Catching up with pics

Owen and Charlie on Uncle Kyle's boat
















Charlie loves the wind in her hair...even if she is facing backwards!

















Kyri liked the wind in her hair too. It even put her to sleep.


















Charlie likes to get tossed in the air by her Daddy.























She kept asking for more...























One last time...

Charlie's First Words

OK, I had to write this down as I had another proud papa moment. Charlotte isn't completely talking yet but I think she is getting close. Today, I was working and Charlotte wanted to say goodbye and she said "bye Da Da". Now, it could have been just babble but I am positive it was clear as day, her saying bye da da. Work has been hard and quite stressful lately but her words made my day!!

The Zoo

We enjoyed some nice weather this weekend and took Charlie to the zoo. She had a lot of fun walking around but it was pretty crowded so it was hard for her to get a good look at all the animals. We'll be sure to take her take her back again soon!

Charlie running through the park to get a better look at the elephants



















She thinks she's pretty cool sitting on the duck




























After an exciting day Charlie needed a nap














How can this be comfortable?!?

March for Babies

I'd like to start by saying a big Thank You to everyone who donated to my March of Dimes, March for Babies walk. I had set a goal of $500 and surpassed it by collecting $535! With all the money that was raised nationwide to fund research on preterm labor hopefully it will be a thing of the past.

Luckily, Mother Nature was on our side and we had a clear morning for the walk. We lined up and started the walk at 9am.














It is a good thing that they started on time because Charlie was ready to go!



















We walked at Busse Woods in Elk Grove and actually saw some of the elk.















There were too many people so Charlie didn't walk too much but she did like riding on Owen's shoulders!














After the walk they had hot dogs for all of the participants and some games for the kids. Owen and I looked around and were reminded of how blessed we are that Charlie is so healthy. We saw shirts on some of the walkers that showed their little ones were born at less than 1 lb. There were children with disabilities associated with their premature birth. We also saw the heartbreaking shirts that showed families walking in remembrance of a child that was lost. It was a very emotional but positive walk that I hope we continue to do as a family for the years to come.

Happy Earth Day!

What a great day to celebrate Earth Day! Since the weather was so nice Charlie and I were able to spend a lot of time outside. We took a walk and planted some tomato plants. Well, I planted the tomatoes and Charlie helped pat the dirt. She also had a good time playing on her new gym. She is still getting the hang of the slide but she enjoys doing it her way!

18 Months

Charlie is a year and a half and doing great. She had her 18 month check up today and she is growing like a weed. She is 33 1/4" long and 23lbs 7.5 oz. Our poor little girl had to get more shots today but at least she is done until her 2 yr check up.

Charlie and I have been getting out and enjoying the great weather that we've been having. Today we went to the park for an egg hunt, picnic and play time. Charlie was a little slower than the older kids so she only got one egg but she had a great time!

Charlie and her one egg



















Playing at the park











































As soon as we got home she looked out the window dreaming of when she can go back to the park

AZ Golf/Spring Training Trip

Last weekend I took a few days and went to Arizona with Kyle and my Dad. The main reason for the trip was golf and to see the Sox in spring training. We stayed just outside Phoenix and golfed at some nice courses. The weather was basically perfect at about 75 degrees during the day so we could enjoy our time on the links. The Golf Gods treated me pretty well until the last round where my driver disappeared and my score shot up. The biggest difference between Arizona golf and Chicago golf, when my drives go haywire I can't go chasing them in the desert.

The Phoencian Golf Course

We also saw our Sox in an away game at the Brewers spring facility. They ended up the game in a 5-5 tie after 10 innings but it was just good to be watching baseball again. Our last day, we took a few hours to tour the Sox spring training facility, Camelback Ranch, in Glendale. It is an awesome facility so I had to be sure and make a trip to the gift shop too. Now I am definitely ready for the beginning of the season and the quest for another championship on the south side!!

