Little Drummer boy 001

Little Drummer boy 001
Originally uploaded by beatlebugs2001

Benjamins 4th Birthday!

We finally make good on our threat - we gave Benjamin a drum set for his birthday! More on that later - The special day started with a kids party at the "House of Bounce" in Rochester - this place is a chiropractor's dream! It's a huge space filled large inflated bouncing things. While Grandma and Grandpa safely watched from the sidelines, Benjamin and his friends (and his parents) enjoyed some time on the "rides" and then shared cupcakes in the party room. Then it was back to the Schmitts for a small family BBQ with some yummy greek chicken, cupcakes and more gifts! For years we have been teasing Jessica and Mike about getting Benjamin a drum set, but to be honest, he has such a passion for music, we felt it was time to expand his talents into the percussion family. We scoured the internet for a suitable drum set, one that was more than a toy and could take the punishment of a 4 yr old as well as grow along with him. We found a fabulous one at Vintage Drums - a beautiful blue set (to match his eyes). Check out the pics and video - he's a natural - watch out Brad!!! There are more videos on our Flickr link...

Fathers Day 2009

Okay, it was my fault, I asked Ed how he wanted to spend Fathers Day and he said he wanted to get out on the lake at 4am! After he assured me that he wasn't kidding, we compromised on 5. Sure enough, we arrived at the boat slip at 5am on the dot! The weather was warm and muggy, but it was so peaceful being alone on the lake, the water was calm and like glass - we didn't catch a behemoth fish but we did catch a few smaller ones. We even enjoyed a Fathers Day "brunch" of bagels and coffee. It was lovely and we can't wait to get out there early again!

Yo-Yo-Yo!

This past weekend was a busy one, first we (Gimpy - otherwise known as Ed story later, Jessica and I) drove down to Chicago to start the Barnhart wedding celebrations with a wonderful shower thrown by Big Red, Kelly received some fab goodies from some fab people! From there some of the girls made a deposit at Hollywood casino and then settled into the Murphy abode before starting the next leg of our journey. On Sunday, the Andrews and Bayolas packed their covered wagons and headed north. We arrived in Mound Sunday night, appears the Bayolas bring cold rainy weather everywhere they go....we had 3 weeks of sunny, 80 degree days, lo and behold, when we arrived it was 50 and raining.
Monday was spend at the Mall of America where Joe and Jordan enjoyed the amusement park, Lego store and American Girl! After a failed attempt to start a bon fire, we roasted hotdogs and smores on the old gas bbq - oh well, the best laid plans.
But our best time was spend Tuesday on the boat, the weather wasn't great but it was dry and less windy. There was some friendly fishing sibling competition - which Jordan won by catching 4 fish to Joes 3 but Joe was happy as Uncle Ed let him drive the boat! It was so relaxing, the lake was quiet and calm - even Jeanne grabbed a pole and gave it a shot!
We shared a farewell dinner at our fab, the Narrows and then sent the Bayolas into the dark night as Jeanne insisted on driving back to Chicago at night to avoid traffic and construction.
We have already started to count the days til their visit next year!