Paul Bunyan

When I was a kid, we used to go to Paul Bunyan Land which was a small amusement park up near where we used to go on vacation. Whenever we walked in, there was a massive statue of Paul Bunyan and he would always know the our names when we walked in the park. I never had any idea how he knew but he always said "Hi Dan, how are you doing today?"

Well, they have since torn down Paul Bunyan Land. However, we were able to find a Paul Bunyan statue when we were up there this last time - despite the fact that this statue was about one tenth the size of the old one - or maybe it was because I was so small it seemed so large. I wanted to get Ryan in front of him because it was such a big part of my summers as a kid.

Soooo Relaxing at the Lake

Despite the brevity of our vacation, we were still able to relax a little up at the lake. How can you not?

Thanks Mom and Dad

Originally uploaded by flowmug

My mom and dad came out to watch Ryan for us while we went to B's wedding. It was really great to be able to enjoy the ceremony and then quickly get back to the hotel and out the door again for the reception. I really felt like we dumped alot on them (it was very rushed) and appreciate their sacrifices (though I know they would say it wasn't a sacrifice b/c they got to spend time with their grandson). It was also great that they got to be with Ryan on his birthday. You guys are the best! Love you!!

Cheese Popcorn

Originally uploaded by flowmug

Here is another shot from the lake. Tim is teaching Cooper to eat the cheese popcorn that he dropped from my Dad's chest.

B and Margot's Wedding

We drove to Toledo, OH last weekend to go to my buddy B's (Brian's) wedding ...

... as a side note, this the last of 4 long road trips over the past 2 weeks. We did 8 hours in the car going to and from Toledo, 10 hours going to and from Louisville, KY for a family friend's funeral, 14 hours going to and from MN on vacation, and 6 hours going to and from the cabin vacation for a grand total of 38 hours. Ryan is ready to be out of the car ...

... Anyway, he married a fantastic girl named Margot who we have become friends with as well. It's really bad but I didn't get a picture of the bride and/or groom. I have failed as a friend and as a photographer.

The wedding was on Ryan's Birthday and luckily his grandparents (Sharis' parents) brought him some gifts to open on his birthday. One of the presents involved some wooden balls which was a big hit with Ryan. He loves balls.


Ryan was able to go to the ceremony where it was EXTREMELY HOT! There were some fans but the air in the church was barely moving. Everyone was sweating and Ryan spent a lot of time in front of the fans (and in Paul and Courtney's arms).


He was really good in Mass despite the temperatures. Gary and Paula watched him while we went to the reception.

We were able to catch up with a lot of friends and had a blast (despite little sleep).

First Boat Ride

Originally uploaded by flowmug

Here is a shot from Ryan's first boat ride. As you can see, he is a little uncomfortable with the life jacket on. We made him wear it whenever we were in the boat. He didn't squawk about it at all.

There are a couple more good pictures from this boat ride (one I already showed with Ryan "driving" with Papa) that you can check out on Flickr. I really wanted to include more pictures in this post but don't have the effort right now. It is super easy to post one picture from Flickr and we just got back from Louisville so this is all I am going to do.

Good night.

Stairs

Originally uploaded by flowmug

Ryan loves stairs and he did a lot of climbing at my parents' cabin. He went up and down their stairs AT LEAST a half dozen times a day - sometimes double that. He figured out how to get down them now too. We still have to watch him very closely but he can do it all on his own.

First Birthday Gifts

Originally uploaded by flowmug

Ryan is riding Rody - his new toy from Grammy and Papa. Apparently Rody is all the rage with the kids these days. He is pretty much an inflatable green donkey that he can bounce up and down on. Sharis and I were going to get him Rody but my parents beat us to it - and we didn't even tell them about it.

That thing he is holding in his hand is a paint brush - doesn't it look like a whip stick for Rody though if he is not going fast enough? . When my cousins were little, their other grandma used to give them a bucket of water and a paint brush and told them to go paint the sidewalk. So Ryan received a bucket and 3 special brushes for that. Personally I think that is kind of mean - but hey, I am in favor of anything that keeps him busy.

First Birthday Cake

Ryan's First Birthday isn't until next weekend but we are going to a wedding for some of our friends so we won't be able to celebrate on the day. My family also won't be in Chicago so we decided to have a small party for him at the cabin.

