Friday Wrap-up!

Why my lawn-mower's battery has been dead twice!
(My children turn the headlight on....and leave it on.)
























Fun with the Hummer!!!




Running Races in the House!!! (Safety First)



Have A Great Weekend!

ROCKING FOR CHARITY

My neighbor and friend Tom (T. Hizzle) and friend Kim (K. Mcizzle) work for a company called Aerotek and they have asked me to play at their fundraising party. Here is the info...

Team Aerotek's Fundraising Party











The Bent Elbo Tavern - Saturday, September 20
6:00PM to 9:00PM




582 S. Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA 19034


Come out to the Bent Elbo to support Team Aerotek's fundraising efforts for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light the Night Walk. The cost is a donation of $35 per person which will include domestic drafts and well drinks from 6pm to 9pm as well as live music by Chris Lebresco and any others that are willing to donate their time and talent! All proceeds benefit LLS.

Music / Comedy / Music

Here's a cool cover of Coldplay's song "Viva La Vida."

FACEBOOK IN REAL LIFE!

Mark been enjoying this version of a PJ classic!!!

I HAVE ANOTHER GIG!

SLY FOX - ROYERSFORD
Saturday September 6th
8pm - 12am













I would like to thank my friend John Valerio for getting me this gig.

To make a long story short, he had to cancel this date from his schedule. The manager said "great, now I need someone to fill your spot." John repied, "I've got just the guy for you!"

Thanks John!







Here is a picture from Friday August 22nd
@ Ron's Original Bar & Grill
























I am also playing The Bent Elbow (Fort Washington, PA) for a charity event on Sept. 20th...more on that later this week.

Lazy Saturday / Supporting Friends On Sunday

What a great weekend. Saturday was beautiful outside. He hung out in the cul-de-sac with our neighbors...had pizza for lunch, listened to music, watched the kids in Lindsay's high-heels and had seafood for dinner. In my opinion, the perfect day.

































Then on Sunday, another beautiful day, we joined our friends Eileen and Dave to support them in their Livestrong Challenge 100 mile bike ride! Way to go Eileen and Dave. While we waited for them to cross the finish...we played soccer, drank lots of the rider's water and did wheelies in our stroller. It was a blast.


































































































































































What a great weekend.

Graco Summer Picnic

Yesterday we had a blast at the Graco Summer Picnic.
Here are a few pics.




































































































Okay... gotta go practice for tonight's gig.
Wait, are we talkin bout PRACTICE???

3 Songs I Like...

In between changing dirty diapers and reading books, I am practicing for Friday night at Ron's. Here are a few songs I will be playing....




Today we went to Lindsay's work for there annual "Summer Picnic." They had a bunch of games and activities for the kids. Stay tuned for a recap tomorrow.

My son actually said this.....

Jagger: Mom?
Mom: What?
Jagger: You wanna see my butt?
Mom: No
Jagger: Why?
Mom: Because I've already seen it.
Jagger: But look!!! See???
Mom: Ohhh Yeah, Cool!!!
Jagger: Why do you say "cool."
Mom: I don't know, because you're butt is cool.
Jagger: No it's not.
Mom: Well...what would you call it?
Jagger: GORGEOUS!
Mom: Oh, okay!


This is funny too....

Why I never made the Olympics!!!
Phil sent this to me yesterday. It is great!



Which is the worst? The last one? The pole vault?

What a Wonderful Wife!

Man, I really love my wife!


















Okay, time to show my wife a little appreciation.


Quick back story (for non-family members who are reading this.) I was laid-off from my sales position almost 2 years ago. At that time we had just had our 2nd child. The "B" ster. (She's awesome.) After looking for a similar sales position for a little while, we decided that I would stay at home with our two young children.

















Since that time, my wife has taken on the role of sole provider for our family. (and she is kicking that role's ass) She went back to work full-time after her maternity leave was up. Prior to our daughter, she had been working part-time. Lindsay has really done well with the roles and responsibilities she has been asked to handle within her position. Lindsay really loves her job, she is passionate about what she is doing and it has been very stimulating and rewarding for her. On top of that, she has been excelling and really making a name for herself within her role at the company. She also has a wonderful boss who she loves working with and her work is minutes from our home, so there is never any concern over traffic or transit time.

My wife and I both understand that all of this is very rare and we both appreciate the situation that we are in. We have had many conversations about how great our lives are. We certainly have not been taking it for granted.

Ok, so let's breakdown the situation....

1. We've got great kids
2. We have a loving and supportive group of family/friends around us.
3. We love our house, our neighbors, and our cul-de-sac.
4. My wife loves her job and has a passion for the work that she is doing.
5. She is good at what she does and has been excelling at work.
6. The people she works with are her closest friends.
7. Her job is close to our home and she really likes her boss.
8. I am enjoying being a stay-at-home dad


THEN A BOMB IS DROPPED ON OUR WORLD!

