The Birth of the Cool

Miles was welcomed by our neighbors at yesterday's potluck in our condo association's garden. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful, friendly people living in our building! I like to think of the theme of this party as "The Birth of the Cool." It makes sense for Miles (since that is the name of Miles Davis's most famous album . . . AND since our Miles is pretty cool, if we may say so ourselves), and it makes sense for the first day of Autumn, which happened to be yesterday. Here are some pictures from the big event:










Miles had to leave the party early because he was hungry . . . and there were too many mosquitos once the sun started to set. He enjoyed a nice bath before bedtime!



Today, Miles is resting up after his late evening. It's hard to believe that he will one day fit in his big boy bed!



One more, just for fun. See here how Miles likes to show Hanuman that he can hold himself up! Doesn't Hanuman look impressed?!

News from the Grovers!

Brian's cousin, Candis, and her husband, Dennis, recently sent us this photo. Their last name is Grover . . . get it??? There's a baby Grover in the oven!! Congratulations Dennis and Candis!! What a cute way to share the news! Miles can't wait to meet his newest cousin. Please join us in keeping Baby Grover in prayer. Candis is due April 10 - this is their first child. We love you Grovers!!

90 Degrees in September

We are so blessed to have some of our family nearby! Aunt Carina (Kendra's sister) and Uncle Seth live 20 minutes from our house, so we get to visit with them often and Miles plays with his cousins. On days like yesterday, when it was a shocking 90 degrees, the kids love to play outside!


As you can see, Miles is the youngest of the bunch . . .



Let me introduce you to the gang. The oldest cousin is Cole Patrick Brownlee, age 3 (soon to be 4 on October 12):


Next in line is Lydia Jane Brownlee, age 2 and a half:


Then there's Norah Marie Brownlee, age 10 months:


Then, of course, there's Miles at 2 months:


And, in Indianapolis, there is cousin Jacob Orion Meyer, who is now 5.5 months old:


With all these cousins around, Miles will learn fun tricks like this:





Don't forget, though, that Miles can make faces of his own:


All of this fun can be pretty exhausting . . .





Thanks for a great day Brownlees!

Miles is Two Months Old!

Miles has reached the two month mark! He handled his vaccination shots splendidly (meaning he only screamed his head off for 30 seconds). Brian stayed out in the hall, so you could say that Miles at least handled them better than his dad! :)

The official numbers are in: Miles now weighs 11 pounds 9 ounces and is 23 inches long! That puts him in the 50th percentile for his age. That's right - our kid is average! Whoo-hoo! Not bad for being a premie!




Here are some pics we took yesterday. As you can see from the photos, autumn is rapidly approaching. We've tried to capture some of Miles' moods for you. Enjoy!

More Labor Day Photos

Our friends, Jeremy and Carina, sent us these pictures from their Labor Day party. We think they're great and wanted to share them with you! Enjoy!

California Dreamin'

Last week, Brian traveled to San Diego for his annual Trader Joe's convention. While he "roughed it" in a hotel room with his own balcony overlooking the ocean, I stayed home to hold down the fort. Luckily, our second "man of the house" was here to keep an eye on Miles.


On Sunday, Brian cashed in his birthday gift (a bit late) by taking a friend (Todd) to the Brazil vs. USA soccer game at Soldier Field. They had a great time! Here are some pictures from the game.



At this point you may be wondering: "Why does Kendra always have to stay home to watch Miles? Why don't they just leave him for a few hours?" Well, as you can see here, Miles is under constant threat of attack:


This can be quite stressful for him, as you can see here. Doesn't he look stressed?



When Kendra stays home with him, though, he sleeps safely and soundly. ;)



We love you all!

Recent Adventures with Miles

Miles has been busy the past couple weeks! He enjoyed hosting Granner for a week at our house (Kendra enjoyed this too since they were able to get many organizational projects finished around the house!). During the week, we visited Brian at Trader Joe's (hence the Hawaiian shirt) and went to the Brookfield Zoo with Aunt Carina and cousins Cole, Lydia, and Norah. Miles enjoyed the dolphin show the most (at least he stayed awake for it)!

Brian and I took Miles to The Point on Sunday, which is the spot on Lake Michigan in Hyde Park where we got engaged. Brian was the only one of us who was able to get in the water this summer, but we hope to share the joys of swimming in Lake Michigan with Miles in future summers!

For Labor Day, we hung out with friends from All Saints, playing Ladder Golf and watching babies play. It was a great day! Thanks to the Swifts and Kuecks for hosting!

Here are some pictures - Enjoy!