Double Duty Diary: Twice the Angst in Half the Time: 2005: The Year In Review

When I started Double Duty Diary back in August, it was mostly with the intent of leaving behind the old method of sharing family photos (mass e-mail dumps of huge, often mail-box-clogging photo files to recipients who may or may not want to see them), in an attempt to provide an outlet through which friends and family could view, on their own terms and in their own time, photos of the kids. Come visit once a day, come visit once a week, or come visit only once; it's your choice.
We'll leave the light on for you.

Along the way, I realized how much fun—and how cathartic—writing stories about the hilarious and often challenging parts of my day could be. A twenty-minute temper tantrum thrown by a tyrannical, hungry, napless three-year-old may seem like the end of the universe while you're caught in its wake, but later that day, with a healthy dose of retrospection, a dash of forgiveness, and a splash of humor (and one ice-cold Tecate with a slice of lime), you've got a good story for the tellin'.

But I haven't forgotten just how important the visuals are to my original purpose with this blog; I like to think that they tell just as much of the story as my words do. Most days, in fact, I let the images in my photo files dictate which ditties I'll write about (and with two kids under the age of four, oh, the "ditties" I have). Sometimes, I feel the photos are strong enough on their own to tell the story I want to share. And some days, truth be told, my ball-breaking bosses have me on such a tight schedule of juice fetching, peek-a-booing, swing pushing, spoon feeding, and Lincoln-Logging, that posting a photo or two is about all I can find the time, energy and sanity to do. (I so deserve a raise.)

So, inspired by Time magazine's "Best Photos of 2005" issue last week, I decided to wrap up the year by creating a similar post that includes my "Favorite Photos of 2005." For one reason or another, these images never made it to the blog. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do; they represent many of the events that I will remember fondly when I think of the year that was 2005—the year that blogged.

The Son Also Rises:
Finnegan in January at age 2 1/2

Stuck On You:
Valentine's Day sticker fun with Papa at Ruby's Diner

It Never Rains In Southern California:
Finnegan in March, happy to break out his rain gear once and for all

The Final Piece Of Our Puzzle:
At 1:57 p.m. on April 30th we met our sweet daughter, Shea Emely

Someone To Watch Over Me:
Finney took quickly to his new role as the Big Brother

His Favorite New Hobby:
John napping with five-week-old Shea

Some Expressions Are Universal:
Opa sharing a big grin with his first granddaughter

Catch Me If You Can:
Finney dodging the waves

Not So Tiny Bubbles:
Finnegan on June 26th, his third birthday

A Three-Hour Tour:
Karin and John on a sunset cruise in late June