Morrow County Fair

The last weekend of August we hit the river with Amy and Troy for the last time this year. This was their last weekend before leaving for Dubai :( It was fun like always, but a little sad too. The cool thing is next year we'll get to visit them :) After the weekend Tommy had his fifth tooth come breaking through. This one was pretty much a surprise as we didn't have any sleepless nights to go with it! Yeah! I'm hoping that all the rest will be this good. He won't keep his mouth open enough for a photo yet, so you'll have to trust me that it is there. Buckeye football is starting!!!!! In celebration of his first full season, Tommy wore OSU gear to school every day this week. I know it will help. Opening day against Youngstown State was great. Last year I didn't get to go to any games between work and bed rest, so I really experienced some withdrawl. Our seats were certainly not anything special, but it was great to be in the middle of the atmosphere. While we were all in Columbus, Aunt Kay and Uncle Gene watched Tommy. And he head a houseful of admirers from what I hear: Tami, Aunt Judy, G Gramma L, & Denise were all there too. On Sunday we all went to the Morrow County Fair. Tommy & Tom's first and my first in thirteen years. Felt a lot like it did back in the day, except I didn't know nearly as many people. We did run into Marianne & Clara and Matt & Kortney and family in tow.

Marianne, Clara, Jenny, Tommy, & Grampa L

Tommy got to see some of his first farm animals. The picture below is Tommy with one of Sydney's goats. We saw chickens and ducks and geese and cows and horses. Then we went through all the other barns to see the food and crafts. There was a traveling house of bees that was pretty interesting. Then after hanging out at the small stage, we met the sherriff and Tommy got to wear his hat..pretty cool. Then while we were watching showman of showmen, Tom and Tommy took some time to check out the competition. The day ended watching some go karts racing in front of the grandstands. All in all, a pretty eventful fair day.

Tommy on Sydney's Goat

Grampa L and Tommy Checking out the Bees

Tom & Tommy Wearing the Sherriff's Hat

Tom & Tommy

Photo Ops

Gramma & Grampa L came out to visit next. They were in P-town for the whole weekend. We hung out a lot on Saturday. After Gramma S left, I went and bought a new camera, so now we have some more photos to share. We went to dinner with Gramma & Grampa at Alexanders, one of our favorite steak restaurants. Tommy wasn't the perfect child for dinner, but he did manage to smile for the camera.

Tommy at Alexanders

Tommy Getting Ready for Some Boatin'

On Sunday we took Gramma and Grampa out on the boat so they could see what all this wakeboarding is about. It was a pretty rough day, so they didn't get a very elaborate show. But after the boarding, we paused for a jump in the river and some lunch. Tommy got to do some splashing with Dad.

Tommy in the River

On Monday (August 18), Tommy had his 9 month checkup. Everything is normal...in fact he is even taller than average. 28.5 inches puts him in the 56% zone! And he's skinny at 19 pounds, 14 ounces...only 36%. And his head is getting more proportionate...about 85% now. His shirts are still a pain to get past his skull though!

Later this week we played in the backyard on T3's new Elmo sprinkler. It's oodles of fun...as long as you keep the pressure down. We had to finish it off with a bath, because our outside water is a little on the cold side if you're sitting in it for a half hour.

Tommy & his Sprinkler

Bathtime Chewing

Latest Events

What a fun couple of weeks. We had a ton of visitors from Ohio. First Sydney and Mike came out for the weekend. We kept busy boating, trampolining, and watching movies. Sydney went on the tube a few times and got some awesome air. We're so happy they could make it out here to spend som etime with us before school got started.

Sydney and Mike on the Boat

While they were here Tommy got his first ride on the tube with Dad. Just slow back and forth and he was way more into watching the water go by than enjoying the bounces. But I imagine there will come a day very soon when the little daredevil will just want to go higher and faster.

Tommy & Tom on the Tube

Tommy likes to either get tossed up in the air or dropped and caught from above. He giggles with delight every time and we do it until my back about give out. Tom can go much longer. We also enjoy a good game of peek-a-boo.

