Sunday, December 30, 2007

Family Reunion

4 years ago we were very sad to say goodbye to our cousins Patty, Steve, Lissy & Nelly when they moved to Florida. Phil grew up with about 500 cousins within a 1-block radius, so it's been hard to have some people move away. Also, we used to spend Christmas Day at their house and haven't felt the same about the holidays since they left.

The girls came up to visit and everyone got together today for a post-Christmas / pre-New Years extravaganza. We learned...

  • Adrienne is majoring in nursing. Following in her big cuz's footsteps?
  • Lorraine can go to the bathroom without getting stuck inside (last time we were at Karen's house she had "an incident")
  • Ry can be sick all day and not eat anything but still manage to get down a huge slice of cake
  • You need to make sure your Will & Testament are up to date when crossing Grant & the Boulevard
  • And most importantly...the Brogans are thinking about moving back in 2 years! It's a Christmas miracle!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Whoa, Check It Out!

That's pretty much what Ry said with every present he opened on Christmas morning. We've decided to light candles on Hannukah and save the present opening for Christmas...this was the first year Ry has really understood what was happening so it was fun to watch.

We had a great weekend visiting different friends and family. Going from place to place can sometimes seem chaotic, but looking back on the past few days we feel very lucky to have shared the season with everyone! We've started some new traditions (you feeding us next year on Christmas Eve Langans? :-) and kept up with some old ones.

It's sad to look at our beautiful tree and know the holiday season is over, but we're excited for new beginnings in 2008!




Cousins Party

We went to Grammy and Poppy's house on Sunday to hang with all of the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. After a delicious holiday feast of pizza and cheesesteaks, we retired to the Living Room for present opening. It was a madhouse of wrapping paper and ribbon, and when the dust settled Ry had new puzzles, Cole had paper in his mouth, and Aunt Lori had a new bottle of vodka. A good time had by all.





Sunday, December 23, 2007

It Started Out So Well

Our holiday card was a quick shoot. We lured Ry to the chair with promises of chocolate...Cole of course is always smiling so he was easy...and poor Sam just sat there and prayed for it to be over. The first shots were great...then it was all down hill from there.








Sunday, December 16, 2007

Cole Is Crawling (Sort Of)

He's been trying for weeks and we think the time has finally come. Up until now the usual routine has been:
(1) Get into sitting position
(2) Get onto hands & knees
(3) Rock back and forth for a little bit
(4) Cry because he realizes he's not going anywhere
(5) Back to sitting position

This plan has sometimes backfired i.e. the other night when he was found in his crib sitting up with his thumb in his mouth (fast asleep).

We think he's crossed the threshold...time to hide the valuables!

Thursday




Bec threw a Holiday Party at our home for all the QVC TV Sales Managers. For some reason when I got home, all the beer was gone!!

GO QVC!!!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Nothing Left To Do But Smile, Smile, Smile

When the boys are home for the day with Dad anything can happen...


Saturday, December 01, 2007

Christmas Parade 2007

Brr it was so cold.

So for the many parades in town we usually stand at 1 particular spot. This is usually the beginning of the route, so we're able to see it from the start and get home before any meltdowns. Well the town decided to pull a fast one on us and the entire parade was reversed. This means we were standing at the very end and had to wait for everyone to go all the way around the route to pass by us.

Ry was pretty excited in the beginning (mostly because he knows standing for a parade equals candy) but after 1/2 hour and no people on floats pelting chocolate at him, he got a little restless. Needless to say we eventually saw some of it, Ry got half a Crunch bar (he kindly split it with his cousin) and then we were off to The Scoop for hot chocolate and ice cream (the irony).

One additional note...Ry learned how to put his hands in his pockets which for some reason was really cute.




Ry vs Cole 7 Months

The mystery continues...
I threw pictures of Phil and myself into the mix this month to see how we all compare.



Cole Is Growing Up

After we realized that we were lugging around a 19 pound baby in an infant car seat, we graduated Cole to the bigger one. Not only has this changed our lives significantly (no more putting the car seat into the shopping cart...it's not so easy anymore!) but it also made us stop and think about how much he's grown lately. He's almost ready to crawl and is saying lots of baby words. Seems like just a few days ago that he was born!


Friday, November 23, 2007

I Tried...But It Was Naptime



Saturday, November 17, 2007

Ry + Wall = Ouch

So it turns out that one of Ry's new hobbies is running into walls. This sounds good and fun...until you trip on something during the wind-up and land on your face. I guess once you have one ailing child throwing another one into the mix isn't such a big deal!


Post-Op

I was really nervous that after the surgery Cole was going to be totally out of it. It seems like he's back to his old cheery self...he definitely has moments where you can tell he's in some pain, but overall he seems to be managing it pretty well.


