Since I have had THREE Children...

People ask me all the time what it's like to have three kids. It's hard to summarize, but I decided that I should try! Since I had my third child (3 years ago now, wow)... I have LOST many things...

1. MY set of car keys. Yeah, the ones with my house key on them, my library card, cute key chain, etc. GONE. I am using my 'spare' key now for my car, no idea what I would do if I lost it...

2. The ability to have a laundry DAY. I do laundry constantly now. He's so tiny, yet somehow- he has pushed the household over the legal limit of laundry!

3. My sanity. My grip on reality. But that's a given, right?!

4. My last Fu*k. Not sure where it went, but I don't have time to judge- so don't judge me! I work- I barely see you, sorry, hi, I gotta go- we have water polo at 5...

5. My ability to know where every.single.thing is in our house. I used to. Really. I used to know where Jacob's other sandal was, and Zachary's glasses, and everyone's papers from school... Now I just can't. You wore the shoes, not me- go find them. I'll wait... for a minute... 

I mean, look at this kid- he steals the show!

I have also broken a few cell phones, but I thank Pokemon Go for that... and I haven't been to the salon in too long (hair could really use a cut/style/SOMETHING). I prefer to take the time I have at home to be there, with the boys. I have started having a couple close friends over to watch TV a couple times a month, because none of us can GET OUT anymore. It works for us! 

I have still managed to keep up on Christmas cards, family portraits, and feeding the boys vegetables fairly often. There are things I have had to let go. My house... is not clean. My car... is not clean. But my kids are happy, and clean (usually) and know they are loved. I'm doing my best to 'live in the moment'- we went to Disneyland spontaneously on Labor Day! And I hope the boys will remember the good times, and forget the dog hair tumbleweeds that roll through the dining room on occasion... 

I have lost many things... but most of all, I have GAINED a wonderful, intelligent, funny, strong-willed, wild child who makes everyone take notice of his presence. We wouldn't be the same family without him, and while he does drive his brothers crazy every once in a while - we couldn't love him any more! 

Who has time for zippers?!

I am a boy mom. I do not own a lamp. no, seriously. We have ceiling fans in basically every room. My bedroom is very dark, but I do not own a lamp. Why? It wouldn't survive in my house. My middle son had a Pottery Barn Batman night light. Did you notice that was in the past tense? Yeah, he broke it. How? Don't know, don't care. The boys are always hot anyways, so we do ceiling fans- no lamps. 

I never have enough food in the house. I shop for food almost every day, and I simply cannot keep up. They eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, snack snack, dinner, snack. It's unreal. I try to keep 'healthy snacks' stocked, but honestly- it's not possible. Even the two year old just helps himself to things in the pantry... I have had to rearrange what items are in his reach. I once found him eating a package of Oreos, at 6 am, in the pantry. Go ahead, judge me. Do you have three boys??? If you are judging me, you clearly do not. I took a video, posted it on Instagram... because that's what you're supposed to do in that situation.

I don't understand the families who look all put together, dressed in today's stylish clothing trends. My youngest walks around in hand me downs, circa 2008 from his older brother. Skinny pants weren't a 'thing' back then, so he rocks baggy pants. Name brands? No, I have no idea what brand they are. The free kind? Yeah, that's what he wears. My oldest basically just wears Minecraft t-shirts and 'comfy shorts', which is what he calls shorts that do not have a zipper or buttons on them. Who has time for zippers? He gets the new clothes, because he wouldn't fit in his dad's clothes :)

I am a boy mom. I love them fiercely. They drive me crazy, but I couldn't possibly love them any more!

Mayhem Turned 6!

Well, we got off to a rough start... 

He wanted a Sonic birthday party. Fine, I figured. I have a Cricut, I can do whatever theme he wants! We booked his party at the location he selected, and we chose 10 a.m. Unfortunately, this meant no pizza. But we had a plan! We would do a breakfast buffet, with a cereal bar! He was so excited.

I searched Pinterest for an 'easy' birthday cake to make for his party. I found one that looked relatively simple. But of course, he wanted to make a 'green Sonic' with chocolate AND vanilla. So we went to the store, found some marble cake mix and green icing. I mixed the vanilla icing with a little brown icing to make the tan color. I was ready! Then I put the green icing on our cake. You can see below that it didn't go well... The party was the next morning, I decided cupcakes were the way to go!  No problem. 

