Month of the Blog! The End (for now?)

Thank you very much for following along for another installment of MOTB. We hope you enjoyed our antics for another month, because we loved posting it.

Here are some crazy things for you to look forward to!!!!

• Hailey's 1st Birthday
• Trip to Duck, NC
• Durham Reunion 2012
• Cottage Week 2012 (sort of like College Week 2012, but with less texting)
• ??????????

It's the last one which is the best. Who knows. It could end up like this:

or this....

Brian OUT! (sort of like Seacrest OUT, but with less money)

Month of the Blog! Only one day left!

So since next week is Hailey's birthday (she's number 1, she's number 1), we'll take a look back to Ben's first birthday. I mean, next week is going to be all Hailey all the time, so Ben deserves his due.

Ben was 1 on December 14th, 2009. He's already been alive in two decades, a feat which both his mother and  I also accomplished at 2 years old. At this point, he had some crazy stats:


Weight: 24lbs, 2oz (95%)
Height: 31.5in (75%)
Head circumference: 47cm




Now he is:


Weight: Too darn big to pick up
Height: Too darn tall not to smash his head into everything
Head circumference: He is wearing my hats. No seriously. He skipped the whole child size hat thing.


Ben has been quite the adult recently - having full conversations with you. Using imagination.


For example, take the conversation I just had with him while putting him to bed. His name is Zyngo the Superhero. His super powers are 1) Super Strength! 2) Ability to fix things! and 3) Ability to talk to dogs!


He came up with all of that on his own.


Love that Ben!

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Top 5 of May!

Hey Major League Bishopers! With the Month of the Blog winding down once again, I wanted to revisit a bit of the last month.

TOP 5 POSTS - Month of the Blog! - May

#5 - Hailey scootchin' around on her little go-go walker!
http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2012/05/month-of-blog-hailey-and-walker.html

#4 - Major League Bishop's First Ever MAILBAG!
 http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2012/05/month-of-blog-major-league-bishop.html

#3 - Patti completes her half marathon!
http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2012/05/month-of-blog-patti-and-run.html

#2 - Laser Dog has Lyme Disease (no exclamation point here)
http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2012/05/month-of-blog-laser-dog-is-not-amused.html

and the number one post of TMOTB?????

#1 - Well, the neighbors are...ugh
http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2012/05/month-of-blog-serious-post.html


Runner up? http://www.majorleaguebishop.com/2011/09/month-of-blog-ben-and-ducks.html
I'm not sure why though...This was LAST Month of the Blog. But the video is pretty awesome.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hailey on her own...

Hello readers!

Today was a quiet day at home. Patti went off to work to make time and a half (booya!) and I was left to take the kids through their first Memorial Day together.

Well, they were together until Ben took his nap. And Hailey...sleep wasn't as easy today. So Hailey and I had some alone time. We had a ball.

When Hailey is alone, she's a different little person. She's not competing for attention with Ben and can focus on being the sweet girl that she is.

It was a good day.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Pre-Memorial Day Grill Out!

Okay, okay, okay. I saw what the rest of you were doing for this weekend.

Boats, beaches, pool parties, yada yada yada.

But we had a blast too!!! After cleaning up the house and yard on Saturday, we played out on Sunday. Patti's friend Krysten came over and those Michigan girls know how to grill! If you didn't guess, Krysten is from Michigan too. She's the one you may or may not know in the picture below.

Brats (cheese and beer), pub burgers, grilled squash, zucchini, peppers (red and yellow), beans - that don't burn on the grill. A few Summer Shandy's and Ranger IPAs later and we had some good eatin'.

Ben, Hailey, and Abby played out in the yard. Blowup pool was filled to capacity. I think the fire marshall even stopped by to make sure. Abby had to leave so we could get it down under code.

All in all a great day for a great Memorial Day Weekend.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Pool Time!

So today was a good day. A little work, a lot of play.

We finally got around opening our pool. We had the pool boy come by and do a little cleanup, fillerup, and away we go!

You can see that we got a new pool. And a new dog. And a new person.

Okay, fine - that's my parent's pool. I hate them a little every April. But just a little...

Here is our super awesome fun pool!

We love it just the same. And the kids too...

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hailey is quite the talker.

Hailey is such a girl. Very attached to her emotional side. She sits and looks straight at you, trying to figure you out. She plays very nicely with her toys and loves to put them away very carefully.

