Life continues to move forward with the Moon family even as this blog lay dormant for three (!) months. After some summer fun, Jakob started his second year of preschool while Lea turned two last month and the two of them have become good friends. Jakob never wants to go anywhere without his little sister and Lea wants to do whatever her big brother is doing. Just the other day, the two were on the playground chasing each other up the different levels and down the slides, giggling the whole time. Of course, there is the occasion bump and bruise and crying fit when one isn’t happy with the other but that’s to be expected with siblings.

We continue to stay busy between our usual duties. This past August, Jeff and his mother repaired and re-shingled the garage roof, which had been leaking badly. We also made some other repairs around the house, including the plugging of some holes to keep the critters out when the weather turns cold. Plus, the new siding that we had installed in July turned out great – the difference is remarkable. We also made a trip to the Cape over Labor Day weekend to visit Jeff’s parents and then made another trip a couple weeks later to visit Tiffany’s family in New York. Tiffany also just returned from her cousin’s wedding in DC, which gave her the opportunity to see distant family that she had not seen in years, while Jeff and the kids stayed home for a fun weekend together.

Of course, the big news around these parts in recent weeks is that the Red Sox are returning to the World Series starting this Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. After winning the American League East Division for the first time since 1995 and securing home field with the best record in baseball through the playoffs, Boston swept the Los Angeles Angels in the first round and then came back from a 3-1 AL Championship Series deficit to win its second pennant in four years. Although most of the pundits give Boston the edge in the series, defeating Colorado won’t be easy; the Rockies have won 21 of 22 games and have gone undefeated in seven games this post-season. Still, the Red Sox do have ALCS MVP Josh Beckett pitching for them in the first game of the series and he has been red-hot in the playoffs, going 3-0 with an ERA just over one and 26 strikeouts. Plus, the offense has been on a roll, too, having scored 30 runs in its last three games. It should be an exciting series and another world title would be sweet.

Hey, and let’s not forget about the New England Patriots, who are 7-0 and have averaged almost 40 points on offense while allowing only 17 points per game on defense. Tom Brady is already on pace to set a record for touchdowns in a season and off-season acquisition Randy Moss has already caught 10 TDs while averaging over 100 yards receiving per game. Plus, with the Boston Bruins starting the season hot, the Boston College Eagles football team ranking number two in the country, and the new-look Boston Celtics giving local basketball fans a heightened sense of anticipation, it’s a lot of fun these days as a New England sports fan.

Categories: Family, Jakob, Lea, Red Sox
No Comments »

Yes, again we’ve been MIA in terms of posting in recent weeks but not for any reason other than we didn’t really have a heck of a lot to report over that time. It seems that life has fallen into a routine for us. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but it seems ridiculous to just post: “Today, for dinner, we had pork chops and apple sauce.”

Well, news that is fit to print is that Lea has finally started taking a few steps in the past couple of days. In fact, her first steps came on Halloween, which is odd in that Jakob started walking to almost the exact day after he was born. By the end of this weekend, we wouldn’t be surprised if she’s running from room to room, chasing the cats or her brother. She is doing a lot of climbing, too: up onto the dining room chairs, the dining room table, the bathroom sink, and a few other places. Speaking of Halloween, in case you’re curious, we dressed the kids as M&Ms. Both of them love trick-or-treating; in fact, Jakob practiced all day Tuesday saying “trick or treat.”

All that remains is some of the latest news from the Red Sox, who have picked up Tim Wakefield’s option for 2007 and signed Mike Timlin to another one-year contract. Both of these guys will 40-plus this coming season but they are still considered key contributors, Wakey in the rotation and Timlin in the ‘pen. Looking from the outside in are, among others, free agents Trot Nixon, Gabe Kapler, Mark Loretta, and Alex Gonzalez. Personally, we’d like to see all of them return, especially Trot, who is currently the longest-tenured player in the Red Sox organization (since 1993 - signed by Lou Gorman of all people) and one of the original “dirt dogs,” but the business of baseball doesn’t always consider those factors.

At least recent negotiations between the players and owners resulted in a labor deal that will keep peace in Major League Baseball for the next five years. Congratulations are also in order for the St. Louis Cardinals, who won the World Series in five games over Detroit last week, albeit the fact that they had fewer wins than Boston did this past season (86 wins for the Sox versus 83 for the Red Birds). In fact, St. Louis has the distinction of having the fewest regular season wins ever posted by an eventual World Series winner for that same season. Red Sox and Yankee fans take little comfort in that.

Categories: Family, Lea, Red Sox
1 Comment »

Jakob has really taken to his new school very quickly. It’s amazing to see how excited he is to go and play with his little friends. So far, he’s brought home more than a few art projects and the refridgerator is getting crowded. Of course, the few hours that he’s away from home gives Tiffany a little time to get some work done around the house that’s nearly impossible to handle when he and Lea are both bouncing off the walls.

Lea is doing well, too. After the excitement of turning one, she is really getting around the house with ease. It’s amazing how quickly she can go from one room to another just on her hands and knees (apparently there is no incentive to starting walking yet and that’s fine with us). She’s also learned to go up and down the stairs on her own, making sure to carefully back down the stairs one step at a time, though Mommy and Daddy have to be sure to be close by in case she loses her balance.

