5 months...

Yesterday marked 5 months for JJ and it was one of his biggest days yet. A small group of our closest family and friends joined us at St. Malachy for JJ's baptism. Fr. Troy was kind enough to drive up from central Kentucky to perform the ceremony. Everything went off without a hitch and we went to the Fon's house for a great dinner. This also gave me a reason to break out my last bottle of Tokaji. I passed it around the table so everyone could try a little then disappeared out back with the guys to finish it off. Add in a few beers and a little Slovenian firewater and everyone was having a good time.
Otherwise it has been status quo around here for the past month. JJ continues to explore the house by rolling and every once in awhile he'll scoot as if he's trying to piece together crawling. Sara is maintaining her sanity with the help of a few shifts per month at Old Navy as well as training with Betsy at a fitness bootcamp in Brownsburg. There's talk of mini-marathon... anyone want to tackle this one with her???

Since I don't have a whole lot to update on, I'll digress to something I was debated one day at work. What is my favorite song of all time? It seems like a simple question that should have a simple answer, but it's more difficult than you might think. It took about an hour but here is my list.

Top 10 list of favorite songs...

1. Going to California (Led Zepplin).

Hard to argue against anything LZ did, but this song has the simplicity that makes me think I could play Jimmy Page's part while knowing full well that just is not true.

2. Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd).

While I do enjoy the guitar on this as well, the lyrics are what sell this one for me.

3. Renegade (Styx).

I was never really into Styx until I went to a concert where they were accompanied by REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard. I was shocked at how many of their songs I liked and Renegade is the one that you will keep the car running for until the song is over.

4. Hot for Teacher (Van Halen).

I don't know how this song isn't in everyone's top 5. "I don't feel tardy" makes me laugh every time I hear it. Not to mention the drum solo to start the song, spectacular.

5. Shakin' (Eddie Money).

I mean... it's Eddie Money. 'nuf said.

6. Moondance (Van Morrison)

I know he has more famous songs, but this one is his best. Check it out.

7. Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones)

This one was tough because I like so many Stones songs, but when they played Super Bowl XL my ideal set list would have included Sympathy for the Devil, Tumbling Dice, Gimme Shelter, and Paint It Black. Can't have a four-way tie, so the nod goes to SftD.

8. Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

I've been listening to this song for as long as I can remember so it's gotta make the cut somewhere.

9. Home (Jack Johnson)

Not even close to his most famous song, and actually may not even be his best song, but it really hits home for me (no pun intended). His ability to describe the evolution of life and love requires his placement on this list.

10. Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who)

I can't scream like that, can you?

Honorable Mention: AC/DC Thunderstruck and Doobie Brothers China Grove.

I have more "Best Of..." categories to come. Please feel free to discuss or leave comments but know that since it's my blog, I'm right.

4 months...

JJ has been hitting a lot of milestones over the past month. Not only is he still smiling consistently but he is laughing more and more. His grasp has improved a ton since my last blog, so much so that he is starting to pull hair (not just us, but Cubbie too). His latest achievement has been rolling over. And not just once and done like I figured he would start out... almost as quickly that he flipped back to front he was flipping back over. Now I basically have a log rolling down a river for a son. Sara or I will walk into the kitchen just to grab a drink or put a dish away and upon our return his head is either under the coffee table or pinned next to his chair swing. If I'm gonna be gone for than 30 seconds I've starting jamming pillows on either side of him to keep him in place!
Try out the movie clip below!

JJ also made his debut at Fogo last month during Devour Downtown. Matt and Abby, Heather, and Stevie joined us as well - always a good time whenever a group like that gets together. Sara tried a caipirinha, I won an argument against Matt about lamb, and we all got papaya cream with creme de cassis. Letting someone else pay for my Fogo is better financially, but not nearly as much fun.


The Cline family had their picture taken a couple of weeks ago at St. Malachy. Once our pictures arrived, I started looking back at JJ's old photos and wow has he changed. When he was first born, he was definitely a Cline. I think he looked just like me when I was born - especially with the thick dark hair and large blue eyes. But I gotta admit that 4 months later, he's starting to show more and more Fon.


Had our 4 month checkup last week and he just keeps getting bigger. For some reason I always hear Michael Buffer in my head when we take him into the measurement room... "And now... weighing in at 14# 6.5 oz... measuring 25.5 inches long... JJ Cline! (for those who don't know that's the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" boxing announcer). Everything checked out just fine. Unfortunately, he also got another round of vaccines. However, while the first injection was a surprise to him - he did not cry at all. That's more than I can say for me...


I had my shoulder injected early that morning and I was not prepared for what a human joint feels like when it is abruptly filled with fluid. I wasn't sure it was going to do any good, but my shoulder hasn't felt this good in years and I now think everyone should have it done - whether you have pain or not. Hoping to get back into the gym this week, which gives Sara and I nine months to get into beach shape for Matt and Abby's wedding.

That's about all I got for now. I'll leave you with another installment of my favorite names from Riley that will ensure a proper future: Nevaeh (note the name spelled backwards), Oranjelo and Lemonjelo (they are twins), Miracle, Desire, and Precious.