Bottlecaps

Foto Friday: Year in Review

I wanted to do this up right. You know, on Thursday, post the runners-up, 20 through 11, and start off this blog … we're doing the Top 10 Photos of the Year, by the way … with a rambling introduction about what makes a photo important: news value, artistry, composition, lighting, cute kids, etc.

And I was going to make important points about whether I should go with the BEST photos, or try to make sure all the grandparents were represented (Bullworker, for example, tends to take real good photos with the older boy, in part because he tends to "hunker" a lot and they're often at eye level) … you know, crisis-level stuff.

But, it's 12:32 and every minute I spend on this, is one less minute of sleep I get.

Besides, I've already spent a LOT of time on this particular blog, going through all the photos of 2010 and narrowing them down to a folder of 51 photos, from which I semi-randomly picked the 10 that I feel were the best at that moment.

With no further sleep delays …

No. 10: Shannon took this one of the younger boy and I watching the A&M/Nebraska game. What makes it, is not just the expression of total involvement in the younger boy's face, but the matching bottle of milk and pint of beer on the windowsill.

No. 9: I overlooked this photo earlier in the year, but this is the older boy's first ride on the Zilker Zephyr when he was old enough to know what was going on. We had been sitting here in the sun for 10 minutes (an eternity for a 3-year-old) and he was wondering why in the hell we weren't going back to the swings. This photo was taken at the exact moment that the train began to move and the boy realized, "Holy shit, we are going to GO somewhere on this train!"

No. 8: I took a mess of artistic photos in October in a burst of inspiration. Three of them made my folder o' 51. But I have to go with "The Farmhouse at Dawn" as the entry in the Top 10.

No. 7: My attempt to photograph the older boy's Christmas program at Mornings with the Messiah was a bust. Fortunately, I was looking out for other opportunities …

No. 6: I'm not sure who took this photo of grandma with the boys, but the older boy's expression pretty much says it all.

No. 5: I wanted to go back and retry this photo on a different day with better clouds and a more contrasty shirt, but it didn't happen. I guess this will do.

No. 4: My sister took this shot of mama and her boys. We've tried and tried, and haven't done better yet.

No. 3: This year's official wildflower photo.

No. 2: The official "younger boy is born" photo.

No. 1: Grandma took this photo of me and the older boy riding in the tractor.

 

Have a good new year, everybody.

Merry Christmas

I know, I know. I keep saying I'm not giving up on the blog, but then …

Anyway, just in case watching two boys all week keeps me busy …

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a peaceful 10 hours of not-getting-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-pacify-a-screaming-baby.

Happy Thanksgiving

A video of the boy singing one of his T-day songs …

 

"Gobble, gobble, gobble is what I say."

"To wish you all happy Thanksgiving Day."

Foto Wednesday

Howdy everyone,

I will start blogging again. I did not give it up. But first, a Thanksgiving break.

But before the Thanksgiving break, some holiday fotos …

Watching Texas A&M beat Nebraska.

The boy at his Thanksgiving program at Mornings with the Messiah. I had wanted to post video of this, but had technological difficulties. Yes, he did sing.

At the Thanksgiving "lunch" where he refused to eat anything, even a roll. But you can see his new haircut.

Day 2 of the program. Not into it at this very moment.

Really, he DID sing. I was just videotaping when he sang. Between performances he wasn't as animated.

Baby brother. Just chilling out.

Here we are, pre-haircut.

Have a good Thanksgiving, everybody.

Foto Friday: Halloween

I've had a lot to say this week, but no time to say it. Fortunately, there's time for Halloween fotos!

Note the pirate tattoo on the forearm. We did not stop short when it came to being bad-ass. My matching tattoo is still on my wrist, probably leaching Chinese chemicals into my bloodstream.

Our photo-editing software (such as it is) could not remove the redeye from this photo. No matter. You can still tell that's one happy pirate. Yarrr.

All right, ye wee scalliwag. Walk the plank. Er, crawl the plank. Er … OK, forget the plank.

Arrgh. Too much grog.

Our pirate, boldy setting off on his journey through the neighborhood.

Our pirate, confidence shaken after a small dog ran out the door and jumped on him at the very first house we went to.

This was the Halloween of the dog. At the very first house, this wee little dog runs out and greets him. Now the dog was harmless, but it scared the boy. The boy, after that, was no longer interested in going to people's doors.

Now me, I was still pretty sick, and after the boy rejected a couple of houses, I was ready to say to hell with it and go home. But Shannon was stubborn about it, even carrying the boy up to one house. Finally, she got him back in the spirit of things by reminding him he could ring the doorbells (push the button! is a big sell for a 3-year-old).

And so we have a good run, hitting maybe six or seven houses. The boy does a good job of saying "Happy Halloween!"

