Life On Union Ave 2

The Backyard

2009-03-16T18:49:00.003-04:00

It's been nice out the past couple days. For the first time Stuart has been able to explore the backyard. This is a new world for him, he was delighted.
The whole family played out back, including Janna and Vivian. Needless to say, Vivian didn't have nearly as much fun as Stuart did.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before Stuart found the dirty old wiffle ball the dogs have been playing with for the last year or so. Deirbhile very much wants Stuart to throw the ball to her.
Give a little boy a ball and he's bound to throw it to his puppy. Stuart and Deirbhile had great fun playing fetch, although I'm not sure Stuart really caught on.
Miss Vivian took in the show, she wasn't all that impressed. I can't blame her, the back yard is a mess. The dogs have ransacked the place.
Seamus and Deirbhile were happy to have us as visitors to their backyard abode, but they were also very pleased to see us go. I'll be back though, we must get grass growing.

Minor Stuart And Vivian Events

2009-03-15T16:57:00.004-04:00

Stuart has been sleeping peacefully in his big boy bed since late December or early January. Here he is playing in his big boy bed, with Vivian attempting to sleep in the corner.
Stuart loves Vivian and is prone towards random displays of affection such as this. We keep getting asked if Stuart has been jealous of Vivian. So far, he hasn't been at all. I think he's so young that he really can't remember a time without her and so she's just a normal part of his everyday routine.
Stuart tries to be a big helper around the house. He has figured out that when Vivian fusses Mom or Dad puts her pacifier in her mouth and she stops fussing. The pacifier falls out once in awhile, causing Vivian to fuss again. Stuart has taken to grabbing the fallen out pacifier and stuffing it in Vivian's mouth. He hasn't yet figured out which way is the right way, but he gets points for trying.

Vivian's standard expression seems to be one of annoyance. I think she gets that from Janna. I have yet to witness this child look at me with any look other than one of total disdain or general annoyance. We hope she grows out of it.
Stuart has come to really enjoy going to Griffins games with his old man. We've gone to three games without the girls so far. He cheers all the big hits, throwing his hands up in the air and roaring. He sits in his own seat or on my lap and hasn't raised any fuss at all. He watches the players skate around and such, he seems very interested in what's going on. We're hardly jonesen for compliments but at Friday's game everyone around us complimented Stuart. One said he wanted to have a son as cute and well behaved as Stuart, another said he had an Aaron Downey quality to him. In other words, he thought Stuart would be a mucker and a fighter. Dad was well pleased. So was Mr. Seamus.

Dinner With Loretta

2009-03-04T16:53:00.004-05:00

Stuart is excited because Loretta is coming over for dinner. He also hears rumors we're making lamb.
Vivian always looks so annoyed. The prospect of Loretta coming over doesn't change her expression at all.
And here the lovely Miss Loretta makes her appearance to be fed. As you can see she only eats once a week. Eat, eat, you're getting to skinny!
We had a lovely Irish Lamb Stew all cooked in one pot over the course of three and a half hours.
The lamb, as you can see, was on the bone. I'm here to tell you it was falling off by the time we sat down to dinner. It was cooked perfectly. Such a good dinner.
For desert we had Profiteroles with a lovely chocolate sauce made by Janna. Also very good.
We always enjoy having Loretta over for dinner. Stuart seems well pleased to get to sit with her. Hopefully we can talk Loretta into coming back soon. After all, she needs to eat and Stuart wants someone to sit with.

Saturday At Home

2009-02-14T10:04:00.004-05:00

Stuart has decided that the new best game ever is to stand in the laundry basket. What exactly his purpose is hasn't been figured out yet but he seems to have a grand time.
Vivian is down to one feeding at night. We're hopeful that at the end of next month she'll be sleeping through the night like her brother was at the same age. She's apparently growing like a weed, she's gained a pound since leaving the hospital.
Getting Vivian to look at the camera is like pulling teeth. I've also noticed that she always seems to have a very annoyed look on her face. Clearly she thinks we're all idiots and that she's vastly superior in intellect. I wonder who she gets that from.
Deirbhile just loves the new baby. While she hasn't adopted Vivian as her own as she did with Stuart, she is very sweet and gentle with her. She likes to sit in the nursery and keep tabs on everyone. She's a 25 pound gatekeeper I suppose.
Not to be out done, Seamus continues to try to round up Janna every time Vivian starts crying. Apparently he believes that Janna can't hear the baby and so it's his duty to make sure she does something about the crying. You think by now Seamus would have figured out that the crying will either be attended to in Janna's good time or it will work itself out on its own. Ahh well, I suppose we shouldn't expect great understanding from a well meaning dog.

Random Things

2009-02-08T12:10:00.003-05:00

Stuart gets along well with Vivian. We are very pleased with this. He hasn't shown any signs of jealousy, at least not yet. We can only hope that continues.
Seamus continues to be very concerned about the new baby. Like with Stuart, every time Vivian starts to cry he tries to round up Janna. If she doesn't come right away he sits by Vivian and glares at Janna when she finally comes in to deal with the baby. Seamus is the original attachment parent, reason enough to reject the philosophy.
Yes, I admit I'm addicted to Gems TV. You wanna make something of it? In other news, Janna has lost 10 pounds off her pre-pregnancy weight.
Seamus and Deirbhile have been stuck inside a lot because it's been very cold all winter. The result is that they've been absolutely wild for a couple of months. Here is a rare moment of absolute peace between the two. Savor it.
And here we have Vivian sleeping, which she does a lot of. We are grateful to God for having blessed us with such nice children. It is our desire to raise these children for God's glory, we wouldn't have it any other way. How could we be so blessed and not glorify God?

Our Grand Return Home

2009-01-26T11:27:00.003-05:00

This morning we returned home from hospital. Vivian has yet to wake up in her new home, so we haven't really had a chance to show off her new digs yet. Both Janna and Vivian are doing well. The challenge in the next week is two fold. First, we need to make sure Janna doesn't over do it. Second, we need to teach Vivian how to go sleep on her own. The first we will likely fail at. Getting Janna to rest is like pulling teeth. The second we will be successful at, partly because Vivian seems content sleep without raising a fuss and partly because we're ruthless about teaching babies how to sleep on their own.
The minute we got home I put Vivian on the floor so that Seamus and Deirbhile could visit with her. Both were very excited to see her. They were both very gentle with her, doing little more than sniffing her and looking to me for approval. Later on when Vivian wakes up we'll have to arrange another meeting.
When Stuart was a baby Deirbhile treated him as if he were her puppy. She would stand guard over him, trying to protect him from the evil dog that lives in the fireplace. We're hopeful that she does the same with Vivian. Speaking of Stuart, we expect him to come home tonight. Life will be different for him, but after a day or so he'll never remember life without Vivian. Thanks be to God for blessing us so greatly.

Vivian Day Two

2009-01-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

So here we are at the close of day two in Vivian's life. Janna is getting along well. A little tired but that's to be expected. I say she's a little tired, I make an assumption in saying that. Janna won't admit she's tired nor will she let on that she's tired. She's never once complained during her pregnancy of any pain, lack of comfort nor has she complained of being tired. She lived her pregnant life almost entirely the same as normal life. I say she's tired today because I assume she must be. You have to figure after major surgery, a night in the hospital, a new baby and lots of excitement that she would be tired. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. If she is, she won't tell anyone.
Earlier in the day Stuart came by to visit his new sister and his mother. He's had an eventful comple of days over at his Oma and Opa's house. He has taken to Vivian, though we're not sure if he understands that she is a baby. I'm certain he has no idea she's coming home with us on Monday. In any event, we'd appreciate your continued prayers for Janna's recovery. God has blessed us greatly. :)

In Which We Present Vivian Rosalind

2009-01-23T13:51:00.003-05:00

Vivian Rosalind arrived at 12:08 this afternoon. Vivian and Janna are both doing fine over at the hospital.
Children are a blessing from God and we have been richly blessed indeed.
Janna has begun recover at the hospital. So far so good. We're not sure if she's going to leave Sunday evening or Monday morning. Either way, pray for her well being.

Happy Birthday Steve!

2009-01-04T10:30:00.002-05:00

The Psalms

A Profession of Trust

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust;

let me never be ashamed:

deliver me in thy righteousness.

Bow down thine ear to me;

deliver me speedily:

be thou my strong rock,

for a house of defense to save me.

For thou art my rock and my fortress;

therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.

Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me:

for thou art my strength.

Into thine hand I commit my spirit: Lk. 23.46

thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

I have hated them that regard lying vanities:

but I trust in the LORD.

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:

for thou hast considered my trouble;

thou hast known my soul in adversities;

and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:

thou hast set my feet in a large room.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble:

mine eye is consumed with grief,

yea, my soul and my belly.

For my life is spent with grief,

and my years with sighing:

my strength faileth because of mine iniquity,

and my bones are consumed.

I was a reproach among all mine enemies,

but especially among my neighbors,

and a fear to mine acquaintance:

they that did see me without fled from me.

I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:

I am like a broken vessel.

For I have heard the slander of many:

fear was on every side:

while they took counsel together against me,

they devised to take away my life.

But I trusted in thee, O LORD:

I said, Thou art my God.

My times are in thy hand:

deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,

and from them that persecute me.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:

save me for thy mercies' sake.

Let me not be ashamed, O LORD;

for I have called upon thee:

let the wicked be ashamed,

and let them be silent in the grave.

Let the lying lips be put to silence;

which speak grievous things

proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Oh how great is thy goodness,

which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;

which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee

before the sons of men!

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence

from the pride of man:

thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion

from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the LORD:

for he hath showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city.

For I said in my haste,

I am cut off from before thine eyes:

nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications

when I cried unto thee.

O love the LORD, all ye his saints:

for the LORD preserveth the faithful,

and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,

all ye that hope in the LORD.

New Years Eve

2009-01-01T07:45:00.004-05:00

We spent New Years Eve at Van Andel Arena watching the Griffins. They played someone called the Iowa Chops and as you can see their logo is that of one very angry looking pig. If I were that pig, I would be angry with the way my team played. The Griffins smoked the Chops 6-0. Jimmy Howard looked great in net, dare I say better than Chis Osgood has looked in Detroit.
Stuart loves him some hockey. He watches the game and especially enjoys big hits, pucks hitting the glass and anyone falling down. He behaves himself as well, there were some empty seats around us so we sat him down in his own seat. He especially enjoyed this, getting to sit in a big boy seat. Now we have to transfer that to church. So far he sits through about a third of it in his own seat. We're hoping for more before Vivian is born. I'm not going to get excited over his sitting at the Griffins game transfering to sitting at church. He can make noise and jump around at the Griffins game, if he does that at church there will be tears and none of them will be mine or Janna's.
Stuart has a Wings jersey that is a couple sizes too big for him. He wore it anyway of course. And yes, Janna also wore a jersey last night. It was blackout night for the Griffins last night and fans were encouraged to wear black. Not many did but in the spirit of team support both Janna and I did. I wore my 2002 Steve Yzerman Team Canada black third jersey and Janna wore my Anson Carter Bruins jersey from a few years ago. AC is to this day one of my favorite former Spartans. He captained the team back in the mid 90's. Anyway, hope everyone had a nice New Years. May God be will you all during this upcoming year.

A Touch Of Winter

2008-12-21T11:06:00.005-05:00

God has blessed us with snow the past few days, quite a bit of it. I for one like snow, I think it looks lovely. I love the colder weather as well. As you can see, at the end of my driveway is a mound of snow more or less as tall as I am. I fear for what it will look like come February.

Seamus and Deirbhile don't quite know what to do with all of the snow. They've made paths for themselves in the backyard. For the most part Deirbhile doesn't venture outside of the paths as the snow is basically taller than she is now. Seamus will leap outside of the path every so often, usually bounding for the door to come inside.
Deirbhile patrols the backyard looking for wayward dangers to protect us from. Or in her case, wayward squirrels to kill.
Deirbhile has always been a bearded lady but in the snow the beard is more pronounced.
Seamus has a love/hate relationship with the snow. He loves to play in it but he hates the ice clumps that form on his paws. He suffers through the ice clumbs for a chance to romp in the snow.
While Seamus and Deirbhile have fun outside, Stuart stays inside and pretends he's a dog by playing in Seamus' bed.
While it's cold outside, it's warm inside in front of the fire. Wood burning fireplaces are the best.

December Update

2008-12-14T17:40:00.002-05:00

Stuart has started sleeping in his big boy bed, at least for naps. Said big boy bed is to the right of Deirbhile. We're hopeful that by the time Vivian arrives in January that Stuart will have transitioned completely into his new bed. If not, well, he'll have no choice once Vivian comes home.
Sometime next year we're going to move Deirbhile into sleep with Stuart. Not actually with him of course but in her own bed. Currently she sleeps in the basement in a cage while my beloved Seamus sleeps in his bed in our room. Stuart would love to have one of the dogs sleep with him. I think right now with the new bed and new baby on the way, adding a dog into his room would be to0 much for him right now. Maybe it wouldn't, but we're not going to push it.
Seamus meanwhile is concerned that if Deirbhile starts to sleep in Stuart's room that she'll become his favorite. I keep telling Seamus that she could never be Stuart's favorite. Seamus plays with Stuart, they romp around and get into mischief together. Deirbhile allows Stuart to pull her fur and ears and climb her like monkey bars but she isn't very interactive and she disappears when she can get away. Seamus will always be the favorite. Such a sweet little boy he is.

Happy Birthday Janna!

2008-11-29T09:27:00.002-05:00

Today is Janna's 26th birthday. God has blessed her with life and salvation in the Lord. Who could ask for more. We'll be giving thanks unto God today by reading Psalm 26 as a family. I think this tradition of reading a birthday Psalm was stolen from the Lanning's, who no doubt stole it from someone else. I'm sure someone can trace it to the Reformation or something or other. I frankly don't care where it came from, it's an opportunity to thank the Lord for each year of life through the Psalms.

In any event, happy birthday old lady! We know in spirit you're much older than 26. :)

Psalm 26

Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.

Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:

In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

Various Minor Events

2008-11-28T18:31:00.003-05:00

Stuart had a decent enough Thanksgiving this year. We went out to metro Detroit this year. My brother started his medical internship this year at Henry Ford Hospital. Since we haven't seen his new home and since he rarely gets days off, we decided to go out there this one time. Stuart sat through a miserable Lions game. I hate them so much but I'll never kick the habit. Thanksgiving without the Lions is like New Years without the Rose Bowl.
Janna recently got Stuart a shopping cart, which he regularly fills with his toys. Today it seems to be his big blocks and cleaning supplies. Yes, Stuart has his own set of cleaning supplies. He likes to help Janna clean around the house everyday. I freely admit he doesn't actually do anything besides help pick up after himself. But give him a year and we'll have this child working for us. And really, isn't that what we have children for? Be honest, you all had kids so they would clean around the house or do yard work. Deny it all you want, deep in your heart you know I'm right.
Seamus and Deirbhile are a touch weary of the cleaning supplies. I think they're afraid of what Stuart might do to them with said cleaning supplies.
Alas, Stuart doesn't attach the dogs with any cleaning supplies. Mostly he just loves to pal around with them. If he could be around the dogs 24/7 he would be, he just loves them. Seamus in particular, he calls for him by name every morning.
Wednesday Janna and I went to the Wings game in beautiful downtown Detroit. Janna bought Vivian's naming rights from me and the price she paid is in hockey jerseys. She must wear a hockey jersey to every hockey game we go to, whether it's the Wings, Michigan State or the Griffins. Wednesday she wore my Pavel Datsyuk jersey with a 2002 Stanley Cup Finals patch on the right hand shoulder. Doesn't she look lovely? I especially like the black spinel that goes so well with this jersey.