Celebration #2

Our second St. Patrick's Day celebration was at the O'Knutson Corned Beef Dinner. We had a good time hanging out with family and friends and enjoying a traditional Irish dinner. The corned beef and cabbage were absolutely delicious and the girls had a great time playing!

Charlie wanted to get some reading in before she started to play



















Kyri walked around looking adorable in her Irish outfit



















Charlie wanted to play king of the hill but needed someone to play with














Aubry was nice enough to play with Charlie but Charlie didn't want to lose her spot
















Luckily, Aubry is a tough cookie and just laughed at Charlie's attempt to keep her off the "hill"

St. Paddy's Day Parade

We had our first St. Patrick's Day celebration yesterday at the St. Charles parade. The weather didn't cooperate but we were able to find a spot underneath an awning so we were covered from most of the rain.

All bundled up and ready for the parade















The Grand Marshall's - Billy Pierce from the Sox and Randy Hundley from the Cubs















This dog was just so beautiful I needed to take a picture














Charlie couldn't help but stare at him




















One of the many leprechauns we saw















We couldn't believe that someone would be driving their corvette with their top down in the rain















Charlie was wide-eyed the whole time enjoying her first St. Patrick's Day parade

We were right! It is not very often that we are so right that we need to let everyone know, but in this case we couldn't let it go. We once said that Artu had too much fight left in him to not take a chance on surgery. Well, that was one year ago and our boy is still going strong! We've only had to take him to the vet a couple times for some relatively minor things. Artu is pretty excited about the warmer weather that's on its way - no surgery could change his aversion to snow!

Charlie went for another NICU follow-up today and she is doing great. She is going to be discharged from her physical and occupation therapy by the end of the month. She'll continue to go for speech therapy but hopefully she won't need that for too long. Charlie is still growing but it has slowed down quite a bit. She is a little over 22 lbs. and is 32 1/2" long.

Hawaii was AWESOME!!!

Owen and I are back from the the most beautiful place that I've ever been too. We had such a great time it was hard to come back. If it was not for Charlie and Artu we might have stayed out there!

Day One - We started out with a 9.5 hour flight from Chicago to Honolulu. Since we were traveling during the day it was hard to take a nap to pass the time. Luckily once we got to Honolulu our flight to Kauai was only about 25 minutes. When we stepped off the plane in Lihue we knew that the whole day of traveling was worth it. We saw colors everywhere! It was such a difference from the snow at home. Bright blue ocean, green palm trees, green grass, and a rainbow of flowers. Absolute paradise!

We got to the resort and checked in with the hospitality desk provided by Owen's company. We immediately went to our room and changed into flip-flops and went down to the Welcome Reception that Novell provided. Since we hadn't really eaten all day we devoured God-only-knows how many sandwiches and chips. After a couple hours it was back to the room to get some well needed rest.

Day Two - Unfortunately, our bodies were still on Chicago time. We both woke up around 4am but couldn't fall back asleep so around 6am we decided to get up to watch the sun rise. You can't beat watching the sun rise while listening to the sound of the ocean. It was so peaceful.

This is the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Kauai


















Looking out from the lobby to the ocean


















Owen's company sure knows how to treat their employees. They provided breakfast every morning which was extremely good. The eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and fresh juices were awesome every morning. Owen will agree that I ate more bacon in 5 days than I probably have eaten in the whole time that I've known him. It was so yummy!

Day Three - Novell offered different "adventures" for everyone so Owen and I choose the ATV tour. It was a guided tour through the old sugar cane fields and jungle. It was a lot of fun! Even though it was a guided tour we got to go as fast as we could.. Once we got used to the ATV's they didn't go quick enough for us. Once we came back we had to shower off all of the dust and bug juice before we hit the pool. After relaxing for a bit we got ready for a cocktail hour that Owen's boss had planned for his division. Once that was over we went out to dinner with two other couples to a local seafood restaurant. After that it was back to the hotel for some after dinner drinks with Owen's company.

Just a taste of the tour. More pictures to come...























Day Four - Owen went golfing with some of his bosses in the morning while I slept in a little then went to the pool. Owen shot an 82 but I'll let him tell you all of the details. I don't think I can do justice to the birdies, eagles and whatever other fowl happens in golf.

