Countdown has begun!

Its official! In a little over 4 months I will be 30 *gasp* that's right I said 30! I don't know how I got so old so fast! The other day I was thinking about when Rob and I got married and how he was 25 and I was 26 ( that's right I am a cougar) :) And its seems so young. Really it was only 3.5 years ago but it seems like we were young!
So now that I am coming up on the big 30 my friend Jen and I have started to plan the greatest 30th birthday bash EVER!!!!!! We know we are going to get a suite downtown at either trump towers, Hilton or maybe somewhere else. Jen has said she would make and bring food for everyone (thanks Jen) and now we just need a theme. I really hope this is a fun night for everyone without being to expensive! I have also decided to make a list of things I want to do before I am 30. SO far I only have a couple!
1. quit smoking ( I know my mom is happy about this one)
2. walk a 5k/10k
3. lose at least 40 lbs ( I've already done 10 )

That's all I have but I am sure I will think of more!Anyways that is all for now! I am sure as we come up with more birthday plans and it gets closer I will update everyone!

New routine

Well the past 3 days have been crazy for us but I think everyone is finally getting on a "normal" schedule as we get use to our new routine. With Alex in kindergarten now we are going to the gym by 9:30 am! That's right I said 9:30am! The earliest we have ever gone is 10:30 and trust me that hour makes a HUGE difference. I do not mind since 3 days out of the week I am up by 6 for a 6:30 class in the morning, but Alex has been having a rough time.
I've pretty much let hims sleep in for the past few months which means he has also been going to bed late so 8:30am wake up calls are hard for him. Yesterday he got up okay, and did well at the gym and school, but I caught him trying to nap on the couch at 4:30 and 6:30 last night.
I thought for sure he would pass out early.... WRONG! So this morning he was a little harder to get up even though I bribed him with a donut! And he was NOT fun to be around all day and sadly this was also his short day in school so he was home by 2:50. It was a rough afternoon to say the least, but on an up side he was passed out by 9 pm tonight.It was awesome to have such a quiet house and be able to just hang out with Rob without being interrupted a million times!
And tomorrow Alex is starting a free 2 week trial of karate classes so that will also be thrown into the mix. Hopefully he enjoys it and the classes are not too expensive so he do that regularly, but we will see. He is very excited for it, and I think it will be a good way to wear him out!

Its Official!

I offically have a kid in kindergarten!



He was not nervous at all! Thats my guy! We took a family trip to drop him off and once he was in the classroom Zach wanted to sit and stay as well. He wants to be just like his big brother!



I'm am heading out to pick him up soon and I am sure he will have a lot to say about today and I can not wait to hear what he thought of school. Pretty soon I will have all 3 in school, but for now I will enjoy them while they are little!

Last weekend

Well this was offically the last weekend of summer for Alex, since he will be starting school tomorrow. And it was quite a fun, busy, exhausting weekend. Yesterday we took a family trip to the mall to do some shopping for Alex and get him a couple new outfits for school. I think we all know how anal I am about how my kids dress, and I am sure he will be one of the best dressed all year long.
When we got home I jumped in the shower and headed out for a moms night out to have some drinks, food and good conversation. It was great to catch up and have a evening with adults. My friend Jen and I also made a couple stops and a few freinds houses after for a few more drinks and conversation.
Today Rob and i decided to take the boys swimming. Since the outdoor pool at Lifetime will be closing soon we figured we did not have much time left. The boys had a blast and since Addie was the only baby in the infant center she got A LOT of attention. Of course being as cute as she is people usually flock to her anyways. :)
The kids are worn out and Addie is sleeping. Zach will be asleep soon since he is about to go to bed and hopefully ( fingers crossed) Alex will crash early as well. Its been a fun weekend but i am read for Alex to start school tomorrow and this brand new chapter in his life. I know he will love it and I will blog all about it tomorrow!

