Dylan Joseph and Max Joseph: 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Superman Sends Season's Greetings!

Dylan as Super Hero. Elk Grove, 2010

Dylan as Relaxed Super Hero. Elk Grove, 2010.

Dylan, Striking a Pose for the Bad Guys.

Elk Grove, 2010

Dylan doing a mash-up as only he can...

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmast at the Governor's Mansion!

This past Saturday, a rainy and wet one here, we went to the old Governor's Mansion, where they were having a Victorian Christmas celebration. Hey, on a rainy day, almost any activity that's indoors, dry and warm, is a good bet! So off we headed.

The highlight of the trip was The Boys getting to sit on Santa's lap. Mrs. Claus was there, too, but Santa's the guy. Dylan took a bit to warm up to him (Max never did), but once he did, he had a good talk with the old man. And he got two large peppermint sticks, so it's all good as far as Dylan's concerned. (Tech note: the two photos with just Dylan were taken by me, balancing Max on one hip, while holding the camera set at 1/30 second... not too bad for me.)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Holiday Photo Extravaganza!

Just for fun, a bunch of photos of The Boys...

Walking 101!

We have been very impressed by how quickly Max has become a consummate walker. He really only started walking at Thanksgiving, though he had perfected, in form and speed, crawling. That must have helped. He has not had the perpetual lump on his forehead that Dylan had (Dylan really never crawled...). Max also has never had what I call the "Drunken Sailor Walk" where a toddler just gets going in whatever direction they happen to be pointed, and continue in that direction until either they fall down or run into something, usually increasing in speed the longer they walk.

Here is a video of Max executing a perfect one-point pivot of 360 degrees. He does these regularly, as well as stopping on a dime, picking things up, and so on. I, for one, am very impressed.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

More Holiday Hijinks!

Just more of The Boys and their different approaches to decorating the tree: Dylan with all the seriousness a 3 year old can muster, Max playing the role of jester, keeping us all on our toes. What fun!

Max Helps, Too!

Just some more snippets of the tree decorating hoopla of the other night. In this one, Max gets involved. He is doing what he was doing throughout the decorating: un-decorating the tree! We would put them on the tree and he'd take them off. Oh, Max.

In this one, he has taken Jennifer's Christmas pickle (made of glass, mind you) and is running off with it. You'll get an idea as to just how accomplished a walked he has become considering he just started walking at Thanksgiving. (And don't worry - the vast majority of ornaments on the tree are shatter resistant, from the Home Depot, no less!)

Dylan Tops the Tree!

As I said, we've made a new Christmas tradition of going to Apple Hill to visit a Christmas tree farm, finding a tree and cutting it down. With our new home, we can have pretty much as tall a tree as we like. Of course, tall trees have their own issues - like how does one get the star up on top?

Dylan proved once again to be the right man for the job!

Dylan Dances!

Every December, The Boys' daycare provider, Yolanda, stages a performance. It is both a low-key event, and very memorable and sweet. This year, Dylan was one of the show's stars, and he danced the first number with Ashley, Yolanda's granddaughter. And he also provided some real comedy with his impromptu opening line. Like most comedy, it is a real situation over which he has some anxiety, and what he says is just priceless. He had everybody in the audience laughing because of his delivery while we all sat in anticipation of the start of the show.

For those of you who may not know, the woman with the red sweater on in the background is Yolanda, a real treasure. We are so happy our sons are cared for by her and her loving family.

We hope you enjoy!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Merry Christmas, All!

The Family. Apple Hill, CA.
November, 2010

Sorry for the long delay in posting anything... Password/Google issues.

A lot has happened in our lives since I last posted back in October. Most recently, I just got back from a visit with my older sons, Jack and Matthew, in Louisville, KY. What a great trip that was! We three got to go out on numerous photo shoots (thank you Teresa and Gypsy for letting me steal your guys!), which was a blast. I am so impressed and inspired by Matt and Jack's skills and their eyes... Also I got to spend time with my granddaughter, Dahlia, which is always a treat. Thank you to Matt and Jack and especially their respective families for opening up their homes to me and for their patience and kindness. It will be a trip I will long remember.

