You know what’s kinda great? Having fellow goofball photographers as friends. đ Our buddy Michael celebrated his birthday this past weekend in part by inviting friends to dress up a bit & have him take their photos. Here’s a little selection of our silly fam in action.
Hot (or maybe cold?) on the heels of seeing Hawaiian turtles, Finn here reads our latest storybook, “We Found A Hat.” He did it for our friend Sam, but I thought you might like it, too. đ
Okay, Hawaii is officially 🍌🍌🍌: I mean, where else can you walk outside of your room, clamber over a few boulders on the beach, and come across nearly a dozen giant, ancient sea turtles basking in the sunset glow? And yet thanks to a thoughtful neighbor giving us a heads-up, that’s exactly what we discovered. Check out a few pics of the fam getting up close (but not too close!) with these old gentlemen.
Our Henry is a quirky little dude: Sometimes he’s super fearful in cases where Finn would rush in (e.g. snorkeling), but in others the boys’ positions reverse. Here’s an example of the latter, where Hen got right up on stage with Mom-O to learn some hula moves at our Hawaiian luau:
The dudes have been busy “basementing” up a storm lately, crafting all kinds of Lego maritime misadventures using teams of hapless soldiers, pirates, sharks (real & mechanical), and more. Here’s a little stop-motion film that Finn created last night:
What would a campfire be without some terrifying tales? Check out the boys’ skit from last weekend’s scout camping:
Each year brings a return of the giant (and growing!) Lego brickstravaganza held at the convention center in nearby Santa Clara. Here’s just a glimpse of this year’s gathering, in which the boys scored a few fun little pieces while seeing various friends:
No childhood would be complete without a nice baking-soda-and-vinegar volcano, and as part of their super fun times with Grandma Nack, the boys constructed one along with a whole set of Lego mining vehicles. Here’s a quick handful of shots (click any one to see it larger):
Last night’s pack meeting focused on physical fitness & challenges, including performing various long jumps, push-ups, and jumping jacks. Later the pack split in two to duke it out in a tug-of-war in which Team Micronaxx prevailed! (see below) That was just a warm up prior to all the kids teaming up to beat down the adults, though we suspect that their end of the rope just might have been tied to a pole outside. đ
How would you catch it, then? đ
Idea by Finn, art by Hen.
Another year at Steve & Kate’s Camp, another round of charming if incomprehensible stop-motion Lego vids from the guys. đ Note the “flying stick” effect, of which Finn is very proud:
There are times you say, “Yep, that is definitely my kid”âthen look for a stiff drink. đ (Click image to play)
[No Finnsters were harmed in the making of this vid]
Yesterday the guys gamely braved the heat & elevation to traverse the slopes of San Jose’s Almaden Quicksilver County Park, home of the country’s first working mercury mine. Being kind of nuts, they & their pals insisted on periodically trying to piggyback one another up the hills. Here’s a 30-second taste of the day:
Well, if you canât sleep at 10,200 feetâas I surely canât for the first couple of daysâyou can at least have fun passing the time with Photoshop & a photo of your sprawled-out son. đ
After about 10 years of waiting for all the cousins to be old enough, John and I finally got to take Finn, Henry, and cousins Patrick and Charlie rafting down the Brown’s Canyon section of the Arkansas River! All of us had a total blast – although, not surprisingly, it took Henry about 3/4 of the trip to finally start enjoying himself. (He tends to warm up to things far more slowly than the average bear.)
John and I sat in the front/main splash zone, followed by Charlie (11) and Patrick (13), with Finn behind Patrick, and Henry hunkered down in the middle of the raft for fear of getting launched out! In the gallery of photos, you’ll notice his little blue helmet way down low, right in between my and John’s knees. I started calling Henry “the turtle” because he was very effective at ducking down so low that the bill of his hat was sitting right on top of his life vest’s shoulders. He stayed that way most of the trip, as we shot through the Zoom Flume, The Widowmaker, and the Devil’s Toiletbowl. At some point I did hear him laughing, and looked over and saw his face plastered with a wide grin. He admitted at the end that he really had fun and would definitely do it again (as would all the other boys!).
Brown’s Canyon is the newest National Monument, and boy was it scenic. We had an epic adventure, and we were thrilled to chaperone all the kids on their first rafting trip. The Arkansas river will definitely see more of us in the future!
[Finn got very excited by “The Widowmaker” and kept yelling, “Adios, Dad!!” :-p âJ.]
Who will play the player? Mom-O, that’s who. Here she makes 6-year-old Henry her tuba…
…in just the way 8-month-old Hen made her his:
Bonus: Even more zerberts from Hen, this time at age 4: đ
Lately the boys have been really taken with cooking competition shows, in particular anything involving kid contestants (e.g. âChopped Junior,” âMan vs. Childâ). Inspired by all this, Finnâs been cooking up a storm, often preparing his signature âtuna crumbleâ for Henry, who happily serves as his waiter. Check out “Finnâs Famus Cafeâ that they set up a few weeks back in the gazebo.
Of course, none of this is really new: Six years ago today Finn was helping out in his first chocolate chip cookie-making session. Keep it up, kiddo, and long may we savor your creations. đ
Summertime, and the livin’s large at Pasitosâonce the boys’ preschool, now a tot-fiesta over which they tower as full-on Lego roboticists. đ Check out the fruits of Team Laser Ninjas’ efforts yesterday:
Today the guys whipped up a terrific Father’s Day pancake breakfast, after which we all headed to San Francisco. I’m too bushed to post photos right now, but in the meantime here’s a peek at our visit to the always-fascinating Exploratorium, currently home to the amazing Strandbeests!
The Willow Glen White Sox closed out their year with a bang: Henry knocked out a double, both boys hustled after some hits to center field, and Finnâto his great delightâreceived the game ball! Here’s a little gallery.
