Dancin' Dude

Hey everybody!
Fall in New England is all about harvest festivals. A few weeks ago, we went to get apples in NH. We had a great time with Barb and the kids. Shea and Jared got butted around by a goat in the petting zoo and all of our bellies were full with yummy apples. Before that, Jess took Shea to a local farm one along with the traditional group of our friends and their kids (I can't recall why, but I stayed home - probably to do some house work). They all had a great time. They had a wagon ride, pumpkins, apples, etc. They also had a band. As you will see, Shea loved the band. This kid is so musical. He's humming, singing, or drumming at all times.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

"Where's all the ladies at?"

"There they is! Hey Mr. DJ, KICK IT!"

Cabage patch anyone?
"Yeah, I can kick it ole' school. You know who my Dada is, don't you?"

Gotta finish with a pose.
"Word to yo Mama!"

"If LL Cool J can kick it with his Kangool hat, I can kick it with my Osh Kosh hat"

Good Guys

Hey everybody,
Here are a few pictures from a recent visit by Mommom and Poppop. It was a great weekend. They brought up a bunch of my old toys. It was fun to see Shea play with toys I played with so long ago, like my Micro Machines, Star Wars and GI Joe figures, toy trucks, etc. What was really fun was watching Shea go through the Star Wars figures with Poppop, identifying the good guys and the bad guys. It wasn't always clear what criteria was being used, but it was clear that Shea had definitive opinions about good and bad. Initially, the Ewoks were considered bad guys, but their resemblance to bears must have won him over, as they eventually became good guys. I'm sure he'll be playing with these toys for years to come. Who knows, maybe I'll be brining the same toys to Shea's house so his child could play with them too. More pictures to come this weekend!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

We found a great playground and sandbox near the New England Aquarium.

You couldn't beat the beautiful day we had to walk around the city.

Not a bad looking bunch of fellas, if I do say so myself.
Going to O'Neils on Friday nights really became a mandatory event after their visit.

"I think R2D2 is a good guy, Poppop"

Peek-a-boo, I see Mommom!

Dinosaur Dances

Good morning everybody!
It's a cool rainy Saturday morning, perfect for vegging on the couch, drinking some tea, and editing movies, or watching them, whichever is your preference. Shea is feeling a bit under the weather today (he hates rainy days - can you blame him?) and just wants to cuddle. We were supposed to go apple-picking today, but a day of cuddling is fine by us. We can go next week.

This week is the Topsfield Fair - one of the oldest running county fairs. We missed it last year for some reason, but this year we can't wait to see all of the animals and eat all of the food. For some reason, New Englanders prefer fried dough (just a lump of dough fried with powdered sugar) to funnel cake, so it won't be the same as the old Reading Fair, but that's ok. We'll just have to pig out on something else. We'll post some pictures next week.

Here's a video of Shea singing and dancing to a song he just learned this week - the dinosaur song. The words are pretty simple: "We are dinosaurs, marching, marching. We are dinosaurs, we make the world flat!" Shea loves this song, as he gets to pretend he's a dinosaur. He also likes to crawl around, pretending he's a bear, or an alligator. I guess he has a preference for apex predators. Don't all kids his age?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Beach House

Hey everybody,
It's been a very intense day of non-stop tantrums since 10:30 last night, so I thought I'd take advantage of some quiet time now that Shea has finally gone down for a nap to post a few pictures of brighter, sunnier days. Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Cape earlier in August. We may try to make this a yearly trip, as we had so much fun. I hope you enjoy these!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Not a bad view from the porch of the beach house we rented.

Hanging out at a local petting zoo.

Shea liked feeding the goats.

Shea loved riding around on the bike Grandpa bought.

There's nothing better than playing in the sand on the beach.

Snapshots on Sagres

Hello again!

Shea didn't sleep well last night, waking up once an hour throughout the night. However, he's been soundly asleep since about 5:00 AM. I, however, couldn't get back to sleep, so I've put together these posts. At least you get to enjoy the fruits of this early rising.

For some reason, in my post about trips to Boston back in July, I failed to post pictures of our tour of one of the tall ships. We waited in line for nearly an hour, but at last got to step aboard one of the ships, the Sagres out of Portugal. It was a gorgeous day and we really had a blast, as you saw in the earlier post of him playing in the sprinkler in Boston Common (I'll post a video of him dancing later that day too). I think these are some of my best pictures despite my lack of photographic ability. I'm waiting for the day I can follow Shawn around like a little child when he goes on a photo shoot, absorbing all that I can.

Anyway, enjoy these pictures!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

I really wish I had some photographic talent to capture the perfect lighting conditions here at Rowes Wharf.

