Sunset at the Beach in Destin, Florida

Hal Humphreys and me at the "Whale's Tale" in Destin, FL. If you enlarge the photo by clicking on it, you can see Jude and John Patrick reflected in our sunglasses. Pretty cool.

Beach Boy

This is one photo from an amazing series of photos of Jude and John Patrick on the beach in Destin, Fl, that our friend, Kim Green, took this afternoon. We met Kim and her husband, Hal Humphreys, for lunch at the "Whale's Tale," a local restaurant that overlooks the ocean. Coincidentally, Kim and Hal were in Destin, Fl, the same we week as us. It was good to spend some time with them.

I'm pretty certain this is the best photo ever taken of Jude, John Patrick and me. Jude's aunt, Judy Quinilty, took it this afternoon at the house they're renting in Destin, Fl. The entire clan is in town for Jude's brother's wedding in Ft. Walton Beach, Fl, on Saturday.

Juju and Grandma

Here's a photo of Jude's mother, Jane, and her sister, Judy Quinilty, with their grandsons, John Patrick and Nicholas. Boy, are they proud grandmothers or what?

On our way to Destin on Monday, December 29, 2008, for James' (Jude's brother) wedding, Jude and I stopped at a Hardee's in Florala, Alabama, to feed John Patrick. We felt compelled to buy something while we were there, so we got milkshakes. Man, were they good. I took this photo from the back of the parking lot at Hardees which, believe it or not, overlooked a park and a beautiful lake.

Um, here's proof I look a lot older than I did nine months ago. Actually, the holiday beard, er, goatee, will be gone in a day or two, as Jude, John Patrick and I will be attending her brother's wedding in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Notice how natural John Patrick looks sitting on the bar at the 12 South Taproom, yesterday afternoon. A chip off the old block, I'll say.

Rock-n-Roll!

Okay, John Patrick is nine months old today, but in these photos Jude took a couple of days ago, he looks a lot older, at least to me, anyway. Of course, I'm guessing I look a lot older than I did nine months ago, too.

Swingin'

A couple of days ago, Jude, her parents and her brother, James, took John Patrick to the Nashville Zoo. Jude has a season pass and it's one of her favorite places in town to visit. It's also a great place to walk with him, in his stroller, when the weather is nice. Anyway, she took some photos of him swinging in a swing. Pretty cool shots, aren't they?!?

Bath Time!

Here's a great shot of John Patrick taking a bath. The older he gets (and he's 9 months old today!!!), the more he seems to enjoy his time in the tub. It's hilarious, but when Jude is giving him a bath, she'll squeeze the wash rag out in front of him, higher than his head. He watches the water drip down in a stream, then tries to catch it. He looks puzzled when the water goes right through his hands.

Christmas Day

Wow.

It's a little after 9 p.m. on Christmas night, Jude just went up to bed and I'm sitting downstairs, in my "man chair," drinking a glass of wine and relaxing after a hectic, exhausting day. You know what, though? I wouldn't have it any other way. Jude, John Patrick and I are blessed not to have to travel out of town for the holidays. More importantly, we're blessed to have our families here to celebrate Christmas with us.

Jude and I were up late, last night, wrapping gifts and preparing for today's holiday festivities. I didn't go up to bed until well after 1 a.m. When I checked on John Patrick, I was a bit alarmed to discover he had picked up a head cold. He wasn't sleeping soundly and, instead, was sniffling and coughing. I woke Jude up and she confirmed he had sounded the same when she had checked on him an hour or so earlier. I didn't sleep well, worrying about him.

This morning, early, we had Christmas with John Patrick. He particularly enjoyed "unwrapping" gifts he received from the two of us. It appeared that, to him, the objects inside the wrapping paper were just put there to give us something to wrap the wrapping paper around. He really got a kick out of tearing the paper, then trying to eat it.

Jude's mom and dad and her brother, James, came over to our house after attending the Christmas morning church service at the Cathedral (where Jude and I were married). We opened gifts together and spent some nice, quiet family time for a couple of hours. Then, about noon, Jude, John Patrick and I packed up and drove over to the clubhouse at River Plantation in Bellevue, where her grandparents live. There, we visited with her grandparents and various members of her family and had a wonderful meal together. We especially enjoyed seeing Jude's cousin Colleen and her husband, Tom Blanchard, in from Charlotte, NC. We don't get to visit with them often, so it was nice to spend some time with them.

