Happy birthday to me!

Happy 31st birthday to me!!! OK, actually it was last Monday, but this week has been crazy so I'm just now getting around to updating. Even though I have mixed feelings about now being officially in my 30's, I had a wonderful birthday weekend.

On Saturday I got together with a group of my girlfriends from college and we went to a long lunch at a really cool downtown restaurant. We sat for almost four hours and just talked and laughed and caught up. Plus one of my friends brought her new baby, so I got some newborn snuggle time!

On Sunday we had our good friends and their kids, plus my parents (who were in town for the weekend) over for pizza and beer. The boys went crazy running around and playing and it was nice celebrating while we relaxed at home.

Monday was my actual birthday. I"m so lucky because S took both Monday and Tuesday off so we could spend time together, and so I could have a couple days of having a break. On both days he got all the kids up, fed and off to school while I slept in. Seriously, best birthday present ever. On Monday I spent the day shopping with my mom and then my parents babysat while S and I went out to dinner. 

(sorry these pictures are so blurry!!! My mom hasn't totally gotten the hang of taking pictures with a cell phone!)

We got home early enough to have cake and presents with my parents and the boys, and then stayed up watching movies. Like I said, it was pretty perfect!

A February Cali trip!

How was everyones three day weekend?

This is how I spent mine, so I'd say ours was pretty good!!!

We hopped in the car on Thursday and headed down to California for the long weekend. I have to say, at first I didn't really want to go. Life has been so busy lately that I was really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend at home. But as usual, I ended up having a great time and am glad we went.

Unfortunately, the three pictures above are the only pictures I took all weekend. I guess we were just too busy having fun! On Friday S and I left all three kids at home with his parents and went out for the whole night. We haven't done that since L was a baby! S got us a hotel room and we went to a nice sushi dinner and saw a movie, and then just hung out enjoying some quality time just the two of us. I missed my boys and couldn't wait to get back to them the next day, but it was really nice to have some alone time! The boys also did great without us overnight, which makes me feel better about leaving them in the future!

The rest of the weekend was just spent relaxing, enjoying the beautiful weather (it was almost 90 degrees!) riding horses, going to the beach, and seeing friends and hanging out with family. The boys love going out to Poppa and grandma;s house and we were all sad to leave this morning!

Back to real life tomorrow, although I'm taking a slight break from reality this week since next Monday is my birthday and I am a firm believe in the celebration of the "birthday week"!

Goodbye January!

I cannot believe it's the last day of January, where has this month gone? I feel like we have going, going, going nonstop!!

Anyway, here is a quick look at what we have been loving in this first month of 2015!!

Bunk Beds:

We finally got rid of L2's toddler bed and moved the boys into bunk beds. They love them! L thinks being on the top bunk is the coolest thing ever (it's it, BTW!) and L2 is loving being in his big boy bed! This setup also freed up some floor space in their room and we were able to put in the awesome Tepee tent that their aunt got them for Christmas. Basically, they now have the coolest room in the house.

Baby Bed head:

R's hair is finally coming in more, but it is exactly like L's was like at the same age! Super fuzzy and there is not a lot of it, but the child gets the funniest bed head!!!

Baby's in bathrobes:

Just because, is there anything cuter???

Baby's in beer boxes:

OK, I realize we are focusing on R a lot right now, but he is just so darn cute. I love this age. He is the sweetest little baby and he gets into everything and he loves exploring!

Successful Doctor visits:

After three years of L2 being the worst at doctors appointment, we have finally figured out the trick. It's all about bribery. Instead of waiting until the end of the appointment to offer him the requisite lollipop, I show it to him at the beginning and tell him the only way he will get it is if he is good and cooperative. He is now an angel at doctor visits. 

He also likes doing a little light (and upside down) reading in the waiting room!

Girls' Night Out:

My college roommate came into town from Chicago and we went out to dinner with a bunch of our sorority sisters. It was a great night of laughter, and stories and catching up. I love these ladies, and even though I don't see them as often as I would like I love that we can always just pick up where we left off.

