Anniversary

Well last Wednesday April 27th was our 4 year anniversary. It seems much longer than that but it is probably because we have been together since I was 18. For those of you who are not good at math that is 12 years! Yikes, we are old! And we have been quite busy in the last 4 years. We have added Zach and Addie to our family, bought a house, Rob changed jobs, we took our first BIG family vacation, and I became a stay at home mom.
We never really do anything too big for our anniversaries. Our first one we went to Vegas ( okay so that is a little big) our second one we went to dinner, last year we did the same and this year we are going to the city for the day/night with no kids to do some shopping and just enjoy being with eachother.
Because of Robs job it is hard for us to spend any time together during the week. By the time he gets home 1 or 2 kids are sometimes in bed, and if the boys are both still up then he will take them to the gym for an hour or so. By the time all 3 kids are in bed we both want to relax which means I watch my shows and he plays his games. And even though we usually lay in bed and watch a show together at the end of the night it is hard to find time to really be TOGETHER and have a adult conversation that does not revolve around his job or the kids.
And as much as we love our kids, and our family, and like to do things all together Rob and I also enjoy when we get to be just the 2 of us. For anyone who knows us you know that we take a trip together at least once a year with no kids, just so we can have that time together for a few days. This year we went to Vegas again, which we love and now tomorrow we will do the city. And I can not wait! Not only do I get to spend time with my man but I also get to go shopping!!! And what woman does not like to shop! Especially since I am getting new shoes and we all know I love shoes!
All in all even though our anniversary was somewhat lowkey with watching a movie and eating ice cream it is still nice to know another year has come and gone and we are just as in love as we were the day we got married...if not more!

Easter

Well as we all know yesterday was Easter, which as well also know is a HUGE candy day for kids. Saturday night we dyed some eggs with the boys. They each got to pick their own set out so there could be no fighting. Zach picked toy story and Alex picked a stained glass one, which was actually pretty cool. It came with paints and a tube of black paint so you could draw a design and then paint it or write on the eggs. Zach did all of his ( i made them each 12 eggs) in about 10 minutes and was done, but Alex sat for about 1.5 hours doing his. And he made sure he made eggs for everyone that was going to be at Easter dinner. Yep hes a sweetheart.
We started off Easter morning with Zach finding some eggs before the other kids were up. Once he figured out there were M&Ms in them he was all about it. Once Addie woke up she figured it out pretty soon as well so we pulled Alex out of bed so he could join in the hunt. The boys loved it. The re-hide the eggs at least 5 times. Then they played outside all morning riding bikes and trying to build a treehouse with Alex's "girlfriend" Brianna. Early afternoon we went to Robs moms house for dinner. The boys played outside with their new toys there the whole time except while we were eating. They also enjoyed more candy since they each got another Easter basket and new toys there. Needless to say everyone was exhausted by the time we got home. The little ones passed out right away and Alex watched a show in our room and then passed out. Which meant it was a quiet night for Rob and me.
All in all it was a good Easter. And now my fridge is full of leftovers which means I don't have to make dinner for the rest of the week. I hope everyone really loves ham :)

Little White Lies

As mothers we all do it..we tell our kids little white lies. Which is funny because we also try to teach our kids that lying is bad. I do it, you do it, its a common thing. Most recently I told Zach one. He came into our room at 1 am the other night with his Thomas blanket and his Thomas bridge (yes the kid is OBSESSED with Thomas) and he told me that he could not sleep because there were monsters in his room. Normal 3 year old complaint. SO I let him lay in our bed for a little while I watched my show and told him that he had 15 minutes and then was going back to bed. When the 15 minutes was up he said he was still scared because of the monsters...here comes the lie. I told him that I had a special blanket in the linen closet that keeps monsters away. He was very interested in it. SO I grab a fleece blanket that Addie was given when she was born and told him that was the special one. He climb up on his bed and I put the Thomas blanket on him. Then he asked for the monster blanket so I put that on him. He was very excited that it would keep the monsters away. Little white lie. Of course he has no idea that it is just a blanket because he is 3 and will believe anything I tell him.
As mothers we make up these lies so that our kids can go to sleep or will do something they are asked to do. I do not think it hurts them and sure at some point they will realize that we have done it but for now it works. I am sure our parents did it to us and their parents did it to them. Being a mom means you have to think on your toes and come up with a solution to a problem quickly even if that means you might have to tell a little white lie.

