Owen

He can be such a little tough guy and yet so sensitive and sweet. He can fall hard and get right up and then comes to my side of the bed in the morning and gives me a gentle kiss and says good morning mommy. All you have to do is look at his face and you smile. He always tries his hardest and he loves to be with his sister and brothers. His laugh is contagious and his smile makes you melt. He has a mind of his own and lots of passion when things don't go his way! Love you O!

Confidence

We had an ice skating birthday party the other day. Ryley and Joey have become really good and Owen is getting better and better. TJ has only gone a few times but improves each time he goes, even if he only out there for 3 minutes!. Joe went to the bagel store the other day. He had a cute story when he came home. Apparently, at the party one of the little girls was having trouble skating. She told her daddy that Joey Dargan came over to help her and show her what to do. Joe looked at me and said "of course he did." I have a feeling that Joey D is going to have his daddy's charm.

Proud mommy

We belong to our town pool. It's fun and we always have a great time, but we often like to just do our own thing. Sometimes I like it to be just us. I like to watch the kids play together. Yesterday we met up with Heather and her son Drew at her pool. My kids love Heather. Ryley explained to me how much she loved Heather. That turned into a conversation about good friends. I want them to know and understand what a good friend is.

We had a good time at the pool as usual. The Dargan kids have fun doing anything. At the pool, in order to go down the slide, you had to pass a deep water test. The kids didn't mind giving up the slide for the day being that we were only there for a day. After some quality pool time, Joey and Ryley informed me that they wanted to take the test just to see how they would do. The lifeguard told Joey he had to swim 2 laps in the lap pool and it had to be freestyle. I figured oh well, I guess maybe next time since he usually only swims underwater. Joey looked at me and the lifeguard with his daddy's confidence and determination and said "OK". He jumped in the water, swam the 2 laps and finished with a smile. I held back tears in my eyes for being so happy and proud of him. Once Joey was finished, Ryley who was a little nervous, jumped in and did the same. She too finished with a smile and once again I held back tears. I was so proud of them. I love their spirit. The same day, Owen decided to jump into the deep water for the first time and swim to the side. That was a big deal for him. He was so proud and it was adorable. TJ was perfectly happy floating in the little section. He could care less about the deep water right now. He is very proud to float around and do his cute little water dance that he always does. I had a very proud mommy day.

Good friends

The boys of summer!

Joe and I are very blessed to have such an incredible family. We feel extra blessed and lucky to have such great friends in our lives. Not everyone has that. Frank and Tracey were visiting from Texas so we all met at Jake's house. I remember the days of meeting up at a bar in Hoboken. Some were still dating and there were no kids. We brought some money and a license and we were all set. There are a lot of fun memories. We are creating new memories now which are even better and more special than the old ones.

We sat around the deck with a glass of wine and watched all our kids play together. Ryley bonded with Leah right away. Ryley is always surrounded with boys so she was all smiles to have another girl to hang around with. It was wonderful to hear the sound of 13 kids running around barefoot. Playing baseball and catching fireflies was a highlight. It was innocent fun. Good friends for many years watched their kids form friendships and have just as much fun as we all had together.

Reflect

So today is my birthday. I am 39 years old. It's sounds weird to say that. I don't think anyone my age wants to get older, especially since this is the last year in my 30's. I have noticed some more wrinkles and maybe some gray hairs have come in. I am one of the first ones up this morning. I sit here on the deck with a cup of coffee and just smile. I have a wonderful adoring husband sleeping inside whom I love more than anything. I have a beautiful, sweet daughter inside who puts a smile on my face everyday. I have 3 handsome, charming sons inside who make me melt. I even have an adorable puppy who brings lots of laughs and happiness to our home. I am exactly where I want to be. At 39, I am wiser, more confident and more proud than I have ever been. I may be a little more tired at times but, hey! 4 kids and a puppy can do that to you. Plus, I am not a sit around kind of mom. I always want enjoy the day and take my kids on adventures. I still have lots of energy! I will embrace 39. Here's to another exciting year!

Joe, Ryley, Joey, Owen, TJ & Hobson - thank you for all being who you are. I love you guys all so much. You make me so happy.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday America! I have always loved fourth of July since I was a kid. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my birthday was the next day. I always thought all those fireworks were for me. I still like to tell myself that sometimes. It always makes me think back to summer as a kid. Now that i have 4, I want my kids to have that same free innocent summer feeling. Our day started off with a long breakfast. There is nothing better then sitting around the table and talking. There was no agenda which is even better. 4 kids and 4 water guns makes a pretty exciting way to start off the day. We headed to the pool in the afternoon. Ryley, Joey, Owen & TJ love the water. It makes me happy and proud to see them swimming. Ryley fearlessly jumps off the diving board. Joey and Owen have learned to swim under water and I finally got TJ to put his face under the water!

Our night would not be complete without fireworks. It wasn't fancy. We parked our truck in a parking lot and watched from afar. It was all we needed and the kids loved it. TJ almost made it to the grand finale but he is 3 and just couldn't keep his eyes open.

It was a great way to spend the day!

Just happy!

I am so proud of these guys. I am so filled with love and happiness. I am so happy that it's summer!