Date Night:

After a much needed girls night, I realized that S and I also needed some grownup time away from the kids. A wonderful friend of my parents offered to watch all three boys while we went out to dinner at a nice steakhouse. Even though we are totally pizza and beer, sport bar, relaxed atmosphere type of people, there is something special about dressing up nice and going to a fancy restaurant. We order a bottle of wine and had fillet Mignon and talked about things other then our (wonderful) children.

We only stayed out for two hours, but it was two amazing hours and I think we both feel recharged and re-connected!

So that was our January! I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of February! We have Valentine's Day coming up, and I think we will probably take a trip out to California that weekend, and then it's my 31st (I mean 29th!!! Totally my 29th! 29 forever!!!!) birthday!!!

Kickball

We are back in sports season! We got a little break during the holidays, but now we are back at once a week practices and Saturday games! I love it, but I do think about how crazy it is going to be when we have three little boys all playing sports! Right now it is just L and it takes a lot of time!

But we love it! This season he is playing kickball, and so far he is having so much fun. Honestly, if you have a little kid that is about to start sports for the firsts time, kickball is the way to go. We started with Soccer and then Tball, but when L was just barely four I think the rules and everything else of those games were a little to much for him to get. Kickball is perfect, it is definitely what I want to put L2 and R in for there first sports!

Plus you have never seen anything cuter then a bunch of four and five year old chasing around a kickball. Half the time every kid on the field ended up running into the outfield to chase the ball…. including the kids on the team that was kicking!

Athletics have always been such a huge part of S and mine lives, and it makes me so happy that L seems to find them equally rewarding! 

Happy 2015!!!!

Wow, how is already nine days into 2015!!! Now that the holidays are over time is flying by and I feel like I'm still trying to get organized and catch up!

We really had a wonderful holiday season this year, and we were lucky that S ended up with a lot of time off! This has been our first full week back since mid-December and we are slowly getting back into the swing of things!

Let's see, what's been going on with us since Christmas? We had a nice New Years. S had to work New Years Eve, but he got off fairly early and we made steaks for dinner and even managed to stay up till almost 1:00 AM watching movies and drinking champagne…. quite a feat for parents! Needless to say, we were tired the next day, but we managed to get up and get moving and took the kids to see Night at the Museum 3. It's always a little hit or miss to take them to something that's not a cartoon, but they all did well and seemed to enjoy it.

The rest of the week and weekend was all about cleaning up Christmas stuff and running errands, and then on Monday the boys were back to school. It was a double edge sword having them home. I love spending the extra time with them, and we get to sleep in and take things a little slower, but they get bored and they would rather be in school. I think the only downside to them going back has been adjusting to getting up at 6:45 again! When they're not in school we all tend to sleep until at least 8, if not later!

I also got back into the swing with the gym this week. I took a lot of time off over the holiday, and I definitely put on a few pounds. I'm not happy about it, but I know I can work them back off and I'm glad that I relaxed and had fun over Christmas. (But I"m working super hard and I'm ready for them to be gone like now!!!)

Oh, and the most exciting thing that has happened!!! I have a brand new niece!!! My brother and his beautiful wife had their gorgeous baby girl on New Years Eve! The unfortunate thing is that they live in France, so I don't know when I will meet her. But the fortunate thing is, they live in France!!!  I think I need to start planning my trip!!

So, that's pretty much it. We're all just getting back to it. I do love the New Year though. I know it's kind of cheesy, but it always feels like such a fresh start. And it's 2015 guys!!! How crazy is that!?!

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2014

Another great Christmas is down in the books! Christmas 2014 didn't disappoint, and now that it's over I'm taking a moment to reflect back and appreciate it.

S and I stayed up late on Christmas Eve, wrapping presents, putting together the big Santa gifts, and stuffing stockings, all while we relaxed, drank eggnog and watched Christmas movies. Pretty much my idea of a perfect night! L's big Santa gift was a "big boy" bike, and L2's was a "big boy" scooter. R got a pretty cool V-tech suitcase toy that plays lots of super annoying amazing music! I was so excited to see their faces on Christmas morning: to see that Santa had come, and the cookies had been eaten and all their presents. It's not about the presents though, not really….. it's about the magic and the fact that when they come downstairs and see all those things that weren't there the night before they truly believe that something magical happened in the house while they slept. That's the moment I look for on Crhistmas morning.