Hello Doctor

Today was another fun trip to the doctor for Addies 15 month checkup and Alexs 6 year check up. Its always fun to see how much they have grown and my have they grown.
Alex is now 4 ft 2 inches (50inches)and still off the charts for height. He is also 55 lbs which means he gain 8 lbs in the past year!He also grew 3 inches. With his tall, skinny but muscular body I am thinking of putting him on a swim team. He loves the water, he loves to swim and he is built for it. Pretty soon no one will remember Michael phelps because Alex will have beaten his records! :)
As for my little Addie she is now 31 3/4inches tall and about 25 lbs. She is only 1/4of a inch shorter than Alex was at 15 months which means she might be tall like him. And hopefully she does not get too tall since she is going to be my olympic gymnast. Since January she has gained almost 3 lbs( chuncky monkey) :) and has grown almost 2inches. She is doing everything she should be doing at this age and then some. And like always I compared baby books of all the kids at 15 months and it looks like Zach is now the peanut of the group. Addie is taller than he was and about 3 lbs heavier than he was at 15 months, and Alex is still the biggest if the group. It will be interesting to see where everyone is when Addie is 18 months. I think with all the walking/running she is now doing she might thin out a little like Zach did but we will see.
As for the shots...Alex is done for awhile so he did not have any. Addie got 3 which means at 18 months she wouldnt need any. She has also figured out that when we go to the doctor she usually gets shots so my little drama queen gets upset just getting on the table. The boys never cared until the got shots but at 18 months they both did not really care about the shots. So I wonder if she will be the same way or if she will be just as if not more dramatic than she was today during her check up.One of these days I will make Rob take her so she can be mad at him instead of me. :) Overall my kids look perfect ( duh!!!) and everyone is growing like a weed!

No more babies!

Well since Addelyn Noelle is 15 months today she is officially a toddler. A walking, somewhat talking, opinionated toddler! Which means there are no more babies in this house.And there will never be a baby in this house again. At least not one that is mine!It is a weird thought to know that you will never be pregnant again, never be excited for that ultrasound at 20 wks to tell you the sex of the baby, never have that feeling of the first kick..and the many that follow.And never have the excitement of bringing a new life into this world.
But with all that said I still do have 3 beautiful and healthy children that love to keep me on my toes everyday. I don't even know if I would want another one right now. And if I did I wouldn't want to wait too long because I would not want Alex to to be too much older than another baby.Plus I don't want to be in my mid 30's and having kids. I love that I am a younger mom and that when my kids are off at college ( on full scholarships of course) I will still be young.
I love that my kids are all at the age where they can play together. I love that the boys can just go off and play in their room while Addie plays out in the living room. I love that all my kids can walk and I don't have to carry someone every time we go somewhere. I also love that they have all formed their personalities and although there are some similarities between them I can also see the difference.Plus I am excited to see what the future holds. To see if the kids become athletes,musicians,book worms etc...And to see how they do in school, the friends they meet and everything else that comes with being a parent and watching your kids grow. I love my kids and I love my life( most days :) )but I think a little part of me will always wish for just one more. However with all my prego friends I can just steal their babies every once in awhile and cure my baby fever! :)

My mom was right!

