Despite the pictures you see here, what happens when we put ornaments on the tree is quite different. Imagine four sharks at feeding time, wearing matching pajamas, each trying to push their way in front of the others. Except these sharks cry when they don’t get their way.

But the end result, a decorated tree and a glass of wine for SuburbanDaddy, always turns out well. Plus we have these seemingly calm memories captured on film to remember.

This long, long, long weekend I celebrated Thanksgiving. My Uncle, Aunt, and Grandpa came.  We watched Football. We watched the Packers vs Lions. The Packers won 27-15. We watched the Dolphins vs Cowboys. The Cowboys won 20-19. We watched the Ravens vs 49ers. The Ravens won 16-6 Ravens…9 sacks. 49ers…6 points. I also go a DSI and two games for it. I got Super mario bros. I also got MLB2K11. On Sunday I watched Football. I watched the Bills vs Jets. The Jets were losing 24-21 with 3:00 left. They had the ball in their own territory on 3rd down. I was so nervous until…

First down! First down again! Another first down! Another first down! Again a first down! Now it’s first and goal. Incomplete pass. 2 and goal…
TOUCHDOWN JETS! Then the Bills were in the Redzone with 0:15 left. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. The Jets win! 28-24!

We started early, before it was even close to dark, because there is just too much excitement to keep everyone inside. After a short time, Thing 4 returned to the house with SuburbanMommy to give out candy and I took the boys around the neighborhood. Here are some videos of the before, and a very tired Thing 3 after. My favorite part is the skipping Superman. We talked about the rules beforehand, and how we walk between houses, not run. Apparently, skipping doesn’t count as running.

Last weekend was apple picking with SuburbanAunt and SuburbanUncle and the SuburbanCousins. We only ended up taking home 10 apples that met our strict standards, but Thing 3 enjoyed the testing process.

This weekend Thing 3 played his third soccer game. And when I say played, I actually mean played this time. In the video, Thing 3 is the one wearing gray shorts and intentionally kicking the ball out of bounds. Why would he do that? Who knows.

Next was a small carnival that was in town. All three boys loved the bungee trampoline. I was actually surprised they all tried it. Thing 2 summed up the experience best with this short video.

On Sunday, we made our annual trip to Pumpkinville. Hay slides, tractor rides, moon bounces, a hay maze, pumpkin painting, petting zoo, and more.

Thing 3 chased a chicken. Poor chicken.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 climbed to the top of a hay pile.

And then they entered Fort Pumpkin.

Thing 4 is still too little for climbing with her brothers, but she loves the ring-tailed lemurs.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 were very excited to be at the beach.  Here they are bright and early our first morning, bathing suits on, showing off their booties.

Suburban Grandpa joined us for the first few days.  Here he is enjoying a game of Chutes and Ladders with Thing 3.  Note the glass of wine by his side.

Thing 3 normally walks around with little to no clothing.  But at the beach, it seemed to take on a whole new appeal for him.

With four kids, you don’t just get up and walk to the beach.   There is at least an hour of preparation, packing, applying sunscreen, with many false starts due to forgotten items, and then, finally, lugging all the gear across the sand.

Keeping Thing 4 on her nap schedule was not easy.  We’ve learned over the years to take advantage of nap times whenever and where ever they may occur.

There was a lot of boy bonding and surprisingly little fighting.

We all climbed to the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.  Well, all of us except Thing 4 who I carried to the top.  As if walking up 214 stairs in the brutal heat weren’t enough, try it with an extra 24 lbs in your arms.

Speaking of brutal heat, the temperature hit 110 on the deck of the pool one day.  The heat put a damper on some of our daytime activities, especially for Thing 3 and Thing 4.

At the the end of the day we took in the ocean breeze and a swing.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 played some mini-golf.

Probably the best part of the week for the kids was the daily ice cream.   We relaxed our dessert rules and often had it before, instead of, or as a meal.

Unlike the way he sleeps at home, it was no trouble getting Thing 3 to sleep.  He even slept in a bed with a blanket.

We were lucky to have Suburban Babysitter and her boyfriend join us for a few days.  He was a very good sport and let Thing 1 and Thing 2 bury him in the sand.

The drive back home is always the worst part of any trip.  It took 7 hours to get there but almost 9 hours to get back home because of traffic.  The boys took it well with almost no whining or complaining.  But by the 8th hour Thing 4 wanted O-U-T and the last hour was filled with crying.

Ten years seems like it was an eternity ago, but I can also remember like it was yesterday.

10 years. 4 kids. 912 bottles of wine. 106,719 diapers. 17 weddings attended. A few funerals. A little less, but more grey, hair. Dozens of trips, vacations, and shared adventures.

Here’s to many more decades of adventures. Happy 10th Anniversary, SuburbanMommy!

With three brothers ahead of Thing 4, SuburbanMommy wasted no time instilling important life teachings to her daughter. At just one year old, Thing 4 already has a genuine love for shoes. We often find her in the closet going through the shoes, walking around with them, and sometimes, putting them in her mouth (she’s one year old).

And now, she has also become very fond of Coach handbags. Much to the delight of SuburbanMommy who has never met a Coach anything she doesn’t like and has the closet to prove it.

And never wanting to be upstaged by his sister, Thing 3 is also partial to Coach bags.

Here is Thing 4, dressed in green, enjoying a ride on her birthday present from SuburbanGrandpa.

It had been a yearly tradition since Thing 1 was born seven years ago. But we skipped the last two years because one year we had two family weddings to travel to, and then last year with the arrival of Thing 4 it just seemed too much to take on while sleep deprived.

Luckily I have this website to remind me of the true nature of family beach vacations. There was this trip to Virginia Beach just months after Thing 3 was born. The following year we went to Bethany Beach, which turned out to be the tale of two trips. It was both the best of times and the “why the hell did I do this” times.

This year we’re looking at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It is just at the edge of the important 6 hour drive radius. That is the maximum amount of time that is possible to drive in a car with four kids without going insane. We have outgrown the ability to stay in hotels or condos, so the extra space and relative quiet away from boardwalks that is the Outer Banks seems like a good way to go. If nothing else, I should have some great blog material in a few months.

Then there is the dreaded stuff that has a million pieces which are scattered throughout the house by Thing 3 and Thing 4 and never to be found again, rendering the game/toy/puzzle useless. If you are one of our beloved friends or family who gave one of these gems, thanks, and expect payback someday when you have kids.

And while we’re on that subject, please, please don’t get us any more toys which make constant, loud, annoying, impossible to shut off, noises. These toys will have the batteries removed by the anti-Santa. Haven’t heard of him? He’s the guy who comes at night after the kids are asleep and removes batteries.

The worst part of all the new stuff each year is finding where to put all of it. It’s not like we had all this extra room a week ago. Drawers, shelves, and buckets are already filled to the brim with stuff. And now we have all this new stuff to find room for, most of which is crap, junk, broken, or forgotten already.

I’m considering a new “zero sum” Santa policy next year. For every present he gives he also takes an old one away of equal size. So you better be careful about how many things you ask for.