Here is the first ever video of Libby crawling.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
RIP Wheelbarrow
Our big tree pulled a "desticle" on us last night. Beth was answering a page at 3 a.m. this morning and heard a huge CRASH. She assumed that the tree had fallen on our house or worse yet, on our new deck. This morning when we went outside, we found out that the newly fixed wheelbarrow had taken most of the damage.
The newly constructed fence held up well, I think I will only have to replace one piece of latice.
As you can see the branch is larger then Beth or Libby. It was about 25 feet long and over 20 inches around in places. It also weighed over 4 tons* before I cut it into pieces.
This is where the brach came from.
After going to Lowes to buy a chainsaw, I spent the next few house in 93 degree heat dragging the branch out of the "jungle" and cutting it into pieces.
Here are before and after photos of the newly repaired wheelbarrow:
*4 tons is just an estimate made by someone who exaggerates alot.
The newly constructed fence held up well, I think I will only have to replace one piece of latice.
As you can see the branch is larger then Beth or Libby. It was about 25 feet long and over 20 inches around in places. It also weighed over 4 tons* before I cut it into pieces.
This is where the brach came from.
After going to Lowes to buy a chainsaw, I spent the next few house in 93 degree heat dragging the branch out of the "jungle" and cutting it into pieces.
Here are before and after photos of the newly repaired wheelbarrow:
*4 tons is just an estimate made by someone who exaggerates alot.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Yankees Leave
Beth's parents left this morning for the trip up north to Michigan. We enjoyed having them here and it was a great break for me. With my new job I don't get any days off or vacation time, but with the Grandparents here I dont' think I was allowed to hold, feed or change Libby once the entire time. And in keeping with the tradition of having family come down to Memphis and putting them to work, I kept John pretty busy with odd jobs around the house.
A new light was installed above the deck.
Along with an outlet to plug the blender in when I make margaritas.
The garage door button had never worked since we moved in, and the only way it could be opend or closed was using the remote opener. But John re-ran the wire and hooked it all back up so it now works like new.
The handles on the wheelbarrow were replaced, one had been broken since I found it in the shed when we moved in. The only place I could find to buy replacement handles was Sears. Home Depot and Lowes do not carry them.
A new faucet was installed in the back lavatory. For those of you who have stayed back there, you will really appreciate how nicely this one works.
A new faucet was also installed in the kitchen. For those of you who have used out old kitchen faucet you will appreciate this one. It is much taller and the handles aren't backwards.
He installed the gate that he made and my mother in law painted. It is so nice having this up to keep the dogs in the backyard.
And then my mother in law and, Beth and John worked on the backyard trying to tame the jungle. A bunch of hostas and other plants were planted along with 13 bags of mulch and one bag of peat moss put down.
And last but not least, here is the fence that I installed a few weeks ago to keep the dogs from roaming in the back brush.
***Note to Rudi*** At no time was I sleeping while any of these projects going on.
A new light was installed above the deck.
Along with an outlet to plug the blender in when I make margaritas.
The garage door button had never worked since we moved in, and the only way it could be opend or closed was using the remote opener. But John re-ran the wire and hooked it all back up so it now works like new.
The handles on the wheelbarrow were replaced, one had been broken since I found it in the shed when we moved in. The only place I could find to buy replacement handles was Sears. Home Depot and Lowes do not carry them.
A new faucet was installed in the back lavatory. For those of you who have stayed back there, you will really appreciate how nicely this one works.
A new faucet was also installed in the kitchen. For those of you who have used out old kitchen faucet you will appreciate this one. It is much taller and the handles aren't backwards.
He installed the gate that he made and my mother in law painted. It is so nice having this up to keep the dogs in the backyard.
And then my mother in law and, Beth and John worked on the backyard trying to tame the jungle. A bunch of hostas and other plants were planted along with 13 bags of mulch and one bag of peat moss put down.
And last but not least, here is the fence that I installed a few weeks ago to keep the dogs from roaming in the back brush.
***Note to Rudi*** At no time was I sleeping while any of these projects going on.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
The visit- Continued
On Saturday we went to the Memphis Flea Market.
