Daddy Day

There's no better way to entertain 2 boys than giving them a shore filled with rocks and a river to throw them into (the rocks not the boys).

Yumsville

The chocolate covered matzah was a hit last week during the seders. Here is the recipe - grab the matzah while it's still in the stores!! It's so easy to make and majorly delish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb matzos
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:

• Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay matzo on pan
• Melt brown sugar with butter in saucepan; boil until mixture coats a spoon
• Brush matzo with brown sugar mixture
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes (watch closely-it burns easily!!!) until it starts to bubble
• Cover with chocolate chips and put back in the oven until the chips start to melt
• Spread the chocolate to cover the matzo
• Freeze until hard, then break into pieces
• Option- sprinkle chopped nuts on top

Go Maya...It's Your Birthday

Seems like just yesterday that I heard the all-telling phrase from Debbie: "I can't drink with you tonight..."

9 months later I have a new little neice. Debbie and Matt had their baby on Sunday 4/12 and named her Maya. Here she is pictured with her favorite Aunt (no offense Liz - she happened to whisper it when she was nestled in my arms and I overheard).

I am now the proud Aunt to 7 neices and nephews...the fact that the oldest is in college is making my head spin! Happy Birthday Maya - and sending an Aunt Becca (a.k.a. Bobo) shout out to Justin, Shaye, Logan, Lucy, Sarah, and George. Love you guys!!

Big Blue Was On The Move

Saturday night we celebrated Vogs' wedding at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell. I learned a valuable lesson that I shall now share with all of you: High heels + dancing for 2 hours straight + 6 1/2 months pregnant = oy vae in the morning!! Oh well, it was worth it to rock out with friends to the wedding classics such as Push It and Funky Cold Medina.




Phil had to work the next day, which was also Easter. I celebrated with the boys at Grammy and Poppy's house over a feast of turkey, stuffing, and peanut butter sandwiches. While the turkey was cooking we went to the pond across the street to feed the geese.

I should add here that I have this irrational fear of geese attacking me and/or my children. Grammy was the brave one and warded off attack by throwing bread at the wild beasts while I ran for my life. It was a pretty low moment but thank goodness one of us was strong.


When we got back from the pond, it was time to join hands...

...celebrate family...

...and then a well-earned snuggle (a.k.a. sugar crash) on the couch with Leo and friends. Happy Easter to all!!

Grammy The Matador

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

The best way to keep Cole entertained...show him your wild ninja moves!

The Latest Cole Adventure (a.k.a. How We're Surviving The Twos Before He Even Turns Two)

My car needed to go to the dealership today, so Phil drove me to work. We had to go to the hospital first because I had a doctor's appointment, which meant that the whole gang came along for the ride. We decided that Ry would come with me and Phil would take Cole so he could stretch his legs.

Ry was a perfect little angel while I had my checkup, and he even let the nurse weigh him and take his height (on a side note he's 39 pounds - that kid is getting so big!!) After the appointment we found the rest of the crew - they looked a little frazzled and here's why.

As Phil put it, "He was standing right in front of me - then he just took off!" Where did he take off to you may ask? Well the hospital Board Of Directors was holding a meeting in a conference room. Imagine their surprise when the door was thrown open by a crazy 2 year old - he ran inside and proceeded to the far side of the room. Then cut to Phil jetting in and scooping him up, only to run back out while apologizing profusely and turning red in the face.

First 911, now this. Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a wild ride!!!

P.S. If anyone has a direct contact with Supernanny please call her and plead our case!!

Breakin' The Law

I guess it was only a matter of time before one of the Kerper boys got in trouble with the law...I just didn't think it would be this soon.

This morning we were getting ready to start the day when the doorbell rang. We opened the door only to find a policeman standing on the front porch.

He told us that he had received a 911 call from our house. We have no idea how it happened...must have been one of the boys playing with a phone...we were so embarassed that we apologized about a zillion times and then fled into the house in shame.

New rule in the Kerper house...no touching any phones!!!

Yes, That's A Hair In Your Spaghetti

Cole LOVES helping. I know this is a general statement, but it's meant to be that way. Whether it's cleaning up, throwing things out, getting someone's coat, or taking Sammie for a walk, he just loves to be involved.

Recently he's taken a liking to assisting in the kitchen. I'll come home from work to find him sitting on the counter while Phil is cooking on the stove, and he's happily dumping the whole shaker of salt into the frying pan or pouring honey all over himself. Thanks for helping Cole!!

Tonight he decided to take control of the pasta making. The reason he has that weird Elvis curl on his forehead is because the inside of the colander was a little wet, hence his cool do and soaking shirt.

Is he 3 yet?

Wasn't I Just Driving A Red Sports Car?

When we got preggers with number 3, we knew that there wasn't room for all of the car seats in either of our SUVs. I lived in denial for a long time, but after working with good old Bernie at the Honda dealership, we jumped head first into the world of mini van ownership.

