Trenton's Fourth Birthday

My big boy is finally four.
We've been saying three-and-a-half for a looong time now.
He's 4 in so many ways...
- Finally can reach the sink and wash his own hands
- Still needs help with the 'getting ready and out the door routine'
- Loves to watch TV, discover insects outside, and read books
- Says sweet things, asks for hugs, gets embarrassed, can be shy at times...

But then, at other times, he's bad-ass.
We were very happy that the snowstorm that passed through our area was FINISHED by the time Saturday rolled around. I ended up pushing his birthday party back a few hours... but it gave us more time to enjoy opening gifts in the morning together. Above, he's some kind of GI Joe dude; below, the NEW game. Score!


We rented out the clubhouse for T's party, which was smart, considering we had 25 kids there. Bean bag tossing, basketball hooping, bowling, block breaking... you name it, we had it. Below, the kids test out flying their paper airplanes. Trenton enjoyed this part of the party the most-- that's all he kept saying he wanted to do-- "Fly my airplane!"


First attempt at the limbo... it took four adults to get them in a line and around in a single file each time... But they clearly loved it!

And what party would be complete without the pinata?

The theme this year was Dinosaurs and Volcanoes. I think it stemmed from when he chose the pinata at Target back in December... then he told me he wanted FOUR volcanoes on his cake. Which I, of course, did. With a little help from some mini-funnels and a whole lotta frosting.



Ollie's eyeing the cake... Everyone else got cupcakes from the grandmas to eat. Delicious!

The Bluesteens made a quick weekend trip up to help us celebrate. They were at Trenton's first birthday party, too! As you can see from the picture above, it is time we stop producing children. Either that, or buy a bigger table.

The kids had fun playing in the snow in the backyard. They do play really well together-- the big ones watching out for the little ones. Shairna even got on her snowpants and took Ollie out (he hated being put down).
We spent the rest of the day on Sunday opening gifts. Thank you to EVERYONE who helped at the party and who gave thoughtful, generous presents to Trenton. He received some home-made cards that he absolutely cherished (clutched them to his chest and said, "That's so neat!") He ran around in his new light-up Hulk mask, played dragon babies with Daddy, read some new Tag books, built things out of Legos, and fell asleep tonight one happy kid.
Happy birthday, buddy.

Looking at Snow, Thinking of Summer...

Here we go again.
We had rain in the early morning hours, then big, fat, thick flakes of snow. Then little snowflakes, which made me think, "Alright! This is almost over!"
Now we have the flakes the size of a few frosted flakes stuck together.
BLAH.
#1 Trenton's BD party is on Saturday... if it doesn't stop significantly by then, they won't let us rent out the clubhouse, and I'll have to get thinking on what to do.
#2 Tomorrow is Pajama Day in T's class. They're supposed to come in with a stuffed animal (he wants to bring Baby Mike and Mr. Met) and a blanket, and in their PJs, of course. Movies and popcorn-- sounds fun! Here's hoping that they can have school tomorrow...

On to the good things, though. And they certainly are GOOD things. Just have to wait for WINTER to be OVER before we can enjoy them ;)

#1 Jim's been asked to present a poster of an abstract he submitted to the IUHPE World Conference this July. Yes, WORLD conference, which means it is international! This year, it is in Geneva, Switzerland. I'm so proud of him-- lots of work into collecting and processing data. He's asked me to come along (!) and the Bluesteeens and my mom and dad have graciously offered to watch the kids for the week or so that we're gone. The plan as of now is to fly into Geneva a few days before the conference begins and travel around a bit... maybe to Bern? Closer to the Alps? All comments from Geneva travellers are appreciated! I'm sure you'll read more on this from me in the future...

#2 I've been accepted as a mic wrangler volunteer at the 2010 BlogHer conference! Basically, it's one of the premier events for female (and a few male) bloggers out there. Last year, they were in Chicago. Just about every blogger I follow (see links on the side of this page) was there-- and I got to read about their expereinces in their own blogs. This year, they are going to be in NYC in August! They put out a request for volunteers to work registration tables, blog about events, or be 'microphone wranglers'-- in exchange for free registration to the conference! So, I wrote in my application about how I work out regularly at the gym ("I'm quick! I can sprint! I'm agile! Watch me put a microphone in front of a speaker's face!") and how I live nearby and could totally be counted on for helping out, yadda, yadda. Anyway, I'm psyched about being able to be involved-- I get to attend workshops and sessions for FREE!

Trenton took some pictures today with his camera. If I find time soon, I'll add them to this post. Otherwise, know that I'm not blogging too often due to the fact that my class is eating up much of my free time. Sorry! You'll definitely have pictures from T's birthday celebration this weekend, though.

Snow, SNOW, SNOW!

He's Baaack!!!

Valentines Day in Philly

So. After waking up at NINE AM in the hotel room (thank god for blackout curtains!), we decided it would be a pity to not visit Philadelphia on Sunday. My parents have the kids until Monday morning (!) and we had no real plans... Jim had been in Philly a few months back and eaten at this awesome Ethiopian restaurant, the Almaz Cafe. He wanted to take me back so that we could try it out together-- and we did. I had a potato soup and home-made hot chocolate and he had the vegetarian sampler. As we ate, we read over a local entertainment guide and decided to walk to a nearby chocolatier. Because, you know, that's what people do on Valentine's Day!

These pictures are from inside Max Brenner, the fantastically amazing chocolate place we found! They had everything-- chocolate drinks, chocolate soups and appetizers, chocolate desserts... Although they were packed and people were waiting for tables, we scooted right up to two open seats at the bar. Below, you have a look at "The Golden Heart", described as "A warm chocolate cake filled with a double layer of pure chocolate and rich creamy caramel. Served with toffee bananas, a side of caramel sauce, and Dolche de Leche ice cream topped with chocolate fondue." Jim enjoyed a hot dark chocolate drink.
Oh my goodness, was it delicious.