Before I left for Kentucky, we (Jennifer, Dylan, Max, Grandma, Grandpa and I) all loaded up in the minivan and went up to Apple Hill to find a couple of Christmas trees. We did, and brought ours home and set it up. Everyone was kind enough to wait until I got back to decorate the tree, so we did that tonight. This whole process has become our new annual tradition, and it's a very enjoyable one.

Above is a photo taken by the one of the Christmas tree farm workers as we were trudging around in the "cold" (I think it was maybe 50 degrees - nothing like what I was going to feel when I was back in KY!). A nice photo for a quick grab...

We hope all of you and yours have a very Merry Christmas, that you have time to be with those you love and are important to you, and that the new year brings you health, contentment and good cheer!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Happy Birthday, Max!!

Yesterday was Max's first birthday! The big ONE-OH. It's been a fast year, and a delightful one, too. We all love our little boy and he brings much happiness and joy to all around him. Today we have the party, so look for celebration photos to come on this page soon!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DYLAN!!

Dylan and Friends Celebrating His 3rd Birthday!

Sacramento, CA.

September, 2010.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Barefoot Firefighter!

Dylan, the Barefoot Firefighter

Sacramento, CA.

September, 2010.

This is the photo, staged and taken by Mommy, we've put on Dylan's birthday cake. But it's too darn cute not to have on blog!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

An Eclectic Collection of Photos!

All the photos in this eclectic and delightful selection from the past couple months come from Mommy's camera. She captures the essence of the boys in their world with her little pocket camera and they are oftentimes revealing and amazing!

Dylan at the Pear Fair

Courtland, CA.

July, 2010.

Max at the Pear Fair

Courtland, CA.

July, 2010.

Tres Vatos Locos

El Dorado Hills, CA.

July, 2010.

Dylan and Soft Serve Ice Cream

El Dorado Hills, CA.

July, 2010.

Dylan Paints a Masterpiece - On Him!

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan and the Lobster

Pier 39, San Francisco, CA.

August, 2010.

Poppy and Dylan

San Francisco, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Mommy and Max at the Pool

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan and His Monkey Pal

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Chillin' Poolside

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan Enjoys Carrots with Dip

Roseville, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan and Poppy

Roseville, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan

On I-80, CA.

August, 2010.

The Two Boys at Costco

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan Scores a Seat in a Fire Engine

Sacramento, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan Rides in a Carriage

Fairy Tale Town, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan Sails the Jolly Roger

Fairy Tale Town, CA.

August, 2010.

Dylan

Fairy Tale Town, CA.

August, 2010.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Max Channels Einstein!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Dylan as Superman!

Dylan as Superman.

Sacramento, CA. August, 2010.

Dylan has outgrown his 2T clothes, so time to break out the 3T wardrobe. Well, nice surprise, he had a set of Spiderman and a set of Superman pajamas in the bags. HE LOVES THEM!

So here he is, having just burst through the indoor screen door, and 'landed' in the living room, ready to do battle with all the ne'er do wells and bad guys!

I had just put the flash on my camera and was getting set up, when in he ran, with lots of "swish-ing" and running, and I just snapped without focusing or checking my exposure or settings. Lucky grab!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Family Outings!

We have been so very very busy during our vacation this summer - more on that later - but we did take some time to go on little outings. These are photos from two recent ones. The first one was to a new-to-us find, Pixie Woods located in Stockton. OK, it was a bit sketchy at first, but the boys had a nice time, and we all enjoyed ourselves. The second outing was a day trip to San Francisco, where we spent the day out and about.

You may notice a heavy Dylan bias in these photos. That is intentional, as it seems like Max has been getting a lot of play lately. So I wanted to make sure Dylan gets some time too - I mean, he's so darn cute and incredibly bright and articulate!

Work starts soon, and it will be a long time before we get time off like this, as both of us are changing to a modified traditional schedule. That means our next 'off track' time will be between Thanksgiving and New Year. In the meantime, we will keep plugging along and keep the blog updated.