September 1, 2003
Just a quick update for those who care. It' been a busy summer. Check out the pictures. We went to Cedar Point. Alex went on all of the rides that he was allowed to go on...INCLUDING MILLENIUM FORCE (3rd fastest/tallest coaster on the planet!!) He loved it! We couldn't pull him away from the park. Alex also took in another professional football game. A preseason game of the Browns VS the Packers...he was cheering on the Browns...there's still time...Anyway he'll be joining us for the 16th Annual Barton Invitational! Finally, Alex starts first grade. He isn't thrilled, but we suspect that is because it's longer than kindergarden and he just got finished with the summer and isn't ready to go back to school.

In other news, Lucas continues to grow. He tips the scales at 55lbs and is starting to fit into the things Alex is just now growing out of!! (They are 4 years apart!) Lucas starts his pre-school next week. Check back for more details...as I have time. Thanks for stopping by!

July 20, 2003
As you can see we've made some changes. New look and feel (I know it's a little plain. But I am messing around with templates and stuff so changing it should be easier.) If you haven't noticed, watch the image in the upper left hand corner each time you change pages (or refresh). You get a different random image each time! (I thought it was cool...)
Anyway, Alex just finished his T-Ball season (Got a plaque (check out the pictures)) At first he didn't like it (lots of rainouts ("nobody ever hits the ball to me!")), but by the end of the season, he didn't want to stop. Unbelievable, that Alex is starting the 1st grade this year!! And Luke starts pre-pre school!! Lucas continues to get bigger. He now tips the scales at 53lbs! Alex has beefed up to 62 lbs!
That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by.

May 26, 2003
Happy Memorial Day! Again, another long time between updates. Where to start... well, the post christmas spending continues. Along with the bed and the furnace, we bought a bed for Alex (Luke now has Alex's old bed...he was too big for his crib.) We also bought (cheezy gameshow voice) A NEW CAR! We traded in the old Ford Winstar and bought a Honda Odessey (You may remember in 1999, when we bought the Ford, that it was a toss up between the Ford and the Honda.) The Ford was having some electrical problems and we heard of some other horror stories, so we dropped it before we had to worry about them. Too bad to, because we had just paid it off about 7 months before. Finally, we bought new countertops for the kitchen. We bought a solid surface (stone) product called Avanza. We are very happy with it. Unlike corian, it's cheap and you can put hot pots directly on the surface, without leaving a mark.

OK, ok, enough about spending, how are the kids. Well, spring is finally here (it's been rather cool) so the kids can finally get outside. Alex is having a ball in kindergarden. It's almost over. He just finished indoor soccer (he got a trophy) and swimming, and now he's playing T-Ball. He took a line drive right in the chin about a week ago. But he shook it off and was back in playing before long. Luke is still growing like a weed. He's about 41" tall and about 49 lbs. (BIG KID) He's also talking alot more! He still babbles but now you can understand more than 50%. He has also mastered the computer (he actually mastered it a while ago I just don't think I ever mentioned it).

OK, ok, enough about the kids, what about you! I'm glad you asked. Shari hit the 100 mark in Jazercize (again, she hit it a while ago, but I don't think I mentioned it here.) She is also very busy with several house projects (indoor and outdoor) She is redecorating the kitchen (mentioned above) and is landscaping the outside. She had a great idea for drastically cutting back the tree on the right side of the house (it had gotten quite a bit taller than the house and was dumping it's leaves directly into the gutter) Anyway, She supervised while Mike did the work. Finally, Mike is switching jobs (again). For those that don't know, Mike has been consulting to Eaton for the past five years. Both of them have finally reached an agreement to bring Mike on board. Mike's first official day is tomorrow (5/27).

Whew! That's enough for now...my fingers hurt...thanks for stopping by!

January 24, 2003 
Wow, another year has started, it's been quite a while since the last update...The holidays were very busy.  Shari's family came out for Thanksgiving.  The house was very busy and crowded.  It was good to see everybody again, but it was also good to see them go ;).  Luke turned two in December.  He tipped the scales at 41 lbs and 38 1/2" tall.  That is WAY off the chart.  To put it in perspective, Alex wasn't 41 lbs until he was 4 years old!  Luke is a big kid.  Anyway, he got tons of presents and had a Blues Clues cake (see pictures).  Shari did a great job on the cake!  Christmas was quiet this year.  Mike's brother Terry came out to visit.  He was here for about a week.  We all went to the inventors hall of fame in Akron (very cool place) and the boys (Mike, Terry, and Alex) went to the football Hall Of Fame while he was here.   By the way, if anybody reading this knows anybody looking for a lead design engineer, Terry would be willing to talk to them!  (Go back and see Terry's section for more details)

Well, the post Christmas spending has begun.  We bought a bed...well it's not just a bed...it's a sleep system.  You know what that means...$$$$.  Actually, the bed is very comfortable.  It's one of those air chamber beds ("What's your sleep number").  It has the ability to adjust the firmness of each side independent of the other.  Shortly after the bed purchase, we had issues with the furnace.  (Actually the issues started just before Christmas when the blower went out).  The furnace was original to the house, and while it was rated as high efficiency, it was only about 80%.  Anyway, we upgraded to a continuous fan, dual stage furnace (same company that installed the blower, so they gave us a discount (since we were giving them a practically new blower, that they could sell to someone else)).  Now, when I listened to the sales guy telling me about the furnace, he told me how much more comfortable the house would be with a continuous fan circulating the air.  And how much less money we'd spend since it had a two-stage flame and it was 92% efficient, and I had a certain amount of skepticism.  However, after ONE DAY I can tell the difference in the temperature of the house.  There is a more consistent temperature throughout the house, and even the basement is warmer!  I love the new furnace.  It is money well spent.  Well, I gotta get going, Superbowl this weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.