upperclassmen

TJ is an upperclassmen! A Junior!

Big year for my little man....all about college this year..ACT, SAT..straight A's...looking at colleges. Somehow we need to fit in private Drivers Ed, TJ doesn't seem really interested in it. I guess when your long time girlfriend has her own car...

 Only my TJ can wear stripes with plaid and still look adorable. I take that back, my Tim does it all the time

Confucius Say.. 

"He who doesn't pose for second picture, gets what they get"

One and a half year anniversay

Happy Anniversary!

I got my beach day!

After slepping downtown for the last 15 weeks walking around in frigid and sometimes rainy weather; I finally got my 90 degree day to go to Oak St beach while TJ was in class. 

Except for the fact that I let TJ play hooky to join us. The kid has been through so much and has been a champ throughout it all. He deserved to just have some fun.

I have been playing with my new camera all week. It's a powerful sucker and there is a slight learning curve. I have a shoot coming up and need to be 100%

The 4 of us parked at TJ's school and walked over to the beach. Karrick was just in heaven and didn't want to leave. Weather permitting we will bring his buddy next Saturday while TJ is in class

 

Karrick totally stepped up to the plate at soccer today..he seems to have gotten over his contact phobia. He was kicking that ball up and down the field. He almost scored the game winning goal...almost. We ended the game in a tie

week 8

this group of pilings was sticking out of the Chicago River...so cool!

 Today for the 8th week in a row, I dropped TJ at Act One Studio for his 3 hr acting class. Today I had my favorite teenage girl, Alexis to keep me company. Instead of my usual path East (Michigan Ave, Oak St Beach or a museum) we headed West. TJ's school is on LaSalle and Ontario. I decided to save shipping costs and walk to pick up TJ's new comps and headshots at JS Photo the premier place for professional comps/headshots or photos. The difference between JS and other printers is amazing.

 anyway we walked west about 2 miles. It was such a strange walk...so much different than when I lived down there (on lake Shore that is) gone are the projects and in it's place are a bazillion condos, but virtually no people. I did find many little stores and tons of restaurants just tucked in rehabbed warehouses or ancient buildings...stuff you would never see driving 

TJ's new headshot- for acting

below is the front and back of TJ'd comp for modeling


scanning the comp cards cast a reflection due to the glossy material

These shots were taken on the Halsted bridge that is being rebuilt, the one side that had an open walkway over-looked a large concrete company below

 looking east

How sweet is my boy?

Today TJ and Alexis are celebrating 1 year together! 

 All the house computers are hooked up to my printer, so I was woken up last night by non-stop papers printing. When TJ came up to retrieve them I asked what gives. He said "When Alexis comes to wake me up tomorrow morning my entire room will be covered in anniversary signs" Isn't he just darling ???

Yes, she comes by every weekend morning and wakes him up

On another note, can you see all the prescription bottles (above) on my poor baby's desk? That's what my child has to take daily after that damn high school broke him!!

This week was given an anti-seizure medication...No, he doesn't have seizure's . It's used not as a pain med, but to try and  knock the headaches out completely by relaxing the brain. He can only take it at night...it knocks him out!

TJ was still asleep when I took this, the papers are blowing from the fan being on. We all sleep with fans on year round. I think it started in Oak Park, we lived on a busy corner and the fans would drown out the thumping of bass from all the cars that drove by. Very annoying. While we certainly don't have that problem in Lombard, it is almost too quiet that we need the fans...an occasional flock of geese honking is the only noise we get.

When we 1st moved here we were all sitting at the table and Callahan being 6 at the time, puts his little arms up and says 

"I can't stand it, it's too quiet!"

   

 Yes, TJ's mattress is on the floor, he bounced a little to hard and cracked the wooden frame in half.

I honestly have been too preoccupied to think about it...it's on my list :)

I can't believe how grown up my little boy is, it's all just flying by too fast. 

Happy 1 year to the worlds cutest couple !

the football player and the Pom

  TJ and I attended Glenbard East's pom competition in Blue Island to watch his girlfriend Alexis perform. They took 1st in their division in kick. 
Yay Glenbard East! Alexis was just adorable as always

I still have to chaperone  TJ to any function as he has a 30min window before the eyes glaze over and the blue circles set in. We had to leave for an hour between her performance and the awards ceremony to rest his brain

Sweet 16

Alexis is celebrating her sweet 16th Birthday today. TJ is still out of school due to his concussion, so he was able to join Alexis and her family for lunch (shhhh, I think Alexis played hooky) then shopping at the mall.

He really needed this time away from the house, but it's hard because light and movement (other people moving) over stimulates his brain and he becomes nauseated, dizzy and gets a headache.  

Alexis came back to our house for presents and to just hang with the TJ. Now they are out to dinner with Alexis' family

Happy Sweet 16 th Birthday to one of the sweetest teenage girls I know 

a sweet girlfriend

This is what TJ woke up to this morning  afternoon. Alexis snuck into his room and decorated it with cute signs, snacks and candy. How sweet is that!

TJ is still sidelined, pretty much from life. He has a tutor that comes to the house (through the high school, pretty sweet) for 30 min a day. That is all TJ's brain can handle now. TJ is slowly getting better (AND I MEAN SLOWLY) He will be out at least another week. We see the neurologist on Tue which will be the 3 week mark