's head. Other than some cleaning instructions, there was nothing else to the band. We now have weekly appointments to have Liam's head analyzed and the band adjusted; all covered in the $3,000 initial cost by the way.

As of today, July 23, 2007, Liam's head has already started changing. It looks wonderful! Where his head was flat, you can see roundness. His face is changing and starting to correctly align itself. It's truly amazing how much progress he has made in just a few days!

I'm going to write more about his progress when we are about half way through the anticipated eight weeks that Liam is supposed to be in the band.

Here is a photo of Liam's band after we painted a theme from his favorite movie.

Billy

Crazy Liam

2008-03-07T19:58:00.003-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry.

Liam figured out how to climb up his slide. He was being sneaky when climbing up. Once he reached the top he stood up and started dancing...

He just started walking. This is the beginning of many grey hairs.

Why a blog from azcoov?

2005-11-13T20:49:00.001-07:00

Two reasons...

Because I can.
Because I like the idea of having a place where I can express my thoughts on things I want to discuss (Like news, sports, business).