The whole restaurant was really neat-- lots of modern touches and neat tubes that "carried" the chocolate from these huge spinning vats to the dispensers above (think Willy Wonka). Turns out there is a location in NYC; may need to hit that one up next time we're around...

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Philly... Jim was nice enough to allow me to drag him along to H&M and Urban Outfitters (where someone may have found a few awesome sweaters...) It was sooooo nice to be able to try on clothes in a dressing room without a double-stroller filled of chatty boys...

When we got home, we were greeted with this:
As the snow melts from the roof, it drips down and has completely covered our Rose of Sharon plant and rosebush. Here's hoping we all last through the winter...

Andrea and Adam's Wedding

I don't think I've ever seen a happier bride.
Seriously, she was absolutely glowing! The smile didn't fade all day long.

Winter weddings are special, especially ones that have a backdrop of newly fallen snow!
Above, Andrea waits in the (stretch Hummer) limo. Below, she's escorted down the aisle by her very proud father. An hour later, Adam and Andrea walk down the aisle as husband and wife. LOOK at that bouquet!!!

Walking Down the Aisle from Sheryl Konopack on Vimeo.

The Collingswood Ballroom was a beautiful place to hold their reception. We dined on crab cakes, healthy veggies, and delicious wedding cake! And then we danced like maniacs for the rest of the night. Andrea was on the dance floor the whole time. Special requests included "Jersey Girl" and "The Hokey Pokey", as Adam is a Virginia Tech alum and that is their SONG!

I included the last picture so that you could see my hairstyle-- I thought it looked like a box of ribbons! The curls stayed in for the next day, too ;) It was definitely a treat to have a weekend away from home (and kids) with my husband and friends.

Andrea's sister-in-law took the above shot of us getting ready... I swiped it! Thanks, Deffie!

Congratulations, Adam and Aunt Red!!!

Ahhh, Valentine's Day

Thinking of love on this Valentine's Day.
Here's a splattering of songs to get you in the mood. Some are T's favorites, some are mine... Fields of Gold was our wedding song!
All should get you in the mood for luuuuuv.

Congratulations to Adam and Andrea, wed on 2/13 !

BLiZzArDS of February, 2010!!!

In case you haven't heard, we've gotten a lot of snow in the past week.

Let's see if I can give you a rundown... it started snowing on Saturday, 2/6 and then stopped by Sunday... the above pictures were taken on Sunday, I think... or maybe Monday before school?

Then it started again late Tuesday 2/9 night... on and off, mixed with rain Wednesday morning, then BLANKETED snow for the rest of the day. Today is Thursday-- no school again (for Jim and T) and time to dig out.

Playing outside in the Feb. '10 snow... from Sheryl Konopack on Vimeo.

I created a slideshow at the bottom of all the pics from both storms. The one below deserves to be highlighted, though. Trenton is standing atop the enormous mound of snow created by the plows at the corner of our street. Too cool!

Kitchen Table Playtime from Sheryl Konopack on Vimeo.

Winter

I meant to put these pictures up earlier this week, but I'm just getting around to it now...

See what happens when you force your kids to clean up?



Santa brought window markers for the boys. They wash up pretty well with Windex and so long as you don't write on the couch, they make for a pretty cool toy. Something to do inside on a cold winter day...

Boyz are hooked on Daddy's SuperSmoothies. I know he puts honey, vanilla yogurt, whey protein, spinach, frozen berries, and maybe some soymilk in it... They drink it.

Will go and take more pictures now of the BLIZZARD!

Party Like It's 1992!

What do you do when one of your oldest, bestest friends throws a 31st birthday party with a 7th grade dance theme?
You hit up your friends for ideas on how to dress like it's 1992!

Kevin decided to celebrate his 31st birthday as though it was his 13th birthday... which would put him in seventh grade! He rented out a room at Gossip in the city and we secured a babysitter (thanks, Mom!)... Bus runs every hour from our town into the Port Authority... and we had a great night out!

Above, Kevin and his boyfriend, Joel, pose in front of the makeshift backdrop. Prom, anyone? They had slap bracelets as party favors and the featured drink at the bar was called "My Parents' Liquor Cabinet"-- a very sweet mix.

We need to give appropriate thanks to our wardrobe coordinators-- my friend Laura and my brother, Len. The mullet wig was Len's (from Halloween) and Laura (who was just finishing college in 1992!) had lots of nice, vintage-1992 pieces still in her closet! And her husband had the vest that Jim was rockin'... Folks say that I looked like a more mature Blossom.


Kevin had a "Seventh Grade Quiz" as well as a "How Well Do You Know the Faces of 1992" trivia game. The winners are above... yeah, that's me, holding up my prize: My Cousin Vinny! I scored a 100% on the quiz but won for Best Costume. Ha!

Happy Birthday, Kev, and thanks for a great night!

Ollie's First Haircut

It had to be done.


I'd said before that I didn't want to cut his hair... that I liked it long... but that when people started mistaking him for a girl, I'd consider it. Well, it happened the other week ("Oh that's Oliver? I thought he was a little girl!")... so I made Jim get out the scissors.

I figured we'd get him all set in his chair, Elmo on the TV, and lollipop in hand, just like I used to do with T. Lollipops can get sticky with hair, didja know that? Ollie was a good sport, though, and tolerated Jim's cutting. Just over the ears, a bit in front, and a bit in the back.
I, on the other hand, was not very supportive. I believe I stressed Jim out a bit.


But he's my BABY! And he has gorgeous hair!
Once you start putting shoes on them and cutting their hair, they are no longer babies.
They're TODDLERS.


Thankfully, still as cute as a button.