5.20.2011

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"Michael Roe @ Barton Church, May 19, 2011"

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The Instagram Team

4.19.2011

davehardy shared an Instagram photo with you

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"Jocelyn at 12 weeks."

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The Instagram Team

4.08.2011

davehardy shared an Instagram photo with you

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"Jocelyn at about 1 month. "

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1.02.2010

How to golf without a club

Dean has taken notice over the past year that his Daddy and Papa Ron both like to golf. How does a two-year-old, aspiring golfer practice when he doesn't have clubs? Observe...



Cheers!

8.18.2009

Red Pepper

Dean and I just got in from our very first red pepper off our own plant. He insisted on eating most of it. He is very excited about growing his own food and then eating it, but then again, when in his life has not been excited about food! Enjoy.

7.12.2009

Blog "Dump" Time...

...that is, it's time to dump a bunch of photos on the blog because we're terribly behind. I'm pretty sure we're at the point where people have forgotten we even have a blog, but for the faithful who keep checking back, you've hit pay dirt. Enjoy!

Dean really enjoys washing the car. His babysitter let him help her wash their car the first time. Let's just say it's a good thing he had a spare change of clothes with him!


As a protective measure, we took off his shirt the first time he had berry pie. There's no use making messes you can't clean up, right?

Some things never change. Dean still LOVES reading books. In this photo, his Great Grandma Sarah is reading Aladdin to him.

Doesn't he look cool in Daddy's shades?

But not so cool he can't give his Mommy a kiss. What a nice guy!

More reading, this time with Grandpa.

The first time we took him to the park to go on the swings, he had a really hard time leaving. I almost forgot how much fun swings are.

Mommy had to help him go down the big slide. Between you and me, I think she would have slid down by herself...

Dean is fascinated by animals. We bought a membership to the Zoo this year, so it's an easy family outing. (It's also tax deductible, dollar for dollar, so why would we not buy a membership?)

This was a great find. A friend of ours tipped us off that the local community center was trying to offload their kid stuff for free. One of the items was this HUGE castle. Big thanks to Sarah on this one... the thing is several hundred dollars brand new.

A shot from another perspective. Dean asks every day if he can go outside to play on his castle. Great fun!

More reading, this time with Mommy.

For 4th of July weekend, we were in Central Oregon, enjoying the warm weather. Dean got his first chance to go swimming, which was a lot of fun for all of us. He was also really excited to try out his Spider Man board shorts.
The pool had miniature life jackets, so I strapped one on Dean and helped him learn to float on his back. Check out the video!


He even figured out that he needs to kick (though I simulated the movement so he would get the idea).


Cheers!

4.25.2009

Dean's Improved Counting Skills (caught on video!)

Wow! I was trying to get some footage of Dean "counting," and ended up with this. This is his first time counting from 2 to 10 (I have to start him with 1) all by himself!




What a smart boy!

Cheers!

Trekkie Training (continued)

He's made progress...




Cheers!

4.16.2009

Dino's "New Math"

I overheard Dean counting the pieces in one of his puzzles...

"Two, eee, foe, fie, sick, nie, TEN! YAAAAY!"

4.04.2009

Spring Break at the Beach: Year Two

It was our second year spending Spring Break in Seaside with Beka's family (the Thomas side). We had a great time and came back with all kinds of photos. Dean was old enough to enjoy the beach, interaction with his cousins, and plenty of attention from grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Enjoy the photos!

The second day we were there, we went down to the beach after dinner and the weather was wonderful. There was no wind and it was almost warm enough to not wear a coat. Dean and Beka looked especially "cool" in their sunglasses.

I think this will replace our current family photo on the blog. What a great shot of Dean smiling!

The next few photos were some great, "artistic" shots I took while the sun was setting.

I especially like this one!



Here's Beka and her sisters Jennifer and Christina

Dean and his uncle Greg found a sand dollar further down the beach. At one point, Dean decided he'd see if it was edible. Fortunately, it didn't break.

Dean enjoyed his first experience with wet sand. It was fun to watch him try to figure it out... not so fun to clean up the mess afterward.


