End of Summer Happenings

Wow, August was a pretty busy month.  Especially the second half, and into the beginning of September.  First off, our friends Megan and Bob had their baby boy, Maxwell Robert!  We're so excited that there is another little one in our group of friends from the DG!  We finally got to meet him last night.  Jack T looks so big after seeing a newborn, it's hard to believe he was ever that small.

Speaking of Jack T - he took another plane trip (now his second) to Buffalo, New York.  We went out for the wedding of some friends (Congrats, Heather & Tony!) that used to live in Chicago.  Mary's parents so generously offered to go with and watch Jack while we went to the ceremony and reception.  The next day, we all went to see Niagara Falls.  While we didn't go on a boat ride, Mary and I did climb up to the Crow's Next, right next to the falls, without ponchos.  We were so wet afterwards, we might as well have jumped in the water, but it was a blast!

Last Saturday, we got to visit with some of my cousins that were in visiting from Indiana.  We haven't seen them in so long, it was great to get to catch up with them and a good excuse to grill out on a nice Saturday afternoon.

Sunday we met my sister, Liz and her girls at Wicker Park to check out the Farmers Market, get some lunch, and play a little bit on the playground.  Jack T had his first ride on a swing and went down a slide for the first time!  We also came home with some market treats (cinnamon apple cider, apple cinnamon bread, and a couple other goodies).

After the park, we went out to DG for Ken's birthday.  Nothing fancy, just some food, drinks and babies.  It was really exciting to see Jack T, Ben and Max all in the same room!  Before long, they'll be running around getting into trouble, especially with no little girls to keep them in check :)

Today, we went up to the Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin.  My family used to go a lot when we were kids, and it was just as fun going as an adult (although for very different reasons).  There's nothing like eating a whole turkey leg for lunch!  It was great seeing Annalee shoot arrows, jump on a trampoline (I didn't know they had those in the 1500s), and attempt the kiddie joust.  We also got to see part of a skill joust and Barely Balanced: Acrobatic Daredevils.  Ev and Jack T are still a little small, but maybe in a couple years they'll be running around with wooden swords!

Categories: Family | Photos | Jack T | Friends | Weddings | Travel
Posted on September 06, 2010 by Jack

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JT: Month Seven Photos

I was able to get to these much faster than last month.  This was a pretty busy month as you can tell by the description of the photo album!  [Facebook viewers be sure to click the "View Original Post" link to view the album]

At Jack T's 6-month appointment, he weighed 16 lbs 14 oz and was 26.5 in long. He started drinking formula mixed in with his bottles of Mommy's milk as well as started on some baby foods closer to the 7-month mark. Jack has been showing more and more signs that he's ready to start crawling as he will spend good amounts of his tummy time “swimming” as well as spinning himself around in circles and rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. The beginning of July saw him able to sit up in a tripod position, and after just a couple of weeks, he was balancing very well on his own when placed in a sitting up position. While he's not fully mobile yet, he can definitely get himself around on his playmat and has started reaching for larger nearby objects like his exersaucer and the coffee table. He got to see his best friend Ben get baptised, spend an afternoon playing at the park by the lake, and got several new age-appropriate toys!

Categories: Family | Photos | Jack T
Posted on August 15, 2010 by Jack

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Rhys The T-Baller

I had been wanting to make it to one of Rhys's t-ball games all summer, and finally, Mary, Jack T & I made it to one!  It was a good thing, too, as it was his last game of the year.  Mary, Jack T and I joined my dad (Jack 2.0), my sister Liz and her family (G, Carys, and Alys) at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park to cheer Rhys on.

Categories: Family | Photos | Weddings
Posted on August 14, 2010 by Jack

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JT: Playing With Blocks & Laughing - Hysterically

Here are a couple videos from a few days ago.  I usually try to space out my posts a bit, the video of Jack laughing was just so funny, I couldn't wait any longer!


8/8/2010 - Jack T Is No Blockhead
We finally got out some soft plastic toy blocks for Jack to play with. He seemed to really like them, especially because he could sort of put them in his mouth, which is his primary requirement.


8/9/2010 - Jack T Learns To Laugh, I Mean Really Laugh
Mommy discovered something that was apparently really funny to Jack T. Waving a plastic bag back and forth. It's the little things in life, I guess, right?

Categories: Videos | Jack T
Posted on August 12, 2010 by Jack

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JT: Month Six Photos

Here are some photos from Jack T's sixth month.  I'm a little behind on these photos, as he'll be 7 months old in just three days...crazy how time flies!!

Jack T turned 6 months old on July 13! He has mastered rolling over, got really good at holding himself up on his arms while on his tummy, and started to spin himself around a bit. He also started eating rice cereal and has gotten very good at it. Aside from his 6-month birthday, he also celebrated his first Father's Day, first 4th of July and got to spend time with lots of family and friends!

Categories: Family | Photos | Jack T
Posted on August 10, 2010 by Jack

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