Playtime

Oh how these two brothers love each other now. I'll have to save this to show them when they are older and are fighting. It is so sweet to see the admiration in Barrett's eyes for his older brother. Although I fear it is also a little bit of jealousy, I think Barrett wants to keep up with Brett and I'm sure he will be crawling, walking, and talking faster than Brett. I will be chasing this one around!

Brett plays with the Gin Blossoms

What a great concert on Saturday at Fish Day in Port Washington. As many of you know we are fans and friends of the Gin Blossoms. You'll remember them from the 90's with hits like Hey Jealousy, Allison Road, Heard About You, etc. Recently in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with, Follow You Down. Their new CD Major Lodge Victory is awesome and I highly recommend it. Some of the songs are even picked up to be in some upcoming movies. Anyway, because we are friends and they were so close we took Brett to meet and greet with them and play some songs. What I can't post is the video I took of him on the tour bus with Jesse and Scotty J (lead guitars) as Jesse plays guitar and sings a song about Brett to him, while Brett plays his piano. (I'm sure Shelly could post video, but I haven't gotten that advanced yet) It was so awesome, he loved it. We did take him on stage to play the drums, but he was a little nervous. I included some pictures from backstage. This was during the encore when they do Rocket Man, the fireworks started. Not the clearest picture but way cool. Jesse and Robyn are in the picture.

Mark's New Car

What an exciting day for Mark. He woke up Friday morning, off of work and began to check the internet for cars for sale. And there it was, a newly listed 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo in Highland Park, IL; with less than 6,000 miles to boot. He called and was convinced this was his lucky break and here his car was. He left within the hour and took Brett. Despite the call from Canada and the other guy in IL who wanted the car, he got there first and bought it! He came home a few hours later proud as could be. This car does have a back seat and takes both car sets, so this is his answer to a mini-van. Yellow was not his first choice, but it was mine. He says it is growing on him. We have taken it around town already and with 415 horsepower, it is lightning fast. I'm hoping he doesn't get a ticket!

Twinkle Toes

Barrett is almost 6 months, a milestone I have been awaiting. He still only has one tooth, but I'm sure the next one is just about through. He continues to eat like a pig and is now eating rice cereal for breakfast and dinner, of course with his milk. And he can almost sit up on his own, that will make him very happy. He loves to see what is going on. Spit up continues to be a problem. Of course only after I just change his outfit. He is really good now at tucking his legs up under him, and while he is not crawling, he does use this to move almost as a caterpillar would. Mark and I keep working outside, our yard is looking so nice if I do say so myself. We have some moving to do this fall with some lilac bushes and some dogwoods that just aren't where we want them. And no new car yet. Mark went to North Carolina to look at one, but it wasn't the right car for him. He is very particular and will be patient.

Alabama Cousins

Today we were lucky enough to spend the day with my cousins who are visiting from Alabama. The three red heads flew up to visit family up north here, while mom and dad stayed behind in Huntsville, AL. They both work at NASA so I'm sure they were too busy to get away. Kaileigh the oldest loved Barrett, Lucy was inseperable from Brett and Keegan loved Mark's theater room. Well they all loved the theater room. It was nice to have them here.

Summer Flowers

It has taken a little longer this year but the annuals are starting to fill in. And our perennials are looking great. The small purple flower is Bee Balm that we bought and planted last year and will only get 15 inches high. The red Bee Balm is apparently some kind of mutant strain because it is 5 feet high and spreads like wildfire. My friend Ronnie shared it with me from her yard last year and told me it would spread like crazy, and she was right. Luckily it is one of our favorite flowers and we are happy to have it. Notice in the picture of the front yard, Mark's sprinklers up and running. He is so proud of our green grass!

All American Boys

Well not exactly pictures from the 4th of July, but pretty close. We did go to Mark's parents on the 3rd to enjoy the Menomonee Falls parade and fireworks, but it never got that far. The parade was about half way done where we were and the rain came down. I felt bad that I was able to go inside and the people in the parade had to tough it out. And I'm not sure if Brett would have liked the fireworks this year or would have still been scared because, well, it rained. We did not go to any other fireworks. We'll catch them some other time. Brett continues to be potty trained, it has been weeks since an accident, yeah! And after letting Barrett tough it out only one night, he now sleeps from 7 or 8 pm until 7 or 8 am, getting up only at 10 pm to eat. No more 4 or 5 am feeding. I think it was more of a habit for him. And if you have seen his thighs lately you would know he is not short on calories. I will continue to feed him at 10 pm and next week I'll push it back to 9:45 for a few nights, then to 9:30, etc. until finally he is eating between 7 and 8 and going to bed. We'll get there, by that I mean some sleep for me!