It's been almost a week of hitting the road in "Big Blue" (as Ry named it), and although it's surreal I'm totally loving it! Now that we've upgraded to leather seats and a sunroof, there's no turning back. The kids are amazed by the doors that open and close on their own, and don't think I haven't flicked on that button to fire up the heated seats in the morning.

I enacted a strict no eating or drinking rule inside the van...of course the drinking one crumbled to pieces today after Cole screamed "juice" approximately 57 times on the first mile of our trip. In about a month there will be the familar crumbs of goldfish smashed into the mats, but for now I'm soaking it all in and convincing myself that the new car scent is a sign that we're living in the lap of luxury.

Yes, I look terribly uncool, but I think I'm over it. After all I'm a mom...and it's moms who drive these things...and I have 2 (soon to be 3) great kids to fill it with. Love you boys, love you Big Blue!!

Don't Blame Me - Blame Genetics

I had a meeting yesterday with a neuroscientist named Henry - he's part of a team that developed a program to help improve your brain function. As we were wrapping up, I decided to seize the opportunity (how often do you have a meeting with neuroscientist after all) and asked the well-composed question, "why am I always so dumb when I'm pregnant?!?!"

Well he actually had an answer and I'm fully embracng it. The quick answer is that your brain is preparing you to be focused on something else other than yourself. If you didn't have time to warm up to the concept of taking care of something beyond your own needs, it would be a difficult transition when the baby comes.

Then Henry started talking about how it's built into our genetics from the beginning of time. He said that if we didn't have this "pregnancy dubmness" (my words, not his) to build us up for being fabulous moms, then cavewoman could have been out foraging for fruits and berries while their newborn baby was back at the cave getting eaten by a saber tooth tiger.

That's when it started to get a little intense so I wrapped it up. But the bottom line is still clear. You can't blame me for my stupidity over the next few months - it's in my blood!

Harvest

UPDATE! Week 25 is now filled in.

Every week I get an email from a website that updates me on the baby. It talkes about what body parts he's growing, how big he's getting, etc. They always equate his growth to a fruit or vegetable and I find it hysterical to get my weekly Wednesday email and picture the little "ear of corn" growing inside of me.

Here is the sequential order of our blossoming little boy:

Week 4: Poppy seed
Week 5: Sesame seed
Week 6: Lentil bean
Week 7: Blueberry
Week 8: Kidney bean
Week 9: Grape
Week 10: Kumquat
Week 11: Fig
Week 12: Lime
Week 13: Medium shrimp
Week 14: Lemon
Week 15: Apple
Week 16: Avocado
Week 17: Turnip
Week 18: Bell pepper
Week 19: Large heirloom tomato
Week 20: Banana
Week 21: Carrot
Week 22: Spaghetti squash
Week 23: Large mango
Week 24: Ear of corn
Week 25: An average rutabega

Who knows what lies ahead?! I guess when I get to "watermelon" I know I'm in trouble.

What's It All Mean?

Ry is on a new kick of asking what everything means. It's funny how you just know word definitions without really thinking about it - when was the last time you had to articulate the meaning of "shrivel" to a 4 year old?

Today he's asked me to explain such words as "about" and "instead." When he was leaving school his friends all gathered around him to give him a big hug. I said, "You guys are so cute - you're making my heart melt" to which he asked "Mommy what does melt mean?"

Although he uses these words every day, he seems to just want to know the deeper meaning. Where is Confucius when you need him?

Ry Decided To Dress Himself

Wisconsin hat + alien turtleneck + Transformer sweatshirt + cargo pants + camo boots = a day out on the town for our little fashionista!!

I Am Clearly Procrastinating

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? I've been reading the Chronicles Of Narnia for awhile. It's so long!

BABIES? 4 year old...almost 2 year old...one on the way in July!!

FAVORITE SMELL? Lemon, something sweet baking in the oven, freshly cut grass, my kids after they get out of the bath, gin (I hate the taste of it but the smell of Beefeater reminds me of Granny :-)

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Regret

FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IN THE MORNING? Where is the remote...gotta turn on Ukee Washington

FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? Working on that one

FAVORITE COLOR? Red...orange...yellow

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE? My husband...my boys...staying healthy and happy...having good perspective

FAVOURITE FOOD? Guacamole...ice cream with peanut butter...eggroll with lots of duck sauce...chicken pecan salad from CC Bookstore...mmm I'm hungry

IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I took piano lessons a few years ago and loved it. If I had the time I'd get really good and ask Billy Joel if he'd like me to tour with him

FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Ice cold beer

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE? I really like the job that I have now. I'd love to be writing full time

GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Half full

FAVORITE MOVIE? Any James Bond movie...Princess Bride...Wayne's World...The Family Stone

WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? Storage containers filled with purses...dust

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST AMBITION? To raise happy kids

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS? Ice cream with whipped cream...Cole's look of "c'mon...stop being mad at me"

BEACH, MOUNTAINS OR CITY? Mountains. Some day we'll own a cute little cabin next to a lake. I'm not a fan of sand and the city is not for me anymore

FAVOURITE TIME OF DAY? Morning

WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? 6 am

WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY? Negativity...when people talk to be heard...passive-aggressiveness...when I tell Ry to do something and he says "I want Daddy"

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY? I absolutely LOVE Saturdays. No worries on Saturdays

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? King crab legs with a sweet potato and a cold beer

IF YOU COULD TAKE A VACATION ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE? Italy...back to London...Disney with the kids and a nanny

We Didn't Start The Fire

Ry's week-long birthday celebration came to a dramatic close on Saturday afternoon. A friend told us that a fire station near our house hosts birthday parties. For a small donation, you have the run of the place. The kids climb on the fire trucks, they get a ride around the block, shoot the fire hoses...the works.

Seemed like a good idea at the time...we invited a few cousins and friends from school and were ready to partay. The kids were knocking the first thing off the list - climbing on the firetrucks - when a really loud announcement came over the loudspeaker. And with that, the fireman came up to me and said "Soooo...we have to go." And they all climbed onto the truck and off they went, leaving us alone in their fire station.

The good news was it wasn't anything big and they were back in about 20 minutes. We breathed a sigh of relief and it was time to paaaaaaarty!


First we got a tour of the station...the big hit was the fireman sliding down the pole.

Next he gave a fire safety talk...he got decked out in all of his equipment to show the kids that it wasn't scary.

Then they all piled into the firetruck and went for a ride around the block. Ry got to sit in the front which he got a big kick out of. When they got back they busted out the firehouse and all the kids got a turn going at it.

Next stop...April 27th...Cole will be turning 2!!

Birthday Fun...And Sweatin' To The Oldies

Happy Birthday Ry! Today was the big day and he was all too happy to tell everyone "I'm 4 years old now."

Luckily Phil was home so they were able to party it up. It all started at his annual dentist appointment. He still thinks this is a fun experience, and did a great job sitting in the chair alone with the doctor while Phil chased Cole around the waiting room.

After they hit up Toys R Us for a balloon and a book, I met them at home to top off the day with burgers and cake.

While the boys were out having birthday fun, I had to work. Slaving away at the office with Richard Simmons and friends...nothing like some jazz hands in the Green Room to get you through the day.

Happy birthday dear Ryan...Happy birthday to you!!!

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

There's lots of growing up happening in the Kerper house. First off, the boys are starting to play together. If it were up to Cole, he'd be on Ry all the time like white on rice. He loooooooves his big bro and copies everything he does. Ry on the other hand, has been taking some time to warm up to the fact that his little brother isn't just there to steal his toys...he's actually there to be his friend too.

The second piece of news, and one that brings a tear to my eye, is that Cole is actually starting to watch TV!!!! We can usually get him to sit down for at least 10 minutes straight, which is quite an accomplishment in the book of Cole.

I don't think he's sat still for a 10 minute stretch since he's been born, so we're quite pleased with the progress we've been making :-)

Balls And Shirts And Gorillas, Oh My!

We hit the road early and headed to the zoo on this warm Saturday morning.

Cole seemed most fascinated by the fact that the gorillas had balls to play with in their cage. All he wanted to do was look at them - every time we tried to leave the exhibit he kept running back to the gorillas saying "Ball! Ball!"

Ry was most excited by the fact that he walked past another boy wearing the same shirt that he had on.

Whatever floats your boat!

Boys

Sent to me by the wise parents of boys...my in-laws!!
For those of you with boys you'll agree this is too true...

Boys in my House
There are boys in my house - and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, and Travis, and Muck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud - oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise -
There's love in my house shaped like two little boys with puppy dogs eyes

It's A...

Drumroll please...

We had the ultrasound on Friday and we're having a...

BOY!!!

Not only are we syked to add another brother to the mix, we're also thrilled and relieved to hear that he's healthy and right on track.

Most people that we tell are sad for us that we're not having a girl. Even though I'm only 5 months pregnant I've been asked about 25 times when we're going to work on the next one so we can have a girl!!

I appreciate everyone's concern, but assure you that we didn't try for #3 to have a girl...we tried for #3 to add another member to the family. We look into the future and picture the boys cheering each other on at football games, having each other's backs in school, most likely trying to kill each other at times, playing hockey in the alley, and best of all...hand-me-downs!!!

The first picture below is a view of him looking straight on. The second is a 4D shot which is almost too vivid to believe. This was the first ultrasound I had where I could feel the baby move at the same time as seeing it on the screen...he's really in there!!

