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.

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