The TothMcCarry Family

A Year of Missing You

2011-12-27T07:42:00.026-05:00

Mama,

A year ago today is the last day I ever spoke with you. Yesterday was the year anniversary of the last time I gave you a hug, held your hand or saw your radiant smile. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. Or about how I'd like to call you and chat. I haven't had the heart to even take your name off of speed dial on my phone.

It's hard to think our family went on, that time didn't stand still, when you passed away last year. But we did. And I wanted to write and let you know all of us are well. In fact, you'd be proud and happy of how we've come together and found happiness with one another every step of the way.

Papa is doing better than any of us could have imagined. You know he's as stubborn as they come, so of course he insisted on staying in the home you two made together. He's doing a good job of taking care of himself, with some help from lots of friends who always say what nice things you did for them. He misses you, but he's happy to have so many family members, friends and neighbors offer to help anyway they can. He says he made a promise to you to keep going to dialysis, and we're thankful he's a man of his word and is sticking it out so that we can have more time with him.

Dad and Tom are each helping Papa and making sure he has people to stop in and keep him company. Jackie and Abby are doing great. Jackie's in her own townhouse now, Jeremiah's in preschool and doing well. Abby is still going to college and working hard to graduate with Honors. We all got together on Christmas morning, just like last year when you were here, too. The house was filled with the noises of happy children and the food would have had you telling stories about the parties you used to throw.

Matt, the boys and I see Papa often, too. We like to pick him up from dialysis, take him food (although he really misses your cooking) or go out to eat with him. He always manages to sneak in some ice cream when we go, now we know where our sweettooths really came from!

Sometimes when we visit him we still expect to see you sitting in the little room, calling to us for hugs and kisses. It can be hard, but we're thankful for all the wonderful memories you gave us when you were alive. We like to remember them by looking at old photos and talking about what we remember about Nona. I hope they never forget you; I'm certainly grateful you had the opportunity to know and love them all. I wish you were here to see us grow and change, but I know you'd be proud if you were.

This year has been especially wonderful for our family. We were all feeling so wonderful and healthy from no longer eating grains, dairy and processed foods that we decided to write a cook book for kids! I know you always thought highly of Matt's cooking and couldn't believe how much weight we were losing. I can only imagine what you'd say if you saw us now, running a website, writing a cook book and over 200lbs thinner.

And the boys are doing so wonderfully - they're healthier than they ever have been and doing great in school. Cole is such an awesome big brother: handsome, smart and sneaky - just like Ronnie! Finian is full of life, and the most loving of any child I've ever met. Little Wes is just adorable, and he knows it... he's starting to talk and knows exactly how to get everything he wants.

I wish you could be here, but that's not fair. You aren't here and there's nothing any of us can do about it. What we can do is be thankful for all the times we had with you. The days you picked us up early from school, had us over for sleepovers and taught us how to make candy cane cookies and chocolate covered peanut butter balls. Because no matter what changes in our lives, no matter how we grow and change, no matter what becomes of the family - we'll always be close.

You instilled in us what family values are. You were a wonderful woman, a kind-hearted, generous, loving, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. You knew how to give a better guilt-trip than anyone we know. We wouldn't dare not spend time together!

We're going to make a batch of halupki's tomorrow in your honor and go through pictures with the boys to make sure they always remember you. Thank you for being who you were, and giving of yourself so much, so that we could all be living the happy lives we lead today. I'll never forget what you did for the family and I only hope I can do the same for mine as they grow.

Muddy's Visit

2011-11-30T16:26:00.002-05:00

Like preschool classes, Finian's new class has a mascot. In this case, it's a large stuffed brown dog named Muddy. In turns, each classmate takes Muddy home so that he can participate in adventures with the student's family. When Finn's turn came up, he was so excited he spent the entire time with Muddy by his side. The resulting pictures were so cute we felt the need to post them!

First, Finian took him out back to jump with him on the trampoline. It's apparently more fun to jump with a partner, even if that partner is a stuffed animal! I could hear shrill peals of laughter for most of the afternoon!

Muddy helped us make dinner as well! His favorite part was the vegetable chopping, but I was told to be careful so as not to chop his nose! Muddy also insisted on trying all the ingredients, just to make sure dinner tasted good!

Wesley, of course, thought that any stuffed friend that came to play MUST be for him. Every time Finn left him unattended, Wesley was there to sneak up and take him! This did result in a couple of tantrums when we told Wesley that he couldn't have Finn's guy. Then Finn got the idea that Wesley might like a different stuffed animal, so he, on his own, found a smaller dog beanie baby that made his brother VERY happy.

To end the day, Finian took Muddy to bed where they snuggled the whole night. I love the eye creases Finn gets when he smiles. That's how you know he's happy!

October in Pictures

2011-11-09T00:08:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the farmer's market before the fall festival, petting zoo and playdate with friends

Celebrated cousin Jeremiah's 5th birthday!

The young and the old enjoyed the party!

We got a new kitten, Sneakers!

We visited some of our favorite farms, Fields of Athenry and Great Country Farms

The resident big dog at Fields of Athenry insisted he needed to participate in our family portrait.

Gigi came for a visit and helped us carve some pumpkins

Then we celebrated Halloween at school and home: Batman, Mario and the Roar were all quite cute.

We were able to really enjoy this month because we turned our book into the publisher on October 1st, the month was all ours to explore! We had so much fun the month just flew by - we can't believe it's November already!

Cole's 6th Birthday

2011-10-18T23:06:00.000-04:00

While Cole's 6th birthday actually took place on August 25th, he managed to stretch the celebration a whole extra month, somehow! Let me explain. Having a birthday two weeks before school starts is slightly tragic, especially when you're in elementary school. By the time Cole's birthday hits, he's been out of school for two months, thus isn't as involved with his kindergarten friends, and doesn't even know who'll be in his next class. Who is he going to invite to his party?

Well, we put our heads together and decided to have a small party near his actual birthday, then have a big celebration including his new friends a couple weeks after the new school year starts.

For his actual birthday, in addition to the normal family celebrations, Stacy took Cole and his friend Jack to the movies and cupcakes.

Then, on September 6th, FIRST GRADE STARTED! Cole has an actual desk at school now, which he says is hard because sitting at a desk is much less fun than playing the games in kindergarten. But he's doing fantastic, reading well above his age and grade level, and kicking butt in science, social studies and math. He says that he really enjoys first grade, despite all the extra learning they're making him do.

Luckily for him, several of his favorite friends from kindergarten are in his class this year as well. He invited every person in his class to a birthday party at the local movie theater to celebrate his sixth birthday watching Mr. Popper's Penguins.

The theater was fantastic to us, seriously! They gave everyone popcorn, took us up to the projector room to show us how movies get played, then they even let us keep some film! On top of everything, Cole and his friends really enjoyed the movie.

September 2011

2011-09-30T22:59:00.009-04:00

When I met Stacy, some ten or so years ago, she had this kind of internal perpetual motion machine that gave her unlimited momentum towards anything she threw herself at. Even as a girl of only twenty years, back when she hadn't figured out a direction, I soon knew that she was going to become a success at something. I've never met someone as determined, talented and intelligent as she is and I never ever will.

Here we are, ten years later and Stacy has become a beautiful and accomplished young woman of thirty. She's still an impressive dynamo that everyone struggles every day to keep up with. Happy birthday, Stacy! We love you with all our hearts!

The boys and I made Mommy's favorite : CARROT CAKE!

The boys helped, too. Especially when it came time to eat. Wesley couldn't wait to tear into a piece!

And here's the most beautiful birthday girl herself!

She's more beautiful now that the day I met her. For her 30th birthday, we got here a grown up DSLR camera. She was super excited and you'll see the photos on this blog improve 1000%!

The Younger Boys Go to School

2011-09-15T14:36:00.011-04:00

Last year, Finian started going to preschool at the same school Cole went to back in Annandale. One month into the school year, Matt realized that commuting from our new house in Fairfax back to Annandale in the same direction everyone was headed in to work was very difficult. This year, we chose a preschool that was closer to home.

Enter Spring-Mar Preschool, located inside the local Unitarian church, a fantastic new co-op school that Finian now attends. Not only that, but they also have a once a week playgroup for the under 2 siblings. Matt volunteered to help organize it, so every week, on Fridays, all three of our boys are in school.

Not too long ago, the idea of all of our boys going to school seemed to be so far off in the distant future as to be completely unthinkable. Yet, here we are! It's been a complete success for both of our boys, as well.

Last year, Finn's natural shyness, inherited from his father and, probably, inadvertently nurtured by dear old dad as well, made dropping off a long process of negotiation and tantruming. But this new school has so inspired Finn that he barely pauses to say goodbye anymore! He's so excited everyday to learn and play more and more.

We were worried at first about him not being able to handle the class. He was placed in the "Young Fours" class and happens to be the youngest in the class. Any fears were put aside after seeing him in class following along with everyone else, abiding by all the rules and taking advantage of every opportunity! Not only that, but we now love to listen to him relay all the things he's learning in class. "Daddy, do you know what echolocation is?"

Meanwhile, everyday we take Finn to class, Wes attempts to go to his classroom, too, even though the playgroup only meets on Fridays! When we take him to the car instead, he is more upset than he would be if we had taken away his dinner. During group, it's a lot of fun to watch him learn how to play with other toddlers. He seems to have made friends, although it is funny to watch him try to play with them like his brothers play with him. He's been known to take toys from other children and attempt to pick up and carry the smaller ones.

All in all, we are so very glad we switched schools and can't wait to spend the next several years watching our kids play here!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-10T16:12:00.001-04:00

I had Labor day off, so that meant lots and lots of fun crammed into 4 days together. We had some fantastic moments and spent a lot of time with friends and family, rather than spending money or doing anything grandiose.

On Friday I was able to leave work early and join the family for an evening event, Cinema at Sunset in a local park. We arrived around 7pm, after hanglers and mock-a-mole for dinner at home. We let the kids run around and play before How to Train Your Dragon started at 8pm. The kids were glued to the outdoor film as they munched on carrots, granola, and apples.

Despite staying up unusually late the night before, we woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next day to pack our bags and get ready for a day on the road. There aren’t words for how wonderful visiting Polyface was. I’ve read people’s descriptions which say it just smells like a farm should – and that’s the best description I can muster as well. The day was warm, the skies were blue, the green fields expansive and the farm utterly welcoming.

I never in a million years expected to see Joel Salatin actually working the farm on a Saturday afternoon, but there he was. Wonderfully covered in chicken bedding and knee deep grass stains. This is what the beauty of what real farming with real food looks like. We thanked him for letting our family explore his farm and chatted about my funny shoes. We walked what was probably miles exploring as much as we could of his breathtaking farm before the boys starting melting down from the heat and utter exhaustion.

The trip took about 2 and a half-hours, when we arrived the boys were ready to explore the farm shop. We decided we would visit the farm store first and figure out a plan from there. The shop offered an adorable magnetic map to show us how and where to find certain areas. We opted to visit the “baby” houses first and then the fields before returning to fill up our wagon with meat (Wes went a little overboard with his shopping, but you’d be shocked to see how much that boy loves him some food).
We took turns goofing around with the camera, Cole and Finian took some silly portraits in front of the farm house while we all cooled off and relaxed on the swing after round one of visiting the baby houses. The boys (of course) adored these areas. To be honest, I was a little nervous to visit the chicken house. But, they share a barn with the baby pigs and bunnies – which we HAD to see. So, I hesitantly went in first to make sure I wouldn’t get pecked and squawked at when I walked in (my normal experience with chickens). But these chickens were friggin’ happy! They did circles around us, talking and flapping their wings. They followed us as we walked around and checked out the other animals. Never in my life did I ever think I’d meet friendly chickens; that in and of itself speaks volumes to the Polyface farming practices.

I love the middle photo in this collage, because Cole is explaining to Finian These animals are not for pets, you can’t pick them up, they’re here to get big and healthy so that we can eat them when they’re delicious. Just look! Don’t touch! This particular house is for the chickens that lay real baby chicks, and not eggs for eating – so the boys were pleased when they found some eggs in nests (bottom right photo), knowing there was a real tiny chick inside the egg. It was difficult to get Finian to leave; he really REALLY loved the baby pigs, but we lured him out with the tease of baby chicks.
In our exploration for the next baby house we found a wooly caterpillar, did some sprinting races and Finian gave me a wild flower for my hair (above). It was like our very own Sound of Music movie: peaceful and relaxing with the sounds of happy animal noises and the scent of fresh air surrounding us. When we finally found the baby chick farm house (aka sauna), built with a TON of room for baby chicks to play and cluck together, I couldn’t believe how clean and fresh it was. I was literally able to walk into the house in order to pick-up a chick, the bedding was so clean. The boys and I held one particularly friendly chick for a minute and then let it rejoin it’s flock.

After the baby chick sauna, we had to get some water. So we walked over to the farm store. Cole climbed and played in this insanely awesome tree fort that the Salatin family kids made and were playing in. How cool for those kids to play outside using their bodies and imagination every day. When their father came to get them for lunch, he chuckled at my “awesome tree fort, you should be proud!” comment and said that the fort was cool, yes, but the kids somehow never manage to pile the wood back up. How very funny; I have a dirty laundry problem – he has a tree fort problem.
After a short break for water at the farm house, we ventured up a far hill to the famous chicken coop area. After climbing the big hill, the field just opened to about 2 dozen of his classic coops. We even had a nice surprise in running into a few baby ducks. It was clear and obvious how wonderfully his system is working. The demarcations from the previous day’s chicken coop area were clear squares; however, it looked as though there was never a place where they resided before that. Joel is absolutely genius in the science he has worked out – the grass had already grown out in the areas which the coops had previously occupied.

As we ventured to the turkeys and cows the sun and distance had begun exhausting the boys. We made it far enough for us to see the male chickens walking around in the open at the end of the chicken field.

We returned down the farm path and had a few meltdowns a long the way. I carried Wes, Matt carried Finn and we lured Cole into finishing despite exhaustion with the promise of winning the race if he sprinted back to the farm store. As a side note, Matt and I carried 40 and 20lbs (respectively) while walking miles of hilly terrain. And neither one of us was tired or achy.

Early Monday morning the boys burst into our room full of excitement to exclaim, “How many hours until our party?!” We had a potluck with a few friends, including our blogging friends Bill & Hayley from Primal Palate, and they knew friends and food were coming.

A special thanks to Bill for helping us showcase our new shirts with a legit family photo. B&H as well as Matt & I are all in agreement that the silly faces paired with the homemade fruit and nut bar dripping from Wesley’s mouth was by far the best of the photos he took.

Cole Growing Up

2011-08-17T23:59:00.000-04:00

When your baby is first born, it seems like you are in a never-ending search for the next stage. This infant is so great, but I can't wait for him to sleep through the night. This baby is so great, but I can't wait for him to walk. This toddler is so great, but I can't wait for him to talk. And so it goes on.

On the other hand, it's also quite common to lament the passing of time, as if you wish your child had stayed at the baby stage or the toddler stage forever. But this post isn't about that; it's about how awesome Cole is right now.