Hubs was sick (of course!), so the morning of the party I'm scrambling to get the three boys ready, myself ready, and pack the car with the goodie bags, cake, and all the food for the breakfast buffet. 

As I'm loading my youngest son into the car, I left a tray of muffins on the kitchen counter... Have I mentioned that I have the WORST DOG EVER?! She grabbed the tray, pulled it off the counter... BROKE THE TRAY.. and started eating my kid's birthday food. Couldn't she have eaten the green Sonic cake?! No.

Thankfully, the breakfast buffet turned out well. We had muffins, croissants, three different kinds of cereal, milk, Cuties, and donut holes. And of course, cupcakes! All that matters is that the Birthday Boy was happy.

Happy 6th Birthday, Mayhem! 

2016 Gift Guide ~ 5 gifts for around $20 each!

1. Cold brew pitcher~ A practical gift for any coffee lover! A cold brew pitcher, to make your very own cold brew coffee at home is available for less than $20 at www.amazon.com. Want to spend a little more? Add a package of coffee!

2. Need a hostess gift? Try one of Pottery Barn's wine bottle accessories to spruce up the bottle of wine you'll bring. The fur stole wine topper is my favorite! It's an adorable addition to a traditional hostess gift.

3. Cozy blanket~  For those cold nights, cuddled up on the couch with the hubs or the kids watching movies. Super soft blankets are the best!

4. Brookstone Wine Chilling Stick~ For your friend, who loves chilled wine from Bed Bath and Beyond www.bedbathandbeyond.com Want to spend a little more? Add wine glass markers! This is a great hostess gift.

5. Aromatherapy Diffuser~ Do you have someone on your list who loves essential oils? They will love this diffuser. We have one in our bedroom, and you can turn the light on or off and it's very quiet. Want to spend a little more? Add some essential oils!

I would love to hear any suggestions you have for gifts under $20! 

We got a Christmas tree!

This weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws. For the first time, all three boys entertained themselves- a milestone! Once we were done enjoying that holiday, we were READY to decorate for Christmas. For some reason, this year I was ready earlier than usual. I'm not sure if it was the 2016 election, or that I wanted to feel mentally prepared for Christmas shopping... but either way, we went out and found our Christmas tree. When we got home, we obviously started decorating it... 

My middle son was trimming the tree with no shirt on (he's always warm), so my father decided to join him in that... and next thing I knew, my brother was also shirtless. It was so strange.. but we all needed a laugh. It's been a rough year, culminating recently in the loss of my mom's sister. So, shirtless tree trimming for the win! I'll never forget it!

The porcelain houses shown in the photos belonged to my grandmother. She left them to me, and there were so many boxes! I was overwhelmed last year when I tried to put them up by myself. This year, my family was there to help! My dad and brother stacked several of them in the dining room and the rest are on a long table in my living room. I was so happy to have the Christmas tree in my front window- just like I've been wanting for TEN YEARS!! Finally! 

We also got our copy of OC Family Magazine, which featured our boys in "The Power of Siblings". They were excited to see themselves in print, and I loved the pictures they took! 

My boys!

We also put up our outdoor decor, and I'll have to post a picture of our newest addition- a light up llama! It makes no sense, but I love him. He has Christmas socks, and he makes me smile! Have you decorated your home yet? 

DIY: How to Build a Corner Desk

I finally did it. I made myself a 'Command Center" to keep all of the school papers out of the kitchen, and have somewhere QUIET to work! I used a (previously) sad little corner in my small, master bedroom and made it into a very useful desk. What used to be in that corner? My dirty laundry. So I would open my eyes and see that every morning. Now, I wake up and see something I've made with my own two hands.

I still have things I want to do, like buy a beautiful new chair and decorate ABOVE the desk with shelves. I'll get there! In case you want to make something like this, I'll describe how I did it below! 

Before I stained the desktop

For the base of the desk, I used two cube organizers from Target. The basic outline of the desktop is shown below. I used 1 by 6's and just measured how long I wanted each leg of the desk to be. I laid out the pieces, cut them to size, and glued them onto plywood, which I cut into two long strips to backup the 1 by 6's. Then, I bought a 4-pack of braces and connected the plywood with those. I love how the corner looks woven! A little tip, I numbered the pieces after I cut them, so when I laid them out- it would be obvious where each one went! If you are going to try this, send me pictures of your end result- please! And good luck!