And boy, can she communicate!

Hailey has learned quite a few words so far. Mama is the easy one. Hailey beams when Mama comes in the room. It's usually two or three Mama's right in a rapid row. Dada is there, but you have to sort of squint your ears to make it out. More like Na-Na - I'll take it.

Tonight we got a new one though. Nite-nite. Clear as day.

And she knows her body language already. When she is serious, she puts her hands on her hips (just like Patti). When she understands you and agrees, she nods her head yes. I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it for myself. She already has the "point this way and carry me there" down pat. Except that it is usually towards somehting she can't have - pens, knives, paper (she still eats paper. sigh).

Obviously, she gives kisses. Mwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

So here was our night routine tonight.

"Hailey, do you want to go to bed?"
Nods
Points
Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
"Goodnight Hailey"
"Nite-nite"

6 minutes later (yes, we counted) she was fast asleep.

Love that Hailey.


- Na-Na.... I mean... Brian.

Month of the Blog! Winding down...or is it?

It is the last week of Month of the Blog! And we have soooooo many videos to get through!

Including this gem - or should I say emerald....




Please don't disown me. I'm begging.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hangman Edition

Hey readers - what is more fun than a Month of the Blog post?

A Month of the Blog: Hangman Edition!

What is MOTB:HE, you ask? Well, you have to guess what we're doing right now. Complete the hangmen below to figure out the clues!


#1 - Doc    Mc_ _ _ _ _ _ _

#2 - _ _ _ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ _     Clubhouse

#3 - Brush     _ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ _

#4 - _ _ ad     3     _ oo_s

#5 - G_    T_    B_ _!


Now for the second set:

#1 - E_ _     _ _ _ _ er

#2 - Dr_ _ _     some     _ _ _ k

#3 - _ _ ss _ s

#4 - G_     T_     B_ _!


Email you answers to MajorLeagueBishop@gmail.com to find out the answers!


Hey, give me a break. It makes you think and you learn a little about our kids. It's a win / win!


- Brian


PS - Not everyone of these is a gem, people.

Month of the Blog! May Flowers

Hey blog readers! Short blog today - Cathy is here helping us plant flowers! Dan laid the foundation and Cathy topped it off.

We have geraniums, and shasta daisies, and hydrangea, and diantus, and impatiens, and little purple ones, and pretty pink ones, and...um...other pretty ones.

And grandma. Boy, grandma helped!

And I've been told to say that this is not in fact Patti. It is Grandma. She's very proud.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! FIRST STEPS!!!!!!

Again! We missed the video evidence!!!!

But Hailey took her first steps a few minutes ago. We weren't expecting anything, but Patti called her name while she was holding onto the ottoman. Hailey turned, thought for about a second and a half, and then took three of the most beautiful steps I've ever seen.

And she did it over, and over, and over. By the time we got the camera, she obviously just wanted the camera.





We just went back and looked for Ben - December 21st, 2009!

Hailey WINS! But who's counting.

(PS - I'm sure she will be, when she learns)


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Serious Post.

So, last night, the kids were in bed. Patti and I were sitting out on the back porch enjoying each other's company (for a change - haha). All of a sudden, we see / hear this:

Six cop cars come rolling in - and by rolling, I mean screaming - down our street and start to set up a perimeter. They block off the street and basically surround a lone SUV. Now, we come to find out, this was the SUV of our katty cornered neighbors. The drug house. The kid who robbed us. The brother who used to break into people's houses and watch them sleep. The kids who stole a car and lit it on fire. The kids who shoot fireworks directly at our house. The family which the Oak Forest Police call "just a nuisance".

Well, the father is not blameless in everything. He's the local drunk - from what we've heard, he parks his car in front of Cindy's Bar all day and drives home every night.

Just like he did last night. And, I'm sure you can guess why all the cop cars now...

He missed his driveway and plowed into his neighbors yard (not ours). We heard the yells coming from across the way and the cops showed up not much later. Patti - well, being Patti - she had to go check things out. There was quite a crowd gathering outside and she met a few of our other neighbors who have had run ins with the druggies. Like the ones who have drug deals going down in their front yard. And the ones who have to keep their four kids inside because of all the foot traffic of undesirables going into and out of that house through their backyard.