The Final Countdown

2008-11-16T12:38:00.004-05:00

This week Janna and I went to Chicago for a couple of days. Stuart got to visit his grandparents and aunt of canine persuasion in Okemos. Wednesday night Janna and I went to the Hawks game against the Bruins. Before the game they retired the #3 in honor of Keith Magnuson and Pierre Pilote. Both of these players played before I was old enough to follow hockey but by all accounts they were good players for the Hawks.
After screaming and clapping during the national anthem, we got to see a pretty good Original Six matchup. The Hawks lost in a shootout 2-1 but I'm here to tell you it's one of the best games I've seen in person in years. Great defense and excellent goaltending made for an enjoyable evening.
Thursday was a beautiful day in the city, we did quite a bit of walking and a touch of shopping. We ate at Morton's for dinner and had desert at Tru. I had the lamb chops at Morton's, I'm really beginning to enjoy lamb more than steak. Janna of course had her big giant man steak, a bone-in ribeye that had to have weighed two pounds.
We retrieved Stuart and found that my parents had gone wild with him. They apparently went to Toys R Us and bought half the store. After all, if Stuart wanted it they had to buy it. Ok, maybe they aren't that crazy. They did buy him this red contraption which my mother declared to be a piano that played classical music. Once we took it home we discovered it played Europe's The Final Countdown in dog barks. Apparently that's classical music in my mother's mind. In her defense, she's probably never heard that song before.
Stuart wasn't exactly pleased to see us when he was returned. He would much rather get spoiled by my parents. But as the days have gone on he's gotten used to being with boring old mom and ranting crazy dad. He also likes the new outfit we bought him. We like it mostly because it was on sale.

Our Month So Far

2008-10-23T18:38:00.005-04:00

We decided to take Stuart to an apple orchard a couple weeks ago. The place was basically a glorified donut shop and old lady treasures store. I was hoping we would be able to pick our own apples, but that was out of the question. Probably to dangerous for liability insurance.
They had one bale of hay on a cart, this apparently is what they consider to be a hay ride. Unfortunately there was no ride. Stuart was pleased with the hay though.
And here's Stuart with a pumpkin, I don't really know why but Janna insisted on the picture. Apparently it's very autumn.
Stuart has taken to trying to help clean around the house. Here he is holding a broom, apparently trying to sweep the floors. Give him a couple of years and he'll be a good house slave for Janna. Seamus is very concerned about what Stuart might do with that broom.
Isn't Deirbhile the cutest thing ever. Janna would say this is the face of evil, I say it's the face of sweetness.Stuart loves playing with his dogs. The puppies tend to rough house in the evening with each other. Every so often I catch Stuart right in the middle of it, pushing the dogs down and getting pushed down himself. He loves it.
Monday I had the misfortune of going to Ann Arbor for a motion. I won the motion, which was pleasing even though I was stuck in A2. The one redeeming quality of that cesspool is Zingerman's. I was able to get three wonderful salami's and Prosciutto di Parma that tastes just like the stuff Janna and I had on our Honeymoon in Italy. The bread they have at Zingerman's was also excellent. Why can't we have places like this in Grand Rapids? Russo's just doesn't cut it.

Happy Days Are Here Again!

2008-09-21T12:15:00.005-04:00

Saturday we gave Stuart up to his Oma and Opa so Janna and I could go to the MSU-Notre Dame game in peace. You can see here, Janna is slicing up tomatoes for our tailgate.
The Stanley Cup was on display outside of Spartan Stadium. Janna and I got to see the Cup and have our picture taken with it.
The glorious Spartan Marching Band during pre-game festivities. You can see the place is packed out, most folks wearing white for the whiteout.
Here our Spartans are setting themselves up for a touchdown. MSU would in fact score and go up 10-0 in the second quarter on their way to a 23-7 victory over the previously undefeated Irish.
Our Spartans just after they won the game, joy exudes from the entire team.
And finally they celebrate with the band and the student section. Happy days have returned to East Lansing.
And we return home to discover that Stuart and Seamus have taken over our bedroom.
Stuart and Seamus are clearly up to no good, you can see the guilty look on both faces.
Janna has figured out their plot, all while wearing a new dress from Macy's (clearance rack) and a Swiss Blue Topaz around her neck.

Vivian Edith It Is!

2008-09-15T17:10:00.002-04:00

So we found out today the baby is going to be a girl. Her first name is going to be Vivian.

Edith is going to be her middle name, making for Vivian Edith Birn. I wanted to nickname her 'the Dingbat' but Janna nixed that idea unless she is in fact a dingbat. We suspect however that she will not be a dingbat and thus she won't get that nickname. In any event, please pray for this Covenant child and please pray for Janna during the last half of this pregnancy.

Spartans, what is your profession? Harroh! Harroh! Harroh!

2008-09-06T17:27:00.004-04:00

Michigan State played it's first home game of the year today and Stuart got to go. It's his second MSU game, he went to one last year.
We took Ray and Linda to the game. Ray is a big football fan and Linda has never been to a game before. Much to my surprise, Linda declared that she wanted to go to a football game. We were more than happy to take her to her first game.
We enjoyed a breakfast tailgate along the banks of the Red Cedar River. Pancakes, fried mush, applewood smoked bacon, sausages and fresh fruit were on the menu.
We were literally on the banks of the Red Cedar. You can see Spartan Stadium off in the distance. MSU beat Eastern Michigan today 42-10. A good time was had by all.
For some reason Stuart just loved playing with Ray and Curious George. Curious George was tossing the football to him. Stuart was a perfect little boy today, tollerating a very long day (for a baby) and a warm day. All in all, it was a perfect day for football. Well, at least for September football. I freely admit I prefer 45 and rainy for a football game. In any event, we're glad Ray and Linda came with us. Hopefully they can come again sometime.

Congrats to Aaron and Bubbles

2008-09-01T15:11:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to congratulate Aaron and Bubbles on their wedding this past Saturday. I didn't take the camera so I don't have any actual pictures from the event. I thought everything went fairly smoothly and for a wedding coordinator such as myself I couldn't ask for anything better. The cheese tray in particular was excellent, but I say nothing.
Janna and I hope and pray that they have a successful marriage with lots of babies. Bubbles is still young enough, she can easily knock out 7 or 8. So long as they trust in Jesus Christ and so long as they look to His word in their daily lives I have no doubt they will be successful together. They'll be even more successful if they move back to Michigan. Again, I say nothing.

A Night With Roast Pork and Green Peppercorn Sauce

2008-08-26T18:11:00.004-04:00

Last night we had Aaron & Bubbles over as well as assorted Rozboom's and/or Rozboom relations over for dinner. Here we see the happy couple in a lovers tiff. Apparently they were fighting over the last piece of chocolate covered bacon.
We made roast pork with green peppercorn sauce for dinner, with roast green beans and corn. Desert was an amuse bouche of chocolate covered bacon and a main desert of chocolate lavender cake.
And here we have Bert and Kryna Pohl who drove in from Canada just for dinner. Yeah, I guess they're also in town for a wedding or something.
Aaron's sister Lanette is in town with her two kids, we can see the top of young James head here. Here is a woman who knows how to parent kids, I'm here to tell you. And the Birn's rejoice.
Here we have Mrs. R and Bubbles. Mrs. R seems to be the brains behind this wedding, from what I can gather she has lists of things for everyone to do and they will be done. We enjoyed having her over, as we did all the assorted Rozboom's and their relations.
And here we have young James playing with our Stuart. They seemed to get along quite well, which we're very pleased about. James liked the puppies as well, and the peasants rejoiced!
How about a fairly nice picture of the happy couple. We all look forward to Aaron and Bubbles wedding on Saturday. May the Lord bless them with many years of marital bliss and at least half a dozen children. Be fruitful and multiply!

17 Carats and Counting

2008-08-23T17:33:00.005-04:00

On Monday we went up to my folks beach house in Ludington for the day. It was my first and only day off this summer. Such is the life of a lawyer. In any event, the lake was surprisingly cold, colder than it was earlier in the season.
Stuart wasn't to keen on the lake, the waves were a little rough for him and the water was far to cold. Maybe next year he'll be able to go for another swim.
Stuart's great-grandmother was in town for the week, which is why we headed up north on Monday. Stuart apparently was more interested in Zoe the dog than his great-grandmother.
Today Janna turned her back for one minute and this is the trouble Stuart got himself into. Not pictured is the dog bowl, complete with a towel placed in it that Stuart pushed all the way over to the sink area. High entertainments for Stuart, for the time being that is. Give him a year and he'll have to clean this sort of mess up. No, give him a few months.

Downtown GR

2008-08-10T19:58:00.005-04:00

It's been a beautiful weekend here in GR so on Saturday we decided to head downtown for a little walk. Stuart was of course thrilled to see something other than our neighborhood.
We went to see the new hotel, which really isn't all that special. It's nice for Grand Rapids and all but let's face facts, it's a small town hotel. Nicer than the Days Inn but it doesn't hold a candle to any of the three star hotels in Chicago or New York.
We got to see my old apartment building. This December it will be four years since I lived there. I held my first party there, an election night extravaganza. Janna was actually there that night, she brought Tiramisu. We would laugh at and scoff at what she brought that night, it was little more than whipped cream, coffee and ladyfingers. No rum at all. But it was good back then. Ray stayed until 2am, declaring that he wanted to see 'his President' re-elected. I remember thanking God 2004 wasn't a repeat of 2000, Ray would have camped out in front of my television for a month. Fun times. Sadly there isn't anything else to share from the weekend. Stuart behaved at church today and we generally did nothing. Things will pick up a couple weeks from now I suspect.

Our Weekend

2008-08-03T18:55:00.003-04:00

Our weekend began with a trip to a park out in Grandville. Stuart enjoyed going on the swing very much.
After we played on the swings for awhile we went for a walk and saw some ducks. Janna had some crackers with her so Stuart got to feed the ducks. Ducks are an interesting creature, not much interested in man unless he offers a cracker or bread.
After the walk Stuart couldn't resist a ride on the big purple dinosaur. This dinosaur is no wimpy Barney, he looks like a purple T-Rex to me.
On the Sabbath we had the Anderson's, Carr's and B over for lunch. We beg the Carr's forgiveness, I broke the camera out after they had already left. It's my fault, I admit it. I forgot all about the camera until after it was to late. Stuart got to play with Shawn, who proves to be quite the entertainer for the kid.
Dinner consisted of grilled lamb, garlic and olive oil mashed potatoes, haricot verts and a desert trio of chocolate creme brule, basil ice cream and burnt caramel with sea salt. It seemed to go over pretty well, I love the smokiness of the lamb grilled over a charcoal flame and Janna's desert was pretty darn good.
Let the record reflect that we do have a picture of B in what looks like new eye glasses. But we won't put the picture up because we don't want to outrage him. In any event, it was a great blessing having Christian fellowship at lunch today. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Stuart Sits Through Church!

2008-07-27T12:42:00.002-04:00

We have reached a critical point in Stuart's life. He has sat through church for the last four Sabbaths without being taken out and without making any noise. We are exceedingly thankful to God for this. We have worked hard for the last year to ensure that Stuart learned how to sit through church quietly. We have looked to God for guidance and He has blessed us.
It's very important for a little guy like Stuart to learn how to sit through church. Learning the skill of sitting quietly now will only help him years from now when he can actually understand what's going on. After all, if he doesn't learn how to sit quietly now, how can he learn to pay attention and understand later? I think we've turned a corner with Stuart, in the very least we now know that he can sit through church. I expect a few hiccups now and then, especially if he's cutting a tooth or not feeling well. But he can sit through church and now we expect him to every week.
All of the credit for this goes to the Lord, who has blessed Janna with the ability to diligently enforce the principle of sitting quietly in church to Stuart. Janna and I insist on our kids learning how to behave in church, after all we don't want our kids to disrupt other worshipers. Beyond that, we don't want our kids being disrespectful to God in His house. We have sought his guidance and He has blessed us. Like I said, Janna has been very diligent about teaching Stuart for the last year and now at 14 months he's able to sit through church. Aaron Rozenboom's grandfather apparently said that a one year old should be able to sit through church. We really were only about six weeks off. That's not bad. Maybe Stuart's new sibling will learn faster.

Family Trip To The Fair

2008-07-19T20:02:00.005-04:00

Today we decided to see how the other half live by going to the Ionia County Fair. Lemme tell you, it's always fascinating to go to a county fair here in Michigan. First of all, it's an opportunity to see the people who keep Old Country Buffet in business. Second of all, it's an opportunity to see all of the people who are either growing pot in their back yard and/or have a meth lab in their basement. Thirdly, it's a chance to see a lot of animals which for Stuart is exciting.
Like the mini cow I've always wanted, live and in person.
Stuart loved visiting with the goats, which as far as he was concerned were dogs.
Stuart got to see some exotic animals, like this elephant that was hanging around out back eating hay. I'm thinking those little wires aren't enough to hold this sucker back if he went wild. We took our pictures and took off.
Stuart got to see a kangaroo, which in his world is little more than a hopping dog.
This camel seems pretty annoyed to have his picture taken.
Stuart spent some more time with the goats. At some point he needs to understand that goats aren't dogs. But at 14 months we'll let it slide.
So they had this circus at the fair that was just like stepping back into the 1880's. Here we see a white tiger caged up, what you can't see is his pal who isn't very happy to be penned up with this guy.
Here kitty kitty. The lions looked like they were picking out people in the audience to eat for dinner. Thankfully these guys are so high on cat nip that they won't actually do it.
Or won't they? I'm here to tell you, if those cats really wanted out of there they could easily take down that flimsy fence. Those kids sitting in the grass up front would have been the first to go, I figure Janna, Stuart and I could high tail it out of there while the lion eats those kids. Speaking of high tailing it out of there, we saw a clown and left the circus early. We were tired and had a long day at the fair. We're looking forward to worshiping the Lord tomorrow. Stuart's been really good the last two weeks, we're hopping he's turned a corner on that front.

House For Sale

2008-07-05T11:25:00.005-04:00

So, our house is up for sale. If anyone knows anyone who is looking for a home, let them know about our place.
Stuart and Deirbhile get along great. She allows Stuart to pull her ears, pull her fur and climb about her person without the slightest thought. She never goes after him, such a good girl she is.
Not only does she not attack, she plays with him. Even when we think she's getting sick of rough house Stuart, she gets up and sits back down next to him waiting for the next round to begin.
Seamus is no different. Both of these dogs put up with a lot from Stuart without ever attacking.
Stuart likes to play with the stuff in the bookshelf. Needless to say, the books are out of his reach. His toys on the other hand are free to be taken down and thrown about the living room.
Today we're spending the day smoking pigs for tomorrow's church lunch. We've got 25 pounds of pig in the smoker, we're using hickory and cherry wood. I'm sure it will be excellent.

