Brendan's first 5K

Brendan and his dad recently ran the Resolution Run 5k.  Woo hoo!  This was Brendan's first 5k (3.1 miles for you non-runners!) and he did it in 36:06.  Wow!  That beat my first and second 5k run times.  He got "the bug" from his Dad who has run a 1/2 and full marathon.  All the kids did a cumulative marathon this past summer, where you run the total distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of the summer (some more grudgingly than others).  It's been a great motivation to stay fit and healthy.

Way to go Brendan!

Cloth Diapers 101

The Alberty family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Della Rocca.  We've had a lot of experience in diapering (36 diapers a day!).  However, Kelly and Greg have decided to used cloth diapers...which we know nothing about.  Hence our Cloth Diaper 101 class.  

So, the girls broke out their baby dolls (yes we have that many) and Kelly brought the training supplies and we made a night of it.  Who knew cloth diapers could be so cute?  Boy, have they come a long way!  I remember those old cloth diapers...you know, that we now only use for burp cloths.  And how many times babysitting did I stick myself with those monster pins?  Fret not!  Those are no longer used...it is all velcro and snaps.  They make the diaper covers in adorable leopard print, cow prints, polka-dots, stripes, you-name-it.  And, as you can see by the pics, even a five year old can do it now!  

It was a lot of fun, mostly because we are all excited to have a new baby in the family.  We can't wait to try out our skills on a real baby!

Blaine, Brendan and Ann

Owen

Claire

Emma, Greg and Kelly

Wii love it!

              

How do you survive bitter cold temps in the teens and twenties with four small children at home?  Well, for the Alberty family, we challenge each other to a game of tennis, or maybe bowling.  I no longer challenge Owen to boxing because he is reigning CHAMP.  What am I talking about??  Last Christmas we got a Wii for the family.  On days like today (when the high is 20) I am so thankful we have it.  We went all summer without playing it but now that the weather is so cold, it is seeing a lot of action!  For those that haven't actually seen one or played one, please reserve judgment...I used to be one of those anti-video game parents.  However, after some persistence from the hubby (who really wanted it for himself and, oh yeah, the family), I caved.  Wow!  I have to say that this is a video game like no other.  The kids can do yoga and strength training on the Wii Fit.  They can participate in Olympic games, actually swinging their arms and jumping in the air.  They can box and bowl and play tennis.  The list goes on...and they all are active participation games.  Who knew?  And... it does often involve the whole family:-)

We have recently added Guitar Hero World Tour to our library (see above added photos).  It is too priceless to watch Claire sing vocals while the others are strumming the guitars and playing the drums!  

How are you surviving the winter?

Disclaimer: No, I have not been paid by Nintendo for this testimonial:-)

Soccer time!

Well we've added soccer to our list of ever-growing activities.  Owen has been doing soccer now for almost a year and has really enjoyed it.  It is the perfect activity for a high-energy 5 year old boy!  The other three have watched him play and began to express interest.  The up-side:  boy, does soccer wear them out!  Bedtimes sure are easier on practice and game days.  The down-side: well, another activity x4 adds up quickly!  Since we were already there for Owen though, at least it doesn't add another trip into town or time away from home.  Did I mention how cute they were?  They had their first practice this weekend.  Seeing the girls try to head-butt a soccer ball is priceless!  Brendan was a bit reserved going in (of course, we wouldn't expect anything less from him!) but ended up loving it!  Owen acted like the ole pro..."oh you mean the show and go"  or the "sting the bee"....hilarious!  I think they loved that their coach's nickname is "Donut" best though:-)  Good times!

Measure Up!

Two years ago we started a New Year's Day tradition of marking how tall the kids are on a spot on the wall.  The kids talk about it throughout the year and have come to anticipate seeing how tall they've grown, who's taller than who, and who's grown the most.  

This year's winners are:

Brendan- 51& 1/4 in.

Emma- 42&3/4 in.

Owen- 42&1/2 in.

Claire- 40&5/8 in.

Owen is the winner of the biggest growth spurt  at +3&3/8in.  He's closing in on Emma!

What New Year's Day traditions do you have??