wAtCHIng for DaD

TrEE?! tRAiNS?!

getting ready for Christmas
(sans pants, of course)

pLayIng NicE

tilly and hutch

are members of the

mutual adoration society.

since day one,

till has considered herself

one of hutch's caregivers.

hutch is delighted by the dogs,

but to him,

tilly is pure comic gold.

to tilly's dismay, however,

hutch's displays of affection

have gone from

adoring gazes and laughter

to squeals and body slamming,

pinning her to the ground.

it's his love language.

what can i say.

gObbLe GoBBle '07

the first thanksgiving as a nuclear family of three plus two
was nice and relaxing.
sean and tara, hutch's aunt and uncle/godparents,
came in town. lots of food, football,
a little hike, and a little shopping
all rolled into
one big ball
of goodness.
unfortuntely,
our camera was out of batteries.
no worries, though,
because tara posted pictures
on their website.
hutch was crowned
mr. thanksgiving 2007.
i was going to add a
golden turkey to his fly crown,
but i didn't.
perhaps for next year's winner.
the first photo on the mcguire site reminds me
i really should have taken a shower that day.
rough.
click here to see

HaviNG A gOOd LaUgH

PaN tO tHe HouND

devo is around seven years,
and has been with us for
about four.
he's very comparable to eeyore,
lumbering and melancholy.
we're sure their voices match as well.
devo's musical tastes
probably include celine dion, barry manilow,
and kelly clarkson when he wants something
up tempo.
ol dev always wants to be around, and loves sleeping more than anything.
alex and i often discuss what a reality show about our family would look like.
we think no matter what the scene involves, they would always end by panning to devo to capture his expression.



a few more pan to the hound shots:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BURT!!

our dog burt
turned 12 over thanksgiving.
for over a decade,
burt has been the lady of the house.
we speculate
if she could talk,
she would sound like beavis.
her musical taste would
probably include
offspring and
bands of the like.
she is an adventurous gal,
up for anything.
she loves
to eat,
and her snacks range
from dog food
to rocks and couches,
with everything
in between.
we love her
and love
the entertainment
she gives the family.
long live burt!
a few more pics:

maKInG tHe ROUnds

because hutch
is such a busy boy,
i usually put him in
his crib while i
get dressed
so i can keep tabs on him.
he likes doing laps
while holding onto the rail.
however, since he puked on the front bumper
over thanksgiving,
he decided it was equally fun
to dangle his legs through the now naked slats.
looks like he's sitting on the edge of a dock.
please disregard the miami vice-esque neckline.

aNyTIme NoW...

grandpa hooked us up
with a new sled.
just waiting for the snow...
thanks hal!

eLF yoURseLF

cheap laugh, but i have been
thoroughly entertained.
the cast is, from the left:
bob, eric, ryan, alex.
eric created it,
let the world enjoy.

click here to see!

sT. LUke'S oR bUsT

because my Grandmommy has been in the hospital for awhile, my family and i decided it would be best if i flew to houston for a couple of days. she was (and still is) in icu at st. luke's, and i really wanted to be there for her. the one glitch: hutch had to stay in virginia (gulp). alex, Super Spouse, cleared his schedule to become a stay-at-home-dad for two days (i know, he's a keeper) so i could head back to the lone star state.

the visit was challenging, both seeing Grandmommy hurting and being away from hutch for the first time, but there was no place i felt i needed to be more. my mom has been a rock, caring for Grandmommy and serving her in an amazing way. mom really rolls out the red carpet. Grandmommy and i have a tight bond, and i felt honored to be able to help out during that short visit. she has always had a big impact on my life.

i left this morning, and Grandmommy is doing SO MUCH BETTER and getting back to her sassy self. i was really ready to be reunited with my family...and when i came home, this big ball of sunshine greeted me:















*SIGH* he makes me woozy.

pHotO SHooT

my Grandmommy has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks and recently had a fairly rough go of things. hutch and i got together and decided to snap a few photos to enlarge and send to her. they are proudly displayed in her hospital room as we speak...

tHe FisHerMAN AnD tHe FLy

for hutch's first halloween,
we saw a slew of
fabulous
ghouls,
goblins,
and superheroes,
with a union soldier thrown in for
good measure.
however, i did not see
any other child
dressed as a
royal wulff dry fly.
cutest fishing lure
i've ever seen

Oh, HaPpY dAy!

our friends katie and david
were married on saturday
in denver
and threw a
beautiful,
uber-fun wedding.
here are some of the
best pics.
alex took most of the pictures,
and i took my spot on the dance floor.
good times had by all.

WoO-Hoo...GrANDpa aNd NaNa j!!

we were lucky enough
to have
grandpa and nana j
come visit us last week.
they were superheroes
and took care of burt and devo
while we made
a quick trip to denver.
this first pic is older, but
is one of my faves of
grandpa and hutch.
i also love
the next pic
of nana j and hutch
swapping stories
on our deck.

GraNDmoMMy FaNtaSTiC**

my mom came to
charlottesville
for a few days last week.
she and hutch were able to have
some quality playime.
yay, family!

gUy TiME

...they make a pretty good team

New cAp and MiTTeNs

CarTER moUNTaiN AppLE OrCHaRD