Spring Break Boredom Busters

Are your kids off school this week? Next week? It's SPRING BREAK SEASON, and most parents are trying to figure out how to entertain the kids for a whole week with no school. Our baseball teams are even on hiatus, leaving the boys without their usual activities. While it is a nice break for them, keeping them occupied is a challenge. Here are a few ideas for spring break boredom busters!

1. DIY Dinosaur Dig. I don't know about you, but I have zillions of those little plastic dinosaurs. Little J (now 7 years old) has always loved dinosaurs, so we have many of these plastic toys that aren't being use right now. And this would keep him busy for a while! Mayhem (5) would also enjoy this activity. You can make it as elaborate as you want, but the more elaborate- the more time it takes them to finish! You can also do Dinosaur Fossils, where you press the plastic dinosaurs into salt dough, and bake them. 

2. Make your own crayons. Another item that most parents have in their home is many, many random broken crayons. You can give them new life! Breaking up crayons and baking them in a silicone mold in your oven is fun! And when they cool, you can use them to make new artwork!

3. Bathtub Fishing. Use magnetic letters and a magnet on a string to fish in your bathtub! Make it more interesting for the older kids by having them spell a word! Spell their name! Or the toddler can just try to catch anything. I have not tried this yet, but it sounds so fun!

Image Source: http://www.redtedart.com/

4. Races. You can have races with ANYTHING. And my boys love to compete with each other. You can race things down the stairs with pool noodles, or planks of wood. This mom blogger made marble races with dollar store items, including a pool noodle cut in half! The marbles make me nervous, since we have a toddler in the house, but... maybe while he naps we can do this!

Image Source: http://www.homespun-threads.com/blog/marble-racetrack

5. Legos. My oldest loves to sit an build a Lego set uninterrupted, of course. If I can provide him the peace and quiet to do that, while I play with the younger two- I know I will have made his Spring Break dreams a reality! We are also looking into signing up with Pley.com, so we can trade in Lego sets and get new ones when he's done!

Since we are lucky enough to live in Southern California, our weather during Spring Break is lovely! I'm sure the boys will spend quite a bit of time at the park, with unscheduled activities- and that's great! What are your plans for Spring Break?

Top 5 Easter Gifts

This year, I have three boys for the Easter bunny to bring gifts to. One just had a birthday, and all three need ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Candy is a definitely a focus for this holiday- with Peeps, Cadbury eggs, jellybeans, etc. After we celebrate for the entire weekend, there is plenty of candy to go around! So I try not to fill the basket with only candy.

So I asked (two of) them what they are hoping the Easter bunny brings them. So here are the Top 5 Easter gifts, according to a 7 year old boy and a 5 year old boy. Once again, LEGOs top the list...

Nexo Knights: Ultimate Clay

1. LEGO NEXO Knights. Lego's newest line is the Nexo Knights. The 'cool' thing about these is that you can download an app that lets you scan the Nexo Knights' shield and you get a 'power' to use in the game. My 5 year old thinks it's the best invention ever!

2. Pley Subscription.  If your child might be interested in a new toy, each month. This could be a great way to do that for them! With subscriptions as low as $9.99/month for one toy, this is definitely worth a try!

Pillow Pets Dream Lites

3. Pillow Pets Dream Lights. These come in all types, but Amazon has good prices on them! Your kids will love them at night, when they glow on their ceiling. Just make sure that you have AAA batteries on hand...

4. Chocolate bunny. This is the highlight for us every year. Daddy loves to pick this out, and the boys love to devour it! How big is too big? We still have yet to figure this out...

Llama Llama

5. Books. I like to make sure that they are getting something NOT chocolate in their baskets, so this is a great way for them to get excited about a new book. This one is a family favorites! We also love Berentstain Bears and the Easter Story.

LEGO also carries some low cost Easter specific items, like Easter Chick. And if you have a toddler, be sure to check out... No Candy Ideas for Toddler Easter Baskets

Easter is a fun holiday to celebrate with your littles. Egg hunts, bunny pictures, dyeing Easter eggs, and a big family meal are all a part of our traditions. How does your family celebrate?

My Biggest Organizational Challenge: LEGOS

While I have three young boys, by far my biggest 'housekeeping' challenge is our oldest son's Lego sets. He loves Legos. We are Legoland Annual Passholders. His past three birthday parties have been Lego-related. For his last birthday, we spent the night at the Legoland Hotel! You get the point. What this means for me is that I have Lego sets all over my house. Since we also have two younger boys, it is a challenge to keep all the pieces out of reach of the baby. 