After Sydney and Mike left, Gramma S came out for the week. She stayed home with Tommy during the day while Tom and I went to work. She got to go to one swimming lesson and see Tommy splash the water. Our first teacher was back so we sang a lot more songs than we did with the interim guy who had us doing a lot more cool things. But we still managed some dips and falls into the water. And we got to go to the "Taste of P-town" where a bunch of restaurants bring in samples of their food for people to try. Tom had 3 porkchops. And T3 had part of mine. Then in the middle of it all a huge downpour came, so we hung out under the bridge till it passed. Then off to Old Chicago to meet up with some friends there. And T3 had his second party foul when he grabbed Shelly's beer and poured it in her lap! Sorry Shelly. :(

Unfortunately around this time, the camera got a little wet so we don't have any pictures from the week. So hopefully Gramma can send some of all of T3's activities.

Dax

One more swimming lesson is about all the news since Monday. Tommy absolutely loves it! The teacher used him as a demo baby for a couple of the exercises since he is so comfortable in the water. He cooperated on the first one, floating on his belly. But the first try to float on his back didn't go as smooth. He was cool with it for about half the time we were there. His favorite though was Humpty Dumpty when he gets to fall into the water. Such a daredevil.

Dax in his Pool

Besides telling you about Tommy's exploits today, I have some othe news to share. A friend of ours here in Peoria has a 1 year old son, Dax, who has recently been diagnosed with Leukemia. They started chemo this week. Right now Julie, his Mom, is with him down in Memphis at St. Jude Hospital where they will be for the next two to three months. Austin, his Dad, will be making the trip back and forth every week to visit. Once they are done at St. Jude, Dax will still have to have treatments here at home. I just want to ask everyone to say a little prayer for Dax and his family for the next few months. If you're interested in hearing more about their story you can visit Dax' website at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/daxlocke

The Month of July

Well as you all know, I have't updated in quite a while. Turns out to be whole month! So I'm sorry to everyone for not getting to this. But even without the posts, Tommy has continued to grow and flourish. We finished our 4th of July vacation in Ohio with a trip out to the Lakehouse for a few days. Tommy made some really strong crawing milestones. Got his belly up off the floor for a few moves. He experienced his first fireworks show. Woke up right before the first one went off, saw, it, opened his eyes even bigger than normal, and then went back to sleep for the rest of it. Food-wise we continued with the people food after the crazy bad case of diaper rash cleared up. And he spent the week making it absolutely impossible to feed him with a spoon as he had to help every spoonful into his mouth...spoon side not handle side! The next weekend (July 11-13) we went to Bloomington to see the men's USA volleyball team take on Spain. This was their last US appearance before flying off to Beijing for the Olympics. For volleyball it was pretty cool. Then on Saturday morning before breakfast with John and Lindsey, we went to meet Trent and Amy's brand new twins. Brayden Andrew and Ashlyn Nicole were born on July 9. Brayden weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces and Ashlyn was a wopping 6 pounds, 3 ounces. It is hard to believe that Tommy was ever even close to that size. Then we had pancakes at IHOP. Tommy ate a whole one himself. Then we went to Troy and Amy's wedding reception. They had everyody over to their house for some fun-filled party time. We had a blast. And were still feeling it the next day! Tommy pretty much just hung out the whole time. He watched some bean bag toss action and had a good time playing with Vetty.

The next weekend (July 18-20), Tom went to Chicago for a volleyball tournament and Tommy and I hit the town for the day. We went to the Farmer's Market in the morning and Tommy made a footprint stepping stone. He did way better than a the big kids did. Then we headed over to have lunch at the Flatop Grill where we had chicken and he flirted with the women at the next table. Then off to Old Navy to get some new duds. He got a new pair of jeans, a new polo, and some kickin' shoes. He dresses better than either Tom or me. Then we went over to visit Amy so Tommy could meet the babies. But he was more interested in their toys than them. He spent quite a few trips back and forth getting Ashlyn's pacifier and shoving it in his mouth! We did get some time on the boat the next day. Our friend Jason got some amazing shots of Tommy just doing his thing. I've posted a few of these and some other ones he's taken throughout the blog. We had a nice day although it was a little hot for me. And I was definately ready to get home and out of the sun.