Cole had the opportunity to go away by himself with two different grandparents on two consecutive weekends. Stacy and I were a little nervous about this, of course. Two nights in a row?! And not just down the road?! But Cole was really enthusiastic about it and so we went.

First he went to Smith Mountain Lake with Papi.

While I've never been, Smith Mountain Lake is apparently the most fun place on earth if you, like Cole love boating, swimming, jet skis, water guns and indulging in junk food.

There were all sorts of cool toys to play with.

Fish to feed.

Jet Skis to ride?!

And then, somehow, pirates showed up.

Cole seemed to have an extraordinary time and ended up back at our house, deliriously tired and sunburned, at 10 PM on Sunday.

The very next weekend, it was time to go camping with Gigi and Grampie Jeff! Cole has been in communication with them all summer long, plotting a camping trip at the end of summer. They were so excited to use their new camper for this occasion! When we visited a few weeks ago, Cole explored the camper and assigned everyone their sleeping spots. He has spent a lot of time describing what camping is like to Stacy and I, despite not having a clue to really expect.

But apparently, camping is awesome because you get to carry around a flashlight and play tag after dark.

And then roast marshmallows.

In the morning you can visit the pool to swim.

Or go to the arcade and race cars.

Then at night you get to watch movies. OUTSIDE!

Cole came back to use exclaiming the virtues of outdoor living and how he wanted to go again very soon.

It's amazing how grown up he is, although we ought not be surprised. In just a couple of weeks he'll start FIRST grade, he already knows how to read (like, fully) and can pretty much accomplish anything he needs by himself. Rather than pine for the past or anticipate the future, I'm choosing to enjoy having Cole exactly as he is: a big school age boy that's so very fun to have around.

Our Baby Is Now a Toddler

2011-08-08T23:11:00.000-04:00

On Friday Wesley turned fifteen months and I was reflecting, as he clutched my one finger and walked with me from the car to the doctor's office, that he can't really be called a baby anymore. He's a full blown toddler with a toddler personality and none of the baby helplessness.

First off, he's fully mobile. You are now unable to prevent him from getting anywhere in this house. During the day, this is my biggest problem. I turn my back, Wes is in the pantry. I go downstairs for laundry, he's gotten into the cabinet under the sink and is attempting to eat soap. I help Finn in his room, Ninja Wessie has pulled two dozen books from the bookshelf.

The funny thing is, he's doing this only with crawling. He's a super speedster on hands and knees and has mastered the art better than his brothers ever cared to. Not that he couldn't walk if he wanted to, but for some reason he's decided against walking. He has taken 2 steps in a row, but only very recently and is clearly no where near ready to walk on his own. He's surprisingly cautious, not wanting to take the chance to fall if he stood on his own. He's the complete opposite of Finian at this age. Where Finn was always eager to please but threw himself at tasks with absolute disregard for how they might damage him, Wes is devious but very careful in his actions. When we named him the Ninja, we had no idea how accurate it was.

Wes is developing a sense of humor now. He's quite pleased with his ability to raspberry his tongue and is always playing funny faces games with his brothers. He's got quite the range of laughs now, from giant smile to tiny titter to big laughs to shrieking delight. Anything will set him off; he thought it was hilarious when I spun him around in a circle to make him dizzy.

In addition to the half dozen or so words he clearly says (his favorite being "Mama!" anytime I offend him), he's always babbling on about something. Luckily, Finian has apparently learned to speak Wessie and is constantly translating for him. "Wessie says he wants water!" or "Wessie wants his toy!" are frequent transcripts I am given.

Still, he's probably the snuggliest child you'll ever meet. Wesley loves people so much that... wait, let me rephrase. As Wesley spends everyday in testosterone fueled cage matches with bloodthirsty brothers, Wesley craves female attention above anything else. He'll take it from anyone, too. He'll often just crawl into some lady's lap without warning and settle in. The adorable way he'll suck his thumb while he does it makes him completely irresistible. The fact that he's learned how to hug and kiss makes him that much more likely to be adopted by the next random woman he meets.

Not that it's always cute snuggly baby time with Wes, though. He's learned that he's got a lot of decibels to compete against between his brothers. He can scream with the best of them at the slightest offense (the offense usually is "Food and drink are not coming fast enough!"). As the baby of the family, he's well aware he'll get whatever he wants.

As Wes is our last baby, I feel we took our time to enjoy the adorableness of babyhood with him and never tried to rush him into growing up. But now that that babytime has closed, we truly look forward to getting to know him better and know we'll enjoy toddler Wes as much as our little baby Wessie.

Our 2011 Summer Vacation

2011-07-22T21:30:00.000-04:00

Looking at these photos makes me long for yet another sea-shore adventure already. We had such a wonderful time exploring the east coast.

Matt and I calculated, and even though we spent a total of 32 hours with the boys in the we had a wonderful time.

We started in Virginia Beach, visiting Gigi and Grampie with Uncle Kris for Independence Day fireworks.

I, of course, forgot an SD card in my camera - but I did get one of everyone relaxing in Gigi's awesome salt water pool with my phone.

And then a couple of the boys playing at the beach.

And one of Cole with a baby love bird who took to his shoulder at the awesome pet store we love to visit.

Then (after procuring a new card for the camera) we drove up the eastern shore, finding nooks, piers and alcoves to explore.

Cape Charles, VA is a fantastic train town with natural sea glass washing up on the shore.

Then we ventured up a little more north and visited Chincoteague Island, home of the NASA Wallop's Island launch site.

While we not-so-patiently waited for a rocket launch (which unfortunately never happened), we took a tour of the inside and had a blast exploring the visitor center.

The boys loved playing at the science center, but we had our sights set on ending the day at Rehoboth Beach, DE - and that we did!

Once it started raining we got the heck outta Dodge and got rested up for our next big day...
To Philadelphia, where we visited the awesome Please Touch Museum.

The best part was when the boys found the grocery store and insisted on only shopping for healthy food.

After a wonderful and long day playing hard in Philly, we headed up to the Berkshires in MA the next day.

Finally we arrived at Papa and Grammy's lake house!

Matt's grandparents took better care of us and fed us better than we even do ourselves.

There was much book reading and card playing with lovely general relaxation.

Such a lovely way to end our road-trip adventure!

p.s. we stopped at "New Work City" on the way home and gave the boys a tour while picking up gluten-free donuts. It, of course, was their favorite part of the trip! Now every time we hear the word NYC on TV Cole reminds me how exciting it was that we visited there.

Memorial Day Tradition: Local Exploration

2011-06-12T20:48:00.000-04:00

It's becoming an annual tradition that our family visit local places of interest and intrigue over Memorial Day weekend. This year Matt and I decided that the boys were old enough to enjoy Luray Caverns and Natural Bridge, VA - a place we'd each wanted to visit together for several years but just hadn't made it a priority.

We were happy that Uncle Tom wanted to help us wrastle the youngins and explore natural wonders too. We all had a good time visit deep underground and marveling at how insignificant the impact of our lives on this earth.

Insignificant the impact of our lives?

One inch of stalactite takes 120 years to grow. Standing in such a vast, magnificent, ancient natural beauty can't help but humble your own existence

As we drove around we found and stopped at a local farm. The boys (and baby cat) chased chickens... of course. Then everyone crashed from a long day. I especially love this photo of Finian and Daddy snuggling each other in the same position.

Shortly after, we were up and at 'em to discover the spectacular Natural Bridge,
VA. The boys had a blast in the gift shop; then we were on our way down the path to find the bridge, Monacan Indian village and butterfly exhibit.

The tree the boys are standing in front of was some 4000 years old when it died in the 1980s. That means it is older than Judaism, Stonehenge and the domestication of horses. The Natural Bridge was a cavern long, long ago. It collapsed in on itself and now it's a 215ft high 36,000 ton bridge cars still drive over today.

In order to get the entire bridge into the shot, that's how far back Tom had to walk!

Even George Washington marveled the bridge, scaling the rock wall 23ft to carve his initials in the year 1750.

We found another name and date of 1810!

We went a bit further down the path to explore a mock Monacan Indian village set-up. The boys goofed around and thought the idea of 6-10 people sharing a "hut" was hysterical.

Inside, there was a butterfly exhibit that the boys also thoroughly enjoyed.

The butterflies were gorgeous and some species can usually only be found in rainforests, yet they perched on our hands!

After the the butterfly exhibit we ventured over to the caverns in Natural Bridge, Va. They were just as interesting, but very different from Luray. It was dark, cramped and a bit "scary" and really highlighted what real cave living would've been like.

There was a tiny entrance hole to the original cavern, and huge boulders hang wedged in some places - having fallen from the ceiling!

We had such a blast as a family. It's hard work with 3 boisterous boys, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Welcoming Summer!

2011-05-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the opening of the picking fields at Great Country Farm.

I love the matching grimace they're wearing as we waited for the hayride to approach.

We were all excited to pick strawberries.

Wes subsequently figured out what we were doing and got VERY excited.

This adorable little ~~guy~~ ninja can no longer be contained!

The big boys have finally learned about picking RIPE fruit!

The boys have also been taking swim lessons to get ready for summer swimming; they LOVE it!

Underwater!

Wesley's Birthday and Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to stay home with the boys (except Cole, who was in school on Friday) for Wesley's first birthday. We slept in, took Wolfie out to lunch and then Finian surprised me with an early Mother's Day date.

He wanted to replace the hand-made mug had Ithat got broken a little while ago.

For dinner we had a small family gathering with carryout and birthday brownie sundaes.

As expected, Wes was a fan.

After Wesley was cleaned up, he got to dive into some presents. The big brothers were quite excited to play with his new toys.

The next day we met more family and friends at the park for Wes to have one more opportunity to celebrate.

He was so cute holding on tightly to the big boy swing!

And then he climbed up the big stairs and went down the BIG slide with Daddy!

We all headed over to the lake edge so that the big kids really enjoyed feeding the geese and ducks.

Wes and I hung back. Ninja's shouldn't be allowed near muddy lake edges. We headed back and had a snack...

And then it was time for cupcakes!

We did our final celebration with lunch out with Francis grandparents and Pops Cheney.

All 3 boys love playing with the resulting toys!

Sunday followed as Mother's Day and the boys treated me like a queen... we had brunch with Grandma Patti and part of the enjoyment was no pictures to take and worry about!

Wesley at One

2011-05-06T00:24:00.000-04:00

When I retired just before August 2008, Finn was already almost 5 months old. That made Wesley the very first baby I've ever had with me since birth. It's been a completely different experience for me than with the other two. Babies are immobile, you know. By the time I got Fini, he was practically walking already, so Wesley, the laziest baby I've ever met, was a complete change of pace.

I honestly feel like Wesley knew on some subliminal level, that he was last and he could take his time growing up. I'm sure this is common in larger families: the first is treated like an adult and always acts as if he should be grown up; the second feels the need to catch up and so develops even quicker; the baby has so many devoted servants he feels like an emperor worthy of worship. Where Cole was walking at nine months and Finn at seven, Wesley is happy to crawl still and shows no desire to walk on his own.

Still, as a crawler, as a small baby, he revels in his stealth abilities. It is no mere nickname that we call Wesley the Ninja. He is always finding ways to get to the exact worst item for him to have in any room. I feel like I'm always taking dangerous or delicate things from him. If we're in the shower, he's got a razor. If we're in the playroom, he's found the marbles. If we're in the kitchen, he's got a knife. The prideful look he gets and the shriek of delight when he finally captures his prey is so adorable you almost go, "Aw, baby! Of course you can play with Uncle Andrew's lighter!"

As the only baby who's crawled, he's gotten quite good at it. He's now super fast, gone in a flash into the next room. He's officially entered the danger toddler period: not yet advanced enough to understand "No!" and too mobile to stay out of trouble. In our family, this is called "crock pot age" after visit to grandma's house when Cole was in this phase where he broke a crock pot in the two minutes we looked away.

But he is a delight to have around. He's quick to smile and laugh and shriek. He's never been a baby who cries a lot and was quick to learn to put himself asleep (although slow to learn to stay asleep). He loves any attention his brothers give him. They'll give him "guys" to play with and then act around him or they'll talk to him and make funny faces. Just this morning Stacy asked Finian, "What fun are you going to do today?" and Fini responded, "Um. I'm gonna play with baby Wessie." Fini really took to being a big brother much better than we anticipated (perhaps a little too much, as the constant calls of "Finian, put the baby down!" can attest) and Cole enjoys feeling like there is someone around that he can teach (and parent).

Three does end up feeling like the right number of children.

All three are wonderful originals that truly complement each other. Happy birthday, Wes. I am so glad to have you in our family.

Celebration of Spring

2011-05-01T09:52:00.000-04:00

Cole told us, about a week before Easter, that he thought the Easter Bunny wasn't real. Not ones to lie to our children, we said "Do you think it's just pretend?" A huge grin formed on his face and he said "Yes, it's fun to pretend. But I know magic isn't real." So, this Easter was our first official Celebration of Spring; just because we don't have religion or believe in a magical bunny doesn't mean we can't have egg hunts and a nice day to spend with our family.

After the boys played with their new toys (Ninjago Lego ninja set for Cole and a Percy train set for Finian), Uncle Kris, Grandma and Grandpa Francis arrived for some breakfast and egg hunting.

Wesley woke up from his nap to join us, and discovered his basket. As the only son who's crawled, we find it incredibly endearing!

While we hid eggs, Cole was banished to the "stool" in order to ensure egg hiding secrecy and Uncle Kris kept Wes from going after them.

Who's ready?

Go!

Results...

Wesley says, "Lemme at 'em!"

So we gave him one egg to chew on...

Then played a round of cards before they had to leave.

The boys had a short breather to get some rest before Papi, Papa, Grandma Patti, Aunt Jackie, Jeremiah and Grandma Cheryl arrived.

The boys were frothing at the mouth for more egg hunting, so they assumed their spots between all the loot (lucky boys) and waited patiently.

Wesley just loves to be held... and showing off his new Sophie (let's not lose her a 3rd time, kid).

Next post coming too soon... Wesley will be one years old on Friday!

The Boys Love School

2011-04-22T22:45:00.001-04:00

I can't wait until this comes home, I want to frame it!

Cole and Finian have been thoroughly enjoying their schools this year. Cole's recent report card has him officially as a "reader" putting him well ahead of Kindergarten goals - he loves to read all of us stories as well as e-mail and text with family and friends. This week the boys both went up to Cole's school to participate in Game Night and had a fantastic time. Cole was skipping and jumping on the way there and said, "It's going to be the most fun night, ever!"

When we got to Cole's classroom his teacher had the most wonderful and kind things to say. The biggest and best compliment was telling me, "If there were any child we could take home, it would be Cole. He's so positive and such a good friend, he tries hard and he just is happy all the time. We love having him in our class!" She also complimented what a healthy eater he is ("He's happily eating carrots and guacamole while I have other kids with Cheetos!") and put the cherry on the sundae by telling me that Matt and I are wonderful parents. Can we have this teacher every year?!

The boys tried to negotiate with the Principal and Assistant to extend Game Night...

