Halloween 2011

Figured I should get this one in before Christmas...

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be home for Halloween this year as I was in Florida for work.  Courtney took the boys to Pennsylvania so that they could go trick-or-treating with some of their cousins.  Luke decided he wanted to be a frog, and Leo took on the Batman costume that Luke used a couple years ago.  They had a great time!

Family Pictures

A couple months ago, we got our family pictures taken.  It had been a long time... in fact, we hadn't done it as a whole family since Leo was born!  Here are some of the results...

The Summer 2011 Update, Continued...

As promised, here are some more pictures from the past couple months.

Here's Leo just hanging out before church one day.

The boys have spent quite a bit of time in our backyard this summer.  The trampoline came with the house we're renting, but when we eventually move, I think we'll have to buy one because the boys can't live without it now!

Luke also painted his very own bird house.  He was very excited about it.

Here's a couple from when I came home from my trial in Florida.

And finally, here are some more of the boys just loving life.

We still need to pull our pictures off Courtney's iPhone, plus get the pictures from Kari's wedding, so more to come! 

Another Overdue Post

2011 has not been a good year for keeping up on the blog, but I'm now determined to get back on track.  The summer has just flown by - I was down in Florida for almost 5 weeks for a trial, my sister, Kari, got married, and Courtney and the boys continued to explore Cleveland.  I'll start with the picture updating here and put up another post tomorrow.  Today's themes will be bath time and Father's Day weekend, a natural combination (right?). 

The boys continue to love bath time, particularly since bubbles have become a regular feature. 

We started out Father's Day weekend with a father-son trip to an Indians game.  It was Luke's first baseball game!  He loved the hanging out with Daddy, hot dogs, and ice cream part of it - but he didn't really like how loud everyone got when they cheered.  All in all, we still had a good time even if Luke didn't get into the game that much. 

We parked at my office, so Luke got to see where Daddy spends a lot of his time during the day.

The next day, we took an old-style train through the Cuyahoga Valley from Cleveland to Akron and back for the boys.  Continuing our theme of "firsts," this was their first time on a train.

Then on Father's Day, Courtney and the boys treated me to a very nice day.  Courtney dressed the boys in "Team Daddy" shirts that were, well, a little big, but it just made them even more cute. 

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

The iPhone Update

As promised, here's a photo update from all the pictures Courtney has taken on her phone since she got it back in February/March or so. 

A few weeks ago, we had to take Leo to the ER because he had aspirated a tiny piece of an apple and was wheezing a little bit. He was acting totally normal and it wasn't bothering him, but we didn't want to put him to bed with the wheezing sound he was making. Anyway, he ended up having a bronchoscopy, during which the docs found the little piece of apple in his lung.  Other than it being a really tiring night for Mommy and Leo, though, everything was fine.  He looked pretty cute in his little hospital gown, too.
  

Except for that bit of excitement, most of the rest of these pictures are just catching the boys in their element, doing their thing.  You can tell these pictures go back a ways because they start in long sleeves and jackets, and by the end, they're showing off their shades.  
  

 

 

The Last Three Months

Yes, we're still here.  Rather than try to totally catch up on everything, I'll just mention some highlights. 

First of all, Go Tribe!  I'd like to think the reason the Indians are all of a sudden good somehow is because of our arrival to Cleveland. 

Courtney had her 30th birthday back in March - yes, the big 3-0.  Unfortunately, since she's the one in charge around here, I'm not allowed to make fun of her age (she's almost 2 years older than me).  So I'll just say she turned 30 and move on.  I let Luke pick out a present at the store for Courtney without any help from me.  I knew it would probably end up being something random that Courtney wouldn't want, but I figured it'd be the thought that counts.  So what did he end up picking out...

...That's right, a rubber chicken chew toy for pets.  Oh well.  It's "the thought that counts," right?  Luke also picked out a Thomas the Tank Engine card for her. 

I had to go to Florida for a couple weeks on business in April for a trial.  My mom came up to Cleveland to help out Courtney with the boys (we really had to twist her arm to come see the grandkids... yeah, not really!).

I was home in time for Easter, and the boys had a good time painting Easter eggs and going on a Easter candy hunt.

...They found the chocolate bunnies in the dryer with the aid of their "treasure map."

A few weeks ago we went to a park and got a few good pictures.

It was also a few weeks ago that I had to mow the lawn for the first time this year.  Luke decided he wanted to help.  Gotta start 'em young!

And finally, just a few other random pictures from the last three months.  Leo wasn't very happy here, but he looked pretty cute anyway.

 
Here he is again with a dramatic gaze out the window.

And just a few more to finish things off (in case you haven't seen enough already).

Courtney has been taking a lot of pictures on her iphone lately, so I'll have to do another iphone picture post soon.