It has over 1000 vendors, and 990 of those sell junk and stuff you would never need. We made out like bandits. To start off with, it is suppose to cost $2 per car. But I went in the back door and the parking lady just waved us through. Beth and I purchased a brand new $85 coffee maker for $10, a bag of tennis balls for the dogs for $1, 3 decks of cards for $1 and a whole slew of Mary Kay make-up for about 75% off retail price.
Since Libby and I both look like turds in one of the pictures, I decided to post both of them.
After battling the 90 degree weather at the flea market, we were happy when Jen and Damon invited us over to go swimming. Beer, brats, chicken, steak and corn were had by all, along with lots of fun.
The girls have matching swim boats.
Grandma taught Libby how to splash, splash, splash. (Aunt Cathie, notice the red octopus Libby is playing with!)
Grandpa had a great time swimming and keeping Libby amused.
After swimming we all relaxed and let the girls play for a while before heading back home and we all went to bed early.
Friday, May 19, 2006
A visit from home
Beth's parents came down to visit us. They got here at about midnight on Thursday. On Friday we went to St Jude's to visit Beth and Libby called for the first time in the lobby. After touring St Jude's we went to our favorite BBQ joint that we taked all of our visitors to, Corky's. As usual, the meal was great.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Memphis in May
Beth Libby and I, along with our neighbors Robert, Aimee, and Lauren went to the 2006 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest today. It is billed as "3 Days of Peace, Love & Pork". Our neighbors Forrest and Layne were part of a cooking team called Pigs in Space BBQ.
They went all out. Inside their tent there was a full bar, disco ball, computers, satellite dish, and a dance floor (along with a huge BBQ Smoker).
It is amazing how much time and effort teams will put into making their booths. Some of them are three stories tall.
Libby had lots of fun walking around and looking at everything. My shoulders were killing me after 3 hours of lugging her around.
The event was held on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi, The Ole Lady.
Here is Robert and Lauren tapping the keg.
Libby had just tried her first BBQ bean and LOVED it.
If you look behind Libby you can see a pigs butt.
They went all out. Inside their tent there was a full bar, disco ball, computers, satellite dish, and a dance floor (along with a huge BBQ Smoker).
It is amazing how much time and effort teams will put into making their booths. Some of them are three stories tall.
Libby had lots of fun walking around and looking at everything. My shoulders were killing me after 3 hours of lugging her around.
The event was held on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi, The Ole Lady.
Here is Robert and Lauren tapping the keg.
Libby had just tried her first BBQ bean and LOVED it.
If you look behind Libby you can see a pigs butt.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Big Baby
Libby went in for her 9 month appointment today. Dr. Geiger was very impressed with all the progress she had made. When asked if Libby could clap her hands, I said "Clap, Clap, Clap" to Libby and on que she clapped her little hands. Dr. Geiger said that that was very advanced for a 9 month old. As you can see Libby weighed in at 20 lbs 2 1/2 ounces, putting her in the 76% percentile for weight. She is 28 1/4 inches tall which is the 75% percentile and her head is 45 cm around which is also the 76% percentile. As Libby's mom's pediatrican would say "Very proportional".
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Greek Fest
We went to the annual Greek festival that is held here in Memphis each year. Our neighbors Robert, Aimee, and their daughter Lauren who is about a month younger then Libby.
There was lots of great food and pastries to eat. Also dancing and dance lessons for those who wanted to learn.
I for one didn't want to dance, but enjoyed watching others. There was this one lady dancing in 3 inch heels. She had a huge crowd watching to see if she would fall, sadly she didn't.
There was lots of great food and pastries to eat. Also dancing and dance lessons for those who wanted to learn.
I for one didn't want to dance, but enjoyed watching others. There was this one lady dancing in 3 inch heels. She had a huge crowd watching to see if she would fall, sadly she didn't.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Like a scrotum
Here is our past week in a nutshell.
