Vball weekend

We had a really fun weekend. On Friday, we tried to go out boating but ran into a little bit of a storm. After waiting it out for 1.5 hours, we were finally able to put in. Tom got in a few good pulls but by the time I got going the rain had started. And if you've ever taken a raidrop square in the eye, you can imagine how fun that was. Not an ideal start. So we went home to wait for John and Lindsey. On Saturday everyone had a vball tournament and Tommy and I went down to hang out and watch. Here is Tommy showing off his belly and then playing with Brayden and Ashlyn on their blankey. The ball that someone else has is always the best one. On Sunday we were again going to go boating to celebrate Father's Day but again the rain gods had different plans. So we just hung out at home and had some breakfast, took a nap, and relaxed, went to the China buffet for dinner (prime rib & sushi). Tommy had a good day getting some much needed rest and playing with his toys. He loves his dump trucks lately just as much as his ball. And for those that have seen him in action, you know how many grapes he can fit in his mouth at once...all of them! Well now he's really gotten into apples too. And he isn't interested in watching me cut them into slices for him...nope, he'll just take the whole darn thing. Sometimes core and all.

After dinner we went to Toys R'Us and got Tommy a tricycle. It is a bit early as his toes can't touch both pedals at once, but we got this handle attachment so we can push him and steer him from behind. We've ridden it a lot in the house so far this week to try and avoid the crazy heat outside.

Green Screen Rocks

As with any amusement park/tourist place/wanna make some extra money kind of place, they take your picture at Shedd when you walk in...Tommy actually looked towards the camera, so that made it worth it for me...

Chicago Weekend

Tom had a volleyball tournament in Aurora on Saturday, so Tommy and I packed up the truck, picked up Amy and the twins and headed on up. I was mostly worried about the trip on the way up...3 1-year-olds in a confined space for 2.5 hours just didn't sound fun. But we made it without much of a problem. For a while Tommy kept looking from Brayden to Ashlyn and back again trying to figure out who these people were in his backseat. But he eventually got used to it. In fact right at the end he made a game of taking Ashlyn's stuffed dog and playing with it and her. He put it in his mouth and shook it back and forth just like Dunkin does. Then he kept putting it in her face andtaking it away again. I really can't explain it but she thought it was absolutely hilarious and giggled for 10 minutes. We ended up getting there and a polar front must have just gone through because it was cold, rainy, and windy...just how I hoped to spend my Saturday. We took the kids to the mall next door for a little bit. They had a playground inside and they all seemed to have a good time crawling on stuff. There are a lot of other kids and parents to contend with on a chilly Saturday, so we only stayed for about 30 minutes. The rest of the day got warmer and we hung out at the courts. After driving all that way, Tom & Brian ended up playing Trent & John in the first round of playoffs. Tom & Brian won but then lost to the team they had just played in pool play. Lindsey had the best finish for the day losing in the finals. Brian, Trent, Amy, and the twins went back home and Tom, Tommy, and I spent the night at John & Lindsey's condo. They have a beautiful place with hardwood floors, open flooplan between kitchen, living, and dining areas, three bedroom and two bath. And an awesome view of Sears Tower and downtown Chicago...and if you lean really far out on the balcony you can see the lake. In the morning we ate breakfast at "Yolk"... At Shedd we saw Beluga whales with their trainer...

They posed for an up-close shot...

The show featured the whales, dolphins, and a sea lion...

Afterwards, we went downstairs where Tommy got to touch a real starfish and some fake barnacles...

Then we went through the penguin exhibit where they had stuffed animals that were life-sized...

We saw a blue iguana who liked to pose as much as the whale...

Before we left Shedd, Tommy was knocked out...

Then we decided to walk to Michigan Avenue and hit some shopping. On the way we cut through Millenium park and Tom got this postcard perfect picture of this orb-art... Tommy got a flag from the D.A.R. on the way to help celebrate flag day...

And we got one family photo when we crossed the Chicago River on the way home... And what would be a day of grand adventure without a trip to McDonalds...

Higher! Higher!

Here it is in all it's glory. From left to right...

1. Rockwall
2. Trapeze (back side)
3. Monkey bars
4. Fort
5. Sandbox
6. Baby swing
7. Regular swing
8. Trapeze swing

Trampolining Live

Uh-Oh

Well it happened again...Doritos...you can't eat just one! (Note that his T-shirt reads "Demolition Expert" )

Clinton Lake or Bust

What a weekend! My group at work planned a boating/picnic weekend at Clinton Lake. Our boat going was conditional on us getting it on the water to make sure that everything was OK after sitting since last season. The weather has been so bad here for boating between the rain (read floods) and the temperature. It was June 5 before we got on it! So we took it out on Friday after work. Things started out OK so we headed downtown so we could chill and eat dinner. As we were pulling into the no-wake zone we opened up the engine compartment to check again for leaks. Well the oil was OK but we had way too much water in there. So we turned around and zipped back to our lift. Somewhere in there, the bilge pumps started working again so we didn't end up having to bail it out but I will say I was a little nervous for a bit. So with everything A-OK, we had our dinner and headed back out. We aimed for downtown again and just planned to cruise about. Now this whole time that water was building up in the hull of the boat, we had noticed water seeping in around the dash area. At first it just seemed like the run-off making its way out of the boat as we changed angles. But the weird part was that the water was warm. At first we just explained it away as rain water that had warmed up under the boat cover. But it just kept coming. And in larger quantities. Eventually after we had made our way to downtown again, steam started to rise out of the dash! At this point we knew something was not right, so we zipped back up river again and decided to pull the boat out of the water and take it home to work on it. Such an adventure. Turns out that the source of the hot water was a monstrous leak in the heater core. We bought this awesome attachment that pipes the engine cooling water up under the dash to warm air that gets vented out to the driver and/or a passenger. Seemed like a great idea for all those cool Midwestern nights. Not such a great idea though if you don't get the water fully drained and it freezes. So one burst pipe, $$$ for a new core, and an adventurous evening later we have a broken boat. Tom got the core out of the boat around 11pm. Thank goodness we bought new so we wouldn't have to always be working on it!

