Friday, December 30, 2011

The Tooth Fairy is coming tonight!

What a way to bring in the NEW YEAR...... Minus 1 tooth!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Tribute to our "Pa". Gone, but NEVER FORGOTTEN!!

Since my blog is here to "document" all of our lives moments, I wanted to make sure I had this on here so we can always go back and take a look at it. It kinda makes me wonder, what will be said about me when I die? What an awesome tribute to our "Pa". You know he's smiling down on all of us!

(Thanks to Kim Byrne, 3 copies are being sent to us) so the kids can all put a copy in their "memory boxes," Thanks Kim!

Nicholas G. Bliss, Chicago trumpet player, dies

BY KATIE DREWS December 26, 2011

Obit Photo of Mr. Nicholas Bliss

Updated: December 27, 2011 2:10AM

During the 1970s, key-holding members of Chicago’s private Gaslight Club would pass through a phone booth entrance to a Prohibition-style speakeasy, drink cocktails out of ceramic mugs and dance the night away to a five-piece Dixieland jazz band led by Nicholas G. Bliss.

A professional trumpet player in Chicago, Mr. Bliss performed at the downtown hotspot — which reportedly inspired Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club — from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. six nights a week for a number of years, according to his longtime friend and fellow musician George Quinlan.

Mr. Bliss simultaneously worked as the nightclub’s musical director responsible for hiring talent, including the scantily clad waitresses who doubled as singers. When the Gaslight Club expanded, Mr. Bliss also supervised musicians at the club’s locations in L.A., Paris, New York City and Washington, D.C.

Throughout his career, Mr. Bliss entertained with several big bands and jazz combos, and played in popular Chicago hangouts, such as the Chez Paree, the Latin Quarter, Mister Kelly’s, the London House and Ye Olde Cellar.

He performed for Ronald Reagan a few times and was an acquaintance of Nat King Cole and George Gobel. A wall in his Naperville apartment is lined with pictures of Gaslight Girls, musicians and other celebrities he met — and “he saw them all,” said his wife, Kay.

“He was a great trumpet player,” said Ed Ward, former president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, the labor organization Mr. Bliss also headed at one point.

“He had a really, really great style and sound. He was very much admired by the music community itself. It’s one thing to have a band and everybody loves you, but it’s something quite more when your fellow musicians love you and respect you for your talents.”

Mr. Bliss, 90, died of kidney failure on Dec. 13 at Edward Hospital in Naperville. He most recently lived in a retirement community in Naperville and was a former longtime resident of Batavia and Geneva, though he and his wife always considered Chicago “our kind of town.”

Following his years as a musician, Mr. Bliss became involved with the union and was elected president from 1977-1982. During his tenure, he helped settle a national strike among musicians and, in Chicago, improved employee protections.

“He got the first of many, many good contracts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,” Ward said.

“He was part of the negotiations that got things set up so [members would] have a fair grievance hearing to be sure they couldn’t be treated poorly at the whim of any conductor.”

Mr. Bliss also brought a more democratic approach to running the union by involving the rank-and-file in various committees.

Mr. Bliss retired early at age 62 and bought a place in Florida to spend winters with his wife.

When the two were a young couple living in Chicago without much money, they invested stocks in Walgreens, which “paid off very well for us,” his wife said.

Mr. Bliss was very generous with his family and once bought his son-in-law a convertible.

“He would always ask them, ‘Do you need money?’ ” his wife said.

“On the other hand, he was always asking what the price of gas was.”

Mr. Bliss, born June 11, 1921, in Iowa, grew up during the Great Depression, so he and his family, which included two sisters and a brother, “had it rough.” They moved to Chicago when he was 7, and his parents operated a candy store.

He started playing the trumpet in high school and earned a scholarship to study music at DePaul University.

Mr. Bliss was Greek Orthodox, and his faith was very important to him “in his heart.”

Described as outgoing, Mr. Bliss was “always the life of the party,” said his granddaughter Nicole Cavanagh.

“He had a fun life,” his wife said. “He was lucky because he led a wonderful life. He did it his way and he enjoyed it.”

Aside from his wife and granddaughter, Mr. Bliss is survived by a daughter, Melody Vantucci; another granddaughter, Jaimee Wood; and six great-grandchildren.

Services have been held.

ObituaryChicago.com

Christmas Pictures!!

Our 2nd Annual Disneyland on Christmas Eve. We had a great time. Great weather too! 75 and sunny!

The castle decorated for Christmas

Miss Mela on her very first ride, "It's a small world" She loved all the lights and music! As did the boys!

Waiting on the parade

The boys playing Rock, Paper, Scissors as we wait..

The look on their faces says it all....

Even Mela was enjoying herself.

Kain just stood there and waved and cheered for everyone coming down the street! He loved seeing all his favorite characters..

Santa

On the night of Christmas Eve... all was quiet

And then the morning hit. The boys slept till 6:45a. Not bad.

Austin here with his Pokemon cards. *from his stocking. I love how he says, "Santa knows mom.. he knows what I like."

Kain was so excited to get ELMO Play-doh!

and WIGGLES!!!! (See Sam in the yellow right in front)..Sam was what Kain was for Halloween, but how could we forget that when all he would wear the entire month of October was that Yellow Wiggles shirt!

Super Mario for Wii

And NERF Darts

Star wars

New Pj's.

New Cubs Bear.. Best. Present.Ever. Has not put this bear down. (don't ask me why, but he loves this bear)!

Ho, Hum, Mela is tired from watching the boys open all the presents..BIG Y A W N.

Mela's new slippers

Kain's spiderman mask

to go with his Spiderman Backpac

They sure love eachother-(and no, we did not tell them to do this) but they were saying, "Merry Christmas" here to eachother. Gosh, I love these kids!

BEST. DAY.EVER..Austin jumping for Joy!

Ahh, the famous, pull out the directions and get putting together.. Look how long these directions are. Good Luck Eric!

Mela in her Christmas bib

Austin's new race car track. It's awesome.. 6 lanes... but Somehow lane 4 always wins.. we're still trying to figure this out.

Oh, Mela. Just playing on her playmat.

I'm telling ya-Austin loves this Cubs Bear. And his new Foosball table! And he's getting good at it too!

The Aftermath.

Kain is tired. It's only 10a on Christmas morning too. Thank goodness for his new sleeping bag he can cuddle up in to fall asleep.

And the boys and their toys. Kain on his new scooter and Austin getting ready to fly his new remote control helicopter.

Merry Christmas to all .... and to all a goodnight! It's been 2 days since Christmas morning and the tree is coming down tonight, just in time for trash day tomorrow.....until next year!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Mela Bliss 3 mos.

Today Miss Mela turned 3 mos. She's the happiest little girl. We just love every minute with her. Next week, She will go to her 3m appointment, get her 2 month shots, hoping get clearance to be off the nebulizer and be on her happy way. (fingers crossed)!!

The Dr. said we will play catch up to get her to her next month shots, but he did not seem to be worried-and we trust him 100%. Mela is a bright spot in all of our days. She definitely completes me!