Celebrating making it through the day

The boys are quite...rowdy. Active. Crazy, even. They enjoy body-slamming and pushing each other, putting each other in headlocks, etc. It rained all day, so we were stuck inside (after a fun weekend outside). And that seemed to put the boys in a tizzy. Winston would steal toys and books out of Charlie's hands. Charlie would come crying to me, saying "Take!" (which was him saying that someone took something from him). Then I would chase Win down telling him to return the contraband, but he thought this chase was a fun game. Then Winston would steal from Wesley and Wes would fight back and someone would end up tackled on the ground crying. Then someone else would stand on a chair and start the microwave or shove all of their magnets under the fridge (and out of reach for good) or crawl inside the oven and dishwasher. So it was a fun day.

So after the boys went to bed, we celebrated getting through the day with champagne. And folding four loads of laundry. Welcome to our world:

GeGe and Uncle

We had the pleasure of a visit from GeGe (Rob's Granny) and Uncle Raymond last week. The boys loved their time with a great grandmother and great uncle! Highlights of their trip (besides playing with the boys!) included a visit to the New Paris Bakery (a favorite from our old neighborhood), a trip to the park (complete with each of us following a toddler boy on his outdoor adventures), playtime on the sun porch (first time this year) and a wonderful meal out!

This meal out was monumental for us! (We have only taken the boys out to eat a handful of times, and it has been months since we have done so.) The boys were so well-behaved! They drank out of straws and they dipped their food in ketchup (Charlie even started "painting" with his ketchup fry)! And to top it off, all thanks to GeGe, the boys held our hands as we walked to the car. This may sound like nothing to most parents, but when you are outnumbered with three the same age, you don't get the chance to just walk down the road holding your child's hand. They were so proud and excited to just hold our hands and walk to the car! So all this is to say, we're hoping to make this a weekly family meal out.
The boys remembered a game with Uncle Raymond from January: they would look in his shirt pocket and pull out (and put back) pieces of paper!

They also loved playing with his hat
Wesley

Winston and Uncle Raymond

Wesley, Daddy, Win, Charlie, Uncle Raymond and the luckiest dog in the world (Julep)

Charlie

Wesley, GeGe, Win and Charlie

Charlie and Wes in the ball pit

Win, Charles Raymond, Uncle Raymond and Wesley

Classic Wes

All the boys have a wonderful sense of humor, but Wesley has an impish side to him. He is a ham. This photo is classic Wesley. Here he is, chilling on the chair, wearing Daddy's hat, flashing that sweet little pursed-lip smile. He is often the one that is running back and forth, from room to room, clearly cracking himself with whatever he is doing (wearing Daddy's hat that covered his whole face, wearing a bowl on his head, or dancing). And then he looks at you out of the corner of his eye, with a quick little raise of his eyebrow, and upturn of his lips, to let you know that you're in on the joke with him.

In other Wes news, he just started saying "Charlie" today. (Apparently, the name Charlie is easier than the "w" sound of Wesley and Winston.) It sounds a little like "Cha-dah". It's adorable.

What a week!

This week has been a doozy. We started with a foot of snow, making us housebound for 2 days. Winston then started with a runny nose, which turned into a fever, and was quickly passed along to his brothers. The boys seemed like they had finally stabilized, so Saturday night, Grammy & Poppy came over so Rob & I could have a date night. We drove into Boston and saw Slumdog Millionaire (first movie we have seen in over a year!!) and then went to our favorite tapas restaurant. It was wonderful! But when we returned, we learned that Charlie had taken a turn for the worst. He woke up screaming, so I slept with him in the recliner all night. And I use the term "slept" very, very loosely. He's had a fever of 101 for the entire weekend, but this morning was the first chance we had to take him to the doctor. It turns out he has a severe ear infection in both ears! So he is on antibiotics and lots of tylenol.

The upside of last week was that Charlie started to say his own name, as well as his brothers' names! It is the cutest thing!

Before they all got sick, the boys enjoyed parading around the house in Daddy's t-shirts...

Wesley, Charlie and Winston

The boys enjoy making each other laugh

Bird watching