Lucky 7

So I'm finally able to say, "I have 4 boys ages 7 and under."  That sounds much better than where we were a few years back: "I have 4 boys ages 5 and under."  Gulp.

My point here is that Ry just celebrated his 7th birthday.  Through a random web search I found the best idea for any boy's party.  Ever.  It's called Rolling Game Station, and have I mentioned it's the best idea ever?

It's a 50 foot trailer with TVs and video games inside.  'Nough said.  After the party my nephew said, "I think I only blinked 3 times because I didn't want to miss anything."

After the party we got to spend some quality time with our favorite Allentownians.  Clearly Cole was not picking up what Aunt Lori was laying down.

And how about my girl Baby Shaye?  I did her makeup and then we posed for this pic.  Aww...

So here it is in a nutshell...7 years went by fast.  And slow.  Our family motto, "The days are long and the years are short" holds up here, and I'm both happy and sad to watch Ryan grow up into the little man he's becoming.  Happy birthday big guy.

Happy 4th

To celebrate the 4th we loaded the kids in the car and party hopped. First stop was our friend's house in Jersey and we fist-pumped all the way to the festivities.

Next up was hanging with some cousins to eat some BBQ and fight over the helium balloons (only a few unfortunate popping incidents).

For some unknown reason - in the middle of all this madness - we decided to paint our bedroom. One coat of primer and 2 coats of Dove's Cry later...we were transformed.

Our final day was spent swimming at our Aunt & Uncle's house and then our annual neighborhood party.

We consumed the family's weight in beer and hot dogs, and had a great time catching up with everyone. Proud to be an American...U-S-A!

Caution: Toilet Humor Ahead

What started out as the terrible twos soon spiraled into the even-more-terrible threes. So when Cole's 4th birthday rolled around, we celebrated with a vengeance.

The day of his party was double-booked. We had another shindig for his buddy at the firehouse, and Cole got to ride on the truck and shoot off the hose.


While we were at the party, I texted Phil to see what they were up to. He sent me back this picture - you go Ry!

After a long morning we finally got to kick off Cole's party in classic style. He asked for a bowling party, so we found the only joint in town that allowed us to bring beer in coolers. Classy.

Cole LOVES to hear the story of his birth. He'll go up to strangers on the street to tell them, "When I was born my mommy's water broke over the toilet." Even more classy.

But that's just part of the unmistakable Cole charm. It's taken 4 years, but he's growing into a hysterical, sweet, loveable, energetic little man. He keeps us on our toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Love you Coley.

Me And My Teddy Bear...Have No Worries Have No Cares

We went to a birthday party this weekend for our niece Maya. Ironically, we don't have any pictures of Maya, but trust me, she was cute.




Charlie plopped himself into the biggest bag he could find and was perfectly content in there for almost 10 minutes. I immediately ran out and bought a neverending supply of big party bags.


We went to the park after the party to shake out any excess energy. Dean was so happy to be on the swings...doesn't he look totally grown up?


On the walk home Ry and Cole kept running ahead. They would fall down at the intersection and hold each other while Ry pet Cole's head. He later explained that he liked the feel of Cole's hair (he had gotten a haircut that morning) and was pretending he was his teddy bear.

I know I've said this before...you just can't make this stuff up.

We're Living Here In Allentown

Today was Shaye's First Holy Communion. Seeing her in her princess dress and hairsprayed curls made me realize how quickly time flies by...it literally feels like yesterday that she was toddling around and snuggling in my lap.

My crazy kids have a way of snapping me right out of my sentimental mood. Almost two hours in the car makes for four very antsy boys, and poor Aunt Lori's house took a hit from their energy.

Not only was the stuffed monkey a hit (I'm still not sure why that was hanging from the ceiling...), so was the gigantic yard. All I had to do was kick a ball as far as I could, and they chased after it time and time again. Score.

The day was going so well until Ryan called stomachache. I tried to tell him that eating approximately 75,000 pieces of chocolate wouldn't be a good idea in the long run, but he chose to take his own path.

Ry eventually rebounded (when the cake was served) and we tried for another feeble attempt at a family picture. At least Shaye looks cute...congrats to my girl. Love you loads.

6 Years In The Making

Here's my theory on birthday parties. When you live in a house filled to the brim with brothers, you can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. So for that one special day a year, I let them go all out.

For Ryan's 6th, he specifically requested to have his friends over to our house for a Star Wars battle.

Little did our galactic heroes know that the the Dark Side would be making an appearance. Voice box and all, Darth Vader busted into the backyard for some terrifying freeze tag and the ever-intimidating Hokey Pokey.

Ry was a little freaked out. I should have seen this coming after he met Darth in Florida and was convinced that he was going to kill him with his lightsaber. He took the character so seriously that he refused to leave the deck during the fun & games (although he tried to convince me it was because he was " 'too sweaty' from playing with his friends.")

Ry was eventually talked into getting his face painted, and in hindsight says it was his best birthday ever. May the force be with you, my young 6 year old.

Shayebee

It was 11 years ago that our little baby Shaye was born. When I took this picture I did a double-take...I just cannot believe how much she's grown and how quickly those 11 years went.


Nothing but the best for Miss Shaye...we shut down The Roxy for a private screening of Tangled. The boys actually sat through most of the movie (even Cha) thanks to an unlimited supply of chips and chocolate.

We went back to her house after the movie so the boys could tear open her presents and trash the joint. We tried for a group picture...you can see for yourself how well that turned out.

Happy birthday Shaye-bo! Love you, little bugger.