What A Buzz

We celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas in our house which leads to a crazy but fun December. I'll spare you the gazillion pics and videos of the boys opening their gifts (and trashing my house in the process...I'm still finding pieces of wrapping paper in nooks and crannies).

The main highlights: Ry got the Buzz Lightyear doll he was coveting...


...and Phil made a pit stop at Tiffany's. 'Tis the season to be jolly!

Send Help

Ry has been asking so many questions lately. The kind of questions that sometimes have no answer and leave me mumbling responses like "just get in the car."

Here are some of his latest that I can think of - now try putting yourself in my shoes and see if you can come up with any logical retorts...

• Why does peanut butter taste so much better than regular butter?
• Why does fire melt things?
• Why doesn't Charlie have hair?
• What does "if" mean?
• Why does Scooby Doo only want to eat Scooby snacks? Doesn't he ever want a healthy snack?

I told you this was hard - how the heck do you define the word "if" to a 4 year old?? I dare you to tackle the concept of conjunctions the next time you see Mr. Inqusitive.

We Tried, Oh How We Tried

The scene was set: Hand-knit sweaters, clean faces, a light snowfall outside. The perfect moment to capture the Kerper love for the holiday card....or so we thought.

Happy Hannukah...Merry Christmas...Happy New Year!

His Spelling Is DOA

Ry's new thing is sounding out words and writing them down. His interpretation of "ambulance" is a little off, but I'll give the kid points for creativity.

Daddy Day

Today was a Daddy Day and the boys went to the Please Touch Museum. Mr. Tough Guy sucked his thumb as they chillaxed on the ride to Philly.


Driving cars...flying through the air on a magic bike machine...shopping for a year's supply of cereal...all in a day's work for Dad and his boys.

Show No Fear

Our niece's birthday party was this weekend at the YMCA...the boys are used to going there because Phil takes them on his days off. Cole woke up this morning and said, "Let's go to the Y...we'll get some cake." Sounds like Phil's going to have a lot of explaining to do the next time they hit the gym.

Santa happened to be hanging out next door so the kids got to say hello...

• Ry was pumped to remind him about the Buzz Lightyear doll he's been coveting
• Cole clearly just wanted out of the whole situation
• And I think Charlie decided to take the Worst Case Scenario approach (i.e. if you cross Santa at the Y just sit very still...don't look him in the eyes...he will not hurt you...)

Old King Cole Was A Merry Old Soul

Cole double-fisted it tonight. While he was polishing off his popsicle, he decided to dive back into the drumstick from dinner. Decisions, decisions...

Child Of The New Millenium

I picked the boys up from school the other day...they must have been talking about Christmas in his class...

Ry: Did you know there's a story about Santa Claus?
Me: Great, can you tell me?!
Ry: Uh...no...I can't...it's on CD!!

Tree Farm

Our friend recommended a tree farm not too far from our house. The day we went was be-a-utiful and perfect for hanging outside.






All was going well until Phil actually started sawing. Here's about how the conversation went.

Me: Which way is this tree going to fall?
Phil: Well, not really sure yet
Me 2 seconds later: Boys - RUN!

Sprinkle Trees

Longwood Gardens has a big Christmas light show and we braved the cold to check it out. Ry was naming all of the trees (blue lights were blueberry trees, red lights were cherry trees, multi-color lights were sprinkle trees...)

Lil' Charlie just chilled in the stroller...as always...he's such a good travel companion.

I kept thinking about how I fight with the one garland on our porch every year, and here they are with at least a gazillion lights. Strangely enough, when we went to put lights on the tree every single strand from last year were broken. Oh, the irony.

Chugga Lugga

A few weekends ago we took a ride on the West Chester Railroad for the Santa Express. The boys were in high spirits as we chugged down the line...Cole was just excited to be on a train and Ry kept craining his neck for signs of the Big Guy.

He finally made an appearance...and after all the anticipation they both played completely shy. Ry quietly murmered "I want a clock with alarm bells" and Cole started petting the wool on the end of his sleeve. Nice first impression, boys.

The train went to the Glen Mills station and the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. I'm not sure if squirming gets you on the naughty list, but if it does, Cole's in big trouble.

Finally back on the train, the boys hammed it up and sang along with the carolers....

I've always known that Cole beats to his own drummer...this video definitely proves that. Although he scores points for joining in on the sing-along, he's belting out something completely different. To each their own...fa la la la! Happy Holidays!

You Heard It Here First

Tonight we were talking about good guys and bad guys. Ry was wearing his new Superhero Squad Underoos so I guess that got him thinking.

Me: Is Hulk a good guy or a bad guy?
Ry: Good guy.
Me: What about Cole?
Ry: Good guy.
Me: What about Charlie?
Ry: Good guy.
Me: What about me?
Ry: You're the best mom on earth!!!

Doug

On the way out this morning I discovered a slug. This wasn't just any slug - it was basically the size of my car - and it had left behind a nice long trail of goo as he traveled along his way.

I called inside for the boys to come check it out and Ry was totally into it (Cole was eating animal crackers at the time and therefore distracted). I talked Ry into touching it - I like for them to explore and discover, but sometimes they need a little nudge.

He gave it a little pet and said, "Wow - it feels like melting ice cream!" Then the dreaded words, "Mommy, it's soooo cool! You should touch it too!"

I didn't want him to think there was anything wrong with touching a disgusting and oozing creature, so I reluctantly gave it a little tap. Seriously, it was so gross. A slimy, icky, grossness. But of course I played it off like it was the coolest and the whole ride to school Ry was talking about his new bud, Doug The Slug.

"I wonder if Doug found his Mom and Dad in the grass."

"Doug was leaving a lot of goo on the sidewalk - I can wash it off when I get home."

And my personal favorite, "Doug is my new best friend." I guess Cole is out and the slug is in.

I didn't realize I was signing up for a lifetime of touching slimy bugs when I had 3 little boys…what will I stoop to next?!

Thanks To Poppy For The Pics

Grammy and Poppy's backyard was the perfect place for some fall leaf jumping. As you can see from the second picture, Chicken Nugget Boy was out in full force - only to be defeated by his arch nemisis, Lil' Bro Boy, in the third.

Mwahahahaha...

CHOOOOOOCH

There's been a lot of baseball in the house lately. Between the playoffs and the World Series (*sigh*) the boys were exposed to a lot of Phillies talk.

The other day Ry found a glove and asked to play. I was pitching, Cole was batting, and Ry squatted down in the back and said, "I'm on the Phillies. I'm Chooch (a.k.a. Carlos Ruiz's nickname - the catcher for the Phillies). Coley, you're the Yankees. You're gonna lose." Then he started chanting "CHOOCH...CHOOCH..." trying to psych Cole out.

Phil took them out today to play...I think they need a little more practice before they make it to the majors.

Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride

This guy has had a fever, cough, and runny nose for the last 3 days. Most sick kids prefer laziness over playtime...but our little man won't be held down. Fly Coley, fly!!

Overheard

I was upstairs cleaning up and the boys were downstairs playing...

Ry: Coley, will you be my best friend?
Cole: Ya
Ry: Okay, great! We'll be best friends forever!

When Mom's Away The Boys Will Play

The boys headed to the Philly Zoo on Monday while I was at work. Phil had Charlie strapped to his chest in the Baby Bjorn and was pushing the double stroller packed with the older two...apparently this drew sympathy from all of the zoo-goers and he soaked in all of the attention.

Ry took this picture of his littlest bro - he's been really into the camera lately and was even playing around with our tripod the other day. The Kerper Studio Photography legacy lives on!