HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

Pictures from our Fourth of July at the O'Leary Annual Party on Shady Lake. It was quite the adventure. Happy Fourth, everyone!

Three Amigos: Cora, Nick, and Daniel

Daddy and Daniel had some fun playing in the water. He could have done this forever, but not Dad's back.

Lake Shady pre-start fireworks. Emphasis on "pre". Things got pretty amazing.

This video shows just how intense the fireworks got. And this wasn't even the most active part of the night. Bonus points if you can catch the errant bottle rocket that flies into the video around second 22. No one noticed, and we didn't notice until watching the video. Close call!

Celebrate your country's independence by blowing up a small piece of it.

Dude

Dude.

Daniel's First Haircut

Big day yesterday. Daniel had his very first haircut. Our good friends Sarah and Aaron came over for dinner and Sarah, who used to be a professional hairstylist, did the honors. It was quite the moment. Mommy was sad to see some of the curls go but Dad was getting worried about the mullet that was beginning to form.

It begins...

Even though he was brave, a little reassurance from Mom helped calm the nerves.

Daniel thought combs went in your bellybutton.

Snack break. Getting your hair cut really takes it out of you.

Just incase things got rough, Daniel had a prayer card handy.

The final product!

Thanks, Sarah!

Strollers, hats, and hands

Daniel got to see his long-lost friend today, Ellie Eusterman. Katie and Ellie went down to the park with Daniel and Mommy, and on our way there was some spontaneous hand holding:)

Daniel's Interview

We posed some fun questions to Daniel the other day.

Don't worry, there's no hidden message:)

Mad

Daniel was mad the other day.

Fun

Daniel was able to see his friend Cora the other day. They did a great job playing nicely together, and even managed to squeeze in a hug for the cameras:)

Daniel and Cora :)



Daniel has enjoyed his time outside during the sunny days. His pool and soccer ball have been a big hit. And apparently so has eating Mommy's chives!

Talking Baby

Daniel and I were walking to the lake the other day and happened to pass by a dad with his 3-4 year old daughter. As we passed each other the little girl accidentally dropped one of the toys she was carrying. Daniel noticed this and, just as we went by, he exclaimed, plain as day, "UH OH!"

We continued to walk by and I heard the little girl turn to her daddy and say, "Daddy, I didn't know babies could talk!" I could only imagine the interrogation the dad got later as the daughter questioned why he never told her babies could talk:)

Fr. Daniel?

It's been fun seeing Daniel get to know the priests at our church, Blessed Sacrament. In fact, Daniel has taken quite an interest in the religious life.

Here's Daniel during his first discernment meeting in 2007 with the Dominican Vocation's Director, and good friend, Fr. Steven - the priest that married us.

Daniel: "Fr. Steven, how much time do you get for naps when you're a priest?"

Here's Daniel getting a run-through from another good friend, Fr. Jordan, on how to operate the confessional.

Daniel: "Now which one of these switches gives people their penance?"

Bearded Baby

Daniel had some fun in the bath with Mommy's shaving cream the other day. We knew Daniel was growing up fast, but we didn't think this fast!