Rico Suave

The boys had their school pictures...again...seems like the school is hitting us up for cash every other month for these things. But they totally suck you in when you get a winner like this one...Cole's slicked down hair and ding on the nose was too much to resist.

I'm A Pretty Princess

We're invited to a few weddings over the next couple of months, so I was trying on some dresses tonight to see what still fits me.

Ry came upstairs and saw me in a sparkly number. He said "Mommy! You look so pretty...you look like a princess."

Hot Tub Time

Twizzlers In The Morning

We promised Ry and the neighbor boys a sleepover on Friday night. So when Ry woke up that morning and had a little puking incident, I got slightly nervous that our plans would be crushed.

I kept him out of school and by the afternoon he was begging to eat more and more (and more)...he said that his belly felt better after he threw up so I chalked it up to a little bit of sympathetic morning sickness.

The boys came over and rocked the slumber party house. After tearing through a pizza and a movie, I set up our tent in Ry's room.

Keep in mind this is a 6 person set so it took up the entire room - I even had to move the bed. Phil was still at work so I had to pitch the tent myself - after 12 years of camping with the Kerpers I've picked up a thing or two.



Flashlights in hand, they camped out for the night and woke up to a feast of Valentine's Twizzlers and waffles. We love having friends over to the house and look forward to many more years of late nights and sugary mornings.

It's Hard To Argue With Sound Logic

Ry had some funny lines today that I wanted to write down for posterity...

********************************************

We're working on weaning him off the thumb. We set a new rule that he should only suck his thumb when he's in his bed to go to sleep. On the way home from school we had this chat:

Ry: I sucked my thumb today in my cot during my nap
Me: That's cool. You can suck your thumb in your cot or in your bed
Ry: I think I'd like to suck it in the car too
Me: Just in your bed or your cot
Ry: When we get home I think I need to take a little rest in my bed before dinner

********************************************

When I was putting Cole to bed, Ry kept calling upstairs "Mommy, you okay up there?" When I came down...

Ry: My belly was growling so I had some crackers
Me: Where did you get crackers?
Ry: I went into the pantry and got some
Me: You need to ask me before you get something to eat
Ry: But I asked myself, and I said it was okay

Random Warm Up

After being caged up in the house for the last 3 months it was great to let the boys stretch their legs in the sunshine this weekend.

Saturday we met Sue, Dave, and Hazel at the Norristown Zoo. The plan was to be outside for the morning to enjoy the beautiful weather. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo that it wasn't supposed to warm up until the afternoon, so we trudged through in the 35 degree chill. But we made the most of if and checked out the monkeys, bats, and buffalo (oh my).

Today the children were released into the alley and I caught my first glimpse of Spring. I know it sounds weird to tell my kids to go play in the alley...but living in town it's really the best place to hang. Our neighborhood has about 156 kids in a 2 block radius, so when it's warm everyone is outside on bikes and basically just running around in circles.

I know this warm weather was just a tease, but I'll consider it a little taste to hold me over until the real thing. See you in the alley!

Hugs

Today when I dropped the boys off Cole's teacher gave me a status report:

"Cole loves spending time with this teachers and friends in Step Up. Cole has an abundance of energy, which he uses to solve problems and participate in physical activities (such as catching and throwing which is amazing at his age). Cole is very social and enjoys giving hugs to his friends. He also shows a growing memory as he figures something out or is shown something once or twice and he remembers how to do it. Cole is an exciting addition to Step Up and we enjoy having him."

My favorite part is "…enjoys giving hugs to his friends." So sweet.

Phil'd With Appreciation

I have to say that it's very convenient having a husband who has worked in a pediatric ER for over 10 years...it comes in really handy when my poor kiddos come down with something.

Saturday night I noticed Cole was warm. Warm turned to hot when I took his temperature and saw it was 104. I paged Phil in a panic and when he called back he calmly said "It's fine - just give him Tylenol. Don't worry about the number of the temp - if he's acting normal he's okay."

I suppose that acting normal included running around like a madman, jumping off the coffee table, and cracking up at everything he saw. Because that's what he was doing. Of course Cole can't be the kind of sick that includes snuggling up with Mommy and getting some quiet lovin - he needs to be his same old crazy self (which I guess is a good thing).

Next night same thing - only it jumped to 105.5. I paged Phil again and got the same reaction. "Just give him Tylenol."

Of course I just had to call the doctor this morning and what does he say - "don't worry about the number of the temp, as long as he's acting normal he's okay."

As hard as it is to admit when Phil is right, I feel extremely lucky to have him around to remove things from the neighbor's noses, help check out bumps and bruises, and use his special techniques for getting kids to take medicine (don't try it at home people).

Cole is on the mend...although I'm keeping fingers crossed that it doesn't pass on to Ry.

Stay tuned!