Many updates...

Allissa Zoey will officially turn THREE on wed March 18th! On Sat. we had a little party for her at my parents house with just family. I made some yummy food, we opened presents, did the cake and ice cream thing and them came home! I think everyone had a great time. My sister and mom went all out with the baby doll and gear diaper bag, moses basket, wipes/changing pad, baby food, toothbrush/toothpaste and more. She has been in heaven ever since! Her baby doll came with a carrier so she can strap the baby too her just like I will. As you can see from the picture above I am not a cake decorator in any way but it is the thought that counts right????

Allissa didn't seem to mind that the cake looked horrible!
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Today at preschool the had a St. Patrick's day party. They got to wear leprechaun ears and go on a scavenger hunt for the pot of gold! The leprechaun even came and dyed the milk GREEN!!

Zander didn't want to model his ears for the picture but finally I convinced him to do it!


The "grump" enjoying the nice SPRING weather! He loves to swing and I love it because I get to hear him say, "mommy push me...please!" And then a sweet, "THANK YOU" when I do!

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So it was time for one of our morning baths before preschool after getting pancakes for breakfast. Zach never wants our children to be "that kid who always smells like syrup!" So off to the bathroom we go...Zander and Allissa quickly undress and hop in the tub while I am taking off Brody's shirt getting him ready to get in. To my surprise he had a nasty POOP so I had to stop what I was doing and run around the house looking for our wipes! If only I put them back where they go each time I wouldn't have to look! While I was searching Brody was anxious to get in and started trying to take off his pants. When I found the wipes I also I find him like this and I had to find the camera!

By the time I changed him it was one BIG mess all down his legs!!!

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For Allissa's birthday Zach and I decided to get he a big girl bike and helmet! She is still learning how to ride it but is getting better every day!

I had to do some major zooming in to get this picture. Zach and Brody were really far behind so against Brody's will he got put in the stroller with his tricycle in the basket.

Every girl needs a baby doll on her back to go for a ride right?

We have gone for a walk the past two nights as a family! I love going on walks with Zach and the kids. When the weather is not horrible we like to try and go for a walk every night for quality "talking time" and some exercise. I can't wait until we have consistent nice weather!
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On a nice day we like to ride bikes on the driveway while Zach is at work. Because we have no sidewalks there is no way to go on a real bike ride with all the kids by myself so we stay on the driveway or in the garage.
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Allissa's very first PONYTAIL!!!! It is not great but I can do it!

Isn't it just too cute?!?!?!

I love her cute profile!

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One of our new traditions is Popsicle's in the tub! The kids love to eat them and I HATE the mess afterwards so what is the SOLUTION??

Eat them in the tub!

This was our Family Home Evening Night! We learned the 2nd Article of Faithh and had a treat all in the tub. We even sang I am a child of God for our opening song! It was almost bedtime so we combined all we need to do for the night and turned bath time into FHE! The kids loved it and so did we!!!

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Moments like these make all the hard work worth it! I love seeing them all together having a great time!! They we watching a movie on the portable DVD player. Brody got up shortly after this picture but while it lasted it was too cute! I just love these three more then I could ever imagine!

Wow that was a long post! Sorry! I need to update more!

Does anyone else feel like this?!?

This is Zach - I have a liberal friend who often says, "Everything is going to be OK, Obama is president." He sent me this... I'm not sure this actually bears out his theory.

I need to get a life!

Warning this is a really long complaining post!!!!

So I am currently having a little pity party or dose of reality not sure which one. Or, maybe I am just simply avoiding the things I need to do but don't want to? Or, maybe I just feel like getting out what is in my head so I can go do the things I want to do with a clear mind?

Anyway, I am sitting on the floor in my living room where the sun is shining through the patio doors onto my back and the wall heater is going on and off to keep it warm in this, what would be, a freezing cold room if it wasn't on, despite the sunshine. Wow, that was a run on, oh well! I am trying to figure out what it is that all the "other moms" do to keep them busy? I am soooo bored about 50% of the day wondering what in the world I could do besides clean, clean and do some more cleaning. I could have the house all clean in the morning and then by the time Zach gets home the house is TRASHED! Is that all people do is clean?

I am a people person. I would be fine having someone live in my house with me just so there would be someone to talk to and interact with all day besides my kids. I don't mind cleaning if there is someone to talk to, in person or on the phone, but without the interaction it is boring!! (I sound like a complaining teenager, don't I)? I hate going places alone with just the kids and I. Not because they are bad in public but simply because there is no one to have a conversation with. Don't get me wrong I love to interact with my kids but I need more then that. To me, taking Zander to preschool, having a doctors appointment, or going to the gym in the morning does not constitute a busy day. That takes about 1-2 hours, max, of the entire 11 hours I need to fill. So, lets say feeding the kids takes about 1.5hr a day, getting everyone ready another 1hr (what is the point if we don't see another human being all day?) picking up the house, the max I can stand is about 2hrs a day. So I am now up to about 5.5hrs filled. What the heck do other moms do for the remaining 5.5hrs?

I am totally in denial...I could literally spend all day cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, cooking, and playing with the kids and then wake up the next day and start all over but I just can't! I would REALLY GO CRAZY not just sort of go CRAZY. I miss the good ole days when the Skidmore's lived here and we would all get together on a regular basis, we would do things together during the day, it didn't have to be planned weeks ahead of time, there was rarely the lame excuses like, "I have laundry to do" or "I need to do dishes"...who doesn't have those things to do all day everyday?

I guess part of the reality is every one has kids now and more of them, and then there are schedules, and preschool and all the junk. I know it is bad when the only thing I have to be excited about is my OB appointments (heck even a pelvic exam doesn't sound that bad...it would get me out of the house for about 20 minutes longer!). Oh and one more thing, sewing group, that happens once a month where I get to go hang out with the "old ladies"! I wish sewing group was once a week or, heck, I would be up for every other night!

I guess if money wasn't a factor I could think of tons of things to do like run errands, go to the mall, go to Stone Fire Pizza, the bounce house places, but in my reality spending 20 bucks to do those things is not realistic so I stay home and pick my nose.

I can't wait until July when Zach will finally be done with his MBA! He has five more weeks of actual class and then the rest of the time his work is all online. Which means no more going to class every Tuesday night, which means no more Monday night papers to write and presentations to prepare, which mean no more Wednesday nights getting caught up on actual work work. Which means no more first half of the week being lonely all day and all night for me!!!This probably has to do with why I am writing this post because it is Wednesday and I have been lonely since Sunday night.

Well now that I have complained about just about everything, I think I will go feed myself and the little girl that is swimming in my belly some lunch!

PS I need to get a life!!!

PSS Should I really push the publish post button? Probably not but oh well!

PSSS I really hate having sick kids all the time which isolates me even more from the world!