Sharis ordered a DQ ice cream cake and put a bunch of balls on there because Ryan is really into balls. Ryan hasn't had any sugar up until this point so he was quite excited with the taste. Also, Sharis promised my Dad he could be the first to give Ryan DQ so she fulfilled this promise. But she was so anxious about the promise that she was having nightmares that her Dad was giving Ryan DQ before my Dad. Ryan's hippie parents don't know the next time they will allow him to have sugar again.

He wanted to try beer since he was trying sugar for the first time. But that didn't fly.


He continues to be mesmorized by fire and especially candles. He stared at this candle the whole time it was lit ...


... but Mommy had to blow it out.


He was a little skeptical at first with what to do with this cold hunk of sugar ...


... but he eventually understood ...


... and then he took chunks at a time ...


... and he liked it so much he wanted to lick and eat the plate.


At least he can be a member of the clean plate club.


He didn't get too messy, but it's a good thing Sharis took his clothes off first.


Luckily, everyone was willing to still eat the cake after Ryan demolished it.

Bad Puppy

We left for the cabin on Thursday after the market closed early. The ride to MN wasn't too bad. The traffic was what could be expected for a holiday weekend.

We drove to my parents' house and were going to drive up to the cabin the next morning. When we got to their house, the front garden had been dug up by Cooper. My parents are trying to sell their house and they buried a St. Joseph statue in the garden (apparently that is what you do when you believe in voodoo magic and are trying to sell your house). Cooper didn't want it there any more. My Dad found it on the other side of the yard.



He got a good talking to from my Dad ...


... and Cooper sulked about it.


Kerry was nice enough to come over and meet us. It was very good to see the family.

Cabin Trip 2008

We just got back from a shortened trip to my parents' cabin. I am going to do a number of posts this week and next explaining the vacation but if you want to cheat and skip ahead (ahem, Kerry and Marla), all the pictures are up on Flickr.

I mentioned that it was shortened because last Saturday, July 5th, we got a call from one of my Dad's college buddies at the cabin which was odd to begin with. Unfortunately he was calling to give us the news that their other college roommate, John Hanley, had died from a massive heart attack the previous day while on a boat in New Jersey. My parents are absolutely devastated as he was a very good friend of the family. He lived in MN with his family when we were kids and we grew up with their kids.

My parents flew out to New Jersey to the wake and funeral last Monday and Tuesday. Their family now lives in Louisville and there is going to be a memorial service for him there next week. So Sharis and I decided to cut our vacation short and head back to Chicago so I could work Thursday and Friday and thus take 2 days off next week for the service.

John was a very good man who made friends with everyone. He actually bought me my first Notre Dame hat when I was a kid and told me it was exactly like the one Lou wore on the sidelines during the games. We are really going to miss him.

Start 'Em Early

Is it too early to get Ryan started with photography? Look at his amazement with the lens cap. Can you imagine what he is going to be like when he gets his hands on the actual camera?

There are a couple pictures in the new "Ryan Month 12" set over on Flickr if you want to check them out.

Mother's Day Gift

This is another post that is QUITE late but oh well.

For Mother's Day, we my Mom and Sharis' Mom a gift from Ryan:



I got the idea from a friend of ours named Jenny. Here is the silhouette she made. If you are interested in making your own, you can find the site there for how to do it.

The Red Hat

This hat is a favorite for Sharis and I. Ryan looks pretty cute in it. But there was a period of about a week or two where Sharis couldn't find it. Then one day, we were out on a walk in the afternoon after the market had closed. We were walking along one of our normal routes when I noticed a hat that looked exactly like the one Ryan had hanging on a fence post. I showed it to Sharis and she informed me she had been looking for Ryan's like that. We both concluded that this was Ryan's hat because he is notorious for throwing things out of his stroller - and sometimes we don't notice. So we took the hat home, washed it and now use it again. We are pretty sure it was his.

Then last weekend, he did it again with another one of his hats. This time Sharis noticed DURING our walk so all I had to do was backtrack a couple of blocks. Sure enough, there it was on the side of the sidewalk. Stinker!

Pick a Winner

Memorial Day BBQ

This is a post I should have done a LONG time ago but it fell through the cracks. Our good friends Mike and Megan were in town for the long weekend and some of their friends had a BBQ that they were nice enough to invite us to. We have been able to get to know some of their friends and they are a good group - so it's fun. There are a couple more pics from the BBQ on Flickr if you click through the picture.

Happy Freedom Day

I hope many of you get to spend the holiday with your families. We will be spending the holiday with family. I also hope there will be many burgers, brats and potato salad for everyone.