My wife's company is moving to it's headquarters in Atlanta, GA!!! What????

Now FAST-FORWARD over a lot of discussions, arguments, tears, a trip to Atlanta, and the weighing of the Pros and Cons over a move to Atlanta.
















WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

Lindsay has an awesome job. She has a ton of opportunity within her company. She has room to grow within sister companies of the organization. She has a large number of really close friends. She has a workout facility and Starbuck's in her building. The only problem...it is all in Atlanta, Georgia.

I also must state that I was trying my best to be open minded about the possibility of a move to Atlanta, but I definitely put it out there that I didn't want to move. All that really did was put more pressure on Lindsay.

















The reason I am writing this is because I want Lindsay to know that I understand what she is sacrificing. I would also like the rest of the family to understand everything that she is giving up so that our family and friends can remain such an important part of our lives. She unselfishly chose her family over her career and for that I am grateful.

Lindsay, I appreciate you. I know how hard you work. I know how much you love your work and I appreciate the sacrifice you are making for our family.

I love you,

Chris

P.S. - Happy 8th Anniversary (the year of the blog post....right?)

Congratulations Brandon!!!

KUTZTOWN, Here I come!

















Yesterday we celebrated my cousin Brandon's High School graduation. It was a beautiful day with a perfect temperature with a nice breeze. The party was held in a very nice park, The Rose Garden in Allentown, PA. There was a lot of great food and way too many drinks. (Thanks Glenn) We played horseshoes, wiffleball, frisbee and volleyball. We had a great time and think everyone else did too.

Thanks to Carol and Glenn for throwing such a nice party. (Uh-oh, gotta go. I am in the basement and I can hear "B" moving the dining room chair so she can get on the counter...later.)


















Jagger chillin' on the bridge.
























The Twins!

















B in the Rose Garden.
























Dabba-Dabba and Jagger
























Patty and Uncle Tommy with our children.
























Jenna and Lindsay

FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY

We lost Todd.






















I wanted to put this photo up because I remember that room and I remember Todd introducing me to the group NEW EDITION and listening to their TAPE for the first time in that room. One song sticks out in my head - "Cool it now"

WE MISS YOU TODD!


Wednesday Night at RON'S!!!

Photos: Jenna Barton

Thanks for your Support!

Thank you to everyone who came out to see me Wednesday Night at Ron's! Especially those who came from pretty far away! (Carol, Glenn, Jenna, Liz and The Chad!) I know it was a weeknight and it must have been tough to get out of bed Thursday morning, so again thank you very much.

As most of you know, I got booked for a gig at RON'S on FRIDAY AUGUST 22nd!

www.ronsoriginal.com

Now today, with "B" at Nana and Grandad's house for a sleep over, Jagger and I had a chance to have some fun. We went to Chucky E. Cheese and played some games. Right before we left we took this picture!

















Last night around the same time I was jamming at Ron's...Eddie Vedder was playing a show in Toronto. Because Neil Young is originally from Canada he played a bunch of his songs. Here is one of them.



(Note: this could at anytime stop work due to the fact that Eddie has a tendency to have his people have this stuff removed.)

"Tonight is your night Bro"

Does anyone know where this quote is from???
The person who says it kinda sings it. Take a guess!!! I bet Phil knows.

CONGRATS!!! KRISTEN, she got it! It is from the movie - Twins w/Danny Devito and Arnold.

Tonight is the Night........................Bombs away!






Okay, I've got zero time to mess with the blog today.
Both kids are actually sleeping and I have a bunch to do!!!

Check this out...I found it on this site... www.joeprah.com

"BUSINESS TIME"

Erin, our #1 FAN

Slacking after vacation. (Sorry about no post yesterday.)

I would like to give a shout out to one of our few loyal readers, Erin.

Erin works with Lindsay at Graco. While we were away on vacation, she posted a message explaining that she missed reading the blog while we were away. Isn't that nice! Considering I have to beg or actually email the blog to some of my own family members to get them to read it.

Editor's Note - Family, don't get upset...I know there are a lot of you that check the site regularly (Kristen, Nana, Marsha, Annie, Mom to name a few) Remember this is all in fun. Seriously!

So I was thinking....what can we do to reward Erin for her commitment and loyalty to "The Bird's Got the Word?"



I know....we will anoint her this sites #1 FAN. From here on out (until I feel someone else is deserving)

ERIN is hereby declared to be this blogs #1 FAN.

Thanks Erin!



Okay, now....this year on vacation I had the opportunity to play music with my cousins. Captured on film for the first time is actual footage of one of our performances. Check out these great singers! Great job girls.

Keep practicing...hopefully we can play this and a few others Sunday at Brandon's graduation party.