Finian did not want to leave. He too, loves school - any school. We had Finian's conference this passed week as well. He is doing great. He's happy and loves his teachers and friends. In particular he loves music - singing and dancing gives him such joy. He's extremely engaged in literature for his age and begs anyone who will listen to read lots of stories.

He does exhibit some signs of being a middle child (poor baby), hes loves one-on-one attention and needs lots of snuggles.

This does not proclude him from being extremely active, or - as we like to call it, being a crazy Fini!

Finian never wants to leave school... but Daddy is such a rock star, he wins...

My Three Sons

2011-04-20T21:43:00.001-04:00

A post by Matt (cross posted to our site, PaleoParents.com)

I was hoping to have a son but instead I had an astronaut. If ever there was a dashing, heroic leader embodied in a five year old, Cole is it. He's brave, he's strong-willed and determined. Cole will be the one to volunteer to be the first person to time travel. Cole will be the one to hop on the first warp-enabled spaceship. Cole would definitely be the first to hop in the deep sea submarine to explore the Challenger Deep.

Cole has a lion's heart. He's been the smallest in his class since he was two, but no one ever notices it because he never lets on. He holds himself like the biggest guy in any room. You may not have noticed but Cole tore open his lip this past August and now has a noticeable scar. I didn't know this, but apparently people have tried to make fun of him for it. His description: "When people say, 'You have a crack in your lip!' I say, 'I don't care!"

(self portraits)

Not only am I proud of him, but I admire him for his confidence, bravery, and independence.

I was hoping to have a second son but instead I had a pirate. Finian is as unruly as they come, but he's also an unapologetic dreamer. I've never met such imagination in anyone; he's got a never-ending cast of characters that appear out of nowhere in elaborate scenarios involving animals, superheroes, monsters, anything. Sometimes Finn's play spins out of control and that's when the crazy comes out.

We sometimes joke that he's my brother's son since they are so much alike. Andrew is classic ADHD: unable to focus or keep track of his life, unable to keep still, full of energy. Seeing them play together is a joy; that kind of special crazy inspires you. Just like a pirate, they are so fearless of any physical danger (Finn climbed on the kitchen countertops at 13 months old and I'm always finding him in the most unsafe of activities), but completely unable to understand or feel comfortable around people. Finian goes to a part time preschool he loves and has done so for 6 months, yet everyday he pleads with me to stay with him only to have a great time and not want to leave in the afternoon.

Watching Fini play makes me want to bottle up his joy. He really inspires me with his lust for life.

I was hoping to have a third son but instead I had a ninja. As the third child Wesley learned early on to be sneaky. If you aren't watching, he'll snatch anything he can reach. Many a dinner plate has crashed to the floor by his hand. Don't dare carry coffee while wearing him in a sling. If a purse, remote control, phone or laptop is left out, he will have it in his grasps and begin ripping it apart before you even realize it's happening. The best is the shrieks of delight you may hear when he's finally captured his prey, which is usually when you realize you've been "ninja'd."

I have in the past called Wes a lazy baby, but I no longer think that's the case. Wesley is simply resourceful like a ninja and never expends any energy he doesn't have to. Wes is adept at getting brothers and parents to do exactly what he wants. Whereas crazy, physical Fini walked at 7 months, Wes is still working on it because when you have 4 servants doing your bidding, why bother.

Look at my boys, my wife, my beautiful family with their personalities on display.

Finian's 3!

2011-03-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

Finian's birthday was on Thursday March 24th. He had a party in class on Wednesday (because he only goes on Tuesday and Wednesdays); Mom stayed home from work on Thursday so that we could bowl, make cupcakes and go out to dinner to have his requested "volcano cake" on his actual birthday. On Friday we had a Pizza Party at the house with family and lastly, Saturday was his BIG party with friends at Pump It Up.

Bowling on Thursday, Wes had fun too

Finn LOVES games, he got quite a few for his birthday

He also got a new best friend, Pupper.
Finian has been becoming "Pupper" a lot for several weeks. Usually when he's tired or you're telling him something he doesn't want to hear. He won't respond if you don't speak to him the same way you'd speak to a dog or specifically call him Pupper. So he got a stuffed, animated dog with it's own purse.

Now, Pupper is Pupper. And Finian takes care of him and let's him go pee pee outside. And tucks him into a doggy bed under his loft. All is right in the world again!

Grandpa Nathan and Grammy V joined us for dinner at a local gluten-free restaurant for Birthday Cake #1: Volcano (Lava) Cake

On Friday Uncle Tom, Papi and Papa Toth all came over to give Finian a few more gifts and have a pizza party to celebrate his big 3 birthday.

Finian begged for, and Mom finally caved to, Papi getting him a gun. These boys are wearing me down!

Well, really I just realized there's no difference between letting them have light sabers, swords and nerf bow & arrows and a clearly not real wooden gun... plus, Papi turned out to be good guy depite playing guns as a boy - and now he gets us grass-fed, free-range, organic meat!

Birthday cake #2: A gluten-free chocolate fruit pizza!

On Saturday morning we listed to the CD Finian created to share with his friends on our way to the Pump It Up party.

Finian is an awesome dancer to Thriller!

Everyone was jumping and moving so much, catching good photos was hard - but Finian had a great time getting sweaty!

Birthday cake #3: S'Mores Cupcakes

And the result, 3 brothers playing together - what's not to love about Finian's big boy birthday?!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-03-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

Finian,

You woke up this morning later than usual, since it took you a VERY long time to fall asleep last night. You were SO excited about having a big boy birthday. For you, this birthday legitimized you as a big boy to Cole and other friends - you've been talking about your birthday for months. You tell anyone who asks, and sometimes people that don't, "my birthday is a March one, I'm going to be 3!"

When you finally woke up this morning, Daddy and Mommy were still in bed and Cole was in the shower in our room. You busted through the door with an ear-to-ear grin on your face and thrusted your arms in the air as we shouted, "Happy Birthday, Fini!" You immediately jumped in our bed and shouted, "I'm 3 now!"

You love to snuggle, and so we did for quite some time. Then Mommy showed you pictures and videos of yourself as a baby. You wanted to lay in bed, watching videos over and over again all day. But we had to get up so we could make your special "vanilla cupcakes with chocolate chips" and get ready for the spoil-you-rotten day of bowling, movie theatre or whatever else you may want to do.

You're such a fun, happy, snugly boy. Watching you grow from a baby to a big boy has been hard sometimes, but always the best memories and years of our lives. Thanks for being you and Congratulations on turning 3!

Love,
Mom & Dad

Catching Up

2011-03-16T23:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy month. We've been extremely busy with Matt's birthday, preparing for Finian's birthday, attending school events, starting up a website and Mom even led the preschool's biggest fundraiser of the year (bringing in a profit of over $10,000) while being super busy at work.

Now that Spring has Sprung, we've been getting outside with some nature walks...

Picnics...

And snuggling at home.

Last but not least, this month has been a fantastic one for the boys' growth and maturity.

Cole - who became a proficient at reading and writing.

Finian played hard at school

And got "a big boy pikey haircut"

And Wes began crawling, cruising (albeit at a sloth-like pace) and got his 3rd tooth.

Happy 75% to 1 year, Wesley!

2011-02-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

It's hard for Matt and I to believe that at this age, both Cole and Finian were walking. And in Fini's case, running.

Wesley is most certainly our "youngest." We enjoy him being a baby more so than any other brother. There's no expectation of the next phase or hopes of accomplishment; we know he'll get there. In the meantime, we enjoy the fact that we can sit him down in his bumbo and cook dinner, attend to other boys or simply get easy giggles from funny faces - but we know it's a novelty we'll soon have to give up.

It's probably for that reason that Wes isn't walking. He's as sure on his feet as either older brother ever were - but, we just don't push standing or hold his fingers for walking the way we did with Cole. And his desire to achieve isn't the same as brother #2's... in fact, he's absolutely thrilled when older brothers deliver unto him whatever he may request.

Like Raisins

Or Music for Dancing

He's a sweet, sweet boy. He's curious and loving but in a quiet way. When he's ready to explore though, he'll thrust his sitting body onto the ground and roll to the desired target. Or, he'll scream. Usually, he'll scream. And Cole and Finian will come running, "What is it baby Wessie? What do you need?" And a big smile will broaden across his face.

Adjusting

2011-01-26T14:59:00.000-05:00

The Toth family has all come together in the aftermath of the loss of our beloved Nona. Despite our sadness we've all rallied around Papa to make sure he stays healthy and strong. Matt is helping by making meals that are OK for his kidneys and the whole family is helping to pick him up from dialysis, make sure his medication and bills are sorted and stop-by to keep him company and watch his long-time favorite Pittsburgh Steelers win their way to the Superbowl.

It's been so nice to spend time with family and focus on activities which fill our lives with added joy that I'd all but left blogging by the wayside. Somehow in the last few weeks we lost the photos from the past month, which is disappointing but not the end of the world... So, a bulleted recap to catch you up is all I can offer:

Wesley independently took his first cruising step this week. He's still not able to pull himself up or walk without support, but he's fast on the road to toddler-hood. He's also really good at crawling backwards, but still hasn't figured out forward momentum yet.
Wesley has muttered and cooed sounds that are similar to "mama", "dada", "love you" and "hi." His official first word is probably in the very near future.
Wesley has two teeth, soft light brown hair (with auburn tones) growing in and is a very bright and lively child. He LOVES to jump in his jumper, scoot around in his car shaped walker and follow the sights and sounds of his brothers anytime he gets a chance.
Finian now requests you call him Finian Toth McCarry. There's another boy in his class whose name is Finn, so if you call him something other than Finian or Fini he'll cross his arms over his chest, get a grimace on his face and insist you call him "Finian!"
Finian is now wearing underwear! It's new and not foolproof, but he woke up one day and decided he'd start saying he needed to go - so, we're excited and ready for him to become such a big boy.
Finian is quickly moving towards being a 3 year-old rather than a 2 year-old. It's easier to reason with him, he's gaining patience and he's learning to use his words to tell you what he needs or feels before fully jumping the gun at screaming in frustration. If you ask him, he'll gladly tell you all about how his "March Birthday" is coming up.
Cole is doing great in school. He's bringing home "purple cards" for his excellent behavior in multiples per week, rather than one or so a month. A while ago I promised him a prize when he got one, which has been sticky on delivery with all this awesome behavior.
Cole is a reader! I still can't believe it as I type it. But, he's able to read Level 1 reading books, phonics books and quite a few board books around the house. He's learned quite a few sight words and has become very proficient in sounding things out.
Cole, although filled with an outpouring of 5 year-old emotion, is the best biggest brother we could have asked for. He plays with Wesley, reads Fini stories and always encourages brothers to eat their vegetables.
Cole has become an avid video game player. He discovered the Wii and loves playing Lego Star Wars and Epic Mickey. He also has now fully embraced his birthday gift, a Leapster, but now wants a Nintendo DS... his birthday is quite a long way away!
Matthew is helping my grandfather by making meals tailored to a special diet for his kidneys. He's been baking away tons of treats and has now lost over 55 lbs by eating wholesome, healthy meals which are grain, sugar and dairy-free.
Stacy is working hard and recently purchased her first new car in 7 years - a Toyota Prius! She too is still losing weight, now over 100lbs and feels better than ever eating without grains, sugar and dairy.

We hope you're doing well and taking advantage of every moment life has to offer. Hopefully, we'll have some snow pictures soon - we're expecting up to 6" today!

Remembering Rina

2010-12-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

Today the boys pulled up to my grandmother and grandfather's home in the van and Matthew ran in a few items to me. I was inside, with the rest of my family.

Finian: Can I go inside Nona's house, too?
Cole: No Fini, Nona died. It's really sad.
Finian: What?!
Cole: Unfortunately, Fini, Nona's not here anymore. You have to remember her. She's only in your memories now.

Our 5 year-old seems to be the only person capable of calmly explaining something that we, as adults, have a hard time wrapping our heads around.
Both boys loved Nona and visiting her was something special and looked forward to.

I can't ask more, as far as memories go.

This evening I held my 93 year-old grandfather's hand and thanked him for continuing on. I thanked him and told him I appreciated all he's done for us. I looked him in the eyes and told him what a wonderful grandfather he's always been.

(Cole and Papa, Veteran's Day 2010)

I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your life partner of over 57 years. He never imagined surviving his wife's death. The pain, the shock, the sadness we all feel - his pain is something I cannot begin to fathom. Rina, Nona, Grandma, Mama, Great-Grandmother - she lit up a room with her smile. She loved her family and friends and appreciated every moment and memory she had with us all.

Getting to meet her great-grandchildren is something I know was magical to her, and I'm grateful and thankful for the time I spent with her this summer on maternity leave.

Our family and friends have all been supportive and wonderful as we struggle to come to terms with this tremendous shock; thank you.

Overflowing Hearts

2010-12-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

After a very long couple of days, our happy, thankful and slumbering boys have given us enough of a break that we're able to be ever so grateful and appreciative of how lucky we are. I hope we helped spread joy this season, because we surely have enough to share.

We're thankful for...

Magic

Fulfillment

Patience

Family

Brothers

and Each Other

Merry Christmas, and happy holidays - from our overflowing hearts to yours.

Pre-Christmas Weekend

2010-12-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

We spent much of this weekend baking (you can read about it on Juxtaposturing) but the time was spent as a family and has been just wonderful.

The boys watched some TV...

We went shopping and Finian, ever the good big brother, shared some hummus with Wes.
Then Finian said, "I'm not sharing anymore, Wessie bit me!" Wes wasn't exactly happy about being told no more...but he's gotta learn his little tooth can hurt!

Back at the house, while Mom was distracted with the stockings and present wrapping, Wolfie and Cole got their goofies out.

Mom finally got the stockings ready and hung!

And Cole and Papi built a ramp so that Nona can spend Christmas morning with us. After years and years in Florida for the holidays, it'll be so nice to have them here with us on Christmas morning!

Brotherly Love

2010-12-14T08:04:00.002-05:00

I feel like this sums it up.

Cole tolerated Finian joining in wishbone wishing so that there was a 2nd hand. He's starring at the bone in anticipation.

Fini is starring at Cole, happy to help.

But don't worry, Finian is cool to someone too.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-12T22:03:00.000-05:00

From Mom and Dad

Sad to See November Go

2010-11-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

In the last month we've had 3 holidays (Columbus Day, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving) as well as the Day after Thanksgiving and Halloween... we had SUCH an awesome month it's sad to see it go. But, with Christmas approaching we've also got a lot to look forward to!

Here's some snipets of our happiness

We love our board games!

I overheard Finian tell Cole today, "I love you so much, my Coley brother" as he stroked his face.

Wesley's been discovering his ability to make Mama smile with kisses and face stroking... and we love our board games!

Grandpa Nathan's birthday - with a Paleo carrot cake, yum!

Thanksgiving: Cole made cider and place cards, Matt made a big spread and family visited

Black Friday: Christmas Tree cutting!

Saturday's Decorating

And Wesley's (assisted) standing and sitting (unassisted)

And finally, closing out the long weekend with Sunday's marshmallow roast!

p.s. Wesley's got his first tooth!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Wes!

