Easter 2009

Note: Now with sharper video!!!

Hi All,

Here are two videos of Brian enjoying Easter 2009, the first was taken at about 6:30 AM at our house and the second about mid-afternoon at Christina's parent's house.

Enjoy!

Paul

Photos/Videos, March 2009

Hi All,

The above slideshow/clip is sort of the best Brian pics and videos in the month of March.

As to the pictures, credit is due to Christina for the couch fort, and blueberry photos. She is also chief architect of the couch cushion fort. This temporary outpost was in place while I was at work and seems to have been throughly enjoyed by all occupants (Brian and Lambie) while it lasted.

For those who are unaware, Brian LOVES blueberries (and most other fruit). However blueberries hold a very special messy place in our house.

Spring Swing! is from the warmest day yet in Chicagoland this year. Brian really likes to swing, but its still cold enough for a fleece jacket. Tommorrow the forecast calls for 5 inches of wet slush/snow/rain/BLAH! Hopefully this is the last of winter here.

Feeding the Pig is a lot of fun around here. The pig featured was a gift from my fellow tellers and bankers when Brian was born. Brian loves to feed his pigs (he has 2), kiss their snouts and put them back on his shelf in his room. Pennies, Nickels, Dimes and Quarters are his favorites. I made the mistake of giving him special coins, namely 3 dollar coins and a Kennedy half dollar piece. Since they were special he didn't want to put them in the pig! So, back to regular old pocket change for the pig.

Also, Brian has a lot of words in his vocabulary these days.

Most notable new word this week: Obama (and no I didn't spend hours teaching him!).

Physically he is much taller (I swear by the day he looks taller) and stronger. He is picking up things that were too heavy a week ago and carrying them through the house. Also, his favorite place to visit is the libary or Nana's house. His fine motor skills are very, very, good. Brian can now handle a spoon most mornings and get most of his food in his mouth. He has successfully eaten a small container of yogurt by himself and does pretty well with breakfast cereal.

There will be more photos/videos as the weather grows warmer and more time is spent outside.

-Paul

Trivia Question: Can you name the song/artist/album on the slideshow?

The Effects of Baby Powder on the Avg. Sofa!

A turtle who was hanging out at the Shedd Aqarium Garden.

Hi All,

I just wanted to share some of my photos from our recent venture to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. This show has been away from downtown in recent years, but has made a return to Navy Pier. Below are a smattering of what I think are neat photos.

First, my version of a vanishing point photo:

Next, a rain apparatus for the Shedd Aqarium Garden, Note the drops in mid air!

And from a different angle with longer exposure, droplets turn into straight lines that look like fishing line, but it is water, I promise!

My personal favorite in the whole show:

Free Wallpaper! One Good, One Bad, You Choose!

Note: The roses are a close up section of a larger wall of roses. The weave is a basket top that was in the example roof top garden. The camera capture the brightness of both quite well.

This is for Amy. This is an example of a succulent plants bed that looked really nice. This was part of a rooftop garden exhibit; however it should succeed at any height.

This is what happens when the toddler gets a hold of the baby powder. He thinks since powder makes his behind feel better; baby powder makes everything better! Right!?! I have to admit, for 19 months old, his rationale is pretty decent! Needless to say our couch smells FANTASTIC!!

Admit it to yourself; you wish you were this flexible!!

More Brian photos and videos to follow in later posts.

-Paul

Brian's First Trip To Walt Disney World

Hi All,

From Feb 1 to Feb 8 2009, Christina and I got to take Brian on his first trip to Walt Disney World (Florida). At first we were uncertain of what he would like or if he would be scared of characters, fireworks, etc...We had nothing to fear. Brian was a dream the entire time, and had a blast. The first night we took him for fireworks and a ride on Small World. After that it was all, as Brian says, "Go! Go! GO!!!!"

The above slide show is a good sampling of what we saw, and what Brian liked.

The first two of the castle are from our first night at the park. Brian liked the changing colors and the fireworks! I liked the fact that my new camera (Nikon P80) is able to take such nice photos at night. Especially the fireworks and fountain photos.

On the topic of character photos.....Brian liked any character in a mask. For example, he was unhappy with the Mad Hatter because he sat in Christina's chair and pretended to drink her coffee. Notice Brian's hands in this picture, flat on the table, looking at the Mad Hatter with a look that said, "You're not Mom and that's Mom's chair!"

Mickey was the first one he encountered, but he had the best time with Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet and Winnie the Pooh. He also likes Tinkerbell; so we went to visit the fairies in toontown twice. Brian was absolutely amazed. We had told him for weeks that we were going to see Tinkerbell....imagine his amazement when we actually met Tinkerbell!

Each day we would put all of our shoes together in the hallway of our Cabin. It was pretty cute too. Brian would line up our shoes next to his.

We also for the first time gave him ice cream and chocolate on a stick. Even us adults like Mickey Bars!

Stollers look alike! I had forgotten how many stollers are to be found at Walt Disney World. Lucky for us Christina had thought ahead and made a nice stoller tag for Brian, complete with sea turtles!

At the end, on our last day, he fell asleep mickey sucker in hand, in his stroller hours before the ride to the airport.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Yesterday we took Brian on his first train ride to downtown Chicago, which he really enjoyed.

More to come as the spring and summer progress....

-Paul