Farm Fun

Last weekend, all the farms in our county had free tours and wine tasting (which we, of course, did not take advantage of). We are so fortunate to live so close to the country and also close to the city. We can see a mix of different scenes and it's wonderful! We went to an alpaca farm. I thought the kids liked it while we were there, but as we were leaving, I had the following conversation. G: "Mom, I don't ever want to come to this farm again." Me: "Why?" G: "All they had were those Alcapocos and some goats. They just stood there. Like, come on, where are the real animals?" Gotta love the enthusiasm.

The Nation's Capital

We had some family friends visiting from Iowa last week. We had an opportunity to take in all the sites of our nation's capital. It was nice to do the tourist thing for a while. Sometimes we take for granted how close we live to all these neat things. We haven't really taken the kids much because it's usually too crowded and a lot of walking. The kids loved it. We were able to go to the Air & Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the White House, Washington Monument, and some other places. Since there were so many pictures, I decided to do a slide show. Hopefully, this will entice all of you that are far away to come visit us!!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Potty Training?

I have to apologize in advance for the potty picture. M is going to kill me 16 years down the road when she knows I did this. However, at 18 months, she is starting to tell us that she needs to go poo poo and pee pee. The other day, she told us she needed to go #2 while we were changing her. We tried to put her diaper back on, but she refused. We then asked her if she wanted to go in the potty, and she shook her head yes and started laughing. We brought her in there, and she actually went! We were so proud of her. This is the earliest any of my kids has done this, so we are shocked and crossing our fingers that the progress will continue! I'm also going to add a cute normal picture of M with her brother to balance it out...that will take away some of my guilt for posting a picture of her on the can!

Another Birthday Party

Spring must be a popular time for birthdays! We've been to a gazillion parties in just the past few weeks. Here are some pics of the kids at our friend Josie's party at a ballet studio. G was the dragon and was supposed to scare all the princesses. He was all excited about it, but then when it came time to do it, he didn't have it in him. I'm telling you, the kid is way too nice for his own good. We had a great time!

Boys vs. Girls

In the Moran household, the girls out-number the boys 3-2. We often remind them of this when we decide what we want to do as a family :) A few months ago, someone gave us an old Playstation. The boys can't keep their hands off of it. In order to keep some control over the video game madness, we set a rule that they can only play it on Friday nights when we don't have anything else going on. Believe me, if it weren't for that rule, they'd try and play it every night! So on the nights the boys are having their tag team racing car game, the girls and I had piled in my room and watched a chick flick and had some popcorn. Sometimes, during these nights, you can hear chants from one end of the house to another...G: "Boys rule, girls drool." T: "NO! Boys drool, Girls ROCK!" And the battle of the sexes has already begun!

Our G-Man Turns 6!!!

Our G-man came into the world as a tiny little peanut, weighing 5lbs., 4 oz. He now weighs a whopping 56 lbs. and lifting him is almost impossible. Time has flown by so fast. I still remember him wrapped up tightly in the hospital basinet. We were absolutely clueless about parenting. He was the hardest baby by far, but the boy he has turned out to be makes up for it! This is a shot out to our G-man, who turned 6 last week. He is the most easy going kid you will ever meet. He's always concerned about making sure everyone is happy and taken care of. He is a loyal friend. He is one of the most giving people I know. We love our sweet, sweet boy. Happy birthday, G!

Here are some pictures of his party. Every year, I vow not to go down the path of parties at home. It takes so much to clean before it, plan it, prepare all the food and activities, and clean up afterwards. Every year, I get suckered into doing another party at my house. It was tiring, but the joy I saw on his face as he was playing with his friends made it all worth it. We had a jam-packed and tiring day, which started out with a baseball game in the morning, then the party with G's friends and then a party with family later that evening. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we couldn't ask for a better party, despite the exhaustion.

G had a baseball themed party...are you surprised?


Some of the gang, having a blast...
Right before the baseball pinata... Fun on the moonbounce... M enjoying some cake...
Sharing some hugs with cousins Katie & Cameron

What a day! We all slept well that night!

First Hair Cut from Mom

T's hair was looking a little rough. Since the weather's been warmer, I wanted her to get a refreshing new cut. In the past, I had taken her to a salon to get it done and she loved it. She is a girl that loves to be pampered. So this time, I thought we'd make a girls day out of it and go. She was all excited until we walked through the door and fear set in. All of the sudden, she got really scared and started crying and said she didn't want to get her hair cut because the scissors would hurt. I even tried to bribe her with nail polish, but it didn't work. Today, I used a scare tactic. I told her that if she didn't get her hair cut, the police man will come and cut it (I know, I was getting a little creative there). Then she asked if he'd cut it to look bald like her grandpa. I said yes, and that did the trick. She wouldn't go to the salon, but she would let me do it. I was a little nervous because I've never cut hair before. I think I did okay...no mohawks, so everyone is happy!

Fishing at the Pond

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. It got up in the 80's, which is rare for April out here. We took the kids to a pond nearby that has a trail that wraps around. We brought their bikes and let them ride around exploring. Their cousin Cam also came with us and it was a lot of fun. Although the kids didn't catch anything, they still had a wonderful time chasing turtles, frogs, and ducks. We definitely want to go back...

Time to Play Ball!!!

Spring baseball has begun and so has the chaos that comes with it! It defintely adds to the craziness of everything, but we absolutely love watching G play, whether it be at a game or just practice. He has come a long way since last season. He's on the Tigers and they won their last game by about 10 runs. I am thrilled that G has found a sport that he loves. I know this is a proud parent speaking, but the kid has some skills. He is the only kindergartner on his team, made up of mostly 7-8 year-olds. He doesn't miss a beat and is right up there playing with the bigger boys. The other day he was practicing with Cedric in the backyard and hit the balls so hard that they skinned these workers that were building a deck on the other side of our neighbor's yard. I couldn't resist taking some pics of his first game. Check out the stud man...

Being Too Quiet Means...

The other day T and G had some friends over. They were playing really well together, until I noticed that they were abnormally quiet. I later went up to their room to find this lovely artistic expression drawn on T's bedsheet. It was too cute to get mad at them. I guess I should have known that with a bunch of kids in the house, being quiet means they are up to something! Here's another picture of them all piled on T's bed, laying on top of the artwork, ready for a bed time story. Boy, they are lucky they have cuteness on their side! Does pen come off of sheets? I guess I'll find out...

April Fools

Every year, I try and get Cedric somehow on April Fool's Day. He thinks he can get by me, but I'm just darn sneaky :) This year, I had the kids in on it. We had to go to the pet store today to pick up something for the fish. On the way, we picked up this fake lizard looking thing. The kids filled the box up with grass, etc. to make it look real. When Cedric came home from work, I told him that the kids had talked me into getting a new pet. He believed it until we started hovering over it and I picked it up and it didn't move. I did get him...even if it was for a split second. I did get my grandma pretty good with it, though. To the point where I sent her running down the hall screaming when I put it on her shoulder. She screamed so loud that she made M cry! I love April Fool's Day...hee hee. Check out the pic., would you have been fooled?

All the Attention

G and T spent the night at grandma and grandpa's, so M had us all to herself. She absolutely loved the one-on-one attention. She has become quite the singer and dancer. It's amazing how she picks up on things. She will sing any time she hears music or any of us humming. I think we have an Idol contestant in training! I had to tape her doing her little routine...