Cousins, Cousins Everywhere

I'll start this off by saying Phil has about 87 cousins. They're all close and have great relationships with each other and their kids - this is all very cool to me since I come from a small family.

Cousin Karen hosted a graduation party for her nephew Joe-Joe (another cousin) this weekend. Lissy and Nelly (more cousins) were up from Florida...they're tan and adorable and I remember holding Nelly when she was a baby. Am I old or is she?!

Speaking of growing...it seems that Ry and Cole have reached the mature age where their dear old uncle slips them a 10 spot when he sees them. Keep on workin' it boys!

A Hair-Raising Experience

For those of you that know Phil, you know that he has a lot of hair. A LOT. He would probably need to get it cut every other week just to keep it in check...but who has time for all of those trips to the Hair Cuttery?!

To remedy the situation he took a bold step. Phil bought the Flobee.

Yes - it's true - once the infomercial shipping gods drop that bad boy off at our house, our lives just may change forever.

But wait! There's more!! Here are some pictures of Cole from tonight. He has Phil-hair...totally thick and unmanageable. I'm not sure that the Flobee is recommended for children under 3, but if it is I think we'll give it a go.

Please Touch Museum

Another day of adventures with the Pops.

Ooh-Eee-Ooh-Ah-Ah

When Phil was a young tike, his Grandmom sewed all the Kerper boys these tiny overalls. As the story goes, lil' Phil fell in love with them and affectionately called them his "Ah-Ah". When he grew too big to wear them, he would still sleep with his precious ah-ah and caress the fabric and buttons while he sucked his thumb.

We went to visit with his parents today, and Grammy announced that she had found the ah-ah...the boys tried them on and looked quite smashing.

What a Father's Day - not only did we have breakfast in town, BBQ lunch with Poppy, and dinner with Pop-Pop - but to be reunited with a dear old friend is truly the ultimate gift. Luckily for Phil he has a beautiful wife now, but I won't be surprised if the ah-ah makes it way upstairs for some snuggling of its own.

Happy Father's Day!!

Let The Sunshine In

After 12 hours of downpours, it finally let up and we were treated to a rainbow. I feel it was the least Mother Nature could do after keeping us cooped up inside all day.

The boys clearly needed to let out some rainy day energy, and they unleashed it with vengeance (basically by running back and forth in the alley until we dragged them to bed).

Please pray for sunshine tomorrow!

My Little Melon

According to my weekly email, the baby can now be compared in weight to a crenshaw melon. I'll be honest - I've never stumbled upon this type of melon at the local Grower's Market, nor do I have any idea why I would prefer a crenshaw over your average honeydew.

Regardless - I don't need their wacky comparisons because I had an ultrasound today that revealed his actual weight. The little man is 6 pounds 3 ounces, which puts him in around 8 1/2 pounds if I go full term. Ry and Cole both tipped the scales around 8 pounds, so the baby is already following in the footsteps of his big bros.

By the time I'm ready to deliver I'm sure my email will be comparing me to a large pumpkin, full-sized watermelon, or possibly an anvil...but for now I'll just enjoy the time with my little 6 pound melon.

Great Line From Ryan

We were at our friend Sue and Dave's house visiting their new baby Oliver. Ry and I were looking through one their books which contained this picture by Philipe de Champaigne that's hanging in the Louvre:

After looking at this picture and reflecting for a moment, Ryan asked me "Daddy, what are those two church witches doing?"

As a child of 12 years of Catholic education, I had no response!

Ladies Man

Cole certainly made the rounds this weekend. First he hit up Grammy for some sweet, sweet lovin'...

...then he hopped onto a Harley with his future wife Hazel so they could get their hog on.

Hazel has a new baby brother and he is just the cutest thing ever. A 6-pound peanut with long, lean fingers for toes. Congrats to the whole family!!

You Know You're The Mom Of Boys When...

...you can go down the boy's aisle in the toy store and correctly name every action figure, but when you get to the girl's aisle you feel totally confused and overwhelmed by pink plastic.

My niece had a dance recital so I went shopping for a ballerina treat. I didn't think it would be such a challenge to find one little doll, but I now realize that I'm completely in my comfort zone shopping for toys that transform, make loud siren noises, squirt water, or pretend to barf.

It was a nice change of pace, and the Barbie ballerina was a hit. It was totally worth my shopping drama to be able to check out 20 little 4 year olds decked out in sequins and tap shoes. Priceless.

Dub-C 4 Miler

Friday night our town hosted a 4 mile race and the route went past our house. We had some friends running in it so we gathered the troops to cheer them on.

Great idea from our veteran racing friend to have a hose ready to spray everyone down...it seemed to be much appreciated in the 80+ degree heat.

I think Phil put it best - there's nothing like sitting back with a cold beer to watch other people exercise. Let's do it again next year - we'll have the hose fired up and will anxiously wait to see if the chicken makes a comeback.

Field Trip

Phil took the boys to Independence Hall on Friday. Although he was expecting them to appreciate the historical significance of our Founding Fathers, it seems that all they wanted to do was steal their accessories.


