Happy Halloween!

Its Halloween!!! Which also means tomorrow is November!! Crazy! The kids are very excited to go trick or treating later today. We are going in Clarendon Hills with Kelly( its a tradition that she joins us...talk about a being a good aunt to my kids)Alex loves going down there because there is a street that totally decorates 100%. Its pretty cool!
Alex has his Halloween parade and party at school today and then when he gets home we are hopping in the car and heading out. Rob is going to meet up with us later, hopefully in time for some trick or treating...if not than for pizza at Phillies. I can not wait for all the cute pictures of the kids in their costumes...as well as the sugar crash they will have later! Hope everyone has a fun time trick or treating!

Another week

Another week has come and gone...and this time it flew by. You would think that with having 2 kids in school ( one only 2 days a week) my days would move a little slower but they really don't. I guess having a almost 2 yr old (yes,I said it..and can you believe it?) still keeps me quite busy.
Since it is almost Halloween Zach had his field trip earlier this week and his Halloween party on Thursday. Alex has his on Monday. They will do a costume parade around the school and then have a party in his classroom. He was also given Mr. Moose to bring home this weekend. It is a stuffed moose that one kid gets a week when they show they are respectful,responsible,and always trying their best. He will go back on Monday along with a note of what Alex did with him this weekend and a picture of them. ( picture to come later)
Other than that the week was normal. Errands, laundry,dishes, cleaning,errands,more laundry,more cleaning,more errands etc...I think you get the point.I can not believe that in a few days it will be November and then dare I say Christmas will be here before we know it! SCARY!!!!
As for now I am glad the week is over. I thought we were going to have a pretty chill weekend but once again plans are piling in. Oh well maybe next weekend!

Boo in the Zoo

Another year of Boo in the zoo has come and gone. I love going every year and so do the kids. Of course we do not really look at many animals because the kids are having to much fun with the activities and parks...which is fine. They have the power wheels for kids to drive, and fisher price tent with toys for kids of all different ages, face painting, corn maze and characters walking all over. It has become a tradition for us to go with friends and just let the kids go nuts and this year my friend Lisa and her son Colin also joined us. Hopefully they will join in our tradition every year! I went through pictures last night and her are pics from the last 5 years from Boo in the zoo...my how the kids have grown!
Alex in 2007
2008
2009

2010<



2011

A Quiet Friday Night

That's right it is 7:45 at night and my house is SILENT!!! When you have kids, especially 3 very busy very loud kids the peace and quiet does not come easy or often so I love these nights. Alex is sleeping at Robs moms house tonight. I am sure by now he is knee deep in about 700 Legos building something amazing. That kids imagination is HUGE and when it comes to building and inventing things he is all about it.
The little ones have both been in bed since 7. I let Zach skip nap knowing he would be exhausted come 7pm. And since I woke Addie up early from her nap to head to Lori's house I also knew she would pass right out tonight. Plan worked great and now Rob and I get to enjoy a quiet night without being interrupted. So now I am off to make some cheese ravioli, maybe bake a cake later and watch some kitchen nightmares with my hubby!Tomorrow starts another busy weekend full of friends, baby showers,shopping and a trip to the zoo along with a baby shower for a old highschool friend! Hope everyone enjoys their night and their weekend!

Birthdays are coming up...

See these 2??? In 3 months they have their birthdays. Zach will be four on January 17and Addie will be 2 on January 18th.It is crazy to think that time has gone by so fast. And to make it even crazier in 5 months Alex will be 7!!! I'm pretty sure I will be getting gray hair soon!!!

My obsession...

Have I ever told you about my love for Bed Bath and Beyond, Michaels and Hobby LObby??? Seriously I could spend hours wondering the stores, coming up with projects and figuring out just what appliances we need and why. Or why we need new bedding, or why it would be a good idea to redo my bathroom. I love these stores. I love being able to go to them without kids and just take my time. If someone handed me a credit card or blank check I could walk away with almost everything in the stores bought.
I would love to get so many new things and spice up my house a little. But then the little voice in my head also reminds me that I have three young kids, which means I have 3 times the chance of something being broken or messed up. Not to mention we are lacking in space as it is. But I figure once we move and have a house with more space we will start upgrading some of the things we have. And I will actually try to decorate my house instead of just hanging pictures all over.
I know the one thing I really want is a HUGE clock. Why?? I have no idea. I just think they look really cool. I almost bought one in clearance a few months back,but talked myself out of it. I am sure it would be something people would talk/ask about. Like why do you have a clock that takes up half your wall. But my answer will be because I want to and I can. Even Rob thinks it would be cool...and it is not often that we agree on things for the house. It is usually a pull between what I want and what he thinks we need.
As for Michaels and Hobby Lobby...well they are like a target to me. In that I mean I walk in for one thing and then spend more than I should because I just have to have something. Or I see something and it sparks a idea for a project for me or the kids. And their Wilton baking things..omg...I want to buy so many things and make amazing cakes and cupcakes since I love to bake..but I also dont want to have to eat them so I resist....usually. I go there for all my holiday decorating and little by little I am stocking up on things we will have for years.
Anyways theres the secret...my secret obsessions.

A walk around the lake

Today the little ones and I decided to skip the gym, enjoy the beautiful weather and take a nice walk around the lake. Zach and Addie both love running over all the bridges and finding the hidden spots that are for fishing. And of course they just love being outside and having room to run all over.
It is about 1.5 miles on the trail that we walk so I figure it still counts as a workout. Addie walked/ran about 3/4 and then sat in the stroll for the end. I think they both had a ton of fun and were defiantly worn out by nap time. (bonus for mom)

Its almost over!!!

