A Holiday for the Generations

Four Generations of Four Boys and a Girl gathered for the holidays this year with ages ranging from 23 months to 84 years old.  

It was truly wonderful to see the holidays through the little children's eyes particularly since the youngest family member is really starting to embrace the holiday events.   

Mom and Dad received a wake-up yell from the boys at 7:30 am anxious to head downstairs to see what goodies Santa had brought them!  Hmmm...I think the girl was anticipating there would be a lump of coal in two little boys stockings, but it seems the jolly old fellow was rather tolerant of misbehavior this year.   True to form St. Nick had finished the milk and cookies the boys had left for him and he left behind lots of goodies for the entire family!  

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Four Boys and a Girl

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Holiday Traditions...

Every family has its holiday traditions and our family is no exception. One of ours is our holiday photograph. Each year all four boys and a girl subject a photographer to the torture of trying to get a yellow lab, two small children, the boy and the girl to look in the same direction and smile at the same time.

Life's about compromise and our family photograph is no exception. Needless to say not everyone is smiling or looking in the same direction, but believe me when we tell you this was as good as it was going to get.

To help facilitate our family tradition each year we draft one of our friends to take our family photograph. For some reason our first photographer immediately moved to New York after the holidays and our second photographer just moved back to the UK mumbling something about therapy . Hmmm...either this is simply an odd coincidence or the experience really is that painful.

With the relocation of our dear friend Lala back to the UK, we're now left an immediate vacancy for a family photographer. Perhaps we'll hire a professional photographer next year. Not! What good are traditions if you don't follow them? Any takers? :-)

Happy Holidays,

Four Boys and a Girl

Holiday Shopping Advice for Boys

Shopping during the Holidays for the Girl(s) in your family can be very stressful.  Selecting that perfect gift can be tricky, but now there's an instructional video to prevent us Boys from ending up in the dog house!  Boys spread the word...

Cheers,

Four Boys and a Girl

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Christmas tree selection at the Four Boys and a Girl household is major event.  The annual event commences in late November with the family trip to the local Christmas Tree farm.  November?  Yes believe it or not the month of December has been extended to include the last two weeks of November in our household.  

Before you begin thinking all Four Boys and a Girl have completely lost the plot please take solace that there is indeed a method to our madness.  Selecting and reserving the perfect tree takes time my friends.  The Girl chairs the selection committee and the senior Boy is in charge of tree dimensions.  Tree dimensions? Over the years debate regarding tree dimensions has become almost legendary in our family.  Girl seems convinced that 9 foot pine will fit in a home with 8 foot ceilings.  To date Boy remains unconvinced...

(2008 update - to her credit Girl selected a perfectly sized tree this year!)

Once a suitable evergreen is selected and reserved our happy troupe departs vowing to return the second week of December to collect our beloved symbol of the holidays.  

Happy Holidays,

Four Boys and a Girl

Life is a bowl of cherries after all!

Growing up my father always told me that life was not a bowl of cherries. I guess it was just his paternal way of preparing me for life's little challenges. Dad's philosophy also applied to one's chosen profession. Work wasn't meant to be fun or they wouldn't have called it work he was fond of saying. Of course that statement was always followed by, "Son life is not a bowl of cherries!"

I remember thinking during my collegiate years that my days of fun were numbered and that I was doomed to a life of servitude post graduation. That probably explains my attempt to prolong what I thought was the inevitable by immediately enrolling in grad school after receiving my B.A.

However one not to easily admit defeat, I chose to apply my education to a non-traditional career in the scuba diving industry. I still remember trying to explain to dad what I'd chosen to do. I find myself years later still trying to explain to people what I do.

Amazingly enough for the past 21 years I've made a living managing people, who manage people, who evaluate people, to teach people to blow bubbles underwater and yes I'm still having fun just as the picture taken near Puerto Aventuras, Mexico suggests. My apologies to my dear departed father, but life is indeed a bowl of cherries after all!

Cheers,

Four Boys and a Girl

Time Outs aren't just for kids!

Boy meets girl on scuba trip in Key West, fall madly in love and now years later the family has grown to include four boys and a girl. With the addition of three boys to the clan the opportunities for the boy and girl to enjoy the very sport that brought them together have been elusive.

Thanks to some very understanding and supportive God Parents (Pam and Johnny - you rock!) the boy and girl were able escape to an undisclosed tropical location for a long weekend of diving, long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners. Four dives, three dinners and several walks later we sit in the airport ready to bid adieu to our tropical escape vowing to return sooner rather than later.

Adult Time Outs we've concluded are a healthy thing. They allow parents to recharge their batteries and return home with a fresh perspective. We can't wait to see our three boys in a few hours.

Cheers,

A Boy and a Girl

We'll never have to lie to our boys...

November 4th was a historic day for our family for several reasons.  Perhaps most importantly it made the sacrifices that our parents endured during the 40's, 50's and 60's in their struggles to achieve equality worth it.  John, Lois, Barbara and James raised their children to believe they could achieve anything they set their mind to.  However, as our youth slipped away it began to be replaced with doubt that our parents' dreams would be completely fulfilled in our lifetime.  Was it all a lie?  Would we as parents have to perpetuate the same falsehood to our sons?  November 4th changed all that.  We'll never have to lie to our boys about becoming anything they set they're mind to.  Can they one day become President of the United States?  "Yes they can."

Cheers,

Four Boys and a Girl 

All Aboard the Polar Express!

All aboard the Polar Express!  There's nothing more satisfying than watching your boys eyes light up at the prospect of riding the Polar Express and seeing Santa Claus.  

If you're ever in Arizona during the months of November and December and you have little ones we recommend you book your passage to the North Pole!  The folks at the Grand Canyon Railway do a great job brining your children's fantasies to life.  

 www.thetrain.com/polarexpress/

All aboard,

Four Boys and a Girl

Truly a Grand Canyon

Three boys and a girl journeyed to the Grand Canyon this past weekend.  (Cayman stayed back to watch things at home)  A good time was had by all, although mom and dad were kept quite busy keeping the two youngest boys a safe distance from the canyon edge.  

November is a great time to visit this part of the Arizona and the weather was absolutely brilliant.  Crystal clear blue skies and mild temperatures made hiking the south rim of the canyon quite comfortable.  Hopefully when Marcus and Colin are a bit bigger we'll actually hike down into the canyon.  

Cheers,

Four Boys and a Girl

Welcome to our blog!

Dear friends and family,

Welcome to the testosterone filled ramblings of Four Boys and a Girl. Inspired by our Swiss friends the Monachon's we too have decided to join the internet blogosphere! Check back regularly to read about the adventures and misadventures of the one girl (Shelley aka Mom) and her boys (James, Colin, Marcus and Cayman)

Cheers,

Four Boys and a Girl