2010-11-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

Now that Wesley is 6 months old, we caved to his constant demands for some solids.

This week Wes had pumpkin, sweet potato and banana.

He's been making some adorable faces exploring the new tastes.

He isn't the only one enjoying it; the big brothers have really enjoyed getting to help feed Wesley and engage in discussions about what he can eat (the above) and what he can not (everything else, especially Halloween candy).

Everyone's been happy and very excited about the change, especially Wesley!

Wes also had fun at an outdoor birthday party this weekend.

As did a couple other little boys...

Daddy, Finian and Wesley went fishing in the creek, while Cole looked for snakes.

Cole also had another play-date with his new Kindergarten buddy, Jack.

Fini and Wes decided to have their own playdate!

These boys keep us on our toes... but they're friggin' adorable!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:10:00.001-04:00

First, Wes says howdy.

Our Halloween celebration started a few weeks ago with our trip to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch.

Each boy got their own pumpkins, which we ended up carving today.

Last weekend we attended the neighborhood Halloween Festival with our friends Brady and James.

The boys decided to be Batman, Robin and the Penguin.

Wolfie watched as the boys played games and had fun.

We also we attended the Air & Space museum's Air & Scare event. We've gone several times and this year was quite crowded, but we still had fun with our friends, Novi and Scarlett.

They had (again) balloon racing this year, Cole was quite excited
(a few videos are posted of him racing balloons, if you're interested).

Later in the week, Cole had a play-date with his new Kindergarten BFF, Ashton. Matt kept the little boys out of their hair so that they could build legos.

Then - FINALLY - Halloween arrived!
We decorated...

Carved pumpkins...

Batman (Wesley's)

Stitch (or Toothless, Finian's) and a Ghost (Cole's)

And got our trick-or-treating on (with Papi and Baby Love, too)!

Visited Nona and Papa

And Pop-pop

And finally our own neighborhood.

Cole told me today was the "best day ever." I think everyone had a good time, though - even Wes kept trying to get his hands on the goodies!

First Report Card

2010-10-28T22:25:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday morning, Uncle Andrew kindly kept an eye on the bigger boys while Matt, Wesley and I walked up to Cole's school for our very first elementary school conference. It's the end of the first quarter and our first opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with Cole's teacher about his progress.

We were delighted to hear the following:
- Cole is such a wonderful, great kid and I really enjoy him in my class
- Cole has made good friends with another [short] blonde haired 5 yo boy, Ashton; they are adorable together and call each other "cousins"
- Cole does an excellent job of following the rules and rarely misbehaves
- When he does become distracted or lose focus, he responds positively and quickly with redirection
- Cole was given an assessment, the DRA2 WA, the "benchmark" for the beginning of the year is 61 and is 167 to start 1st grade - Cole's score was 135
- Cole recognizes all letters and knows most sounds the letters make; he's learning quickly the ones he does not yet know
- He's able to recognize rhyming patterns and enjoys rhyming activities
- He's an eager student and tries hard, he enjoys writing and has made great progress this quarter in his ability to draw detailed pictures, write words and tell stories
- He's able to write all capital and lower case letters
- He scored perfectly in the "math" section of the assessment; he recognizes patterns; he is able to sort by shape, color, size, etc
- He knows all his numbers and is learning basic addition and subtraction

Funny stories his teacher told us:
- When the teacher first asked Cole to write words, he informed her "I can only write if someone else writes it and I copy." After she explained the he could sound out the first letter and just write it, or use the sight words wall, he's been gaining a lot of confidence in himself as he begins to sound out and write his own words without help.
- When Cole had to turn his "behavior card" from green to yellow (for the first time recently) he acted very casual about needing to do so. When she inquired if he understood what would happen if didn't improve, he seemed dismissive. So when she explained that she'd have to call his mom if he went to red, he resonded "You can't call my mom, she WORKS!" As if, she would be unable to locate me and it's no biggie. We've subsequently informed Mrs. Prosser that Matt is the primary caregiver, but of course I'm available if she would like to speak with me...
- Cole has been telling us for months, "Ashton is my reading friend." He would tell us that Ashton read his other good friend, Jack, and him books on a near daily basis - at the library, quiet time, etc. How shocking it was for us to discover that Ashton can't yet read - he's evidently been fooling Jack and Cole by doing a very good job pretending he knows the words!
- There is a boy in another class who, many weeks ago, told Ashton, Jack and Cole that he was trying to kill them. The issue was addressed (appropriately) as being inappropriate, but as a result there were a few very panicked boys who were genuinely fearing for their lives at recess. You'd think that after the situation was resolved the fearful boys would want to no longer revisit the issue? But no, they've now become pretend play buddies with the same boy and request him to play the role of "bad guy" regularly now.

Wolfie Attack

2010-10-22T19:02:00.000-04:00

October's General Update

2010-10-17T08:12:00.003-04:00

Cole is having continued success in Kindergarten. His "reports" from the teacher are always filled with positive comments and say his behavior is stupendous. His academics aren't too shabby either - look at the homework he's done, by himself!

Wesley is learning how to sit-up on his own, although he's not quite there yet (no rush, baby Wes!).

He's become Mr. Chatty Box and loves having conversations with us all, they usually start with "Agooo". He also seems to think it's time for him to start solids, but with no teeth and the inability to pincer grasp food or sit-up on his own - the argument is falling on deaf ears. We're hoping sippy cups of water hold him off for a while... at this age Finian screamed, relentlessly, until we gave him food (if we were eating).

Wes become a professional thumb-sucker (so cute).

Finian's start to preschool has also been great. He's loves school, has made some buddies and always has a smile on his face for "Fish class." His teachers are impressed by his never-ending wantingness to engage in everything full-on. It's exhausting as his parents, but a quality we both admire.

And a few adorable brothers being brothers photos...

Finn reading to Wes

Sunday snuggles in bed

We've put up a few videos too, so make sure to click the link above to view them at your leisure.

Transformers 3

2010-10-14T20:49:00.000-04:00

I remember when I was young, my dad drove us to a house on the waters of Smith Mountain Lake by boat. He turned off the engines and pointed at the home, a quaint picturesque next to a light house and said, "That's where they made the movie What About Bob!" It was so exciting, even though I wasn't truly old enough to appreciate the film, I ended up loving it from such a minor connection.

When we heard that Transformers 3 was partially being filmed in our town (Washington DC) we braved the DC rush hour, lane closures and all, at the mere chance to see anything related to the film. Cousin Jeremiah is into Transformers quite a bit right now, so of course he and Aunt Jackie came with us.

We were delighted to find the entire film set, cast and crew (including Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, of course), overlooking the Capital.

Optimus Prime

Bumblebee

Decepticons - these were really very cool looking (don't tell the boys my favorites were the bad guys)

We got to see all the vehicles drive on the road; we got there at perfect timing! The boys were SO excited, they were doing a dance as we walked around.

Once the sun started setting the began the actual filming. With 100 foot lights and huge lit globes, it was quite exciting. We're looking forward to see what Hollywood does to the street we sat and watched from.

The set

I only hope the boys have as fond a memory of Transformers 3 as I do of the What About Bob house.

Another Great Day at GCF

2010-09-19T22:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend was the "cider festival" at Great Country Farms. Cousin Jeremiah joined us for some potato digging, bug finding, and general good times.

We got the first ride to the field and were the only ones there for nearly an hour.
We had so much fun with a field full of potatoes needing digging and many rocks and bugs to explore.

Before lunch, the boys went a little crazy - but a ride on the cow train saved the day and when they returned we had a great picnic and then headed out to the rest of the farm.

The boys jumped and played for a long time.

After we went exploring and Jeremiah noticed that the peacocks had laid eggs in their cage. What do you think the farm does with them?!

The "kids" were SO cute. The adult goats were choking themselves in order to get some of the feed though!

After, we met the rest of the family at the Bluemont Fair.

Jeremiah kept calling all the boys his "brothers." He's exactly in between them in age, and Saturday was a wonderful day where they played well with each other - no one being left out. None of the boys wanted the day to end, it's so wonderful that they have each other. More pictures here.

A post about everyone!

2010-09-16T16:43:00.001-04:00

First, congratulations to Matt - who has not only lost 30lbs but dropped his cholesterol by 40 points. For those thinking a diet high in meat can't be good for you, Matt's doctor says, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"

Second, a recap of the past week or so.

Mom had a lovely birthday.

Early celebration started on Thursday, where I had the nicest lunch I've ever had. Concord grape sorbet was out of this world!

Then, the boys surprised by being dressed up and taking me out to dinner and giving me the most thoughtful gifts. Finian gave me framed photos for my office, from my favorite moments of the summer. Cole got me a lovely nursing necklace, which Wes enjoys too. Of course the best part of dinner was the company!

In training for MIB...

In weight training!

Over the weekend we went to the Burke Fair and then to Grandma's, where Fini found a rabbit harness and kept us all giggling as he demanded to be "walked" around the house on a leash. He kept jumping and eating whole carrots; I can't express the hilarity, it was awesome.

Woflie baby (as we like to call him) has found his thumb and now laughs at you, in mockery, when you offer him a pacifier.

He had his 4- month check-up and is staying healthy and strong, hitting all his milestones and maintaining a 50th percentile physique.

Finn started "fish class" - entering preschool at Cole's Alma Matter. He LOVED it and wonders when he can go back. He immediately was thrilled to finally be started and never for a moment hesitated on being left at school. He even told Matt "Don't worry about me, Daddy!"

Lastly, my glowing moment to share...

Matt and I went to Cole's Back-to-School night on Monday. We're hanging around, chatting with parents and trying to get a glimpse of what his day is like when the teacher comes up to us and without prompting says, "I want to let you know that Cole is doing GREAT! He's doing wonderfully, a model student. Other people point to him in the hall and remark on how adorable he is taking walking in line, listening and the rules so seriously. He's doing awesome."

So, in case you were wondering - Kindergarten's going great. He's bought lunch, gone to music, PE and the library. He has outdoor recess and has met other kids in the class to be his friends.We like his teacher and love his school. He's happy, engaged, respectful and learning - I couldn't ask for anything more.

Kindergarten Kick-Off

2010-09-08T12:18:00.001-04:00

Well, we did it. We all survived Cole going to Elementary school. Even Mom.

Cole did fantastic, he happily walked to school with minimal help or handholding. When he got home he told us about the "behavior system" they have and how excited he is to earn Green and Purple status. He told us they read three books, which is obviously more awesome than preschool. He's very excited to get to use some of the toys and writing things they have in class, which they didn't have time for yesterday. His teacher informed Matt this morning that he had a great day yesterday, good behavior and listening and he did well with adapting to a new environment. There were some children who didn't fare so well, so it was wonderful to have him want to go back this morning - running without turning around to even say good-bye!

Finian didn't have a problem with Cole being in school either, in fact - he was quite excited to get to use Cole's toys while he wasn't around to say no.

We did enjoy exploring at the open house last week. We found his classroom, his "hook" and met a few friends and teachers. With the realization that the school had it's own library inside, I think Cole was sold. But if that wasn't enough, that library had Scooby Doo comic books!

Recovery from last week's fall and resulting stitches is also going well, Cole has been a champ and is healing really nicely.

Finn cracks me up. This is his, "I know more than you" (can also be, "no" or "go away" or "Gimme a break!") face - we see it quite often.

Here's more of the Fini face that's earned him his fair share of us saying, "Oh, Fini..." We also had a great weekend potato digging at the farm, touring Virginia's wine country and Harper's Ferry, WV through beautiful weather (courtesy hurricane Earl) and partying at our End-of-Summer party. You can see all of this weeks' pictures here (the nice ones are courtesy of Steve, Will's father).
And, happy 4 month birthday to Baby Wessie - who was welcomed to the world of active children recently. He's so easy going and jolly he's often (sorry!) forgotten. He's trying to remind me by all of the intentional rolling over, of late. He won't stop and I'm not ready for him to be on the go!

Sad News

2010-09-02T08:41:00.000-04:00

I had expected the next family post would be about Cole's first day of school. Tuesday September 7th is his first day of Kindergarten and today, September 2nd, is his Open House - where he can meet his teachers, tour his school and see a class list. It was my full intention to take an embarrassing amount of photos of these events to remember forever and always how this moment he feels like such a big boy and in 30 years he'll seem like my baby.

But alas, this post is not schmoopey adorable Coley-ness. It is instead, a bit sad: we've had our first ER visit due to an injured boy (one of many in our future, I'm sure) and Cole has the face to show for it.

Poor Cole was happily climbing and playing at The National Arboretum when he fell on the edge of a rock at just the right angle to split open his lip, quite deeply. After rushing around from DC to VA from Urgent Care to ER (it was too deep for the Urgent Care) the boy finally got some Codeine, Linacain and stitches resulting in a temporary relief.

He was very adamant in his insistence of "I don't want to be sewed!" Thankfully, Uncle Tom was with Matt to help with all 3 boys during this crisis. Now, 8 stitches later, Cole is proud of his war wound and bravery - especially since Uncle Tom told him entertaining tales of all the McCarry brothers' ER visits. Cole was very quick to tell me of how brave he was and how he first got medicine, then a shot and then was "sewed up."

He's been incredibly tough but is obviously shell shocked since it was quite a scene. We had some easy to eat lo mein and Ben & Jerry's for the boy while watching The Justice League last night. This morning, everything is being requested via straw, so I'm sure it's hurting more than he's letting on. Poor guy.

It's all just entirely too much growing up in one week for me. My first baby boy turned 5, is starting Kindergarten and now has his "boy badge" of a facial scar.

And before you say it, yes - we know Finian was the odds-on favorite to win the award of first trip to the ER. But, as crazy as he is - he's just less clumsy than Cole...

Great Big Birthday Week: My Baby's 5 Years Old!

2010-08-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

Since last weekend, we've been celebrating Cole's half-a-decade-birthday. It seemed appropriate to really let him indulge so that this momentus time in his life (going to Kindergarten and transitioning to a new phase) can be marked with quite a few really special memories.

The celebration kicked off with a visit to ye old Medieval Times - where jolly souls can enjoy partaking in dinner theater with horses, falcons, kings, knights, jousting matches and sword fights. When Cole and I drove by this mall several months ago and saw the giant castle, he insisted we go. I promised it as a special birthday treat and he held me to it. We invited Grandma, Papi, and his bestie, Will.

Then Wednesday, on his actual birthday, he woke up to a few gifts at home.

Then we opened the rest at Nona's and also enjoyed the requested ice cream cake.

Aunt Abby and Wolfie being adorable. And Papi and Baby Love, too...

We spent Thursday and Friday making the... King Cobra Cake Eating A Mouse!

Cole started out asking for a snake cake. Days later it was a coiled snake cake. Then a King Cobra coiled up with his hood sticking out. And the day before cake item procurement - he added on "eating a mouse."
We did the best we could, seeing as how we're not Duff from Ace of Cakes - which is where, I'm sure, Cole gets these harebrained ideas!

Then, today the Reptile Party day finally arrived!

