Last week I took all three kids to the park and was patting myself on the back for my preparedness. You want a snack? Got it! Poopy diaper? Changed it (actually changed 2 of those). Hand sanitizer, check! One mom even came up to me and asked for a kleenex. And while asking me she said, "of course you have one, you're so prepared. I bet if I asked you for a T-Bone steak, you'd pull one out of your bag!" Oh, how much more my hubby would love me if that were the case! Normally a trip to the park with three kids would have stressed me out--trying to make sure I had everything I needed, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it.

But we all know what happens when you think you're getting the hang of something...you get cocky and then learn a lesson. Today I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store--Jewel for a card for a wedding shower and few other things that I needed.. I normally shop at Super.Target or Mei.jer but I hate the cards at Super.Target--I don't like their selection and I think they're expensive, and Jewel is really close. Anyway, the nice thing about the other two stores is they have these big fancy carts that hold two big kids and a baby. Jewel doesn't. So, Rori and Liam walked and I wore Brendan in the Baby Bjorn because I didn't want to put him in the dirty cart and I didn't have sanitizing wipes. Apparently during the day, all the old people in the town do their grocery shopping at Jewel--riding on their mobile carts. I'm guessing it's because it's the oldest grocery chain in the area--the other two are newer and elderly are set in their ways. Heaven forbid they have to learn where the metamucil was located at another store. I'm just kidding; I know I'll get old and be scared to try new things too. But I vow not to run over small children with my mobile cart. So this is how our trip to Jewel went.

"Stay right by me."
"Watch out for that person"
"Stay here so you don't get run over"
"Don't touch that"
"No my middle child is a boy" (that was to one of the old people that complimented my adorable children).

There were about ten things on my list that I wanted to get. I got four. To be fair, it wasn't the kids fault. They did stay pretty close to me, but those mobile carts will take out small children no matter how close to you they are. I also made the mistake of going to the self check-out, which took twice as long because I had "helpers" wanting to put the items on the belt and bag them at the end.
Honestly, if I had to take the kids grocery shopping with me every time, we would never have any food to eat in the house! How do moms do it? If you have any tips, let me know! From now on it is strictly Super.Target or Mei.jer for me--no elderly drivers, and my kids are secured in the cart!

Faces

 I am Brendan's personal milking machine. However, this is what he looks like when I eat dairy. You can draw your own conclusions as to what that face means...

I have found that if I remove dairy from my diet, this is what he looks like.

That means I don't eat cheese, ice cream, milk, sour cream, etc. But it is completely worth it to see that smiling face. And I know it's temporary because I won't be his milking machine forever.

Any advice on what I can give up to make this face smile?

Easter Part II

Our Easter weekend was truly an Easter weekend. It started on Good Friday. We went to my friend Anna's house. She is the most creative and best organized person I know! She didn't even pay me to say that. She also has three of the best behaved children I know. Case in point, her daughter McKenna was telling her something that her son Caleb did. Anna told her to tell Caleb to come up so she could talk to him. Caleb obediently came. Rori came to tell me something that Liam did. I told her to tell Liam to come to me. He said, "No, Never!" That's my boy! Anyway, Anna did an Easter egg hunt for the kids and she, smartly--why didn't I think of that--assigned each child a color of egg to find. She had filled each egg with goodies. The kids had a great time and talked about the Easter egg hunt the rest of the afternoon.

Liam and Caleb--not a great picture, but we were getting ready to leave and I did my best :)

Rori and McKenna--they get along great and Rori loves McKenna's long beautiful hair!

I already wrote about Easter Saturday. So on to Easter Sunday. The kids got all dressed up for church--as did I. I actually wore a bright green skirt and heels. I think I looked like an Easter egg, but there are no pictures to prove it. It's best that way. I also only got a couple of pictures of the kids because it was beautiful outside so I wanted outside pictures. Unfortunately it was also windy and my skirt had a tendency to blow up. Not a sight for the neighbors. Also, my heels were getting stuck in the lawn while I was trying to walk. I was cheaply aerating the lawn :)

                         Here's Rori practicing for Riverd.ance!

We have a rule that all males in the family must wear sweatervests. It's Bill's rule, but I think Liam rocked it :)

Brendan did not get dressed up for Easter, so no pictures of him either... It was the first Easter, that I remember, in a long time that we had such beautiful weather!

Hello Gorgeous!

Last summer I was pregnant with this adorable guy

Unfortunately he did a number on my back and my feet while I was carrying him. So I was forced to wear these

I affectionately call them "Birkenstops."

This summer, I will be wearing these!

Chubba Bubba

It was warm the other day and Brendan got to wear just a onesie. Normally he is in Sleep n Plays. He wanted to know if it made his thighs look big?

He's a little insulted that you would say that

Because can you do this?

He didn't think so

Easter Saturday

We had Easter at our house with my family on Saturday. We did Saturday because my sister's husband had to go out of town on Easter Sunday. I have always dreamed of being a good hostess. My vision is making the perfect ham, with delicious sides, a lovely tablescape, and me, perfectly pleasant and polished. This is the way it went...a large ham--so large I could barely fit anything else in the oven and get the door shut. Cranky words were said. I sent Bill out at the last minute to buy chinet plates because I decided I didn't want to do dishes after. The kitchen was 80 degrees which made me crabby and not a pleasant hostess. I had one child (Liam) pulling on my leg crying and whining, another one (Brendan) pooping on his clothes, and Bill in the background saying "hey look at me, pay attention to me!" He was also asking me to make Brendan's cereal. Martha Stew.art I am not. How do people manage to have everything ready at the same time, table set, drinks poured, and guests happy? We are not a well oiled machine at my house! Fortunately my family all understands and are similar. At least we could all rejoice in the fact that He is Risen!

When a 4 year old feeds a baby

This is what it looks like when a four year old feeds a baby...

And this is what it looks like when your sun rises and sets with your big sister, Rori Rose