Thursday, November 15, 2007

All Is Well!

The surgery went well today. We don't want to put all of the details on here, so feel free to call or email if you'd like the full scoop. But the good news is we're looking at a happy smiling baby right now who seems to be doing okay! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and well wishes.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Deep Thoughts

My converation with Ry on the way home from school today (this is verbatim):

Mom: So Ry, tell me about school. What did you do?
Ry: Ry Ry don't eat crayons!
Mom: Did Miss Kelsey tell you not to eat crayons?
Ry: Yea...Ry Ry don't eat markers too
Mom: So, you were eating markers?
Ry: Ry Ry don't eat pencils!
Mom: Uhhhh, yea

Monday, November 12, 2007

Veteran's Day Parade

Luckily our cousins Colleen & Kirk called to remind us about the Veteran's Day Parade in town this weekend. Their son Roy was walking with the Boys Scouts so we went to check it out. There were tons of fire trucks, ambulances, antique cars, and flags.

On the walk home we asked Ry his favorite part and he said "the lollipop" (people marching were throwing candy to the crowds).


Rainbows

It's so funny what kids pick up on. The other day some light came through a window and created a tiny rainbow on our Dining Room floor. I pointed it out to Ry and we sat down to look at all of the colors. All of a sudden he jumped up and said "more rainbows in the kitchen!" and ran over to our cabinets to point out some more.

He must have seen them before and remembered. I just find it fascinating to watch their little minds work!


Friday, November 09, 2007

Happiness Is Playing With Your Cuz


Ry vs Cole 6 Months

So what do you think?

Ry September 2005


Cole October 2007



Cole Mackin' On The Chicks

Cole recently met two lovely ladies, Amelia and Adelaide. He's clearly inherited his father's smooth moves...they both have a lot to learn.

Wanna bet I can get one of their numbers? Watch me!!

Just play it cool...don't let her see you looking...shoot I think she saw me!



Okay I'm totally busted...guess I'll try moving onto the other one




This is exhausting...just take me!


We're Back!

We're sorry for the lack of posts lately. It has been so crazy around the Kerper household that it's been hard to find time to check in with the blog. Between working, colds, doctor appointments, birthday parties, and Halloween festivities, we've been pooped. But rest assured that this weekend I'll add some new pictures and stories of the boys...stay tuned!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

The boys and Valley Forge

We went on a field trip to Valley Forge last week. It was windy and uncomfortable!


Ry enjoyed the experience one way . . .


And Cole enjoyed it another way!!


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Ry's Sayings Take 2

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm trying to write down the cute (and wacky) things that Ry says. As his vocabulary grows, so does his list of Ry-isms...here are some more for memory lane.

"Ry Ry's So Funny" : The kid is a Kerper so this had to be expected. The phrase is used in a variety of ways...mostly after he's done something he shouldn't have (ie thrown something off the dinner table) and tries to diffuse the situation by pretending it's funny.

"Sammy Whammy Pumpkin Pammy" : Just one example of the nicknames that he's starting to give to everyone. He likes to rhyme so he's incorporating that into everyday life. Other Ry-isms include Mommy-Wommy, Daddy-Laddy, Little Fleimsteins (what he calls Little Einsteins) and the ever popular Silly-Willy-Pumpkin-Pie (his nickname for himself).

"New Present" : Every time he sees a bag, Ry thinks that there's a present for him inside. It doesn't matter if it's batteries inside a CVS bag...he sees it and gasps in utter delight knowing that there's something wonderful in there.

"Ry Ry's Happy Now" : The first time we heard this phrase was over the summer at the pool. For reasons unknown, he had a complete meltdown and we had to leave because he was having a classic 2-year old tantrum. This involved packing everything up, throwing him over our shoulders, and carrying him to the car. We strapped him in, the tears stopped, he looked me straight in the eye and said "Ry Ry's Happy Now." Like a lightswitch...

Monday, October 22, 2007

New York Fun

The event in NYC was great. We had a show back in the studio, with live hits from the event. Little did I know that during coctail hour I was standing right in front of the cameras...

So they open the show and out of the corner of my eye I see my hair in the monitor (which as you know is pretty hard to miss). Of course I see myself and am totally staring to see how I'm looking. The irony of this is that one of my job responsibilities is to train guests for television. I tell them all the time not to look into the monitor, and here I am checking myself out. Oh well, I guess it will make me more empathetic during future training sessions!

The "fabulous shoes" remark on their website ended up being a best shoes competition. Of course the girls that won were wearing YSL and other such designers...oh well maybe next year!

School Pictures Fall 2007