It started with a Mystery Scavenger Hunt (ala Scooby Doo) for the Mystery Team to find the goody bags that some sneaky snake hid before the party began.

'Twas a hit, as were the Reptile Silly Bandz.

Wesley was enamored with the attention he got from the little ladies, who kept giving him reptile "babies."

And then we had just a tiny reptile show...

The children ALL had such a blast it was hard choosing which pictures to post, there's a fully gallery here. I hope it was everything Cole wanted, and more - I know it'll be a memory I hold onto.

Another Trip to the Farm, Another Great Weekend

2010-08-09T15:56:00.001-04:00

The Winstanely Family, perhaps the friends Cole has known the longest,

came with us to Great Country Farm this weekend.

With a new App for my phone camera,

there's lots of pics for you to enjoy from another peach picking adventure.

Whenever we go to the orchards, we cannot keep Finn away from the fruit.

He found a big, juicy peach and couldn't resist becoming sneaky Fini

while we picked and had distracted attention.

Adorable Lila, splashing in the sluice

While the big boys went hog wild painting their own faces,

Finian was so excited by his cat face that he crawled around the farm meowing for part of the day.

He also got to ride the Moo Train by himself as a big boy and couldn't have been more pleased.

Mommy can't get enough kisses from those squishy Wolfie cheeks

Can you guess who Tristan and Lucas were?*

Tristan watching with curiosity as Cole put on his Monster facepaint

The boys both rode-in and loved loved the cow train

And last but not least, Mini-Golf

T&L played a real game while our boys batted the ball around and cheered their own successful kicks

And the other big news this weekend? Cole decided he could write.

That says, "Happy Birthday, Michael." He made another for his friend Edward, too.

He asked us the letters and wrote the cards, no writing help from us - we had no idea he could do that!

He's very excited about Kindergarten and desperately wants to read.

Happy 3 months, Baby Wessie

2010-08-06T07:55:00.002-04:00

Your brothers sure do love you

Whatcha doin' Coley?

I should move my arms, like this?

Oh you silly goof ball!

Quacking like a duck and flapping your arms is the best joke I've ever seen!

Phone Photos

2010-07-24T19:47:00.000-04:00

We've been soaking every drop of the last week, my last week of maternity leave ever. This summer has been amazing, the time we've spent as a family, bonding and enjoying one another's company, will never be forgotten.

As the week was a bit hectic, what we can share comes to you by way of phone photos - at least they're something to remember the wonderful last week we all shared.

Cole and I indulged his silly bandz bracelet fascination with a trip to the craft store, where we "traded" silly bands and made a holder.

Cole was extremely pleased with having gotten "free" silly bands and a place to keep them save from Fini.

The boys and I also shared lots of snuggles, either on the sofa reading books or in bed sleeping in late.

I'll miss those moments the most...

Wes and I bonded over internet shopping, too

We went to Papi's pool and the boys LOVED the fountains in the kiddie pool!

We took the boys to a preschool "reunion" with their school buddies, too

It was SUPER hot outside, so the boys enjoyed popsicles

And Finn enjoyed time swinging with his school friends, too

Getting to spend quality time with the BEST teacher ever at her lovely home was extra special for them

Then today we did our regular U-Pick trip to Great Country Farms, where we enjoyed fresh, juicy and warm from the sun white and yellow peaches as well as delicious blackberries.

We found a Katydid and the boys had an awesome time "finding it" after I pointed it out and then learning about why it looks like a leaf.

Cole had such a great day he made me this picture to take to my new office so that I can remember our day. Can you find and decipher the boys (Wesley has a hat, Cole has curly hair, Finn has "spikey" hair), Matt (with an injured leg from a hot tea incident), me, the sun and a peach tree?

Rough and Tumble Playdate

2010-07-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

Last March our family contributed what we called a "Rough and Tumble Playdate" to our Preschool's annual auction. Our friends the Haubers cashed in on their win Saturday, so Matt took their two boys (Will and Finn) and our two older boys (Cole and Finian) on an adventuresome afternoon!

The boys always play well together, and Saturday was no exception.

First the boys went to Hidden Pond Nature Center. They played with reptiles inside the center and went outdoors on a hike to see what they could find. First, they found a playground.

They also found out why the pond was "hidden" - it's covered in algae! There was lots of neat wild life outside too.

look, Cole and Will are holding hands!

They made a quick stop at the library to settle down and relax before coming home to Chinese food for dinner (look at the lo mein noodle Cole found!). We wrapped up the night with some outdoor water ~~sports~~ pirating and absconded snow cones on the road.

Aren't "the Finis" so cute!

Gallery of pictures here

Our Vacation

2010-07-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

We got some news earlier this week that we weren't going to be able to visit the family lake-house in Massachusetts, as we'd been planning for our "summer vacation." I say this in quotations because, well, we have 3 boys under 5 - there's no such thing as a vacation when they come along. But, we had really been looking forward to visiting Matt's grandparents and even Uncle Tom was going to come. It seemed, at the time, that we weren't going to be able to even slightly fill that gap of disappointment. But, Mom saved the day! I planned a trip to Pocomoke State Park in an air conditioned cabin. The park had a nature center, a swimming pool, a playground and lots and lots of bugs. It ended up being the perfect location too, smack dab in between Ocean City, MD and Chincoteague Island, VA - so, we did it all!

We left on a beautiful day and got to really enjoy our ride up, without traffic.

The boys were anxious and filled with anticipation.
We counted at least 12 bridges for the entirety of our trip, each time they looked to see what boats, birds, and people they might see out their window.

When we arrived in Ocean City, they were so excited we could barely contain them.
It was constantly a game of chase and we seemed to always be looking at their backs.

We explored the boardwalk and decided it was just too hot to get our suits on and spend time on the beach.
Instead, we got lunch at Thrashers and then headed to the old-fashioned carnival and arcade.

Cole found a Haunted House on the way there.
He exclaimed that it'd be, "Just like Scooby Doo!" and that regardless of how scary it was he would be fine because he knew it was just pretend.

Yea, not so much...

He quickly calmed down once we put him in a boat and handed him a bunch of tickets to play and have fun.

I'm pretty sure that's the first time we've ever been able to successfully cage Fini ;)

The boys were kind and shared 5 tickets with Daddy, who was the only one tall enough to ride the bumper cars.
Cole and Finian were super jealous and can't wait to be tall enough!

We walked around the boardwalk, sampled fudge and oogled at silly trinkets.
But when it was time to head to home base, Fini did. not. want. to. leave.

Once we got to the cabin and they realized they got to share bunk beds, the mood changed.
The beds became a pirate ship and the boys were sailing off in their imaginations.

Then we played games before the boys passed out from a full day of fun.

The next morning we explored the campground. The boys enjoyed the playground while we waited for the nature center and pool to open (and before it got too hot).

This time, it was the almost-5-year-old who did. not. want. to. leave.

Of course, once he realized there was a nature center with snakes in his future, the mood shifted.

And then the pool opened!

The boys took turns "riding" Matt until they discovered the joy of jumping off the side of the pool, which they did about 100 times in a row. I couldn't get any pictures of Finn doing it, because he was the most fearless and active - just jumping at his own will and inclination with no care for not being caught or his head going under water.

That boy is a FISH.

We finished at the pool and headed to Chincoteague Island, which Matt had never been too.
The wild horses swim from across the bay onto the Island and roam free in the nature preserve.

We drove through and found a very cool fishing cove and beautiful scenery.

Finn really wanted to dig up a crab and Cole desperately wanted to catch a fish, but neither had much luck (given that they were stuck on land in their clothes).

Cole enjoyed playing with the snails and watching the "explorers" group catch fish, crabs and jellyfish.

We had dinner at the most adorable authentic BBQ "hut", Woody's

They had lots of fun stuff for the boys to goof around on

But they loved the hammocks the most.

I wasn't complaining about the relaxation either.

Look, baby toes - with sand in them!

These "scooter" 3-wheeled-cars were all over the island, and pretty cool. Cole really wanted to try one out, but finding one in the parking lot of the horse farm was the closest he got.

Each boy was very excited to get their own pony ride.
Cole knew which horse to go to, since you need a "rider seat" when riding horses.

Finn spent much of the time talking to Daddy about how the horse has hair, ears, eyes and a mouth just like him. Then it was his turn...

On the way off of the island we found a park with an epic playground

Our trip was short, but very very sweet

Our Giant Celebratory Weekend

2010-07-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

We began celebrating this Independence Day on Thursday with a play-date at a swimming pool, Finn loved it and Cole did great on his own (with wings).

On Friday the Voorhees, Protheroe and Hauber families went with us to the farm for peach and apricot picking.

The kids attempted to ambush Matt and "tie him up"

I have no idea why they'd want to get back at him...

Meanwhile, Wesley got love from some gentle ladies

Friday evening we had the Winstanley and Hoover families over for dinner

Arden, the only girl of the older children mastered our tall Magnolia tree

The boys loved their "floats"

Saturday we read book...

Then headed downtown to the Old Post Pavilion for a view of DC...

Then we ended the day with an Independence Day party at the Hauber's lovely abode.

Dad and Wes hung out while the boys played in sac races, got wet and had an enormous amount of fun.

At one point Finn insisted on the bag being on his head rather than his feet, causing him to run face first into the side of a van. When asked if he was OK his reply was, "Do it again!"

Cole, however, was in it to win it!

Poor Wes never gets any attention

Finally, on Sunday (July 4th) we stayed home with Grandma and enjoyed some low-key celebration with sundaes and fireworks.

Red, White and Blue Sundaes made with Dad's homemade peach ice cream

My three boys...

The boys listened closely to a stern lecture on safety, then later reflected on which was their favorite...

Wes with Grandma, my kids have always been at such ease with Patti

And TONS more pictures in the Gallery

As July Approaches

2010-06-30T21:16:00.002-04:00

The family's been soaking every ounce of fun from this summer!

As a measure of curiosity clenching, we weighed Wesley on Tuesday, 2 days before his 8 week birthday - one week before his 2 month birthday - and he is 13lbs 6oz! His growth was consistently 50th percentile in his first month, but within 3 weeks he's now over 90th percentile for a 2 month old (which he isn't even yet).

He's asking if you've seen his neck anytime lately...

Since he's growing and gaining strength, we thought he might enjoy (and be ready for) a bumbo seat. Although it took him a few minutes to figure out the position he was in and how to hold his body, he did indeed enjoy being able to sit up and watch us today!

It helped that Cole played with him while he was "on his special sofa"
Wes thinks Cole is the #1 best oldest brother!

The boys got some new toys too, while yard-saling this Saturday.

First they were Batman, then they decided to be Two Face.

We've been having lots of picnics and playing at parks

Our professional comedian and commentator is looking awfully grown up lately...
Meanwhile Cole is becoming a school-aged child right on time with his newest obsession: silly bracelets.

And of course we also got to visit with family

A few of our new lovely lady...

Last but not least, my favorite photo of the week.

Taken by Cole right after the boys woke up (evidently). This sums up Finn's entire personality.
His hair is wild, his expression is full of judgment and question while he's somehow already managed to get his face dirty.

(this post brought to you by our iPhone camera, not the best but at least we've got something when we forget the camera!)

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-23T14:15:00.008-04:00

This weekend we toured Loudoun Co with the Vorhees family (no, not Jason) and visited with many artists during the Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour.

The boys got to meet artists and learn about their art products as well as processes.
They didn't mind the mid-afternoon picnic with live music at Franklin Park or watching movies during the tour either.

On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day with a BBQ here at the house.
I was remiss in taking photos, but I did take photos of the boys' gift to Matt, an ice cream maker!

A while ago I took Finn and Cole to Williams-Sonoma and told them they got to pick a gift for Daddy for his special day. Upon entering the store I listed off a few suggestions that they may be interested in getting him, like a pasta maker, panini press, etc. The second I said "ice cream" maker they both lit up and decided it was what Daddy needed. So, of course, they were excited to make their first batch of ice cream with him! Cole even went to the herb garden and picked the 2 1/2 cups of mint, himself, in order to make the fresh mint-chocolate chip ice cream for and with Matt.
Quite adorable those ice cream addicts are!

Yesterday Cole became a fully fledged card carrying member of the Fairfax County Public Library!

We're reading our first big chapter book in audio-book form, How to Train Your Dragon, and plan on starting the sequel, How to Be a Pirate, from the actual chapter book this week as part of the FCPL summer reading program. Exciting for our new little Kindergartner!

Today Wesley got introduced to one of the favorite boy toys, the excer-walker.

Of course, Cole and Finn had fun helping Wes play toys, who was surprisingly able to reach out and play with the piano!

And lastly, Welcome the new lady of the house!

A few months ago, the boys and I decided that we really wanted a Bengal kitten. We had done our research and knew that a perpetually playful cat would make a great companion for our otherwise lonely cat, Simon, as well as the children. After some looking we found a cattery in Maryland who had kittens available. We went and visited the most adorable teeny tiny kitties; but it was their mama, Jungletime Maxima of Junglemist, that caught our attention. She was so gorgeous and super friendly during our visit, and when we petted her she started talking up a storm! She was so hysterical we started inquiring about her to the cattery owner who told us that she was actually going to go into retirement and needed adopting. So, instead of a kitten, we waited patiently and are now the proud owners of Ms. Maxie, a 3 year-old retired Bengal breeding cat.

Not only is she pretty, but she's super sweet and playful too! And if you've never heard a talking cat before, watch her video here. We're still working on the introduction of Simon and Maxie, but so far all is going well and we're happy to have her!

Weeks 5 and 6 flew by!

2010-06-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

The past two weeks have been filled with excitement and joy beyond expectation!

The boys learned how to make room-size forts,
Cole graduated preschool and we celebrated with a school-wide picnic,
We held our first Monthly Family Poker Night,
We celebrated Mac McCarry's 80th Birthday with family we wish we got to see more,
We celebrated Aunt Abby's 19th Birthday,
We picked cherries at Great Country Farms and made yummy cherry pies,
We had play dates galore, including one with Papi and Jeremiah at Rita's Ice, and
Wes has seemingly tripled his birth weight - mostly in his thighs and cheeks!

This maternity leave has been the most splendid time; we've been able to spend every day together, as a family, and the quality time we all have been able to have has helped us grow closer. It's also been wonderful for the boys, who have really blossomed with the extremely long "vacation."

Finian, among many of his wonderful advanced developments, is now completely potty trained. He's been wearing underwear for 3 weeks and only has an accident about as often as Cole (twice a week when extremely distracted). He is an extremely strong willed and independent child, who simply woke up one day and decided he no longer wanted to wear diapers and that was the end of that. He also has decided he can read and write. Not really, but he's trying - he figured out how to pen Cole's name, which he sees Cole do quite often. As Matt recently wrote, he's a spirited, independent child who wears us thin and will most certainly give us a run for our money - but the rewards he gives with absolutely unadulterated love and affection as well as never ending comedy and face illuminating smiles is enough to have us looking forward to what may come tomorrow.