Yep, I said it. My mom was right. I know brace yourself, sit down, take a deep breath because we all know this does not happen often. Not my mom being right, but me admitting that someone else was. Here is what I am talking about.
When I was younger I had a friend that I hung out with ALL.THE.TIME. We did everything together and my mom always said there was something about her and that she did not think she was the best perseon for me to hang out with. Did I listen?? No. Of course not. Because when you are a teenager you KNOW everything and you live to prove your parents wrong. So I went about my days hanging out with this person thinking my mom was just crazy. Then when we were in highschool we basically had a falling out towards the end of senior year. We did not totally stop talking but you could tell that the relaionship had taken a serious hit.
We went off to collage and did our own thing speaking here and there. And as we got into our early 20's we still had, and do to this day, have mutual friends so we would see eachother every once in awhile and make small talk. Our relationship has never been repaired. We have both gotten married and had kids and have gone on living our lives, but we have also changed A LOT.
Back in the day I might have missed our close relationship, but now as I am 30, a mother of 3, and married to a amazing man, I really don't. She has changed so much that its like the person I once knew is not even there anymore. Sometimes I can believe how closed minded and judgemental this person has become. Not to mention what a hypocrite. We all have a past and we have all done things that maybe we are no proud of, but I can admit them. I do not hide and judge others for doing the same thing.I think that is called being mature.
Its funny how when you graduate highschool you think you are going to stay friends with everyone, and talk about getting married and raising your kids together, but then you go out into the real world and realize how wrong you were. I am lucky because my best friend from highschool is still my best friend today, not to mention an aunt to my kids and a godmother to my Zachy. My other friend that I was close to in highschool I am still as well. Even though she has moved out of state she has come to my kids birthday parties and is also a godmother to Addie, and also considered a aunt to my kids.
And as I have grown I have met other people. Everyone knows my old collage roomate and I are very close and can,have and will talk on the phone for hours. We don't get see eachother as often as we would like but we have a blast when we get together or just have one of our looong conversations on the phone. I have also met other people after having kids that I have become close with and consider a good friend. And my longest friend that I met when I was 9, yes thats 21 years ago(man we are old)I am still friends with as well. She has been supportive through all my pregnancies as I was with hers and we still see eachother at least once a month and also talk.
As for my mom being right she was. I look at this person now and realize that if I met her today I would not be friends with her. I realize that my mom saw something that I could not when I was younger and was not trying to be mean, but trying to let me know I was making a bad decision having this person as a friend. And I hope one day if my kids have a friend or 2 that I am not fond of they will understand that I am saying it for a good reason, not just because I want to be a mean mom. They will probably think I am an idiot and that they know everything like I once did, but hopefully in time they will also learn that mom is right!

Hello sunshine!

Today was BEAUTIFUL in Chicago so we went to a park in the morning, a bike ride in the afternoon, and then another park. Here is part of our afternoon. Hope everyone enjoyed the weather!

What a weekend!

Spring FINALLY hit Chicago this weekend and what a busy weekend we had! Starting Saturday morning we had to go to a open house to check out one of our preschool options for Zach. The kids, yes all 3 of them, loved the school, and had a lot of fun while Rob and I talked to the teachers. After the open house Zach and I were off to his frist gymnastics class. At first I was worried that he might be the only boy, but the class was about half and half. He LOVED it. FOr thos of you who have met my boys you know they have NO fear. Probably because ROb and I are not super anal parents and we don't coddle the crap put of our kids. We like to let them try things on their own. We are there to catch them if they fall but also let them know to get back up and try it again. And because of this our kids will try almost anything and I love it. He was loving the balance beam and the bars. Granted when he gets older he wouldn't do beam but its great for his balance and corrdination right now.
After gymnastics we were back to the preschool to pick something up and ran into my friend and he kids so Zach played on the playground with them for a little bit. Then home for lunch and outside we went. While Addie napped Rob and I cleaned out the garage while the boys ran around outside. Once that was done Alex and I had a couple races on our bikes. Once the little gril was up it was time for a big family trip to the grocery store. Always a fun and time consuming adventure.
After dinner and baths all the kids were worn out and passed out. Today Addie and I went to a tastefully simple party while rob took the kids to the gym for a couple hours. After he took them to McDonalds ( yes, we feed our kids McDonalds and guess what they are perfectly healthy!!!) to play around outside at the playplace. After we all got home and the 2 little ones went down for a nap Alex and I played a little baseball outside in the 80 degree weather. Yes I said it..80 degrees!!!! If the wind hadn't picked up so much I would have taken him for a long bike ride but I felt like I was going to get blown over just standing out there. So instead ROb took him to the driving range and mini-golfing and I cleaned the house while the little ones slept and no one could walk behind me messing up what I just cleaned.
By the time the guys got home it was time for dinner and baths and bed. Overall a great weekend. Exhausting but great. If only the weather was here to stay.