This past weekend, we had the chance to visit Tiffany’s family out in New York and had a great time. Already the leaves are turning and it was great driving down the MA Turnpike and NY Thruway and watching the display unfold through the Berkshires and well past Albany. It’s also interesting to see our nieces and nephews get a little older each time we get the chance to visit with them. It’s hard to believe that these are the same kids who were once as old as our kids are now, but now they are well on their way to adulthood. It sends shivers down your spine - the good kind, of course!

Well, happy autumn, everyone!

Categories: Jakob, Lea
3 Comments »

It’s true! Out little “Lea Bean” turns one year old today and it’s amazing how quickly that year came and went. Happy Birthday!!!

Love from Mommy, Daddy, and Jakob

Categories: Lea
3 Comments »

So our softball season finally got underway yesterday to a not-so-successful beginning. It was a tough one-run loss - they scored 23, we scored just one (ouch!). Perhaps it was the fact that our team had far more grey hairs than the 20-somethings that filled the roster of the other team. Maybe it was the fact that we hadn’t practiced and were entering the game cold. Or… maybe it didn’t matter because we’re playing in a fun league and it’s more about the socializing than the winning. Yeah, I’m going to keep telling myself that one.

I apologize to those of you that have been wondering when we’ve been; I guess that we’ve just not had time to even say hello lately. The basement project is still a work-in-progress; right now, we are having tile and carpet laid down and I have some clean-up left to do for that to proceed. The kids are both doing well; Lea has master crawling and is now pulling herself to standing while Jakob is getting into the routine of asking to use the potty. We’re also still keeping track of our beloved Sox, who are a half-game back of first behind New York to start the night and, coincidently, are at Yankee Stadium playing a four-game series with the bombers.

Also, big news out of Virginia: my brother, Greg, has just made Petty officer First Class rate (E-6) so that will mean a senior position in the Navy. He also just got his papers to begin shore duty starting in November in Chesapeake, VA; that means that he’ll be working a normal 9-to-5 job and getting to come home on evenings and weekends to see his family instead of spending day after day after day in the bowels of the USS Vella Gulf. He also recently participated in a daring rescue out at sea, which made an otherwise uninteresting two-month voyage a little more exciting. I guess it’s true that good things come in threes.

Categories: Family, Jakob, Jeff, Lea
1 Comment »

We’re in trouble now! Lea is up on her knees, wiggling back and forth and looking for a way to inch herself closer to that toy just out of her reach. Soon, it’s going to be the car keys. Well, at least there is no way that her small frame can reach the gas pedal and steer at the same time.

We also just went wireless today so Jeff is able to roam free around the house carrying his laptop so he can waste time surfing in, say, the living room or, more likely, the bathroom. All kidding aside, it is really amazing how technology has made it so easy to manage how we live. We can pay our bills, we can order tickets to concerts, we can buy that last-minute gift for the mother-in-law… now if we could figure a way for it to get Jakob potty-trained, we’d be set!

On another note: the basement ceiling got its first coat of paint this evening. A nice cream color that should go well with the “hubbard squash” yellow paint that will go on the walls. The electricians are due back Monday to finish their work and hopefully we can get started on the floor next week as well.

Categories: Family, Lea
1 Comment »

No reason to put this photo here other than we thought both Jakob and Lea looked cute and that you can see how much higher Jeff’s forehead seems these days.

Categories: Family, Jakob, Jeff, Lea
1 Comment »

Well, here we are with the spring equinox upon us and, at present, the temperature outside is 28°C.  Hmmm, that doesn’t seem right - oh, wait!  We’re in New England, where we usually skip the spring weather and go straight to summer around late May.

The basement project is coming along well with 99% of the wallboard in place.  We still need to finish the bathroom but we are waiting for our contractor to mount the basin of what will be our shower stall.  Hopefully that will happen shortly because as soon as we are ready, the mud-and-tape guy should be here to do his work.  We are all anxious to have the work done but, if anything has come out of this project, we have learned that patience pays off in the end.

Tiffany is close to having Lea fully weaned so she should be getting off the diet from hell shortly; five months with no eggs, butter, dairy, chocolate, and a few other things have been a real challenge for her.  Heck, it would be a challenge for just about anyone!  Lea has now switched to a special formula that costs about $40 a can but we managed to get Blue Cross to cover that expense.  Fortunately, she should really need it only for about another six months and then she will hopefully be free of those dietary restrictions as well.

The Red Sox are now just 13 days from Opening Day in Arlington, TX where they will face the Rangers.  Fan favorite Bronson Arroyo was traded yesterday to Cincinnati for utility outfielder Wily Mo Pena.  Arroyo had signed a three-year “discounted” deal worth approximately $12 million a couple of months ago in the hopes of staying in Boston but, with a bulk of starting pitchers at their disposal and the need for a fifth outfielder, the deal makes sense for the Sox.

 As for Pena, he is young (24) and is known for his power numbers (19 home runs in just 99 games last season), but he also lacks plate discipline (128 strikeouts last season).  However, Boston hitting coach Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson has worked wonders with the likes of David Ortiz, who was criticized for similar faults just a few short years ago, and may yet turn Pena into another right-handed threat in the lineup.

Categories: Family, Lea, Red Sox
1 Comment »

Believe it or not, Lea turns six months old today!

Categories: Lea
1 Comment »

Okay, as promised more than a while ago, here are some recent photos of Jakob, Lea, and Kokopelli, who has probably not been photographed in some time!

Categories: Cats, Family, Jakob, Lea
1 Comment »