The Stats

Watch out world!  We are raising some big boys here. It won't be too long before all three are towering over us...

The twins went to get their 2 1/2 year check up and school physical. They are big, just like their big brother.  Big as in 99.9 percentile in height.

Will, the eater, came in at at whopping 40.5 inches and 32.4 pounds!



Henry, the self-proclaimed vegetarian, was not far behind at 39.75 inches and 32 pounds!

Oh, Jack.  The almost 6 year old big brother.  Where oh where has the time gone?  Jack was not happy about wearing the paper dress and declared that this was "so not cool".

He is "off the charts" as usual.  Our 1st grader is 49 inches tall and 55.2 pounds.

I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like when they are teenagers!

Pinterest Pride

Let me just begin by saying what a time suck Pinterest has become.  I spend hours planning super healthy meals for my family (that I rarely make), home decorating projects that are still on my to-do list, crafts for the kids that will never get done, and workouts that (if I actually did them) will make me a model.  That said, I LOVE it.  For all the items I pin I maybe end up doing 1 out of 10.  But those 10% are wonderful and more times than not, I am super pleased with the outcome.  Since this blog is about the kids, here is a condensed list of some of my Pinterest successes that relate to the kids:

**Toy Rotation System--this has actually been GREAT. We got rid of a ton of toys before the big move and then put the remaining toys in big plastic bins.  We now rotate out the toys every couple of days and everytime we bring out a differnt toy bin its like Christmas morning all over!  The kids actually play with all their toys now instead of just throwing them all over the playroom to be walked all over.

** Clipboards to display art--we hung up colorful clipboards on the wall in the playroom to display the art (thousands of pieces of paper with one scribble each).  Now it doesn't have to be taped to my refridgerator and the kids get pride out of the display.

**Magnetic Drip Pan--as most moms know, stainless steel appliances are awesome but aren't magnetic.  What are we supposed to do with all the magnetic letters?  Buys a $10 car drip pan from Walmart of course!!!  This genius I tell you.  Screw it to the wall and give the kids hours of enjoyment!

(my picture inspiration from Pinterest (left) and Will (right))

**Painted Canvases--we gave these away as Christmas presents last year and they were a huge hit.  Just take letter stickers and write out whatever you want on the canvas.  The kids paint to their hearts content and when the paint dries and the stickers are removed--personalized art!!!

**As you may recall, the twins had a Finding Nemo birthday party and we created 15 fish from paper lanterns and hung them all over the house.  Super easy and the smiles on the kids faces were priceless!

**Homemade Valentines--Jack and I made these together.  Super quick, easy, and so much more personal that store bought ones!

Oh the food--really Pinterest provides so many great ideas for fun food.  Just look at these adorable cookies and treats we made over the holidays for Jack to bring to school!  Makes me excited for this school year as well :)

If you are on Pinterest, make sure to follow me and I'll do that same!!!

So. Much. Hair

Willie has the most amazing hair.  Its thick.  Its curly.  And its crazy, just like him.  It is as if that small part of him represents his entire being and we love it. 

 

Easter...Yes 4 months later

Ok, so I am behind.  There will be a whole other post on life, balancing and mommy guilt but for now just bear with me.

Having kids becomes exponentially more fun when the any holiday rolls around because seeing the excitement and joy on their faces sends me in a time warp back to my childhood.  I absolutely love it.

Will was excited about every single thing in his Easter basket and made this face when he took each item out! 

For Jack, half the fun is finding where the Easter Bunny hid his basket.  This year he was so patient and helped his brothers find their first.  Such a good big brother! 

Oh sweet Henry.  This stuffed duck made him so happy!
 

We somehow managed to get the boys to all look at the camera at the same time in their Easter outfits and there wasn't even a stain in sight!  Its a miracle! 

What is even more miraculous is that we got a family picture too using the timer on the camera! 

Our Easter egg hunt was a sucessful with very satisfied little boys. 

 

 

 

 

Even our twin besties got in on the action! 

Boys, Get Back In Your Cell

I swear, they went in there voluntarily!  They love each other so much they don't mind cramming themselves into the tiniest spaces :)

Happy Fathers Day

Jack and Mommy took Daddy to a Cubs game for Fathers Day and it was the perfect way to celebrate our favorite guy! We had a blast!

Life in Chicago, Thus Far

We have been Chicagoans for 2 weeks and have filled those 2 weeks with lots of unpacking and getting reacquainted with the City.  For those of you that don't know, our amazing nanny Casey and her husband Stephen packed up their lives, left their families, and VOLUNTARILY moved to Chicago with us!  Could we be any luckier?!?!

We have 5 parks within walking distance of our house and the kids spend HOURS there every day.

Chicago is known for its neighborhood festivals during the summer.  The Old Town Art Festival was a hit for all!

The BEST part of living in the city is the ability to walk everywhere.  We went out to dinner last week and Jack was ecstatic that he could ride his big wheel all the way there!

Mommy's FAVORITE thing in Chicago is the Green City Farmer's Market.  It is seriously my happy place.  Can you tell?

We are so fortunate to have so many friends still living in the city.  It is like coming home to family and we couldn't be happier.

Perhaps the cutest and most fulfilling thing that happened in the past 2 weeks is Jack reconnecting with his best friend Luke.  It is as if we never left.  They couldn't be cuter together and Jack got to attend his first sleep over last weekend.  He did great and has been talking about it EVERYDAY since then :)