and the home of the Brave(s)

The remnants of tropical storm Fay finally came through Georgia over the last few days. Before she left, she dumped up to 10 inches of rain in some places. My buddy Greg and I started watching the river levels online waiting for the rivers to rise so we could go kayaking. We met in the north Georgia mountains after work last night and got up early this morning seeking adventure. We arrived at our first choice but found that it was too high (in my opinion) to run safely. We then moved on to choice #2 and found it to be just below optimal but still plenty high to run. We had a good time but I felt rushed because I had to get to work by 4pm. Most of the rivers are still up and I may try to get out on another one this weekend... and then we'll wait and see what Gustav does.

Michele and I think Addison had her first nightmare. About an hour after we put her to bed, she started screaming like we've never heard before. I got her out of her crib and brought her to our bed - she was hysterical. It didn't look like she hurt anything or was teething, she just had a really freaked-out look on her face. It took about half an hour to calm her down, then she went back to her crib and slept the rest of the night just fine.

I got some tickets from work to the Braves vs. Cubs game last week. It's too soon to take Van & Michele can't be away from him for that long so... I took Addison for a Daddy & Daughter Date. It was a little tough carrying her, the booster seat and a backpack full of supplies but I managed pretty well. Addison behaved much better than I expected (probably the over-stimulation) and she got through the whole game without falling asleep or getting fussy.

We've noticed lately that some things around the house have gone missing or have been moved. If we can't find something, Peanut is usually the reason. Here are some examples:

Addison has been very cuddly with Beamer lately. He may be waist-high and 110 pounds but he's very gentle with her and she really seems to like him a lot.

I played my first flag football game of the season Saturday. We lost 7-0 but played much better than last season. We have 7 new guys on the team and we'll probably need a few weeks to gel together. Michele and the kids usually come to the games to cheer us on - here is a picture of me and my favorite cheerleader after the game:

Sullivan is still doing the newborn thing. He had his six week check-up last week and is doing great. He weighs TWELVE POUNDS and is 23 1/2 inches long. He's put on 3 pounds and an inch and a half in six weeks... amazing. The crying and screaming still goes on for what seems like forever but there have been more as Michele puts it - "awake and not screaming" times.

10 minutes of the day

10 hours of the day

We went shopping at BJ's (it's like Costco) the other day and found Halloween costumes for the kids. We put this Monkey costume on Addison and could not stop cracking up at how cute she was so we had to take pictures. We ended up buying it and even found a great one for Van - you'll have to wait to see Van in his costume but here is what Peanut will be going as:

Michele still has about 4 weeks left before she goes back to work. Her days are filled with taking care of and playing with two kids, vacuuming dog fur, going for walks, running errands, satisfying her new addiction to Facebook and "flair", mowing the lawn, changing the brakes on the cars, re-paving the driveway, building a five foot retaining wall in the backyard and trying to get started on addressing the envelopes for Sullivan's birth announcements.

There are new pictures in the online album HERE. I try to add new pictures every week so feel free to check there anytime. I have a bunch going up by the end of this weekend.

You may have noticed a new "gadget" in the sidebar to the right. It's the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Michele and I have seen them twice and we're big fans. They just announced tour dates for this fall and if they are coming near you, you should check them out. On an unrelated note - if you know a babysitter available November 16th, let us know.

Finally, please enjoy this adorable video of Michele and Peanut playing.