Friday:
We left Memphis at about 2 p.m. and arrived at supper time in Detroit where my sister in law Kris and her kids picked us up at the airport. Libby was very good on the flight and only cried for the last few minutes. Kris made us a delicious dinner before we headed over to Lansing.
Saturday:
We hung out with my parents for a few hours before heading over to Beth's parents. Beth's step-dad John had hung a swing up for the grandkids to play on and Libby loved it.
She loved it so much we decided to feed her in the swing. To see a cute video of Libby swinging click here.
Libby also loved splashing in the fountain with her Grandma. Later that evening we headed over to the west side of the state for a birthday party. Kelly, who Beth use to work with was turning 30. There were a bunch of people Beth use to work with who were in her Bible Study there.
Libby enjoyed relaxing in the hammock.
Here is Kelly manning the grill. They had make your own pizzas that were cooked on the grill. They were delicious, there were over 40 toppings to choose from.
Since Beth is always cold, she suggest that they drag the fire pit out and start a fire. And that is what she did.
Sunday:
Today was the First Communion/Mother's Day/Dave, Allie, and Bender Birthday Palooza. It was loads of fun.
As you can see from my expression I was having lots of fun playing with my nephew Bender and brother in law Kevin.
Almost as much fun as my sister Susan had playing with Allie's present of a cheerleader costume from her Aunt Bethie and Uncle Jon.
After Susan was done playing, Allie took her turn dressing up and cheering us all on to victory. After handing out with my family, we went over to Beth's sister Laura's house for dinner and relaxing.
Monday:
It has been a tradition for the past 38 years for Beth and I to plant flowers for my Grandma to celebrate Mother's Day. As usual we did a spectacular job.
Libby was so excited with the beautiful flowers that she went "Clap, Clap, Clap". That evening my parents took us along with my sister and her family to Scoopy Doos, the local ice cream place in Dewitt.
Libby and her cousin Bender split a baby berry sorbet. She loves and and eats until she gets brain freeze.
Tuesday:
We left bright and early to head up north to go shopping at Birch Run Outlet Center, visit my friend Mike's boat and Mike. Beth bought boat loads of new clothes and Banana Republic and Ann Taylors.
Libby loved being on the boat. And as per Coastguard regulations, Libby wore her lifevest the entire time. She even took a nap down below in the cabin. I think the gentle rocking of the boat put her to sleep.
Mike started out piloting the boat, but after a while I didn't feel comfortable with his abilites, as he is a first time boat owner. So I took over.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I did a great job and got us all back to the marina safely.
Thats Craig, Mike and Mike's friend from college Frank. Frank has one of the greatest jobs ever. He works on cruise ships giving Kidney Dialysis. On a typical cruise he works half the days and gets to play and have fun the other half.
Wednesday:
We drove up to Flint to pick up Beth's Grandmother to take her to Lansing for a visit. Beth's sister Laura and neice Elise came up also. We had JB's Pizza for dinner and Laura made brownies for dessert. Afterwards we took some pictures. Beth's mom said it was so nice to have her mother and all of her daughters and granddaughters in town at one time for a picture.
Afterwards Beth's mom asked for a picture with just her mom and favorite daughter and granddaughter in it.
As you can see, Laura's big arm somehow made it into the picture also.
Elise and Libby took a bath together and were so good at sharing toys.
Thursday:
Today we took Beth's grandmother out to eat at Vinaigrettes and then went back to my parents to finish packing up and make the drive to Detroit as we stayed at Laura's house tonight. On our way there we stopped at Trader Joe's market and got a bunch of food that we took home with us. Beth picked out some sesame coated cashews that are delicious.
Friday:
Laura drove us to the airport at about 8 a.m., but not before stopping at Tim Horton's for some timbits and coffee.
We flew on a little puddle jumper back to Memphis and were lucky enough to be sitting in the very back row next to the bathroom. As my Dad always says "There are only two reasons to sit in the back of the airplane. Either you have diarrhea, or you like to be around people who do."
The plane was overbooked, so I just sat on the toilet the whole time. Jon on a John (ha..beat you all to it).
