Catching Up On Pics: Dean

Dean graduated from scooting to sprinting in what seemed like seconds. Granted, he's crawl-sprinting, but on the move nonetheless.

He can pull himself up to standing position and also excels at laughing, clapping, smiling, blowing raspberries, and teething.

Shake It, Shake It Baby

At the end of the school year, Cole's class put on a show. Some highlights included a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller, and a group sing-a-long to John Cougar Mellencamp's Jack & Diane led by our pride and joy:

You really can't teach these dancing moves...gotta have it in your blood (I think he inherited his skills from his dad).

Run Coley Run

We have some traditions for the annual Dub-C 4-Mile race. First, we all hang out to cheer on the runners.


Next, we bust out the hose to spray down the racers. Occassionally we spray down the spectators as well.

This year, Cole was begging us to run in the race. We kept trying to push him off thinking he'd forget about it. Finally - he couldn't take it anymore - he said, "I NEED to run in the race now!!" and took off. We all laughed. Then I realized he was really on the move and sent Phil on the chase.

Long story short...the little man ran about 1.5 miles until the water table at the park slowed him down.

I think a new tradition is born.

Best. Husband. Ever.

For Mother's Day this year, Phil booked a Girlfriend's Weekend at the Golden Inn in Avalon, NJ. Not only did he score total brownie points for the idea, he scored double brownie points for willingly watching the boys for 3 days in a row.

Beachfront hotel...spa treatments...food and drinks...lots of drinks...heated pool...live bands...did I mention no kids? It was absolute heaven to hang on the beach without having to chase anyone down.

It was an awesome way to celebrate 10 years of friendship with my gal pal Sue. See you next year Golden Inn!

Domo Arigato Mr. Ro-Cole-O

The first thing Cole said to me this morning was, “Mommy, do you want to see my robot dance?”
I don’t know how he learned it, all I know is that I love it.

Sigh

I put the boys to bed tonight, and about 5 minutes later Ry was weeping at the top of the steps and calling for me. I ran up expecting to see blood, but instead we had this conversation:

Mom: What's wrong?!?!?

Ry: What if we get sucked into a black hole?

Mom: Huh?

Ry: A black hole happens when 2 planets collide. What if another planet falls off it's orbit and slams into the Earth and we get sucked into a black hole?

Mom: I don't think we're close enough to other planets to collide into them

Ry: Well what about tornadoes?

Mom: What about tornadoes?

Ry: What if there's a hurricane or a tornado like they have in the South? And we run to the basement and all of the furniture upstairs and my DS gets washed away? I don't think they make DS's anymore [the tears really start flowing at the thought of the destroyed video game]

Mom: We don't live in the South, we live in the North

Ry: But it's cold in the North. It's hot here

Mom: [Tries a different tactic] People come first, then things. If our things get ruined we can buy more things. We can't by more people

Ry: What about fish? You can buy a new fish. If Baseball [the fish] and Sammie [the dog] get washed away in the hurricane, can we buy a new ones?

Mom: Sure. I think it's time for bed

Ry: [Begins to cry even harder] I just thought of something. The sun is supposed to burn for 50 billion more years. What if I live to be 50 billion years old and then the sun goes out?

This went on. And on. And on.

Now hiring a therapist, a scientist and a meteorologist. Accepting applications immediately.

It's Summer Time Summer Time Sum-Sum-Summertime

After a long, cold, snowy, windy, dark winter…the sun is out and the pool is open. I feel like my life is so much easier now that the kids can get outside and drain their energy.



Ry conquered the slide last year, and this year it was Cole’s turn. He was so proud of himself that he asked to show off his muscles in front of the ladder on the way out of the pool.

The next day when I dropped him off at school, he ran to the art table to draw a picture of his slide experience. He handed me the paper, and before I could look at it he snatched it back and ran back to the table. He pulled out a red crayon and said, “I forgot my smile.” Adorable.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day started out like any other…sitting on the side of the road with 15 kids ages 6 to 6 weeks waiting for the annual parade to start.


I said to the kids, “Anyone named ‘KERPER’ raise your flag!” When most of them waved Cole got completely confused. “Mommy, they all raised their flags when you said Kerper, but MY name is Kerper!”

I soon discovered that trying to explain the concept of cousins to a 4 year old is almost as challenging as wrangling 15 kids.

We went to the park for the after-parade festivities. It was hot. So hot. But better than the snow IMHO.

Cheerio

I know the hype has died down, but I never had a chance to post about the Royal Wedding party. Thanks to the miracle of TIVO, we were able to record the festivities and watch later that night.

Ironically, my parents were cleaning out their basement and had just given me my wedding dress and veil that had been hanging down there for 8 years. I didn’t dare try on the dress (out of fear that I wouldn’t be able to get it past my ankles) but the veil fit like a glove.


Many glasses of wine later, we settled in to watch. Despite the fact that I was continuously yelling “PIPPA!” in a drunken British accent, I’d say it was a jolly good time. Hopefully Harry gets hitched soon so we can do it again.

PIPPA!

Everybody Loves Dean

Dean always rides in the front of the double stroller. He's quite the chick magnet, and people are always stopping us to comment on his smile or his cute little teeth.

The other day we were walking in town, and a random woman started to talk with him. As she was leaving, she said, "Oh he was just put on this earth to bring joy to people, wasn't he?"

Based off how much everyone loves my little Deanbo, I'd say she was right.

It turns out he's also the new reigning decision maker in the family - just another party trick to keep Mom entertained. This video is dark because it was shot in the car last night, but you'll still get the point.

Next time you're looking to get out of something, just call me up and I'll get Dean to tell you no.

Warming Up

It's not easy to survive the Northeast winters. Forget the snow and ice - the worst of it is being trapped inside with 4 energetic boys.

Now that the sun is shining and the weather is warming up, we get out and about whenever we can.

Thankfully there's a park just a few blocks from our house. Around this time the trees are all in bloom and it's absolutely beautiful. Just like Phil and me.

Here's a pic from Ry when he was one and also from a few weeks ago. As you can see, not much has changed.

Another advantage of getting outside - so many interesting options for Time Out. Here Charlie takes it like a man (even with his thumb in his mouth). Ah, sweet springtime.

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Today was Mother's Day and it was filled with it's share of ups and downs.

Down: Phil had to work.

Up: He didn't start until 10 am so he got to hang out this morning. Before he left he took this pic of my boys on the front porch with the flowering bush in full bloom. Happiness.


Down: He called about 5 minutes after he left to let me know that his car died, it needed to get towed, and I'd have to drive him to work. In the city. With 4 antsy kids. And the potential thought of having to buy a new car.


Up: We picked Phil up from work and had dinner at Ruby's Diner. On the way home we stopped at the Brandywine Battlefield to watch the sunset. Wrapped up in a blanket with my boys on a bench watching the sun go down...a spontaneous moment remembered for a lifetime.

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.