Cole has also been enjoying the time together. Although school was his favorite place to go, the end of preschool has been amazingly easy on him. When we inquired as to whether he was feeling sad about no longer getting to visit school and play with his friends he informed us that he would be having lots of play-dates this summer and he wasn't worried about it. Alrighty then... And sure enough, he hasn't worried and he has had play-dates. His best friend, Will, has been a big part of our lives the past few weeks - but he's also asking for a variety of friends he'd usually see at school and behaving in such a manner I can't help be heartbroken by how much he has grown while watching his leadership skills, creativity and loving nature flourish.

What this summer has been for Matt and myself is also incredible. We, of course, have never had this long before to simply enjoy our own company. Our appreciation for the other grows by the day as we watch each other be a patient and loving partner and parent. We find ourselves filling every day with activities, simply because we can and the joy it brings us to have adventures with all of the boys as a family is amazing. After 8 and half years of living together, we were both concerned about driving the other nuts before summer's end; to our delight, the summer has been a bonding experience we will look back on for the rest of our lives as one of the best times in our lives.

As proof of our absolutely fabulous summer, here's lots of photographic evidence. As always, there are TONS more picture in the gallery.

Cole was dancing to Thriller for Will at the end of preschool picnic; zombie hands, then crotch grabbing - he's got Michael down!

We went and picked an amazing bunch of cherries (was chased by a hen) and made cute heart-shaped pies from them - yum!

Our poker night might have been a bigger hit as a play-date for the children than poker and beer was for the adults...

The boys and I had Matt take a picture of us the day of Mac's 80th Birthday party - such a handsome bunch I made!

I particularly like this one because it so definitively highlights Finn's personality - we told him to kneel beside Mommy and no matter what other direction we gave him he was insistent that the above position was exactly what the picture needed.

We did change positions and get a better one of them all :)

Later, at Mac's party, we got to spend time with lots of family we love and don't get to see every day.

The youngest (Wes) and oldest (Great-grandparents Mac & Nancy) of the McCarry Clan

Cole made an anatomically correct robot with ears and then an octopus monster out of Dominoes and Lincoln Logs

We also celebrated Aunt Abby's birthday this month, whereby Papi got to put all of his grandsons on a sugar high and then send them off to be parented out of his earshot

Oh wait, he did that again a few days later by treating them to Rita's!

I think the best part of the past few weeks has been getting to spend so much time with Wesley while his eyes have been open. The boys are able to "play" and interact with him, and he's reacting with facial expressions, smiles and a general interest in the chaos around him.

Not that we aren't also snuggling and enjoying his peacefulness

With family and friends, what a wonderful way to spend the summer!

Week 4 of Family Summer

2010-06-06T10:02:00.003-04:00

This past week was Cole's last full week of preschool. It's amazing to think of all the time that's passed since he was just a wee one himself. But... he's a school-aged boy now, no denying.

Our Rising Kindergartner

On Thursday Wes turned 4 weeks old, he weighed in at 9lbs 10oz - a more than healthy growth from his original 7lbs 5ozs (especially since he was less than 7lbs when we left the hospital). Then, while Cole was in school, we all went to our favorite pizza shop, Pupatella, and marveled at how time flies.

On Friday we went to the 40th Anniversary Carnival at Cole's new school, Laurel Ridge Elementary

Our friends, the Hauber family, also came and we all had a blast!

And with Wesley being one month old (!) and having great head and body control, we've been able to enjoy playing and holding him quite a bit.

The boys gave Wes this wrench and he became "King of all the babies"

Week 3 of Family Summer

2010-06-01T19:12:00.003-04:00

This Thursday Wesley will be 4 weeks old. Obviously, time flies. But, at least we've been having fun as it passes.

Finn's been practicing potty training, I'd say progress is slow at best; but, jelly beans have been the perfect incentive.

That and Diego underwear!

Meanwhile, the boys have all been bonding.

Wes has been awake much more often this week and accordingly has growing interest in his brothers.
Cole is mutually interested, offering to help dress, change and bath the baby all with extremely gentle hands.

And since Summer's arrived, we've been taking advantage of being able to be outdoors.
Be it the deck, the farm and even a Memorial Day BBQ with Cole's bestest bud, Will.

You can't tell, but both boys are CAKED in mud here... they made me a "mud birthday pie"

Cole and Will on the hayride to strawberry picking

The brothers, Finn and Finian in the field

Cole and Will on the big slide

The next day, we partied and consumed the strawberries at Will's family's house.

Cole, Will and other Finn at the BBQ

Our Adora-boy, having a blast!

Strawberries are here!

2010-05-24T12:29:00.004-04:00

This weekend the boys and mom went to Great Country Farms for some strawberry picking and lots of fun.

First let's be clear, Finn is not going John Locke on us - he had an incident with the grill but is no worse for wear - he's still just as adorable (IMO).

We took the "choo choo" hayride out to the field, all 5 of us!

When we arrived, the pickings were plentiful!

Both boys enjoyed eating off the vine; but, Cole did a great job of picking his own ripe berries.

Finn did a great job of running through the strawberry fields and taking berries out of Matt and Cole's containers!
Cole was so sweet, he even "got the green off" for him.

Then, of course, we enjoyed the rest of the farm and had the most MARVELOUS of days.

The weather was great, our picnic was packed and the boys just had such a wonderful time - if all days with 3 children were like that we'd be having dozens ;)

The best part, though, was the chocolate covered strawberries we made when we came home!

[From the 2010-5-24 Gallery]

Play Time

2010-05-18T19:33:00.006-04:00

Cole and Wes had some bonding time today, as Wes was quite content and wide-eyed for quite a while - they decided they wanted to play.

From 18May2010

Cole explaining how his fingers and hands are bigger than baby Wesley's

And, here are some of my favorite pictures from the past year or so...

One shot of many of the boys holding hands

In the back-seat; best buds from the start

Reading

Finn playing with a kitten at a yard sale

Finn the pirate

Snowpocolypse

Preparing for Wesley

On our way to Kingergarten Orientation

Ity Bity Wesley

and last but not least...

Matt winning the strongest Dad competition!

First Bath

2010-05-14T18:17:00.004-04:00

Wes enjoyed his first "bath" at home today.

He was quite content and alert after

Yoda sucking his thumb

Happy 1 Week Birthday, Wesley!

2010-05-13T22:55:00.004-04:00

Today is the 1 week anniversary of Wes' birth. He celebrated with an excellent doctor's appointment:
- Gained back all of his weight, now back to 7lbs 5oz
- Doctor is no longer concerned about jaundice
- His weight and head size are at 25th percentile, while his height is at 50th

Everything is still going great at home; Mom's admittedly babying baby Wesley (hard not to when you know it's your last) and the boys are still in complete adoration. So far, transition has been good with minimal impact to Cole and Finn's lives as usual.

Although, it took a week but we did finally have our first 3rd child catastrophe. While attending a mother's group meeting, I volunteered to take both Wes and Cole with me (as Cole usually attends and enjoys this group). When we were leaving, Finn stood at the door - pitiful and heart-wrenching, repeatedly asking "My go too?" When Matt and I tried to explain that he would have special time with Dad at home, he began pouting and responding "My go too! My go too!" while attempting to leave the house in socks.

We had a similar event occur this afternoon when Cole had to choose between going with Mom and Wesley to the doctor's appointment or with Dad and Finn to the library. When the appointment was over and Dad picked us up, Cole was extremely upset to learn that the opportunity for the library was no longer on the table.

This juggling game and a constant tipping to one side of the scale is something we'll all adjust to; but, in the mean time it's so difficult to no longer be able to give a jolly sales pitch on why going with one parent over the other is in their best interest - the component of but my other brothers are doing the other thing is new and presenting a challenge in the past 24 hours.

Fortunately, their desire stems from wanting to be together. Nothing to complain about there!

Name That Baby!

2010-05-12T16:38:00.006-04:00

I've been asked which babies look alike, you tell me...

Answer Key:
Finn, Wes, Cole

I think Cole and Wes have the same head (shape, hairline, cheeks, jaws) while Wes and Finn have similar facial features (eyes, nose).
They all have different ears and hair.

And Big Brother comparisons...

Day 5

2010-05-11T20:36:00.002-04:00

Wesley's eyes were open quite a bit today, but he's still sleeping for 3, 4 and even 5 hour stretches! He's a quiet observer, beginning to gain interest in his brothers and overall surroundings. He just couldn't get more peaceful and sweet!

The boys "read" Wes a book

They're so proud of being able to take care of him and just want to spend every moment they can near him, if not touching.

Finn requested to "swing" his brother, although he doesn't quite understand that the baby swing doesn't need to be pushed. Each of them has been willingly washing their hands a hundred times a day in order to "touch baby Wesley."
They also proudly showed him off at the school playground this morning, Cole brought over all his friends to show them his "brother." He's so full of pride and joy; it's difficult to keep them apart!

Wesley had his post-birth jaundice check-up today and so far, so good! His excessive eating, sleeping and pooping is getting all that bad stuff out effectively.

Finn also had his 2 year check-up, he's 35" (Cole's 41") and 33.5 lbs. He passed all his "tests" too, great job stacking 8 blocks, being able to identify the names of all 5 animals and locate all body parts!

Adoration

2010-05-10T19:35:00.004-04:00

Cole "loves baby Wesley"

I love his sleep smiles

and the way he grabs on to anything nearby

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:41:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful day, a perfect Mother's Day!

I awoke to some seriously good snuggling with the boys...

Later in the morning the boys gave me this wonderful ring with each of their birthstones.

Then Grandma Patti came over for brunch and quality time with Wes.

In the evening we went to Nona and PopPop's house for dinner...

After the busy day, the boys were pretty pooped

Day 3: Home

2010-05-08T21:06:00.008-04:00

This morning Mom and Wesley left the hospital and enjoyed our first day at home.
Our "open house" hosted many visitors, the majority of which were Uncles and Aunts - but most importantly, brothers!

Finn, in particular, had an adoration for Wes that none of us predicted. He was quite concerned when he even whimpered!
He wanted to be around him every moment, requested to him that he open his eyes, hold his hand (finger) and all the while "pet" him ever so gently on his back and kissed his head. Quite adorable!

Uncle Kris, Uncle Malcom, Aunt Abby, Papi, Uncle Andrew and Grandpa Nathan also enjoyed some quality time with the peaceful Wesley today.

He's got the Toth nose and ears... but that's about it!

After everyone got in their cuddle-time, we had a celebratory dinner with bubbly cider and vegan specialties for the Uncles.

And of course, Wesley gave Cole and Finn the gifts he picked out for them as a thank you for being such great brothers!

We know you won't believe us, but by 8:30 all 3 boys were peacefully sleeping.
It was just an amazingly perfect first day at home; thanks to all the family and friends who helped make it possible!

More Newborn Goodness

2010-05-07T17:49:00.003-04:00

Wesley's had a slew of visitors, mostly Grand and Great-Grand parents coming to take a peek at their newest bragging rights.

He's also been performing some downward-facing-dog phototherapy

And last but not least...

Newborn curled-up toes and mommy snuggles

Welcome Baby Wesley!

2010-05-06T15:46:00.004-04:00

Today our 3rd brother arrived, Wesley Wolf McCarry.

He was 7lbs 5oz, 19.5" long with strawberry blonde curls.

Mom and Dad are doing great and looking forward to sharing the sweet bundle over the days and weeks to come.

Kindergarten Orientation

2010-04-05T16:18:00.002-04:00

So, if I weren't pregnant, thus completely aware of the age differences of my children and planning around Cole going to "big boy school," I'm not sure I would've survived the day without tears.

Matt, Cole and I walked to his school, Laurel Ridge Elementary, and participated in Kindergarten Orientation today.

Matt and I learned about the multitude of forms we need to fill out, the schedule and clinic procedures - while Cole got to color in the classroom and take a bus ride. Guess who got the better deal?

After a bit of talking him into trying it out, he was at the front of the line for his "panda" class!

He returned goofy and grinning, telling us - he's awfully excited and ready for September to come!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T21:38:00.007-04:00

What a fantastic, fabulous weekend! The weather was so gorgeous, we fully enjoyed every day...

On Friday the boys went to an Easter Egg hunt at Uncle Andrew's work (the City of Fairfax).

I love that in the 2nd picture you can see the expression of Finn saying, "Where'd they go?" in his "I can't believe it!" tone.

It was more of a "free for all" than a "hunt" since it was on a flat field... but, they had fun nonetheless.

Then in the evening, our friends, the Lancaster family, came over for pizza and playing.

"We can have OUR OWN pizza? Inside the tent?! C'mon, guys, let's go!!"

The boys were quite adorable when we told them they could take their own pizza inside the tent.

On Saturday morning, we started the process of making peeps.

Matt and Finn made marshmallows while Cole and I went shopping for the goodies to turn them into peeps.

Once the marshmallows were set, the boys and I cut them out, wet them and rolled them in sugar.

The result were adorable treats that taste so good Cole had a tummy ache from sneaking the scrap pieces!

Then in the evening, the Easter Bunny came (of course).

We're not quite sure what it was that Bunny did to our eggs!

Somehow the Easter Bunny found out Cole had been to see How to Train a Dragon this week
and was DE-lighted with the film, thus requesting all sorts of Dragon goodies.

Finn, cared NOT about the items in his basket - other than the open and available jelly beans.

After we settled in and got dressed, the boys were off to hunt for the eggs the EB brought.

Cole was such a great brother, helping Finn find the "easy" eggs!

Such hams...

Cole exclaimed, "How did the Easter Bunny know how much I like monies?!"

AND, they each got a Bakugan!

In the afternoon we went over to Jeremiah's house for some fun, lunch and egg hunting.

The expression on Jeremiah's face as Cole whispers to him and Finn clings on is priceless.

Makes you wish you were cool enough to have gotten sunglasses for Easter, right?

While Finn napped the boys nabbed some goodies in the yard.

They needed more candy like a hole in the head!

The coolest thing about the hunt was finding the skink,

who dropped his tail when Matt tried to catch him. It moved around like crazy for a good 5 minutes!

Then, as if there weren't enough excitement for one weekend,
when the boys pooled and counted their money from allowance, the Easter Bunny, and Grandparents
they realized they had enough to buy the Imaginext BatCave they've been saving up for.

Fortunately for them, Toys 'R Us was still open and they got some playtime in before they crashed.

And yes, that's sunburn on Finn. Because even with sunblock, when it's over 80 degrees outside, you're bound to show signs of playing in the sun all day. Hope your weekend was at least half as fun!

Happy Spring

2010-03-31T09:47:00.008-04:00

We thought it'd be prudent to get some pictures of the boys while they're still a pair.

I love both of their expressions here... it really suits their personalities.

It's amazing how much they enjoy one another's company. As a parent, there's an immense amount of joy to be had from watching your children build and play in a fort together for hours. Having never really had sibbling-hood the way these guys do, it's a new adventure for me to learn and respect that relationship.

It's only a little over 5 weeks until we get to meet #3. Now that most of our big events for the year are over, Matt and I are starting to really get ready and excited for the little guys' big arrival. But the boys are even more excited and ready than us. They play baby everday: Cole asks Finn if he needs snuggles, a bottle or even a diaper change and Finn in exchange makes sqeaky baby noises, crawls around and climbs into the crib and vibrating baby seat we have set out in the nursery.