Last weekend (July 25-27) was a little slower paced. We went to Trent and Amy's for a cookout on Saturday and Tommy jumped on the trampoline. And then joined in with the twins' crying when it was time for bed. Although we were lucky and only ever had two out of the three crying at once. Thank goodness. We were supposed to go boating with Troy on Sunday, but the wickets broke at the dam sout of us, so the river was ridiculously low. This last week Tommy started swimming lessons. He is pretty into it. Pretty much just splash the crap out of the water. But he did go under a few times and didn't seem to mind at all. But he sure was tired when we got out of the water. And I don't know about you, but I haven't quite perfected the art of how to hold an active 8 month old still and change out of a wet swimsuit at the same time. I'm pretty sure it isn't humanly possible. Finally this weekend, we went up to Chicago with Trent to visit John and Lindsey. Oh and more of that volleyball stuff. By now Tommy can crawl at the speed of light. He had a blast playing with Alaska and Behr. And they had a blast kissing him all over. Of course a kiss from them isn't nearly as consuming as a kiss from Dunkin or Gracie. We had dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse and Tommy had his first steak. Of course it was cut so small it might as well have been really good hamburger, but technically some good ribeye. On Sunday we went to Gameworks and played for an hour or so. And here is what we wasted our last 100 points on. Well that was it this month. Pretty full, even for us. I'm going to try to keep this more up-to-date and not get so behind on it. Thanks for reading.

Traveling the Great State

Fishing Fun

To start off our Fourth of July vacation right we headed to the farm for some family fun and fishing. Of course after a long day of driving everybody needs a bottle and a nap. (T3 had both so don't get any ideas about Larry hitting the bottle) Aunt Janet joined us for dinner on Friday night. Tommy was not in his best mood ever as he was fighting some serious diaper rash. Bad enough that he wouldn't even plop down in the bathtub 'cuz it hurt so bad. So he is off table food until it clears back up. But he still managed to flash a couple smiles and have a little jumping fun.

Tommy & Grampa L

On Sunday, our friends Aron & Annie came over with Ella & Luke for the fun fishing. We had a great day and, even with the rain, and managed to snag 19 fish (15 bluegill, 4 bass). And Grampa L holds the record for most fish and biggest fish for the day. But that didn't deter the rest of us. Everybody caught at least one...well not exactly everybody...somebody is anti-worm and refuses to stoop to the squirmy little guys...and as a result, Tom didn't catch any fish. But he did have to cook them all.

Luke, Aron, & Ella

Ella & Her Fish (IT WAS THIS BIG!!!)

Annie & Luke Picking Out Worms

Hoss with His Summer 'Do

The Trip Home

Before heading home, we decided to stop at our old stomping grounds and show Tommy the campus. The most notable moment was after we crossed the oval, we were looking at Orton Hall & the Faculty Club, and the chimes rang at 12 o'clock. What a historical moment that on Tommy's first trip ever to OSU, he was at the base of the bell tower when Carmen Ohio began playing. A fitting moment for the Buckeye's starting quarterback in 2030!

Tommy & Jenny in Front of the New Mechanical Engineering Building

Jenny & Tommy at Mirror Lake

Tom & Tommy at the New Larkins Hall

Tom & Tommy at the Horseshoe

After the tour of Ohio State we stopped to visit Great-Grandma L. She was pretty excited to see Tommy. He even took a nap with her.

G. Grandma L, Tommy, & Jenny

G. Grandma L, Tommy, & Jenny

World Class Driving

We got quite a treat last weekend...Tom, Chris, & Grampa S. got to drive five fancy exotic cars for an afternoon. So we met in Columbus to fo that. First we went to Easton to hang out and kill some time. Tom & Tommy are playing in the Easton fountain below. He didn't quite know what to do with the water jumping out at him. But a little splashing didn't seem to matter. After stocking up at the Ohio State store (new football jerseys and pillow beds for the puppies and a new OSU football for T3), we had lunch at Max and Erma's. Then we sailed sailboats in the Easton fountain. Much harder than I ever thought. There were a few sailboat crashes...both by accident and on purpose.

