Baby names

Thank you Julie and Brandon for making dear Christopher happy and forcing your unsavvy sister-in-law to learn how to use the picture feature of her phone. Congratulations!!

Christopher would like you to name the baby Christopher. As much as I love the name, also, that could get confusing. I am partial to "J" names. I think they are very strong names. Had I had my way, Chris would be Justin which is my absolute favorite boy name. Joseph, John, Jacob, Joshua are good too. In fact, there is the sweetest, most polite young man in Tae Kwon Do named Joshua. So if he is a good representative of Joshua's I'd go with Joshua. Xavier makes an excellent middle name. You could go with Francis Xavier and call him "Our Special FX".

We've had a busy summer. Most of June was spent getting ready for Sami's birthday party. She was so excited. She came up with the idea of decorating big boxes like cars and having the kids wear them and racing with them. The race was supposed to be around the cul-de-sac, but because of rain, we raced around the house. Chris crashed and burned his second time around and that ended the game. He wasn't hurt but the car wasn't up for another run. The pinata was a big hit, no pun intended.

Michele's family is having a reunion on July 21 to celebrate some relatives coming in from California. Michele got the task of making a welcoming banner. The project was bigger than anticipated. She tends to get over creative and overwhelmed.

Otherwise, Michele and the kids have been going to museums, parks and zoos with friends and cousin Kathleen. St. Charles and Geneva have big summer fesitvals with parades, carnivals and food that we go to every year. Sami loved showing Kathleen around. We get together with Kathleen and family for dinner twice a month. I fear those girls growing up, driving and dating. They are so confident and spirited. Good for them, bad for Chris and Joey.

DJ started a new job in June. Then he learned about Dave's upcoming lay off and decided that he couldn't let his brother get the best of him, so yesterday he got laid off. We are thinking of living the TV show "Promised Land". In the show, dad got laid off and the family packed up an RV and traveled across the country. Dad worked odd jobs and mom homeschooled the kids. Can we borrow the PW for a couple of years?

I should go, the kids need breakfast, then they are being shipped to a sitters all day. My birthday present to me, a day without my angels. Tonight, my bible study ladies are coming over for dinner. It's potluck,they provide the food and I provide the drinks. I'm trying my hand at berry margaritas. If I am successful, maybe I can get a job as a waitress and DJ can be Mr. Dad.

Take care, stay cool and looking forward to seeing Julie, Brandon and the as yet unnamed nephew.