New Swing And Homeschool Book Sales

2008-06-20T15:06:00.006-04:00

We've had an eventful week. We normally wouldn't allow Stuart in our bed but every so often he's welcome to come in and play on the bed with us. Seamus decided he wanted in on the fun and since Stuart loves his dog, we allowed him up just this one time. Janna was not amused, Stuart and I were.
Stuart unfortunately thinks he's a dog and because of that he thinks it quite appropriate to get into Seamus' bed. First he tries to eat out of the dog bowls, now he tries to sleep in Seamus' bed. Next up he'll try to go in and out of the porch via the dog door.
We installed a swing on the porch for Stuart and he isn't quite sure what to make of it just yet.
Once we started the swing going he decided it was great fun.
Deirbhile isn't sure what to make of the news swing.
But she's decided it looks like great fun and she wonders when her turn will be to go for a ride.
Seamus comes in to see what kind of fun we're all having.
He then dutifully waits his turn for a ride on the swing.
Earlier in the week Janna and I took Stuart to the annual Homeschool Building used book sale. I have never in my life seen so many women wearing jean jumpers nor have I seen as many women dressed like Mennonites. Is it true that to be a homeschool mother you have to wear one of three hair styles? In any event, I was struck with how poor a job most of the people did at hawking their goods. It doesn't say much about the initiative of homeschoolers, something I worry about for our kids.
We have decided to do some sort of classical education program with our kids. What exactly that will be, we haven't decided yet. I don't think a used book sale is the place to learn much about it but it was interesting to see what all is out there. I did notice that it was mostly run by and shopped by women, probably the kind that talk about covenant headship out of one side of their mouth and order their husband around with the other side. I say nothing of course. In this family dad is going to make all the education decisions, like I am charged with in scripture. Stuart's education is going to be rigorous and difficult and it will serve him well when he's an adult. I am completely confident that homeschooling is the right way to go even if I'm not so confident in some of the outcomes. We'll just have to work hard to avoid what we consider to be negative outcomes. Such is life, we would be doing the same thing at a private school and doing it even more at a government school.
Deirbhile is still waiting for her turn on the swing. Poor girl, I don't think I could strap her in properly and I think she would completely freak out if I started swinging her. She has no idea. Neither does Stuart when it comes to schooling, I can't imagine letting a little kid dictate what they're going to learn like some of these so-called 'unschoolers' do. Talk about not doing your job as a parent and putting to much pressure on a little kid. Stuart isn't going to have the maturity to make such decisions when he's 7, 10 or 14 years old. It's up to us to decide what his education will be and I'm here to tell you it's going to be difficult and advanced. I know what it takes to make it through college and law school, he'll be in better shape than I was to tackle those things because we're going to be diligent in making sure he's properly educated when he's younger, much younger in fact. Difficult? Yes, but it we wouldn't have it any other way. Stuart's education is for God's glory, as will be the education of all our kids. How could we not be disciplined in executing it? We owe it to the Lord who blessed us with Stuart and any other children we happen to be blessed with.

Wings Win The Stanley Cup

2008-06-05T09:14:00.002-04:00

Janna and I have followed the Wings all year and last night they finally won the Stanley Cup. It was a nerve wracking series, complete with terrible officiating and bitter disappointments. But the Wings won in the end, thankfully.

I've gotten Janna to the point where she looks forward to each game. She knows all the players, has her favorites of course.

She's also been known to yell at the refs and she has more than a few derogatory things to say about the Wings opponents. Ask he what she thinks of Sid Crosby sometime.

And thus another season ends. This is the fourth time I've seen the Wings win the Cup. For all I know it will be the last. I suppose only God knows about the future, true whether we're talking about trivial things like hockey or important things like life and death. In any event, hockey won't be back until October and I suppose until football starts again Janna and I will be stuck watching the Tigers and Cubs. Since the Tigers are dreadful (fire Leyland!) we'll have to follow the Cubs a little more.

Maybe we'll get to see the Cup this summer, maybe we'll even get to see this shopping cart in person. What a great season, is October here yet?

Chez Bayou Review

2008-05-31T12:54:00.002-04:00

Today we had lunch at a new restaurant in town, Chez Bayou. The grand opening was today and seeing as I can't resist Cajun food, we had to go. Chez Bayou is located in East town next to Wolfgang's and across the street from Yesterdog. Chez Bayou is certainly a step up from those dumpy places.

The decor is traditional New Orleans, French Quarter and all. It's very clear that they put a lot of attention to detail when designing the dining room. The big question is whether or not they put the same attention to detail into their food.

I started off with a bowl of Chicken Gumbo, which I must say was the best gumbo I've ever had. They clearly got their roux to a nice chocolate color and the benefit of their hard work is in the taste. It had a wonderfully spicy, nutty flavor. The andouille sausage and chicken were perfect additions to the wonderfuly roux and rice. This gumbo is worth coming for.

Janna started off with a side Cajun caesar salad. I didn't try any but she had nothing but nice things to say about it. She particularly enjoyed the fact that she could taste the anchovy in the dressing. Janna tends to get a caesar salad and uses it as a base by which to judge restaurants, if a restaurant can make a good caesar salad it suggests that they have a clue as to what they're doing.

On to our main course. I ordered the Crawfish Etouffee, which I had been looking forward to all week. About five minutes after we placed our order we were informed that they had 'run out' of etouffee. One must wonder how they ran out of something when we were one of the first people in the place for lunch. Disappointment aside, I ordered Jambulaya. I was expecting big things after the gumbo and was throughly disappointed in the Jambulaya. The rice was flavorless and overcooked and the chicken tasted as though it didn't belong with the dish. I wouldn't recommend the Jambulaya, though I still want to try the Etouffee.

Janna had a Muffuletta Sandwich and she to was disappointed in it. The difference between a Muffuletta Sandwich and your run of the mill sandwich is the olive salad spread and that was unfortunately missing for Janna's sandwich. What she was given was a fine sandwich, it tasted good and all but it was missing the essential ingredient.

Over all I think we had a fine dining experience. They clearly have a few kinks to work out with the staff, for example they shouldn't seat customers next to waitresses who are preparing silverware. The kitchen needs to figure out what goes into each dish a little better (olive salad on the Muffuletta guys) and perhaps they need to tweak some of the dishes. We're definitely going back, that gumbo will keep me coming back over and over again. There are a few dishes I want to try down the road, the Etouffee (yeah, I'm bitter about the Etouffee), fried alligator, blackened chicken and so on all look good. It's my hope that Chez Bayou will make it here in GR, we desperately need this kind of place.

I give it 2 stars out of a possible 4. If they get on the ball with some of their dishes and if their wait staff gets better (you have to think they will over time) then this place really has a shot at getting a third star. In the meantime, I'll have to encourage everyone to go to Chez Bayou even if it's just for gumbo.

Baby, If You Ever Wondered. Wondered, Whatever Became of Me...

2008-05-26T18:16:00.004-04:00

We just got back home from a trip to Cincinnati. We were cajoled into going as my brother graduated from Med School at UC and my grandmother was having a 90th birthday celebration. Seeing as one doesn't turn 90 on a regular basis, we decided it was best to make an appearance.
Here's the birthday girl holding onto her one and only great grandson. Her party was as one would expect a 90th birthday to be, full of old people we don't know and a rubber chicken dinner. But she had fun, so I suppose that's all that counts. We had more fun I suspect when we took Stuart to a sports bar to watch the Wings win the first game of the Stanley Cup Final. And yes, I'm still mad about the no goal.
We headed into Janna's homeland, Kentucky where we saw one of Quackers long lost relatives.
Sunday we decided to take my grandmother to Mount Storm park for a Sabbath day picnic. When one is out of town on the Sabbath it can sometimes be difficult to eat without breaking the Sabbath. Thankfully, Cincinnati had an abundance of parks and we could grill out after having bought food on Saturday.
Stuart doesn't quite know what to make of this strange old lady who he's being forced to sit with. I imagine looking up at a great grandparent is quite odd for a little baby who's only used to looking at his youngish parents and grandparents who aren't quite over the hill yet. Stuart handled himself quite well, as usual.
This monument is in Mount Storm Park, it was apparently placed there prior to the Prince of Wales arriving. This thing is pretty old, so I imagine it wasn't for the current Prince of Wales. Further I don't know why any American would care about the Prince of Wales, though it's mildly interesting nonetheless.
Janna bought some bubbles for Stuart and here she is blowing them at him. He seemed mildly amused. I think he was more interested in the baseball he was given to play with.
And finally we have a picture of the view from Mount Storm Park. It doesn't look quite as nice as it really was. We're home now, thankfully. Seamus and Squirrelface were happy to see us, more happy to see Stuart. B as usual took good care of our blessed dogs.

The Dog Park

2008-05-22T19:31:00.002-04:00

We took Seamus to the dog park the other day. Seamus loves to run around with the other dogs, he spends a good 30 minutes running around and as a result he does nothing but sleep for two days. Not a bad move on our part.
We did not take Deirbhile to the dog park because she doesn't get along with other dogs. We are currently calling her Squirrelface because yesterday she killed a squirrel. I caught her gnawing on the lifeless rodent. I don't know how she got the darn thing, nor can I figure out how she killed it. There wasn't any blood. In any event, I buried the squirrel and I'm sure at some point either myself or whoever buys this place from us will dig a hole for a plant and find the remains of a squirrel. Fun times.
Stuart didn't quite know what to make of all the dogs, after all they didn't look anything like his puppies. It occurred to me after we got home that he's really only been exposed to Irish Terriers. There were a number of different breeds and mutts at the dog park, all very interesting for Stuart.
Stuart's love of dogs won out though and he enjoyed watching them run around. The dog park is great fun, if anyone has a dog I highly recommend going.

Happy Birthday Stuart

2008-05-11T14:51:00.002-04:00

Stuart turned one today. Yesterday we celebrated his birthday (really B's) at the Tigers-Yankees game in Detroit. Since today is the Sabbath and since we don't do birthday parties on the Sabbath, we'll be celebrating Stuart's birthday tomorrow. Pics of that should come later in the week.

Psalm 1

¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

³And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

⁴The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Saturday At The Park

2008-05-03T13:31:00.005-04:00

Today we went to Riverside Park to scope out a place for Stuart's upcoming birthday party. It wasn't all work and no play though, Stuart got to go to the playground for the first time. What little kid wouldn't enjoy going on the swings with mom?
Ok, let's be honest here. Stuart liked going on the swings with dad more than mom. Why? Because dad is willing to swing much higher than mom is.
Stuart loved the slide, here Janna is preparing to let him go while Dad is waiting for him at the bottom. There was only one problem to this arrangement, Janna wouldn't actually let him go down by himself. Typical mother.
We had to switch spots, I let him go at the top, Janna caught him at the bottom. It was much more fun that way, I actually let go of him allowing him to achieve the purpose for which the slide was built.
Next up it was the merry-go-round, which as you can bet was lots of fun. Needless to say, Janna panicked when I moved the toy in its intended manner. She was going all of 5 rpm's and she freaked out. Stuart enjoyed this greatly.
It's getting warm enough for Stuart to start playing outside. The grass is particularly interesting, a new excitement if you will.
This child is getting close to walking, perhaps if mom would let him go he could walk on his own. Or perhaps he would fall down again.

It's A Beautiful Day For Baseball So Let's Play Two!

2008-04-19T17:55:00.008-04:00

This week we decided to head down to Chicago for a pair of Cubs games at the Friendly Confines. We loaded up the SUV with Janna, Stuart and my Mother and took off for the Windy City.
On Thursday Janna and I went to Wrigley to see the Cubs play the Cincinnati Reds. We sat in the bleachers, which is always quite interesting. We see above our loser pitcher Ted Lilly warming up before the game.
The Bleachers are always interesting out at Wrigley. One has to arrive well before gates open so that a good seat can be secured. We stood behind a group of 20 somethings with their high school friends. This group befriended a homeless man named Mississippi Mike, they gave him beer, cigarettes and money. But that's not the best part, one of these kids told him he should get a job out in the suburbs. Why he knew of a good place where he could operate heavy machinery, make good money and even get good insurance benefits, even dental coverage. Our homeless friends said he couldn't be hired because he has a felony on his record, big surprise eh? Leave it to a bunch of drunk kids to tell a homeless man to get a job with good insurance benefits.
This is the view of Chicago from our room at Hotel 71. Quite a view eh? The Cubs lost the game so we drowned our sorrows away in Italian food at Osteria Via Stato. The food was excellent, especially my chocolate creme brulee. I highly recommend the Italian dinner feast, which is very reasonable in price.
Friday we headed out to Wrigleyville again, this time the whole group came. He had lunch at a place out by the ballpark called Goose Island, another recommended place. I had their Stilton burger, which I will try to replicate at home over and over again.
Nothing says exciting like taking a boy to a baseball game, though in this shot Stuart looks half asleep. I can assure you, he hardly slept at all. Stuart's very interested in looking at all the people and making new friends.
As you can see we had pretty good seats for Friday's game against Pittsburgh. A few more random shots from the game:

What father wouldn't be excited about taking his son to a baseball game? Friday was Stuart's third game. You will recall that he went to a Cubs game last year when he was five weeks old and a Tigers game at three months. He'll be attending a couple of Tiger games this year, including the day before his birthday when the Tigers play that other team that wears pinstripes.
After the game on Friday we went to one of our favorite Chicago French restaurants, Brassarie Jo. The food was excellent as always. Stuart behaved himself perfectly once again, as he did throughout the entire weekend. Being 11 months old we were worried that he might have a meltdown at some point, which would be understandable considering that he was completely off schedule. As it turns out he rarely cried at all and the worst of it was reserved for the 2-3 minutes before he fell asleep each night in his play pen. In other words, he behaved himself beyond all reasonable expectation and his parents were well pleased and his grandmother was highly impressed. We were greatly blessed by the Lord this weekend.

Timber!

2008-04-12T13:51:00.003-04:00

We woke up at 3:30 Wednesday morning to a loud thud. It sounded as though someone was trying to break into the house, although I later opined that such a criminal would have to be a complete idiot. After all, wouldn't a criminal want to make a little less noise? In any event, we discovered that a branch from our neighbors tree had fallen into our yard. As you can see, the branch is as big as a tree.
This is the tree that the branch fell off of. How our neighbor is going to remove the tree itself is beyond me. We were pleased that my in-laws knew someone who cut down our branch and hauled it away for free. Apparently they have some sort of wood burning furnace or something, in any event they seemed pleased with the free wood.
As you can see, the branch extends well into our neighbors yard. Seamus and Deirbhile were of course very interested. We're certainly thankful that the branch didn't fall down during the day. One of the dogs could have been killed or worse our neighbors could have been working in their back yard and been killed. God has blessed us here indeed.

