Family Fun

Hello again!
Two weeks ago, we were able to get out of the house and head into the city to visit the Boston Children's Museum. They only opened at 10 am, so we figured we'd get about 2 hours of play before Shea got too tired and crashed for a nap. Not so. He was having so much fun, he made it nearly to 2:30, playing for over nearly 5 hours. We only took him home when we noticed him standing against a play structure banging his head against the wall behind him with a blank stare in his eyes. When asked if he was tired and wanted to go home, he just grunted. Within minutes, he was passed out. We all had such a great time though. What a great place. Despite being tired and surrounded by tons of kids and parents, he was a perfect gentleman, not acting up in any way the entire time. We'll definitely be back.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. As I noted in the previous post, our camera lens autofocus, a critical element when taking pictures of any child, doesn't work anymore, so I had to use the camcorder's 3 megapixel camera. So, please forgive the quality of the pictures.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Shea must have foofed -- look at the expression on that chicken.

He needed to check in with his wife, Scotia.

"No suh! I will NOT play for the Sooox!
They told me it was a Yankees photo!"

Drivin' around, looking for trouble, I'd say. Is that a snarl or a smile?

This one is from a few months ago while we were playing in the leaves.

"Go away, or I will taunt you a second time!"

"Go away, you English k-nig-hts, you wipers of other people's bottoms!"

Here's a picture from the Stone Zoo over the summer. It was a great picture, so I had to upload it from the camcorder,

Snowy Scenes

Hey everybody,
It's been a busy few weeks, but things are slowing down finally. I can finally be with the family without feeling like I've got deadlines and other work-related issues hanging over my head. It's gotten progressively more stressful throughout this year, climaxing during the past few months. Accordingly, I've also become progressively more stressed. However, the worst is over and I can once again be myself. I'm not sure who that is, but at least I feel more human than I have for a long time. We're kinda getting to know one another again - literally. It sounds weird, but I've been working on this project all of Shea's life. He doesn't know me to be anything other than the stressball I've been lately. I wonder if he'll like the "real" me, or at least the current me. I hope so. Hopefully, I've become a better person, but that's all for you to decide. I'm looking forward to reintroducing myself to you all again. I plan to spend a lot more time with those I care about. Family and friends come first now. I've paid my dues and learned my lessons.

Part of recapturing the real me is to take more pictures. To that effect, we're going to need another lens, as our camera lens auto-focus motor is shot. So, we'll be buying one soon. For now, you'll have to be a bit patient until we can get out and take more pictures. Unfortunately, it's 5 degrees out, so it's not really the weather to go outside. Thankfully, I got out a few weeks ago and took some pictures after a recent snowfall. I hope you enjoy them. I'll upload another set in a few minutes from our trip to the Boston Children's Museum.

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

This one is not as poignant as earlier seagull pictures, but the texture was just amazing and I couldn't resist.

More texture.

It was good to see Friendship back in Salem and covered in snow.

A "big, strong" anchor according to Shea

Flashback Fotos

Hey everybody,
I finally downloaded the photos that were on our camcorder. So, you get to see some pictures going back to December 7, 2007, just 4 days after Shea was born. It's so hard to think that just 2 years ago, Shea entered our life. I can't really remember what life was like before him. Sure, every now and again I remember the freedom to leave the house without thinking about it, but that doesn't compare to the feeling of coming home after a long day of work and having Shea run into my arms yelling "Daddy" with a huge smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Every day he grows just a bit bigger and I think about how little he once was. I hope you enjoy the flashback. I'm downloading some new video for more updates. Stay tuned!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

First or second photo of our new little man. Can you believe how little he was?

Skittles wasn't so keen about our new arrival. She stalked him for at least 2 days.

"Damn, I'm cute!"

Mesmerized by the big nipple on the ceiling.

The handsome smile has changed, but is still adorable.

One of his first bottles and steps toward independence.

Holiday Happenings

Hello again.
Here's another update. The holidays were great. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Ian, Sarah, and Scotia. Our little man dressed up for the event. He looked so handsome and GROWN UP! It's hard to believe that he's only 2 when you look at these pictures. Then, it was his 2nd birthday. With the playroom, there was more room to spread out and for the kids to play. However, the kids still ended up playing in the middle of the living room, with some of the adults seeking shelter downstairs. For some reason, we didn't take any pictures at Christmas. We did take video though and we'll post some soon.

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Give us your best big-boy smile!

Maybe we should have taken him to modeling shoots? He's got the poses down.

How does a 2 year old turns into a 4 or 5 year old? Dress him up!

Random pic thrown in for fun.

Zoe got into the theme of the party by donning a conductor's hat.
Either that, or it's a killer impression of Gomer Pyle. Shazam!

Scotia got into the mood of the party by donning a bow...or is she Shea's present?

Resolution: Recap!

Happy new year everybody!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe new year. Let's hope 2010 is better than 2009. At least 2009 ended well enough with everyone healthy, Navy winning another bowl game, and spending quality time at home with my two favorite people. 2010 seemed to start off pretty well too with good times with good friends. A good ole' fashion nor'easter is a blowin' right now, dropping more snow for me to shovel (that takes care of my new year's resolution to work out more) and forcing us to cuddle on the couch reading stories and playing with all the toys Santa brought us. With the new year comes resolutions, so here's mine: I resolve to live life more fully, focusing more on family and friends and less on work and deadlines. I also resolve to share our adventures with you all through this blog. 2010 should be a good year, so I hope to start it out right.

I didn't realize that it has been over 2 months since I last posted! I'm sorry to all of the many followers of this blog - what is it up to now, 2? Just kidding. It's been a busy few months with many more videos than photos being taken. With the winter snows settling in and causing us to stay inside where it's warm, I'll have more time to edit and post. So, stay tuned for updates more often. Things will be quite busy at work for me for another 2 months, so please be patient.

First recap: Halloween and apple picking!
Be well and have a great 2010!
Love,
Doug, Jess and Shea

Halloween Happenings

Hey everybody!
Here's our Halloween and late fall recap. One Friday, Shea and I took a trip to a nearby park where we petted some sheep, ducks, and chickens, saw a horse, and played on the playground. I snapped one of my favorite pics of Shea there. Just before Halloween, Barbara and the kids came for a visit, so we went apple picking. The kids had a great time and we got some tasty apples to boot! Salem State had a Halloween event where kids could dress up, get some candy, and have a good time. They even had a jumpy castle! Shea actually wore his Halloween costume for this event, but wasn't in the mood for it actually on Halloween though. For the first time since we've been up here, we didn't actually give out any candy on Halloween. We normally hang on the porch drinking a beer or two, giving out candy to the tons of kids that come by every year. This year, however, Shea woke up late from a nap and wanted to go downtown. So, we obliged. We ended up walking around for about 3 or 4 hours. It's too crazy for pics though, so you'll just have to imagine the density of Times Square on New Year's Eve spread out throughout Salem. Anyway, enjoy the pics and look for more in a few minutes when I post another update.

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Love this pic! Sorry, no silly captions for this one.

Shea donning his new outfit.

Kermie!

Better cropping and I could have convinced you all that Shea's growing quickly.

Riding on the train around Salem Commons just before Halloween.

Do you think Shea liked this ride?

Brenna was teaching Shea the fine art of socially acceptable larceny - stealing an apple at an orchard.

Riding on the wagon to go pick apples. No, that's not Johnny Dep, just Jared.