Re-birth from a driver's license?

Ty and I were having a conversation in the car on his way home from "school" today. As usual, the topics had a wide range, today going all the way from the bumpiness of the road to a question about where Santa lived (who knows why in 90 degree heat he's thinking about Christmas). One particular comment made me laugh more than all of the others. Watching me drive, Ty said with certainty, "When I get old I can drive like you....and then I'll become new."

More fun in the city

This past weekend, we took our 2nd trip to the Big Apple BBQ (a yearly event held to benefit the Madison Square Park Conservancy). This trip was particularly special because we got to show our friends, the Bushroe's, around the city. We're thrilled because the Bushroe family, who we met in West Lafayette, recently moved three houses down from us. Although it was incredibly hot and humid during our trip, a good time was had by all. To view more pictures, click here.

Isn't that cool?

It's funny how little sayings can change your perspective. Ty has a new tendency to tell us what he's going to do in the future (the next minute, the next hour, the next day, etc.) and end his comment with the words "Isn't that cool?" (e.g., "Mom, tomorrow, I'm going in the water. Isn't that cool?"). It makes me wonder how much happier life would be if we could all find at least one happening in our lives each day that we could put a "Isn't that cool?" on at the end.

Even though it's been a challenging month, I've had my share of "Isn't that cool?" moments: Fun with Ty and my mom and my dad in Palatine, the baptism of our nephew Drew, time with extremely supportive family and friends, and the sun shining brightly at an American Cancer Society Relay for Life event despite the forecasts of severe thunderstorms. For pictures, click here.

Here's to many more "Isn't that cool?" moments for you and your family.

Ty and Papa

Here are some of our favorite shots of Ty and Papa. We'll miss him very much but are thankful for the happy times that we spent with him and how he taught us to reach out to help others and focus always on the present moment.

Learning Daddy's tricks

New vocab word included in this post: Gar Gar = (n.) one of Ty's favorite new made-up words.

Saturday morning Ty decided that 5am was a great time to wake up for the day. Jeff and I quickly brought him down to our bed with hopes that the lingering darkness outside would encourage him to go back to sleep.

Although Ty laid down, he wouldn't stop talking. We told him over and over again that it was time to sleep. I think he could tell that we were getting a little annoyed because he decided to pull out one of his Daddy's tricks--when you're about to get in trouble, try to make your parents laugh. After another admonishment from us that it was way too early to get up, Ty put his face about 1 inch from mine and said "How do you spell Gar Gar?"

A fisherman's dream

Here's what happens when you give a toddler a new fishing pole the same day that you're working on potty training:

Our own Kentucky Derby (with Big Brown in his underwear)