As I mentioned above, Dean enjoyed playing with his cousins. Dean and Joel played with blocks on several occasions, though it took Dean some time to figure out that it wasn't fun for other kids when he knocked down their "towers" (even though it's great fun at home).

The "family shot" circa 2009

Ah yes... what fun to have kids gang up on me to try to tickle me (not really). Aliya and Emma did their best to overpower me, and even Dean got in on the action. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves... and no one got hurt.

Dean spent a lot of time being excited that one of his "papas" were around.


Cheers!

1.05.2009

Trekkie Training



Need I say more?

Cheers!

12.23.2008

Arctic Blast - Part 3

After the snow stopped around dusk last night, I was struck by how peaceful it was outside and tried to capture it with some long-exposure photographs.

This is a neighbor's house (I've always liked that house) taken from our driveway. The blue glow of dusk, combined with the snow is amazing!

This is our house (Christmas tree through the window), taken from across the street.

The street we live on... by this time, the sky was dark.

Cheers!

12.22.2008

Arctic Blast - Part 2

Here are some new photos from "out Sandy way." All of these were taken from inside through the windows, but they don't look too bad. We have significantly more snow than in the photos from the post from last night (probably about 12 inches more).

This photo is of our backyard. As you can see, the arborvitae are seriously leaning under the weight of the ice and snow. I don't look forward to this spring when I have talk to the landlord of that property and try to convince him to trim those... yikes!

I just cleared that car off yesterday! As you can see, the mailbox pole is slowly being buried, as is the Japanese maple.

The snow on our deck is piling up. We're taking bets new as to whether or not the snow will reach the rail.

The Chinese cherry tree is leaning under the weight of the ice and snow, too.

With the arborvitae leaning down, we can see chimneys for three houses from our bedroom window now. Those trees in the background are magnificent!

Here's my "artsy" photo... actually, Beka's "artsy" photo. Nicely done, Bek!

One more photo of the maple in the backyard with ice and snow, and the neighbor's fence in the background.

Cheers!

12.21.2008

Arctic Blast - Photos

As the snow started to really pile up, we noticed that the lights along our yard were submerged. When we plugged them in, this was the result.

Here's a long exposure shot I took of some lights on a tree in our front yard. I do like the snow!

What I don't like is the freezing rain and ice. In an attempt to make sure we don't have a layer of ice on our car too thick to penetrate (in case we are actually be able to get out on Christmas to be with our families), I started it up and chiseled the ice off with a scraper. I had no idea it would be so thick...

...half an inch thick, to be exact!

Cheers! (and stay warm)

12.20.2008

Some Videos from the Past Few Months

Dean loves rocking chairs. This one is at Grandma's house. It's an antique rocking chair that was given to her by her dear friend, Sal.



As I mentioned in a prior book, Dean loves his books! He also likes to say "WOW" when he sees things he likes. Combine the two and you get this incredibly cute video.



Dean learned about a month or so ago that he not only has a nose, but knows where to find it!



Dean likes his drum, and recently figured out how it "works." He especially likes drumming along with music (though his rhythm needs work yet). How appropriate that we'd have a "little drummer boy" emerge around Christmas time...



This is a common occurence around our house. Dean will often approach us with a book in his hand, eager for us to read to him.



It sounds like he's saying "no," but he's really saying "snow." He's been very excited about the winter weather we've had lately.



Cheers!

12.18.2008

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Beka and I have enjoyed several "snow days" off from work this week, today being the first with a substantial amount of snow. Dean has been very excited about it, and enthusiastically says "SNOW!" when he sees it falling outside (Beka taught him that this morning). Enjoy the photos!

From earlier today when it was snowing hard.

Preparing for a trek in the snow...





Beka let Dean eat some snow, but he wasn't quite sure about it.



Afterward, he gave mommy a nice, cold kiss.



Playing in the snow is a family affair!

After we came inside, I let Dean wear my gloves to keep his hands warm. What huge hands!


Merry Christmas...
...and Cheers!