Deja Vu All Over Again

Dean was just sleeping on me...his position reminded me of a picture of Charlie taken at the same time last year. There must be something about my lap that turns babies into squishy little balls of love.

Milestone Alert: First Day Of School

I calculated today that in 2015 I'll have 4 kids all in the same school (Kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade). Ry kicked it all off today with his first day of Kindergarten.

I have to give photo credit here to our neighbor. The bus was a few minutes early so we literally had to run - it all happened so fast that I didn't even have time to snap a picture.

My visions of a hearfelt good-bye were replaced with us tearing down the street screaming, "Hold the bus!!" (Okay maybe it wasn't that dramatic but I felt pretty stressed at the time).

Ry had only glowing reports about his first day. He said he liked his teacher so much that he nicknamed her "Mrs. Nice," and his favorite part was that he got all the way across the monkey bars on his own.

After school the moms organized an ice cream party for the kids. It was pretty easy to pump them for information after we sugared them up with sprinkles and whipped cream.

At the end of the day Ry put on his army costume (complete with gloves so his "hands won't get hurt in battle.") It was 95 degrees outside but I cut him slack - after all it was only his first day, and he's still got a lot to learn.

Two For Flinching

At lunch today Ry had an idea:

Ry: Let's pretend that we're eating in a restaurant.
Me: Sounds good!
Ry: Waitress, can you please get me a drink?

It takes a lot to make me flinch - he definitely got me with that one - but I gave him small kudos for at least asking nicely.

In unrelated news, here's a picture of Cha from tonight's bath with absolutely no relevance to the above story. I just thought it was a classic Charlie face, and will therefore throw it into today's blog posting.

Boom Cha! (That's what the boys call him in moments of excitement.)

A Year In The Making

What a difference a year makes. In August 2009 we had three compliant subjects on the boardwalk. Granted one of them was only a month old and the other two were bribed with Kohr Brothers, but they sat still nonetheless.

Cut to August 2010 and this was the best we could do. Not bad considering it was the end of a long day and the ice cream had already been eaten. We'll give it another whirl in 2011!

Grenade Free Zone

Team Kerper piled into the minivan for a trip to the shore and some fist pumping action. We covered the usual bases of boardwalk, ocean, pool, pizza, ice cream, and chaos.

We've been to most of the tourist traps in the area, but this time we discovered the Cape May Aviation Museum. There are a bunch of planes and helicopters that flew in different wars, and you're allowed to climb in and press all of the little buttons and levers.

Here's a helicopter that flew soldiers to the MASH hospitals in the Korean war. There's me on the stretcher - some days I feel like my Mom duties qualify me as incoming wounded.

Now Casting For The Roles Of Delivery Room Doctor And Nurse

Ry's camp had a talent show this week. Like a good stage mother, I was all set up with my video camera in a prime front row seat. Only problem - when I went to download the videos I used the wrong power cord and fried the camera (there was literally a popping sound and a puff of smoke).

In light of this setback, I'll set the scene for you myself. Ry chose to tell jokes and sing a song as his talent. I have no idea where he heard "Run Baby Run," but he busted out the acapella version accompanied by his buddy Cameron. The jokes were a little freestyle, but he did manage to bring down the house with the old classic knock knock, "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?!"

Only one more week of camp and then he starts Kindergarten. I'm sad to see him leave his daycare - he's been going there since he was one and really loves it. But he's totally pumped for his new school and I'm excited to see him movin' on up - just hoping he works on his comedy material before the first day.

So next on the to-do list is (a) Finding a new video camera and (b) Recording a re-enactment of Dean's birth. Apparently that was also on the camera...d'oh!

Photography By Ro

We hired a photographer to come to the house to take pictures of Baby Dean. The first step was rallying the team to get a group picture...I'll spare you the gory details...let's just say that chaos ensued and we ended up getting one workable shot out of it.

Check out Ro's blog for some of the best pics. She does a fantastic job and we'll definitely be using her again in the future - we'll just need to wait until the boys grow a bit more into the blessed stage of compliance. Turns out that bribing them with ice cream could only get us so far.

Dean, however, needed no bribing - he was a perfect model. (Okay that's a total lie - he was a mess so Ro had to come back. But when she returned a few days later he rocked it out. Three cheers for Dean!)

Family Field Trip

It's been 13 years since Steven and Jenn were married at Morris Arboretum. Today we went back with the kids to check out the Tree Adventure Exhibit - despite the lack of booze and dancing, it was still good times.

Some obligatory scenic shots taken around the arboretum...

A beautiful sunset to top off the fun. Thanks to the Morris fam for a great day - we definitely won't wait another 13 years to visit.

Catching Up Part Deux - Vids

I'm continuing to dip into the archives of the last few weeks and found these videos. The first one shows our little Charlie walking the walk. I'm not sure if he's running towards something or away from something, but either way, the kid sure can move.

Here we find our two favorite cowboys doing Ry's version of the do-si-do. What they lack in grace they make up for in heart. Yee haw!

This one is sort of hard to hear, but the point is more about the cuteness of it all. Ry was reading a book to Cole and it just seemed so sweet. So rare are these moments that I had to capture it to remind myself there just may be hope for brotherly love after all.

Catching Up - Pics

Dean is officially 2 weeks old - the time has flown by thanks to the four little guys who keep us on our toes. I haven't had many moments to blog in the midst of all this fun, so I offer you a consolidated glimpse into Team Kerper:

Charlie tearing it up in the toy room

Phil was trying to get a family picture at the pool. Yes, he was serious. No, it didn't work. In related news, Ryan passed his swim test at the Y yesterday. He had to swim a lap and tread water for a minute. You go boy!

Trip to Linvilla Orchards - the boys took pony rides complete with cowboy hats. Ry's class just finished a cowboy unit at camp, so he was beyond pumped. For the last week he's been walking around talking "cowboy" (which to me sounds very British) and asking for his cowboy uniform (jeans, winter vest, bandana.) Thank goodness (a) he finally got a hat to complete the look, and (b) he hasn't asked for chaps.

Budding artists at the Delaware Children's Museum

Charlie checking out Baby Dean. We're trying to teach him to be gentle - he's learning. Slowly.

Party Of 6

The baby was hanging out on my lap yesterday and he turned on me. I feel like this progression is a perfect glimpse into how we've been doing:

Dean is doing really well so far. He's settling into a good nursing schedule and basically cycles through the above (sleep...cry...eat...chill).

The older two boys are smitten and Cole keeps asking for the "hand sapitizer" so he can have a snuggle. Charlie doesn't understand what's up and therefore hasn't reached the same level of smitten-tude - he just sort of towers over Dean and stares. I'm sure the staring will soon morph into something else all together. Stay tuned.

Speaking of staying tuned, we booked a photographer to come to the house next week. I completely debriefed her on the situation (i.e. four boys ages 5 through newborn) and she's still willing to come. I like her already for her sheer bravery.

Oh Baby

After one quick push and a big sigh of relief, the newest Kerper arrived on the scene. We're happy to announce that Dean Edward Kerper was born last week, and even happier to report that he seems completely healthy with no signs of concerns.

So we're officially a family of 6. There are so many of us now that I'm starting to seriously contemplate the need for a new dining room table - but as Phil keeps telling me - one thing at a time. I suppose that getting him clothes that fit is a priority over furniture re-arrangement (he's such a tiny peanut that our newborn onesies are huge on his little baby body!)

Here's a sneak peak at the munchkin. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, well wishes, and delicious dinners! Love to you all.