Seven Months

Today marks seven months since we arrived home with Krem and Hirut. In so many ways it seems like we have come light years from that remarkable day. Yet in other ways, it still feels like we are adjusting to life with 5 children. There are still challenges we are working to overcome. Here is an update of what's been happening since our trip to Maine... to round out the summer and start fall...

Forest participated in a kids Triathlon with friends, swimming 250 yards, biking 2 miles, and running a half mile. They had a blast! Stephanny, River, and Forest are also participating in fall soccer league, and we are enjoying watching their skill improve as the season progresses. River has become quite the goaltender and it's great watching Forest flash around the field.

We had a wonderful trip to Quebec City, traveling with Nate's work and a very wide collection of people from around the world. It's wonderful that our kids get the opportunity to interact with others their age from around the world. And of course the accommodations are a treat as well. The city itself was such a great
surprise. I'm sure the locals get sick of hearing it, but it's like being in Europe, with magnificent old buildings, a castle, fortresses, cobblestone streets, and of course the French Canadian accent. To see more pictures of our trip, click HERE.

As busy as life has been, I did manage to get out for a real camping trip with River, Forest, and a collection of their friends. Meric O. and his two boys joined us. It just happened to be one of the hottest, most humid, nights of the summer. Even the least strenuous tasks left us drenched in sweat. Luckily, we were camping right next to Muddy Run creek, and every minute not setting up or sleeping was spent floating around in the water. As for sleeping, the kids did alright but there were two very dreary dads hiking out of the woods the next morning.

A couple of birthdays to report as well. Since soon after coming home in March, Krem has talked about his birthday almost daily. When the day finally arrived, he was so excited! He woke up to 300 balloons in the living room, and had a great day, complete with party, pinyata, friends, and a great cake baked and built by Stacey. He wore his sparkling 5 year old smile all day!

River turned 13 a few days after Krem's big day. It's remarkable, and a little scary, to think he will be an adult in 5 short years. For his birthday he had a party with 4 close friends, and we took a trip to the local haunted woods in the big RV for a night of fright and freshly minted teenage shenanigans. To teach him what being a teenager is all about, we ended the evening throwing pumpkins from an overpass onto passing semi trucks. OK, not really.

Nate's pal Matt H. was in town for their semi-annual ultra run weekend. As usual, it was a mad dash to fit in as many adventures as we could in 72 hours. This included fishing for Bluefish on long island sound, a night in Manhattan, a mad dash to Times Square for Gyros, and oh ya, the actual run itself, a 28 miler along the spectacular trails of the Susquehanna River.

School has started again - River is in the middle school (7th Grade!), Forest is in 5th Grade, and Stephanny is in Mr. K's 2nd grade class. Krem started preschool at Fairville Friends and is overjoyed to go to school 2 mornings a week. Hirut is currently enrolled in "How to stop trying to bite your siblings in 3 easy steps" but is just barely passing. Next week we will start her in "How to not have a fit when someone takes something away from you that you should not have had in the first place."

Most recently I took Stephanny and Forest to a Philadelphia Eagles game. Despite the loss, they had a great time cheering on the local team. Check out the VIDEO.

Overall we are still adjusting to the chaos of 5 children, but one thing is for sure - we will never suffer from boredom. This VIDEO is just a sample of what you might see on any given day in our house.