Catching Up with the Dude’s: Big Boy Undies, Getting Published & Rolling, Rolling, Rolling…

Happy Summer y’all! It’s official. Get out there and soak up that vitamin D.

But first, a quick Dude Family update.

Big Boy Undies

I guess Little Dude likes to wait until his birthday to cross milestones off his to-do list. He took his first steps on numero uno. And he mastered the art of potty training almost to the day of #3.

He showed no interest in potty training. Zero. Until he did. And now he’s a peeing machine. He prefers to pee in the bathtub…especially in his boat. But he doesn’t discriminate much…rocks, tennis balls, dogs, and especially Daddy’s feet.

It’s pretty cool to watch it click. Ah, pee and poop are such proud moments for Mommy & Daddy’s everywhere. 🙂

Rockin’ Big Boy Undies

Getting Published

In the off chance that I haven’t chirped enough about how amazingly rad Mrs. Dude is, we now have published proof.

Mrs. Dude is a super cool photographer with an amazing eye. Oh, you want proof from someone other than her husband?!

Ok, how about The Knot! Yep, the super popular wedding mag just published Mrs. Dude online and in print. Pretty awesome. Check ‘er out…

The Knot: A Vintage Destination Wedding

Although, her specialty tends to be newborns. Makes sense, right? Amazing Mom = great with newborns. Here’s a pic she snapped this morning…oh, no biggie, just a sunrise treasure washing up on the beach. 🙂

Mrs. Dude Rocks

 Rolling, Rolling, Rolling…

The theme for the Dude Family summer seems to be Rolling. The Princess and Little Dude celebrated their B-days with dueling parties last week.

The Princess scored a bike, skateboard AND roller skates. The Little Dude scored a skateboard he’s been dreaming about.

And The Littlest is now a rolling machine.

Our gorgeous summer days are filled with hours of rolling.

Thumbs Up!

Takin’ Care of Business

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dm7cPbBO6Y[/youtube]

Rollin’

And the Dude? I’m just kick’in it. Lovin’ the kiddos. Lovin’ the Mrs. Soakin’ up the NOW.

Enjoy the summer y’all! Wake up early to catch that sunrise, stay up too late kickin’ it around the campfire, enjoy some cerveza watching the waves crash with sand between your toes. Life is short.

PS – In addition to rolling around the world, The Princess is now sharing her art with the world. As one of her summer projects, the 8 year old aspiring artist has setup an Etsy shop to share her view of the world. Starting with a few pieces of nature photography, but much more art to come. Let’s get creative!

Happy 4th Anniversary Mrs. Dude – Love The Dude…and Old Gregg

The Mrs. and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary yesterday. Amazing. How does time move so quickly?

Remember when a school day seemed long? And a school year?! Insanely long.

Now, life is moving at a lightning pace. 4 years! Awesome.

Thanks for being you.

And thanks for introducing me to Old Gregg.

When the Mrs. and I began our courtship (You like that old-timey choice of words? I’m retro.), she introduced me to the most amazingly bizarre, creepy, and hilariously funny video – Old Gregg.

Old Gregg is one of the creepiest, yet amazingly funny videos I’ve come across. It’s an instant classic.

To celebrate our 4th anniversary, I give you the scaly man fish – Old Gregg…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIInySnQe4I[/youtube]

The Dude Goes All Griswold on Your Arse!

Happy December! Festivus is officially underway. And the Dude is kicking it off right with some sweet holiday lights.

I’m not much of a holiday person. I don’t need a random day to give me reason to get in a good mood and share cheer. We should be doing that every day. We shouldn’t need a special day to remind us to say “I love you.” Do it every day. And the gift giving! Oh, the gift giving! For real, stop finding reasons to buy more stuff we don’t need.

Let’s be nice to each other, remember to say “I love you,” and share some surprises all year long. Don’t store up all of life’s sweetness for a few random days.

Ba Humbug!

Ok, I’m a bit softer than that…but not by much. (Here’s a look at the Dude’s softer side from Christmas 2010.)

I LOVE holidays because they get families to slow down and spend time together. I don’t really like the contrived jolly fella that encourages materialism, but I love that kids are using their imaginations – don’t get me started about that damn bunny…or worse, the ELF! I don’t like feeling the societal pressure to spend money, but I do enjoy giving, and it’s nice to open a special gift.

As with most things in life, my guess is moderation is key. Let’s not get too hyped about the holidays, but let’s enjoy every last drop of loving family moments and burst of energy from the little ones. Life is sweet, and now’s as good a time as any to recognize.

