TJ's first haircut

I finally broke down and decided to get TJ his first haircut on Memorial Day. Eight years ealier on this day, Joe proposed to me in Hoboken and we started on this wonderful journey together. Life is a little different now, Here we are going through our last "first haircut" and married for almost 7 years!

TJ looks very handsome with his haircut. I guess it was time. His bangs had grown down to his chin and his hair started to resemble that of an old man's "comb over". You could see the "before and after."

The beginning of summer

The beginning of summer is bringings lots of excitement to our house. Now that Joey is done with school, we are just waiting for Ryley to finish so that each day will belong to us! Stay tuned to see an update on Ryleys big graduation from preschool! For now, we just continue our fun. The other day, we had a great day with our cousins. My Dargan clan took another exciting trip with Auntie Lauren. Those trips are always fun. We started off with a trip to Greenwood Farm where the kids had the opportunity to see and hold baby animals. Everyone had a great time, but I think TJ took it to the next level. He chased the turkeys and tormented the baby chicks. He was so cute. He had a smile from ear to ear. Ryley was gentle as always. She held a baby chick and even milked a cow. Joey was hungry the whole time as always but still enjoyed seeing the animals. He loved touching the baby chicks. Owen took a while to warm up and then towards the end, he was hugging and kissing the baby cow.

A nice lunch under a shady tree could have been the end of a great day but Auntie Lauren and I took it that extra step and headed to the beach and made the day even better. The cousins played in the sand and ran away from the waves and had a wonderful time. There is so much in life to enjoy. Sharing it with your family makes it even more special.

Congratulations to Joey!

I feel like I have not written too much about us lately but I should be because I have so much to say. We have been busy! How could we not be busy? When you have 4 kids that are 5 and under, you are always busy! The hot weather has set in and we are so happy. Ryley is filled with joy that she can wear a sundress every day. Joey and Owen wake up with such excitement every morning and can't wait to get outside. I just wish they understood that you can't really play outside at 6:30 in the morning. Maybe some kids can, but if you know my kids, they don't exactly talk or play quietly outside all the time. Most people I talk to get to sleep in until at least 7 or 7:30. Not me. I hear the door swing open every morning at 6 am and every morning they jump into my bed so excited. They just want to chat and find out what we are going to do that day. Every morning I beg for more sleep, but they cuddle up next to me with arms wide open and share big kisses with me and I somehow get the energy to start our day. I just wish I had a little more of their energy.

So what is new with us besides summer starting? Well, Joey finished his first year of preschool. Congratulations to Joey! He did great. We are so proud of him. His teachers told me what a good boy he is and how much they love him and are now going to miss him. I told Joe that and he said, "of course, he is a Dargan. I mean look at that face." Joey was proud of himself. He should be. He tried hard and he learned a lot. In his pictures, you could see the smile on his face in school. So I dedicate this blog to a great school year for Joey! We love you Joey!

No words

All I can say is how cute! TJ just loves his sister and brothers. I love this picture. Sometimes our best moments are when we are just hanging out at home together.

A day at the beach in April

I will definitely do anything or go anywhere with my kids. Some people think I am crazy or just don't know how I do it. I can't imagine not taking them to exciting places. I love to watch them learn and have fun. So once again, a wonderful Wednesday with the Dargan clan. We headed down the Garden state parkway to Point Pleasant Beach. There is a great aquarium there on the boardwalk. There is also just something about being down the beach. The air is different and I always have this free feeling. Apparently it has the same affect on my kids. They are big fans of being down the jersey shore. They loved the aquarium, but I think their favorite part was taking their shoes off and feeling the sand between their toes for the first time this year.

Boys day

We called Monday "boys day". Ryley had a sleepover at Grandmas on Sunday night and a sleepover at GG's Monday night. She loves her alone time to be with her Grandma and GG. Ryley has been enjoying her time and I have been enjoying my time with the boys. We certainly missed our Ryley though. We decided to spend our "boys day" at Van Saun Park. It is one of our favorite places. We started off our morning with a walk and then ventured to Van Saun. It is really cute seeing the boys together. Owen just wants to be next to Joey at all times and do everything with him and imitate him in every way. You could see how much Owen looks up to his big brother. You can also see how Joey looks after his little brother. Joey stayed with Owen at all times on the playground and made sure he was next to him. My favorite part of the day was watching them hold hands. It made my heart melt. They had a wonderful day at Van Saun. We later headed to the park near our house. Joey and Owen played, and I took TJ on the swings with me. TJ fell asleep on me on the swings. My heart melted a second time that day. That was my other favorite part of the day. Being a mommy is so rewarding!

First steps

TJ took his first steps the other day. This is going to be my last "first steps". It's bittersweet. He was so proud of himself and I was even more proud. Then of course I had tears in my eyes. My little baby took his first steps. I have now watched 4 of my children take their first steps. My fourth baby is getting bigger. I sometimes just want him to stay a baby. Sometimes I just want all of them to stay where they are, yet I am excited to see each of them grow. I always loved being pregnant. I loved my belly and feeling kicks. I loved being in the hospital and giving birth (maybe not the pain part) but bringing life into the world. I loved hearing "it's a girl" and it's a boy. Then you hold your baby for the first time and you just know what to do. You feel complete. I remember thinking "this is what life is all about." The love is so strong. That special bond you have is incredible. Now every time I hold Ryley, Joey, Owen or TJ, I still say to myself, "this is what it's all about. It's funny. Usually when one of my kids turns 1, I have another baby on the way. There is a part of me that misses being pregnant. On the other hand, I feel so lucky to have 4 beautiful healthy children and am happy to be done. It is now just time to enjoy them. They are very close together in age and I wouldn't change it for the world! It may be my last "first steps", but this is only the beginning of so many exciting days to come. I look forward to it all! Joe and I will have our hands full with our crew. I wouldn't have it any other way.