Cape Cod Family Reunion 2013

Ever since we moved to New England, Ryan's parents have been planning a family reunion out here. The time finally came and all of his siblings, their children, and both of his parents flew to our neck of the woods and we met up in a beach house in Cape Cod for a seven day vacation. It was just as posh and fantastic as it sounds (thanks Lynn and Mary-Ann!) and so fun to spend the week together in such a fun place. In no particular order, here are a few pictures from our week:

Davis searching for sea shells and playing in the sand. He preferred this to playing in the water. 

Matchy Matchy brothers. At this moment Devin was asking his daughter who looked more handsome in their Cape Cod T.

Hiking near a fresh water swimming hole.

Maddie had a great time with all of her cousins. Sadly, I didn't take nearly enough pictures and this is one of the only ones I got, and sweet Katie is missing from the shot (luckily her mom is a professional photographer and no doubt got many priceless photos). Sisters Quincy and Addie are pictured with her--the four girls played together all week long. 

The men in the family spent a day in Boston with the Red Sox, so they returned the favor and gave us women a day without kids as well. We explored The Cape and found the most beautiful beach in Harwich.

Maddie and Addie searching for shells and sea creatures.

We spent a day in Provincetown, which is the northern most city on The Cape. There is tons of shopping there and the ocean was clear and beautiful.

This Doggy Life jacket cracked me up in the window of one of the shops in P-town.

Isaac lost his first tooth during the reunion and this is his self portrait. According to him, Davis woke up in the middle of the night, made his way to Ike's bed, and (while half asleep) punched Ike in the mouth because he mistakenly thought Isaac had jumped into his bed.  Ahh, brotherly love. Isaac found his loose tooth on his pillow the next morning. 

Davis loved the wagon ride with his cousin, Quincy. They are weeks apart and looked like little blonde twins running around together all week. One of the highlights of the trip for me was watching these two interact. Listening to them argue over who runs fastest was priceless. 

Nathan loved all the attention he got throughout the week. He slept like a champ which made my vacation feel like a vacation! Gracias mi bebe!

On the beach with my hubby. We were able to walk there one afternoon without kids thanks to Mary-Ann. 

We talked about our favorite parts of the trip last night:
Isaac: Playing baseball with Carson.
Maddie: Shopping in Provincetown.
Davis: Playing with Isaac and Carson.
Ryan: Searching for sea shells on the beach with the kids.
Me: Renting bikes with the kids and riding on the Cape Cod bike trail.

Some other things I want to remember are:

• Playing Celebrity with the adults--My father-in-law does a fantastic Chris Christie impersonation.
• Seeing all of the cousins play together. It makes my heart happy. 
• Seafood, seafood, seafood!
• How glorious it was to have Ryan around for an entire week!
• Spending time with Ryan's family all together. It hasn't happened for years and likely won't happen again for a few more since we will soon be living on separate coasts (his brother just accepted a job in San Jose, CA). Here's to a family reunion in California next time!

From the Mouth of My Babe

We are starting to get smiles out of this guy.

A few things we've figured out about Nathan:

• He loves to eat, sleep, and dirty his diaper right after we change him.
• He is pretty easy-going most of the time, as long as we feed him when he's hungry and put him down for a nap when he's tired. 
• He is cranky most nights from 8pm-10pm, but if we put him in his swing, turn it on super-high mode, and blast the Andre Bocelli station on Pandora, he calms down and falls asleep. He seems to have an affinity for fine Italian music. 
• He LOVES to be swaddled.
• He loves to be snuggled, unless it's by Davis (still trust issues there).
• He is still the most popular person in our home, and the kids are still fascinated that something so small can move and interact with them. 
• His current nicknames are Nater (Davis gets confused and calls him "Mater"), Nate-Dog, and Goliath (last week he weighed in at 13 lbs, 4 oz! We are barely squeezing him into 0-3 month clothes)

Uncle Devin came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we took him for a humid trip around Yale's campus.

I overheard Maddie talking to a couple of her friends this morning: "I can't wait to be a mom, you get to eat candy whenever you want!...but it's also a lot of work."

Some Recent Photos

What do you mean, you don't play baseball

and garden in your swim suit and rain boots? Huh...

A photo of Nathan's daily torture session, aka tummy time. 

He's been spending a lot of time mostly naked as it has been super humid and hot around these parts lately. The boy loves the vibrate option on his bouncy chair.

We went berry picking last week and it turns out the kids are much more efficient blueberry pickers than they were last year. We ended up picking about 12 cups of blueberries. The kids were thrilled. I let them eat a few on the way home and we still came home with 5 and a half pints. Later on that afternoon I went upstairs to feed the baby, and when I came down, all 5 pints were gone! That's 10 cups of blueberries! A measly half-pint was all that remained, and the kids were working on it when I found them. 

Ryan had just come home when I caught the kids in the act. Without going into detail, let's just say I overreacted a little bit (Can't a mama just make some blueberry muffins? That's all I really wanted...)So much so, that Ryan now often jokes and says, "Is it as important as eating a couple of blueberries?..."

