My name is Scott T. Holland. I'm a newspaper columnist-editor-designer, a self-published author and a marketing-sales-Web-whatever else guy for my parents' family business, now living in Gurnee, Ill. The site is about my life, which includes a beautiful wife, our four young sons... plus way too much time watching the Cubs and bad television. That said, if you don't find me interesting, this blog will likely bore you to tears.
Two weekends ago, How drove herself all the way out to Gurnee Sunday morning so she could hang out with the boys all afternoon. It turned out that happened to be the best day for our annual tradition of raking as many leaves as we can to the foot of the slide on our backyard play set. Each year Jack makes sure to take his own pictures and videos while Max flings himself fearlessly through the air.
Charlie was keen on helping with the raking, though he initially wasn't sure he wanted to be covered with leaves. Eventually he started asking How for help going down his little slide, which ended in grass, then taking a step or two and jumping into the fringe of the leaf pile. He gradually worked his way into more and more of the fun, but it's probably going to be a year or two before he develops Max's sense of reckless abandon.
Also, since days like this are one of the precise reasons I wanted a nice camera, I took literally hundreds of photos (and one semi-fuzzy video). Presenting now my favorites:
Wouldn't you know it, it's a new month again and I still haven't finished posting pictures from the last one. Here are a few snapshots to get the ball rolling.
Two weeks ago, when Kristie was in Louisville, Ky., on diaper store business, Max had picture day at preschool. He'd been pretty shaggy up top of late, we needed a morning activity and the afternoon photo shoot was the tipping point that led us out for a hair cut on a Monday morning. Here are some before and after pictures for your enjoyment. Although the backdrop was our messy kitchen, the smiles I elicited are far superior to what the professional photographer pulled out later that day.
The Sunday after Chris and Emily's wedding was a designated family day at Pops & K's House with Kim and Micah. We headed straight over after church and brought new outfits — a good idea for Charlie, especially, who peed through about four diapers that day — and stayed through lunch and dinner. When Kim only makes it out four or five times a year, and especially on the rare occasion when Micah can make it as well, there's nowhere else for us to be but hanging out in Libertyville, eating popcorn, playing a 90-minute game of Sorry!, taking the iPhones for a spin and eating, eating, eating. All three boys had a great time, and Charlie did a good job warming up to the nice folks from the West Coat whom he doesn't see all too often.
On Oct. 6 we were blessed to be included in yet another Ergang wedding, this one Emily's marriage to Chris Pappas. Aunt Kim was a bridesmaid, so Max and Jack sat with Pops, K, Uncle Matt and Micah. Kristie and I hung with Charlie near the back and spent most of the ceremony in the narthex, but we heard everything very well. (I wrote about the day here and here.) The boys looked super cute in their fancy clothes (Max insisted on wearing his to church the next day) and even Jack had a good time — finally — near the end of the night when he got a load of the DJ's computer and lights setup. After whining about how bored he was nearly the entire day, Jack asked if he could stay at the party essentially to hang out my the music man. Fortunately Pops and K agreed to drive him home and let him sleep at their house; I ran by and picked him up before church the next morning. In so doing, I also tried to burn my camera battery by taking a video of Charlie "playing" with Maggie, which goes well as long as it's on her terms.
I guess I never posted this information here. Most of my photo energy at the end of September went to the revival of The Living Bible at our church. The video below is a collection of my pictures (and a few from Jack) from the two-night event, so it skews a little heavy on Max and Kristie. The audio is the soundtrack that plays as people watch the scenes. Seeing it in person truly does it justice, but at least this gives friends and relatives the chance to see Max and Kristie all dolled up in Bible costumes.
In the interests of finally getting caught up on the blog, here is everything I have not yet posted from September. The first chunk of this post comes from one afternoon in the back yard. Both Kristie and Jack had cameras, and you can sort of get a taste for the way each of them sees the world...