Next, it was home again for a quick nap, then back on the road to my mom's house about 4:30 p.m. We had another meal with my family, which was nice, then opened gifts. It's fun to watch the latest generation of children enjoy Christmas (David and Stacy Clark's daughter and son, Hope and Will, Brad and Teresa Miles' twins, Ben and Sarah, and now, John Patrick).

In a reenactment of one of my finer moments from Christmases past, I brought "silly string" and offered Brad's son, Ben, five dollars to spray everyone in the room, as they opened their presents. He's probably a year or two away from realizing the value of a dollar, because I couldn't convince him to buy in, so to speak. David's daughter, Hope, was game, although she's actually younger than Ben. She had a hard time operating the can of "silly string" and I didn't help matters by spraying her in the face, accidentally, while I trying to instruct her in the finer points of "silly string" warfare. It's always funny until somebody gets hurt, I guess. She was fine and, in the end, the kids had fun trying to avoid me spraying them.

We left my mom's house and arrived home with John Patrick about 7 p.m. Jude fed him, then she and I opened our stockings to see what Santa had left for us. Forgetting that I was the one who liked malted milk balls, not Jude, I encouraged her to try the ones I had picked up for her at the Fresh Market. No worries, I ate several and they were quite tasty. Then it was bath time for John Patrick and a snack before bed. Just to show us how much he enjoyed Christmas day, John Patrick threw up all over Jude as she was feeding him before bed.

Overall, a successful day, I think.

More Santa

Santa!!!

John Patrick, talking things over with Santa Claus. Apparently, he had a pretty long list of toys to discuss. Santa's listening intently, as you can see.

Jude and John Patrick, waiting in line to see Santa Claus. At this point, we weren't quite sure how he would react, sitting in Santa's lap. We were encouraged, since he had done pretty well in Ronald McDonald's lap on our way to St. Louis for Christy White's wedding a couple of months ago. Of course, Ronald was made of plastic and didn't talk.

Visiting Santa

Lately, Jude and I have been feeling like slacker parents, since we hadn't made time to fight the crowds at the mall and take John Patrick to see Santa Claus. There being no time like the present and since Christmas was only a couple of days away, we agreed to meet at Green Hills Mall after work on Tuesday, the 23rd of December.

I was running a little bit late and my mood didn't improve, when I spent fifteen minutes playing musical chairs with other drivers, trying to find an open parking space. The drivers were cruising the parking lot like sharks, waiting for people to exit the mall, then trying to guess where their car was parked. As soon as someone walked up to his or her car, it was a mad dash as all of the rest of us wheeled down rows of parking spaces, trying to get to soon to be vacant space before one of the other competitors.

Once I got inside, I went upstairs and found Jude and John Patrick in line. My spirits lifted. There were about ten families in front of us and we waited more than an hour to see Santa Claus, but it was worth it. Once we got to the front of the line, John Patrick appeared perfectly comfortable in Santa's lap and smiled while his picture was taken. A piece of cake, really.

The Simple Things

Jude and I have discovered, firsthand, that it's not the store bought toys that capture John Patrick's interest, it's the simple ones. Tupperware is a big hit, especially when we put him in his high chair, while we're getting dinner ready for him. He loves to tear up paper and to play with plastic water bottles.

The last few days, he's enjoyed sitting in this box, playing and talking. Since these photographs were taken, Jude drew wheels on it and glued a paper steering wheel on the inside of it. Now, John Patrick has his first car. She pushes him up and down the hall upstairs, making car noises, as he sits contentedly his in "car." It's pretty funny.

Christmas Dog

I've had this "Christmas Dog" for years. I always make a big production of getting it out with all the rest of our Christmas decorations. As you can see, John Patrick made his acquaintance immediately and they seem to be getting along famously.

Turn the Page

Jude and I believe one of the most important gifts you can give a child is a love of reading. We read to him every day. Even on those occasions when he is a little fussy, he almost always calms down immediately if one of us sits him in our lap and places a book in front of him. We really, really love to read to him.

Last weekend, excited, Jude called me into his play area upstairs. She was sitting on the floor, with John Patrick in her lap, reading to him. As she finished reading a page, she lifted it slightly, then he grabbed it and turned it, all by himself. We were amazed! We watched him do it over and over again, laughing .

By today, a week later, he's really got the hang of it. It almost seems like he enjoys turning the pages as much as he enjoys looking at the pages.