Flag football that is!! We(well Alex) has 2 practices left and one game. Of course he also has his football party at the end of the month and then his banquet in November. I can not wait for it to be over. I love all the friends he has on the team, and how excited he gets for games, but it has been a LONG season. Not to mention a expensive season. If I had known how much money was going to go into this I would have waited. Not to mention the practices, games, and field days. It is just too much for these kids.
Anyone who knows Alex knows that he has endless amounts of energy. But between school, practice, games, and all the other activities during the week and on weekends he is exhausted. Which also means he gets moody. And anyone who knows me knows that I hate whining!!! So I am glad it is almost over. We will not be doing it again next year. Maybe when he is old enough for tackle and if he wants to play we will do it but not till then. And same with Zach..no flag football.
I think Alex would have liked it more if he could have been the quarterback. I mean the kids got a great arm. We know it, his coaches comment on it all the time, but in flag they don't throw. And most of the kids can barely catch. Its actually somewhat said. (Hi I'm super competitive and so is my kid) He wants to be the best and he gets annoyed when kids can not do some things he can. I wonder where he gets that from?? :)
For now we will enjoy the last 3 days of football and think about what sport/s he might want to try next. At some point I am hoping he picks just one and sticks with it, but I have no problem with him trying what he wants and seeing what he really enjoys.He defiantly got my athletic ability ( I know I am modest)so I think he will be big into sports as he gets older. I am just hoping that its not football! :)

Great Weekend!

Well we can check another busy weekend off our list..it actually started Friday night with a football game for Alex. The season is almost over but we still have his party and banquet. FYI...flag football is freaking expensive!!!!
Saturday we headed to the fire department for the open house, something we do every year. Next year Addie will be old enough to really enjoy it but the boys love it. Zach loves firetrucks...Alex is somewhat starting to outgrow the fascination with them, but he still loves to go and climb in the trucks and dress up.

After getting our free hotdogs (another perk for going) we headed straight over to Catigny for their Fall Fest. The place was packed. They had about 4 different moon jumps for the kids, face painting, pumpkin decorating, scarecrow building and a bunch of other stuff. So we let the kids run around and play and then waited for what felt like FOREVER to get the face painting done for the boys.



We headed home for some quick naps for the little ones and then had some friends over later Saturday night for some drinks and conversation.
Sunday was another busy day spent with my Sarah and Elle and her nephew and my 3 crazies while the guys golfed. We let the kids run around ty warner for about 2.5 hours and then headed back to Sarah's for lunch and more playtime...and a nice afternoon cocktail for Sarah and me. ( Much deserved...we had 5 kids all day ages 6,4,3,3 and 20 months!)
Since there were no naps for the little ones it was a early bedtime for them. It was another very busy weekend for us but a fun one.

Warning....bad attitude!

Here is a warning to all parents with kids under the age of 3. Beware of the attitude. Oh it happens. You might think the teeible 2's are bad..just wait! Wait until you kid is in school and tired from long days. Or until fall comes and it gets darker earlier so he can not play with his friends as long. Or until they boycott nap for a couple days and then it catches up to them. I could go on and on but the attitude it sucks!!!
And I know that all professionals will say kids are testing their boundries so you have to stick to what you say so they know their limits. I get it. I get being tired and crabby. But man sometimes I just fear for when my kids are teenagers.They are stubborn. They will fight for what they want. At times they will throw a fit when they do not get it ( I actually find this kind of funny...I mean really I said no already and you thinking throwing a fit will make me change my mind????)
I am glad that they are willing to fight for what they want but sometimes i just want them to realize that no matter how hard they fight they wouldnt always get it. Its a hard life lesson especially when you are 6, 3 or 20 months. Hell at times it is hard at 30.
Kids can be so cute at times ( I think God makes them that way for a reason) and they can be the most frustrating things ever! Alex is at the point where by the end of the week he is TIRED!!!Between school, football, and friends he is exhausted come Thursday or Friday. And when that kid is tired you better watch out. There will be attitudes, sometimes tears, sometimes yelling (both him and us) (yes I yell at my kids and fyi ill yell at yours if they are misbehaving). I get it hes tired. But really??? No one warns you about these moments. About the moments where you just want to grab a beer and sit in the bathroom for 5 minutes of peace and quiet. But I am here to tell you they happen. And they SUCK!!!!But they will pass and teh good will outway the bad....most days! :)

Remember Alex???

I feel like I haven't gotten any pictures of Alex lately. Between school,football and his social life ( yes I said social life) he is hardly around. SO this past weekend we heaaded out to 3 different parks, let the kids run around and I was able to spend time with Alex and get some pics of him! Enjoy!

I Have a Dream

I have a dream....

That one day I will no longer have to change dirty diapers

That one day I can leave the bathroom door open and not have to worry about someone playing in the toilet

That all my kids will sleep until at least 11 am on the weekends

That I can walk through my house at night and not step on a train, car, truck or any other kind of toy

That when my kids are tired instead of being crabby or whiny they will just go to bed

That one day when I clean my house it will stay clean for longer than 5 minutes

That one day there will be no more sippy cups in my house only to be lost and found days later

That the day will come when my kids start doing their own laundry

That one day we can leave the house and not worry about having a babysitter

That my kids will figure out the rules are there for a reason not because we are trying to be mean

That one day everyone will be able to dress themselves, tie their own shoes and put on their own coats...which will make getting out of the house much faster and easier

I have a dream...that one day all my kids will be respectful,kind,independent adults and will realize all that we have done and will do for them