I tried keeping them in his room. I tried keeping them on a shelf in the playroom. I tried keeping them in the dining room. 

No problem here, unless you wanted to... use your dining room table? or sit at the table for dinner?

The only thing that has worked so far is keeping them in the box! For some reason, he doesn't like that idea. 

An idea that I think might just work is Pley.com. It is kind of like Netflix or Gamefly, but with toys. You receive a toy in the mail, play with it, and return it. Then you get a new one! I think this is a wonderful process because it also reduces wasted toys, and teaches kids the value of sharing toys. 

It's also a great way to decrease the VOLUME of toys in the house. With three boys, this could be a lifesaver for me! I love that you could, say, get to build the Lego set without having to buy a new one.      Over Christmas, our oldest son received an obscene amount of new Lego sets. A few of them are still sitting here unopened. They were expensive! It's OK, if he doesn't open them soon- I'm going to put them away as an 'investment' for him. There are Star Wars Lego sets that we refused to buy him over Christmas, and he really wants. I was curious to see if those were on Pley's list of toys- and they are! So rather than buying him the Death Star on Amazon for over $500 (no, I'm not kidding), this monthly fee sounds like a real bargain!

Look how clean this room is! 

I was concerned about the cleanliness of 'sharing' Lego sets. But from what I've read on their website,  they have considered this and YES they toys are cleaned when they are returned and before they are sent out again. 

Pley.com doesn't just have Legos. They  have a variety of toys, grouped by ages and there is something for everyone. You can actually save money on toys. For an example, K'NEX Raptor's Revenge is currently selling for over $27 on Amazon.com and with Pley you can build that and return it and get a new toy for $19.99/month! 

Have you tried this company? I'd love to hear from you!

GUEST POST: Cheap Ways to Make Your Kids' Room Look Styled

This guest post was submitted by Ryan Miller of Modernize.com, Remodeling Ideas to Increase the Value of your Home.

Dreaming of decorating the whole house? If you’d love to live with a stylized décor, there may be one thing stopping you—money. Here at Modernize, we understand how to do chic on a budget, so here are a few tips to stylize your child’s room without breaking the bank.

Say Yes To Color

When we think of childhood, we think of playing, having fun, being full of energy (sometimes too much) and being carefree. That fun part of youth can easily be incorporated into an affordable décor. You can go a long way with paint color, so choose a color that adds a fun and energetic pop, but doesn’t overwhelm the space. Try using complementary colors for a cohesive look.

If you’re not ready to paint the walls orange just yet, why not go for a neutral color and use decorative accents for that pop of color? Paint wooden or paper letters from the craft store and spell out your kids’ names. This fun, decorative DIY option will usually cost you less than $50.  You can also wrap the letters in yarn, or comic books or magazine pages for an eye-catching design.

The trick to creating a stylized look with color is to coordinate accessories, such as rugs, fabric organizer bins, and any personal trinkets.

Control the Chaos

No kid’s room will ever stay clean. It’s a rite of passage as a child to make a mess. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with it! Organize toys in a decorative toy chest, or save money by utilizing fabric and plastic bins. You can even slide these bins into a cubby system for easy access and cleanup.

If you have a closet in your child’s room, use all the space you can by hanging a shoe organizer over the door and storing shoes, toys, craft supplies and more. This reduces clutter in the room, and gives your kiddo more space to play. You can also install a simple shelving system in the closet to utilize vertical space.

Give Old Items New Purpose

Need more storage? Try repurposing what you have. A shelf can easily become a bench with storage underneath. Just give it a fresh coat of paint and a decorative cushion. Then you can store all those toys in cute fabric bins.

Look around your house (and the garage) to see what you’re not using. Don’t like that end table? Repaint it and replace the drawer knob with something fun that your child will like. Recover undesirable cushions and pillows. The sky is the limit! Thrift stores and donation centers often have hidden treasures just waiting for you to breathe new life into them.

Make the Room Interactive

It’s not true that a fun kid’s room has to cost a fortune. You can incorporate a slide into a room with a few scraps of wood, some paint. and plenty of cushions. Build a reading nook with a curtain, a lamp, and some bean bag cushions or floor poofs. Another great idea is to paint a wall with chalkboard paint. Kids already want to write on the walls, so why not let them do it? Design spaces for your child to play around the room and interact with her environment. Not only will it create a safe and exciting space, it will make your design look crazy expensive (we won’t tell anyone that it wasn’t!)