Two Part Harmony

Lately, John Patrick has been squealing a lot. I mean, a whole lot. Sunday morning, Jude got up first, fed him, then took him downstairs while she made breakfast. I was awakened by the sound of his squealing, squealing and squealing some more. I was laying in bed, laughing, because his squealing really is the sound of happiness. When I got out of bed and went downstairs, he was sitting in the "exersaucer," smiling and squealing.

The really funny thing he does now, though, is to squeal in harmony with me. I'll sit him in my lap in one of the"man chairs" in the den, facing me. When I make a high pitched, falsetto sound, he'll look at me, then make the same sound himself. It's really pretty cool. If I change the pitch, as long as the note I hit is a high one, he mimics it and harmonizes with me. Jude and I laugh and laugh when he does it.

Friday with Daddy

Today, I stayed home with John Patrick until about 1:30 p.m., when Jude came home from work and took over. I had to go into the office for a meeting late this afternoon.

We had a really nice, relaxing day together. This morning, he was hungry and ate well at breakfast, then chugged his milk like a champ. We played downstairs for a while, mostly hanging out on the blanket on the floor of our den. He took a nap for about an hour and half before lunch, which was nice. It's great because, almost always, he fusses a little bit when I put him down for nap, but then goes right to sleep.

When I woke him up from his morning nap about 10:00 a.m., I have him another bottle, which he hammered. Then, we loaded up and drove over to Wolf Camera on West End Avenue to have some photographs developed. He was awake the entire time we were there and, until the very end, sat patiently in his car seat while I reviewed digital photographs to print. When he got a little fussy, I put him in my lap as I finished up. When I went to pay, I just sat him on the counter.

Next, back home for lunch. He ate great again and Jude arrived home just after lunch.

Worth of note is the fact that as we sat in one of the "man chairs" after breakfast, he babbled away. For the first time, he said, "da-da-da-da-da-da-da." He hasn't made a "d" sound before, so I was pretty excited. He has no idea what it means, nor do I, but one can always dream.

Food Fight!

Most mornings, Jude gets John Patrick up about 7 a.m., feeds him, then gets him dressed for the day. As she leaves, I take him downstairs, select some music to play on the ipod, sit him in his high chair and feed him breakfast. It's the highlight of my day.

Often times, mind you, it's challenging, depending on John Patrick's mood. Fortunately, I've developed some strategies for "encouraging" him to eat, even when he isn't interested in doing so. On a given morning, I may use one strategy or a combination of strategies, depending on how quickly he picks up on what I'm doing. Eight month olds are smarter than you think when it comes to doing what they want to do, as opposed to what you want them to do.

In no particular order, here are some of the strategies I've used.

1. Humor. As I hold the spoon in front of his face, I smile, laugh, sing, etc., until John Patrick opens his mouth to smile, then I shove the spoon in his mouth. Normally, it's my first option.

2. Distraction. I make a noise, say "boo," or otherwise distract John Patrick until he opens his mouth, then in goes a spoonful of food.

3. Bait and Switch. One of my favorites. After he's been eating for a few minutes, sometimes John Patrick starts to get bored and refuses to open his mouth. He'll hum, make noise, all with his lips pursed tightly together. I take a tupperware container or the top of one of his babyfood containers and hold it in front of his mouth. He looks at it, then opens his mouth to chew on it. When that happens, I shove the spoon right in. It works almost every time.

4. Deception. If all else fails, this is my go to strategy. When John Patrick gets tired of eating his rice cereal, which is kind of bland, I feed him a spoonful or two of babyfood fruit (apples, pears, bananas, etc.). Then, I mix in a few spoonfuls of rice cereal, then back to the fruit. He looks at me like he's kind of confused at times, but he eats all of his food.

5. Heavy Equipment Operator. At times, this approach works, as well. Basically, I fill the spoon up with babyfood fruit, babyfood vegetables or rice cereal (whichever is the food of choice), and make a noise like an airplane, a train, a bulldozer, etc., as the spoon approaches John Patrick's mouth. On a good day, he opens his mouth, probably as a puzzled reaction to all the dumb noises his father is making.

6. The Rhythm Method (also known as the Chanting Monk). When John Patrick and are really clicking and in sync, it takes little effort or thought to feed him. I fill up the spoon with babyfood or rice cereal, he opens his mouth and in goes the spoon. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. At times like this, when the whole operation is flowing smoothly, I find myself humming or saying "yum," as I put the spoon into his mouth, almost like a repetitive chant. We're in the zone. It doesn't happen a lot, but man is it nice when it does.