Tom & Tommy in the Fountain

That night while hanging out in the hotel playing "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader", Tommy spent his time playing with his new friend in the full length mirror. He kept crawling up to the other baby to say hi and he kept running into his own head. So silly. The next morning before going to the driver's lunch, we went and visited the mounds in Newark. Pretty much just some piles of dirt with grass growing on them. But also an excellent place for a nap.

Gramma S., Tommy, & Grampa S.

After a delish lunch at the hotel as part of the World Class Driving experience we had plenty of photo op time. The cars that we got to drive were a Corvette Callaway, Lamborghini SuperLeggera, Ferrari F599 GTB Fiorano, Mercedes McLaren SLR, & a Maserati Gran Turismo. The guys (including "Uncle" Mike) were part of a group of twelve drivers and they switched turns as they drove from our hotel in Newark, Ohio to Athens and back. Basically 30 minutes of driving in each car for each person. I heard rumors of speeds around 120mph...rumors only I say! Everyone had huge smiles on their face when they got back.

Tommy & Tom with the Ferrari

While the guys were out tearing up the state highways, us girls (and T3) headed to Ye Olde Mill, home of Velvet ice-cream. After a tour around the property we had some tasty ice-cream (and Tommy had Cheerios) and then headed back to the hotel to hit the water park. T3 had a blast on the water slide and got a little bit of time on the lazy river before they made us leave because he had his own tube and not their tube. Pretty ridiculous rules, but whatever. We then got dried up and went out to the playground and had a fun ride on the baby swing. We've got quite a little dare-devil on our hands from the looks of it.

Gramma S. & Tommy

Tommy Swinging

June 13 & 14

I know, I know, I know...where are all the updates on T3?!?!?! It's been 3 weeks since I made an entry and everybody is wondering what is happening in baby world. Well here goes... We were supposed to take our annual trek up the Mississippi to LaCrosse, Wisconsin June 12-14 with Troy and Amy but due to the ridiculous amount of rain seen over that way we had to cancel. Something about a big river that is 20 some foot over flood stage that can really put a "damper" on a trip. So instead of going to Wisconsin, we re-grouped and headed to Lake Shelbyville instead. And apparently we were feeling pretty daring, because we decided to camp. We had a late start on Friday due to yet some more rain. We decided to wait it out for a bit to wait until we wouldn't get doused while setting up our tent. So after some errands we hit the road. Tommy did great on the way down, napping a fair amount of the time. We got the campsites set up and settled in for dinner. Troy and Amy brought their brand new Margarator...blender/chiller/dispenser of margaritas or whatever frozen drink you would like to partake of. The next morning we hit the water for some boarding and then hung out in the cove for a while. Tommy had fun flirting yet again with everybody he saw. Man or woman he doesn't care. He jumped for a while, petted Vetty, and napped. All in all not too bad. We had one incident after a quick dip in the water. As most know, there are "special" diapers for swimming. Basically they don't absorb as much so that the diaper doesn't explode right on the kid. So the general idea I think is to let the liquid go and just hold onto the "solids". You can imagine though that sometimes a baby doesn't just put out solid form of #2. Especially when he/she has been soaking in the water for a while. So let's just say that when we pulled T3 out of the water all was well until he was plopped down on the sun deck. Well he got plopped down and some stuff got plopped out. After quite a few "Ohhh!" and "Aggg!" and "Gross" he got thrown back in the water with me while Tom rinsed the boat off and we got everything dumped into a garbage bag. So use those diapers sparingly. After all that excitement, we headed back to the campground for dinner and all. After a couple of margaritas and some brats we settled down for the night. And that is when the realy joy began. Turns out T3 really isn't into camping. We didn't sleep much all night. He needed to be held the whole time. We had to do a loop around the campground in his stroller to get him to go to sleep. Then we had to play his bear all night. Then we woke up for good at 5am. No more camping for us.