Jess was trying to contain Shea while we waited in line to walk aboard the SSV Sagres

The wait was well worth it once Shea got to pull on bell lanyards and spin the steering wheel.

"This is way better than steering Mama's car."

"Pulling these lines and standing watch really wears a kid out!"

This is my favorite picture of Shea of all time! I can't truly tell you how this picture makes me feel. It's absolutely perfect! The look on his face, his hand position, the fact that he's looking up at the sails makes me so very proud as a Dad and fellow sailor. I intend to make prints for anyone who wants one, so let me know if you're interested.
I'm going to send it to the American Sail Training Association for their use once I learn how to properly protect my rights.

Trucks

Hello again.
Here are a few more pics from events earlier this month. Salem has an event every year that's perfect for toddlers. They gather a bunch of big trucks together so kids can climb aboard, play around, and honk the horns. Thankfully for the neighbors, the park is in a less densely populated neighborhood and only lasts 2 hours, as the kids went absolutely nuts with respect to honking the horns. We nearly had to wear earplugs walking past these trucks as you never know when the horn would blast. They had an old firetruck, a dump truck, a tow truck, and some construction vehicles. He loved it! Here are some pictures from the event. He liked the trash truck the best. I guess he wants to take after his dad, as when I was about 4 years old I wanted to be a trashman. Dinosaurs scared me, so I didn't want to work with Fred Flintstone; my Dad's work seemed dangerous (a guy got his fingers chopped off in a saw just before I made this declaration); and since a trashman was the only other profession that I knew about, a trashman it was for me! We'll see about his professional aspirations, as music seems to be his liking right now, but we'll make sure he gets to pursue any career path he chooses.

Enjoy!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

"A firetruck! Wew, wew, wew, bah, bah!"
(that's Shea speak for the sounds the fire truck makes)
One of the cutiest things he does is says that the firetruck and ambulances are "crying" when their sirens blare. We say that that's because they're sad that people are hurt and that houses are on fire and want to get there as fast as they can to help those in need.

Uncle Eric would have loved checking out this old firetruck. The bell had a manual lanyard, so Shea loved it too!

"Ding, ding, ding! Get out of the way!" yells Shea, as he yanks on the bell lanyard.
Jess is bothered by the smell of the trash truck parked beside the fire truck.

Is it me, or does Jess's expression seem just a bit maniacal to you too? It's almost as if she's telling Shea to steer right for me! I should probably sign that check for the insurance policy just in case. No, you don't get 50 points for hitting dada!

This trash truck was a perfect fit for Shea. It also had one of the loudest horns of all of the fleet!

Shea tried his hand as a tow-truck driver, but really preferred the trash truck.

This is more Shea's size though. The Cat in the Hat was a good travel companion too.

Three Songs Full...Almost

Hey everyone!
I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted anything. I've been working nearly non-stop for some time, including weekends, so time has not been all that available. There's a slow spot at work, so I get to have my weekends back for at least a week or two. I'm hoping to put up a few posts during this downtime.

Shea's been doing really well after getting over a bad bout of hand, foot, and mouth disease earlier this month. He and Jess met Grandma and Grandpa for a week on the Cape the first week of August. I joined them for the last 2 days where we rode bicycles, walked on the beach, played in tide pools, splashed in the surf, and had some great quality family time. Since then, he's actually been eating well. I guess all of that beach play made him hungry. However, just when we were getting used to this new way of life (i.e., Shea actually eating his dinner), his appetite waned. We think he's getting in his 2-year molars, as he's been a tad warm, gnawing on everything and anything, cuddling and not wanting to do much physical activity, and, of course, not eating anything. Other than that, he's been talking up a storm, impressing us each and every day with what he picks up. He knows most of his letters, has finally mastered his colors, is beginning to use pronouns correctly, can count up to thirty (including "twenty-teen") and can actively count up to about five items. He really enjoys singing and dancing. We went to O'Neil's this Friday so he could dance to some good Irish music (with the occasional Beatles and Van Morrison song thrown in for good measure). We'll have to make this a habit again just like we used to do before Shea entered our lives. We've been recording some of his antics and are working to edit them down for posting.

I've posted a clip of him singing three of his favorite songs below. The title is Three Songs Full (almost) because as he was singing his "A, B, C's," he was also digging through the cabinets. After he sang "LMNOP," he pulled down a bottle of soy sauce onto the top of our tea jar, sending it crashing onto the floor and smashing it into a million pieces. He kept on singing, but I obviously had to stop recording to clean up the mess. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Family Forays

Hey everybody!
This week, I was supposed to be sailing aboard Friendship to Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of this year's tall ship races. However, thanks to the shipbuilder straying from the plans, Friendship's stem was improperly built and is rotting out. So, she's still in drydock and I got 2 weeks off to spend as I please. It's all good though, as it gave me some time to get away from the stresses of the office, even if I continued to check emails and work from home.