I can't wait to complete our clan, the anticipation has finally arrived!

Lions, Tigers, Bears, Aligators, Dinos - Oh My!

2010-03-27T15:36:00.008-04:00

Finn's 2nd B-Day party was a ROARing good time!

The bear bus was filled with ROARs!

We had ROAR snacks (ROAR cookies, dino eggs, bones and ROAR teeth),

tattoos,

and games...

We had some dirt and dug for the ROARs!

After party time Uncle Tom came by for some stories...

not that we could calm down for a nap after all that ROARing!

There's TONS of pictures here, too. (thanks Steve for the great pics!)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Fini!

2010-03-24T21:26:00.006-04:00

Our dear little Finian isn't so little anymore...
with a day full of giggles, fun and CAKE we hope he enjoyed his last birthday as the littlest brother.

We got him a haircut in anticipation of the big day

He woke up to a new Super Cape

Then Cole decided he needed his super cape and they became (officially) Batman and Robin.
Except, Finn would not cooperate - he insists his new Super name is "Super Wow"

In the afternoon, Finn opened some mail...

In the evening, the family came over for dinner and CAKE

But first, Papi gave them the cool outdoor gift of a soccer net and ball!

After some outside time, it was the moment Finn had been waiting for... Choc-it Cake!

(be jealous, that's homemade by Mr. Chef McCarry)

Finn was making num num noises as Matt cut him a piece :)

After a cake clean-up, Fini got the surprise of presents...

Cole "reading" Jeremiah and Cole a ROAR book from Nona

Finian was extremely excited to have his own TAG and books to read!

Happy (belated) St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-19T16:34:00.003-04:00

It was the 2nd anniversary of "Finn should have been born by now" and we celebrated with...

Cookies!

We made them the day before and then decorated on the day of - Cole was sneaking some sprinkles (as evidenced by the green mouth).

Finn had a bit of jealousy...

But he got to enjoy the results.

After they were eaten the boys cleaned off and prepared for their weekly Wednesday ritual with Pops.

February, Continued...

2010-03-05T10:35:00.003-05:00

As usual the month got away from me, but here are some more pictures of February's fun.

The igloo continued to grow!

Finn goofed around inside

and then... Valentines Day!

Finn showing his "Roar" candy

Cole rocking out on a sugar high

Followed shortly by, Dad's 29th Birthday

Oh no, those aged lungs can't blow out candles?!

Not to worry, the younger brother took care of it :)

Blizard 2010, Day Four

2010-02-08T15:22:00.005-05:00

So, we're still housebound...

Matt (and the neighbors) have been shoveling the street to try to get us out, but since more snow's coming tomorrow I believe we've abandoned hope...for the week at least.

At least we're enjoying playing in it.

This fat little guy is a bit confused about where all the trashcans went...

After we froze and were in need of hot chocolate, we decided to have a Scavenger Hunt!

Clue #1: Find the Gaboon Viper

Clue #2: The next clue is snuggling Baby Cat

Clue #3: Find the Jelly on the door

Clue #4: The next clue is with the radio charged off of solar power

Oops, wrong radio at first!

And the prize, tootsie rolls!

Blizzard of 2010

2010-02-06T21:06:00.004-05:00

Well, if we thought our last snow storm was bad, we were in for a shock with this one - 26.5" recorded in our city! And, there was at least 4" already on the ground and another 6" is expected Tuesday.

Needless to say, the boys have plenty of snow to play in - although, Fini has informed us it's too much with the incessant "no more" after 5 minutes outside. I think, perhaps, it doesn't help that we have snow drifts in the front yard taller than he is!

He was much happier inside goofing around with my hat and a singular glove.

So, we stayed inside and made Rock Candy to go with Cole's selected Valentine idea...

Rock Candy with "You Rock" Valentines. He's thrilled with the idea.

A few pictures from the Air & Space museum visit not too long ago...

Lastly, a few pictures of Cole in school.

Cole trying to "blow his house down" after reading the Big Bad Wolf stories.

Cole and his friends Evan and Rachel (when did they start looking like Kindergartners, btw?!)

Cole's class (clockwise)
Katie, Rachel, Lauren, Evan, Cole, Eliza, Nathaniel, Sean, Will, and James

Playing outside

Snow-Palooza 2009

2009-12-23T18:45:00.007-05:00

So, in case you've been living in a cave and hadn't heard about the "blizzard-like weather" Northern Virginia had this week -
here's some pictures that showcase our 21" of snow!

Oh man, did Dubs love the snow!

Finn did NOT like the snow, he doesn't really like anything cold... even ice cream.

But we got him to engage a little where the snow was less intimidating under the lip of the house.

Cole and Uncle Andrew, however, fully enjoyed themselves.
Unfortunately it was too powdery to really play -
but wading was enough fun for a while.

We also had Aunt Jackie and Jeremiah over for some gingerbread train making (courtesy of Aunt Abby)...
don't worry, they did not wear their goulashes or cross-ski over - it was the day before.

When did they get so big?!

Yes, that's my 1 year old with adult scissors attempting to break into the candy.
And, yes, that's also Cole with a Mohawk - he LOVES his new haircut!

Yes, they had spaghetti for dinner and then rushed back to the Train -
not letting us wash their faces...

Except Fini, who was SO dirty he required a full bath first!

The final product.

And coming soon... the sex of #3 and Christmas!

First Snow!

2009-12-06T19:17:00.009-05:00

We had our first snow of the season, and it wasn't measley...

The boys played for days, having snow ball fights.

Even the big boys...

Until Andrew bested Matt by recruiting the young ones!

Finn was not a fan when the balls were directed at him! :(

But Cole was loving it!

The Holiday Season Start - Season 2010

2009-12-01T14:28:00.005-05:00

You all know we're with child, again, right? I feel like maybe I missed announcing that properly... but - we're 16 weeks 1 day right now, due in May. That means we'll find out the sex in two weeks! And no, we do not care what the sex is - only that it's healthy...

We've faced some challenges and scares with this one early on - which is all fine and OK now; but, we certainly feel like this fetus is giving us a run for our money and some early grays! Not to mention, the constant buffalo, enchilada and chili cravings tell me it's a spicy character in there :)

We celebrated Thanksgiving weekend at home - first by hosting a lovely meal and then Black Friday shopping (Matt got the Mother Load, ask and he'll tell), wrapping presents, making ornaments and then decorating the tree that Cole picked out and we cut at Ticonderoga Farms.

Both (small) boys are amazing. Cole has been doing wonderfully in school. He's earned a special sticker from his teacher every day for wonderful behavior almost 4 weeks in a row. He's really taken an interest in learning to read, although he's still quite a ways away. We can really see the maturity on him - next year he'll be a Kindergartner!!

And Finian. Goodness that Fini is a character. He's been extremely physically mature for quite some time, but now he's got the language down too. He's got too many words to count and is able to repeat almost any word he hears - which is his favorite game. He's also using phrases and sentences to communicate, which is dumbfounding half the time. He and Cole hold whole conversations together and are in constant negotiations with one another.

Most moments in the house you can find Finn running after Cole while shrieking with glee and Cole's screaming, "C'mon Fini!" Their favorite game is Batman and Robin, anything from figurines to forts under Finn's bed or in the living room with pillows. They even share a plastic indoor motorcycle to get Bad Guys. They both also love Star Wars (trust me, hearing a 1 year old say "Star Waaas" while handing you the DVD and asking to "fight" with light sabers is nearly heart melting), amphibians & reptiles (Bindi the Jungle Girl, Steve Erwin's daughter, has become their favorite show) and crafts. They both LOVE to color and cut and create masterpieces to display on the fridge. Finn's especially good at creating masterpieces on the playroom walls... They're both just growing so quickly it's hard to keep up.

And now, evidence of the adorableness.

Fighting Daddy in the "snow"

Visiting Santa via the Polar Express at Fair Oaks Mall

Celebrating good behavior at Friendly's

and last but not least...

Cole "reading" Finn a bedtime story

More of Cole at School

2009-11-03T12:59:00.006-05:00

Cole loves the playground, espcially pretending he and his bestfriend Will are Batman and Robin and that the round tunnel of the playground is their Batmobile.

Such a handsome boy!

October: a wonderful month filled with all kinds of activity.

2009-11-01T20:53:00.005-05:00

We went and visited Grandma and Grandpa Francis in Virginia Beach and ended up at a Pumpkin Patch with some really big snakes!

Cole was much more interested than Finn, who apparently has the same thoughts on dangerous pets as I do...
Why on earth would you be holding that thing?!

Finn had his first haircut

Big boy enjoying the benefits of behaving so well

And then the Halloween festivities began!

The boys were all set to be Vader and Yoda, but Finn refused the Yoda costume in favor of a Jedi dress-up outfit we had in the house -
so, we had Anakin in both the "good" and "bad" form.

Our first event was at Air & Scare, the Halloween Festival held at the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum

Cole was enamored with all the Star Wars characters there.

The following day we went to our neighborhood Halloween Party

Matt and I both attended Cole's school's Halloween Parade

Then we came home and carved pumpkins

Skull pumpkin, Darth, Anakin and Blues Clues pumpkin on the day!

We goofed around waiting for dark...

Touched up make-up

And then let the boys loose!

Then they enjoyed their sugar high with glo-stick swords

See all the pictures in the October album on Picasa

First Family of Four (Labor Day) Vacation!

2009-09-08T19:17:00.025-04:00

This weekend we took the scenic route to Richmond, by way of Skyline Drive, to visit Uncle Kris and some friends. Then, we took Papa Toth to the plane park (Gravelly Point Park at Reagan National Airport) to have hamburgers on Labor Day.

We FINALLY have a non-water logged camera - so please enjoy the plethora of pictures! All 200+ are here.

We started our mini-vacation road-trip at Great Country Farms for the potatoes and pancakes festival - not to be confused with potato pancake festival, however.

After pancakes we got on the hayride and picked potatoes.

Then we went to the Farm's play area and jumped on the "giant pillow" and played around a bit before getting back on the road.

Finn fell asleep while reading his Tag books and eating Kettle corn.

Cole found a butterfly to chase when we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we arrived at, DINOSAURLAND!

Finn was feeding a dinosaur a stick and realized he was a carnivor a bit late...

Cole got attacked and almost eaten!

After Dinosaurland, the boys played with their "takeaways" and we headed down Skyline Drive.

When we finished the drive, we came to our B&B where the boys (including Dublin) romped with the farm animals.

We got on the road the next morning after breakfast, on our way to Maymont Park in Richmond to visit friends.

Finn loved the park.

Cole loved Jonah's wagon.

He didn't get out until he found a hill to conquer,

and then worked on the path before explaining,

"Mommy, I gotta fix these holes in the road, see this hole? It needs my tool for fixing. Fini, you're doing a great job helping!"

There's no doubt that is an all-boy 4 year old...

After the park we met Uncle Kris for an early dinner and dessert.

Cole and Kris cheered fries and bonded over how delicious mustard was for dipping.

Then we headed to Ipanima.

Tag, Cole's favorite birthday gift, is the BEST toy ever. Especially while waiting for food; but, especially while riding in cars.

Finn played with water while we waited for our food.

He finished with an audible, "ahh!" and smacked his lips.

The cake was more delicious than most non-vegan cakes I've eaten, everyone was happy and full-bellied - ready for the ride home.

And on Labor Day we had a 5 Guys hamburger picnic at Gravelly Point Park...

The Real "Four Birthday"

2009-08-25T22:00:00.007-04:00

We made Cole a special "dirt" dessert.

Of course, Fini helped.

Also, Great and Grand-parent McCarrys came over for some presents and fun, followed by Cole's requested favorite, "Enchiladas!" at Anita's for lunch. He wanted them again for dinner, but I talked him into something else and then received the proclamation that "Italian Enchiladas is my new favorite!"

Then we had a nice family dinner to celebrate the actual day of his birth, family and friends joined us for gifts and Cole concluded the birthday festivities content with all of his celebratory choices.

Unfortunately, the camera that housed 90% of the pictures met an early end during a battle with a 17 month old and a toilet... so, the above is all we have of the day.

I remember when Cole was 1 and 2, seeing other 3 and 4 year-old children and thinking, "Wow, they're so BIG! Someday Cole will be that big, and talk in sentences, and be potty trained, and eat with a fork...I hope it doesn't come too soon." Well, we're still working on the latter; but, the rest did come too quickly!

Four Birthday, Party!

2009-08-23T20:47:00.005-04:00

Cole celebrated his fourth birthday today, and per his request - lots of his friends came to help celebrate in full-on Bakugan style!

We had crafts, tattoos, round snacks...

and a Bakugan Cake!

Outside the kids enjoyed the wonderful weather with a water slide and moonbounce.

After the outdoor play, everyone came in for lunch, cake and presents.

The end result was an overwhelming Baku-stash and an extremely happy Cole!

Cole's "Four Birthday" Approaching

2009-08-19T13:01:00.004-04:00

Cole has been preparing endlessly for his big "Four Birthday"

This Saturday we'll celebrate with a Bakugan Birthday Party meeting his demands: a rocket moonbounce for Fini (how sweet he's been making requests for Finn on his birthday) and a double waterslide climbing bouncer for himself and friends. The Bakugan cake is a bit more challenging, but I'm confident we'll figure out something.

We're expecting quite a big crowd, and Cole couldn't be more thrilled.

Saturday Yard Sale Finds

2009-08-04T10:53:00.003-04:00

Saturday was a good day for yard saling, if you ask the boys. The highlight of the day was a yardsale where Cole found both a $6 Sting Ray Flaming Low-riding two wheel bicycle and a basket of 3 week old kittens.

Finn stuck with the traditional Simon-like orange tabby and kept going after the neck of a black fiesty one.

Cole liked the "blonde hair, blue eyed" kitten, just like me!

Finn SCREAMED when we left the yard sale. It was enough to make my heart bleed and break down to bring one home; good thing they weren't ready to leave their mama yet!

When we got home Matt and Cole worked on the bike, lowering the seat, repairing the kick-stand and installing training wheels.

Immediately Cole was on the bike and learning to wheel himself up the hill and around corners.

We only had two minor falls, and the end result was an extremely satisifed 3 year-old (almost 4) boy.

Finn was also extremely satisfied, given there is no longer arguing over the Ketler he loves.

The other great find at Saturday's yard sales was the purchase of a Jedi costume. Obviously, this was not only intended for Halloween and has been on Cole's person since Saturday. Including to the mall, Costco and other errands. I was able to convince him not to wear the cape while riding his bike, as it could be dangerous. But you can note the belt above.

Finn needed to partake as well, so he got to be a Super with Cole's cape. I'll be sure to tell Santa he needs a green "F" cape for Christmas.

More Farming!

2009-07-21T22:10:00.009-04:00

We've been enjoying the splendors of the land lately...

Sunday we went to another Pick-Your-Own Farm (Hollins Farm).
We went with Cole's friend, Magnus, and picked peaches, raspberries, potatoes, carrots, and sunflowers.