I'm guessing, though, that I'm only going to be able to outsmart John Patrick for a limited time. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Hunting Season!!!

This morning, John Patrick and I got up really, really early, so we could spend some time in the deer stand before I had to go to work. As you can see, he was really excited after he killed his first deer - a 10 point buck - with a cross bow, no less. I've always thought it's good to get children started hunting early.

Like Father, Like Son

John Patrick, sitting in one of daddy's "man chairs," watching a football game, no doubt.

Lately, John Patrick loves to snuggle with Jude and pull her hair.

Why?

Today has been a difficult, difficult day.

My friend's 17-year old daughter, Elizabeth, died this morning about 6 a.m. I don't know what to say, what to think or what to do. It's almost beyond comprehension. I just can't make sense of any of it.

Although I realized there might come a day when I would cry on my son's shoulder, I never thought it would be when he was eight months old. Nonetheless, that's exactly what I did this morning after I heard the news. I took my son in my arms, hugged him and cried on his shoulder.

As I walked back home with John Patrick this afternoon, lost in my thoughts, I passed a small church on 12th Avenue - Tabernacle Baptist Church. A sign out front said, "True faith doesn't have a plan B." That's about as close as I can come to understanding why this happened.

Please say a prayer for Elizabeth's parents, grandparents and her entire family.

A Time to Pray

The daughter of one my close friends has been hospitalized, first at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, now at Vanderbilt Medical Center, for the past two weeks. She's a senior in high school this year, although I've known her since she was three or four years old.

Her name is Elizabeth and if you're reading my blog and see this post, please say a prayer for her. She's critically ill. She and her family need all the prayers they can get right now. Thanks.

Thanksgiving Day

It sure is lonely eating at the kids' table.

Thanksgiving Day

Okay, so maybe my parents will let me have turkey next year. I hope so, anyway.

Jude and John Patrick on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving day, a photo of Jude and John Patrick taken inside the clubhouse at River Plantation, the subdivision in Bellevue where Jude's grandparents, Rita and Jim White, and her aunt, Margaret McCutcheon, live. I love this photo.

Thanksgiving day, John Patrick hanging out with Jimdad before the big meal.

Puryear, Newman & Morton

This is a photo of our law office. Mark, Chas and I bought the building a little more than three years ago. It was in a state of complete disrepair, so we had to have it completely renovated. It's a great location - right across from the Williamson County Courthouse, in the heart of downtown Franklin.

Take J.P. to Work Day

Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, was "Take John Patrick to Work Day." Our nanny, Carley Farley Meade, wanted to get away a little early, as she had travel to West Virginia that evening. Also, I hadn't taken John Patrick to work in quite some time, so I came home for lunch, then drove back to Franklin.

First, we visited the ladies in the Circuit Court Clerk's office and in the Clerk and Master's office. They marveled at how big he has gotten since the last time they saw him. Next, I stopped in my friend, Virginia Story's office. Although Virginia was gone for the holiday, John Patrick did get to meet my friend, Joanie Abernathy, an attorney with whom I work on a regular basis. She's probably the nicest, kindest attorney in the Williamson County Bar and a good friend. Finally, we made it over to my office.

The ladies in my office were tickled to see him. Lisa Johnson, who has been with us forever and loves children, took John Patrick off my hands immediately, carrying him around the office. As a joke, she and I photographed him sitting in the chair behind Lori Reid's desk, since Lori was gone and missed seeing him. I made a couple of calls and did a little work, while the ladies entertained him.

It was a beautiful afternoon, unseasonably warm for late November, so I left the office and took him for a long stroll around downtown Franklin. It was a great day for a walk and there were lots of people walking up and down Main Street, shopping, or just enjoying the afternoon. When I got back to the office, I gave him a bottle of formula, sitting behind my desk, leaning back in my chair. That was kind of cool. Later, Lisa Johnson took a couple of photos of John Patrick and me in my office.

What a great, pre-holiday afternoon.

Nice Lid!

A closeup of John Patrick, bundled up in the stroller, after a brisk afternoon walk last Sunday.

Last Sunday afternoon, although it was a bit cold, I took John Patrick for a walk. As you can see, the leaves from my maple tree fell a couple of weeks after this year's Leaf party. Here, John Patrick is sleeping in a new winter outfit my mom got for him.

John Patrick and Daddy, reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."

As you can see, this is one happy baby!

Wolf, Cyndi, Finn and Scout Baines, playing in the leaves after the Leaf Party.

