"Gag" Photos

Sadly, I do mean literally.

I'm well aware that this is, um, odd. And to most, probably not very blogworthy.

Allow me to explain.

My husband has a booming voice, and recently landed a gig through the school district where he teaches to announce for home football games at one of the two local high schools.

Jeff used to play high school and college ball, and coached for a few years when we were first married, and has really been missing being involved in the sport, especially this time of year, when certain sounds and the scent of fresh cut grass sweep him right back to those nostalgic days spent sweating to death in his practice uniform under the hot sun during grueling football practices.

When he first heard about this job, he figured it was the perfect answer to his getting back into the sport in some capacity, without the demands of needing to be at every practice as with coaching. A win-win situation.

Last night was the first of the home games, and we went out as a family to support him. Jeff did a terrific job announcing, and as such games go, this one really delivered. They won in the last 30 seconds of the game. The crowd went wild!

And what a crowd it was! The people watching at this particular high school was second to only one other public event I can think of...the Monster Truck Rally at the County Fairgrounds which we went to with some friends a few years back while Jericho was going through his monster truck phase. I'm pretty sure a few of America's Most Wanted were in that crowd that day. Along with a lecherous old geezer nearby that was wearing a shirt which read, "Don't deny it, you know you want me". But that is a story for another day.

This football game was a blast. The atmosphere was festive, the marching band, ROTC and cheerleading squad were in fine form, and the kids were alive with school spirit.

The big plus for me was that there was enough action going on all around to keep even our rambunctious little Judah from acting up like he does in restaurants, particularly when the giant balloon arches in school colors broke free of their moorings and went snaking off into the sky. I think that was the highlight of the evening for him. He was also leery enough of the school mascot that he hugged up real close to me whenever it came around--which worked better than anything to date to keep that boy in line! In fact, he sat very nicely during the entire evening, not venturing more than about three steps from me!

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable family outing.

During halftime, because we couldn't go interrupt Jeff in the press box, I thought I'd try and document the evening for the family scrapbooks, and at the same time try and get a good current picture of the boys for Jeff's desk at school.

I tried in vain to get a good 'brothers' picture. Always, when one boy was looking at the camera, the other one was not. Or Judah was too antsy to sit still for such frivolous things (or maybe it was that I had gone a tad bit overboard documenting the event) when there was so much excitment.

After several separate attempts throughout the night, I was unable to get the picture I was looking for. Just about the time that it appeared that Judah would finally cooperate, Jericho started acting up.

Now I totally did not expect this from my eleven year old. Normally, Jericho is very cooperative and even helpful, and we'd even allowed him to bring along his Nintendo DS game system so that he'd have something to do if time seemed to drag on for him. Surely, being such great parents, our son could favor me with one really good picture, right?

Wrong. As I'm taking pictures, Jericho thought it would be hysterically funny to do this gagging thing I've scolded him for in the past. He thinks it is the funniest thing in the world to not only appear as though he's gagging, but to make really loud, uncouth accompanying sounds...just as I was about to snap the pictures.

When all was said and done, there were several 'gag' shots in among the bloopers and outtakes. And Judah, taking his cue from big brother, eventually joined in by making raspberries at my camera lens.

*sigh* While some folks will have beautiful scrapbooks with darling, perfect pictures of their children in them, it appears mine are destined to be filled with all their goofy faces, photographic evidence exhibits A-D of their various 'incidents' (Judah's recent 'tattoo' incident, for instance), as well as the few memorable things I manage to write on the calendar for posterity. Like how Judah has recently mastered gargling.

I said to Jericho after taking one of the 'gag' photos and showing it to him on the little digital screen, "Is this what you want me to put in the scrapbooks or on my blog?"

His face lit up, "Yeah!"

Silly me. Here I was thinking it would be some sort of punishment. I suppose I shouldn't have phrased that one rhetorically.

Boys!