Comment by Owen - Owen here, and yes you read correct, an 82. Now that is a legit 82, no mulligans, winter rules, etc. And that is with a 4 putt and a triple bogey. It's not often I'm on fire but I picked the right time as I beat my old Director, my VP and one of our CTO's. This could be a career killer by beating my bosses but man it felt great! I love this game!!!

Poipu Bay Golf Course























That night was the big Awards Gala at the resort. Again, Novel knows how to do it right. Luckily we had great weather the entire trip (80s and sunny every day) without a drop of rain. The gala was outside and was wonderful. There were junior hula girls that welcomed everyone and also performed later after dinner. The dinner was buffet style and there was more food than I can remember. There was tons of salads, meat of every kind, pretty much anything you could think of. The best for me was the fresh shrimp and crab legs. I tried my first and last mussel - yuck! After the gala everyone headed down to the club/bar on premise. Needless to say, the drinks were flowin' and everyone had a great time!

Looking down from the lobby at the Gala


















Hula girls





After we came in and received our lei's from the hula girls


















Day Five - This was our last full day in Hawaii. We decided to get up early and climb up to the top of a local cliff to see the sun rise. I use the word climb very loosely as there's been a path cut out from so many other people doing the exact same thing. People also go up there for cliff diving but we decided to pass on that - we're not crazy! The sun rise was just as beautiful as we expected it to be. No matter what the scenery is in Kauai, it is gorgeous!































































































After the meal that we ate at the Awards Gala the night before, Owen and I decided to go for a walk to the local shopping area. I was a little over a mile away but it felt so good to walk. We did a little shopping then it was back to the resort to get some more sun by the pool. We took it easy the rest of the night just taking in as much as we could knowing that we'd be going home soon.

Back of the hotel lobby



















Day Six - Vacation is over. Luckily our flight wasn't until the afternoon so we had time for one last awesome breakfast. Our flight from Kauai to Honolulu was a little rough since the winds were kind of strong. Some of Owen's friends were on another flight which missed the runway due to wind gusts. Our flight from Honolulu to Chicago was much better than going out. We had a pretty decent tail wind so the flight was only about 7.5 hours. We were able to sleep for a little bit since we were traveling over night and got back to Chicago at 5am. We were very happy to see that my car was not covered in snow since we drove to the airport.

We were happy to come back to see Charlie and Artu but since we knew they were well taken care of while we were gone I wouldn't have minded staying out there for a while longer. Thanks to all of our family that helped with both of kids. It made our vacation truly enjoyable knowing that we didn't have to worry about our little ones!

EIU Pride

So, the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl last night. No, I'm not a Saints fan but I enjoyed the game like many of you and the eating and drinking that goes along with it. But I did want to point out a fact that many of you may not know. Sean Payton, Saint's Head Coach, is an alumni from Eastern Illinois University! Now, us EIU alum don't usually have much to brag about in regards to EIU Athletics, so when something happens worth noting, it has to be pointed out. Sean Payton was an All-American quarterback at Eastern Illinois at which he set and still holds many of EIU’s school passing records. He also helped lead the 1986 EIU team to the NCAA FCS playoff quarterfinal round. Payton passed for 10,655 yards completing 756-of-1,408 passes in his career. He had the school mark for touchdowns with 75 until Tony Romo broke that record in 2002. Also, the Saints special teams coach also comes from EIU as Greg McMahon was a defensive back on the Panthers 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

So there it is, EIU's place in the big day!!

Spring Training Update:
Chicago White Sox pitchers and catchers report on February 20 and all position players report on February 25!!

Things have been a little hectic around our house for the past couple of months. Due to the kitchen remodel everything has been thrown off just a bit. The kitchen was finished last week and we are finally back to normal.

Here is what the kitchen used to look like:















And now:














Now that the kitchen is finished we can starting looking forward to our next "project"...vacation in Hawaii! Yay!!