Mike Matteson, Phil Byerly, my mom and sister, and Stacy Byerly, on our front porch at the Leaf Party.

Jude's folks, Jim and Jane White, along with her grandparents, Jim and Rita White, at the Leaf Party earlier this month.

Halloween Photos

Jude and John Patrick on Halloween.

Young Jane and John Patrick.

Group photo, just prior to trick-or-treating.

Phil, Young Jane, Jude and John Patrick.

Scout and Wolf Baines, holding Finn Baines and John Patrick on our front porch on Halloween night.

Wolf and Scout Baines, sitting on our front porch swing Halloween night, making scary faces. They were smiling the rest of the evening, as we went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Fright Night

Wednesday evening, after work, I stopped by to see our friends, Hal Humphreys and Kim Green, at their house on Halcyon Avenue. While I was there, Jude called. She was out running errands with John Patrick and wanted to stop by. She did and John Patrick slept in the living room in his car seat, while we sat around the island between the kitchen and dining room, having a glass of wine and talking.

When John Patrick awoke, I lifted him out of his car seat and sat him down the counter between us. He was sitting up all by himself, which is his big thing lately, and playing with a plastic spoon, when Hal asked, "what is that lump on the back of his neck?" Jude and I looked at each other, then felt around the right side of the back of his neck, near the base of his skull, and sure enough, there was a small lump. My heart nearly stopped, as my mind raced through a set of worst case scenarios. We stayed for a while longer, then drove home.

It was too late to call our doctor, so Jude agreed to call him the next morning at 9 a.m., when his office opened for the day. We played with John Patrick for a while, then put him to bed. After Jude went up for bed a while later, I did a little research on the Internet. WebMD is a dangerous tool when in the wrong hands, particularly those of a frightened father like me. I didn't sleep well at all that night, as you can imagine.

Thursday morning, Jude went to work first. I had a mediation in Nashville, so I fed John Patrick and waited on our nanny, Carley to arrive. When I told her about the lump on his neck, she assured me he would be fine. Jude was able to get him in to see our doctor at 10:15 a.m.

Dr. Godfrey examined him, felt the lump, and suggested it's most likely a swollen lymph node from an infection he's picked up somewhere. In my research, I had read that infants can get swollen lymph nodes if they have excema or get a scratch on their face or head. We were relieved, needless to say, but we're still going to keep a close eye on it.

Man, being a parent is scary sometimes.

The End of an Era

Most, if not all, mornings since John Patrick was born, Jude has gotten him up at 7 a.m., changed his diaper, and brought him into our bedroom. There, she climbed into our bed and breastfed him. Typically, I wouldn't hear her get up, but I would stir, then wake, to the sound of her talking quietly to him as she fed him. I'd role over toward her, open my eyes, and she would say to him, "look, there's your daddy," or "say good morning, daddy."

Earlier this week, I think it was Wednesday morning, I woke up about 7:30 a.m. or so, rolled over and was surprised to see that Jude's side of the bed was empty. I rubbed my eyes, got out of bed and walked into the upstairs hallway. I looked into the nursery (a.k.a. the men's lounge) and saw Jude feeding John Patrick from a bottle. I knew she had stopped pumping or, at least, wasn't pumping as much breastmilk, but she had continued breastfeeding him in the mornings. "Are we done with breastfeeding?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "there's not enough breast milk."

I started downstairs, then came back upstairs, opened the the screen door to the nursery, and stepped inside. I thanked Jude for sacrificing so much to breastfeed John Patrick for seven months. Then, I went downstairs to take a shower.

It amazes me, when I think about it, to consider all of the sacrifices Jude (and all mothers, really) has made for our son. Really, it only began with her actually becoming pregnant and carrying him to term. She pricked her fingers at least four times a day to check her blood sugar, after she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. She underwent major surgery to give birth to John Patrick. She stayed home from work and cared for him, all day every day, for three months after he was born. She breastfed him several times a day for seven months. She pumped breast milk, at home and at work, for seven months. Even now, as I tell people all the time, she "does most of the heavy lifting" when it comes to caring for him, although I help care for him, too. It's impossible for me to articulate how much I appreciate her for all that she has done and continues to do, every day, for our son.

I digress, because what I really want to write about is how nostalgic, even sad, it makes me to realize that Jude won't be breastfeeding John Patrick anymore. For one thing, it's another sign he's getting older. Now, he's eating rice cereal, lots of baby food and even mashed up bananas. Also, though, and what I'm thinking about tonight, is how the moments when she breastfed him were so intimate, so special and such a privilege to watch.

