The Fisch is Back!

One of our good friends, John (who we've always called Fisch because of his last name), recently moved back to the Lou from New Orleans. His girlfriend, Liz, helped to organize a surprise "Welcome Back" party at our favorite hangout, Humphrey's. It was a really fun night!

Becky and me

Zaegnut, Fisch, Franko, and Dave

Guys and Girls

Gifts from Daddy

Dave spent the past week in New York on business and, as he always does while on business trips, picked up a little something for the boys. Connor flipped out over his New York City cars and Tyler really likes his cab t-shirt. :)

Getting ready to walk Mama Carol & Papa Dave's doggies with Cousin Taylor

Happy 5th Birthday, Tyler-Bug!

Today was Tyler's very first basketball practice and he had a lot of fun. He was a little bit shy at first, but as soon as made a couple of shots, that pretty much took care of it. He actually made several baskets during practice, so it's no surprise that he can't wait until next Saturday. :)

Mommy and Connor watching from the sidelines

Later in the day, we celebrated Tyler's birthday with our family and friends. It was a fun time for everyone, especially the kids, and Tyler received lots of cool gifts. Our theme this year was Scooby-Doo, one of Tyler's fave characters right now. He loves to watch re-runs of it over and over again. :)

All of the cousins from both sides of our family

Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with the birthday boy!

Tyler hangin' with his "Band Homies."

Tyler opened his presents from Dave and I later that night.

School Party

Today, Dave and I met at the daycare to celebrate Tyler's birthday with his class. We're fortunate to have jobs that are, not only flexible, but less than 10 minutes from the boys' school. We had fun singing "Happy Birthday" with Tyler's teachers and classmates and enjoyed watching the kids devour the cupcakes that we baked last night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Tyler had fun celebrating his special day with his school friends, especially his best buddy, John.

Our "Big" Little Man

I took Tyler to Portrait Innovations today for his 5-year photos and he did awesome! I love going to this studio--the rooms are huge and the photographers are great. Something else that I really like about it is that the photographers use Digital SLR cameras and are mobile; rather than waiting for your child to look at a camera on a tripod (like most studios), the staff are constantly moving to get the just the right angle and capture your child's smile right away. When I took Tyler there a year ago, I actually ended up not ordering much because most of his smiles were forced and "cheesy"--not the genuine Tyler-smile that I know and love. This year's photo session was completely different, though; in almost all of the photos, I was able to see his signature dimple (on the right side of his mouth), which usually only shows up when his smile is real. So guess what? I ended up with six different poses and spent more than I EVER have on studio photos! I also ended up with a CD that included most of the photos, so it really wasn't a bad deal. Anyway, here are some of my favorites.

The Home Depot Kids Workshop

On the first Saturday of each month, The Home Depot holds a Kids' Workshop (for ages 5-12). It's totally free and the kids are given a project kit (different one each month), a pin, and a certificate of completion each time they attend. Each child also receives a kid-sized Home Depot apron at his/her first visit (a great place to display their pins!). Anyway, that's my plug for those of you who weren't aware of the workshop. :) Here are some of the projects that Tyler and Dave have done so far.

September--Goal Post

October--Firetruck
We joined Cousin Taylor at her Home Depot in Chicago for this one.

November--Leaf Press

January--Football Helmet Bookends