So, to celebrate, the Dude has lit up the Dude Casa like Clark W. Griswold.

Ok, not even close to Clark. However, compared to last year, I’m definitely in Griswold territory.

Last year, I tried to quiet the holiday chirping around the house with a sweet string of lights on our outdoor staircase. Yes, 1 string of lights. I had them laying around the house, so I used them. It was pretty sad. Very Charlie Brown’esq. Needless to say, the chirping got louder.

Since I’m generally the ba humbug dude, I had no plans to hang more. I already struck out. Did I not prove my limited holiday lighting capability?!

But the Dude’s plans changed when 1,000 lights landed in my lap…on the same day. Conspiracy? Or just some fun loving folks spreading holiday cheer?

My guess is the latter, but I’ll play out both scenarios for you…

For the conspiracy buffs:

Mrs. Dude: Rex, Dude’s holiday lights are totally bogus! (Yes, Mrs. Dude talks like a 1980’s valley girl in my mind.)

Rex (Mrs. Dude’s Dad, & the landlord, & the mechanic – a man the Dude should listen to :)): I hear ya Mrs. Dude. Let’s make sure he gets it right this year. We’ll both give him lights to make sure he knows Charlie-Brown-style holiday light displays are not accepted in this family. Arrgghhh! (Pirate noises always sound evil.)

Mrs. Dude: My thoughts exactly! Mu ha ha ha ha!!!!!! (that’s an evil laugh :))

How it actually happened:

Mrs. Dude to herself: Same as above.

Rex to himself: Whoa, I bought way too many lights. I don’t want to hang all these. I’ll give some to the Dude.

So, I ended up with 1,000 little lights that needed a home. And I needed to rectify the wrong from last year’s lame lighting.

I used every bulb and even added two extra strings, a Red Flyer wagon, three poinsettias, and a wreath!

Let the holidays begin!

Drum-roll please….

Lookin' Good Griswold

Lookin’ Good Griswold

The Festivus Wagon

The Festivus Wagon

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar-__ub0rc[/youtube]

The Dude, A Camera, & A Canvas

I’ve always said to Mrs. Dude that “anyone can be a photographer.” Since before the Mrs. picked up a camera and started her amazing photog career, I claimed digital cameras and Photoshop threw open the doors to any yahoo that wanted to claim their title as “professional photographer.”

An endless supply of mediocre photographers littering the interwebs tells me I’m right.

On the other hand, thousands of dollars in equipment, endless hours honing ridiculous technical skills, and an artistic eye that no money or time can buy tell me the Dude is dead wrong.

Mrs. Dude, you are truly rad!

So, I straddle the fence with my own photog skills. Am I just one of the masses with the luxury of a digital camera in hand? Or does the Dude have an eye money can’t buy?

On the fence?! Nah! I’m super rad…when Mrs. Dude is there to tell me what to do and edit my shots. 🙂

Last night we gathered up the Dude clan for a quick run to the beach so I could capture Mrs. Dude’s baby belly in the perfect light a sunset throws on the dunes at dusk.

The way I look at it, we only need one great shot to make the trip a success.

The Mrs. showed me a few pics, and I must say…I nailed it! With complete direction, of course. But now Mrs. D says we aren’t posting any yet!

Wha, wha, what?! The world deserves – no NEEDS – to see the Dude’s phtog skills.

Wait?! I think not.

Little Hands, Big Belly

Little Hands, Big Belly

Awesome, right?

Honestly, I’m so biased that I have no clue if it’s any good – my wife, my kids, my baby belly, and my shot. How could I not think it’s amazing?

But what I do know is that we need this hanging in our room for inspiration leading up to the big event a short two months away. A gorgeous canvas as a daily reminder of where we’re headed and why we’re going in that direction. I love it.

Luckily, I just scored some great canvas prints from PrintCopia.com, so I know where to get this jobby job taken care of.

The PrintCopia canvases are the shiz – heavy-duty,  well made, great picture quality…an all-around gorgeous print. Check out the rad shots of Little Dude flying we just hung up…

Little Dude Flying Canvas

Little Dude Flying Canvas

Hook it up if you have some great pics (or hire the Dude…I hear I’m a rad photographer).

By the way, PrintCopia also has car magnets, custom banners, & signs.

However, I will mention one tiny detail…

I have Mrs. Dude convinced I’m a “doer.” I’m up early gettin’ at it – whatever “it” may be, and I love to say that “I got stuff done” today. As I get older, the jobs keep piling up, so I guess I just keep on truckin’.

But the reality is that I’m pretty lazy at heart. My yearbook quote in high school was,

“I’m lazy. But it’s the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn’t like walking or carrying things,” by Lech Walesa.

And I’m sticking to it.

I love to get ‘er done, but sometimes the laziness wins out, and this is one of those times.

The canvases from PrintCopia are gorgeous and of high quality, but I’m a bit dismayed to report that one of two canvases (i.e. 50%) arrived with a blemish right in the center of the picture. Nothing a little white paint can’t fix, but a factual review is a factual review. I submit to you evidence numero uno…

However, overall, these are fantastic canvas prints, and a trip to the post office to send it back just seems like a lot of work, so the Dude’s laziness has won out. We’ll make it work.

With that said, if PrintCopia wants to send a canvas of the Dude’s awesome photog skills displayed above to make up for the blemish, I’m happy to report to the masses of the great customer service. Wink, wink. Nod, nod. 😉

In the end, the lessons contained herein are…

  1. Hire Mrs. Dude for your pictures. The Dude is all talk and takes all necessary direction from the true brains in this relationship – i.e. the Mrs.
  2. Buy a canvas print for your home – your Mrs. will thank you…FYI – Christmas is right around the corner!

Baby On Board

Baby on Board

Baby on Board

We had our 24 week baby checkup today. That’s 6 months! I.E. – 2/3 of the way to new baby land!!

Three kids under one roof?! We’re really doing this, huh?

Great news, everyone is healthy and looking good for the estimated shipping date of early January. We’re super jazzed to welcome the newest dude/dudette.

And as I wander through life pondering the newest Dude Family addition (and wondering how we’re going to manage three at one time), I often find myself singing “Baby on Board” by Homer Simpson and the B Sharps…Homer’s barbershop quartet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pURFU3pL93o[/youtube]

This always brings a chuckle to me. Walking around laughing to myself. Tis the world of the Dude.

Then I look at Mrs. Dude for confirmation of my incredible wit…and nothing. No smile, no chuckle, nada.

At first I thought this was because she was blocking me out – she’s really good at that – but then I realized that she doesn’t have any clue about the “Baby on Board” song! She is not a Simpsons fan…at all!

Blasphemous, I know!

It turns out that Mrs. Dude thinks that “only boys watch the Simpsons.” Oh Mrs. Dude. Muy mal, muy mal, indeed.

Well, add the Simpsons to the list of shows that Mrs. Dude has missed out on. If you’re keeping score, Mrs. Dude has no idea who Bob Ross is (wha, wha, what?!!), and detests Seinfeld…crazy, I know. I finally got her to watch South Park (which she loved – but won’t admit), but I had sit on her and hold her eyes open to make that happen (Just kidding Rex…no physical violence was required. :))

So, what’s the point of this post?

  1. The newest Dude bambino is a short 3 months from delivery and all is well.
  2. The Dude is hilarious and has fantastic sense of humor and  a great taste in TV.
  3. Mrs. Dude is missing out on the finer things in life…like The Simpson and South Park.

That’s it. Nothing else to see here. Keep on truckin’.

PS – These are the kind of posts that the 3rd child gets. 🙂

Love Shack – Worst Song Ever?

B-52's-Love Shack

B-52’s-Love Shack

Mrs. Dude: “I DO NOT like Love Shack.”

Dude: I’m glad you said that.  I don’t think I could be with someone who likes that song…I probably should have asked that earlier in our relationship.”

Worst song ever? It just may be.

Thankfully Mrs. Dude agrees.

A match made in heaven.

It pains me to share this link, but just so you can be reminded how bad it really is; Love Shack

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leohcvmf8kM[/youtube]

First Pictures of the Newest Dude Bambino!

Mrs. Dude, Little Dude, and your’s truly made an hour + trek to the baby doctor the other day for our first baby appointment. We are officially 13 weeks preggo now, and probably should have had an earlier visit, but we’ve had a difficult time determining the Doc of our choice.

We’re stuck in an interesting position. The closest hospital – the joint where Little Dude was welcomed into the world – is not very open to natural birth techniques. In fact, their c-section rate is almost 50%! That’s ridonculous.

Now, the odds of us having a c-section are pretty slim considering Mrs. Dude’s awesome performances for bambinos numero uno and numer dos, but that stat is pretty telling for the overall birthing atmosphere. And we are all about a natural birth.

We’d love to have this baby born in a tub in our bedroom, but NC has some pretty crazy restrictions on home births. As a result, we are seeking a happy middle ground, a great midwife in a medical facility. However, this middle ground is over an hour from our house.

So, we’ll trek an hour to see the Doc and/or midwife for the next six months. However, I see potential for some excitement around the birth.