Burst Pipe with the Fins Pushed Away

Hole ~ 3mm wide by 10mm long

After all that we got up early to head to Clinton without our boat. On the way Tommy had his first ever powdered donut...actually it was four. He certainly seemed to enjoy them.

Tommy's Powdered Face

We got there a little after 8 and Tim picked us up on his boat for a ride around the lake. Tommy just sits on one of our laps and snuggles up as good as his life jacket will allow. Then he hung out with Tim and Lana while Tom and I got on Scott's boat to board for a little bit. I got up each time but bit it on the wake each time too. But not so horrible for the first time this season.

Tim & Lana's Boat

Then Tommy and I went back to get set up for the picnic. We got our stuff set out on the sand and at the picnic tables. Tommy really took to Tim and wanted to go to him sometimes more than Tom or me. But while we were waiting for everybody to get there to start grilling, we played in the sand with Grant and Nick. We had shovels and buckets and a backhoe and an excavator and a dump truck. Everything a kid needs to move some dirt/sand around.

At one point Tommy was riding in Grant's truck down the hill. So Grant (4 years) decided that he wanted Tommy (1 year) to push him. T3 needed some help so Darren (Grant's Dad) jumped in. They all had a blast playing in the waves all day.

Darren, Tommy, & Grant

Tommy & Daddy

Tommy did really good playing with the other kids. The first time he saw Pete's daughter that was close to his age, he went tearing off through the grass straight for her, pulled up right in front of her, and just stopped and stared. It was pretty funny considering how carefree it all was. Later he decided to slam the cooler lid down on her hand which hurt so we worked on "saying" wwe're sorry. (Which consists of me trying to tell him that his actions hurt somebody, that I know he didn't mean to do it, and me saying I'm sorry) The talking will make this easier someday I think. All in all a very nice day.

Tommy and his new Friend

It's Party Time

Two weekends ago we were in Chicago for a wedding. Our roommate from college, Jenn got hitched on my Birthday. Way to go Jenn. She met Pat a few years ago and we've gotten to meet him at a couple of OSU football tailgates. It was a great wedding and they did so many nice things to celebrate my bithday. I got my very own cake and a birthday present. Super cool of them to share their special day. And Tom and I got to spend the entire time catching up with out friend Steve and his girlfriend Debbie. We hadn't seen Steve since we saw him in San Fransisco in 2006! That was when he moved out there. So it was great to get to sit together and get caught up. And this marked the first time Tommy stayed overnight not with a family member. He woks Chastity up once which is once more than normal so I feel a little bad for her luck but I had a lot of fun so I won't feel that bad. _ Last weekend we had the volleyball crowd over for some start of summer fun. We grilled out and had the ard games going. And we set up a volleyball net for those really hard core players. The party was extra special because Julie was home for a bit from St. Jude so she got to see everybody and relax for an evening. _ This weekend was totally action packed. On Friday we went to the Cherry Festival with Amanda, Trent, & Amy and the twins. We got there a little early and Tommy enjoyed a turn in the petting zoo. Pretty sure his favorite thing was actually their water dishes but whatever. When we went in I was holding his hand and the cup of feed we got. I was doing OK too until he got scared and wanted to be picked up. Then the killer goat smelled the fear and came in to finish us off. He really wanted that feed so he climbed right on up my front side and was reaching for the cup that I now had fully extended up high. But he has also learned the trait of persistence, because no matter what I tried to do to get him off of me he wasn't budging without that grain. So I had to either give up the food or drop my son. I gave up the food. It was the most fun watching the people and especially the women who kept screaming when the animals went after the grain.

_

Too Scared to Walk Around

Love Gentle Pointy Horns Must Be Interesting...Tommy & the Goat Are Listening

This Water Is AWESOME

Brayden & Ashlyn

Tommy, Brayden, & Ashlyn Chilling

Fireworks

Yesterday we had a cookout at Trent and Amy's and John. Lindsey, & Mark came over too. After eating, the girls took the kids to the park while the guys did some landscaping. We had a great time on the swings and on the slide.

Frontways, Backways, It Don't Matter Wheeeeeeee! Ashlyn, Brayden, & Tommy

I Can Drive

Aarrr...Where is Me Buried Treasure

_

Mother's Day 2009 - Scene 3

We saw bison, elk, wolves, foxes, squirrels, eagles, bears, cougars, and more. Plus they have a petting farm where we fed sheep and goats. And just like the nightmares from my childhood, there was a little girl at the chicken coop screaming her head off because one of the chickens attacked her. They are scary little buggars.

Family Portrait

More Petting Zoo Please

Got To Carry Him Away From the Goats

Climbed Up On the Bench Himself

Bison From this Vantage Point