rainy days?? new toys???

So over the weekend I made dirt... for anyone who doesn't know what that is its basically chocolate pudding,whip cream and oreos mixed together.. not very healthy but damn tasty. Anyways whenever I make this we buy plastic cups so I can just put some in each cup and then in the fridge. So we always have cups leftover. Now in Chicago it has been rainy off and on for the last week and Alex had spring break last week and this Monday he also had off. The weather was crap, he was bored of being home, I was running out of ideas of ways to keep him entertained quietly while the little ones napped..and then we came up with this!!! Castle building!





We had contests to see who could build the highest, the fastest, the coolest..etc...And once Zach woke up he got into it as well and for awhile the boys would see how fast and tall they could build before baby terror aka Addie would come and knock them down. Moral of the story..if the weather sucks and the kids are getting restless grab some plastic cups for hours of fun!

Toys,Toys,Toys...

Yeah thats my house..toys everywhere!!!!Everyday I trip over at least one toy if not many. But even though we seem to have every toy imaginable we do have some favorites in this house.

1.Thomas the train...mostly Zach is the one that plays with these..he knows every train and will let you know if you call one by the wrong name. He wakes up and builds tracks and he goes to sleep after building tracks..and in his spare time guess what he builds tracks!Alex is getting a little old for these but somethimes he will build with Zach and play with the trains.

2. Wooden blocks- My parents gave us these when Alex was about a year old. They are actually the blocks I had as a kid and one of them has all of our names written on them. The boys LOVE them. Zach likes to use them to build tunnels for the trains or he will build the tracks on top of them so they are high up. Alex likes to build garbage yards for his trucks, castles and towers with these. And Addie is just starting to get into them.

3. Mega blocks- Another great building tool. We have also had these for about 5 years but seem to get more everytime I pop out a kid. The boys are not really into them anymore. Alex prefers regular legos and Zach prefers the wooden blocks, but Addie is all about them. Everyday there will be some point where she is sitting in front of the box pulling them out and buliding with them.

4. Trucks- Oh my the trucks we have..garbage trucks, fire trucks, street sweeper trucks,garbage trucks, diggers, bulldozers,farming trucks,dump trucks, etc...oh adn did I mention garbage trucks???? I swear I think we should buy stock in Bruder and Tonka. The boys..well they LOVE their trucks. And Addie..well she LOVES their trucks as well. Everyday you will hear trucks being drivin throughout our house. And when we go outside there are more trucks to drive out there. And when we got to the park there are even more trucks for the park. And amazingly with all the trucks we have at least once a day there is a fight over a truck.

5. Baby stroller. This one is mostly Addie. I mean she should have at least one girly toy right?? SO for Christmas we got her a stroller and baby and she loves it. She loves any stuffed animal or baby doll and will put them in the stroller ( not in the most gentle way) and push it all around the house.The boys also like to run around with it, but they have learned that if Addie wants it she gets it, and they are pretty good with that.

A few other favorites include puzzles ( thank you melissa and doug),boats in the bath, board games( mostly with Alex although Zach is starting to catch one)and books.

Thats the favorites in this house. What are your kids into?