Zoo

Yesterday I met my MIL at brookfield zoo to spend the morning/afternoon together with the kids. It was Addies first time at the zoo and I was so excited to get some cute pictures and be able to post the on the blog.
The place was insane because apparently it was a free day for kids( note to self check next time before going) and everyone was there. All the indoor exhibits were packed, the parking lots filled,the paths slammed with people... pure craziness. But we still had a fun day. Normally it takes us about 3 hours to cover the whole zoo. Yesterday it took 3 hours to cover half the zoo.... no joke.
Addie sat in the back of the stroller eating some wheels and looking around and then eating some more. She did take a little cat nap but mostly just wanted to munch and look around. Zach sat up front and everytime we stopped he jumped out of the stroller and grabbed Alexs hand to walk to the fences/windows with him to see the animals. At one point I let Alex sit in the stroller while I strapped Addie to me. There is no better work out than having a 16lb baby strapped to you and pushing about 80lbs of children in a stroller that weighs a ton on its own! Anyways we saw some animals and did some face painting and all in all had a fun day. I also got some cute pics of Addelyn and of the boys together.
And now you are wondering why I haven't posted them. Well that would be because somehow I lost my camera. I am hoping it is in the stroller and will reappear like last time but we will see. If it shows up I will post pics... if not than I guess all of us are just out of luck for seeing my cute kids at the zoo yesterday!

Kindergarten

Well the count down has begun and we have 1 week until Alex starts school! My little man is so big now! As much as I am looking forward to him starting school, and me napping in the afternoons, I still can not believe it. It seems like forever ago that he was Addies age or even Zachs age. It is crazy to think he was just a little older than Zach is now when Zach was born. ( Did that make sense) ?????
I can not wait for him to makes new friends and get excited about all the stuff he is going to be learning to do. Write better, read better, projects, etc.... I am sure that he will have a blast and I know he will love being around kids his age all day. And I am sure when he gets home we will be hearing all about it for the rest of the night!
He will be taking the bus which he is also very excited about too. The first day Rob is taking off work so we can take him to school and pick him up but after that it is the bus for him. We are going to gap this weekend to go get some new clothes for the fall, especially since this boy is so tall and just wouldn't stop growing. I can't wait! I will also post a pic of him next Monday so everyone can see how cute he is with his backpack and new hair do hair all ready for kindergarten.

Playdates, swimdates and drinking dates

This is exactly what our summer has consisted of. Playdates/swimdates for the kiddos and drinking dates with our friends.
I feel like every weekend and some weekdays we have gotten together with one or more friends that have kids and either gone swimming or done some other form of a playdate. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love having my kids socialize with other kids while I talk to my friends. Really it is a win win situation. The kids run around and have fun, not to mention get worn out, and I get to have some adult conversation. Of course that conversation usually consists of talking about kids and husbands but it is still good.
I just feel like every weekend we are on the move from this place to that place meeting people and running errands and trying not to go insane or forget a kid somewhere. ( that only happened once, and my dad was at the house when Rob forgot Addie. Luckily Alex reminded us about her before we drove off to far)
And I do look forward to our drinking dates. I love having friends over or going out on a Saturday night and having a drink or 2 or 10 :) and unwinding. I love that Sarah has Elle and her and Zach are only 19 days apart so they play so well together. It makes everything so easy because her and Aaron can just come over on a Saturday night, kids can play than pass out and we can hang out. I love that my friends have kids around the same age as mine and hopefully the will be able to grow up together. Its so nice when all wives/girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, and kids get along so everyone enjoys themselves.
With fall coming the swimming will be over soon but the playdates and drinking dates will last forever! :)

Something else I learned today

Zach man really has NO fear. It is crazy!Maybe it is because I do not coddle my kids, or mayube it is because he has a big brother that he wants to be just like, or maybe it is just because he is awesome.....odds are it is a mix of all three. But I have never been around a 2 yr old that will do as much as he does.
Today I took the boys swimming. After SUFFERING all day in our house, with the ac off, sweating like pigs, I thought we could all use a dip in the pool. And since Alex can swim by himself he is obsessed with the water slides. So Zach and I went over to them to watch Alex. Mind you the pool is only 4 ft deep by the slides, but that is a foot taller than Zach. So as Alex went down the slide Zach jumped off the side. ANd I do not mean jumped and I caught him so he barely got wet. No not my kid! My kid likes to jump in, go under the water and then try to kick his legs to get back up. Now of course I catch him, because well he is 2 and can not swim, but I do not grab him until he is under water, and he LOVES it!He was running and jumping over and over and over again. At one point I turned to look at Alex and Got hit in the head by my 2 yr old who figured he did not need to be caught. ANd even though most kids would freak out he laughed and said that was great!
Moral of the story he has no fear! And that scares the hell out of me!

what I learned today

If you ever decide to buy new windows do not do it in the summer when it is 10,000 degrees outside. Since there is no point in running the ac while having windows put in we have been suffering in a 85+ degree house all day! It is horrible, I am dripping sweat and the kids are going insane. Hopefully this will be done soon because I can not wait to jump in the pool!

