Why I Oughta...

2 of my nephews won their "Super Bowl" games in their Pop Warner leagues last week and to celebrate, I took them out for a meal.  I think the straws were the biggest hit. Hopefully, one of them will develop into a kicker soon.

In typical fashion, my mom threw a great Halloween party in Frankfort over the weekend.  Here's all the grandkids - plus a few great-nieces/nephews - all dressed up in costume.  The Babe got a good seat right on Papa's lap.

Not the best attempt, but a good first round.  More here .

The Babe really loved the turf but was spooked a bit by all the people and commotion at the Illini game this past weekend. She wasn't the only one who had a great time!

There isn't a wedding quite like a Moran wedding.  And last week, my sister-in-law Elise's wedding was a spectacular event and a success for the Moran family.  More planning went into this party than for a Gubernatorial Inauguration - and you could tell.  As the day and evening went on flawlessly. And....the bride and groom?  So happy and so lovely looking.  They're destined for great things together as they walk paw-in-paw in life.  (Get it?  They're Foxes!) BTW....see that cake topper?  Brother-in-law Bill (he's not quite that, but I suppose that's the easiest way to describe him.  He's NOW married to my sister-in-law, so that makes him my "sister-in-law's husband"?  Sounds crazy.  I'm going with Brother-in-law.) carved that himself.  Yes.  Out of wood. You could say he's talented.  Just a bit.

We took this photo at the summer Renegade Craft Fair in the city.   Here's the photo from 2009 (note where the Babe is in the first one!) and one from last December .    Beard in all 3. December 2009  December 2010

There isn't quite a wedding like a Moran wedding!  Congrats to B & E!  What a beautiful day and check out their cake topper.  B carved it himself and painted it, too.  Pretty amazing stuff.

Tomorrow, the Babe's "Aunt Cici" is getting married and guess who's going to be the flower girl?  Here she is all dressed up at the rehearsal in a brand-new dress that her Grammy made for her.

Equation Boy/Man finished the 2011 Chicago Triathlon with a personal record best time today.    Last year he ran the Sprint Distance, but this year he kicked it up with the International Distance which included: 1.5K swim (just under a mile) 40K bike (just under 25 miles) 10K run (6.2 miles) Really very impressive stuff all around.   He said he was struggling on the end of his run, but from the looks of his time, he did just fine.  Killed it in his age group and overall.  I shamelessly cribbed this photo from my sister Vic's FB page, but I thought it was a great shot of him after the race with 2 of 3 of his kids. I couldn't imagine doing those stairs after the race! He's clearly caught the bug and after spending some time with him this afternoon, sounds like he's already plotting his training for the 2012 race.  He's really committed to getting the most out of his fitness routine and all his hard work has clearly paid off. Congrats, Marc!  We're a

We went out plum picking at Jollay's in Michigan this weekend and came across these things: They're called Donut Peaches or Saturn Peaches.  They (apparently) came from China more than 100 years ago and gained some popularity in the 1990's.  I don't remember ever hearing about them, but seeing them on the tree, they're kind of a novelty.   Seems like it would be a fun tree to grow in the yard - especially because they're described as 'frost hardy' .

I spent not-quite-a-day at the races today celebrating with Bill at a portion of his Bachelor's party.  While the fine folks at Arlington Park wished me well, lets just say that it wasn't a great afternoon of wagering.  And it wasn't because I lost.

Today is his 8th Birthday and to celebrate, we went out to Home Run Inn for pizza and (the best part) a Cookie Monster.  Based on this photo, I'm not sure which one of us is more excited about digging into the Cookie Monster. We were supposed to go to the batting cages before dinner, but the weather didn't cooperate so we opted for a quick game at the Cosmic Bowl. Happy Birthday, G-Man!

It is Birthday Week on the blog it seems.  First, it was Balone's birthday on Monday and now I'll chronicle one of the Babe's cousins' big day. Yesterday, we were able to stop by my sister's (and Equation Boy/Man's) place for a quick birthday party for her son's 5th Birthday celebration.  This was just some parts of our family who could get together, but it was fun.  The birthday boy is also my Godson so he gets a little bit of extra attention from me!  Happy Birthday, buddy! He's wearing his Bulls jersey - to mark the occasion.  While the cake looked delicious, I did not have any, unfortunately.  I have a tuxedo I'm trying to fit into in 10 days.