Luckily there was a park close by where they could stretch their legs. I'd say they earned it after their first Philadelphia history lesson.

When I asked Ry what he learned about the Liberty Bell he said, "They had one 'cause they needed one." That's about the extent of what I retained from school, so I'm going to say he's historically accurate.

Poor Cole. C'mon Phil...you couldn't spring for just one ride?!

Cole's New Mode Of Transportation

Gotcha

Ry went to a party this weekend and one of the favors was a Spiderman mask. He wears it every time he gets into the car and seriously believes that he's Spiderman when he's wearing it. The cutest part is that he also believes that I'm falling for all of these wacky hijinks.

When the mask is on he says, "Mommyyyyyyy...there's a spiiiiiiiider in the backseat!" Then he takes it off and says, "Just kidding - it was me the whole time."

Duh.

Yehudit Rivkah In The House

Today one of my oldest friends Stacey (a.k.a. Pishosh) celebrated her wedding to Brett. She asked me to be the witness for their Ketubah signing and I gladly accepted.

There was a pre-ceremony ceremony in which I had to sign both my Hebrew and English names on their certificate. Knowing this would be hanging in their home forever...no pressure...I was frantically practicing my Hebrew name for most of the morning. I think I pulled it off.

Everything was beautiful and the we were livin' the high life with quiche and filet. Congratulations Pishoshie and Brett, and thanks for including me in your special day!!

I think the Buddah statue next to the ceremony site is sure to bring luck to the happy couple. You'll never guess how Phil asked me to pose with poor Buddah...I politely declined.

Gotta Work The Muscles

Despite the cold and dreary morning, Ry insisted on wearing a tank top today. He then asked if I could take his picture so he could show off his muscles.

Although he has little chicken arms and a farmer's tan, I'd have to say he still rocked it out. Fierce!

Second of all, story of the morning.

I had to run upstairs to get something from the boy's room. When I came back down, I found Ry crying and Cole laughing. Ry said "Cole was hitting me! I told him no thank you and that he was hurting my feelings!"

Oh boy, my sensitive little buttercup. Keep in mind that he had these big tears rolling down his cheeks while wearing the tank top with the chicken arms. It was just a funny image…despite the fact that Mr. Sensitive is 2 years older than The Brute.

Moral of story, I told Ry to be strong and stand up to Cole. Oh, what will the future hold for these two?!?!?

The Wildwood Beach

Phil and the boys did an impromtu trip to "Pop Pop's Beach House". It was filled with Cole running away, Ry trying to become an ostrich, Cole geting knocked over by a huge wave, salt water taffies & Sam's pizza, walks on (and almost falling off) the Seawall, Cole not wanting to fall asleep, getting caught in a thunderstorm with no shoes on, pancakes at the Vegas & an unsuccessful attempt to swim in 60 degree weather. A lot of chaos in a 22 hour trip, but at least we were at the shore!!

34 Weeks

So I blinked and all of a sudden I'm 34 weeks pregnant. It's gone by so quickly, and I feel lucky to have experienced very little issues (unless you count 24/7 nausea in my first trimester an issue…eating Cheeroios for 3 meals a day…ugh).

It's funny how much my outlook on pregnancy has changed since my first. With Ry my hospital bag was packed and ready to go by month 3, and I was stocked and loaded with all the sparkling new goodies from my baby shower.

When I was pregnant with Cole, I focused on making sure the transition was easy for Ry. My main goals were to get a double stroller and clean off the car seat and swing.

With the third pregnancy, I'm just trying to find some onesies that don't have visible puke stains on them. Okay I'll admit it…there's one pile of non-pukey clothes and another pile of pukey (but clean) clothes for in-house wear only (I've convinced myself these will only be used when I don't have time to do laundry).

The good news is that as our family grows, so does my comfort level with the process. It also makes me much more excited to meet the baby because I can look at his brothers and envision what he could be like. Maybe he'll be thoughtful and sensitive like Ry, or maybe wild and cuddly like Cole. Will he like to read like Ry or be a sports nut like Cole?

No matter how it stacks up, I'm trying to look past the back pain and the 3 am bathroom breaks to enjoy these final weeks. Ready or not, a new Kerper man is about to make an appearance…and now you know my secret for telling whether or not the laundry is up to date. Cut me some slack, at least for the first month after he's born!!

This One's For You, Poppy!

I've always thought that Cole looks a lot like Phil's dad...but when I saw the last picture in this progression it sealed the deal (it is SUCH a Poppy face). I started digging through old pics to try to wow you all with a look-alike photo, but this was all I could come up with. I just know there's a gem hidden within this computer but it's past 8 pm which means I'm pooped!!

While I was digging through the old pictures I found a classic favorite of GG from up at the mountain house. This was the night that she completely drank Phil, Mikey, and myself under the table. We were determined to kick the keg but Grandmom kept going...and going...and going. We finally had to admit defeat and go to bed and she was like "Where's everyone going?! It's only 3 am and I'm not done my drink!"

Love you and miss you GG!!