Our main objective of this time off was to take a jaunt down through NY and PA to visit family. Here are the results. We visited the Bronx Zoo (a zoo trip is a required stopover during any trip anywhere) and took a ride on the Strausburg Railroad through Amish Country. It was a great trip on all accounts. Shea got to play around with gorillas (he gave one a high-five through the glass) and his cousins (who are monkies in their own right). It was great to see the kids playing with each other and to see Shea bond with the grandparents again. I hope you enjoy the latest update!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Everybody had a great time riding the train, honestly. Eventually Brooke did smile (see below).

Yes, I did try to grow a beard while I'm off. It's a yearly ritual just to see if it's possible. This year, it didn't come out too badly. Still have it to this day...but it may not last much longer.

This is my favorite picture of Brooke ever!
I really should become a photographer one of these days. Shawn, can I be your protégé?

Screamin' down the tracks at 35 miles per hour sets our hair a flowin'.
Shea was really interested in the smoke from the old coal-fired steam engine.

Chillin' with PopPop.

"Trees are much more interesting from the inside!"

Seizing an opportunity, Shea steals Grandpa's cane, leaving him helpless to escape from the prarie dog enclosure.

"Hey, what's the hold-up? Is there an accident ahead or what?"

Note the look of determination on Shea's face as he races the kid beside him riding the panda.

Trips Into Boston

Hey everybody!
We've been trying to take advantage of good weather over the past few weekends by taking Shea out to explore this area. We've gone to Fort Independence, Boston Commons, and locally around Salem. Here are a few shots I hope you'll enjoy.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Fort Independence in South Boston across from Logan Airport. It's a great park - beach, playground, fort, and planes flying overhead every 20-30 seconds. What more could you ask for?

We walked around Boston this weekend while the tall ships were in town.
"I can't stand these crowds! I could strangle that slow lady that keeps stopping in front of me!!!"

Boston Commons has a playground with, as Shea calls it, a "waterfall" (sprinkler).
Needless to say, he ran right in, literally.

The frog statues sprayed water if you press certain buttons. Shea pressed them a lot.
So did other kids when Shea wasn't prepared.

Gotta love this picture. Luckily, we were prepared with extra clothes.

Ready to Take Over for Kim Jong Il

Hey everybody!
Here are a few random pictures that seemed to fit in with current events. I'm a political junkie and actually watch those politically-charged round-table talk shows on Sunday mornings. As you may have heard, Kim Jong Il is not doing so well physically and reportedly selected his 25-year old son to succeed him in charge of North Korea. I think Shea should make a play to replace him. Here's Shea's application for the job. Tell me what you think.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Representation of "Lil' Kim" from the movie "Team America." I think it's INEVITABLE that Shea will replace him as leader of North Korea!

Actual picture of Kim Jong Il.

Tell me he's not a dead ringer for "Lil' Kim" thanks to some photo editing software. At times, he not only looks the part, but he acts the part. See below for examples.

"See, I can even look down on the people I beat down and repress!"

Here is Shea's version of Chinese finger torture. Shea takes it to another level by incorporating the entire hand and wrist and by using paper towel rolls. I think that qualifies him to be an evil dictator.

Shea is also skilled in sleep deprivation torture. They say it's a common practice among state-sponsored interrogation activities. This will serve him well when he's in charge of a 3rd-world communist regime. Here's a sample of what he looks like and what we see after he cries for several hours at 1 in the morning and then wakes up at 4:30.

"Discovery"

Hey everybody!
Childhood is all about discovery. A child discovers that if he/she cries, either mommy or daddy is bound to come running to take care of their needs. They also discover their voice, how to use words, and what the objects are within their world and how they interact. However, one of the more fascinating discoveries is watching them exploring themselves. Whether it's realizing that they have hands, let alone that the left hand is distinct from the right, or first discovering what's hidden beneath the diaper, it's all fun to watch. Even though this later "discovery" happened some time ago, these pictures, taken a month or so ago, perfectly capture his expressions at the time. I always said I would not post any bath pictures given the ease with which information is available in our digital society. However, I had to share these. I hope you enjoy! I'll be posting more this weekend.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

"What's this I feel down there? That's something new!"

"PE-nis! He, he, he..."

"No mama, I wasn't touchin' it again."