What A Mess

2008-04-06T18:21:00.009-04:00

Friday we got to go to our first Tigers game of the year. As you can see, Janna is all decked out in her Tigers outfit.
It was 40 degrees when the game started and warmed up to a balmy 41. The Tigers played like garbage and we have Jason Grilli to thank for the loss. I'm the first on the fire Jim Leyland bandwagon, he's done a terrible job managing his bullpen so far this season.
While we were away Stuart and Seamus got into some trouble. As you can see, they both have a guilty look on their face and as can be expected they both deny everything.
Stuart has found it a good idea to take all of his clothes out of his dresser drawer. He grabs one piece and throws it over his shoulder, before it lands he's got his little hands on something else.
Seamus finds this all wildly amusing. He especially enjoyed playing peekaboo with Stuart. Stuart holds a piece of clothing over his face then rips it away. Normally he does this with us, in which case he gets a reaction of some sort. With Seamus, he gets a big fuzzy nose in the face. I'm not sure which Stuart likes better, I'm thinking the nose.
As you can see, the destruction is great. Clothes are everywhere, Stuart's and Seamus's never clean up their amusements it seems. Now if you'll excuse me, some clothes need to be put back in their drawer.

To The Beach House One And All!

2008-03-24T18:34:00.006-04:00

We returned to my folks beach house this weekend, a day earlier than expected. I had a dep to cover in nearby Baldwin, which meant we had to come up Thursday in a scramble instead of Friday at a leisurely pace.
Stuart had fun looking at all the different things at my folks house.
Stuart was not a big fan of being cut off from the stairs, it seems he's much interested in going up and down them.
Stuart also found Zoe's toys. I really don't care that he plays with her toys, I figure he plays with our dogs toys and they lick him, a third dogs mouth can't be that bad.
Stuart especially enjoyed looking out at the lake in the living room. So much fun he had. And here he is trying to climb up the steps. This is going to be a battle. :)
On Saturday we prepared a turkey for dinner. I am a huge turkey fan. We didn't make our world famous brined turkey, instead we made a simple roast turkey. As you can see, Janna is massaging herb butter all over the breasts.
And here she is cooked, not really that good looking if you ask me. But it tasted good, along with a sage gravy.
Stuart really enjoyed looking out at the lake, when he gets a little older he'll love swimming in it I'm sure.
The weekend wouldn't be complete without Seamus and Deirbhile. The two of them had a grand time running around the place. On the way up, Deirbhile decided to plant herself in Stuart's lap and he couldn't have been happier to have her there. Stuart loves his dogs.
The lake has more or less melted, though snow and ice remain on the beach. So that meant unless we were going to polar bear it, there was no swimming.
As always we saw a few deer. Needless to say, Seamus and Deirbhile went bananas when these big dogs showed up.
Not much of a sunset but I thought this shot was nice enough.
And thus ends another weekend up north. We are blessed to be able to go somewhere so nice. It was a great, relaxing weekend after a long and busy week. God has blessed us greatly with His beautiful creation.

Stuart Climbs Stairs

2008-03-18T19:19:00.003-04:00

Stuart has learned to climb the stairs. On one hand I'm glad that he's getting mobile, on the other hand the stairs aren't exactly the place for a 10 month old to play.
This picture is terrible. In any event, last week Janna ran upstairs to put a load of laundry in our room. As soon as she put it in our room she came back out to discover that Stuart had already climbed up three stairs. Fun times, fun times.

Of First Words And Big Birds

2008-03-10T17:36:00.010-04:00

Stuart will turn ten months tomorrow. Lately we've been trying to teach him to say 'daddy.' He's said it two times so far, though I'm not sure it was intentional and I'm fairly certain he has no idea what it means. Did he say his first word? I don't know, you be the judge.
I don't know if Stuart has said a word yet but he appears to be quite interested in reading. Here he is attempting to read something or other. We make sure to read to him everyday, Janna has a whole bedtime routine with him that involves some sort of bedtime book. Of course, we always make sure to read scripture to young Stuart.
Seamus is so proud of Mr. Stuart, what with his almost speaking and attempts at reading. Seamus is so excited that his little friend is growing up.
Here the whole family sits to watch the Wings game. Hockey is a favorite sport in the family, as you can see. I've turned Janna into a football fan and yes I've also turned her into a hockey fan. If there's a fight, she's very excited. You can see here that Stuart is also watching the game, he especially enjoys going to Griffins games. Seamus is also watching, though football is his favorite sport to watch on TV.
What family post wouldn't be complete without our Deirbhile? Mistress Deirbhile is very excited about the warmer weather. But what does she looks very nervous in this picture. I wonder what she sees or hears?
She sees or hears this bird sitting in the neighbors tree just a few feet from our house. I don't have the slightest idea what kind of bird this is, though it isn't the run of the mill sparrow that we're accustomed to seeing at the house.
I don't think this bird is big enough to take out Deirbhile but it's enough to get her all excited. Does anyone have the slightest idea what kind of bird this is? I sure don't.

Phone Calls, Toys and Flowers! Oh My!

2008-03-06T16:16:00.005-05:00

I came home this afternoon to discover that my wife was yammering away on the phone. I'll tell ya, prying a woman away from a phone is like trying to a brownie out of their hands. I have the scratch marks to prove it. At least Stuart looks excited to see me.
But Stuart is very upset because Mommy's been on the phone all day long. He told me she's been on the phone at least six hours today. For shame!
Deirbhile and Seamus confirm the story, though they're much more interested in coming inside for a visit. Of course, I have to let my little guys in to play with Stuart.
Stuart of course loves the dogs and is thrilled to see them. Seamus is off in the background, I can assure you that Deirbhile is doing something very interesting off camera.
And here the little mischief maker is, no doubt she's been up to no good. She's in desperate need of a grooming. We've been waiting for it to warm up a little more before we take her to the groomers for the first time. I'm thinking end of the month.
The battle for toys is well on it's way to being an epic struggle this summer. Seamus seems to enjoy taking Stuart's stuffed animals and puzzles, Deirbhile likes to take anything of Stuart's she can chew on. In retaliation you can see Stuart likes to grab the dogs bones.
Stuart is very proud of himself, taking the bone and all. He's a very smart little boy, he knows just what will drive the puppies crazy.
In other news, Janna got herself some flowers the other day. I wonder who could have gotten them for her? Maybe she has a secret admirer that I don't know about.

2008-02-22T13:57:00.001-05:00

Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Stuart's New Playpen

2008-02-14T15:54:00.002-05:00

Stuart got a new playpen the other day. Janna informs me it's called a 'pack and play.' I'm here to tell you when I was a kid this was called a playpen and I will continue to call it as such.
Stuart enjoys his playpen quite a bit. It affords him an opportunity to play with his toys without the dogs attempting to steal everything and it gives us the ability to confine him when we need to do something else. All in all, it works out for everyone's benefit.
We don't really let Stuart watch television but if there's one show he's allowed to watch it's Barefoot Contessa. He's always excited to hear Ina's theme music and he turns around to see what she's making. Today she's making chocolate truffles, which I must say are very good as Janna has made them before.
Stuart enjoys the instruction Ina gives us, he has vowed that one day he'll live an elegant life with food, flowers and a well set table.

Stuart Stands

2008-02-02T11:08:00.001-05:00

Stuart has decided it might be a good idea to start standing. Unfortunately for him, he thinks trying to stand over Deirbhile is a good idea.
He finally gets himself up and hangs onto the chair for dear life.
Later he decides to move over to the couch, which is just as good a place to stand as the chair. Perhaps more so as his old man and old lady are often there.
Balancing between the coffee table and couch makes standing even easier, so Stuart seems to think.
We're glad that Stuart is beginning to stand as it puts him one step closer to walking. The sooner he's independent the better. The last thing we need is for him to be completely dependent on Janna when his brother or sister arrives in August. We want Stuart to be an independent little child, independent enough to be able to walk on his own without one of us carrying him everywhere. And so we're on our way to this goal, by August it will be reached.

Review: TRU

2008-01-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Last weekend when in Chicago we had the opportunity to dine at TRU. You will recall that last time we went to Chicago we went to TRU to enjoy pastry chef Gale Gand's desert's. This time we went to enjoy Rick Tramonto's cuisine. I called to make reservations back in September and was able to secure TRU's Kitchen Table. We more or less got to eat in a small room just off their kitchen, we got to see the inner workings of the restaurant. At the Kitchen Table they prepare a 10 course collection that is presented and explained by the chef.

Upon arrival we were whisked back to the Kitchen Table where upon we met our waiter for the evening, Carlos. Carlos would take good care of us throughout our nearly four hours of dining. We started with a pair of amuse bouches, the first being fennel on a spoon. The second being some sort of squash that was supposed to resemble an egg. I frankly didn't care for either one and Janna for the most part agreed, though she liked the second better than the first.

Our first course was a Selection of Sashimi Grade Fish with two sauces, one of which being a organic soy sauce shipped from Japan. The fish was top quality, raw of course. One was a smoked salmon that had been marinated in Earl Grey, the other two I didn't catch. Accompanying the fish were these red threads that chef was very excited about. They weren't hot but they were warm in the mouth. The fish melted in my mouth and the soy sauce was excellent. I'm here to tell you, I absolutely loved this course and Janna was in complete agreement.

Our second course was Alpine Bay Oyster, Tempura Uni and Sorrel. I'm here to tell you I hated this course and it has nothing to do with the quality of the food, I simply don't like oysters. This was meant to be a somewhat deconstructed oyster chowder. Janna enjoyed it more than I did, I frankly couldn't bring myself to take more than a bite of the oyster.

Our third course was Duck Consommé, Duck Confit, Chestnut, Black Trumpet. This was hands down the best course of the meal, it was absolutely perfect. It was a cold day and this soup was the kind that you would just love to have curled up next to the fireplace. The Consommé had a background of sage that hit you right in the nose, it was wonderful. The chestnut whipped cream was excellent and the black trumpet mushrooms added real depth of flavor. And how can I forget the duck confit, perfectly sweet and succulent. This dish was worth every penny we paid for dinner.

Our fourth course was by far the most out there of the meal. Liquid Parmesan Gnocchi, Hedgehog, Serrano Ham. The chef explained that this was like a Parmesan gusher, he used some sort of solution to create a skin which contained the liquid inside. They were quite interesting, molecular gastronomy lives at TRU. I thought this was a fascinating dish, the hedgehog in particular. The Serrano Ham added the perfect touch of saltiness. Janna and I both enjoyed this dish.

Our fifth course was Nantucket Bay Scallops, Cauliflower, Chickpea, Meyer Lemon. I had told Janna earlier in the day that I hoped we would get scallops and we did. They were absolutely wonderful, perfectly sweet. The chickpea was fried and tasty, the cauliflower came in both puree and fried form, I thought was a little to much. The Meyer Lemon added a perfect kick of acid. All in all, a very good dish that we both enjoyed.

Our sixth course was Scottish King Salmon, Granny Smith Apples, Coconut, Thai Long Peppercorn. The salmon was poached in olive oil, it was perfectly moist. I thought the apples were a somewhat odd pairing but what are you going to do. I thought it was a decent dish, Janna didn't like it so much.

Our seventh course was Roasted California Squab, Butternut Squash, Hazelnut, Farro. This was absolutely fabulous. Squab, for those of you who don't know is pigeon. It's dark meat was cooked medium rare and it was out of this world excellent. This dish was probably my third favorite, Janna enjoyed it to. I will be getting squab wherever it's offered.

At this point we took a break, we were given a tour of the kitchen and restaurant. The main dining room has a number of interesting modern works of art, which if you're into that you would be in hog heaven. Carlos ran through the list of awards Tru has received, it's one of the top restaurants in Chicago, consistently getting the highest rating by reviewers. Once our tour was finished it was on to the eighth course a selection of Cow, Goat & Sheeps' Milk Cheeses. We each had a number of different cheeses that were all quite good.

Now it's time for our final two courses, both deserts from Chef Gand's kitchen. We both got a desert amuse bouche of devon cream with polmagrante sauce and pop rocks. It was fabulous. We were each given different deserts, Janna started with Lemon Chiffon, Vanilla Pot de Crème, Lemon Curd Ice Cream, Citrus Suprêmes and I started off with Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Sorbet, Cashew Frangipane, Sourwood Honey. We tried a bit of each others, I can tell you that Janna's lemon chiffon was excellent. I'm not usually a big fan of pineapple or coconut but this desert was excellent.

For our final course Janna had Dense Chocolate, Hazelnut Ice Cream, Coffee Fluff, Vanilla Salt, Hazelnut Crunch and I had Chocolate-Port Semifreddo, Spiced Chocolate Bisque, Orange-Cinnamon Truffle. Janna's was excellent I must say. Mine was also quite good, the spiced chocolate bisque was a bit much in that there was way to much of it. Other than that, the semifreddo was excellent.

Once desert was over we got a selection of Mignardises & Lollipops. At this point, I was to stuffed to continue eating, though I did have a nibble or two. We each got a lollipop to take home, what Janna did with them is beyond me. In any event, our meal was fabulous and I must say that TRU lived up to its reputation. This isn't the sort of place you pop into every Friday for dinner but my goodness would I like to. The experience was excellent, a real blessing to see God's creations cooked up in such imaginative ways. We both highly recommend TRU, it deserves the 5 stars it consistently gets.

First Half of January

2008-01-13T09:09:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since our last post, so we'll have to update on our first half of the month. We ended 2007 with our 4th annual New Years Party. We had quite a few guests and some great food. It seems our mini burgers and lemon tarts were the biggest hits. Ray seemed to love the BLT Salad.
Evie of course was the first to grab at the food. And who could blame her? After six months of preparing a menu and a week of food prep, the food was excellent. Who wouldn't want to be first in line?
Janna is amused that Evie went first. I don't know why this would amuse my wife so much, it's really not that funny. It must be the pregnancy laughing.
And what Birn party wouldn't be complete without our resident thief B. Yes, we know you took Quackers. We will continue to invite this criminal element to our parties, we must reform this thief.
Here is a selection of our guests. We welcomed Shawn and Tammy Anderson to our home for the first time, it seems they just moved to Grand Rapids. Linda, wearing man pants, is always a welcome guest as is Nate who seems to be stuffing himself in the background. Good times, good times.
Ray parked himself in front of the television, intent on watching football. You can see the remains of his BLT Salad.
On New Years Day, we watched a few football games and the Buffalo-Pittsburgh outdoor hockey game. Stuart and Deirbhile especially enjoyed the hockey.
January 4th was my birthday and Janna decided to make me dinner. We had Coq au Vin and roasted potatoes. This picture makes the Coq au Vin look like bloody intestines on a plate but I assure you it tasted much better than it looks here.
This past weekend Janna and I went to Chicago. Stuart was not welcome on this little trip and so he went and visited with my parents in Lansing. Thursday we had dinner at TRU, we reserved the Kitchen Table and the above picture is of us in the kitchen. More on that meal and others in another post to come this week.
Friday night we took the bus out to the United Center to take in a Hawks game. Janna informed me during dinner on Thursday that she was looking forward to the hockey game. Oh how the mighty have fallen. We had a good time, the Hawks are total garbage but we got to see some great hits and a fight.

