Beat Drum!

Hey everybody!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there! I hope you're all enjoying the beautiful summer-like weather we're experiencing up here in Salem...I kid, pun intended. ;} Anyway, here's the latest skinny on our happenings. Shea is getting his last tooth (at least we think based on the quick glimpses into the back of his mouth that we get now and again - we don't dare reach into that bear trap), so he's been a bit fussy. It figures, as he goes for his 18-month check-up tomorrow, so of course he's not eating too well. He's pretty solid though, so we're confident he'll at least be on the growth chart, if not above the bottom.

The basement playroom is finally done!!! I'll be taking some pictures and posting them soon. It looks great, if I do say so myself. We had a test run last night when Gemma and Scotia came over to play. Shea actually jumped on his trampoline and sat on his rocking horse now that we moved them downstairs and he had an audience.

We've been working a lot outside. We planted this year's garden. Let's hope it's more productive than last year. Unfortunately, too much rain last year made the tomatoes split. That can't possibly happen again this year, could it??? Around the raised beds, we put down weed barrier with pea gravel on top, so we might not have to take 4 hours to weed the garden area next spring. We also found out that the tree out front is a Norway maple which has poisonous roots that suck nutrients and water out of the soil, killing all other plants around. So, we got some more plants, transplanted those from the front into other areas, and hope they all survive. I'll post pics of the garden soon.

This week, we replaced the knob-and-tube wiring in the house. We needed to do that to blow insulation into the attic. With the tax refund and a $2,000 rebate from the electric company, we couldn't pass it up! Hopefully, the electric and heating bills will be lower and we can have more $ for vacations and such.

My left shoulder is shot. Shea is all about being held lately. He's such a jiggler that my shoulder is all out of whack and my tendons are strained. I went to the chiropractor last Friday and, after 4 hours of pain, walked out of there hoping my shoulder will get better. I hope so, otherwise I might miss the sail to Halifax. That may not happen for other reasons, but I was hoping that I could participate if it ever did occur.

Ok, this post is getting long, so I'll wrap it up here. I've uploaded a bit of the video of one of Shea's most favorite activities. It seems like the musical talent inherent in our families skipped a generation or two, but is alive and well in Brooke as well as Shea. I hope you can all download it and enjoy!

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Funny Faces

Hey everybody,
I thought I'd post a few pictures of Shea making funny faces. We've got a few movie clips that we'll post one of these days. There's not much else to say and I'm kinda pooped. Enjoy!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

"Hey, I can be funny, just watch!"

"Rambo ain't got nothin' on me!"

Peekaboo!

Grandpa's Gift

Hey everybody!
We had another stellar weekend with family. This time, we went to NY so Shea could get to meet the other kids in the family - Jess's cousin's kids. I guess that would be his second cousins, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we got to once again experience one of NY's most cherished traditions - a big church event followed by a catered feast accompanies by a DJ. Joey, the oldest child on Jess's side of the family, had his first communion this weekend. Shea wasn't very interested in the ceremony, but really had a good time at the reception, where he danced, ate like a champion, and played with his cousins. After going to a carnival Saturday night, Jess and I got to play adults and stay out past our bedtime. We actually went to a bar, a real bar, and drank and talked with Pete, Barbara, Marta and Nick, Jeff, and Leslie until about 1:30. Surprisingly, we stayed awake and didn't even have a hangover the next day! I actually had over 3 beers (3 and a half to be exact) and could still stand up. Wonders never cease!

The highlight of the weekend, at least for us as a family, came when Grandpa gave Shea a special present. He wrote the music for a lullaby some time ago, but just recently finished the lyrics to it. He hasn't recorded it yet in his studio, but we got it all on tape! We had to upload this clip right away, as it really touched us both in the beauty of the song itself and how Shea reacted throughout by looking Grandpa in the eyes as he played, watching his fingers ply the keys, gently touching Grandpa's arm, and then giving a rousing "Yeah" when the song ended. So, here it is. Enjoy the world premier!

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Bouncing Around the Room

Hey everybody!
There's a song by Phish called "Bouncing Around the Room" that pretty much describes the Easter trip to visit my family in PA (I tried to upload the song onto this entry, but the computer just wouldn't let me). Not only were the kids and rest of the family really excited to see us, but we were all hopped up on sugar the entire weekend! Thanks Easter bunny, "bock, bock!" Anyway, the trip helped us charge our batteries, even if pneumonia kept us all coughing all weekend long. Oh yes, we all probably had pneumonia. Shea was the one with the official diagnosis, but it's pretty clear we were all suffering from something.

Thankfully, we're all better now. The sun is out, the temperature is above 40 degrees (for 5 days in a row, mind you), and all is looking brighter. We've had a good 2 weeks since Easter. We've been outside most of the time. I've been busy preparing Sekhmet (our sailboat) for launching on May 9th. We've also been finishing up the basement spackling. Jess has proven she's up to her title of "Master Spackler," showing me how to finesse it so that I don't have to sand much. By the end of this week we'll be ready for trim moulding and then paint! The end is near!!!

I hope you enjoy some new pics from our Easter trip. I've got some videos that I'll upload one of these days. If only I had some time to get it all done! I gotta apologize for the lame comments beneath each picture. I just wasn't feeling the flow this posting. I'm going to try to channel Danny Noonan next time ("Be the ball Danny, be the ball.")
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Hershey's kisses taste much better when you get it all over your face!

