A day at the beach!

It's been a while since I've been able to blog. I can't tell if I missed it or not. Brian's been doing a nice, job, though.

Our big story today is that we decided to go to the beach. The forecast called for a "mild" day. We were forecasted to reach upper 30's, maybe even to 40 degrees! So, we packed up the family SUV and headed for St. Joe, Michigan. Why St. Joe you ask when we live so close to the lake in Illinois? Well, the ice gets pushed to the east side of the lake and we wanted to see it. I haven't seen it in years and Brian and Ben have never seen it. So, we headed out. It was pretty neat. We tried to catch it on picture and video. The reason I'm adding all the videos we took (yes those are three different videos) is because they all have different angles and I wanted to share them all. The ice reached out at least 100yards from the shoreline. Brian thought it was just dunes (there is sand sprinkled on top). No, those are icebergs! You look over top of them and it's a steep 20foot drop (at least) to the water below. It's been a long time since I've seen them that high.

I will say, once we got there, my Mom instinct did kick in a bit. It was a little nerve racking. But we NEVER took Ben beyond the railings. Never even considered it. I was even nervous about Abby being beyond the railing. By "beyond the railing" I mean, there is a long section of the pier that goes out without a railing. In the summer time, this is no problem to walk. Now there was ice totally covering the pier. It was actually more like snow, so it wasn't very slippery. I was just nervous that Abby would see that water beyond the ice and go for it! So, she had to stay on a very short leash all day. If you can see it, I even kept her on the leash while I took her picture that she was sitting so nice for. WITHOUT Ben, Brian and I did venture out onto the ice in alternating turns. It was silent! And BEAUTIFUL!! Totally at peace.

We didn't get to hang out too long. Ben did not want to keep his mittens on and his little hands were getting very cold, so we had to head out. Brian, Ben and I had some lunch at Clementine's Restaurant and headed home.

Ben and Abby bonded a little bit on the way home. Abby would lay her head on Ben's lap and both were asleep within minutes of the ride. It was so cute! Ben has been a bit of a nuisance for Abby. He does not understand how to pet gently yet. We're trying to teach him. Hopefully Abby will stay as patient as she's been. She just gets up and walks away.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy so far in 2010!!

Don't forget to email us your "fanmail!" Majorleaguebishop@gmail.com!

Major League Bishop Mailbag #1

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Hey everyone - We have a fan! You know how I know that? We got fan mail!

"Ben, how much do you miss your Grandma Karen (the Magnificent) and Grandpa Barry?

Because we miss you and your parents and Abby so much!

Love, GKM"

I'm not sure who this GKM is but I hope he/she keeps reading the blog! GKM, everyone here at Major League Bishop does really miss Grandmother Karen the Magnificent and Grandpa Barry - in fact, we're already planning another trip to come see them. Time flies by so fast and Ben needs to see all his grandparents as much as possible. To make that fact even more clear, here's some pictures from our last trip to see the Virginia Grandparents:

Okay, I hope this post proves to everyone that the fan mail really does work. Keep it coming!

Just email it to:

majorleaguebishop at gmail dot com

(Again, the address above is spelled out to thwart spammers. Let's see how long that lasts)


Hope everyone has a good week!


- Brian, Patti and Ben

How LONG?!?

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Alright MLB fans - we've heard a bit of grumbling about the lack of new blog posts. So here we go!

Nap -

Naps. These are the big sticking point nowadays. We're all trying to stick to a schedule to keep the boy happy. The better the daytime sleeps, the better the daytime wakes. Or something like that. I heard it on Oprah.

Well, we're trying to go from two short naps (morning and afternoon) to one loooooong noonish nap. That's what the books say - and we do whatever the books say.

But Ben doesn't always do what the books say...he's a rebel.






Walking the dog -

So the one thing that Patti and I are failing at (unfortunately) is keeping Abby walked, exercised, and not completely bored. Yeah, we give it our best shot, but working, parenting, and keeping sane leaves very little time to walk the dog.

But guess who has alot of time on his hands - Ben. We've been training him hard. Abby seems a little nervous though...





Richmond, VA -

The best part of the holidays was the trip to Richmond, VA - Ben met more family, revisted the ones he's seen before, and made the most of the week of down time. Grandmother Karen the Magnificent and Grandpa were GREAT and let their home be overrun with toys, diapers, and pureed carrots. A few parties, a wedding, and even a baby sitter (twice!) later Ben has had quite the vacation. He wasn't the only baby in the house though - even the little one Airin made an appearance. Hilarity ensued.






Even the big one Rusty made an appearance. Hilarity ensued.








Okay - a few changes to the blog.

First, a new MAJOR LEAGUE BISHOP STORE! Google Ads have become so 2009 and we're gonna slingshot the blog into the new decade. Give the store a look, it's the ad on the right hand side. If you purchase something in the store, Major League Bishop (i.e. Ben) gets a cut - small, but something to put in a college fund. Seriously - any revenue that we get through our ads goes to Ben's college. We'll change the items in the store every now and then. If you see something that you'd like to give as a gift, or something you'd like to give to Ben as a gift, just click on the item and follow the instructions. It's just like buying something online at Amazon.com.

Second, a new feature here on Major League Bishop. We've set up our own email address!

Major League Bishop at gmail dot com.

No, don't write out everything - it's just to keep the spammers from ganking the address. So, each week, we're going to answer our "fan mail" - if you have a question for us - send it in. What did Ben do this week? Are you feeding him well enough? What is his sign? Let us know what you want to know!

It's the best way to grow a blog's audience - interact!


- Brian