It's a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doing what we do best.

Easter Re-Cap

Well I'm behind but I blame the Pregnancy mind loss for that. We had a lot of fun this Easter. We started are Easter weekend with dyeing eggs at Grandpa and Grandma L's house on Friday. The boys had a lot of fun with their cousins.



The Easter Bunny also came to our house and left some goodies.

And my Handsome boys in their Easter best.

Jakob

Kaeden

Archer (he doesn't like smiling for the camera anymore)

Then we ended are day at Grandpa and Grandma L's house with our Aunts and Uncles and Cousins for dinner and an Easter egg hunt.

I hope everyone had a great Easter....

What's at your House??????

We have Skeleton Cowboys around these parts.

Spring Getaway.........

We decided to take a little trip down South to visit James' parents. We had a lot of fun and got to get away from the snow for awhile.
We spent a lot of our time outside

Hanging out

And being crazy.

James even joined in on the fun.

We got so tired and had so much fun playing that when it came to having lunch we couldn't keep ourselves awake long enough to finish eating.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for letting us come visit.

Random Things!!!!

It was "Crazy Hair" day at Kaeden's school. So We got a little crazy and colored his hair Red. He was so excited to go to school and show everyone.

Jakob finally lost his front tooth. It had been loose for about a month and he wouldn't let me or his dad pull it out.

St.Patricks Day Recap...

My little Leprechaun's...

Jakob

Kaeden

Archer (was done with pictures)

We had are traditional dinner of Corned Beef and Cabbage and Green Jello and green colored Lemon Lime drink. I also got really creative this year and included some Rainbow cupcakes. The boys loved them and I even got James to admit that they were pretty cool so it was worth the time to make them. I might add them to the traditional dinner from now on.