Friday:
We left Memphis at about 2 p.m. and arrived at supper time in Detroit where my sister in law Kris and her kids picked us up at the airport. Libby was very good on the flight and only cried for the last few minutes. Kris made us a delicious dinner before we headed over to Lansing.
Saturday:
We hung out with my parents for a few hours before heading over to Beth's parents. Beth's step-dad John had hung a swing up for the grandkids to play on and Libby loved it.
She loved it so much we decided to feed her in the swing. To see a cute video of Libby swinging click here.
Libby also loved splashing in the fountain with her Grandma. Later that evening we headed over to the west side of the state for a birthday party. Kelly, who Beth use to work with was turning 30. There were a bunch of people Beth use to work with who were in her Bible Study there.
Libby enjoyed relaxing in the hammock.
Here is Kelly manning the grill. They had make your own pizzas that were cooked on the grill. They were delicious, there were over 40 toppings to choose from.
Since Beth is always cold, she suggest that they drag the fire pit out and start a fire. And that is what she did.
Sunday:
Today was the First Communion/Mother's Day/Dave, Allie, and Bender Birthday Palooza. It was loads of fun.
As you can see from my expression I was having lots of fun playing with my nephew Bender and brother in law Kevin.
Almost as much fun as my sister Susan had playing with Allie's present of a cheerleader costume from her Aunt Bethie and Uncle Jon.
After Susan was done playing, Allie took her turn dressing up and cheering us all on to victory. After handing out with my family, we went over to Beth's sister Laura's house for dinner and relaxing.
Monday:
It has been a tradition for the past 38 years for Beth and I to plant flowers for my Grandma to celebrate Mother's Day. As usual we did a spectacular job.
Libby was so excited with the beautiful flowers that she went "Clap, Clap, Clap". That evening my parents took us along with my sister and her family to Scoopy Doos, the local ice cream place in Dewitt.
Libby and her cousin Bender split a baby berry sorbet. She loves and and eats until she gets brain freeze.
Tuesday:
We left bright and early to head up north to go shopping at Birch Run Outlet Center, visit my friend Mike's boat and Mike. Beth bought boat loads of new clothes and Banana Republic and Ann Taylors.
Libby loved being on the boat. And as per Coastguard regulations, Libby wore her lifevest the entire time. She even took a nap down below in the cabin. I think the gentle rocking of the boat put her to sleep.
Mike started out piloting the boat, but after a while I didn't feel comfortable with his abilites, as he is a first time boat owner. So I took over.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I did a great job and got us all back to the marina safely.
Thats Craig, Mike and Mike's friend from college Frank. Frank has one of the greatest jobs ever. He works on cruise ships giving Kidney Dialysis. On a typical cruise he works half the days and gets to play and have fun the other half.
Wednesday:
We drove up to Flint to pick up Beth's Grandmother to take her to Lansing for a visit. Beth's sister Laura and neice Elise came up also. We had JB's Pizza for dinner and Laura made brownies for dessert. Afterwards we took some pictures. Beth's mom said it was so nice to have her mother and all of her daughters and granddaughters in town at one time for a picture.
Afterwards Beth's mom asked for a picture with just her mom and favorite daughter and granddaughter in it.
As you can see, Laura's big arm somehow made it into the picture also.
Elise and Libby took a bath together and were so good at sharing toys.
Thursday:
Today we took Beth's grandmother out to eat at Vinaigrettes and then went back to my parents to finish packing up and make the drive to Detroit as we stayed at Laura's house tonight. On our way there we stopped at Trader Joe's market and got a bunch of food that we took home with us. Beth picked out some sesame coated cashews that are delicious.
Friday:
Laura drove us to the airport at about 8 a.m., but not before stopping at Tim Horton's for some timbits and coffee.
We flew on a little puddle jumper back to Memphis and were lucky enough to be sitting in the very back row next to the bathroom. As my Dad always says "There are only two reasons to sit in the back of the airplane. Either you have diarrhea, or you like to be around people who do."
The plane was overbooked, so I just sat on the toilet the whole time. Jon on a John (ha..beat you all to it).
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