Happy 30th Steve!!!!!!!

2008-01-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

Psalm 30

1: I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2: O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3: O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4: Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6: And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7: LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8: I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9: What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10: Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11: Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12: To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

What Happens When We're Away?

2007-12-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

Often I find myself wondering what the dogs do when we are away from home. I have now discovered what our little precious animals are up to. Seamus seems to enjoy jumping up on our bed. It seems he especially enjoys mommy's side of the bed. No doubt he snuggles up against her pillow.
Deirbhile on the other hand seems to enjoy being near Stuart and thus it is no surprise that she jumps into her puppy's crib. Such naughty puppies we have, I'll have to have a talk with both of them.
Now that Mom and Dad have figured out about the dogs antics while we're away, Seamus is keeping a close watch on our comings and goings. He doesn't want to be caught again.
Seamus and Deirbhile disagree as to who is to blame for this discovery. Deirbhile is giving Seamus a good piece of her mind, she apparently believes he is to blame.
In other news, Agnus bothered to come up to Michigan. As you know she and her husband, (what's his name again?) moved down to hillbilly country in Virginia. As you can see, she's holding Stuart, who was only mildly thrilled to see her. Janna on the other hand was much more excited.
Agnus is in an extreme state of pregnancy and thus is craving various foodstuffs. One such foodstuff is turkey and so we made her our world famous brined turkey with port wine gravy. It was cooked perfectly (breast side up) and was throughly delicious. After dinner we moved into the living room to watch several episodes of Barefoot Contessa, which appears to be a favorite of Agnus'.

Restaurant Bloom

2007-12-17T10:14:00.000-05:00

Last Friday Janna and I had dinner with my folks, my brother and his wife at Restaurant Bloom at 40 Monroe Center NW. (There is a current menu on their My Space blog) My brother was in town for an interview of one kind or another which allowed for this little get together. He lives in Cincinnati so we rarely get to visit with him.

In any event, Bloom is a relatively new restaurant with a husband and wife team operating the kitchen. I would say the style is modern, though not quite the avant garde modern of TRU, Charlie Trotter's in Chicago or French Laundry in San Francisco. Nevertheless, for Grand Rapids this is about as close as we're going to get and we will all smile and enjoy it.

Our dinner started off with an amuse bouche of salmon belly in a maple sauce. I love the concept of providing guests with an amuse bouche and I loved the salmon belly but the maple sauce was over powering and way to sweet. I am not a fan of sweet dishes not called desert and even in desert I'm not a fan of to much sweet so perhaps my aversion to the maple sauce is rooted in that. But Janna, who has a sweet tooth, also thought the sauce was to sweet. Good concept, maybe they need to try something else.

For an appetizer I ordered the tuna tartar, roasted peanut, hot sauce sorbet and parsley. The tuna was absolutely perfect and the roasted peanut and hot sauce sorbet perfectly complimented the delicate tuna. The sorbet, while different, added a nice coolness to the dish while at the same time providing a hot zing. This dish alone made the evening worthwhile. Janna started off with a baby spinach salad with crispy ham, aged cheddar and cider dressing. She will attest that the salad was very good, presented beautifully.

My main course was a roasted duck, swiss chard, rutabaga and roasted concord grape juice. The duck was perfectly cooked medium rare and the grape juice provided just the slightest hint of sweetness to this otherwise savory dish. Janna got lamb sirloin, chanterelle mushrooms, red cabbage and hazelnut. She's been raving about the lamb ever since Friday. It was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. Other dishes enjoyed included salmon and ribeye, I'm told both were quite good.

Desert alone is worth going to Bloom for and I understand they have a desert lounge which we will no doubt be frequenting. I got pumpkin cake, coffee ice cream and dates. I'm here to tell you that on its own the pumpkin cake wasn't very good but put together with the ice cream and dates and the pumpkin danced in my mouth. Janna got chocolate goodness, ginger sorbet, hazelnut and sea salt. The chocolate tasted much like a dull Nutella if a bite was taken without the sea salt, with the sea salt the flavors were enhanced and it turns into a wonderful desert. My mother got the most interesting desert of the evening, peanut butter mousse, bacon, bananas and chocolate sorbet. I tried a bit of hers and the bacon went perfectly with the peanut butter mousse, it gave the flavor a certain smokey saltiness that was absolutely wonderful.

Bloom is a great new restaurant downtown and I highly recommend it. The only drawback is that the wait staff wasn't up to par for the quality of restaurant Bloom is. Our waiter when asked simply told me that everything on the menu is good. Well, no kidding, care to provide me with a dish that is particularly good? The woman who brought out all of our dishes felt the need to announce herself by declaring 'look what I found.' One wonders where exactly she found it. In time, I'm sure the chefs will have their wait staff better trained. The food is good enough though to shine despite the waitstaff. Out of a possible 5 stars, Bloom earns 3 stars.

Birthday Weekend

2007-12-02T16:43:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend celebrating Janna's 225th birthday. The celebration started on Thursday with a trip to the Grand Rapids Chop House for dinner. The Chop House is your typical Chicago steakhouse with high end dry aged steaks. Not exactly a cheap restaurantbut since we went on Janna's birthday, her dinner was free. It's a sweet little deal they've got, since her $40 steak was free dinner wasn't that much more expensive than Outback. Janna of course went all out since her entire meal was free, she's been dreaming of carpaccio (raw steak, thinly sliced) and she ate it all up.
Friday we went up to my folks beach house to enjoy a quiet weekend away from things. Stuart always enjoys going up to Ludington.
Seamus and Deirbhile were very excited to celebrate Janna's birthday up at the beach house. But they were more excited about playing with Stuart. Stuart has started crawling around so that makes the play that much more exciting for the dogs.
Stuart's favorite dog is Deirbhile. We think he loves her more than us. We're certain Deirbhile thinks more of Stuart than her parents by adoption.
Seamus grew tired of playing, there's only so much the old boy could take. But he didn't tire out for long, here he is playing with Stuart and Deirbhile again.
The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup in a deli. The weather was very windy on Friday, very cold on Saturday and very rainy on Sunday. We were actually iced in Sunday morning, had I tried to drive the car I would have slid right off the driveway. A little salt did the trick but we weren't able to leave until afternoon. Once we did leave, we encountered rain and fog all the way back to Grand Rapids. Not the worst ever, but it made the drive home a little more of a production.
We watched a ton of football over the weekend, Janna's actually beginning to not only understand the game but she has come to enjoy it. The college season has been wild, we really enjoyed watching the refs almost hand West Virginia their game against Pitt, thankfully Pitt overcame the inbreds and the refs. We also enjoyed watching Oklahoma beat Mizzou, let chaos reign in the BCS. Janna especially enjoys overtime games, we enjoyed Oregon State's 2OT win over Oregon yesterday afternoon.
Stuart had so much fun at the beach house playing with the dogs, he has no idea how much more fun it will be when it gets warmer out.
And so we leave the beach house and return home. It's a great blessing for us to be able to get away for a few days. But we must return home and I must earn a living for the family. Hopefully we'll enjoy many more weekends up north and many more years with Janna.

Happy Birthday Janna!

2007-11-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

Psalm 25

1Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
²O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
³Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
⁵Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
⁶Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
⁷Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
⁸Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
⁹The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
¹¹For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
¹²What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
¹³His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
¹⁴The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
¹⁵Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
¹⁶Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
¹⁸Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
¹⁹Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
²⁰O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
²¹Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.²²Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-23T19:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Stuart's first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a great American holiday, it's wonderful that as a nation we can give thanks unto God for the abundance He has provided us. As it was Thanksgiving, Stuart spent the afternoon watching the Lions choke away another football game. Some things never change eh?
After the Lions game, we hosted a little get together for friends and family. We spent the better part of the week preparing for it. Above is our world famous roasted brined turkey. It was juicy and delicious, especially with our red wine and turkey stock pan gravy.
I spent most of Wednesday smoking the above turkey. It to was brined, though in a less elaborate brine than the roasted turkey. The brine preserves the juiciness of the turkey and in the case of a smoked turkey it is essential. After its overnight soak in the brine, I smoked it with hickory and cherry wood for a good 6-7 hours.
And here we have the full spread, including our mustard glazed ham, red wine and turkey stock gravy, dressing, homemade green bean casserole (read: nothing came out of a can), herbed mashed potatoes and sauted corn.
And here we have a better view of our perfectly carved turkey. I believe it essential to take the entire breast off the bone before carving it.
For desert Janna made pumpkin mousse, which I absolutely love. Thanks to the Jurries who also brought a couple of dishes, including a desert that I never actually saw. I was told it was quite good.
Today we sort of hung around the house. We actually went to the mall today to gawk at the moronic Christmas shoppers. The world loves its precious Christmas doesn't it? After we got home Stuart and Deirbhile played for quite a while, always a good thing.
We're making good use of all that firewood we bought last month. We had a great fire going earlier this evening. The fire heats up the living room perfectly.
I would like to think I make a pretty good fire.
Deirbhile had decided that she really likes the fire. Here she is sleeping in front of it. You can't see it well but there are some really hot coals at the bottom of the fireplace. I suspect Deirbhile really likes the heat. In any event, we've had quite a week. God has greatly blessed us and our family this year. He has especially blessed us with great leftovers which will be consumed for the next six weeks.

2007-11-11T19:57:00.001-05:00

Stuart had the opportunity to attend his first Griffins game last night. He enjoyed watching the game, yes he actually watched what was going. He seems to also enjoy staring at other people. It's a nasty habit but for a six month old we'll put up with it.
The Griffins lost to the Toronto Marlies last night. They looked terrible all night, the Marlies were clearly the better team. The Griffins didn't hustle, never made any plays until the last few minutes of the game when it was out of reach.
The Griffins are great fun and it's one of the few places we can take him to without worrying about his squawking or his protests annoying other people. It's so loud at the game, no one notices a squawking or crying baby. We can't take him to nice restaurants and we don't like to take him to evening church because these things all occur at his bedtime. At bedtime Stuart tends to make a lot of noise and in these other settings it wouldn't be fair to other customers or worshipers for us to have a noisy child there to annoy them. That said, until the third period Stuart didn't cry at all. He made plenty of noise but he didn't cry until the end. I was impressed, I probably shouldn't be though.
Earlier this week I had to go to Ann Arbor. I hate Ann Arbor, not simply because the evil empire is located there. Ann Arbor is a pain to get to, it's a pain to operate in. The only redeeming quality of the whole place is Zingerman's Deli. I got us some lovely things for an antipasto platter. Above is a terrific crusty Italian bread. I have yet to find a decent bakery here in Grand Rapids that sells crusty bread. Everyone makes soft breads, the kind you can squeeze into a ball and throw at your kid sister, as Ina Garten would say.
I got some wonderful salami's and some prosciutto di parma. I have no idea what any of the salami's were, I forgot to take good notes. One had fennel seed, another was spicy and the third was absolutely wonderful, whatever was in it. Anyway, we had a lovely antipasto dinner.
And finally, you can see Stuart was unamused at the Griffins poor play Saturday. We have 9 games left to go with our 10 game season ticket package, I'm sure Stuart will get to see a victory at some point.

Sabbath Lunch

2007-11-04T19:25:00.001-05:00

Today we had a lovely Sunday lunch with dear friends of ours. As you can see, we had so many folks over that we had to move the festivities into the living room. We started with an appetizer of sun dried tomato jam, herbed goat cheese and spiced olive oil. For our main course we had a roast pork tenderloin with a port wine and fig sauce, roasted potatoes, wilted spinach salad and for desert baba au rhum.
Finally we were able to have Aaron and Bubbles (Meg to some of you) over for lunch. We've been trying to get this highly in demand couple to lunch for awhile. Three strikes and your out I say, thankfully they were only up to two.
Here we have James munching on what appears to be bread with herbed goat cheese. Loretta showed up for about 30 seconds this day, while Evie stayed the entire time. And of course, what Birn meal wouldn't be complete without our mainstay B?
Whenever the Lanning children are found at the compound so to must our beloved pastor and his wife. Here we see Ray and Linda holding George's replacement, Mr. Stuart.
Stuart likes his new friend Bubbles, he hopes she and Aaron come around often.
Dinner went well, the wine was flowing and our desert went over big. Afterward we congregated in the kitchen/dining room. This gave Ray the opportunity to pick at the leftover pork, much to the chagrin of Linda who put a quick stop to it. Do I dare mention that about 2 minutes later Linda was caught soaking up bits of baba au rhum in the rum sauce and whipped cream?
Evie is quite disturbed at her parents behavior, or is she disturbed by the table conversation?
Bubbles is slowly being indoctrinated in the ways of reformed protestants and our church in particular. We'll be praying for Bubbles on many accounts, we're certainly happy to have her as part of the church and our little group of weirdos. We hope to be invited to a wedding in the near future but I won't play the church hen and push it further. :)
And here we have B soaking it all in as is his custom. Thanks to all who came to our little lunch, it is a great blessing to be in the company of such good friends on the Sabbath. Fellowship was terrific, conversation was grand and I would like to think that lunch was acceptable. God surely is great.

Old Man Stuart's New High-Chair

2007-10-30T19:28:00.001-04:00

It was a big day for Stuart today. Janna put together his high-chair and for the first time he got to eat his dinner sitting up.
Tonight's dinner included apples with cherries. I apparently missed the main course, which was grass clippings, I mean, some sort of green vegetable. Stuart likes eating both the green vegetable and his desert but if you try to slip in a second vegetable not only does he know but he isn't pleased. The exception though is sweet potatoes, which apparently works as a desert as far as Stuart is concerned.
This is yet another step in Stuart's slow progression towards civilization. Pretty soon he'll be weened, then he'll be crawling around, then walking and so on. All of these little steps are great blessings and big accomplishments for Stuart. Our goal is to create an independent adult who is faithful to Christ, little things such as crawling or eating dinner in a high-chair are small put ever so important in reaching that goal.
As you can see, Stuart likes his new high-chair. While he's really enjoying his apples and cherries, he's more interested in watching what I'm doing. I guess his old man taking pictures is more interesting than dinner. I should be flattered really but I know that if one of the dogs waltzed into the room I would be cast aside in favor of the furry critters. Such is life I suppose. In any event, the glory of Stuart's baby steps is God's alone. We thank the Lord for putting the stewardship of Stuart on our shoulders. It is our hope and prayer that we will be faithful to God's word and God's word alone in raising him to be an obedient believer.

