Five Big Balloons

Well, yes, it is my big day, so as we did with Mae, let's take a look back. We'll start at the beginning, it's a very good place to start.

Here's me fresh out of the womb, just a couple days old.

A whopping one month old.

At 1.5 years of age, I was studying the martial arts.

My second birthday brought a huge conk on the bridge of my nose but also brought a very large smile.

At three years of age my donut obsession had firmly taken place.

Don't forget four, where I was schooled in the likes of Mozart and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

And here's the big cat, five big balloons old.

Mae Day! Mae Day!

In honor of my widdle buddy, I thought I'd take a look back. As some of you know, Mabel turned three last Sunday, so let's go on a little history adventure, shall we?

This is Mabel Jane on the day when she blessed this world with her presence. Funny thing is, I don't think she weighs that much more now than she did on this day.

Before we start skipping to the annual photos here's Mae at one month old, just chillin. 

Here's Mae right around her first birthday. I chose this picture because my photo editor told me it is his favorite photo of all time, simple as that.

Here's Mae on her second birthday, just rockin the piggies and getting ready to blow out her candle.

And here's Mae today, a few days removed from turning three, in her brand new apron that she got from her friend, Kim. Also ever-present you can see her new Blackhawks hat. I asked dad to take me to the store to get a Blackhawks hat and when Mae woke up from nap she really wanted one, too, so we went back and got her one.

And so it is that I say happy birthday to the lovely and talented and always bursting with fruit flavor, Mabel Jane Skertich. You are the love of our lives and the light of our home (I know, super deep, right? But it's true, Mae).

A quick look back at Christmas

Well, since we were all sick as can be right after Christmas, I never got around to posting Christmas pics.

So here goes nothing.

First off, here is our tree. Worst. Tree. Ever. Since we were already at Costco we went all mainstream and got our tree from there.

Long story short - 3.5 hours later, after dad had dragged this tree out to the alley and we went up to our local garden to get our tree, we were back in business. And at school I made the angel to put on top... bonus.

Okay, fast-forward to Christmas Eve at Nana's. I got this awesome computer...

And Mae got one too. Thing was, after Mae opened up her computer she spent the next 25 minutes on it. See the presents behind her? Not interested, just rocked the computer. NERD ALERT! She did end up getting on this horse a little while later.

Got some awesome pics Mae and then some more with the cousins.

I've been telling you for years Eli is just a straight baller.

We left apples and a cookie for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, which were a big hit. Then Mae and I came down together and opened gifts.

Um, yeah, chapstick was a huge score, been asking for that since before Thanksgiving. Ah, the simple things.

We got mom this pancake shaper that does Sesame St. characters.

Mom, however, probably didn't need it. Did I ever tell you she is a professional. Requests Christmas morning were flying out the window - WREATH! PRESENT! SNOWFLAKE!

PRESENT! SNOWFLAKE! CHRISTMAS TREE!

SANTA HAT! ANOTHER SNOWFLAKE! CANDY CANE!

See what I mean.

And now back to our regularly scheduled nerd alert.

Spent the next three weeks puking, coughing, sneezing, ear infecting, the whole bit. But we're better now and getting set for BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!

February Bells

You don't have to tell me it's February 2.  And I don't have to tell you when you get Mae tickling the ivory and me on the mic we'll sing whatever suits our fancy.

The Cat Has a Hat, by F.A. Skertich

So for Christmas I got these blank books with some markers. Basically you're supposed to write your own story with pictures and some of the stickers they give you or whatever. Well, I decided to skip the stickers and pen my own novel - appropriately titled, "The Cat Has a Hat."

P.S. I made up this story all on my own and wrote all these words myself except for "started," "thought" and "hedgehog."

So that picture above is Mabel hanging upside down by her feet and her cousins and me gathering around. No follow up questions, thank you.

So that's me in the background and Dad rocking the jazz hands.

Hey, not everything has to rhyme, you know.

Down & Out

HEY FINLEY, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!!

Well, young fella, let me tell you. Below is a picture of Mae and me laying on our air mattresses. Well, those air mattresses transform into what we call our "puke boats." See, when we get the stomach flu, we get our puke boats out, blow them up and hang out on them til we're better (hence the pots next to them).

So where have I been? Well, let's see. Dad got influenza A a few days before Christmas, Mae got a virus after Christmas, which morphed into an ear infection. Then I got the stomach flu right after the New Year, then Mae got it and then Dad and Mom got it. In the meantime, Dad never got better and now has a nice cough. In the mean-meantime, Mae went from the stomach flu into a really bad cough which was diagnosed the other day as a double ear infection. Then last night, after steering clear of all the fever, cough and flu sicknesses in our house, I went back to school and picked something up and now I've got a fever, runny nose and a cough.

So where have I been? Down and out, dude, down and out.

New Year's Resolution

My New Year's resolution this year is to learn Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano...

Okay, done with that. My next one is to compose my own classical/contemporary piece...

It's gonna be a good year.