Maddie plays ball.


Isaac sings to Nathan.

Our Life Lately

Nathan's first time in a car seat, getting ready to leave the hospital last month.

I'm pretty sure Ryan thought we had enough things to keep alive this summer, but when I suggested a small garden, he willingly took over planting it with the older kids while Nathan and I watched. We are already taking advantage of the basil. Yum!

Nathan seems to have a few trust issues with Davis. Note the distressed look on his face and his kicking feet.

Honestly, though, can you blame the babe? 

The kids have something new to fight about--who gets to feed Nathan a bottle. 

Maddie got a butterfly garden for her birthday and we set them free a couple of days ago. The butterflies were friendly and the kids got to hold them for a few seconds before they flew away. As Maddie put it, "We got to keep them with us for a few precious days!"

• Our family seems to be adjusting well to life with 4 children. I am tired, but I will take tired over sick and nauseous any day of the week. I feel like a million bucks!
• Davis has pleasantly surprised us with his affection for the new babe. My biggest concern is keeping Nathan from getting smothered. It can often be heard, "Baby Nate needs some space...give baby Nate a little space, Dave!"
• I finally understand why people have 3 year gaps between children----it's amazing only having to buckle one child into his car seat, and everyone can put their own shoes on! While I love that I, M, and D are so close in age, it is certainly nice to have the older kids be a little bit more independent. It has made the transition to four easier than it might have been otherwise. 
• We have a family of skunks living underneath our front porch. Seriously? I have seen at least two babies, about the size of squirrels, and Ryan has seen the mother, the size of a dog! You can imagine how I feel about this scenario. Anyone have any surefire remedies for convincing skunks to evacuate?
• Ryan started his final year of residency yesterday. He is now in his 3rd year of post-graduate training. It's pretty awesome. I am really looking forward to this year and all that is ahead for us. I simultaneously never thought this day would come and can't believe it's already here. I hope we can make the most of this final year.
• Davis is fascinated with everything Nathan does. His latest comment (which he makes a dozen times a day on average) is "Wook, Mommy! Baby Nafan is eating and sweeping at da same time! I never eat and sweep at da same time!"
• Ryan and I celebrated 8 years of marriage this past weekend with falafel sandwiches and slurpees. We are pretty easy to please these days. 
• The first month with a newborn is always pretty hazy for me, but this time around has been the most clear of my four babies. I am really trying to soak it in as much as I can. I don't even mind the nighttime feedings so much--I know they won't last forever, and it's the only time I don't have to share his attention with 3 other smiling faces huddled over me, watching Nathan's every move. 

"Mommy, did jew know dat dogs scwatch der ears wif der feet, wike dis?"

Madelyn Ruth @ 5 Years Old

Feeding her baby a bottle. 

Maddie turned 5 the day after we brought Nathan home from the hospital. Even though I was sort of out of commision, Grandma Mary-Ann took over and made Maddie's day really special. Thanks to Grandma Maddie, she received the My Little Pony Castle she's been pining over forever, and thanks to Grandma Mary-Ann she is now equipped with all most every pony in Ponyville. They have been the gifts that keep on giving as they have provided literally hours of entertainment for Davis and Maddie during these early days when I'm not too confident in going many places on my own with the whole brood.

There was a span of a couple of weeks where Maddie decided she wanted to be an entomologist when she grows up. Then she decided she's still a little bit afraid of spiders, so she is now an aspiring ballerina once again. 

I told Maddie that once I was feeling better, we could have her friends over for a pizza and a movie party. Last Friday 5 of her friends came over and watched a My Little Pony movie while eating frozen pizza from Costco and drinking juice boxes. Low expectations, it's all about low expectations these days. It was the easiest party ever planned. 

A few things about our Maddie:

• She is thrilled about starting kindergarten in the fall. 
• She loves to play with Legos, My Little Ponies, and board games. Her current favorite board game is Sum Swamp. It's a great one for helping kids learn simple addition facts. 
• Maddie has been a great help to me these last three weeks. She is always willing to help with the baby, but even more so she has entertained Davis for hours every day. These two have become quite good buddies over the past year- it is going to be hard for him (and me) when she goes off to school in the fall.
• People will often comment on how she's the only girl in a house full of brothers. Her remark to that statement is always, "I will get sisters when my brothers get married!"
• The other day I overheard Maddie bossing Davis around and it was as if I was listening to myself speak to the kids. It made me cringe.She picks up on everything I say and the tone in which I say it. {Sigh}
• She makes friends very easily and loves meeting new people. 
• She takes really good care of her toys. Is this a girl thing? Every Lego Friends block has a place in her room and she keeps them all on display. She saves every card any grandparent or friend has ever sent her and has a special bag where she stores all her most beloved possessions. 
• She is still fearless in the water. Swimming lessons are at the top of our to-do list this summer.
• She is still the happy, spunky, full-of-life little girl that she's always been. We are so happy she's ours.