A Very Birn Weekend

2007-10-21T16:54:00.000-04:00

Friday night we took Stuart out to East Lansing for his first MSU hockey game. It was a big night for the Spartans as they raised their 2007 national championship banner to the rafters. Stuart got to visit with a lot of my old friends for the first time. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the event because someone (Janna) forgot to bring the camera.
Saturday we did a little bit of gardening and Stuart got to join us. He is well pleased with all of the work we did, including the planting of well over a hundred bulbs.
Deirbile was also present for our gardening and she was very interested in what we were doing. We can only hope that she and Mr. Seamus don't try digging up our spring flowers.
But what Stuart and Deirbhile were really interested in is visiting with each other. These two have become very good friends, although we suspect that Deirbhile may think that Stuart is her puppy.
Stuart has always liked dogs, we let him visit with Seamus within minutes of arriving home for the first time last May. He especially likes Deirbhile, perhaps because she's a touch calmer than Seamus.
As you can see, Deirbhile was more than happy to lie down next to Stuart and go to sleep. Unlike Seamus who wouldn't dream of lying down when Stuart is there to be licked.
For whatever reason, Deirbhile is more than happy to like down on her back and take a nap. Here we see her doing this with Stuart.
Stuart is quite interested in seeing what his silly puppy is up to. He's always very happy to play with his dogs.
In other news, we bought a cord of firewood last week. This is apparently how much wood is in a cord, we really had no idea what a cord was when we bought it. It looks like we have enough wood to last us this winter and then some. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated and we haven't been able to build a fire yet. Hopefully we will soon.
Tell me that isn't a happy puppy.

Stuart, What Is Your Profession? Harroh! Harroh! Harroh!

2007-10-15T19:23:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday we packed up the family and headed out to East Lansing for the Michigan State-Indiana football game. It was a rare night game in East Lansing and we did some late afternoon tailgating. As you can see Stuart came along.
This was Stuart's second tailgate, his first with his grandparents. As you know, Stuart went to his first tailgate and football game last month. In any event, for this game we made Chili. It wasn't bad but I think it could have been a whole lot spicier than it was. I say nothing.
Stuart was very excited to tailgate on the banks of the Red Cedar but was very disappointed that he couldn't go to the game. State beat down Indiana 52-27, needless to say I was well pleased.
On Sunday Stuart got all dressed up to go to Pribble's OPC Church in Lansing. I enjoyed seeing Pastor Pribble again, it's been a long time since I've seen he and his wife and worshiped at his church. Needless to say, it's no GR ARP. Speaking of the ARP, I understand our church picked a new name. We were exceedingly disappointed that Erskine RP was not a name option to be voted upon. It's sad that our heritage is now lost forever at the hands of the RP takeover.

An Evening At The Compound

2007-10-12T19:24:00.001-04:00

Stuart has had an eventful day. This evening he got to play with his dogs. And what little boy wouldn't be excited to play with two lovable Irish Terriers?
As you can see, Janna has gotten down off of her perch to let Stuart play with Seamus and Deirbhile. Seamus seems very interested in licking Stuart's hand and Deirbhile is very interested in what I'm doing.
Sometimes Seamus gets a little to excited around Stuart. Despite the look on his face, he isn't upset at all. He loves Seamus and has been known to get upset if he leaves the room. Seamus unfortunately doesn't understand that he has to be careful with the baby. Thankfully, Deirbhile seems to understand that she can't jump all over him, she's a very motherly little dog.
Aren't they cute when they all behave? As you can see, Stuart is fascinated with what they're doing. And what exactly are they doing? You would think that they're interested in Janna's hand but in reality Seamus is plotting his next move against Janna and Deirbhile is no doubt planning world domination.
And finally we see that Seamus has been successful in his plot against Janna, giving her a big kiss and listening to her scream is great fun for a Seamus. Stuart of course is taking it all in while quiet little Deirbhile continues her plotting. Such is life here at the compound.

Alan Keyes for President

2007-10-10T13:08:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't noticed, I've eliminated my political blog. I've done this for a number of reasons, not the least of which it was getting boring debating the same morons day after day. With that blog gone, I won't be moving politics over here, at least not much. Janna and I do campaign for certain candidates though and I suppose we will begin our campaign for President here. We are endorsing Alan Keyes for the Republican nomination for President. The election is going to be held on January 15th, so we don't have much time to campaign.

For those of you who don't know, Alan Keyes is a conservative Christian. He's pro-life, pro-family (read: opposes homosexual marriage), favors lower taxes, I would call him a strict constructionist on the Constitution, and he favors fighting and winning the War on Terror. All of these things ought to be in full favor of conservative Christians, reformed or otherwise. Keyes calls him self a declarationist, meaning he looks back to the Declaration of Independence on certain issues, often noting that we are a Christian nation based on the fact that the Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights.

I know some conservatives are looking to Ron Paul as a Presidential candidate. While he is an interesting character, he isn't a conservative and he is unacceptable to conservatives and Christians. Paul is a libertarian and while I'm sympathetic to libertarian viewpoints, the libertarian position on abortion and homosexual marriage is unacceptable to me and it ought to be unacceptable to Christians. Paul is incredibly weak on both of those issues, not to mention his opposition to the War on Terror is absolutely unacceptable. As Christians, we ought to move away from people like this if only because their views on abortion are questionable if not outright unacceptable.

In any event, let campaign season begin. The Birn's will be out in full force for Alan Keyes, a man we hope and pray will be the next President of our once great and in fact still great Christian nation.

Stuart Plays With Deirbhile

2007-09-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Mr. Stuart has decided to begin thinking about crawling around. He hasn't quite figured it out yet but he's well on his way. We're looking forward to him being able to crawl. Not only is it good for babies to crawl around in terms of motor skills but it also gives them an amount of freedom. The less dependent on Janna he is the better.
Stuart just loves the dogs, today he had the opportunity to play with Deirbhile. The dogs just love Stuart, Seamus in particular. Seamus has decided that he's Stuart's grand protector, when Stuart cries he attempts to heard Janna upstairs to deal with him whether Janna is intent on doing so or not.
Stuart meanwhile just loves the dogs. His eyes follow them wherever they go and he's been known to cry when they leave. He's spent more time with Seamus so far, mostly because Deirbhile is outside more and she isn't on eye level with Stuart when he's sitting with us on the couch.
Deirbhile doesn't seem to mind when Stuart grabs her fur and tugs. As you can see he's forcing a hug, or is she forcing a lick of Stuart's hands?
Stuart scratches behind Deirbhile's ears, unintentional perhaps but she seems to enjoy it. Later this afternoon Stuart and I are going to enjoy watching football together. Stuart, what is your profession? Harroh! Harroh! Harroh!

Stuart's First Football Game

2007-09-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday we took Stuart to his first MSU football game. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera so we have no pictures. Stuart loved the game, he lasted until the 4th quarter at which point he required a diaper change. Janna decided that she would make the sacrifice and take Stuart to be changed. As it turned out, she didn't miss much. MSU beat Bowling Green 28-17. (I'm a nice guy so I won't mention that Michigan lost to Oregon 39-7)

Stuart loved watching the band. He especially enjoyed clapping along to the fight song. I can't wait to take him to his next game, this boy is going to be a football fan. Father is well pleased.

Congrats Are Due

2007-08-31T13:34:00.000-04:00

Congrats Nate and Lyd on the birth of Bubba Eshelman today!

Robert Goulet In The Office or Our Camera Is Back

2007-08-29T19:07:00.000-04:00

Our camera has been retrieved from my mother, she held it captive for the past week. Janna as you can see is absolutely thrilled to have it back.
Stuart on the other hand doesn't seem much interested in whether or not we have a camera. He's much more content sleeping. He's been sleeping through the night for well over a month now. The hard work put in back in May and June has given us excellent results.
Stuart still loves his bath time. I have no idea what Janna is doing but Stuart is greatly amused. He seems to be amused on a regular basis, though we can never quite figure out what he actually finds funny. What we do know is that he loves the dogs, especially Seamus. He follows Seamus around and doesn't mind at all when Seamus licks him in the face. I'll yell at Seamus to get away and if Seamus goes out of view Stuart starts fussing. He loves his dogs.
Speaking of dogs, young mistress Deirbhile has settled into life at the compound. She hasn't yet learned the invisible fence boundaries so she's stuck on a leash for the time being. In a couple months she'll be old enough to learn the fence, it will help that she'll fit into Seamus' collar.
Deirbhile is a smart little dog. The other night she was in the living room watching Seamus run around out back, when he went out of view near the house she ran towards where she thought he would be. Logically she was spot on, if he had kept running he would have ended up where she thought he would. Reality though is that he's scared to death of the electric fence and wouldn't dare run past it. Deirbhile doesn't know this yet, she'll soon learn.
Mr. Seamus holds court in the kitchen. He's taken to his new sister quite well. He loves romping around with her in the backyard. That said, he's still daddy's little boy and he wants me to carry him up the stairs at night and he wants that he always be in my presence.
Why not post another picture of Stuart? He got to spend some time with Grandma today as she made her way out from Lansing to visit with him for a couple hours. He's a blessed boy, his Grandma drives out from Lansing to visit with him and his Oma begs Janna to let him stop by for a visit. He seems to enjoy them both. But of course, nothing can compare to when his Daddy gets home. Daddy's arrival is always exciting. What a great joy to come home to a wife, baby and dogs, all of whom are happy to see me.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the dinner we had for the Lanning's a couple Sunday's ago. We enjoy having the Lanning's over, I think it's important for us to show them the same hospitality that they show us. In any event, we enjoyed fried chicken, salad with green goddess dressing, fresh made southern biscuits and for desert we had Janna's excellent key lime pie. The Lanning's seemed to enjoy themselves and I can attest that we enjoyed ourselves greatly. Our Pastor and his family are a great blessing to us all.

The Fresh Market

2007-08-17T18:31:00.000-04:00

We have just gotten home from the most glorious experience of my life. We shopped at a grocery that makes D&W look like the lowest class of Aldi. We shopped at the Fresh Market on 28th street, it just opened last week. It is truly a glorious store, with the freshest vegetables, highest quality meat available in Grand Rapids, the greatest seafood counter I've seen in Michigan and a desert counter that rivals Astoria Pastry Shop in Detroit. Ok, so it's a little on the expensive side and yeah we won't be shopping there very much but I'm here to tell you for a special occasion or if we're putting together a cheese platter, we'll be shopping at the Fresh Market.

Bush Week For Stuart

2007-08-04T19:58:00.000-04:00

It's been an interesting week for Stuart. First, his mother decided to dress him hip and take pictures of him. As you can see, he's a bit nervous of what is clearly his mothers impending insanity.
Ahhh! Stuart has figured out what mom is up to! He decided to behave himself for the following few shots:
This weekend Stuart got to meet his great-grandmother for the first time. As you can see she's checking him out and he looks like he's checking her out to. Thankfully they came to a mutual understanding that they were friends.
This is my grandmother's first great grandchild so she was particularly excited to see him. He had a great time with her and when he didn't she was more than happy to pass him off to someone who would deal with him. When you're pushing 90 and have great grandchildren you're entitled to pass him off, who can blame her?

Deirbhile Arrives!

2007-07-23T19:45:00.000-04:00

We have a new family member! Miss Deirbhile Birn arrived via stork (Delta Airlines) this afternoon. And a splendid animal she is!
She's fascinated by the camera and can't quite figure out what's going on with it. Why do these people keep looking at me with that thing she wonders.
She's only 12 weeks old and can fit on the step with plenty of room to spare. So cute she is.
Miss Deirbhile has enjoyed exploring her new world, the cabinets are very interesting apparently.
Her new big brother is very excited to meet her. Seamus has been very good around Deirbhile, so Mommy and Daddy are very pleased. In fact, they both took naps in the same room while we watched Barefoot Contessa. Mommy is especially pleased.
And so we send Deirbhile off to sleep, her first night in her new Michigan home. She's a welcome addition to our home, Seamus has a sister and Stuart has a wonderful new playmate who's actually on eye level. Daddy is thrilled.

Back From Ludington

2007-07-22T14:04:00.000-04:00

We just returned home from our week up in Ludington at my folks beach house. We had a nice, relaxing week away from Grand Rapids.
Our 10 days away began with a visit from my folks as well as our fabulous Beach Day party attended by many of our old and new friends. As you can see, Seamus and my folks dog Zoe had a fabulous time.
Stuart was very interested in his new surroundings. He especially enjoyed looking at the lake.
And here we have Janna with her ridiculous baby sling, it was the only was to take Stuart down to the beach. I hate that thing with a passion, interestingly so does he.
We had wonderful weather most of the week and towards the end of the week the sky was consistently blue and beautiful.
Here we have a look at the beach from the steps at my folks house. It's something like 266 steps to the bottom, needless to say we would rather drive a mile up the road to the public beach rather than drag Stuart and his gear all the way down there.
We saw plenty of boaters during our week. My father bought himself a boat and from all accounts nearly killed Mark and Linda on it last Saturday. I'll be staying as far away from it as possible.

In the end, the great part about this beach house is the sunsets and here we have quite a few:
And so we've returned to the compound, rested and relaxed. Thanks to everyone who came to our party, we had a great time and hope you did to.

2007-07-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

North 131
West 96
North 31
To The BEACH HOUSE!

Stuart And The Stanley Cup

2007-07-05T18:30:00.001-04:00

Stuart got to visit with the Stanley Cup today. Drew Miller won the Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. Each player gets to have the Cup for one day and since he's a former Spartan and originally from East Lansing, he brought the Cup to Munn Arena. We couldn't resist the chance to see the Cup.
Miller was kind enough to allow us to take a couple pictures of Stuart in the Cup. And here is the wee bonny lad, not quite sure why Dad is placing him inside of a bowl.
Needless to say, when Stuart was placed inside the Cup the throng of hockey fans ohhed and awwed. And here we have a picture that will last a lifetime for the boy.

Independence Day

2007-07-04T14:28:00.001-04:00

Stuart is celebrating his first Independence Day. How blessed is he to be born of Christian parents in a nation with a great and rich Christian heritage? On this day we should thank God for blessing us with freedom and thank Him for the great Christian founding of our nation. Stuart is blessed indeed.
Agnus is moving off to the hills if Virginia tomorrow and so she stopped by for a visit to say toodle loo. And here we have Agnus and Janna posing for a picture. What a lovely hand towel Janna is holding.
Janna has decided to abandon her husband and son in favor of a wild eyed trip to D&W with Agnus. One can only imagine what they're going to do over there, probably tear the store apart.
Thankfully Mr. Stuart has decided to spend the afternoon sleeping and I have no argument with that. Happy Independence Day everyone.

The Cuteness!

2007-06-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

Stuart has the cutest smile, but can I get it on camera? Nooooooo. I came close a few times, but no big smile. Still, some darling pictures resulted, so we won't complain.

Chicago Chop House

2007-06-19T13:37:00.000-04:00

On Friday we dumped Stuart off with his grandparents (don't worry, said grandparents were looking forward to it all day) and headed out to the Chicago Chop House to enjoy a fine steak. The Chicago Chop House has a classic, historical feel to it complete with pictures of famous diners and slaughterhouse pioneers. Ok, that's a little on the tacky side but what can you do?

Janna started her meal off with a beefsteak tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad. The beefsteak tomatoes were perfectly seasoned and who can resist the creamy texture of buffalo mozzarella? It was a great salad, perfectly prepared and presented. I started off with a soft shelled crab which was lightly fried and absolutely wonderful and sweet. You have no idea how excited I was about this soft shelled crab, I can't find them at any of the grocery stores in town and none of the restaurants serves them. For me, this was a rare treat indeed.