According to Patti, the father could not even stand up. Failed his sobriety test, because he had to be held up by two officers the entire time. One of the witnesses took one officer down our road to show all the things he hit driving from the bar. This morning, we saw that our lawn was spared, but there were tire tracks up and down the lawns on Laramie.

So here's the moral of the story. Don't drink and drive. We do not know what damage he caused outside of our little neighborhood and - hopefully - it was little to none. We have not heard of injuries to people, but that does not mean nothing happened. It just makes me angry and a little bit sad that this is the life he chose for his family. And that the people around him and his kin are paying for it.

__________________________________________


In other news, Ben and I played in the sprinkler today for about an hour.

Sprinkler water is the coldest water known to man. If you don't believe me, you can google it.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hailey's New Step???

Okay, okay, okay. Not yet. Hailey is not walking...yet.

But boy is she close!

We don't actually have pictures or video of this yet, but it is so cool, I have to blog about it without.

Hailey loves to come in the kitchen and watch me get ready in the mornings. Cereal, making lunch, cleaning up from the night before...things like that. Recently, this has morphed into her begging to be held/picked up/holding my legs. More recently, she's been grabbing my hands and wanting for me to take her for a walk. You know the drill - hold the hands from above, walking slowly forward so the babe can toddle along getting used to feeling the legs.

She LOVES that. She'll pretty much go anywhere you take her, as long as she's walking with you.

Well, the other day, she started off on one of our walks, but pushed my hands away mid stride. And just stood there by herself for 45 seconds. Yes, all by herself. Yes, I timed it.

In fact it was long enough for me to call out to Ben (who was in the living room) to come and look at your sister. Ben was VERY proud of her - "Good job, Hadey! You're standin'!"

Hailey loves to do this every chance she gets now. She's stood by herself. She's stood and stooped to pick up toys. She's stood after pushing herself up from a crawl.

She HASN'T taken a true step yet. But BOY! is she close.

I bet you'll see another post here soon. With walking.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Ben and Hailey

So Ben and Hailey are getting to the ages where they can really play together. Hailey can rough and tumble quite a bit more than she used to be able and Ben has enough body control that he can be gentle. Well, kind of gentle...

  

They will be playing all weekend with Dad and Mom. While the city of Chicago burns around them, that is... 

At least that's what the news wants us to think...


 - Brian

Month of the Blog! Ben and THE SCIENCE

No, seriously. He's gonna try science!

Ben, Hailey and a bunch of his cousins went to the "other" museum in Chicago - the Museum of Science and Industry! There was electricity (see above), wind, tractors, submarines (not the sandwich), and much other cool stuff. Way to go Huling girls - taking the family to SCIENCE!

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Ben and the Scooby Snacks

Ben love him some snacks. Scooby Snacks.





- Brian

Month of the Blog! Poem for Patti

There once was a girl named Patti
who is a good mommy (not daddy)
we gave her her way
all day Mother's Day
and none of us did drive her batty!

Thank you, thank you. I will be here all the week.


Seriously though.... I hope my wife had a great Mother's Day. She got some cool presents for her working out bag (nice earbuds, yoga mat), some pretty, Mother's Day girly stuff from Ben and Hailey (candles, flowers, pictures). Plus - TWO - dinners. The first was a chicken saltimbocca and risotto dish prepared by yours truly. The other was...well, Outback take out. We had reservations and everything for a great restaurant, but Hailey got sick. See yesterday's blog, if you missed out.

See how relaxed we were without kids.

However, I would not give up where we are for anything. Thank you Patti for being such a great Mom (and wife)!!!!

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Ouchies

Hi everybody -

Here's a short blog today. Ouchies abound.

Hailey is running a temperature for about 4 days. Just a little one, nothing too big. But we don't know exactly what is going on yet. Stay tuned!

Ben just fell down the stairs. Backwards while carrying a bat.

This sounds about right.

Here's a random / old video - NOW IN HD!!!!!!







- Brian (who is currently healthy  - jinx)

Month of the Blog! MAILBAG 2!

Week 1 of the MAILBAG! was a roaring success, so we'll try another one! Many of you emailed in your questions to majorleaguebishop@gmail.com - let's get to 'em!

_________________________________________________

Q1 -  Is Dan the landscaper available in the Richmond area anytime soon?