How expensive are kids????

I read an article the other day about how having only 1 kid is the new thing these days, especially with this economy. And I understand that kids cost money, but when I hear or read about what people spend I think they are crazy! This woman said that she has 1 toddler and spends 100 bucks a month in diapers! That is crazy! I spend maybe 80 bucks, if that and I have 2 kids in diapers. I mean hello you do not have to have pampers or huggies. With Alex we could only use pampers cruisers because everything else would give him a horrible rash. With Zach he is good in any diaper and Addelyn seems to be the same way.
Also with formula I used similac for all my kids, but when Zach was 6 months I switched him to Meijer brand because we read the back of that and similac and they are EXACTLY the same. And Addelyn use to spit up a lot and meijer brand is the only thing that curbed that. Another cost cut. Instead of paying 22 bucks for a can I pay 11.
As for clothes I am somewhat anal about what my kids wear, but I only buy on sale at gap. I refuse to pay 30 bucks for jeans for my kids but I will pay 10. And I know gap clothes hold up really really well. Zach's has almost all of Alex's old clothes and will continue to get hand me downs. Another effective cost cut.
Oh and daycare! If you want to save money do a in home daycare. A kindercare is about 250 a week for newborn. I was paying less than that at a licensed in home daycare for both my boys to go 50 hours a week. Usually in home daycare is a hundred bucks cheaper than a kindercare type daycare. If you pay more than 150-175 for full time in a in home you are getting screwed! And you can easily find licensed ones through the YMCA. Another great way to cut costs if you have to work.
I understand that some people may want only one kid, or are unable to have another kid but I really think it is best to have at least 2. I think kids need siblings, they need a playmate. They learn to share better, they learn that they are not always going to be the only one to get attention but they are loved just the same. Now I do know some people who grow up as only children and they did turn out just fine, I am not saying they wouldn't. But I could not imagine having just one. Would it be easier, sure. Would it be cheaper, of course. But I love watching each of my kids grow up and develop their own personalities and if I had just 1 I think I would be missing out on so much.

Goodbye Summer

Well summer is slowly coming to an end with school starting in just a couple of weeks for Alex. So the next few weeks are going to be crazy a we try to crame in everything. Hopefully another trip to the splash pad, some more days swimming as well. I also want to do a picnic with the kids, although I know they will just want to play and not eat. I am hoping we can fit a trip to the zoo in because we have not been in so long. It is the one thing I have not done with all 3 of the kids by myself.
As much as I love summer I am looking forward to the fall weather. To the walks to the park on weekends and after dinner. To being able to be outside all day and not be sweating like crazy. To Alex being in kindergarten and making new friends, learning to read, write better etc.... I also want to find a new sport for him. Either karate or basketball, but we will see what he chooses.
Of course I know the next few months will fly by and before I know it Addelyn will be 1 and Zach will be 3. I should start figuring out their party and getting some ideas since I will do a joint party for them. Makes sense since their birthdays are 1 day apart. I know good planning on that one huh? It really seems like once the fourth of July comes and goes the months just fly by. This time next year I will have a 1 yr old, 3 yr old, 6 yr old. Two kids in school, one full time, one preschool. And of course my little miss will be in gymnastics! I can not wait!
Well hopefully we can get everything done that I hope to before school starts. We will see. I of course will post some pictures!

Happiest Baby EVER!

All 3 of my kids have been very easy going. Alex was chill but had his hold me and love me moments since he was the first born. Zach we called out Buddha baby because of how calm he was and still is for the most part. But my Addelyn Noelle.... man she is the easiest, happiest baby ever. She will just hang out every morning with me. She loves playing on the floor and scooting around. And she only fusses when she is hungry. And it is not like she starts crying she just kind of makes a angry noise and then goes back to playing. And she will do it every couple minutes until you get her. She goes down for a nap or to bed for the night extremely well too. I do not think there is another baby in this world that is as happy and easy going as she is! I love love love my little miss!O love my boys as well but she is my favorite 6 month old for sure! :)