How Sweet It Is

There's a quote that I try to keep in the back of my mind at all times, "The days are long but the years are short."

Despite the crying, the screaming, the teething, the puking, the tantrums, and the whining (that includes me on some days), I'm truly trying to enjoy all of the moments that I can.

I was flipping through our pictures from this year and they show that we really do have a great family. Maybe it's the exhaustion talking, or maybe it's because they're all asleep. Either way, life is good.

Getting From Point A To Point B

Cole entertained himself at Ryan's soccer practice by running down a hill. This brought him such joy that he did it again...and again...and again.

Most people would start at the top and go straight to the bottom. He chose to run...roll...roll sideways...roll back up...run...

He may not take the conventional approach, but he does it all with gusto. May he never run right down the hill.

Catching Up

Time to pull out the old trusty "It's-been-so-busy-around-here-that-I-haven't-had-time-to-blog-so-I'm-just-consolidating-all-of-the-pictures-Phil-took-on-his-phone." That about says it all. Here we go.

Our walks into town just aren't what they used to be anymore. We had 8 little ones to keep track of so I had to do head counts every other block, thus making me feel like Maria from Sound Of Music.

This would have been a cute moment, if the bib I had shoved into my pocket didn't make it look like I had a tail.

Cole decided he didn't want to walk anymore, so this is how it all ended up.

Cole on the run...

Re-enacting a classic Ry pose from circa 2005. Charlie looks so much like his biggest bro that it's hard not to do a double-take sometimes.

Phil and Ry attempted to ride some waves, but it was a wee bit windy.

This is how we roll in our alley.

Cole stealing a quiet moment at Smith Playground. At least we have it documented that Cole can have a quiet moment.

Baby Steps

This has been a week of many firsts...seems like everyone decided to grow up all at once.

Ryan has declared that he's totally over the training wheels on his bike and is learning to ride a two wheeler. A few more pushes down the alley and I think he'll be crusing into the sunset.

Cole is FINALLY toilet trained I can officially say that I only have 2 kids in diapers. For that my wallet and my sanity are both thankful.

Charlie is walking! It's that cute Frankenstein hobble and it sort of happened overnight. As one of his teachers said, "I went away for a week and came back to a whole new Cha!"

And last but not least, Dean is starting to hit us with the rare but adorable half-smile. It may not take as much work as toddling across the room, but it's a cute stage just the same.

Of course I probably completely jinxed myself by writing this down. If by next week Ry is back on 4 wheels, Cole is in diapers, Charlie is crawling and Dean is frowning...send help.

Cruisin'

Tonight was Cruise Night at a car dealership near our house. Although the name implies a potential Tomkat sighting, it was actually a bunch of emergency vehicles and vintage cars displayed in a parking lot.

The highlights: A police helicopter taking off just a few feet away from us, petting the search & rescue dogs, getting handed a lollipop from the bomb squad robot.


Despite all of this excitement, my favorite part was the sweet lovin' I got from the Cha. Here's to the simple things in life.

Philadelphia Freedom

The boys headed East to Philly to take in the sights. After playing in the Schuykill sludge on Boathouse Row, they went to the Art Museum for the obligatory Rocky run up the steps.

I feel like Charlie was on a Where's Waldo tour of the city...

Next stop was the Eastern State Penitentiary. Phil told me he had to sign a waiver stating that the penitentiary wasn't liable if the boys ate any lead paint chips.

The combo of paint chips and prison cells led me to believe that perhaps this wasn't the best field trip for kids, but it seemed like they got a kick out of it anyway.



Maybe they were scared straight? Wishful thinking, I know.