I'm learning very quickly that time moves very fast with little kids.  One day they can't hold their own head up and the next they're rifling through the cupboards below the sink.  My little girl just crossed the 15 month mark and on pretty regular occasions, I'm seeing her do some very grown up like things.  They're small little actions or body language, but they're definitely there.  Or at least, in my head, they are there.  Take for example this photo.  We were at the Country House eating burgers this week when I caught her lounging in her high chair.  She looks so at ease and comfortable and the way she's carrying herself just seems so NOT like an infant/toddler. Every time I look at her I rediscover how adorable she really is.  I couldn't love her more than I do and am so fortunate to have her in my life.  Nat has been doing an amazing job with her and each and every day we're both learning something together! For those of you friends and f

For the better part of the past 18 months (starting a few months before the Babe was born), I've pretty much had a beard.  And I've liked the beard.  But I woke up a few days ago and figured it was time to go.  To mark the occasion, we went to Barnaby's.  (yummers!)  Actually, we don't need a reason to go to Barnaby's to eat the delicious cornmeal-laden pizza pie.  For those of you keeping track of my looks at home and for Parrillo Family archives record keeping purposes, here's an updated photo for the end of March 2011.   For a long time there, I figured that I'd just become a "beard guy".  In fact, I would tell anyone that listens that I'm a "beard guy".   Not this week.  Anymore.  The good news is that stubble is back already.  And, I have a feeling that I'll grow it completely back because I already miss it.  Spring and Summer temperatures may convince me otherwise, though.

My brother-in-laws are a pretty creative bunch.  For the past few years, they've been building gingerbread houses over their Christmas breaks.  Last year it was a pretty intricate log cabin house with a front porch.   This year, all three of them (Bill, Charlie, and Peter) had time together and spent quite a bit of time making a different kind of "house".  I use "house" in quotes because for some reason  they actually made a combination KFC/Taco Bell with a drive-thru lane.   Yes.  A restaurant.  I watched (I had NOTHING to do with this aside from watching and cheering them on!) as they baked the walls/structure and poured the sugar "glass" windows.  I came back a few days later and this beauty was built.  On the right, you can see the drive-thru's menu board and also note the wire(s) going to the bottom of the structure.  They even wired this restaurant up with interior lights.  And...to be even more crazy:  There's even an air conditioning un

In the spirit of haul videos , I figure I'd share a few of my spoils from the holiday festivities.  I thought for about a minute or two about doing a spoof haul video, but then figured I have better other things to do with my time. First up is a gift from my dad.  Growing up I always LOVED the holiday time because that meant that my dad was going to be setting up his Lionel train.  The set was his since he was a child and he somehow hung onto it and the set - for the most part - survived various moves and time.  This was a shared tradition throughout my childhood as we even went to various train shows each December adding a piece to the collection - sometimes a car, sometimes some track.  And....boy the smell of that transformer!  Those of you with older train sets know what I'm talking about, but it just smells like Christmas to me! The hobby resurfaced again a few years back when - for some reason - my interest in Lionel and trains rose.  We even went back to a show and

What a party Nat threw today!  Wow - she did a great job with all the details.  Thanks to everyone for coming! And...special thanks to Uncle Bill for his chalk rendering.

At the Renegade Craft Fair last year (2009), we sat for a photobooth session and came up with this image.  The 2009 post is here - but included below for comparisons sake.   This year, the Babe played a starring role.  They're certainly not as formal as some family portraits. But, for us, they're much cuter!

Having been through the prototyping process on Penny Hockey Boards , I made a few modifications.  First, they shrunk in size considerably.  From 12" wide and 16" long down to 12" long and 8.5" wide.  After the side rails are attached, the playing surface will be 12" long, 8" wide.    The name of the game is also being changed from Penny Hockey to Topper Hockey (more on that later....). Also, because the board shrunk, the space behind the goal also was squeezed.  It started at 2.5" from backline to center of the goal and now with the production units, I've cut that distance in half. The final change comes in regards to the pegs - I've changed the configuration a bit and removed some.  The "guard" pegs - which are located just outside the goal mouth were widened, and one of them were removed.   The peg modifications were made to simplify and enhance gameplay.  My intended audience is my nephews who are all under the age of 10.  Scori