The BIG chair

Tom has a huge recliner that is really comfortable, can hold multiple kids, and is a great backdrop for taking pictures.

Thomas in the big chair.

Thomas and Lauren chillin'.

Hanging out with Grandpa, Corban, and Bella.

Chewing on Dad's belly.

An old picture of my dad sitting in the chair...his feet don't touch the ground! (neither do mine)

Other NC pics

Ed and I got to meet our newest niece, Lauren. She's much easier to carry around than Thomas! 
Jakin and Corban discovered the joys of tubing. Jakin would have happily tubed all day long. He also tubed with me and Ed sent us flying with a sharp turn of the boat. A good first fall for Jakin!

This picture is why Ed and I decided to have a kid...they make great gofers! While we were sitting at the edge of the lake, Jakin refilled the beer cooler for everyone and carried it down from the house. 

The golf cart also got some use for carting food, drinks, and kids back and forth. 

Since we were all together, we celebrated Annie's (March), Jakin's (May) and Corban's (June) birthdays with chocolate eclair cake and presents.

Alli, Rob and Bella went for a rowboat ride. Rumor has it that when Alli rowed, they only went in circles...  I tried to splash them when I skied by, but failed miserably. 

Busy in NC

Thomas had a busy 4 days in North Carolina!

He helped Grandma play cards.
He smiled at Grandpa while practicing his standing skills.

Aunt Mary Beth combed the cradle cap out of his hair.

He kept an eye on Aunt Alli's beer

He helped make pasta salad for dinner. Yum!

Thomas meets his cousins!

We traveled to Ed's parents' house in North Carolina for Memorial Day weekend. Jack, Mary Beth and their 4 kids came down from Massachusetts, so Thomas got to meet his cousins, and Alli and her boyfriend Rob came from Kentucky. It was a great weekend!

The 5 kids pose. Getting 5 kids (2 of them babies) to look at the camera AND smile is basically impossible!

We call this picture "guess who is older?" Lauren is 4 months old and has just about cracked 12 lbs. Thomas is 3 months old and is about to hit 17 lbs. Wow!

The babies were mildly interested in each other. We imagine that at our next get-together, Christmas, they'll both be mobile and actually play together.

Annie loves her "babies." She liked to hold both of them and sing them the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She kept kissing and hugging Thomas and saying, "I love you baby Thomas." So cute!

Aunt MB and Uncle Jack meet Thomas. Check out Thomas' crazy hair (fresh off a bath). Maybe Jack is jealous?

A Baseball "Date;" Tucker Babysits

Ed and I had tickets to the Cards-Cubs game last night, and we didn't want to introduce Thomas to all those unruly Cubs fans, so we recruited our friend Steve to babysit. He came over Tuesday night for dinner and a diaper changing lesson. Despite the fact that Thomas looks a little unsure in this pre-babysitting picture, Tucker was a pro. He took Thomas for a walk in the park, changed his diaper twice, fed him an entire bottle, and got him to bed with minimal squawking. We'll be using his services again! Thanks Tucker!

Onto the game...it was a great one on a beautiful humidity-free evening--the Cards won 2-1 but the Cubs made it interesting in the 9th. I had a footlong bratwurst (yum!) with BBQ sauce that Ed tried to claim was Secret Stadium Sauce. Umm...they only sell that in Milwaukee. Still better than a hot dog, though!

Lots of Cubs fans there as we expected in amongst the sea of red. We were directly in line with the third base line and were hoping for some near-miss home runs to come near us, but no luck. Maybe next game...we have tickets to two more games later this year, and we hope to bring the little guy along: a Brewers game (Thomas will be decked out in his Brewers gear!) and a Reds game.  

Kicking off Summer!

Like last year, this summer we'll be spending most weekends with our friends Kelly and Dustin at Lake Mattoon in central Illinois. We rent the top floor of a house from some very nice people. We spend our early mornings skiing and barefooting on water like glass, then we come back to make a late breakfast and take a nap, and then head back out to the lake in the afternoon. While we all love the boat, Ed and Dustin are in love with the boat...it gets more sweet talk than Kelly and I do (and more than any inanimate object should!).

This was our first weekend at Mattoon, with two significant additions from last year...Thomas, and a full-size refrigerator. No longer do we have to squeeze a weekend's worth of food for four or six people into a little college fridge--now we've got room for plenty of food! Sounds silly, but it'll make a big difference!

 The weather was a little nippy for skiing--about 60 degrees, and the water was even nippier. Some people might think we're crazy--first you see Dustin wearing a winter jacket and hat, and then you see us water skiing! Thank goodness for wetsuits. Dustin and Ed each skied a couple times. I did as well--my first time in almost a year!

Thomas Rides in the Boat!

Ed and I (but moreso Ed) are gear junkies. Thomas had a pair of Smartwool socks before he was born, so he's headed down the same path. It's no surprise then that he is outfitted for the summer--he's got a lifejacket and sunglasses! 

He's not very mobile right now anyway, but in his lifejacket he looks like a turtle stuck on its back! He tolerated the lifejacket, the sunglasses, and the boat ride. We found some calm water and took him for a spin. Next up, waterskis! :)

Saturday night fun

Saturday night of the baptism weekend, we went to the Highland House, a Mequon favorite. While we ate fajitas, burritos, and more, Thomas checked out the fish (a Highland House emblem) and his dad's margarita. Yum!

After dinner, the two sets of grandparents took Thomas home, while the five "kids" went out to Lucille's piano bar in downtown Milwaukee. At my request, we had jello shot syringes...very fun! We even got the piano player to play our request: Paradise by the Dashboard Light!

Hanging with the grandparents

With Tom and Alice flying in for the weekend, Thomas was lucky enough to be spoiled (and adored) by all four grandparents this weekend! As you can see, all of that attention left him quite exhausted. :) 

He played with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Alice on his quilt, cuddled with Grammy Lindy, and tried daredevil tricks on the motorcycle with Grandpa Jeff.

Sunday morning, Aunt Jenn snuck in some Thomas time--the two of them dozed in her bed from 6-7 am. That's a devoted aunt--giving up sleep, especially after a late night out, to hang with Thomas. 

Weekend Fun...Firsts and Seconds

This a random grouping of fun pictures from the weekend...I would call them all "firsts," but technically this was his second trip on a plane. So instead it's firsts and seconds.

Thomas's second plane trip went as smoothly as the first...he slept on the flight. Yay! He also got his first sink bath so he'd be squeaky clean for the baptism...check out his little cottage cheese textured butt! 

Thomas received his first beer stein, taking after Daddy. 

Here's the first picture of him standing--something he really likes to do--hard to believe he's less than 3 months old!