A - Does a bear...um, maybe I'll use another idiom. So, Dan the Bear - I mean, Dan the Landscaper will be coming to a city near you! First he has a few little projects to do around the house, including Schultzy's Pumpkin Patch, poison ivy removal duty, and chopping firewood. This usually takes all summer. And, "a city near you" means "a city near Dan's boat" since it's that time of year again. Good thing you all live in St. Joseph, Michigan.

_________________________________________________

Q2.  Can Hailey be ANY cuter?

A - Yes.

_________________________________________________

Q3.  Are you teaching the proper way to sneeze (into the elbow) or are you just lazy parents?

A - Since, I truly didn't know that into the elbow was the "proper" way to sneeze, I'm going to go with lazy. And I'm only talking about myself. Patti is never lazy.

_________________________________________________

We'll take these two together:

Q4.  Has shirtless Ben been working out?  He's looking buff.

Q5.  Is shirtless Ben doomed to a life of transparent skin color?

A - Shirtless Ben has been working out since he was 1. He talks about his super strength pretty much every time he picks something up, whether it be a 10lbs of groceries or a box of tissues. And he picks up pretty much everything he touches. Boys...As for his skin color, we're going to leave that one alone. We've heard something about going to jail for fixing that. I mean, Shirtless Ben is preparing himself to be a hipster. We do live in Chicago, you know.

_________________________________________________

Q6. How is the neighborhood drug cartel, and has Hailey made any noises about visiting them in prison?

A - So, THAT is what she's been cooing about! God, I've thought she's been saying Mama and Dada. But, now that I think about it, I can make out "Mama, I want to go to see my boyfriend in prison because you watch Lockup Raw on MSNBC too much and now I think that is what I am supposed to be when I grow up. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Oh, and as for our "neighbors", it's been quiet. Maybe a little too quiet....and now I'm paranoid. Thanks.

That's it for this week's MAILBAG!, so I'm going to sit over by the window and watch. Just watch. And wait.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Picture Guessing Fun Time Quiz!

One of these things is not like the others....

One of these things just isn't the same...

Even Big Bird thinks so.....

 


No seriously, one of those pictures isn't the same. Or is it? Check the slide shows below. I can't tell the difference anymore....


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Moose vs. Cubs

Hi everybody!

Here's a quick blog today to get some cool pics of Wrigley Field out there. My cousin Chris came up to Chicago for the weekend and we both went an did the Wrigley Tour. Great times and great pictures.

Fun Time Game Fact! Only one of these pictures was influenced by Carlos Zambrano. Can you pick which one???

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Man Versus Blog

Guess how many of these I ate?????

Big slabs of french bread, slaw, corned beef, cheese, pastrami, topped off with a pound of french fries. Did I tell you that Adam Richman ate three of these in less than 60 minutes?


 


Well, I only ate one. No wall of fame for me.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Laser Dog is Not Amused

Well, you may have heard it already... Laser Dog is sick.

But, you know, Laser Dog takes sickness by the neck and...well...lasers it. That's a verb. Look it up.

So, Abby has lyme disease probably from a tick or two out back. We've been keeping up on the Frontline, but somehow one made it through. And now she has this...

Borrelia burgdorferi! Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere.^{[citation needed]} Borrelia is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus Ixodes ("hard ticks").^[5] Early symptoms may include fever, headache,fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans (EM).


Yes, I copied that from Wikipedia. So sue me.


Try as I might, I could not find reference to lyme disease causing lasers to shoot out of your eyes. However, there have been a few other well known cases of lyme disease:

I think this is enough evidence that Abby can recover after 4 weeks of antibiotics. I'm a doctor, so I should know.




- Brian




PS - Seriously though. Abby is doing fine and we caught it really early on. Plus, only 4% of animals which test positive for lyme disease wind up getting it. So if we push the antibiotics, rest, and lots of lovin', I'm sure she will recover fully!

Month of the Blog! Patti and the Run

Well, short one tonight.

If you didn't know, Patti has been in training for the past few months to compete in her first ever half marathon! And yesterday, she blew it away - especially since this was her first race ever. The butterflies should have cost an extra mile or two!

So, for those who don't know:

Borgess Run for the Health of It
13.1 miles
2236 runners

This was a heck of an event - bands, bouncy houses, food / beer out the wazoo. Apparently, beer is not just for couches and football.