Easter egg hunt. Shea ended up grabbing the head of the turtle statue too. Yanked it right out!

Thanks to Uncle Eric, Shea got to explore the fire truck and rescue truck! He even got an honary badge and helmet!

Fire truck! Woo, woo!

Future firefighters of America

What a contented look on that face. It was good to be home.

"Balloon!"

Me and Mommom!

"Hey Uncle Steve, I wanna bee-ah (that's Shea talk for beer)!"
The kid's only 16 months old and already droppin' the "r's" like a townie.

Sometimes being around family too long can get ugly...just ask Paige! :-P

Not quite the "I wanna twirl" dance common at most Phish/Grateful Dead shows, but close enough - Brooke and Paige enjoy dancing around the room.

Wagon ride with Paige.

Funny Faces and Party Tricks

Hello again!
Here are some pictures of funny faces and antics Shea has been up to lately. Enjoy!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

I just love this picture. It captures his essence, I think.

I think I may send this image to Peta. What do you think?

"I evicted Skittles from her cat bed because she couldn't pay the rent. Hey, these are tough economic times for everybody!"

"I'm practicing to be a member of Blue Man Group."
He was showing off to a friend's cute girlfriend. You never know what will work with the ladies.

"Is that dog doing what I think he's doing?"

"Why do you insist on taking pictures of me getting dressed, really?!"

"I was not NOT licking toads."
Seriously, is not one of the most innocent, yet devilish looks you've ever seen?

"I could rip this moo cow doggie toy to shreds in seconds...watch me!"
Another devilish look. We're collecting them and plan to show them at a gallery soon.

Fashion Sense

Hey everybody!
We're back!!! HOORAY! We finally resolved our computer troubles by wiping the darn thing clean - after backing everything up, of course - and reloading it from an external harddrive. So, I'm going to put away the prose and get on with the pictures. You've been waiting long enough. I'm putting up several themed entries, so keep looking throughout the day as Shea naps. Hopefully, I'll put up some video this weekend too! I've got some good antics and soundbites on film. Everything seems to be getting better and the sun looks like it's about to poke through the clouds. Hallelujah! Can I get an amen???
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

"Is this snow suit slimming? I like custom-fit garments. So much more functional than store-bought clothes!"

"I can work an outfit in any weather!"

"They say black goes with everything. I'm not so sure about the fit though."

"These boots fit much better. How do you like the stars? I'm not too keen on purple, though."

"You can never beat a pair of comfy sneakers though."

"Every good outfit needs accessories like a hat. A hoop for a hat, I say! It's seasonally appropriate. It is March Madness, after all!"

"However, the classic helmet never goes out of style. It could even go with the monkies on my pajamas!"

"Does this helmet go with these boots though? That is the question."

"I think it does, but I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque"

"Oops, I did it again!"

Undocumented Update

Hello everybody!
I wanted to fill everyone in on what has been happening in our lives lately. Shea's vocabulary grows and grows and his enunciation of words he already knows gets better each day. He's started putting words into short sentences too. His favorite phrase: "Go Outside?" It's too bad that he doesn't realize it's 30 friggin' degrees outside. Still, we bundle him up and put him in the stoller or backpack. He enjoys it for 5 minutes or so and then just waits for it to be over. Shea's also been exploring coloring (okay, making marks on paper) and climbing. He's testing us at every turn, whether it's putting the crayon against the wall and smiling at us, or climbing on top of anything and everything. Ah, the joys of raising an independent and curious child!

The reason we can't document any of these events is that the "security" features on our computer corrupted our photo software, deleting every digital picture we've ever taken. After much searching, I found them somewhere else on the harddrive, but wasn't successful at fully restoring them. All this has taken up so much space on the harddrive that I've gotta buy an external harddrive to backup the entire harddrive so I can fix things. So, please be patient with us until we can get things back in order. Also, our camera has not been working very well, including the autofocus not working, the lens getting stuck, and the flash operating on occasion.

In other news (pun intended), anyone reading the local papers these days knows what I've been going through lately at work (www.gloucestertimes.com - search for fishing articles). In short, the District Court in Boston just threw out regulations I helped write nearly 3 years ago, but didn't suggest replacement regulations, causing chaos and uncertainty in the fishery and everyone to blame my agency for causing the ruin of 400 years of fishing heritage. According to one journalist, me and my agency are Communist rogue minions colluding with the U.S. Coast Guard to wage war on righteous blue collar middle class innocents, dedicated to the complete ruination of everything holy to God and country. Let's just say, it's been a busy few weeks full of "interpretative" journalism and public rancor. I've been working long hours and weekends, with little time to pursue the 900 other things I've wanted to do - most importantly, spend time with my family. Needless to say, I'm exploring what other things I can do for the next 30 years that will provide us with a decent lifestyle, but allow me to enjoy it at the same time.

Luckily, I've been able to bang a few nails now and again - my type of therapy. Jess has been kind enough to take care of Shea for a few weekends when I haven't been working to allow me to frame out a playroom in the basement. I've been encasing the sewer pipes and water meter, putting storage shelves and bins underneath and building a closet behind the stairs. I'd show you pictures, but...I can't. I'll post some soon enough. It's coming along nicely and Shea likes to play among the studs and shelving units for now. I hope to get some sheetrock up shortly and finish it all up after a few more weekends of therapy. It'll look good, I promise.

Anyway, thanks for your patience. We'll keep you updated. I hope everyone is well!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea