Having lost our beloved Shelby in August of 2006, we were pining for another family dog when Stacy happened upon a nine-month-old Australian Shepherd [like Shelby, but a miniature Aussie - 65 lbs vs 45 lbs] who had been rescued from a shelter. As we drove the 40 minutes with the kids to meet our new addition, it took a lot of discussion to finally concur on an appropriate name.

Unfortunately, my favorite name, Tralfaz never gained any traction…<Sigh>

Spencer, our new family member, gets an end-of-fall bath. Oh, the indignity! Sean does his usual creative videography.

No. 30 Sean plays for the St. Matthew Warrior Cadet C basketball team. I’ll have to work on better basketball videography, because the only way you can be sure it’s Sean in this vid is to find the player in red with the size 13 black shoes — that’s him!

No. 55 Sean goes after the receiver who runs in terror to the other side of the field to be tackled. This was Sean’s first football season after a 4-year break. I didn’t record his most memorable play on video — it’s etched in my mind:

“Sean slams past the offensive line, charges the evasive QB, snatching the back of his jersey, and with a one-handed bulldog grip, drags the writhing QB into the earth’s embrace!”

Oh well, you’ll have to settle for Sean zeroing in on a kickoff return target in this short flick!

We LOVE the annual short trip out to Tuttle Orchard and especially picking wonderfully delicious Cortland apples not sold in stores (they don’t keep long– we cut and dehydrate dozens)! Sean takes hold of the camera to do the play by play and even some interviewing. I think he may be a natural at this.

There’s nothing like cheering on your daughter for a great school’s great volleyball program! Erin gets on a serving roll here that just won’t quit! Go Irish!!

Unbelievable! Cori and (Naomi) Amy have been friends since they were 3 years old. Now Amy goes and gets married to Brian Whitaker! [that makes Stacy and I old, geez!] Beautiful couple and wedding, and this vid is part of the reception. The audio’s a little rough, but stay tuned for Cori’s maid-of-honor toast (2:00) and the “cutting of the cake ritual” at the end. This is the way wedding cake should be shared between new spouses…

Everybody (except sick me: hello-bed-all-weekend) went down to Nashville Tennessee to see cousin Conor Murphy compete in a national gymnastics event. See what jumping out of the tree onto the family trampoline can lead to? Thanks to videographer Sean for filming this and other clips.

Sean’s team was a powerhouse group, with many great kids and parents too! So, what could be better for your first baseball season than to win it all? Here’s some of the celebration!

Ryan has been swatting whiffle balls thrown at him since just after he started walking. But this was his first year (with Sean) to play in an official league at Skiles Test. Here’s a double hit in this coach-pitched league.

Maybe only of interest to our Catholic friends, but a big time event for us and our youngest at St. Matthew School. Thanks to Sean for lots of video footage that day and this snippet that seemed suitably presentable, if not entirely ecumenical. Fast forward to 3:20 for Ryan’s shot!