December 18, 2000
It's another boy!
That's right at 5:30am on December 14, 2000, Lucas Xavier Barton was born. (LX Barton - he's the luxury model!) He came in tipping the scales at 9lbs 2oz and standing 22" tall! (If he could stand...). Everybody is doing well. Shari's parents are at the house, helping out! They'll be here through christmas. We've got a couple of pictures of young Luke, so check them out. That's all for now.

November 22, 2000
Hmmmm, something looks different. That's right. We just went through a major cosmetic upgrade. I've replaced the icons with a menu bar. It should look a little cleaner (although it may take a little longer to load). Anyway, Thanksgiving is upon us. My WHOLE family is coming to town today. If this doesn't put Shari into labor nothing will. Speaking of Shari. She is doing ok. She hasn't gained much 'extra' weight. The kid has gotten very uncomfortable recently, and she wants it out! In other news, I have completed and ad-hoc, post-season, wood project. But Mike, aren't you supposed to do those in the spring?? Well yes, but I felt inspired. Alex got some Thomas the Train stuff, and part of the package featured extra track pieces. There was a really cool peice that was shaped kind of like a 'T'-intersection. Well I decided to duplicate it. I did and it came out well. I'll get some pictures up when I can. That's all for now. Thanks for surfing by.

October 3, 2000
Just a small update this time. Alex Birthday has come and gone. He got a ton of presents, but his favorites are the Hot Wheels car set and the computer CDROMs. Alex went for his 4-year old check up. He is 41" tall and weighs 40 lbs. That puts him in the 60th percentile for height and 50th for weight. (he's slowing down...note to self: increase steroid dosage :)). Finally I have a new picture of the finished sidewalk. (I'm still catching flack from my 60+ year old parents to keep my web content current sheeesh

September 5, 2000
Wow, it was a laborious labor day. Shari and I poured a new sidewalk for our house. It is about 30 linear feet and it took 48, 80lb bags of concrete! Note: Keep your hands away from the spinning mixer. After a few loads, the concrete on the sides of the mixer, turn it into about 10 grit sandpaper (tears your skin up). For some pictures of the new walk and porch click here. Speaking of house projects, the kitchen is all done. We finally got the pergo floor down. For pictures of that click here. Lastly, football season has finally arrived. The Redskins won and the Packers lost (to the Jets). More importantly the Jets-Packers plaque must now be shipped to My brother Terry. Speaking of Terry, his wedding went off without a hitch. However, his honeymoon was another story. You'll have to ask him yourself. That's all for now, thanks for surfing by!

August 9, 2000
Well, I make this one short. The Bartons are expecting another boy!! We saw the ultrasound yesterday, and found out it's a boy. He's due in mid December. (probably will come early depending on the outcome of the Redskins-Cowboys games :)). That's about it, Terry is still going forward with the wedding, so we'll be there on Saturday. Thanks for stopping by!

June 2, 2000
Ahh, Spring is here and it's time for another update. To follow up from the last update, Terry managed to remain accident free (although he did have to get his knee scoped, but that didn't count). Speaking of Terry, he is ENGAGED! He and Sarah are getting married on August 12. I will be the best man, so if you have any ideas for a bachelor party, let me know!

Also in last month's update, I mentioned I began building a sewing box. Well I have finished it!!!! It was very complicated, but well worth it. If you want to see pictures of it you can click here. (also includes pictures of last year's project - the display case) And with that I am taking an indefinite hiatus from woodworking/furniture building.

Finally, summer is coming and that means we have outdoor projects to complete. The first was a garden. We created and 8' x 8' plot and planted a bunch of vegetables. Surprisingly, the plants are all thriving! The second project is the front porch. The lower spindles were rotting away, and we have already removed them. For a look at the before picture (the rotting spindles) click here. Now that the spindles are down, we are deciding if we really want to replace them (we like the look of the porch without the spindles...plus we can save hundreds of dollars!!). Anyway, I'll post more updates as events warrant. Thanks for surfin' by!

February 15, 2000
Wow, another update! (Football is over, so I need to occupy myself somehow) A lot has happened in the last month. Where to start...well about 5 weeks ago, Alex and I were running in the basement and he fell at his toy box. He split open his lip and we went to the hospital for a couple stitches. Then about 3 weeks ago, Alex and I were running in the basement (note to self: stay out of the basement) and I ran into the newly installed humidifier on our furnace. I split open my head and we went to the hospital for four staples. (Yes, real, metal, shiny, staples!). Then last weekend, my father slips on the ice and tears the tendon in his knee. (Surgery scheduled this Thursday). Well it's clear to see that my brother is a marked man. I'd say in about 10 days he's due for a trip to the hospital. Terry, if you're reading this, you better stay inside and surround yourself with pillows.

Now that that is out of the way, spring in on the horizon, and we will be traveling to my inlaws. If you read this page regularly, you will remember that I put my foot in my mouth last year, and ended up building a display cabinet (although it did come out nice!) Well, this year, when Shari leaves for her parents (I will follow 3 days later), I will begin building an expandable sewing box (hard to explain - just trust me). It's a smaller project, but a lot more complicated. Well, tune in later to see how it all turns out! Thanks for stopping by!

January 6, 2000
Wow, Welcome to the new millenium! (I know that 'technically' this is not the new millenium, but numerically speaking it is. Just because our calendar was created before the concept of a 0 value, doesn't mean our celebration should be penalized (email me if you want to debate this further))
Anyway, Christmas has come and gone. Alex was really into it. He even understood Santa. We/Alex got a ton of presents (although it seems less than last year (thank you Grammy)). So far his favorite is the Thomas the Train set and the remote controlled cars. Update on the display case: It is finished. It came out great and is stocked with china from Shari's grandmother. My next project will be designing/building a sewing box. (Mom if you're reading, measure yours (and/or take pictures) and email me the info)