Sunday, February 28, 2010

Gentle Giant

As the kids grow, it's interesting to watch their relationships develop. Ry and Cole are in their rough and competitive phase - always wanting to wrestle, race down the hallway, or have a "Hulk Smash" (stay clear when you hear that one).

Ry can be in the middle of tackling Cole, but if he hears Charlie whimper in the next room he'll run right in to console him. He has a very gentle approach with Cha, and is always guaranteed to get him to stop crying when he's in a fussy moment.

They were hanging in my room today having a little snuggle - Ry saw these pics and said, "We are just too cute."




Dino Museum

Yesterday we went to the Academy Of Natural Sciences, or as Cole calls it, the Dinosaur Museum.


We searched for fossils in the Big Dig...

...hugged the giant turtle in the Outside In exhibit...


...crawled through tunnels in the children's museum...


...pet a snake and a guinea pig (the kids didn't realize that it really wasn't that big of a thrill to pet a guinea pig - I was just thankful that the museum had hand sanitizer ready for post-pet...)


...and checked out the Butterfly Garden. It's a room filled around 100 butterflies all flying around (and not afraid to land on you). A little freaky at first but cool once you get used to it.


There's also a display of cocoons - this impressed Ry since he knew all about the process from his book The Very Hungry Catepillar. Thanks Eric Carle!


We knew it was time to go when Cole started working his way into Charlie's carrier.

We made it out with very few tears and rewarded the team with hot dogs and Philly pretzels from a street vendor. The kids considered this a huge treat (gotta love childhood innocence) so we came out of the deal looking like heroes. Cheers to that!

Looks Can Be Deceiving

We were in the city of Philadelphia, so I guess it was only appropriate for the boys to show off their brotherly love.

These pictures say it all - no need for me to narrate (oh except to add that they were really trying to pummel each other - they just happened to be enjoying the process and therefore, laughing).

Friday, February 19, 2010

Reminder

The other night I was rallying the troops for bed and Ry was MIA. I finally found him sitting alone in a bedroom carefully wrapping a string around his finger.

I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm tying this string around my finger so I'll remember not to fight with my brother."

If only it were that easy.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Guy Smiley

I realize that my blog posts are usually about the older boys, so I wanted to share some of the Charlie love. Here's a pic from my phone - Ry and Cole were both napping so we had a rare and quiet snuggle alone.

Lil' Cha Cha is doing great - he's totally easy-going and is always up for joining in the fun. His best skills to date include rolling over and holding his own against his brothers - two important milestones for any youngest sibling.

As I write this Cole is actually shoving Charlie's hand into his mouth and saying, "Cha is brushing my teeth." Being the mom of all boys, I find myself dishing out the oddest reprimands on a daily basis. Sounds like today's gem will be, "Do not use your brother as a a toothbrush!"

So I guess this post did end up being about the older boys after all. Stay strong, littlest bro.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Rollin Down The Hillside

During the last snowstorm (I think it was last week - so hard to tell these days) Phil took the boys sledding at the park. Ry was back on the porch after about 10 minutes with bright pink cheeks and crocodile tears claiming with a shiver that he "n-n-n-needed hot ch-ch-chocolate right away."

Cole was able to hang for at least a few trips down the hill. We told him he had to wear a hat and he picked this one - not exactly what I meant but at least he followed instructions.



Here's an action shot - it made me smile to see how accomodating young A was with her offer to push them down the hill. It also cracked me up to see Cole stuck in the inner tube unable to move - so rare are those moments of stillness.

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Trip

I was going through the camera and found some pictures from a recent Daddy Day. I asked Ry what happened and he said, "Oh, I just tripped over the pole."



Snow Day

In anticipation of the snow, we had a sleepover with friends last night. There was breakfast for dinner and 4 boys piled into a tent in the bedroom.

We woke up to a foot or so, and by the time all was said and done I'd say we got about 2 feet. Phil was busy shoveling all of the sidewalks...he's been away for almost every snowfall this season, so he had to pay back all of the kind-hearted people who have helped me out.


The boys tried to go sledding at the park, but it was still snowing and the sled kept getting stuck mid-hill. It was a nice try despite the logistical failures.


They made it home for hot chocolate and a dip in the neighbor's basement pool. Now all that's left to do is sit back and wait for the next storm that's supposed to hit next week. Bring it!