my boys

While not exactly a Christmas post, these pictures were taken over the holidays (Dec 12th), just before the boys and I left for our three weeks in Regina.

It's getting harder and harder to get a nice picture of Liam. At 6 1/2, he has little interest in smiling nicely and even less patience for me constantly sticking the camera in his face. I need to perfect my stealth photography skills and accept that the only nice pictures I'll have of him for a few years are ones where he hasn't seen me coming and is therefore not looking at the camera. Otherwise I'll have a hard drive full of pictures like this...

(sigh)

Mouth full of carrot, but I'll take what I can get with this one, too!

Simon is going through a phase where he likes to spontaneously break into pirate-speak. Not happy to go it alone, he will insist that others around him also talk like pirates. I BE BLACKBEARD AND YOU BE BLUEBEARD! And when I protest that I don't, in fact, have a beard he responds by pointing an accusatory finger at me and growling.

I'm pretty sure his love of pirate talk has nothing to do with an affinity for skulls and crossbones, but more a love of yelling and growling and scowling. Because apparently pirates growl a lot. While pointing. And scowling. Arrrrrghh!

Not even a smile from you, Andrew? At lease your daddy's looking rather handsome.

That's better.

A bit out of focus and more than a bit noisy, but at least they're both smiling. Chances are, someone screamed/burped/farted/growled just before this picture was taken.