The boys really enjoyed snacking on peaches and raspberries, then digging for potatoes.

Finn was a happy, dirty, full toddler on the way home.

Then today, we picked our very first veggies from our own garden!!

We've got green beans and cherry tomatoes...

as well as butternut squash, corn, and watermelon growing.

Aunt Jackie and Jeremiah were here and helped with weeding and picking,
while Uncle Andrew played music with the boys.

The boys were very excited.

"One-Shoe-Fini" is such the helper...

They were even more excited when Aunt Jackie spotted our frog...
look at how much he's grown since last we saw him!

And lastly, a bit of humor from Finian, aka Fini, Scooby (Snack), One-Shoe-Fini

We love how when he thinks you're going to take away his cup he runs in the other direction, like "No! My cup!"... at least he says thank you, or rather "Dak Gu"

Ever wonder what our evenings are like?

2009-07-07T19:31:00.001-04:00

Casual night with us...

The boys read themselves their favorite books, Fini puts on his own Death Metal music (singing and dancing along), brothers rough house and then the dog gets tortured...

July 4th in Virginia Beach

2009-07-05T16:20:00.025-04:00

Please Note: New Videos are Up - to include, Finn dancing to Metal and Cole Swimming!
See More Pictures here

This weekend we ventured down to Mommy's hometown, Virginia Beach, VA, by way of picking-up Uncle Kris,
to visit Grammy and Grampy and their horse-size dogs, Max and Emmie.

We started out the weekend (on Friday) at a PYO farm in Pungo.
Green beans and blackberries are ripe down there and boy did we enjoy picking them!

Uncle Kris, Cole and a big bag 'o beans

Why he kept eating the unripe ones when we got this takeaway...

Our take-away (hey, $1.29/lb)!

~~Huckle~~Blackberry Finn in food coma

And then we came home, put on our suits and let the fun (swimming) begin!

Both boys were in the water, much like their mother, every minute they could be.
Cole eventually swam the entire length of the pool and back (with floaties)
by the time we left.

They also really enjoyed watching the big boys cannonball off the diving board, but their favorite was playing in the fountains.

Always climbing and narrowly escaping bodily injury, we're pretty sure Finn legally changed his middle name to "Danger" this weekend...

He climbed up on Grampy's motorcycle and made "vroom" noises, the actual engine revving was a bit of a startle, though.

Friday night we recovered from the heat with icecream and books
before heading to bed in order to rest and start all over again on Saturday.

It was hard to leave so soon, but today's a murky, rainy day so it was best served at home recovering in time for Monday.
Cole went and saw a movie with Papi and Grandma Patti's coming over for dinner - it's a hard life...

Wonderful Weekend

2009-06-29T11:27:00.012-04:00

The Toth McCarry Clan enjoyed splendid weather this weekend, participating in many funactivies and enjoying every moment to the fullest!

Unfortunately, prior to this weekend Mr. Fini decided that the camera needed a date with the toilet - so we have a couple pictures brought to you by Matt's iPhone. The good news is, this forced our hand in buying a camcorder/camera unit and will probably have much more videos in the near future :)

Matt and I decided the boys needed some quality time this weekend. On Friday Fini, Matt and I went out to dinner together. Finn drank out of a cup and was thrilled to enjoy mini-corn dogs (hey, it was a special treat!) while having Matt and I focus our attention on reading him books and discussing Michael Jackson as the news reports came flooding in while we dined.

Saturday morning we packed up the van and drove to Maryland to have brunch with our friends, the Lewin family. Cole graciously shared a ginormous meal with his brother and shortly after we were back on the road to Larriland farm, where we picked tart cherries, beets and blueberries.

My favorite were the cherries, which were perfectly ripe and not over picked since sweet cherries were also in season. We got nearly 5lbs which have made the most delicious souffle and pie so far. We've still got some left for something else, too!

Cole's favorite were the beets, which he was able to wiggle and pull out of the ground himself. The beets appear to be perfectly ripe as well, we're not quite as sure what to do with the 2lbs we have - but, I'm sure we'll come up with something so that Cole can enjoy his pickings.

Both Finn and Matt loved the blueberries best. The whole family ate more than they picked, so after almost an hour we had less than 4lbs - but, it's been making delicious additions to pancakes and cereal. It took Finn a few minutes of screaming at us for "more" berries (which he could see in our picking bins) before he realized he himself could reach out and grab them off the bushes - and then, boy oh boy was he happy as a clam!

I really wish we lived closer to a PYO farm because it's so much fun and it's also affordable and great for the environment! Cole's already talking about going back for blackberries, peaches and potatoes - so, I guess in 3-4 weeks we'll head back out!

On our way home from the farm we stopped by Nona and Papa Toth's house to deliver some goodies. We ended up with the goodies though because we found the most friendly, adorable little box turtle hanging out in the bushes. Finn promptly named him "Gak" (his word for Bakugan, a turtle like toy in the mind of a 1-year-old) and we brought him home for a day to enjoy his company. Gak stayed out of his shell and peeping out his box his whole ride home, walked around the deck and gave the boys much to enjoy before we took him back to his home the next day.

After we dropped Gak off, we went and visited our friends the Lancasters - who just had their 3rd boy, Sven, last week. Little Sven was so soft and squishy with WHITE hair and teeny tiny toes. Cole played with his bigger brothers until it was time to head out for his turn on a Mommy and Daddy date. Matt and I took him out to lunch for cheeseburgers then to see Transformers. The first movie was perfect for Cole, he was never scared and enjoyed the whole thing. But, there are a few moments in the newer version which were much more intense and we ended up leaving about half-way through. We then got some Transformers books from the book store (much less scary) and a new book for Finn (Cat, since he LOVES Dog so much) and headed home.

The boys have been happily enjoying reading their new books and their Summer-time "gone wild" attitudes have recovered from some individual attention from Matt and I.

Next weekend we're headed to Grandma Francis's house for the 4th of July and then will be going out on Papi's boat on Sunday the 5th. It's so much fun participating in all these events and enjoying so many activities with two little sponges absorbing up all the fun.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T22:35:00.010-04:00

We've had a great week, here's some pictures. If you want to see more, click here

Bubbles and Skateboards on a Friday evening with Aunt Jackie and Jeremiah:

And, representing his personality...

He was "looking" for something

So adorable!

Reading (for the millionth time) "Dog" with Grandma Patti

In the Playroom with the Uncles:

And today's Father's Day BBQ

The Big McCarry Clan (aka the brothers, Malcom not shown)

Papi, Great-Grandpa Toth, Great-Grandpa Cheney and Cole

Cole and Papi are looking SO alike here!

Cole putting ice down Uncle Tom's shirt

High-Five Fini!

Again with the Dog book...

And a few professional family shots...

Baby Envy

2009-06-12T13:04:00.005-04:00

I swore and swore I was done after two; but, the Baby Envy Bug has bitten - look how adorable my co-worker Amanda's 2 day old baby Symon is!

Remember when this guy was that small?

Ok, well, yea, you're right, he never was that small outside the womb, but he was still tiny some time ago!
Look how much darker and more red his hair was from now, too!

Moving along to the boys I do have and so much adore...

Finn theiving fruit pizza, that boy is NOT patient for food
Can you believe how big Jeremiah and Cole are?!

And, today's plethora of pictures brought to you by: reading time! (the only time in which both boys sit still enough to take pictures not resulting in a blur)

I love that Cole is watching Matt make the "Giant" voice in this picture

Of course we have a Star Wars book!

And some pictures from an evening with PopPop

Reading the Dog book must include Dublin's participation
Imagine: "Dog, Dog, Dog!!!" being screached by Finn while pointing at the dog as you try and read

PopPop with his great-grand children

p.s. Cole knows ALL of his alphabet now and is starting to practice sounding out words and writing letters (more than his name)

p.s.s. Finian now says "mama" (melt) in addition to a few other new words

WAY Behind in Blogging

2009-06-01T11:57:00.023-04:00

With the new house, Uncles to play with all the time and Summer's lovely weather all having arrived, the internet and blogging just hasn't been a priority. But, in an effort to at the very least document some of the boys' youth, I've bulleted some recent highlights below.

Finn's language is OFF the charts, his recent doctor's visit informed us zero to three words would be "expected" with 5 words being "precocious" - Matt could remember 8 off of the top of his head, when he came home and we counted Finn actually knew Twenty-One:

Yes
This
That
On
Off
Up
Cat
Dog
Kiss
Touch
Shoe
Sit
Car
Dada
Num-num
My
Book
Socks
Nurse
Cheese
Duck

Needless to say, we're very proud - but not at all surprised - at our smart little Fini. The doctor also measured and weighed him and he's at the 75th percentile for head, height and weight - further solidifying that he'll be outgrowing his brother pretty shortly... our 14th month old is in 2T clothes already, wearing what Cole did last year!

Fini hanging out with his best buddy, Dubs

Nevermind the shreds of stuffed animal outside Dublin's crate...

Cole's school is wrapping up, he's got just a few days left before he's out for the summer - although he will be participating in some summer events there, Matt's looking forward to visiting local events and enjoying more time outdoors with the boys, which is limited when he's needed for drop-off and pick-up 3 days a week.

Listening to a book at school

Being loud bossy at school, no idea where he gets that...

First HOT Weekend!

2009-04-27T12:22:00.002-04:00

This weekend was in the mid-90's, we enjoyed a full weekend of playing outside and soaking up the sun rays. The boys learned how fun a hose on a hot day can be!

Cole and I got this awesome back yard roller coaster from "tables on the street" (which he now informs me are Yard Sales) this Saturday.

Family Love

2009-04-24T10:15:00.004-04:00

(Great) Uncle Bill came to town last weekend and enjoyed the nice weather with us; the boys picked flowers for Bill

Then the bigger boys played ball

Cole's been enjoying teaching Finn things; he likes to "read" him books and tell him what the animals are - how adorable?!

(Great) PopPop Cheney came over and enjoyed some "bubble blasting" with us!

Then Fini had PopPop read him the same book, again...

Compare

2009-04-12T22:02:00.002-04:00

Then

Now

Easter Bunny Egg Hunt-y Goodness

2009-04-12T20:40:00.004-04:00

The boys' favorite right now is The Little Einstein's, somehow the Easter Bunny knew and got them Transforming Rocket and a book.

This weekend Finn learned to say Egg, over and over...

More Dublin-McCarry Boy Adorableness!

2009-04-10T11:27:00.003-04:00

Cole giving Dublin a "meat treat"

Cole's been really insistent on dressing himself lately...

Finian and Dubs

He's much more tolerant than he should be with Fini...

And one for the "OMG when did he get so big!" book...

Welcome Dublin!

2009-04-04T20:58:00.002-04:00

Super sweet mutt puppy, Dublin, joined our family today.

We've been waiting a long time for a family dog. Although we're all thrilled and excited, I think the one most happy is Dublin - who, for the first time in his life came into a house and went on a long walk today.

He is so gentle to and watchful of the boys. We never heard him bark once and he was ever so friendly to any animal or person he met.

He let Matt put on a harness (it took us a while to figure the darn thing out...) and let me bathe him without so much as a twitch.

He's got bright blue eyes, white fur and some black spotting. His mom was a border collie so we think his dad may have been part-dalmatian. Either way, his blue eyes and "wonky" ears fit right in with our wanna be Irish clan :)

We're looking forward to getting to know him better as time goes on!

Birthday Party

2009-03-29T17:16:00.003-04:00

Mr. Finian celebrated a Musical first birthday yesterday!

We already knew how he felt about cake...

He's still loving the balloons floating around...

Both boys had a wonderful day and the party, seeing family and friends and hosting a party in OUR home for the first time was wonderful. I know Finn had a great time and I hope everyone who came enjoyed it as well.

Finian's First Birthday

2009-03-27T09:30:00.003-04:00

Tuesday Finn turned one and we celebrated with a pre-birthday burrito dinner, turning his car seat around and having a few family members over for pizza dinner, gifts and CAKE!

It was a birthday gift from Matt to let Finn get messy!

When did he get so BIG?!

Aunt Abby, Jackie and Jeremiah aren't able to make it to Saturday's party so they joined us for day of partying...

Papi's (silly) boys!

Cole picked out this basketball game for Finn's gift ("I want to play this ball game with Fini for his birfday!") and it was big hit with all boys.

Grandparents sent some money and Finn was pleased to receive a pretend remote control, electronic maracas and a musical lawn mower from them.

As always, lots more pictures are in our gallery.

Lastly, I share with you this adorable picture of Cole comparing his toy "Fergus" doggie to the pet store's West Highland White Terrier puppy.

Less than one month to one year!

2009-02-25T09:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Finn's 11 month birthday. We celebrated with pizza buffet. He was extremely pleased. True to McCarry form, he enjoyed the cheesy goodness.

Finn is such a fun, fun boy.

I say boy because he's no longer a baby: he walks everywhere, has words, is the size of an 18 month old and is full of humor and personality.

He's been a fully walking toddler for over a month; he insists on walking, even in the mall, grocery store, etc. He knows his name and follows commands like, "C'mon Finn, follow me" or "Give that to Daddy." He loves following the cat and Cole the most, but he's mainly just so excited for his own independence.

Did you know you could get through life with just 5 words? What are they you ask? This, That, Yes, Cat, Dad. He has more words and often repeats and practices them On, Off (he knows the appropriate one for light switches), Shoes, Keys, Thanks, Mama and Nur (nurse) - although I'm sure I'm forgetting at least a few. He also claps and has a few of his own baby sign language signs: he's great with More and is learning all done.

In terms of size, Finn will be built much different from his brother. I liken the difference almost exactly to that of Matt and his younger brother, Andrew. Cole is what we call soup can while Finn is built much longer and leaner, although he's no stick. His head shape is more oval and his feet are HUGE. He wears a size 5-5.5 shoe, which is what Cole wore at almost two years old! He's also now wearing 12-24 month clothing, not because his belly warrants it (in fact he's always got plumber butt because his waist is not wide) but because his length is the driving factor.

He's still just as handsome as the day he was born, but with more personality and charisma. His eyes are still stunningly hazel with strawberry blonde long lashes and his wispy straight hair warrants us calling him fluffy. He's got Matt's ears, which on his oval head makes him look nearly elf-like, and with his new four teeth and expressive facial features he delivers comedy on a daily basis.

Matt and I's favorite personality stories are both related to his contrariness and knack for knowing he's being silly or wrong. Matt loves that anywhere Finn goes and finds something soft Finn will begin to pet it, declare it to be a "Cat!" and then start giggling at himself. He does this as a joke at random and hilarious times, like when he's on Matt's shoulders and pets his hair or when he walks up to other baby and toddlers and does the trick on them. My personal favorite is that when Matt or I tell him "No" to something (like, climbing into the dishwasher) he'll yell back to us "Yes!" over and over. This of course ends one of two ways: in him laughing at the joke or success, as the case may be, or screaming in horror that we dare tell him "No" and enforce it.

He's just so adorable and hilarious; I don't know how life was ever complete without him.