Favorite Shots from the Big Stack of Photos

As Tammy and I went through the 17 or so years of photographs we have, and tried to get them organized, we ran across some that immediately brought a smile. We also thought about the mental pictures we have and wished we had always been carrying a camera... This page has those moments when we were lucky enough to be prepared at the "kodak moment".

"Like father like son?"

I did not even know when I took this photo that there was a similar shot of me at about the same age doing the same thing. (Take a look at David's Photos if you don't know what I am talking about.) This was taken in Baytown around 1985. Today as I look at this photo I think about how fast Sean is growing and wonder if there will not be a third photo in a few years with me wearing Sean's shoes and looking like this.

I know this is difficult to see due to the heavy backlighting. I tried playing around with it in my image editing program but couldn't make much progress. If any of you know a good way to adjust the background please email and let me know. :)

Here are a couple of Scott when he was about 18 months old. That is one heck of a tummy for not having many trips to McDonald's yet. At this age most people told us he should become a football lineman. As he grew up we didn't think he would be too interested... but, last year he played tackle and guard for the Griffin seventh grade football team. He has a much different body shape now, much thinner and graceful. These were taken at Wekiva Springs in Florida during the summer of 1987.

Those of you that have seen Sean and Scott in the last few years might think they have never gotten along. They seem to constantly bicker and each is always trying to assert his place in the family. Once upon a time however...
They were bestest buddies. They looked out for each other and stood up to playground bullies together.

The good news is... lately they have been starting to work together more. They don't bicker as much. They maintain a solid front outside the house...mostly. They are even trading notes on girls. You still won't see them arm in arm and certainly not kissing anymore though.

Jenni has been a buddy to both the boys. They have helped immensely with her. She has gotten them to be more responsible and mature. The whole thing is just so cool I can barely believe it.

Here Jenni gets the first of many lessons on baseball. Sean has taught her how to be a Mariner's fan mostly. She knows most of the players' names and understands how the game is played enough to watch one. She doesn't throw or catch too well yet- but that should change soon. She wants to play T-ball this spring so we are going to let her sign up and give it a try.

Jenni looks like she is going to tumble right over but she made it all the way across the bridge at top speed. This was during her first camping trip.

This one I included just because Jenni is so cute in it. That red thing in her left hand is a pair of sunglasses she got for the trip to Disneyland. The only toy she liked more than those sunglasses was her hippo.

This appears innocent enough doesn't it? We had been having trouble with the frosting never making it to the cake because it would disappear from the cupboard before the cake could be baked. I wasn't sure which boy was sneaking it but I had spoken with both about it. One day while Tammy and I were at a movie Scott set Jenni up. He gave her the last of the jar to eat then used Mom's camera to take incriminating photos. "See Dad, Jenni has been doing it." There were two problems with this... one, Scott couldn't keep a straight face while making that statement, two, we found several empty frosting containers stuffed under his bed. Hmmm.

We took this shot in the orchard in front of the house when we lived in Olympia. The kids did not particularly like living out in the boonies but I loved it. We were about 15 miles from town and this house sat on seven acres surrounded by woods. Very peaceful and secluded.

Now how could you not feel good about this shot? Sean gets to meet his new little brother for the very first time. Sean was a real good big brother when he was little. Once the boys were about 5 the bickering started. They are not bad they just disagree on lots of things as each tries to set his own space and personality. Now that they are both in high school they are starting to get back to being loving brothers but they still have their moments.

I like the shot below because it catches both the boys in the middle of having fun. This was taken at Grandpa Ray and Grandma Donna's house in Tennessee. It didn't take Sean long at all to get the hang of riding Grandpa's great big bike.

The kids really enjoyed meeting the characters at Disneyland. Jenni especially was excited to see any cartoon character she recognized. This was the perfect age to take the kids to Disneyland - we had a terrific time by staying two days.

Now, for my absolute favorite. What is the second most often heard phrase during a long driving trip? "I gotta go potty" This follows close on the heels of "Are we there yet?" Well, during our move to Idaho Falls, we were crossing the desolate portion of Wyoming between Rock Springs and Jackson Hole. This stretch of road is so barren you that part way down it is a historical marker pointing out that you can still make out the ruts created by the wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Needless to say there are no rest stops or gas stations for miles. Sean couldn't wait another minute. The result was this great shot.

Don't worry, we didn't desecrate the Historical Trail, we had passed it miles before. As soon as we got to the next wide place in the road he had to go again of course.

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