Well, as I said above, she ROCKED it!

Finished in 1 Hour, 59 Minutes, and 9 Seconds which surpassed her goal of 2 hours. Now, how good is under 2 hours???? Well, Patti finished 63rd in her age class (between ???? and ???? years old), 269th by gender, and  754th overall! The 754th place finish might not sound that good but think of it this way:

That is awesome. I am particularly proud of Patti for doing something I probably could never do (and definitely not as fast). Congrats hon!


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Spring is HERE!

So, Month of the Bloggers... I truly love these pictures. All really get at how fun spring can be with the family. 

Ben is definitely a boy and Hailey is definitely a girl - and this has nothing to do with the kitchen play set. There is just something innate in them which makes Ben plow ahead into climbing trees, scooching ahead to the front of the line, and swinging higher. Hailey sits and looks and stares into your eyes just knowing. She's not timid, but determined. However, she's not that much into swinging yet.

PS - Boy either Hailey is small or Ben is a giant. Or both.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Major League Bishop Mailbag!

Hey, hey, hey. It's the Month of the Blog Major League Bishop Mailbag! Or to simplify things - the MOTBMLBM!

Well, this is it until we have some questions....

I have a few questions, but they were from a while ago. Like 2010.

Question:
1) How am I supposed to take breaks at work without Ben videos?
2) How much does that kid weigh nowadays? Is he back on the charts?
3) Does ben miss his aunt Allison? Just how would he pronounce aunt by the way?
4) Why has Blacksburg gotten so much more snow than Chicago so far?

Answer:
1) You ask, and Major League Bishop delivers!
2) Ben weighs about 40lbs. Yes, he has made it back to #7 on the Billboard Top 40 Charts. Total Eclipse of the Heart Remix. Hailey on the other hand is about 20lbs. No top 40 hits yet.
3) Yes, and Ant. or Awnt. Haven't asked him recently. Hailey pronounces it - daaaa!
4) Two Words - El. Nino.

Come on people! More mailbag questions - send them to majorleaguebishop@gmail.com!

- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hailey and the Sneeze

Being a baby must be an adventure. Even everyday things are a big deal.



Well, everyday things like sneezes. And shirtless Ben. Such an adventure!


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Ben and the Nap

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Wakey wakey.

By the way...Ben takes the hardest naps ever. I mean, when he wakes up, I feel tired just looking at him. He usually is drenched - DRENCHED - in sweat. Stumbling around. Crazy hair everywhere.

And, I think I just visualized Ben in college. Ugh.


- Brian

Month of the Blog! Hailey and the Walker

I think they missed one.

Hailey filled in.

- Brian

Month of the Blog! This Week in Major League Bishop

Hi all - Here at Major League Bishop we like to keep everyone up to date on everything Bishop. This past week was extra crazy. Dan "the Man" Huling came over and helped (read: did everything) redo our gardens.   Dug out the top layer of dirt/rocks/weeds/roots and filled in with nice, new, clean pulverized dirt. Some new cement blocks and a tree trim or two. And see for yourself.

Here's a before:

Here's an after:

Spectacular, right? Patti was his right hand man...er, woman. And together they put some professional landscapers to shame. Here are some more fabulous after pics!

Thanks, Dan!

- Brian

PS - Seriously, the schedule worked out so that he could only come when I was at work. Seriously. 

PPS - Send questions to majorleaguebishop@gmail.com! DO IT! Mailbag commin' up!

MONTH OF THE BLOG RETURNS!

Howdy gals and guys, ladies and gents, Wahoos and Hokies (or insert your local college here).

MONTH OF THE BLOG IS BACK!

We've been busy. Truly busy. But it is time to get back into what is important: spreading nonsense on the internet. I mean, it is what we do best. So, we're gonna do this again for the month of May.

We'll have some video, pictures - some craziness I'm sure.

If you have any questions for us, use our MAILBAG!


majorleaguebishop@gmail.com 

Send questions, comments, stories and I will do at least one mailbag blog this month. If we get enough, maybe once a week. It's up to you! So I will leave you some questions to ponder.

Send in your answers to majorleaguebishop@gmail.com:

1) Where did Ben get this hat?
2) Where did Ben get this shirt?
3) Where did Ben get these pants?
4) What kind of parent would let him wear these all at the same time?

Happy Month of the Blog!

- Brian