And that Crhistmas morning magic? As usual, it was there in all its full glory. OK, it wasn't movie perfect, not by any means. L2 is not a morning person and was pretty cranky, and L was in full toy/present overload and R was more interested in trying to pull apart everyone else's stuff then his own. But we were together and carols were playing and I had a cup of hot coffee, and in all it's imperfectness, it  was a perfect Crhistmas morning!

We try to do stockings, then fill up our coffee, and then do presents one at a time, youngest to oldest. This is not easy with three little boys, but we kept it as calm and un-chaotic (is that a word?) as possible.

Of course, everyone got a ton of  toys. Like we need more of them, but what are you going to do? L got a lot of clothes, which he desperately needed since he's growing like a weed. Thankfully, he is still at an age where he thinks new clothes are cool too. I think all three of them were especially thrilled at the amount of candy and treats they got in their stockings!

I even feel like I managed to do good shopping for S, who is pretty impossible. He got a lot of camping stuff, new work shirts, a new beer making kit, and some other odds and ends. He is one of those people that really never wants anything so you have to find stuff he needs that is still fun to give as a gift. Plus I like buying him clothes, since he always looks so handsome!!!

After presents we put in the Santa Claus (another Crhistmas tradition) and made a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole an mimosas! Then it was time to head outside and test out the new toys!

L hopped right on his new bike, I was pretty proud of him. He took one tumble, but it mostly just scared him. And don't worry, he will be wearing a helmet. The one he got for Crhistmas just doesn't fit his big noggin so it need to be exchanged!

L2 wasn't as interested in his scooter, but I'm sure he will warm up to it! R, however, thought it was a great toy and spent the morning standing on it and pushing it around!

 We also got a wagon from S's aunt and uncle, so S put that together and gave the boys and one of our neighborhood friends a ride! I'm pretty excited about the wagon actually, I think it will come in handy at things like the kids sporting events!

Yes, it was a great Christmas. I'm always sad when it's over, but I'm also looking forward to a New Year and to getting back into our normal schedule. While it's nice to be spontaneous and give our schedule the heave-ho during the holidays, with three kids a little structure is a Godsend!!!

I hope everyone experience the magic of Christmas, and that you felt the love of family and friends as strongly as we did this holiday season!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Wow, it really feels like this Christmas season has just flown by! I can't believe tomorrow is the big day, and then it's back to normal life! It always makes me a little sad, when it's almost over, but I'm trying to just soak in every moment. Especially these few precious years I have where my kids are young and fully believe in magic and Santa and Elves on Shelves. It's a beautiful thing, to see Christmas through the eyes of your children and it definitely brings a whole new meaning to the season.

Today we went to our friends house for Christmas Eve brunch, and it was great to get out of the house, eat yummy food, relax and let the kids play.

While the grownups ate quiche and drank mimosas the kids ran around like crazy people, decorated cookies (and then ate them!) and played in the bounce house!

I love that we have such great friends right around the corner, and I love that my kids get to spend time with friends on special holidays, especially since our families aren't here!

After brunch we headed home for some much needed naps, and then it was time for Christmas Eve "dinner". This is a favorite tradition of mine from when I was a kid. We don't do a big dinner on Christmas Eve, instead we pull together all of our favorite snacks and appetizers and just snack the day/night away. I always make way too much food for just us, but when else do you have to opportunity to put all your favorite foods our and go crazy? (Also, every knows calories don't actually exist on Christmas!)

(R is a big fan of the snacking all day tradition too!)

We let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve. It has to be something from a friend or neighbor, it can't be one of their "big" gifts, but it adds into the excitement for them. Tonight the opened a present from our wonderful neighbors across the street and got some cute clothes!

And finally it was time to put our the milk, cookies, and carrots for Santa and his Reindeer and do our tradition of reading "the Night Before Christmas" in front of the tree. This year we also added in "The Grinch stole Christmas" and "The Elf on the Shelf".

Trying to get all them to sit still for stories wasn't easy, especially since they are all bursting with anticipation for tomorrow! But we got it done, snapped a few pictures, said goodnight and goodbye to Frosty (our Elf) and got everyone to bed with promises that Santa would come once they were asleep!

Now some of Santa's elves (S and I!) have a long night of putting together presents!!! Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!!