Thinking about it one day and wondering why it meant so much to me, I decided that Jude's breastfeeding John Patrick was comparable to one of those rare winter mornings, when I get up early and see that it's snowed a couple of inches overnight. It's so peaceful and beautiful to go for a walk, before anyone has walked on the sidewalk or many cars have driven on the streets. On those early mornings, part of the beauty lies in the fact that I know, soon enough, the sun will come out, the temperature will rise and the snow will be gone by early afternoon. So many of the most beautiful things in life are fleeting, often mere moments, that you know aren't likely to pass your way again. They slip by and they're gone before you know it.

Decision 2008

It's election night and within the last hour, the networks declared that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America. I wonder if, years from now, John Patrick will read in history books at school about this historic night, when our great nation elected an African American president for the first time in history.

Just for fun, I drove down to the Mercy Lounge, where the local Democrats were holding an election party. I had a difficult time finding a parking place, because there were so many people at the party. As I waited in line to go inside, I struck up a conversation with an older, African American woman in front of me. She literally squealed with delight when I told her the networks had declared that the state of Virginia had gone Obama's way.

I only stayed at the party for five or ten minutes, because I just wanted to see firsthand the how excited the people there were. The crowd was very young and very diverse, which I expected. It was amazing to see such a diverse crowd celebrating together. It gives me hope that, perhaps, when all is said and done, Barack Obama may be able to unify our country after all.

Barack Obama and his family just walked onto the stage at Grant Park in Chicago, where he is going to give his acceptance. Over 100,000 people are in attendance there, which is incredible. I'm going to listen to him give what should be a historic speech.

The Calm After the Storm

It's late and I'm going to go upstairs in a minute, look in on John Patrick, then read in bed for a little while before I go to sleep. I'll write more later about the Leaf Party Weekend, hopefully tomorrow.

Troy, Cyndi and the kids (Wolf, Scout and Finn) left our house for the airport about 7 p.m. As always, there was a whirlwind of activity as they wound up their stay with us by packing their things and loading the rental car, before racing to the airoprt. Somehow, Scout lost her shoes. I took the annual photograph of the Baines family on our front porch steps, we hugged and said our goodbyes, then Jude, John Patrick and I walked up the front port steps and into the house. Jude held John Patrick and waved to Cyndi through one of our front windows and, suddenly, they were gone and our house was quiet again.

Jude fed John Patrick at the dining room table, in his high chair. I made a sandwich and sat down at the table with them. Jude and I talked about the weekend a bit, but mostly felt sad that it had passed by so quickly. Later, when she took him upstairs to get ready for bed, I cleaned up the last remnants of the party in our front yard. I felt a bit melancholy, as I pulled the John Deere wagon around back, loaded down with various toys, camping chairs and coolers. I smiled when I got around back and kicked the soccer ball that Wolf, Scout and I had been playing with a few hours earlier.

Jude and I are so blessed to have friends like Troy and Cyndi Baines. It's wonderful to have them as guests at our house, but it's so sad when they leave. It reminds us of how much we miss them and how much fun we would have with them, if they still lived in Nashville. We marvel at how much Wolf and Scout have grown. Time is fleeting and passes by so quickly. Really, in the blink of any eye, it seems, the years slip by.

Daddy and John Patrick on Halloween.

Young Jane, Phil, Jude and John Patrick.

Wolf and Scout, on the front porch swing, getting ready to trick or treat in the Hood.

Halloween in the Hood!!

Our friends, Troy and Cyndi Baines and their children, Wolf, Scout and Finn arrived in town yesterday for the 6th Annual Leaf Party. Tonight, we loaded up the strollers and trick or treated in the Hood. Although it was hit or miss, we visited several houses in the neighborhood where Wolf and Scout, dressed as a vampire and a witch, respectively, got lots of treats.

We stopped by the fire station on 12th Avenue and Wolf and Scout actually gave the firemen a bunch of candy. We also stepped inside and took a look at one of the firetrucks. The kids were impressed.

After Cyndi and Jude put the kids to bed, Troy and I stopped by Hal Humphreys' 40th birthday party ("Hal-loween") on Halcyon Street. Then, we grabbed a quick bite at Mafiozza's and came home for the night.

Tomorrow, the Leaf Party!

I took this photo today, as John Patrick and I strolled through our neighborhood. The gargoyle sits atop a pretty cool building that a developer completed nearby. I think there are four condominiums each in two buildings.