But of course, we're at the Chicago Chop House for steak not salads and crabs. Janna and I decided to split the 64oz porterhouse, cooked medium rare. Here's where our evening started going downhill. The meat was perfectly succulent and clearly of the highest quality, so there's no doubt in our minds that the Chicago Chop House can serve a good steak. The problem is that they served us a steak that was medium to medium well, not medium rare. You know, it's one thing for a backyard barbeque cook to screw up a steak, it's another thing when your entire establishment is centered around cooking steaks. To mess up a steak like this is completely and totally unacceptable, especially so when you're allegedly the best steakhouse in the city of Chicago. The over cooking of this steak sucked the life out of it and destroyed its wonderful flavor. Instead of being a robust red, full of flavor, our steak was a sad grey with a touch of pink. The Filet portion of the steak was actually cooked better than the strip portion, how they pulled that off is beyond me. In any event, neither one of them were cooked a proper medium rare.

I do not recommend the Chicago Chop House because of their complete and utter failure to properly cook a steak. The salad was good, the soft shelled crab was terrific, Russ' American Fries were great with the steak. But when you're a steakhouse, when your business is steak, it is unacceptable to overcook it. Out of 5 possible stars, the Chicago Chop House gets only two stars. It's unfortunate because the quality of the steak is good enough to earn 5 stars, the incompetence of the kitchen staff costs them three stars and our endorsement.

Tru

2007-06-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night, we left a sleeping baby Stuart to the care of his grandfather and set forth with Judy to enjoy dessert at Tru. Tru is owned by the very talented pastry chef Gale Gand along with Chef Rick Tramonto, whose dinner menu looks amazing (it should be, at those prices!). Chef Gand used to host a program on the Food Network, has published several cookbooks, and is world famous for her desserts. We came expecting to enjoy some very delicious food, and our expectations were far exceeded.

Firstly, I have to comment on the decor. The dining room is very sleek and modern with soft lighting; black and white without being stark. The effect is a very calm, urban atmosphere. Also, a comment on the service, which was impeccable, managing to be very formal yet relaxed. So far, so good.

We looked over the menu and, after much agonizing, ordered. Both Judy and I got the Cocoa Nib Macaroon, and Steve got the Chocolate Immersion. While we were waiting for the plates to arrive, our waiter brought a tray with three small glasses. These, we were told, were refreshers, meant to cleanse our palates. The glasses were filled with a Granny Smith apple soup, topped with a rosemary foam and some candied ginger. Both Steve and I hate apple juice, and so were cautious about the soup. It was fantastic. The rosemary foam is something I could eat a large bowlful of, though I freely confess I have no earthly idea of how it was made.

We were still talking about how good the apple soup was when our desserts arrived. My plate had a sandwich of macaroon cookies in the center, and, oh my, was it good. The cookie was a perfect meringue, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cocoa nibs were crunchy and bitter, and the perfect compliment to the sour cream milk chocolate ganache that held the two cookies together. Said ganache was tangy and sweet. To the side of the cookie sandwich were three cubes of white chocolate chiboust. The texture of this was very similar to a mousse, and the taste was very subtle. Also on the plate was a lovely pool of milk chocolate sauce (very good), and my favorite part of the dish, the dark chocolate ice cream. A small portion of the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had, bar none, served on a bed of chocolate strusel. I was very happy with my dessert, and I do believe that Judy enjoyed hers as well.

Steve's plate looked incredibly tempting. He had a dish of chocolate creme brulee, rich chocolate and perfectly bruleed. On top of the dish was a small portion of chocolate sorbet, which I am informed was creamy with a potent flavor that played perfectly with the custard of the creme brulee. There was also a portion of chocolate anise ganache, wonderfully light and highlighting the anise flavor. Separating the sorbet and ganache were milk chocolate crisps, which were paper thin and gorgeous. On the plate was a smear of chocolate cardamom sauce, which I tried and it was delicious. We all agreed that our dishes were amazing, with a perfect attention to contrasting textures and to depth of flavor. We definitely felt we had got our money's worth ($15 each, a bargain for a world class pastry chef, and not that much more than you'd pay for a piece of so-so cake at any restaurant in Chicago. And it turns out, for what we got, it was an even better bargain!).

We were finishing our desserts when a waiter arrived at our table with a dish filled with tiny cinnamon madeleines, compliments of the chef. This was exciting, and an unexpected treat. They were delicious, and no sooner were they gone than another waiter came with three teeny tiny root beer floats! Chef Gand, it appears, makes her own root beer and ice cream. I don't even like root beer and I liked this! We were amazed by the extras that we had been given and were talking about it when all of a sudden an old fashioned candy counter pulled up to our table. No. Seriously. A waiter had pushed a cart over to us with homemade truffles, caramels, lollipops, and hard candies. And here's the best part - we could have whatever we wanted! I tried the chocolate truffle (out of this world!), Judy a caramel (she loved it), and Steve a passionfruit candy (he declared it perfect). At this point, I'd decided I was moving to Tru and never leaving. THEN(!) a waiter came around with a tray of chocolates - white chocolate filled with passionfruit, milk chocolate filled with peanut butter, and dark chocolate filled with rose. None of us could resist the dark chocolate. It was really good, with a soft, subtle, floral taste contrasting with the dark chocolate. Steve also tried the milk chocolate/P.B. combo and said it was very good.

Finally, the waiters stopped coming with food and brought the bill, and we paid and made our way to the door. But wait! the host stopped us on our way out and handed us each a small lemon cake, "for breakfast tomorrow", he said. Wow!

All said, we had an amazing experience at Tru. A great atmosphere, with a whimsical, well-executed dessert menu. We can't wait to go back (and maybe order something off the very tempting looking cheese cart that was wheeled around the dining room while we were there!). If you're ever in Chicago and want a great dessert, you really can't go wrong at Tru!

Our Trip To Chicago

2007-06-16T18:48:00.001-04:00

We just got back from a weekend in beautiful Chicago. We had a lot of fun with Stuart and my folks. Stuart was very well behaved the entire time, barely raising a fuss at all.
We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel on Michigan Ave. The hotel used to be an athletic club, it was built in the late 20's. It has a pool on the 14th floor, which at the time was an engineering accomplishment.
There are a bunch of restored meeting rooms and ballrooms in the hotel, including the King Arthur room. Janna is seen here with one of the armed men protecting the King Arthur room from peasants such as herself.
Friday we went to see the Cubs play the San Diego Padres. As I'm sure many of you know, the Cubs are my National League team. I try to make it out to Wrigley Field at least once a year, Friday marked both Janna and Stuart's first Cubs game.
Speaking of Stuart, this was not only his first Cubs game but it was his first baseball game. We couldn't take his stroller out to Wrigleyville so Janna bought a sling to wear and carry Stuart around in for the game. For the purposes of the game, it made sense but I can't imagine wearing children like this on a regular basis. First of all, Stuart didn't like being forced up against Janna when he was awake, we would rather be free to move around. Second, I can't imagine these things are good for the back and while this product claimed it was ok for the back, Janna will attest to something different.
And so the game began. Stuart really enjoyed himself and was a perfect little baby, barely making any noise at all. He spent some time watching the game with his grandparents, as well as his father. I tried to teach him the finer points of the game.
Above we see a statue of Harry Carry, the late broadcaster for the Cubs. He sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch when he was alive, he was quite a character. In any event, the tradition continues and on Friday John Mahoney sang.
Janna actually had a good time at the game. I knew she would. For those who haven't been to Wrigley Field, it's like stepping back into 1920. The neighborhood is unique and a lot of fun. In any event, Janna and Stuart both enjoyed their first Cubs game.
Now, for those of you wondering where my food reviews are I promise I'll post them soon. We have reviews of several places, including a review of Tru written by Janna. All I'll say is that Tru was fabulous. You'll have to keep checking back for further updates.

Bath Time For Stuart

2007-06-12T18:49:00.001-04:00

Stuart is full of amusement. We have discovered in the last month that he really enjoys bath time. From what I can gather, most babies are total brats when it comes to taking a bath. Not our Stuart, he looks forward to it every time. His little face perks up when he hears the water being drawn.
Ok, let's admit it, Stuart is a weirdo. I mean come on, what little boy looks forward to a bath? I figure Janna better enjoy his no fuss bath time while it lasts, it's a matter of time before he decides that baths are evil and won't want anything to do with them.

On another note, last week we had to get our air conditioner fixed. We used a company called Grapids Heating and Cooling. (616-453-1137) They came out and fixed the AC the day after we called, arrived at 5:30 and stayed until it was fixed around 7:30. These guys could have easily called and refused to come that late at night but they didn't and they should be given some credit for staying so late. In any event, if you need your AC or heat fixed let me recommend Grapids Heating and Cooling, they do a good job at a fair price.

Two Weekend Events

2007-06-05T17:31:00.001-04:00

Daddy's little tax deduction has had a busy two weeks. On Memorial Day we went for a walk in downtown Grand Rapids and last weekend we visited my folks beach house.
Memorial Day was a beautiful day here in GR and downtown looked especially nice.
Stuart unfortunately wasn't very interested in the alleged skyline of the city, apparently he's not interested in small potatoes such as GR. Perhaps he'll pay more attention when we're in Chicago next week.
And here we have Janna who looks thrilled that her picture is being taken.
And here we are at my folks beach house and as you can see once again the weather isn't looking so good.
The clouds aren't looking very good are they, I thought we were supposed to have nice weather last weekend.
Seamus is looking very nervous out at the water, the weather has him very worried.
Here comes the nasty weather. The fog came out of no where, within a minute we went from being able to see the horizon in the distance to not being able to see it at all.
Janna and Stuart seem unconcerned about the bad weather.
And as soon as the bad weather came it went away. Thankfully it didn't get nasty and we were able to spend some quality time at the beach. Stuart was unfortunately unable to join us but on Friday Janna and I got to go for a walk on the beach and on Saturday Seamus and I went for a swim.
Spring in Ludington is very beautiful and we can see some of the lovely greens that God has given us.
There are wild flowers galore on my folks property, here is a nice example.
Seamus got to visit his sister Zoe and there was much wildness. The two of them are completely wild together.
Finally we get to see an adequate sunset up in Ludington.
And unfortunately Stuart slept through the entire weekend. Oh well, at some point this kid is going to enjoy going to my folks beach house. Maybe next time we go we'll take him for a swim in the lake.

The Wee Bonnie Lad

2007-05-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

Isn't he cute? (bad pictures though...)

On Crying Children And First Anniversaries

2007-05-27T19:43:00.001-04:00

It's been an interesting few days at the Birn compound. Stuart has learned how to manipulate his mother in the evenings. Janna feeds him, makes sure he has a clean diaper and puts him to bed. Within a couple of minutes Stuart is screaming for attention, refusing to sleep without mom holding him. This has gotten worse in the past few days, as he's been screaming for Janna almost immediately. We've both had just about enough of it and last night we let him cry himself to sleep. Needless to say, Stuart was furious at this turn of events but after 10 minutes of livid crying he calmed himself down and went to sleep for five hours.
As we can see above, Stuart is getting his first taste of discipline. It had to happen though, we can't have a baby manipulating his mother all night long. The fact of the matter is that he wasn't hungry, his diaper wasn't dirty, he wasn't sick and there wasn't a giant spider crawling on him so he had no need to have his mother around. He was demanding attention and we won't stand for that when it's time to go to sleep. God has given us Stuart in order that we might raise him to be a good Christian adult and in order for us to raise up a good Christian adult we have to teach him self control and self discipline. It begins when their babies, even at 15 days old. If he learns how to control his anger when he's a baby, he'll have a much better time controlling it when he's older. He's manipulative, all babies are. He knows exactly what he's doing and we won't stand for this.
It will take awhile for us to teach Stuart how to control himself, but it begins by not responding to his sinful, manipulative behavior today. Not only was he attempting to manipulate his mother, he displayed uncontrolled anger and we have to work to stamp these sins out now. It's our duty as Christian parents to do this and while it was tough for Janna to listen to Stuart cry, it was for the best. Really it was best for both of them, not only is it teaching Stuart how to control himself, it's teaching Janna that he is able to do it. God has entrusted us with this little one, we can't sin against the Lord by allowing our son to grow up thinking his demands must be met at all times. I won't stand for a self centered little brat and we can stamp this sort of stuff out now. In the end, we are doing what's best for Stuart and we are doing what God expects us to do for him. We love our son to much not to teach him these lessons.
Getting to more fun events, today is our anniversary. We had celebrated at Tre Cugini on Friday but we decided to make a nice dinner tonight to. It helps that D&W had two for one ribeyes on Saturday. So with those two for one ribeyes, we made Steak au Poivre and matchstick potatoes. It was simply wonderful. Ribeyes have a robust steak flavor, someone different from a NY Strip, perhaps, dare I say more robust. Our au Poivre sauce was rich and delicious. It was a wonderful meal prepared for a wonderful wife.
And here we have a happy picture of our son. Don't mistake things, Stuart is a good boy most of the time and he's usually in a happy mood as he is here. He has his moments though and it is our Christian duty to teach him how to not have those moments. It is a life long process of course but in disciplining him now, we hope to not have to discipline him more when he's a little older. He really is a good little boy though and he's been a great blessing in our lives. Just think, a year ago we were just getting married, now we have a two and a half week old boy. God has blessed us greatly.

General Amusements

2007-05-26T14:57:00.000-04:00

Stuart is adapting to life here on Union Ave. We've gotten him into a fairly good routine, he's only getting up about once a night. Give him another couple weeks and we'll stop responding to him at night but that's another matter.
Janna and I decided to enjoy another one of our world famous Italian picnics. This time around we had prosciutto di parma, porketta, filsette oldani salami, soperassata calbresse, mixed spiced olives and fresh mozzarella cheese. All purchased at G.B. Russo and Son. Janna an I enjoyed our feast, with plenty left over for snacking.
Stuart was not amused that his mother wouldn't allow him to have any of our feast. I was more than willing to give him some porketta but Janna wouldn't allow it. Poor kid.

Stuart did get to enjoy some baby rice cereal, in fact we started him on this stuff earlier this week. I frankly think it's disgusting but he seems to think it is a gourmet treat. If he's a really good boy he'll get pears or peaches next week. The excitement never ends when you're two weeks old.

Ok, that picture is huge. In any event, Janna and I will be celebrating our first anniversary this weekend and in celebration of this we went to Tre Cugini for dinner last night. We were able to eat outside, which was simply wonderful. We started with the traditional antipasti plate of assorted meats and cheeses and as always it was great. Janna got the gnocchi, pillows of potato pasta in a delicious cheesy sauce. I got the saltimbocca, perfectly cooked it was like velvet. For desert, Janna got sfogliata, which to no ones surprise was a chocolate lovers dream. I got fragole, strawberries in a cream sauce with liquor. Both were quite excellent.
Stuart stayed with his grandparents when we were at Tre Cugini. We got a good report from Mark and Joy, he slept the whole time. It appears that he's just getting up again and we can expect great dramatics when the boy is required to wake up. Gee, I wonder which side he got waking up dramatics from? Janna. I say nothing.

