I’ve had a couple of folks, including Anna, point out to me recently that our photo archive for the blog has become enormous – roughly 9,000 photos starting from December 2008. Let’s put that in perspective: We are taking an average of 7 photos a day, every day, year round. Amazingly, that number is probably under-counting, since I don’t always pick up the photos that Chelsea, Nick, and Anna are taking with their cameras. (I’m scheming to change that through the use of some techie magic; stay tuned.)
Digging through the archive in search of treasure has become a bit of a shared adventure for the family. As you’ve seen before, my favorite thing is looking back and getting reminded of the amazing transformation that Nick has gone through. This picture, for instance, is from a bit less than three years ago, looking every bit a little boy:

And here he is at Easter, looking like a young man:

Maria and Anna are changing too, of course, but I don’t find the transformation nearly as dramatic with them yet. To judge from Nick’s appearances in the photo archive, I think we’ll see it with Maria over the next two years.

I realized I had meant to post this pictures with the full write-up on Anna’s First Communion… here are some smiling Kings for your Wednesday:

We got three out of six Kings for the big day, which is about right.  My own family has reached that stage.  If you see all five of us in the same place, we’re either asleep in our house or picking up one of us from jail.

It’s hot in the city today – going up to 90F/32C or hotter as I write this.  It’s hot in our house, it’s hot in the office, it’s hot everywhere.  So to cool off, I thought we should take a look back at a much chillier day, from one of our recent Winters of Epic Snowfall:

Considering that I just spent several hours mowing and trimming the lawn yesterday, it’s surreal to look at all of that yard blanketed with snow.

Stay cool, everybody!

This weekend we kick off summer in the US with Memorial Day weekend.  I’ve been in a summertime frame of mind all week, reminiscing about our big trip out West last summer.  Yes, and maybe daydreaming a little bit about my glorious nap schedule on that trip.  Here I am waiting for a geyser near Old Faithful:

And caught again napping on the job in the Badlands:

I find that I’ve been doing very little napping since then, because my schedule generally won’t allow it.  However, the experience of that trip gives me hope that some day I can be a snoozy old man.

Happy holiday weekend!

I have lamented in these pages before about my youngest and the way she mugs for the camera.  Does it ever stop?  No:

When I look at these pictures, I imagine her doing the same thing on her wedding day.  Sigh.

“My mom just graduated from college.”  I’ve been working that phrase into conversations at every opportunity this week.  And why not?  It’s amazing! 

Nearly ten years ago, my mom marched into Manor Junior College, sat for the first multiple-choice test she had taken in decades, and started working her way toward this moment.

She is now a practicing nurse. 

Working with babies, just like she always wanted.

She now has a bachelor’s degree.

Our original family of four now has seven college degrees among us.  And I’m not sure that we are done.  (Well, I think I’m done.  Mom and Kate might keep charging onward.  I keep telling Kate, Doctor Sperger has a nice ring to it….)

We’re all more proud than we can even say.  Great job, Mom!

I think the best part of her journey is that my kids have been able to watch and learn: It’s never too late to go after what you want.  Isn’t that a fine lesson at any age?

We’ve got a truckload of graduations happening in these parts for the next few weeks.  First up was lil’ sister Kate, who earned her Master’s in Education.

It was a beautiful Thursday evening, so this one was planned for the outdoors and went off as planned.  Here’s the original Fearsome Foursome gathered together to celebrate:

Honorary Sister Jacky got in on the action too:

Uncle Herb even made the long trip from the Abbey:

And no graduation would be complete without the newly-minted graduate staring resolutely into the future:

More to come!  Many, many more.

We took about a dozen of these pictures, and it turns out the five of us are not capable of all looking in the same direction at the same time.  C’est la vie.  Here we are:

Happy Friday!

Now, back to more recent events.  Our girl Anna made her First Communion the Sunday before last.  I’m still – still! – collecting up pictures, but here’s a look at Anna with her very proud great-grandparents:

More tomorrow!

Okay, one more from the trip.  Here is a set of bunk beds I spotted in a shop window in Amsterdam:

Would that not be the COOLEST ever if you were a kid?  Between the playgrounds, the bunk beds, and the moments I observed of families around town in Amsterdam, I think life is good for Dutch kids.