Then we walk up to a neighbor's house where they are sitting in the driveway passing out candy and for some reason their much larger dog comes halfway up to the boy barking and growling. This pissed me off because the dog was definitely capable of hurting small children, but it scared the boy silly. (The neighbors jumped up, seized their dog, apologized, gave us lots of candy, etc.)

Another 5 minutes calming the boy and he hits a few more houses, but once he sees our house, he's all "time to go home!" We figure it was OK. But our next-door neighbor was out in her driveway handing out candy and since we seldom interact with them, we thought we better go over there with the boy just to be polite.

This takes some doing, because the boy is ready to go in the house, but I get him over there, squeezing between a couple cars in their driveway and the first thing they say … "Look! We have a doggie in a Halloween costume!"

The boy says "Fuck this!" Not literally, of course — though it's possible since he's heard me in traffic — and refuses to take another step toward the neighbor. I go up and get him some chocolate and it's back in the house.

Meanwhile, the younger boy is unperturbed by man or beast.

Me? A pirate scared of a few dogs? Whatever …

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Foto Saturday

Howdy, all. I'm sick and just ran out of time yesterday to put up some photos. But my cruddiness will not stop me from delivering these pictures to the grandmas (and everyone else who likes Foto Friday).

The older boy, participating in the cleaning of the graves near the Farm.

The younger boy just supervised our work.

It was a hectic day and not without its troubles and snafus, but all was well when the boy and I got to spend the last hour around sunset on the golf cart.

The boy really, really digs riding on the golf cart.

We were riding the golf cart at sunset and here we are riding it at sunrise. The boy would have rode all night inbetween if that was an option.

A boy. Some dirt. The Farm. Can't beat it.

This battle was over. The boy, weary in victory, knew the war would always continue.

I'm not sure what the younger boy is thinking about, but it can't be good.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Foto-lite Friday

I have no heart for blogging today, but, because I promised, here is a small foto friday.

"Who's the man?"

Unperturbed by all.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Foto Monday

OK, I'm not sure I'm going to be a very good blogger for the next few months. My normal time to blog is while the older boy (no nickname yet) is in school.

But with the arrival of the younger boy, that is also my naptime. And you can guess which takes precedence.

Last Friday came and went without me even giving thought to all the new photos we have.

Anyway, I don't know if there'll be a lot of blogging this week, but let's start off with a good Foto Monday.

Mama and her two boys.

Aunt Julie came to visit late last week. She has taken to calling the younger boy "Dubya" after his middle initial. Shannon and I do not care for this. So I just want to set the record straight that while Julie might call him that on Facebook, it is not any sort of official nickname.

Aunt Julie did, however, document the younger boy's first bath.

It was the finest moment of his life.

The weekend before last, we journeyed to Smitty's for barbecue.

Just like the older boy, it was the younger boy's first barbecue excursion.

He did not want any barbecue, though.

Story time with Grandma!

This is one of my old shirts (from when I was, like, 6). I don't know the story behind it, but it's safe to guess that I was impressed with Bullworker's uniform patches, so mom made me a shirt with patches, too. Sadly, by the time the older boy is old enough to realize how kick-ass this shirt is, he'll have far outgrown it.

Halt! Nobody approaches the sink!

Hard to believe the older one was ever this size.

Have a good week, everyone.

Foto Friday

Last few days of "paternity" leave. I don't know, it feels like a full-time job. If only someone would pay me to do this.

All are healthy. Half of us are well rested. I'm not saying who, but I will say they are under four feet tall.

Just for comparison's sake …

Here's how I looked during "Week 2" in 2007.

Here's me during "Week 2" this time. About 30 pounds heavier. Hair is thinner. But my moustache is totally much better.

Oh yeah, the kids …

Grandma and Bullworker made a magnetic fishing set for the older boy (sorry, no new nicknames yet), which he enjoys. But for some inexplicable reason, after he is done "fishing," he feels the need to go get the broom and sweep up the fishes.

My new band name, of course, will be "Sweeping With the Fishes."

Watching the world go by.

The younger boy, in a rare moment of awake-and-not-hollering-for-milk.

For comparison's sake: The older boy in 2007.

… and the younger one. Older one had bigger cheeks, longer limbs, was just generally bigger and, unfortunately, more splotchy. Younger one has red hair (at the moment) and daddy's (short) legs and long fingers and toes.

Someday, son, all this will be yours. Hope you like hand-me-downs.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Foto Saturday

A few extra photos …

 

Early in the week.

 

The older boy's expression says it all.

 

"I can't hear you!"

 

"You mean this isn't the end of the world?"

 

Plotting world domination? Or getting ready to poop?

 

From the hospital window, the boy and Grandpa striking a Forrest Gump pose.

 

"Does it come with instructions?"