If you’re not sure where to start, just listen to your child. What colors does he/she love? What toys does she like to play with? Incorporating your kiddo’s personality into the room creates a uniqueness that money can’t buy.

Holiday Gift Guide ~ For Moms!

The holidays are fast approaching. I wanted to put together a few gift ideas for the 'moms' in your life. All of these items are very practical, and would make any mom feel very appreciated. I know these items are all on my list!

1. Travel Coffee Mug. Because for most moms out there, coffee = life. Even if they aren't into coffee, this beautiful mug works for tea too! And it also gives you a confidence boost in the early morning, or the afternoon, or whenever you need it. It cuts back on the disposable coffee trash that we are all guilty of, so it's environmentally responsible. This travel mug is from Anthropologie and they also have several other non-travel mugs that are just as gorgeous, and less pricey.   

2. Kate Spade Polka Dot Reusable Tote. For the lunchtime grocery store run, the after-work Target run, the mad dash to soccer practice, or the daily dash to grab 'one more thing' from any store- reusable totes are a great way to carry your items in style, and are great for the environment. I saw this at Nordstrom, and there were a variety of other totes - "Treat Yourself" in hot pink is another option! So cute. 

3. Personalized Ring. I have a ring with my three boys' names on it, with hearts in between. I LOVE IT! My sister designed it for me, and worked with the jewelry genius Christie Martin. You can purchase her items on Etsy, her shop is called christienano. The ring that I have is called the "Say Anything Ring" because you can customize it however you would like, birth dates, anniversary date, etc. Very personal, and I wear mine every day!

4. Flavor Infusing Water Bottle. This is a great way to naturally flavor your water. You can try all kinds of different combinations- berries, citrus, mint, cucumbers, etc. This bottle is made of glass, so it reduces our dependence on plastic water bottles. It fits perfectly in cup holders, and even looks nice on your desk at the office. This bottle helps encourage a higher consumption of water during the day, and that is great for busy moms. We need to hydrate with all the coffee (and wine) that we drink! The water bottle below can be found at uncommon goods, which is a great shop to look for unique gifts.

5. A Cozy Throw. Pottery Barn has a variety of cozy throws to choose from, including several faux fur blankets to snuggle up with on the couch on a cold winter night. The options pictured below are machine washable, so they are still practical. These make me want to build a fire, and

Pottery Barn Garett Printed Throw

Those are a few of my ideas for 'mom gifts', and there's always gift cards! It's all about presentation, so put a gift card in a cute package. You could put a Sephora gift card in a cute cosmetic bag, for example! 

Kids Academy Apps Updated | Free Educational Apps + Printable Worksheets!

This blog has partnered with Mom Buzz Media to announce this exciting information!

Kids Academy Releases Preschool Education Center for iOS and Android!

My 4 year old son is required to wear an eye patch for one hour per day, to strengthen his eye. I am always looking for something to keep his attention. He will do a puzzle, draw or color, and use Play dough for a few minutes at a time. But I have found an app that he can practice tracing letters, doing puzzles, and shapes and colors. The Preschool Education Center is an all-in-one educational app created for children and toddlers by the team at Kids Academy! With already over 10 million downloads worldwide, they have just released a long-awaited update to this amazing app! The app is designed to cover all aspects of early childhood education. Children learn about the alphabet, reading, writing, building vocabulary and even developing math skills. Based on the proven Montessori method, the Preschool Education Center app offers a number of fun games that help master essential learning skills through play, making learning fun!

This app has a variety of options for young children- tracing letters, puzzles, games, videos and more. My four year old is hooked. It does have in app purchases, so be sure you're aware of that. Overall, it's a great app that keeps the attention of little ones.

Until now, Preschool Education Center has only been available on iTunes but now it is finally available for Android devices on Google Play! This fun and free app is currently being featured in the Family section of the Android store in the USA, Australia and Canada.

..........................................................................................

For iOS devices:

Kids Academy have also updated the iOS version of the app: Preschool & Kindergarten Early Learning Games adding new games, books and educational cartoons and shows as well as printable worksheets.  

..........................................................................................

BONUS! Free Preschool & Kindergarten Worksheets for Kids

Kids Academy is also finding a way to expand beyond the screen and help master pen and pencil with free printable worksheets. You can get free preschool worksheets on a variety of subjects from alphabet to math and the library is updated often! Download, print out and get start practicing with good old fashioned pencil and paper in seconds!

