Lots of Pics...

The second gorgeous Sunday morning, so we once again left the house at the crack of down (7 AM) to walk downtown and grab a quick breakfast at Einstein Bagels and then back in the stroller for a couple miles along the river. Carter got his first real taste of freedom, as the park was empty and he was free to roam with no walls or barriers...he was in seventh heaven.

Overall, a beautiful early fall day, only to come home and watch the Packers take one on the chin (at least the Brewers snuck into the playoffs).


Carter playing in the leaves.


Trying to keep up with big brother.



Walking home with the football in hand...

Football in the backyard.




Carter at the park.


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The 3 second window we had to take a picture before they parted ways...



Carter in the abyss of leaves.


I got antsy and took down a small tree that needed to come down at the new house property (turned out it wasnt so small).

Connor with his manufactured smile...


Early breakfast at Einsteins...


Connor, sporting his much shorter trim...(makes him look much older)


Cleanup continues at Centennial Beach...the water from the flood was up to that little equipment house. I am guessing they had to drain the quarry to wash out the river soot...

Carter Walking

While he has been walking now for about 2 weeks, he has started to kick it into high gear. The video is from a week ago, he can now pretty muc do a loop around the house without falling. And as Carter always does, walks around giggling. A good nickname for him is either Chuckles or Bam-Bam.

He and Connor are bonding quickly...Connor usually mopes around in the morning (when he is up at 5:30) until "broaaather" gets up. At the first hint of noise from Carters room, Connor races in there as fast as he can screaming "broaaaather". They have a way of communicating with each other which you can hear at the end of the video...the have this short scream/squeel, and they will go back and forth with that sound non-stop.

This morning Connor ran up to me yelling "Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter" as loud and as fast as he could. Turns out I had forgotten to put the gate by the stairs and Carter was about to take a dive down the steps...big brother is pretty smart afterall and probably saved his little brother a trip to the hospital.

Connor also likes to say "I want snacks" now...however, he doesnt quite anunciate it very well...thus the "n" in snacks dissappears and the "a" sounds like an "e"...so basically, he walks around saying "I want secks"....I think you can make out what the last word ends up sounding like ;)

Rain Rain Go Away

Last 3 days have been nothing but non-stop rain - 10 inches in total (25% of the annual average)!! After having got a few emails from the city of Naperville advising residents of road closures and the fact that we should avoid downtown and the riverwalk....well, that was about all we needed for motivation to make the 6 block journey to see what the hubbub was all about.

To our surprise, we probably got to witness something we may never see again...the DuPage river at least 10-15 feet over its banks...much of the Riverwalk consumed by the river, Centenial Beach now part of the river, all bridges have water up to the pavement, Connor's favorite park completely submerged and the lower lying parts of downtown (which luckily, are numbered in the few) sandbagging and fighting back the river. While the pictures I have attached dont do video (which do not have) justice, it is quite the scene, given we were just down there early last week and had commented how low the water was. Thankfully, damage looks to be minimal and probably will consist mostly of powerwashing, but would imagine is probably more than meets the eye.

We had figured it would be dead downtown...oh no, it was packed just like a normal summer day...gawkers everywhere...crazy how everyone comes out to see a train wreck...

As Connor has been saying all weekend. "its raining, its raining..."


A look east down the river...normally that bridge is 10-15 feet above the river. This was the rehabbed section they just reopened this week.

A "closed" Webster St bridge...


Carter and Connor both thought all the water and raining was rather comical...


The "hidden gem" of Peanuts Bar outdoor patio is no longer above water...


The new slide at Centenial Beach - was about 15ft off the water...


Normally, this is my running path (by the trees)...at least I have an excuse now...


A look towards Washington St...another two feet or so of water would have shut down most roads...


Rosebud on a normal day...

Rosebud today...


Sandbags in front of Rosebud (not sure what they were going to accomplish)...

Labor Day Travels

Busy busy weekend of travel. It was off to g'ma and g'pa Fitzgeralds in Cleveland - a lovely 6hr drive. The boys actually ride very well now. We turned Carters car seat around the other week, and its a whole new world for him...he does no sleep in the car much anymore and he can see us and play with his brother as well.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend with non stop action for the boys (and us as well) - a trip down to Canton, OH to meet up with all his cousins for his cousin Ryans 8th b-day party, a trip to the Brecksville pool with g'ma, a journey to the Cleveland Air Show on Lake Erie (think Carter was more interested than Connor), a brunch with all his cousins on Sunday, a trip to see his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, a trip to Kiddie Park (which Connor hated and we pretty much had to leave in 30 minutes) and a ride through the Cuyhoga National Park to look for deer (we saw 25 deer, some as close as 10ft, but both boys had already passed out).

And finally, a brief night out with good friends the Zenters - an amazing couple doing amazing things with the challening hand dealt to them (http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/volunteers_craft_a_special_hom.html). We actually had an opportunity to met the man mentioned in the article who is building the new home for them at his rather large home - we got a tour of his amazing house, but more importantly, got to spend an hour with a pretty extrordinary person - goes to show how giving some people can be.

Anyways - the boys had a blast with their 4 Cleveland based cousins and it was nice to have some extra hands to give us a few moments to break away.

And in closing, to rip off Peter Kings column from SI in which he gives travel gripes from his past week of travel, I will provide my own:

**Why is it that Indiana persists on having the most lackluster, gross, nasty, backwoods Tollway rest stops? Both Illinois and Ohio have it figured out. The system of Tollway rest stops is a form of marketing for your entire state...if the millions traveling through each year are left with a good impression, it actual does carry over to your impression of the state itself. And for Indiana, which in the minds of most, does not have a stellar image, to not update those facilities is crazy. You honestly feel like you need to shower upon leaving one. The flies hovering around your table, the sticky floors, the 1970's decor, the dark and dank bathrooms...it goes on and on. But on a positive, Connor did discover how cool the arcade crane machine with the stuffed animals inside is...Mickey Mouse was the featured prize, so he hauled out some of his new found vocabulary..."coins", "I want that", "I do it" and "more coins". $1 later...no Mickey Mouse doll.

Getting Ready for the Pool



Carter and G'Ma Fitz


Pool Boy Carter

The Kids Table

Erin loves her cousin Connor (constantly picking him up)


Carter, Connor, Erin and Kylie


Carter, Connor, Erin, Kylie, Ryan, Collin (Cameron and Alexis back in Chicago)

Erin teaching the boys to Hula Hoop


And of course, Cater giving it a spin...