Checkmate!

2007-05-21T12:36:00.000-04:00

I received the following email from my wife about 45 minutes ago:

"You are a complete jerk - did you think I wouldn't figure out that ourgoing up to the cottage would preclude our going to Festival? You'revery clever, and have once again outmaneuvered me. Well-played, myfriend. Well-played.

Bah."

Sweet victory. Sweet, sweet victory!

Stuart Is Home

2007-05-14T16:22:00.000-04:00

It was time to take Stuart home this morning and Janna got him all ready to leave the hospital. The outfit was from Janna's sisters, the winds of war and gentle breeze. The hat is from my folks, or so Janna seems to think.
We managed to figure out how to use the car seat, which was quite a little production. He looks as though he's been folded up into the thing. In any event, he's taking a look at his new home and likes what he sees.
And of course he has to meet his older brother Seamus. Stuart was very interested in Seamus and watched him very intently. He seemed amused by his presence.
Seamus was nervous of the new arrival at first but now he's very interested in his little brother. He of course sniffed him out and such. We were a little worried about what his reaction to be, we thought he might be so excited that he would jump all over little Stuart. But we forget sometimes, Seamus is a good boy and has been very nice to the baby.
And here we have a picture of the three men of the Birn household. No doubt this is the first of many pictures to be taken of the three of us. Stuart likes his new home and we are certainly glad he is here.

So Stuart Arrives

2007-05-12T06:28:00.000-04:00

Stuart was born yesterday at 7:11pm via emergency C-Section. Since everyone I've talked to has asked, he weights 6 lbs 11oz. I don't know why everyone cares but they do. In any event, Janna is fine and so far as I know she's sleeping over at St. Mary's.
Apparently they knocked Janna out, so she didn't actually see Stuart after he was born. I was the first to visit with him and thankfully a nurse was kind enough to take the above picture. Notice the look of terror on the boy's face while looking at me.
And here we have a picture of the lovely family, though let's all be honest that Janna looks completely out of it. Poor thing. In any event, all is well and in that we have been blessed. The scripture passage from our wedding was quite appropriate. Psalm 46:1 reads "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." In any event, we would appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery for Janna.

An Amusing E-Mail

2007-05-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

Seamus has taken to sleeping on the floor in our room at night. It's a welcome change for everyone but Janna. I have no problem having the dog in the room at night, if anything I know that if some criminal sneaks into the house Seamus will be right there to defend me. He won't defend Janna but at least I'll be protected. The dog is more than welcome to sleep on the floor in our room, and in a year or two perhaps he'll sleep in Stuart's room if the child so requests. Children aren't welcome in our room but sweet little Irish Terrier's are.

In any event, I received the following e-mail from Janna yesterday, tis very amusing:

So your ridiculous animal when bananas when you left today. He kept running all over up stairs, coming into our room to nudge me, going back to the top of the stairs, coming back to nudge me again, running crying back to the top of the stairs, more nudging (cold nose, btw),then changing it up and running to the window (which he has figured outis the ultimate window of despair, in that he can watch you leave from it), and generally freaking out. When your car was out of sight he began his usual frantic pacing of the upstairs, clearly worried about what would happen now, as if this weren't normal. He finally calmed down 5 minutes later and is currently dozing on his blanket and giving me dirty looks anytime I dare come into the room. I'm telling you, this animal thinks that room is his now and he's gradually going to take it over.

Anyway, you have a perfectly ridiculous animal. But at least said animal is very fond of you.

2007 NFL Draft

2007-04-28T15:01:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of the NFL draft and probably the most important day of the NFL offseason. ESPN shows the entire draft and each year I find myself watching at least part of it. It's fascinating watching each team try to put the last piece of their puzzle together via the draft. It's also fun watching the Lions blow yet another draft, for the fourth time in five years they've drafted a wide receiver in the first round, the morons. Seamus could make better draft picks than Matt Millen.

This year is the first year that Janna has watched the draft, in fact I think it's safe to say she didn't know about it until she met me. Janna knows nothing about the teams that are drafting players, she knows none of the players being drafted and she knows next to nothing about the game of football. Nevertheless, about two hours into the draft Janna turned to me and said "I blame you." I of course wondered what she was blaming me for. She informed me that she couldn't stop watching, the draft it seems was utterly fascinating to her. Apparently she enjoyed the drama of it all, never mind she doesn't know about anything that's going on. That said, she is enjoying watching former Notre Dame Quarterback Brady Quinn drop from a sure fire top 10 pick to, at this time, not yet drafted. Got to love Miss Janna.

Springtime For Hitler Or Springtime At the Birn Compound

2007-04-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

Now that it's warm outside Seamus is able to spend a lot of time outside. He's very excited about it. When he's being a good boy he likes to lie out in the sun as he is above. Such a good boy Seamus is and such a good role model for young Stuart.
Seamus wants to play with his Daddy.
It seems Mr. Seamus has found a ball to play with. Seamus loves playing ball with his Daddy.
Mr. Seamus likes to run all over the yard with his ball, he's very protective of it.
Look at that Seamus go!
Even if Seamus doesn't have a ball he loves to run around the yard.
My, my he's wild today.
And now it's time for a little rest under a shade tree. Even sweet boys like Seamus need a rest.
In other news, Janna is still pregnant.
Seamus just loves driving his Mommy crazy, isn't he cute?

Michigan State: 2007 NCAA Hockey Champions!

2007-04-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

On the banks of the Red Cedar,
There's a school that's known to all,
It's specialty is winning,
And those Spartans play GREAT HOCKEY!,
Spartan teams are never beaten,
All through the game they'll fight,
Fight for the only colors, GREEN and WHITE
Go right thru for MSU,
Watch the points keep growing,
Spartan teams are bound to win,
They're fighting with a vim,
RAH! RAH! RAH!
See their team is weakening,
We're going to win this game,
FIGHT! FIGHT! RAH TEAM FIGHT!

Michigan State won the NCAA title last night. The Birn household went absolutely nuts when Justin Abdelkader scored the game winning goal with 18.9 seconds left in the game. Jeff Lerg played great in net, keeping the Spartans in the game, including the amazing save pictured above that prevented Boston College from going up 2-0.

Tim Kennedy tied the game at 1-1 with about ten minutes left in the third period. Needless to say, I was nervous throughout the game. State went down 1-0 in the middle of the second and I thought for sure the game was over. BC is a better team, they have better skaters, a better power play and a better penalty kill. But I knew that so long as State was only down one goal, they had a shot to at least tie it. That said, it nerve wracking to watch them down one and even more nerve wracking when they tied it up. When Abdlekader put the puck in the net with 18.9 seconds left I screamed and jumped up, Janna was scared half to death and Seamus was alarmed. Chris Mueller got an empty net goal with 1.2 seconds left to give the Spartans a 3-1 victory and the national title.

For me, this is absolute huge. I've been suffering with this program for a decade and half now. Back when I was in school in the late 90's we had great teams and were often ranked #1 throughout the year only to lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 1998, 1999 and 2001 were especially bitter pills to swallow. This year's championship was very unexpected, State finished fourth in the CCHA, barely made the NCAA Tournament and no one expected them to do anything. We had less talent than every team we faced, yet our boys stuck to their game plan and grinded out four victories. Lerg was great in net, he only gave up 5 goals in 4 NCAA games, he deserves a ton of credit. He stood on his head when it counted.

This is what hockey is all about. Passion, teamwork and exciting games played for national titles. It's a great day to be a Spartan, all MSU alums should be proud of this team today. It makes up for all the disappointments of years gone by. To win a championship when no one expects it, to come out of no where makes it that much sweeter. Janna I think finally understands why I'm such a hockey fan, she witnessed it last night. Decades of suffering for one special night, it's worth every heartbreak.

MSU, we love thy shadows
When twilight silence falls,
Flushing deep and softly paling
O'er ivy covered halls;
Beneath the pines we'll gather
To give our faith so true,
Sing our love for Alma Mater
And thy praises, MSU.

More Free Hockey

2007-04-07T09:30:00.000-04:00

Last night Janna and I went to the Griffins game against the Toronto Marlies. It all started back on Feb 7th when the Griffins played Syracuse. The Griffins were offering discounted tickets in the lower bowl for $5 and we decided to go to the game. What we didn't know is that the Griffins had another deal by which if they win their games on Wednesday nights everyone gets a free ticket to the next Wednesday night game. The Griffins won on Feb 7th, then they won again on Feb 21st, then they won again on March 14th and again on March 28th. Because there were no more Wednesday night home games, everyone got a ticket to last nights game, which they of course won. Needless to say, we parlayed $5 tickets into five games, and the Dutch and Jew in us rejoices.
Last night was perhaps the best night of all, it was Steve Yzerman night. Yzerman was my favorite player growing up and sadly I wasn't able to get tickets to his number retirement in Detroit earlier this year. But this wasn't a bad makeup for that disappointment. Yzerman spoke briefly, thanking the Wings fans in West Michigan. Yzerman was humble as he always is. Of all the players a kid could look up to, Yzerman is definately one that parents would want. He's humble, puts team first and from all accounts is a respectable family man off the ice.
I usually hate mascots, especially minor league mascots. But I will have to say that Griff amuses me. He's one angry looking bird and he flys in the face of all these silly mascots that have goofy smiles on their face, as if everything has to be smiley and fun. One of the teams the Griffins played had a logo of a smiling skull, I mean come on now. Griff is ridiculous but at least he looks annoyed.
The game ended with a 4-0 Griffins win. Jimmy Howard looked playoff ready in net last night and here he is saluting the fans after he was named #1 star of the night. (Matt Ellis was #2 and my boy Kip Miller #3) After the game I took Janna to the Sierra Room for desert. Sadly the Sierra Room is closing at the end of the month, so this was our one last chance to stop in. Janna got the Creme Brulee sampler (chocolate peppermint, espresso and vanilla) and I got a cheese sampler. (parmesan reggiano, an aged American cheddar and a wonderful goats milk cheese called midnight moon) In any event, we planned on sharing both of our deserts and share we did. We both agreed that the chocolate peppermint and espresso creme brulee's were excellent and the vanilla wasn't very good. I am not a fan of cheddar but Janna said it was very good. We both agreed midnight moon was excellent, it had real depth of flavor with subtle hints of brown butter. The parmesan reggiano was excellent as well.

And thus ended a fine evening in downtown Grand Rapids. How I can't wait to take Stuart to his first hockey game next season. Did I mention we're excited about taking him to Chicago for his first Cubs game in June? Good times, good times.

The Joys of Grilling

2007-04-03T08:25:00.000-04:00

Last week we were blessed with slightly warmer weather and with that warm weather we were able to break out the grill. Oh the joy of being able to grill animals outside, there is no greater enjoyment in life. I was as excited as a June bride on a feather bed when I tossed some Birn burgers on the grill last Tuesday. Later in the week we enjoyed some wonderful lemon pepper chicken and on Sunday we enjoyed Berkshire pork chops with Merlot sauce. (Joy you have to try this sometime, it's soooooo easy and it's wonderful.)

Saturday we grilled a split turkey breast on the grill and made turkey bacon sandwiches out of it. Let me tell you, if you've never had grilled turkey before you don't know what you're missing. It was simply amazing, the turkey came out perfectly moist and the smoke from the grill gave it an added debth of flavor. Thinly sliced and placed upon wonderful toasted french bread with some perfectly cooked center cut bacon and it is a real treat. Not only was it wonderful in taste but it was wonderful on the pocketbook as well. Our dinner came out at less than $9 and we had enough left over for sandwiches on Sunday as well.

Unfortunately it seems that God has decided for us to have cool weather this week and so grilling won't be on the Birn menu. It gives us a chance to enjoy our old winter favorites again one last time. Sadly, Janna refuses to allow me to make gumbo and for that I am extremely disappointed. Nothing says yum like a good pot of gumbo. Sigh....

Go Sanjaya!

2007-03-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

It's so awful, we can't look away. Am I the only one hoping this idiot goes all the way? I mean seriously, the longer Sanjaya is on this show the more reason I have to continue watching. He's so bad, so awful, I literaly can't bring myself to look away. The rest of the contestants are adequate singers (bald guy, black white guy and big hair guy aside) but this Sanjaya has it all. Yeah, he can't sing but he has Weird Al and William Hung on the ropes for best comedy singer. With his rooster mohawk last night, how can he lose?

Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis

2007-03-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

I won't meet you at the fair, but my Spartans will be more than happy to meet you at the Frozen Four. That's right, my MSU Spartans beat Notre Dame last night 2-1 to advance to the Frozen Four. They'll be playing Maine on April 5th. I couldn't be more proud of this team, they've really turned the season around. In any event, you will all be happy to know that we got out of Van Andel well before midnight last night. No overtime for us, thankfully. I don't think my blood pressure could handle MSU in overtime.

Life On Union Ave 2

The Backyard

Minor Stuart And Vivian Events

Dinner With Loretta

Saturday At Home

Random Things

Our Grand Return Home

Vivian Day Two

In Which We Present Vivian Rosalind

Happy Birthday Steve!

New Years Eve

A Touch Of Winter

December Update

Happy Birthday Janna!

Psalm 26

Various Minor Events

The Final Countdown

Our Month So Far

Happy Days Are Here Again!

Vivian Edith It Is!

Spartans, what is your profession? Harroh! Harroh! Harroh!

Congrats to Aaron and Bubbles

A Night With Roast Pork and Green Peppercorn Sauce

17 Carats and Counting

Downtown GR

Our Weekend

Stuart Sits Through Church!

Family Trip To The Fair

House For Sale

New Swing And Homeschool Book Sales

Wings Win The Stanley Cup

Chez Bayou Review

Baby, If You Ever Wondered. Wondered, Whatever Became of Me...

The Dog Park

Happy Birthday Stuart

Saturday At The Park

It's A Beautiful Day For Baseball So Let's Play Two!

Timber!

What A Mess

To The Beach House One And All!

Stuart Climbs Stairs

Of First Words And Big Birds

Phone Calls, Toys and Flowers! Oh My!

Psalm 23

Stuart's New Playpen

Stuart Stands

Review: TRU

First Half of January

Happy *30th* Steve!!!!!!!

What Happens When We're Away?

Restaurant Bloom

Birthday Weekend

Happy Birthday Janna!

Psalm 25

Thanksgiving 2007

Sabbath Lunch

Old Man Stuart's New High-Chair

A Very Birn Weekend

Stuart, What Is Your Profession? Harroh! Harroh! Harroh!

An Evening At The Compound

Alan Keyes for President

Stuart Plays With Deirbhile

Stuart's First Football Game

Congrats Are Due

Robert Goulet In The Office or Our Camera Is Back

The Fresh Market

Bush Week For Stuart

Deirbhile Arrives!

Back From Ludington

Stuart And The Stanley Cup

Independence Day

The Cuteness!

Chicago Chop House

Tru

Our Trip To Chicago

Bath Time For Stuart

Two Weekend Events

The Wee Bonnie Lad

On Crying Children And First Anniversaries

General Amusements

Happy 30th Steve!!!!!!!