Head over to Kids Academy and get your FREE PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza ~ Part 2

We spent Sunday night at the Legoland Hotel, which was WAY cooler than I imagined it would be! I was worried that we would only be spending a short time there, and that the boys wouldn't get the full experience. But the hotel did a great job having activities for the kids. There was a dance party ~ to wear the kids out, no doubt! Another highlight was an outdoor movie on a big screen by the pool when it was dark. 

They were trying to spell Legos with their hands, which caused some confusion... 

 We had a great group of friends, and the boys all had a great time with the birthday boy. No arguing, no competition, just fun!

Team huddle to decide their next move!

The boys were all fascinated with the Star Wars area, where they stayed together and admired the thousands upon thousands of Legos used to recreate each of the Star Wars scenes.

The Star Wars exhibit was a favorite. Where else could you get 5 young boys to sit still for a this long!

It was a day he will remember. We all had a great time, thanks to his wonderful friends and grandparents!  

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza! Part 1

This weekend was...chaotic. We had our youngest turn 1, our oldest turn 7, and my sister turned 30! Friday was spent cleaning the house and preparing for the party. This included icing 72 cupcakes, thanks for your help Sis! 

Pinterest-inspired alligator cupcakes

His birthday was alligator themed (obviously). We had a bounce house for the older kids, and alligator ring toss. It was a casual backyard event. The birthday boy was pretty worn out, and ended up going down for a nap before his guests left. 

Birthday boy, while he was clean (left) and after cake (right). He enjoyed his cupcake!

I was determined to give him a birthday party all his own, for his first birthday. Mission accomplished. I can't believe he's already one! Birthday weekend extravaganza Part 2- Little J, coming soon! 

Best Ways to Stay Cool with Kids this Summer!

This weekend was hot and humid here in Southern California, which is NOT what we're used to! We spent a lot of time outside, celebrating birthdays with friends and family. I wanted to share a few tips on how to stay cool with the little ones this summer. 

1. Go to the pool! This is our favorite option for staying cool in the summer. We spent Saturday morning at the pool, and everyone not only cooled down but also got VERY TIRED :) And the icing on the cookie made Mayhem's tongue a lovely shade...

Little J and Mayhem at the Pool

2. Dress for the Humidity. Loose, lightweight clothing is best. Cotton clothing in light colors will help reflect the heat and allow your skin to breathe. The baby is modeling a romper for you below. 

Wear a romper to stay cool! :)

 3. Make it Fun. While we were at the OC Fair on Sunday afternoon, the boys enjoyed spraying each other (and us) with these mister fans! It really does help you feel cooler.

Image Source: Amazon.com

 4. Stay in the shade, and avoid being outdoors at the hottest time of the day. The later afternoon (around 4 pm) is the best time to be in the sun. So, wait until AFTER nap time to head outside to play with the water table! And be sure to put an umbrella over the play area if possible.

and last, but definitely not least...

Image source: http://www.cmfe.org/

5. Stay hydrated. Be sure to have the kids drink lots of water, so that no one gets dehydrated! Drink before you're thirsty and eat fruit which also helps your body replenish the water it needs.

What do you do to keep cool?

June 2015 - Time flies...

Where has June gone?! We celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary, at a restaurant with our three young boys. We laughed, and convinced each other that we would TRULY celebrate at a later point this summer. We also celebrated graduations, birthdays, Father's Day, and the end of the school year. Mayhem survived his first year of preschool, and J finished 1st grade! He's reading now and tying his shoes- so we've checked those milestones off the list. Mayhem grew about 6 inches this year, from the before and after pictures- I just can't get over it! And of course, the glasses make him look quite different from the beginning of the year.

On the left: First day of preschool. On the right: Last day!

On the left, first day of 1st grade. On the right, last day!

The baby got more teeth... and he's 11 months old today! He's crawling everywhere, and quickly! He also pulls himself up on the coffee table, so I imagine he'll be walking before we know it. 

Teething is hard...

I took these pictures, as he sat on my stomach on the couch at the end of a very long day. It's very, very hard to make everyone happy with three boys going in three different directions. Liam has found that it works best to crawl on top of me, pin me down, and yell in my face. Can you see his giant new tooth in the middle photo?! It's absolutely crazy how many teeth this child has at his young age! 

Now I'm planning his 1st birthday party, and I can't believe how fast time flies...