Sierra’s ready for her nine-month pictures tomorrow, so I thought I’d bring back one of the most popular six-month pictures (at least with my family) for Sierra Picture Day: the Speedo cap, Popeye look.

Spinach, please.

When we were in high school, our friend Jim’s house made a suitable and comfortable hangout. It was our headquarters; all the better for Jim, who never had to search for friends – they all simply came right to him.

After a few years, we began call ourselves the JHC – the Jim’s House Crew.

Over a decade later, most of us find ourselves either married, with kids, or both.

In honor of today’s planned playdate, I’m turning Sierra Picture Day into Sierra and Friends Picture Day. This picture, taken at Jim’s current house, shows the next generation of JHC members – all born within three and a half months of each other, complete with honorary t-shirts.

I’m still recovering from Black Friday – and I even did a good job of it, with only 90 minutes of actual contact with the real world.

Sierra Picture Day was yesterday. But you get your picture today: our darling daughter showing off her new corduroys and shirt.

If there’s anything I’ve learned about becoming a parent, it’s that guys get a chance to live out any closet dress-up desires they had when they were younger. I mean, it simply wasn’t acceptable as boys to play with dolls. Those feelings were repressed. But now, they’re required – in fact, you get in trouble if you don’t take part in clothing your child.

So yeah, I thought the cords were cute. I picked them out.

Maybe I’m saying too much.

Okay, I’m going overboard on pictures today. But it’s fall, and it’s post-Halloween. And we really didn’t dress poor Sierra up this first year, so maybe my guilty conscience is responsible for plastering cute pictures of our daughter on the Internet.

So enjoy this trifecta attack from Sierra Picture Day.

This is Sierra’s first holiday card, from Great Grandma Boyer in Idaho. She was thrilled.

Admittedly, it wasn’t that we didn’t try to dress her up. It’s just that she wasn’t all that interested in going trick or treating as a raked up pile of leaves.

And regardless whether she wears a costume or not, Becket still thinks she’s the weirdest thing in our house. As you can see, the feeling is mutual.

It’s Sierra picture day again, and we’re showing off Dad’s favorite game – Guitar Hero.

I’m eagerly awaiting the end of this month, when Sierra can sit and become as transfixed by the moving dots of Guitar Hero III as I will be. With any luck, she’ll take the game on in full stride, grabbing her first guitar-shaped controller at 5 and rocking out to Guitar Hero 7. Maybe she’ll grow up to be a metal singer or something.

On second thought, maybe not. Maybe this is a bad influence on her. I can already imagine her turning up her stereo in pure post-pubescent anger, blasting out some parent-hating diatribe while drowning her sorrows in the double kick drum of an obscure punk hardcore band.

Sierra, turn away. Maybe mom will let you listen to Baby Metallica again. At least with that, you don’t really know what you’re really getting.

This is the first of many Sierra Picture Days. Because Sierra is cute. Awww.

Taken in Wall, South Dakota, underneath the giant green dinosaur. We have made a pact to take a picture with Sierra every time we drive through Wall. It might get awkward holding her up when she’s 15, but we’ll manage.

This is currently my favorite picture of her. I love the look of pure patience, as if she’s saying, “Okay, dad. You’ve got a background, you’ve got me, now just take the picture so I can fart and grunt some more, okay. Jeez…parents. Can’t live with them, etc.”