31 Reasons You Shouldn't Feel Mom Guilt

This is for all you hard working Mother's.
1- Taking a vacation with only your husband. It's such a tragedy for the kids to spend time with their superindulgent grandparents! Besides, they'll benefit from you two not giving each other the stink eye during dinner.
2- Feeling smug that you're a better parent than those on Supernanny. No worries. We all feel smug watching Supernanny. Until we don't, at which time we employ her techniques.
3- Not signing up to be class parent. Think of it this way: Your ability to say no to volunteer tasks you can't handle will leave you better able to concentrate on what only you can do, like getting your kids fed, dressed, and onto the bus. Some days, that's huge!
4- Yelling at your son when he actually didn't do anything wrong. Sure, not a great move, but it's a good opportunity to show him that even you screw up sometimes, and that saying sorry really does help make it better.
5- Enjoying your work. You can love your kids and still have that "Thank Goodness It's Monday" feeling, well, every Monday. Especially after a long and dreary winter weekend.
6- Buying your daughter the generic UGGs. She'll live without the label, even if she thinks she will not, and her tootsies will be just as toasty.
7- Buying yourself the real ones. You treat your shoes better than your kid does, and you won't outgrow them. Plus, they're really cute. Being the wage earner has its perks.
8- Giving him the answer to the last problem on his math homework. He'll get more practice with the teacher in school.
9 Dipping into your son's goody bag when he isn't looking. What's a funsize Snickers between family members?
10- Not going in the pool with them. Chlorine does a real number on your hair, and besides, that's what dads are for.
11- Accepting your son's compliment that you're a good cook when he's eating pre-breaded microwave chicken breasts. You did your part. You pressed "Start."
12- Wiping your daughter's nose with a panty liner -- the closest thing to a tissue you had in your purse. For heaven's sake -- it was clean!
13- Stashing the Häagen-Dazs in the back of the freezer, and showcasing the supermarket brand. If they're not ready to dig, they're not ready to appreciate the premium stuff.
14- Closing the bedroom door in their little faces. You did not magically lose your need for privacy when you gave birth. If someone's bleeding or not breathing, by all means, they can knock.
15- Giving in once in a while. It can be a wise parental trade-off, especially if what you're acceding to will buy you a few minutes of quiet time, private time, or time to regroup. You don't need to be perfectly consistent.
16- Making your daughter get down from the top of the monkey bars, simply because it makes you nervous. Yes, she's done it a million times safely, and she'll likely do it again, but who says you have to watch? Your comfort level counts, too!
17- Making the grandparents take them to "Disney on Ice." It's torture for you, but for them, it's a future memory they'll cherish forever. What's the problem?
18- Tossing their artwork. After you've saved the truly superior thumb pots and the especially sentimental glitter collages, you will still have a heap of crafts the size of Mount Etna. Fill up a big black Hefty bag after they're asleep, and then watch Hoarders. You'll feel better instantly.
19- Being psyched that the best friend you never liked has moved to another state. You're not happy your daughter is upset, of course, and you'll help her through it. But being secretly pleased that you won't ever have to host Little Miss Caitlin-Who-Gets-to-Wear-Belly-Shirts for a sleepover again doesn't make you a bad person.
20- Neglecting to videotape his role as "third planet from the sun" in the school solar-system pageant. There will be other, more important achievements, and you can bet your son won't notice.
21- Letting it slip that the tooth fairy was actually her daddy. You didn't destroy her childhood innocence. You let her in on a grown-up secret that she must never, ever tell her little brother, which makes her feel mature and important.
22- Knowing you could go months without sex, without even missing it. Guilt about not feeling frisky makes you even less so. So your libido isn't what it used to be when you had no children to wear you out by 9 p.m. If you can remain open to the idea of sex, and get into it when you can, that's fine until things change. Which they probably will as your children get older.
23- Only pretending to be sad that your child's birthday falls in mid-August. No gigantic birthday parties, full of political decisions as to whom to invite.
24- Reading this article instead of soliciting donations for the PTA auction, cultivating your organic vegetable garden, or cleaning out that kitchen drawer with the random rubber bands, screwdrivers, and old keys in it. Even machines need to unplug and reboot every so often.
25- Sitting and reading. You do not need to be on the treadmill in your first free 20 minutes in three days. You'll exercise at the next break in the action when you can.
26- Looking forward to guys' weekend even more than your husband. It's so much easier sometimes to just take care of stuff by yourself without having to take someone else's opinion into account. Plus, a little time apart is never a bad thing.
27- Not letting her pierce her ears until the age at which you were allowed to. Just because.
28- Finding aspects of motherhood incredibly tedious. If you didn't find watching your child go down the slide for the 100th time that day ("Mom, look at meeee!") or nagging him to put his socks in the hamper a bit of a snooze, you'd be too easily amused, and hence a moron.
29- Noticing the hot dad at drop-off. Ahem, you have eyes in your head, and (sex drive or no) you're not dead yet! Did you lick him? No? You're okay.
30- Still being really PO'd about the stretch marks.
31- Forgetting to lay out her best outfit for school photo days. Years from now, you'll appreciate seeing her as the adorable, rough-and-tumble tomboy she really was instead of some dolled-up version of herself.

Happy Valentines Day

Today to celebrate Valentine's Day, I have hacked into my wife's blog to tell her how much I love and appreciate her.

When we met over 11 years ago, I never could have imagined the difference that one person could have on my life. You have been there whenever I have needed you, and I am so excited to spend many more years together watching our boys grow up.

I love you today more than I ever thought possible, and I'm sure that I will love you even more tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that.

Love,

James

Expecting Baby #4

We are expecting Baby #4 in September.

We are really excited.

Archer is 2............

I'm so sad my little man is already 2.
One Day Old:

Archer at 1

Archer at 2

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids.

I found this and couldn't stop laughing.

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is a parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

New Year!!!!!!!

Hope your NEW YEAR was as ROCKIN as ours.

Snow Fun...

Christmas Recap.....

We spent Christmas down South with James' family.
The boys Christmas morning.

This picture sums up how Christmas day was for us.

We also got to enjoy some nice weather while we were there and took advantage of it and went for a hike.