The One In The Middle Is The Green Kangaroo

I had classic middle-child syndrome growing up. Although Cole isn't officially the middle child, I still sympathize with his situation and try to give him the special attention that he so desparately craves.

His favorite thing to do is sit with me and have me write out words for him to read. Yesterday he asked if he could also write his own words - I dare you to find his version of "Ferris Wheel" or "Water" or "Ghost Ship" - love the way a 4 year old's mind works.


He's in the Pre-K class at school and is luh-uhving all of the projects. He feels extremely old and important now that he's doing "big kid" crafts.





What can I say...he's a fellow ham after my own heart...





The infamous balloon incident of 2011...one of his balloons flew away and as Cole put it, "That was the worst day of my life." I figure if that's as bad as it gets, then the kid has it pretty good.

The Low Down

I was clearing out the pictures on my phone when I realized - there are a ton of pics I haven't posted for the 1 or 2 loyal people who read this blog. So here's a treat just for you!

We were in Target the other day and Cole got himself all jazzed up. I actually like most of the things he picked out...he's like my little accessories apprentice

Whenever I had an ultrasound of Dean he always had his hand over his face, exactly like this. So weird to see those ultrasound pics translated into real life

Bathtime mohawks

Whenever I see a face like this and a body moving at full speed, I know that either (a) Someone will soon be crying (b) Something spilled (c) Something broke, or (d) All of the above


Cole loves his swim lessons. Thumbs up for the pool at the Y...thumbs down for the haircut

Showing off his "beautiful hair" (clearly better than the pic above)

Snug as a bug in a rug

Dean had surgery a few weeks ago (he's doing really well - thanks for all your thoughts). I'm such a sucker for a baby in a hospital gown

Sammie has a new-found love for Ryan

Best part of the night...snuggle time with Grammy

Ry discovered the Star Wars section at the library (i.e. Heaven)

Do not be fooled by this angelic face. He is schooled in the art of deception

Ry had a dentist appointment the other day and came home BEGGING to floss his teeth. I figured I would document the moment so I could show it to him during his hygeine rebellion in the teenage years

So there you have it, a glimpse into the last few months as seen through the lens of my iPhone. I realize now that I've conditioned the kids to getting their picture taken - the other day I took out my phone to check an email and Charlie said, "CHEESE!"

Books Are Fun

Ry won an award today in school for his bookmark design. They announced this over the loudspeaker and he got to claim his prize in the office, thus making him a mini celebrity with his bus stop buddies.

We asked him about his artwork and he said, "I just thought really hard and then decided to draw a wall of books." To which Phil replied, "Ohhhhhhhhh - those colored squares are supposed to be books?"

He would not fare well on Are You Smarter Than A Kindergartener.