In the birth story I wrote about Little Dude’s entrance into the world, you’ll notice that from the water breaking through laboring at home, driving to the hospital and giving birth, we only covered a three hour period. Heck, the doctor didn’t even make it to the birth. The nurse and Mrs. Dude’s Mom, Nina, helped Little Dude make his entrance. And this hospital was only 15 minutes from the house.

So, how are we going to get over an hour on the third baby with Mrs. Dude trying to labor in a car? Great question.

We’ll work that out when the time comes. For now, we are jazzed about the great visit we had with a Doc that we could relate to, and we’re looking forward to meeting with the midwife.

We had the pleasure of seeing the little bean – or peach I guess – on the ultrasound, and he/she was even jumping around a bit – another lunatic like Little Dude?! Little Dude even seemed to enjoy seeing his newest sibling, although he still changes the subject when we ask him where the baby is. 🙂

Here’s the first picture of the newest Dude bambino. Best looking ultrasound you’ve ever seen, right?

Newest Dude Bambino

Newest Dude Bambino

The Dude Family is Growing by Two Feet!

Dude's Growing by 2 Feet

Dude's Growing by 2 Feet

Hear ye, hear ye…

We are amazingly excited to announce that the Dude’s are adding a couple more feet to the family tree. Yep, we are crazy enough to bring three kiddos into the family…and officially outnumber the adults!

A few highlights…

  • We are expecting in mid January, but given the track record of early arrivals, we’re predicting a New Year’s baby.
  • We won’t be finding out boy or girl until that beautiful little melon pops out to the see the world.
  • We’d love to figure out a home-birth, but NC has some crazy regulations for home-births, so we’re still figuring out who will have the honor of welcoming the bambino into the world.
  • The Princess is super jazzed to be a big sister again.
  • Little Dude keeps changing the subject when we ask him where the baby is…seems like he’s still adjusting. 🙂

Stay tuned for more Dude Family updates!

Baby In the Belly...

Baby In the Belly...

Cue the Boyz II Men…

The Dude loves the minivan. I’ve made no secret of my affinity for the gorgeous champagne yacht. In fact here’s a direct quote from one of my many minivan posts:

“As I’ve mentioned, I love our minivan.  Mrs. Dude is still somewhat skeptical, but I dig it.  And for all the haters, we’ve got a captain’s hat and a mini machine gun to let them know we are legit minivaners.”

But there has been a mutiny in Dude Land. The Capt. and his ship have been pillaged.

Here’s a quote from Mrs. Dude:

Things I won’t miss about the minivan:
1. the sticky steering wheel. (it was sticky b/c it was old, and touched by many hands not b/c I didn’t clean it)
2. the rims, they matched the paint job…gold.
3. the ceiling falling on our heads
4. the looks I got from people while driving the mini van, most just giggled.

Mrs. Dude and the Princess have teamed up to overrule the Dude and ship that champagne beauty off to uncharted waters.

Apparently they didn’t like the awesome gold rims, the roof falling on their heads, yadda, yadda, yadda.

She’s been sold to a fisherdude, who will stuff her full of fishing gear…rather than baby gear. I hope they form a strong bond…and the capt. hat gets good use.

Via con dias, minvan.

Champagne Queen

Champagne Queen

Cue the Boyz II Men…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b3mftcV0dY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

 

Massholes at Their Finest

The Dude spent the majority of his life growing up outside of Boston.

Boston has a rep for having a pretty rough citizenry. Very aggressive drivers, fast paced lifestyles without much patience, direct even when you shouldn’t be, sarcastic sense of humor, and usually show love by busting chops.

In fact, people from Massachusetts are often referred to as Massholes. As in Massachusetts + Asshole = Masshole. It’s even become a term of endearment for many Mass residents.

Here’s the definition on Urban Dictionary.

I’ve been out of Mass for a while, and the Southern hospitality has smoothed most of my rough edges, but the Masshole can never be fully removed. I’m a lifer to some degree, and Mrs. Dude has married into the fraternity.

However, I think the Masshole attitude bit misunderstood. Mrs. Dude was prepared for the worst and pleasantly surprised by the kindness when we went to visit. There’s a lot of goodness under the rough exterior, and Massholes tend to take care of their own kind.

Here’s a great example of Massholes at their finest. During Disability Awareness Day at Fenway Park, an autistic man sang the National Anthem, and when he was tripped up a bit, the crowd joined in and sang along.

A small piece of kindness from a lot of people all at once. Pretty cool to see.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhcZRFcjbhw[/youtube]